Churros Churros Churros

So...I feel like every time I update this blog, I've changed my plans!

It looks like I'm leaving the full-time job! I'd say I'm sad about it, or even embarrassed or ashamed...but I don't care. I just really don't care. I am miserable and it's not cool. I'm going out today to try to get some other kind of job...ANY other kind of job. I was on call today but they didn't need me (thank gravy), so I have a lot to get done!

I'm going to sew something today. I don't know what...but something. After I get back from town (maybe around 1?) I've got some cleaning to do, but then it's sewing time!!! My husband suggested that I just TRY sewing a bunch of stuff with supplies I already have (which are many) and seeing if it can really be profitable for me. If it works out, than one of my life dreams will be realized! The bummer is that while I'm still at the current job, I'm only going to be able to sew on 1) days off and 2) at night - both of those times are usually reserved for quality time with the husband <3>

My novel is coming along slowly, but at least it's coming along! I re-wrote the chapter outline the other day and hopefully by the end of the week, I'll have chapter 1 done. Garth Nix posted a speach he gave at BYU back in 2005 (I think?) on his website and I read it the other day - it totally inspired me! He said he wrote his first novels (this includes Sabriel, the best book ever) WHILE working his full time job. He just wrote in the evenings and on weekends. There was a lot of other interesting stuff in there as well, but basically it made me realize that I can write whenever I want. If I really want to do it, I'll make time for it! This is true of anything in life, though. So I've been writing on my lunch break at work - I get a whole hour, so I might as well use it for something haha. In any case, I'm even more pumped about my deadline now and I'm really determined to do this! I just hope when all is said and done that I can get the thing published haha!

I cooked something German last week! Aren't you proud of me!?

Hackfleischschnecken

Basically, it translates to "ground meat rolls" - I have to say, it was definitely different! Basically, you make pancakes with lots of spices in them. At the same time, you brown up some ground beef and mushrooms with more spices. While you're doing that, make a sauce full of baccon and onions! Then fill the pancakes with beef, roll them up, cut them into sections, put them in a baking dish and pour the bacon/onion sauce over top. Bake for 30 mins and TA DA! Weird dinner is served! Actually, Regan and I both really liked it. I think next time I will use about 3x as much sauce, though. The sauce was fantastic and there just wasn't enough of it.

I got the recipe from a 2 CD set I bought from the USO last week that had every single recipe that the USO cooking/baking classes have done from 2000 - 2009!! It cost 20$, but there's over 500 recipe's in there! I can't wait to try more of them. While I'm talking about USO cooking classes, I signed up for 2 more for next month! A baking class on the 2nd (next Tuesday) and a SCHNITZEL class (YAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) on the 30th! I'm really excited about both! I had so much fun at the last one!

Last weekend, my husband and I went down to Strasbourg, France with some friends. It was only a couple of hours away, so it was an easy day trip. While we were there, I got my hands on a French cooking magazine! I made up some silly goals for myself while in Venice the other week - From every country we visit, I want to get a cooking magazine and at least 1 (preferably 2) Hello Kitty children's books in that language! I didn't get the HK books in France...but I didn't get the magazine in Italy! So...yeah. I'll keep working on that! I'm thinking we'll visit France on a fairly regular basis, since it's so close and all. So I'll have many more chances to get my hands on an HK book or 2! I have 1 German cooking magazine so far - I'd like to subscribe to one, but I honestly just don't know how. I'd like to get a few more German cookbooks as well (some in German, some in English).

Our friends we stayed with in Italy really inspired me about my goal to learn German! They've been in Italy for about 3.5 years and they're fluent in Italian now! I got some really good tips from them so I'm even more anxious for my skills to improve! So far, I'm still like...a 6 week old child haha. But hopefully by the time we leave here, I'll at least be like...10? maybe 12? haha. One can only hope!

Epic Fail or Epic Win?

Blaaaaaa~H! Hi. How's it going?

Ok, so I know that I totally blew any schedule I'd set for this blog. Totally not my fault. Both of our laptops have been unusable for a while now. We're waiting on a new power cord for one and a new start up disk for the other. Luckily!!! My husband is smart and remembered that we had a desktop compy, too!! So it's all hooked up and that's what I'll be using for the time being.

So how are my goals coming along? Well...slowly. I really haven't been doing very well at sticking to my schedules. I think maybe I'm trying to over-do it? I don't know. It seems like I should be able to do everything I want to...I don't see why it doesn't happen. And now it's going to get even harder because *TA DA* I've started a new FULL TIME job. It wasn't supposed to be full time...but it is. So my free time has been chopped down to pretty much nothing. I've used most of my free time to clean since I started the job. This simply won't do! If I can't feel like I'm still progressing in my hobbies, I think I'll be really unhappy.

Some good news - I've finally started on the novel I've had in mind for a while. I know I know: "Another project? REALLY? You're dumb." Well, be that as it may...I've done it. My goal is one chapter a week with the hopes of being finished with the book (at least finished enough for a serious edit to be shipped off to publishers) by the end of September. With any luck, that will put me on schedule to write the 2nd volume (yeah...it's going to be a series. Go ahead and make fun of me) for NaNoWriMo (since I failed so hardcore last year). Anyway, I'll try to keep track of my progress in here so you can follow along with how I'm doing!

I've really got to make time for my art as well - it's something I've decided I really want to focus on, along with writing. Don't get me wrong - sewing, crocheting, playing the piano, and all of those other things I'm trying to work on are important to me, too! But especially now that I've got such limited time, I feel like I should really pick just a couple of things to focus on. Of course, cooking is a daily thing so I'm always working on that (ps. the pics of things I've cooked lately are on the laptop that's missing a power cord - sorry). Sewing is kind of a 'have to' thing - like, I sew when I need a costume or something. It's going to happen because I'm going to Otakon in July! The only things I'm really worried about being totally neglected are the piano and my crocheting. I figure if I can just practice piano twice a week for 30 mins, I'll at least keep from completely falling off the wagon. As for crochet...maybe that can be my new Sunday afternoon activity??? haha. I don't know. I guess I'll have to make a new 'weekly activities' chart or something. I barely got to use the other one! Oh well - such it is.

My husband and I went to Venice over the weekend and I have to tell you...I'm totally inspired! For some reason that place makes me want to take up water coloring!!! haha maybe during the summer. I think that to take on anything else right now would be on the verge of insanity. As it is I feel like I'll never really be great at anything - I know I spread myself too thin. But I WANT to be good at everything! I want to know how to do and make everything there is in the whole world. It's pretty overwhelming haha

Anyway, I guess that's it for today. Hopefully I'll have more to actually report next time and be less dreamy with my goals. If I only I actually did everything I thought about doing ~ Life would be very different!