δώσει τις ευχαριστίες.

First, an edit. 
Two posts ago I lost my mind for a brief moment and thought "Voila!" should be spelled like this:  Wallah.  How embarrassing.  It took a good friend to help me find my brain and lead me to the right spelling.  Apparently in that moment, all ten of my years spent in French academia were laid waste.  But I'm back in the game!  "Voila!", it is. 
[Thank you, Brett]

Also.  It's Thanksgiving!  That nebulous holiday wherein it seems only a minority of folks celebrate its true meaning.   Thanksgiving is a good day to spend with family and friends.  Truly.  Scott and I are heading over to a deacon's house from church later today, and it's there that our holiday will be spent.  I'm doing my duty of baking gluten-free chocolate chip-pumpkin bread.  And yes, you're remembering correctly that t'was only a week ago I made GF chocolate chip-banana muffins.  Chocolate chips are one of the few items that [I feel] can go in almost any baked good. 
They're square, because I have a really fun baking pan for them. 
Kitchen gadgets are mah'thing.  

Oh, and is anyone else truly annoyed by the line in this song?
"You uh chee-wow-ah, Om uh rot-wallaaaah"?  [Totally stupid] 

Oh, but look!  ..Wallah has made its way into the English language.  Ha.

Anyway.  That's it for now.  Happy Thanksgiving to all. 
And remember to put chocolate chips in everything. 
Go crazy.

PS - I'm receiving scamming e-mails like nuts.  I took the time to write a response e-mail to one of them that went like this: 

It's a holiday.  So why don't you take a holiday from scamming people? 

Please stop wasting my time, 
Christina

Petit dinosaur.

Ok, so I finally did something with the spaghetti squash.  It went like this:  I split it in half.. well, Scott did.  Then I scooped out the seeds, oh wait no, that was Scott.  Ok, but I put them in a baking pan with water, a little olive oil, and sea salt.  I baked the squash, open side down, for 45 minutes at 350.  I guess I should have cooked it for an hour though, because it was still a little crunchy.  Or is it supposed to be slightly al dente upon eating?  S.O.S.

Anyway, once it cooled off, I took a fork to its innards and literally in microseconds it fell away into shreds.  Noodles, or what have you.  I had heard that pasta sauce does wonders because it takes on any flavor its given.  So here's my take on it..  yes, it tasted just like the pasta sauce.  The end.  Truly it has no flavor of its own, so it's best with pesto, or pasta sauce, or some butter and salt.  I think I may have been a little jaded since it crunched in my mouth.  I don't know about you, but I don't like my noodles crunchy.  I tried frying the rest in a pan with butter and salt, but it never quite came together for me.  Scott ate a serving at dinner time with homemade GF chicken parmesan, but I said no thanks.  I'm determined to make it work for me, so I'll try again at some point.  This is how the spaghetti squash left me feeling at the end of the day:

Oh!  Also.. today I was cleaning up my living room and I found THIS on my coffee table.  It nearly sent me straight to the grave because I mistakenly thought it was a leaf.  

That is certainly no leaf.  It's a cute little gecko from outside.  It didn't save me 15% on car insurance, but I had a grand time watching it slink around.  I gently brought it outside in a bowl and let him free.  I captured his freedom for you.  

I swear that thing looks like a small alligator up close.  But he was a good boy.  =)

I love North Carolina.

This gluten and I have a love/hate relationship.

Ok, so I'm in love with gluten.  I should stop pretending.  When my two favorite foods are pizza and boneless battered chicken wings, it's hard to pretend that I'm not.  I am a sucker for pizza at all costs.  Pizza has been my #1 nemesis in staying committed to my new gluten-free lifestyle.  Tonight, after a difficult day, I turned to Scott and said the worst 7-letter word I know:  Domino's.  I'm pretty peeved because Domino's now has a garlic bread crust.. amazing enough to weaken me in the knees.  On bad days, it's almost too much to resist.  

But why make a bad day worse?  Why sleep through the next 5 days in a hazy fog otherwise known as my "wheat fog"?  [Unless you have a gluten sensitivity, you probably have no idea what I'm referring to]  I decided to be proactive, and not let Domino's get the better of me.  I turned to Google.  

On Google I discovered making homemade onion rings is easy as pie.  [mmm, pie.. but I digress]  All'z you need is an onion, oil, and pancake batter.  Apparently pancake batter [ie: King Arthur, Bisquick, Krusteaz] doubles as a great frying batter for any and all items.  This was news to me!  So I got to fryin' and 10 minutes later I had fantastic gluten-free onion rings.  I used King Arthur's top o'the line GF pancake mix and prepared the batter.  I sliced up the onions, dipped them in heated oil, and wallah!  [Is that how one properly spells "wallah"?..]  I doused them in salt and forgot about Domino's for all of ten minutes.  But it did the trick.  I may have consumed some serious fat, but I totally avoided the gluten nonsense.  If I had eaten Domino's pizza, I would have ended up with both.

One day I'd like to be a gluten-free guru.  I want my blog to be educating Googlers all around the world!  So I'll start with this:

Oh!  And also:  yesterday I made some fantastic GF banana/chocolate chip muffins to get rid of our old bananas.  Thanks to King Arthur's GF all-purpose flour, I'm on a roll!  [or a muffin]

Trouvé.

Last night I stopped into Walgreens and guess what I found!  

 

It's a little greener in real life, but definitely the teal I was looking for.  Yay!

On another note, next week I'm BOOKED with Thanksgiving clients.  I'm really happy to have such a busy pet-sitting week next week.  I love going into peoples' homes and taking care of their furry families.  Having done in-home childcare for so many years, it's really comfortable for me.  I have a new client that has 5 adult cats and one adorable black and white kitten. [my fave]  I'm actually heading there today to take care of their 3 dogs, and I'm really looking forward to it.  This is kind of the perfect job for me right now. 
Thank You Lord, for Your provision.

Also, I went to a big [and I mean big] Christmas show down here yesterday.  It was in a convention center, and the inside was all done up like a town.  Some vendors had their own little Christmas shoppes set up with trees and lights, and everything.  Kind of like a mini Christmas-Disneyland.  Pretty amazing.  But anyway, there was this young jeweler there from New York, and her pieces blew me away.  I kind of just kept telling her how amazing her stuff was and how much I wanted to be like her.  Haha.  It's a tricky thing, because in order to make beautifully ornate pieces, one needs the funds to purchase the necessary materials.  But in order to purchase the necessary materials, one must make sufficient sales.  Somewhat of a "chicken or the egg" scenario.  I have in my head exactly where I'd like my trade to go, I just need the funds to get there.  I truly hope that one day I can manipulate metals and have endless supplies to work with.  
Lord-willing.

What types of jewelry would you like to see me create? 

“It's only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.”

I read the most incredible thing yesterday.  Apparently you can make soap out of bacon fat.  Bacon fat!  All you need to do is add a little lye and fridge it.  [Fight Club, anyone?]  Ok, maybe there's more to it than that, but I'm determined to make it happen.  And if I have to eat three packages of bacon, then I'll take one for the team.  [Visions of Atkins' dancing in my head]  I'll let you know how it goes, if and when I get around to it.  For now, doing something with the week-old spaghetti squash is priority.  No, I have not done anything with it yet.  Shame on me.  

Also, I've practically watched six hundred Say Yes to the Dress episodes on Netflix's instant watch.  [No, not really]  Scott and I can't really afford TV right now, so Netflix has been pulling it's weight around here.  At some point it would be nice to watch something other than every episode of The Hills and Say Yes to the Dress.  One day.  I miss regular TV.

DanceOut was great tonight!  Zumba is on the menu for tomorrow evening, so I'm hoping to burn off the frozen yogurt and chocolate chips I just gorged on.  As if that wasn't enough, I then reached for the plantain chips we've had for two months.  I couldn't tell if they were stale because I was eating too fast.  

I'm also obsessed with Phalaenopsis Orchids, and can't get enough of them.  I was fawning over a fuchsia one in Harris Teeter the other day, but my last four orchids have been failed projects.  I've essentially been watering sticks for the past year.  I've tried everything I can think of.. even took them to a nursery and asked for serious help.  If Scott won't let me be a crazy cat lady, then maybe there's still a chance with the whole crazy orchid lady thing.  Hm..

You've seen enough pictures of my cats for now, so how'z about an orchid shot?

I get giddy just looking at them..

HuminahHuminah.

To start, a couple housekeeping things.  [By the way.. why is it "housekeeping"?  Who knows]  Anyway.

First off is I'm having a BLAST at my dance exercise classes.  So far I've done Zumba a couple of times, and now I'm getting into this DanceOut! class.  DanceOut's really awesome because I can burn some serious calories to awesome music.  Sometimes I pretend I'm in one of those ridiculous dance flicks where everyone's a star.  I really don't want the class to end because then I'm back to lame-o me.  I drive home with the music a little louder than usual on those nights.  http://queencitydanceout.com/

Secondly, I REALLY wish I had more pet-sitting clients.  This job is tons of fun and I want to stay on board as long as possible.  I check my e-mail like a hundred times a day to see if I've got a new client.  People in eastern Charlotte: I'm an awesome pet-sitter!  I'll come and walk your dogs and feed your cats.  Check me out!  http://www.fluffsofluv.com

Ok, anyway. I made an interesting dish today.  I bought an unbelievable amount of pine nuts a while back, and I've been hankering to use them.  I bought some prosciutto for the first time two days ago and decided to marry the two.  So today I made a gluten-free pasta dish with prosciutto, spinach, toasted pine nuts, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese.  It was pretty good.  Next time I'll be sure to use tons more spinach and a little less prosciutto.  I'm a huge salt fan, but the prosciutto was a bit much.  The recipe called for 2 slices and I used 1/4 pound.  Go big'er or go home, no?

Also, TCBY has made a total comeback.  My mom never really let me have real ice cream when I was a kid, so TCBY was our joint.  I've been an avid fan of TCBY since elementary school, and have even driven seriously out of my way for White Chocolate Mousse on more than one occasion.  I'm thrilled that there are a couple TCBY's down here in Charlotte.  And guess what!  They're self-serve.  So hip, so with it.  They've got a ton of flavors and a host of toppings and you can find me there pretty regularly.  Well, not as regularly as I'd like because the closest one's 25 minutes away.  I suppose that's for the best, though.  I'm currently dreaming of banana froyo with chocolate chips and Reeses' cups.  Oh man.  http://www.tcby.com/

I'm also really hoping for jewelry sales to pick up.  This is generally the time of year when people appreciate the trade I have to offer.  I'm truly hoping for good holiday sales.  http://www.earringsbychristina.com/

Also, Tiramisu makes the ugliest sound when she's cleaning herself.  I wouldn't normally write on that, but she's doing it right now and it's disgusting.  Gross. 

With this ring.

So it's been 3 years, 1 month, and 5 days since Scott and I were wed on the altar of a beautiful New England church.  [I remember being convinced that something catastrophic would happen and we'd never make it to our wedding way.  But, we did]  And I'd have to say that our wedding planning was almost too easy. 
Sometimes I think back and wonder, how was it all such a piece of cake?

Let me start off by saying yes, my parents paid for the entire wedding.  That relieved Scott and I of any financial burden that could have complicated things.  So I recognize how blessed we were in not having to budget or cut corners.  The interesting thing though, is that as much of a textbook "girly girl" I truly am, I never once truly envisioned my wedding prior to the occasion.  As a 5 year old, I never danced around the living room pretending to be a beautiful bride.  I never visualized my wedding cake in all its fifty flavors, nor did I conspire to have white doves in ornate bird cages.  Simply, I knew I wanted to be married in a church wearing a white dress.  That's really as far as I had gotten by the time Scott got on his knee to ask for my hand in marriage. 

And I think the fact that I hadn't put much stock in how it should all look really made for a smooth ride.  Sure, I knew I didn't want my wedding to take place on a muddy soccer field with "all you can eat!" finger foods, but I was pretty flexible outside the nice church and white dress.  Even the "nice church" idea was nonessential, given the right circumstances. 
So ok, I was committed to a white dress. 

Living in Vermont really limited my options as far as dress boutiques, florists, reception locales, etc.  I didn't mind, though.  It actually made the process a whole lot less complicated.  Within an hour's drive, there was really only one all-purpose wedding store, so that's where we committed to.  At this one particular boutique, I ended up finding my wedding dress & veil [on the first day of shopping], our wedding invitations & "thank you" cards, Scott's tuxedo, the bridesmaids' dresses, and the wedding party's tuxes.  That was almost everything we could have needed in one-stop shopping.  We went to one reception locale, which turned out to be great because they also catered and provided an open bar.  We found a talented NYC baker ten minutes south of us who practically paid US for our wedding cake and cupcakes.  My parents chose the three entree choices for the buffet, and it only took two phone calls to find the DJ.  My mom took over the amazing floral arrangements, and made each and every wedding favor by hand.  [Thank you, Mom]

Really, all there was for Scott and I to do was to look forward to a beautiful honeymoon made possible by Scott's parents.  [Thank you, Lisa & Manny]  Oh, and I forgot to mention that when Scott and I viewed the reception hall for the first time, it was already decked out for a wedding taking place that very evening.  I fell in love with the decor and colors [black, white, and red] and simply asked if it could be redone..  

Not my proudest moment, but why reinvent the wheel? 

Looking back, our 6-month engagement was a beautiful time.  I had two amazing bridal showers, and the very engagement ring I had set my heart on.  Not to mention, the man I fawned over for years.  It was such an exciting time, and I never once had a bridezilla moment.  I can't believe how richly God blessed Scott and I in our engagement, and how perfect our wedding day was.  

It saddens me to the deepest part of my heart when people view marriage as antiquated and dispensable.  It's such an incredible time of preparation and newness, and I will do my part to share its importance and uphold the institution of marriage.  

That, and I will continue to watch "Say Yes to the Dress".  Every bride should feel like a princess on her wedding day, and the right dress is partially responsible for that.  Just remember not to break the bank on the dress.  Mine is currently, and has been for the last 3 years, folded away and preserved in a box under our bed. 
Keep that in mind when you want a dress that costs a year's rent. 

Rod & Staff.

God has really blessed me.
Truly.

Scott and I met with our pastor today to discuss some difficult things that have been on our mind.  Turns out our pastor is an even greater man than we had previously thought.  As I was sitting there between my husband and my new pastor, I was experiencing a glimpse of heaven on earth:

three Christians working together for the common goal of God's glory. 

I was really concerned to leave Vermont and our beloved churchfolk at Thetford Baptist, but God has kept us steadfastly in the palm of His hands.  He loves me, and He refuses to let me go.  My true hope is to become a strong oak for Christ's sake.  I ache to be an efficacious Christian who is committed to integrity and truth.  

I also believe God is calling me to the choicest of fruits, and that He will reward me in Heaven for my undertakings. 

I just pray that He'll make straight my paths so I can finish well.

Mindful Meanderings.

I went grocery shopping today, and guess what was on sale.  Yeah, that's right; spaghetti squash.  I wonder if spaghetti squash will some day save my life, or something.  Who knows.  Anyway, so I bought one and I'll stare at it for a couple of days before deciding what to do with it.  

I also finished watching The Hills tonight.  I'm not sure how or why I got into it, but I just did.  I was pleasantly surprised at how little promiscuity and substance abuse there was.  Well, at least up until the 5th season.  My favorite part of it all was watching the dynamics between the girls.  But I lost interest mainly when Kristin arrived on scene..  Was I supposed to care about her?  

Anyway, so that part of my life is over and I'm fine with it.

Also, this Reforming Marriage book that Scott and I are reading is incredible.  Sometimes God places something in your life at the exact moment that you desperately need it, and that's where we're at.  Oh, and something I realized tonight in a big way:  If it's true that the husband is to the marriage as Jesus is to the Church, [and it is] then what does that say if the husband does not fulfill his God-given roles as a man?  If Jesus hadn't executed the responsibility He took upon Himself for our sakes, we'd all be in hell.  I think that's kind of what a marriage is like when a husband isn't taking seriously each charge appointed to him; a marital hell. 
Seriously, you gotta check out this book.  

*..Just don't put too much stock into the cover.  No one that I know understands its intention.   

PS - I'm going to dance myself to a healthy weight.  I'm determined.  

Imposter of sorts.

Does it ever happen to you that you hear of something for the first time, and then it's just.. everywhere? 
..Well, spaghetti squash is that thing for me.

There's a really cool gluten-free blog that I'm following online lately: Gluten Free Blog  One of the recent articles was about how versatile spaghetti squash can be.  A month or so back Scott and I tried spaghetti squash at a restaurant and it was pretty fantastic.  [I think it was prepared with a little butter and seasoning]  It wasn't the best new thing I had ever tried, but its potential was exciting to me.  

There's this younger girl at church [who also has a gluten issue] and she's been raving a bit about spaghetti squash.  She rattled off a couple ways she prepares it.  Of course it was all new to me and I was quickly lost in the excitement.  Something about baking it and shredding it like pulled pork.  I guess it can be a tasty substitute for pasta.  We'll just have to see, because I'm pretty picky about my Italian dishes.  So it's a good thing I've found a fantastic gluten-free substitute.  Farmo Pasta!  

So I'm pretty excited to try spaghetti squash, but I don't know where to start.  I'm still pretty reluctant to believe in its ability to replace real pasta, but I'm open-minded. 
My plan is to buy some this week and start experimenting.

So have you ever had spaghetti squash?  

If so, would you be willing to grant me some direction? 

Any help would be appreciated.

DIY.

I read the most ingenious thing in Glamour a couple of weeks ago.  

The article was about affordable fashion, and how to be crafty on a budget.  I'm all about fashion and my life is one big budget, so I was all over the article.  It said if you can't find the right color nail polish in store, or if you're tired of all your old colors, mix new ones!  How have I not thought of this before? 
Make new colors by mixing your old ones.  Magnificent.  

Yesterday was the first time I had a chance to sit down and do the hard work of waiting for my nails to dry.  I grabbed my elephantine bag of nail polish and hit the ground running.  I had to find a bowl that I was willing to deface with all the colors of the rainbow.  That was my first task.  Secondly, I needed to appoint colors that would mix, and mix well.  Lastly I committed to a nail polish brush I was willing to commandeer for purposes of this new color, yet to be determined.  Then I got to mixing.  If you know me well, you can probably predict my colors of choice.  I ended up with red, pink, carrot, and white.  The result?  A coral of sorts.  THE color I haven't been able to find in stores.  [Not for less than $10 a bottle, anyway]  So now I'm on a mission.  I'm going to make new colors each time.  My ultimate goal is make teal.  That's something I haven't worn in this decade, and I'm determined to achieve it gracefully.  Teal is my next project.

Wow, that is a very big of example of teal. 

*Glamour says to add clear coat in the mix, just to give it the shine. 

So what about you?  Have you ever heard of this ingenious concept? 

Perhaps I missed the boat on this one and everyone's been doing it for years..

The side-part.

*Today I parted my hair down the center.*   

This may seem inconsequential to many, but to those who've rocked the side-part for years, it's anything but.  

I decided to take a flying leap and style my hair with a center-part.  There I stood, in the bathroom, blow-dryer in hand.  I knew it was moment of consequence.  Was I really going to do it?  My fingers tingled with delight at the thought of it.  *I went for it.*  The entire time I blow-dried and straightened, I questioned myself.. What do I even look like with a center part?  I honestly couldn't remember, as I haven't styled my hair that way in at least 4 years. 

Fifteen long minutes later, there I stood.  And stood.  I had random thoughts buzzing through my head; Fergie, bad 70's movie, senior photo.  But you know what?  It wasn't bad.  I think I actually like it.  It ages me, but in a good way.  I actually look my age, like a professional.  Does anyone really know when the side-part pandemic originated?  I'd have to say it's my favorite hairstyle of all time; flattering on just about anybody.  But there's something freeing about parting your hair down the center and forgetting about it completely..  Almost like that's how hair was meant to fall.  I don't know.  I may decide to go "center part" every once in a while to change things up, but don't expect to see my side-part disappear any time soon.

What do you think.. are you a side-parter, or a center-parter?  

Or... do you *gasp* not even part?..

"Je voudrais flanné avec toi."

It's after midnight and I'm still awake.  Scott's fast asleep in bed, and I'm double-fisting Halloween candy.  What is wrong with me?  

I started up Zumba classes last night again.  I can't say enough of how nice it is to live in a city.  Living in Vermont really changed me quite a bit;  I learned how to be alone, which is something I never really did well at all.   But I'm glad the Lord saw it fit for us to move somewhere new.  After an amazing work out last night, I drove home through the city of Charlotte.  The golden arches of McDonald's never called my name so loudly, as they did last night.  I was tempted to get a small fries and inhale them before pulling into the driveway.  I decided against it.  Oh, and if anyone says that Ballantyne is THE place to live, I say give me a Providence Road home any day.

Jewelry sales are going pretty ok this time of year.  I'm hoping I will do even better as Christmas approaches.  Two young ladies from church have already taken a real interest.  One asked if she could sell some pieces at her work place, and the other wants to help me plan a jewelry party. [think Pampered Chef party]  I'm very happy about that, and grateful to both women.  I'm just realizing I haven't updated my "Item of the Week" yet.  Whoops, I'll have to do that tomorrow.

This weekend will be a busy pet-sitting weekend.  I hope at some point I'll stop having slow weeks and busy weekends, and have just the opposite.  But I'm grateful for the money that's coming in. 

Ok, I just realized how tired I am.  Good night.