Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘school’ Category

happy spring break to me

Posted in school on March 25, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Happy Spring Break to me!  Instead of basking in the sunshine at some much warmer locale, I’m filling my week with schoolwork in hopes that the second half of the semester will go even smoother than the first.  Not holding my breath, but much progress was made already this weekend on ‘to-do’ list items:

-Advertiser article written and submitted

-Computer Fundamentals: extra credit assignment, weekly assignment, three+ discussion posts and all the MyITLab computer work done

-Foodservice Management: Chapter Review questions, Literary Review #4 and Assignment 2 almost finished

-Studied for NFS 302 and 315 on the elliptical, and have a study lunch planned for Wednesday

-TWO co-op blogs written and ready to go

-new doctor recon finished and ready to make phone calls

-called source for next article

-letter to Heather written

-AND Andrew got a ton of work done on the pantry!  WOO HOO!

SO, I’m feelin’ pretty good about starting my week!

Big TO-DO items:

-study for Biochem test

-Lifecycle project

-study for 315 and 302

-maybe and little housework/furniture reorganizing….(I’ve had a vision and can barely contain myself!)

I wish I had a week-long list of cooking and baking recipes ready to go as well, but I won’t be doing much of that.  Between all the food we have lying around in the fridge/freezer/pantry, my desire to devote all my time to that silly project, and my lack of motivation to go grocery shopping, I just can’t manage it.  I just know this week is going to FLY by and I won’t know what hit me come Monday after Easter.

 

Read Full Post »

binder hell

Posted in school on January 24, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Seriously people, buying school supplies is highway robbery these days.

20130124-215117.jpg

$5.99 each?! For some off-brand plastic and metal? That seems a bit high, don’t you think?

Oh, it gets worse.

20130124-215223.jpg

$7.49 just to be able to flip it over?? (A handy option, I’ll admit, but am I willing to pay more for it? I don’t think so.)

Believe it or not, it gets EVEN worse.

20130124-215428.jpg

$9.29!!! For ONE? You’ve got to be kidding me.

All I wanted was the Avery brand, white, one-inch binders I’ve been buying for the last three semesters. I needed five. Target was fresh out, which brought me to Office Max, or ‘the most expensive place to buy office supplies you can’t find anywhere else and are thus forced into paying through the nose.’

After much price-comparing in my head, and maybe a little out-loud public math using my fingers, I came to the conclusion that this would be my best bet:

20130124-220027.jpg

Twelve for $24.99. Just more than $2 each–my kinda price for BINDERS, for pete’s sake. And it’s not like I won’t need five or six more next semester…

Read Full Post »

a tale of two chickens

Posted in Food, school on November 6, 2012 | 2 Comments »

Recently, I did a group project in my Applied Food Chemistry class about fat-modified food products. My group decided to do a “Southern” theme and made comfort-food favorites, like macaroni and cheese, greens, a breakfast frittata, peach cobbler and fried chicken.

Fried Chicken.

I was in charge of the chicken, so I decided to treat Andrew to a “two-for” in one week–fried chicken twice!

My group pitted Paula Deen’s Southern Fried Chicken against Ellie Krieger’s Honey-Crisp Oven Fried Chicken (from her cookbook in my collection, no less).

I started by making the traditional deep-fried version.

I served it with mashed sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts. The chicken turned out just like you would get at Popeye’s–crispy, light brown skin and perfectly moist.

A few nights later, I tackled Ellie’s oven-fried version. It relied on a buttermilk soak for tenderness, bone-in, skinless thighs for moisture and a bit of sweetness from honey. The “breading” was a heavily seasoned cornflake cereal mixture.

I served it with two cold salads: a potato salad and an apple, fennel and golden raisin salad similar to one I get at Wegmans a lot.

Our verdict: Ellie’s won! The healthier version was more flavorful and the crispy crust was just as pleasing. That, and no giant oil mess or quart of oil to dispose of. I would definitely make this again.

Here are a couple photos from the actual group project, which was about two weeks ago now.

Our class chose Ellie’s version too, by 57% percent. What can I say, she’s good.

Read Full Post »

technology, i love you

Posted in busy, efficiency, school on November 2, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Whoever says technology is a bad thing for our society has never had to be as efficient as possible, at all times.

Efficiency – it’s pretty much how I live my life.

Using my iPhone, I can park here:

…and in the time it takes me to walk here (Caudell Hall, home to the Dietetics Dept):

…I can count my calories and exercise, check my email and blog.  All in a 10-minute (or less) walk.

That makes me smile.

Read Full Post »

achilles heel, and a list

Posted in Andrew, hadrian, house projects, school on October 27, 2012 | 2 Comments »

At least it wasn’t MY achilles tendon that got torn this week…

Yes, folks, you heard that right.  We had a major injury this week; Andrew tore his Achilles tendon at basketball Wednesday, which prompted a 4-hour stay at the local after-hours urgent care, in addition to a heck of a lot of craziness.

Not sure why I couldn’t manage to get a blog post out about it until just now–I do remember wanting to snap a photo while we were in the waiting room, except every time I thought about it, Andrew was playing with my phone.  As in, the phone with the camera in it.

And I’m not sure why I couldn’t manage to publish any of the already written posts I have sitting in the queue (since that is precisely what they are there for)…busy week, I guess.

ANYWAY, Andrew is laid-up with surgery scheduled Tuesday.  He’s definitely in some pain but has a hefty painkiller prescription, and is thoroughly enjoying Netflix’s instant streaming.  (A service we cancelled awhile back and he re-ordered just this afternoon in light of his couch-bound state.  Hmm…is that how things get done around here?  What kind of ailment can I come up with that will get me a re-attached basement door and some furniture???)

 

Thankfully, it’s his left foot, which means that–technically–he CAN drive (heck, he drove himself to urgent care!), and will be able to to so at some point soon.  Until then, he can bum rides to work with his dad and he’s pretty good on crutches.  Gosh, it’s been a HUGE BLESSING having Andrew’s parents here.

And another thing: I’ve learned I’m not a nursemaid.  Like, AT ALL.  I’m just not a nurse.  I’m not compassionate (not that I’m mean, I’m just not overly caring, I suppose) and totally thoughtless.  Maybe I’m just distracted right now with school.  In any case, pity Andrew–I love him to death and I do try to help, but it’s definitely NOT my gift.

So, that’s the biggest news of our lives right now.  As early as the night it happened I was already considering it a blessing; it’s forcing us to stop our house projects and relax (well, he can; I still have school!) and spend time in the same room together.  I mean, if Andrew can manage it I’d really like a couple quick things done here before we totally call it quits (like that basement door and the drapes), and maybe he can just talk me through some of these tasks, too.

We also postponed our house-warming party, which has given me such relief it’s not even funny.  In all honesty, a couple days ago I started getting a bad feeling about the party–just that I wasn’t ready nor was I looking forward to it because of everything else on my plate–and between Andrew’s injury and finding out our new couch won’t be here until DECEMBER (Lazy-Boy, I am SO UNIMPRESSED I can’t see straight–probably a post all its own), in addition to school projects and the fact that we still haven’t gotten any more furniture or lamps….well, I was a bit stressed.  We’re thinking January might be a better time for it.

I’ve already single-handedly raked and disposed of every leaf in our yard.  Last night.  For three hours straight.  THREE HOURS.

 

I was out loading leaves into a trash can and hauling them to the curb in the dark.  You bet I earned those BBQ wings I wanted!

In other news, school is–just like always–completely insane.  If it isn’t one class, it’s another.  In the past week or so, I’ve had two tests, the first part of a project (to be blogged about later, I hope), and a test, two more projects, a quiz and an essay in the next week. And an article to write.  And packages to mail (sorry Heather–your b-day/care package will be in the mail Monday).  And I’ve got to get to Wegmans tomorrow–we’re out of spinach!  And I have to do research for one of the afore-mentioned projects.  I love that I can do homework at Wegmans.  Sort of.

Here’s a quick pic of one of my project groups:

 

I’m in the back peeking over two of the girls.  We had to come up with 10 recipes (5 regular, 5 fat-modified), and had the rest of the people in our lab cook them and perform a blind taste-test.  That was Wednesday, now THIS coming Wednesday we present our findings and a bunch of information as well as fat-reduced products you find at your grocery store.  I made two versions of fried chicken, and I’ll blog about it later.

One more thing:  we finally re-filled Hadrian’s bed.

 

The poor guy’s been sleeping on it almost completely flat for awhile now.  We just use packing peanuts from the UPS store.  You’d be amazed how they flatten over time…

Well, that’s a good summary of the past week or so.  Prayers for Andrew’s surgery and my sanity are greatly appreciated!

Read Full Post »

thursday is for baking

Posted in baking, Pumpkin, school, sweet potato on October 17, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

I made it through today (Wednesday I leave at 8 a.m. and don’t return until almost 9 p.m.) and am exhausted.  I have an open Chem lab in front of me to complete, two GIANT tests coming up in the next couple days (one is Friday; the bigger one is Monday, thank goodness!), as well as a ‘to-do’ pile the size of Texas.

And all I can think about is baking.

Tomorrow, I am not painting.  I am not doing yardwork.  (Unless, of course, it’s beautiful and I need a break and the guilt overcomes me.)

I’m baking and studying.  Baking, studying.  Repeat.

There will be cinnamon apple scones.  There will be pumpkin amazeballs.  There might even be another treat, although it’s hard enough around here to eat what little I DO find the time to make!

And, not only do I get to bake–I get to cook!  Our neighbors had their baby and I’m bringing them dinner :) She’s a vegetarian (the mom, not the baby, obviously), so I’ll be giving them a quinoa dish with zucchini, dill and feta, as well as our favorite Nutty Sweet Potato Soup and a green salad.  Oh!  And I can make bread!  In the breadmaker…I’m already probably too overcommitted (ahem, the still un-done lab in front of me).

Alright…enough procrastinating.  Eyes are drooping.  Still have to pack the swim bag for the morning.  Sheesh…

Read Full Post »

i miss running

Posted in Running, school, stress on October 14, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

And, apparently, running misses me, too.

I got this in my inbox the other day:

It’s from MapMyRun, and they miss me.  The last run I tracked was back in April.  APRIL.  (Now, I don’t track every run–really, I haven’t been running regularly since school started, but holy cow–has it really been that long since I mapped a new route??)

As I said in this recent post, exercise hasn’t been a big part of my life lately.  Sad.  Very sad.  The saddest part?  The increasing tightness of my jeans…

The other day, I really thought that to myself–that I did, in fact, miss running.  And working out in general, but mostly running.  We had a wonderful fall day earlier this week when I had a chance to run outside and enjoy the weather, but I didn’t.

It’s like I have a block or something.  I think my brain just cannot take a single additional thing to think about; between school, swimming, scheduling, cleaning, cooking, homework, house-planning and projecting, I just can’t squeeze anything else in there.  Now that the laundry room is done, I already a feel a little relief, but I’m not ready to jump into a rigorous gym schedule like I did so easily last semester.

And the good news is that, after two months of beating myself up over it, I’m giving myself permission to NOT work out right now.  I think my body, my sanity, my marriage needs it, heck–I KNOW my brain needs it right now.  I’m swimming twice a week now, and have high hopes I’ll get back to my punk rope class at the gym Saturday morning, but other than that, I’m not stressing.  Or at least trying not to.

I’ll hit the road again soon.

**Edited to add:  I wrote this post a few days ago and have been saving it in my queue until I had a chance to post it.  I’m actually going running in about an hour!  It’s 6:50 on Sunday morning and a friend/acquaintance (OK, it’s one of my professors who lives in Orchard Park…how does one refer to them?) invited me yesterday to meet her at a local park.  AND I made it to punk rope yesterday.  AND I’m back to calorie-counting; those pesky SEVEN (thank goodness it’s not more!) pounds have nothing on me!  The light at the end of the tunnel is shining down on me RIGHT NOW.

Read Full Post »

adjusting expectations

Posted in house projects, school, stress, Uncategorized on October 10, 2012 | 4 Comments »

So… I think I’ve finally accepted the fact that there are just some things that aren’t a part of my life right now, now that I’m back in school and especially because of the on-going chaos in our house right now.

(I realize some of you don’t understand what the chaos is all about… I mean, we’ve moved in, right? Yes, and no. Ninety percent of our stuff is where it should be, but the rest is scattered all over floors and leaning up against walls. Couches are not in their final destinations. NOTHING has been hung or decorated. Piles of candles, albums and other miscellaneous items are all over the floors and half of our downstairs area is essentially empty. The office looks just like it did a day after we moved in…two months ago. Add to that all the accumulated animal hair and house project dust and you’ve got constant craziness.)

So, getting back to the things that AREN’T a part of my life right now:

-clean floors

-decent nails (I say ‘decent’ because mine are bordering on absolutely unacceptable, so ‘nice’ would be a unrealistic–in fact, the polish on my toes might actually GROW OFF before I get a chance to repaint…)

-French-press coffee (who was I kidding to think I could make that on school mornings?)

-sleep

-homemade granola bars

-homemade bread (as in, not using the breadmaker)

-homemade anything, really (although I have sneaked in yogurt and some muffins)

-free time (HA!)

-sitting (you think I kid)

-dried beans (canned ones are so much more convenient)

-dog walks…poor guy :(

-exercise :( :(

-Budgeting–My brain just can’t handle anymore thinking! Sorry Andrew…

And then there are some things that are much MORE a part of my life right now:

-packaged convenience foods, like granola bars from the grocery store

-two and (sometimes) even three cups of coffee per day

-rushing

-stress

-HOMEWORK

-tardiness (except to class–I leave an hour and a half early!)

So, as you can see, things are little rough for me right now.

Read Full Post »

i’m deluding myself

Posted in school on September 10, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

BIG TIME.

I thought I prepped enough (meals, etc…) on Sunday that I’d have dinner on the table at a reasonable hour.

Well, let’s just say I wasn’t finished with the dishes until 10:15.

 

First of all, what was I thinking that I could roast a chicken, whip up a corn pudding AND a wild rice dish all in one night?

Must I give up my love of cooking while I go to school to LEARN ABOUT FOOD?

In my defense, today was out of the ordinary; I had to stop at the mall on the way home to pick up our drapery rods (and a Starbucks!), and then I laid down and iced my neck for a little bit once I arrived home (I did something to it this morning at bootcamp class, which should tell you something), so I didn’t get dinner going until almost 6:30.  And it isn’t like roasting a chicken can be rushed…

Andrew helped by loading the dishwasher before hanging our curtain rod and drapes in the dining room while I cleaned up the rest of the kitchen, whipped up some blueberry muffins (SO TIRED of packaged breakfast items!) and boiled some lentils in preparation for dinner tomorrow night.

And then it was 10:15.

I promptly laid on the couch to finish watching The Voice (great show! Blake Shelton–I love you!) and ate a Skinny Cow fudge bar before heading upstairs to (finally) begin my schoolwork.

And now it’s 11:26 and I haven’t packed my swim bag yet, nor have I finished all the schoolwork I wanted to before bedtime.  My alarm goes off at 5:15.

Definitely HAVE NOT hit my groove yet…

Read Full Post »

a day of firsts

Posted in Pumpkin, Running, school on August 28, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

I cannot believe I couldn’t fit this blog post into last night.  I just cannot.  If these last couple weeks are any indication of what my life will be like this semester (the absolute insanity around the house, not cooking, staying up until midnight and not getting near enough done), then Andrew might have to get used to take-out.  Like, everyday.

Seriously.  It’s just really difficult for me right now–while staring at half-finished projects and myriad unhung pictures, un-placed candles and other decor items, not to mention starting to think about school–to put any brain power into cooking.  Or meal planning.  Or even–gasp!–working out!  I had moment yesterday in which I was actually sad and longed for the time I will bake my first loaf of bread in this house.  May that time come soon and may my  bread rise well.

Anyway, so yesterday, I:

-made my first attempts to return some lingering emails and make non-house commitments again, like writing for the Advertiser

-went on my first run in two weeks (note to self: do not take two weeks off again.  run sucked)

-which was also my first run in EA as a HOMEOWNER

-first commute into downtown Buffalo

-had my first classes of the semester (Applied Food Chemistry, Organic Chem ‘lite’, American History II)

-had my first ‘pumpkin’ drink of the season (I stopped at Dunkin on my way to La-Z-Boy and was feeling something warm and sweet and when the sweet girl on the other end of the microphone suggested pumpkin, I couldn’t resist)

-Picked out our first furniture purchase for the new house! (We haven’t ordered it yet, but we know what we’re getting)

-Ordered our first window

-Visited Carolyn’s apartment for the first time now that she’s a married woman (holy cow) and saw their NEW CAR

-just this morning: my first post for the co-op in a couple weeks…  I feel like a huge slacker that I totally dropped the ball on that stuff while moving.

That’s all I can think of right now…  Lots of home-improvement posts coming soon!

 

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 75 other followers