Food Storage!!!

I know, two posts in one day--crazy! But I want to make an official record of my commitment to compile a 3 month food storage. (I know, I know, all my blogs are about food lately. I've been thinking on this and have come to some interesting conclusions, but those will have to wait to be blogged about until later, if ever).

One of the things that finally clicked with me is the idea of storing what I actually eat! (because quite frankly, I've always been a little intimidated by just regular wheat) This way it is stuff that I actually use and is also therefore totally easy to rotate. This is what I"m going to store: canned tuna, salmon (which I don't normally buy because I consider it too expensive, but now that I think about it when it's on sale it is still cheaper then tuna), dry beans (which I have recently started using frequently), brown rice, sugar (white and brown), flour, cream of chicken soup, pasta, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce etc, canned veggies, peanut butter, jelly, crackers (which are not currently a part of my diet, but I will figure out how to rotate), oats, soy milk (I switched from the cow stuff last week which is convenient because this stores better--it's good for 9 months without refrigeration), legumes (I haven't started eating these regularly yet, but intend to), garlic (in a jar--I can't live without it), dehydrated onions, salt, baking soda and powder, some sort of drink powder with Vitamin C.

This is the plan: there's storage placed above my closet and i can make some more under my bed, plus my kitchen space can be used more effectively once I get this organized. I will start buying in bulk (more so then I do now) when things go on sale or when I"m at a store that has certain things cheap. I will set up a store in my closet. I will keep the stuff that I'm using in the kitchen and as I use it, replace it from the storage. All purchased canned and dry good will go directly into storage. It's so simple.

Oh my heck, I am excited!

Thank you for bearing with me during my official, public declaration of intent.

PS (added the next morning) It occurred to me there are other non-food items that I would not like to run out of and will therefore store: deodorant, saline solution, lotion, soap, toothpaste, etc. I love storage!!

Job report

I had to come to work this morning at 9am. I don't know how the rest of the country does it. I had to wake up at 6 (yes, SIX) thirty to get here on time! And the subways are much more crowded at 8 then at 10. It's a good thing I only have to deal with it one day a week. With this in mind, I have decided to make my official "New Job Report"

Things I like about my new job: (in no particular order)
1. Not having to be at work until 11am four days a week and still getting to leave at 6.

2. Awesome co-workers, including the attorneys

3. Time and a half after 35 hours

4. This is the building I work in (to the right of Trinity Church [the church featured in the end of that Nicholas Cage movie about treasure hunters whose title elludes me at the moment but doesn't warrant looking up])

The interior of the building (esp. the entry) is very lovely as well (gold-domed ceilings, cheribum, etc), but I couldn't find pictures that would copy over.

5. I love working in the financial district. It is just such a pretty place. I love all the tall, old buildings so close together. It creates a very unique and somehow magical atmostphere.

6. I don't have to switch trains for my commute.

7. When the phone rings, it is my job to answer it but it is very rarely any sort of a problem that I have to deal with, which is very liberating. I just connect them into the right person. (this is a very welcome change from my last job)

8. I work on almost the top floor which makes me feel special. I like to feel like I'm more important than the people on floors 1-19.

9. It is just what I wanted--an easy job to keep the money flowing in,but requiring very little of my brain power while not being boring.

10. It seems that I am in a building full of gentlemen and I like it! My male co-riders in the elevator just about always let me get out first and they usually hold the door. I know it's a small thing, but it really makes me feel like a lady and I like it.

11. Free subway pass!


Things I don' t like about my job
1. When people ask me what I do i have to admit that I"m an administrative assistant. For a while I responded "I work at a law firm on Wall Street," but then people inevitably thought I was a lawyer or at least a paralegal. I know that every sensible person recognizes the supreme importance of a good secretary, but still it doesn't strike a person as a job for a person with drive and ambitious. Of course, I guess I contradict myself (see #9 above)

One Week. Three Heart-Shaped Cakes (Subtitle: Hostess with the Mostest)

Well you know I'm always writing blogs in my head and hardly ever writing/publishing them. And I know you all are probably wondering about my job, but first things first! I want to tell you this story about the second week of February (because I have pictures).

This was a week with crazy amounts of hosting. It was fun.

First, on Sunday: I hosted a dinner group. I can't exactly remember now, but I think about 15 people came:















As far as I know, a good time was had by all. (We had tacos because there was a recipe I had been wanting to use. It was good. [if I were a blogging diva, I would connect the recipe with the blog in blue letters where it said recipe. That would be cool, but alas, my blogging skills are lacking!])

At church before the dinner group, I invited a girl because it was her birthday. She said she didn't know if she'd be able to come (which is great, because when it's your birthday you should be able to do whatever you want sans obligations but have lots of good options) but since I thought she MIGHT come, I decided to make a birthday cake. Since the cake pan was full of lemon squares, I used the totally awesome silicone heart-shaped cake pan I got at Target for $2.50. I decided I would use a can of frosting that had been in the pantry for several months. Although I was vaguely aware that it was left over from Christmas, I was caught by surprise that it was Christmas-tree green. Also, I forgot the cardinal rule that cakes should be cooled before frosting. This was the result: It was actually fairly tasty. The green frosting was just vanilla and since the cake was still hot, it kind of melted in which turned out to be quite yummy.

Next Party--

Valentine's Day Celebration of Love

Back in January, someone in the halls of church jokingly suggested that I would spend Valentine's Day crying. I was so disgusted by the very idea that I decided to throw a massive Celebration of Love Valentine's Day party. The idea is that we all know that someday love will come into our lives, so why not celebrate that now instead of mopping that it hasn't come yet. I invited everyone I knew. About 50 people came. Success! I didn't take any pictures of the people, but I did get a picture of the cake that I made and decorated:


Some of you more observant readers might recognized (as several of my friends have) the uncanny resemblance between the Valentine's Day 2008 cake and the Independance Day 2007 Cake:









And to those of you, I say "Holy cow, cut a girl some slack! I only went to one, two hour class. And I only own three colors of food coloring. Good gracious!" (PS but I did the letter on the Valentine's Day Cake myself.)



So, Valentine's Day was Thursday, and then Friday my long-time BFF Jamie came to visit from St. Louis. Since she was only here for a day and a half we ran around the city revisiting the greatest hits of Jamie's 2007 New York City Tour. Some touristy photos:























Jamie left Sunday morning, which freed up my Sunday afternoon for a dinner party for twelve friends which my roommate threw. But I did provide the heart-shaped cake. Aptly named Heart Shape Cake #3:Again, it tasted better then it looked. It tasted dang good, now that you mention it. It was a cake that turned out too misshapen to use for the double layer Valentine's Day Cake (AKA heart-shaped cake #2). But we needed a quick dessert. It was still frozen when we ate it, but this cake served the very important purpose in my life and will always be remembered for introducing me to the absolute wonder of homemade buttercream frosting.

So, that was a fun week. Recorded for posterity only 5 weeks after the fact.

The end.