Our New House

It occurred to me that I hadn’t posted about our new house yet… Shame on me! I didn’t shout it aloud to all of social media land; In fact, I didn’t really say anything at all across the channels. There are multiple reasons for that decision, but I won’t list them. Instead, I’ll just share some joy (and pictures!) with you.

Note that the furniture in these pictures are the sellers, and I am (not so patiently) planning to paint all the rooms.

Front of the house, before the storm door fell off.

Back of the house. That’s a patio, a deck, AND a walk-out basement.

 

Check out this back yard! There are sticks, rocks, firewood, and squirrels to make the puppies happy. And, it’s fully fenced!

This is that pesky formal living room that no one really uses anymore, and is definitely not our style. We have great plans for this room!

The dining room is just happily awaiting an update.

This is the family room that is open to the kitchen (behind the photographer). We pretty much live in this space.

Half bath on the main level.

Master suite with a full walk-in closet and bathroom with shower.

There is also a full basement that Ben is just itching to renovate. Upstairs, there’s a full bath and three additional bedrooms- one is the guest room, another is Ben’s office, and the third is my craft room.

I must say, I do like the area. We are in Manchester, right outside of the municipality of Twin Oaks. Ben grew up around here, and I am just hoping I learn to make my way around all of the retail that this area has to offer, before I lose my mind!

Check back here as I update this house. I’m planning to take my time and do things right, but sometimes that is difficult when you’re excited!

Two-Day Roast

Admittedly, one of the best things I have ever done for myself is learn to cook. I guess what I really mean by that is I learned to follow a recipe. It’s not that hard, and people make it out to be a big deal. IT ISN’T! The best part about learning to cook is that once you’ve followed the rules, you get to experiment.

I guess you could say that I’m pretty good at seasoning things. Most of the meals I prepare aren’t fancy things. In fact, when seeking new recipes to try, I always look for ones that require few ingredients, and those ingredients can’t be anything really odd. In fact, most of the time I have them in the house.

Maybe I’m boasting, but I am really proud that I can cook. When I was younger, dinner was either a frozen pizza or pizza rolls, or nothing at all. Sometimes we were lucky enough to have dinner made by my grandma, but not as I grew older.

Maybe I just love food too much. I’m not dissing the frozen pizza or pizza rolls. I still like them. And delivery pizza and carryout Chinese… But I digress.

There’s just something so much more rewarding than ordering dinner online, in that creating a meal that your family loves to eat.

Enter my roast recipe.

I’m not sure when I stumbled upon it. I’m not even sure that I follow the original anymore, really. Ben asked me yesterday if I wanted to try a new (to us) recipe. My friend Juliet makes a killer roast. My luck would be that I would murder the recipe. I just like to stick with the basics, okay?

Here’s how to make a killer roast, Janelle style.

Day one.

You’ll need:
A 3-5lb roast (depending on how many people you’re feeding)
A can of cream of mushroom soup
A packet of onion soup mix
Beef bullion cubes
Onion powder
Garlic powder

Throw the roast in the crock pot. Pour the cream of mushroom soup on top, but don’t throw away the can! Put the onion soup mix on the roast. Fill the empty can with water. Additionally, depending upon the size of your roast, you may want to add a can or two more of water. Throw in a couple of beef bullion cubes, and sprinkle some garlic powder and onion powder on top of that. Cook on low for at least six hours or so. (My crock pot cooks really fast.)

After the first six hours, take the roast out of the crock pot and into a bowl. Shred it into decent size chunks. Drain most of the juice from the crock pot.  Put it back into the crock pot and allow it to cook for another hour or so.

The first night, we served this on top of toasted onion rolls seasoned with butter and garlic salt. We also had a sliced tomato on the side. YUMMY!

When you’re finished with dinner, throw the remainder of the roast in the fridge.

Day two.

Take the remainder of your roast and put it back in the crock pot. Add another packet of onion soup mix, some water, a bullion cube, and a diced onion. Cook that on low for another six hours. When you’re ready for dinner, just make some mashed potatoes and corn. (I used boxed flakes and a can of corn, because that’s what we have on hand.) You’ll want to layer your dinner- mashed potatoes on bottom, corn next (I topped with a generous load of ground pepper), and the roast on top. I topped it all with just a pinch of garlic salt.

I think I was going for a shepherd’s pie feel without having to put anything in the oven.

Here is your finished product:

Adler is a beggar.

Of course, mine was way less soupy, because while my food OCD is becoming less severe, I still can’t do soup on a plate.

We STILL have roast left. I didn’t get a picture of day one’s dinner, but you all know what open-faced roast beef looks like.

There you go! Two dinners to accompany your roast. Enjoy!

The Importance of Names

Names are so important. Everyone has one. Some are super popular. Others are not. And some are completely stupid.

My mother thought she was making up something new when she named me. She took the first three letters of her mother’s name (Janiece) and the last four letters of her grandmother’s name (Rosedelle) and made Janelle. My middle name was also my great aunt’s middle name. Imagine the shock and horror when I stepped into ballet at age three and there was another girl with the same name. Since, I’ve met a lot of Janelles, with various spellings.

I have a co-worker that is due with her second girl in just a few short months. Her first daughter had a name right away, but the second name is not coming as quickly.

A few other co-workers and I decided to make a name list for her. After a search for Victorian names, we compiled a list of over 40 glorious names.

If we don’t name this kid, we have desperately failed.

A fellow employee-turned-friend who helped assemble our list just called me on my office phone. The conversation went as such:
Me: “Hey, what’s up?”
Co-worker: “I just found another name in my line of work.”
Me: “OHHH! What is it?!”
CW- “Starlett.”
Me: “In your line of work where you use poles?”

See? Names are important.

Unfortunately, an idiot parent can give their child, who may not be an idiot, a very unfortunate name.

For instance, people with the same first and last name, i.e. Roger Rogers. Why would you do that to your child? I ran into someone once with the same first and last name, and they were the third generation of the name. How horrible is that? William Williams, III? Awful.

Side note: People with two first names bother me a little. Except for my friend Dave Bill. I don’t mind that one.

Other bad names that have been tossed around today include: Sparkle, Misty, and Milky Way. That last one was just a funny entry, but I had to include it. The profession choices for individuals with seedy names seems limited, no?

I don’t want to focus on all of the horrible names out there. The 40+ names we came up with were awesome, and I can only think of a few bad names right off the top of my head.

Future parents, please remember: don’t hurt your child by giving them an unfortunate name. Life can be hard enough, and having the name Hashtag gets you beat up. On the playground. A lot.

Resolutions

They don’t work for me. Not to say that I haven’t made resolutions in the past, but why do we think it’s a new beginning on January 1st? Yes, the calendar rolls over, but our lives don’t. We aren’t renewed on the first of the year. Maybe you want to renew yourself on January 2nd? Or get crazy and try June 1st? I say that change can come anytime.

Why do we have to call them resolutions? Are you really resolving to do everything you say you’ll do? Maybe you are, and that’s cool. Maybe you’re like me and just can’t get behind it all.

That’s why I’m not going to worry about New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I have decided that I’m going to set goals, any time of the year, and hope to accomplish them at some point in my life. After all, this whole thing is trial and error, right? Sometimes the errors are the most fun.

I thought I’d share some of the things I am putting on my goals list, in part, to keep my accountable, as well as remember the list myself.

1. REALLY stick to a budget.
If you have ever read this blog, you know that Ben and I have been on a quest to pay off our debt for about a year now. We have done so well that it’s ridiculous. Now that we are talking about a house, we need to plan a budget and stick to it! No more ordering pizza just because we have extra money for the month. It’ll be difficult, but I know we can accomplish it!

2. Give to others more frequently.
I try to give when I can, but I want to be aware of what others need and may like, and give them what I can. For instance, if I know someone is having a challenging week, I should be aware of it. Maybe even drop a nice note to them in the mail, or take something homemade.

3. Meal plan in bulk.
I just read a blog about meal planning for a month. Looking forward to a new kitchen that will allow plenty of counter space to have an assembly line!

4. Keep kicking college’s ass.
After a four-year hiatus, I took two hybrid (half semester) classes together, and pulled off a 3.5GPA. My plan is to keep that rolling. Seeing as I’m only taking one full semester class this spring, I should be golden.

5. Work on Grey Owl Designs more.
It seems as though I get a lot of custom knitting orders during the Christmas season. Thanks to you who order from me! It gives us a little extra wiggle room in the budget, you know, to order that pizza! (Or, pay off more debt. Whichever situation you like more.) I have ideas for baby items. I want to have a “trunk sale” of sorts. I’d love to have an online shop again. And, I would love to do more custom orders!

Those are some current goals for me, and they were just off the top of my head! What are your goals for the future?

Year-End Concert Wrap-Up

I can never remember which rock shows I actually see, so in an attempt to keep track, I bring you the first ever end of the year concert wrap-up. If I am recalling correctly, below are the major shows I saw in 2012.

Enjoy!

Jane’s Addiction, February 22, The Pageant, St. Louis- CRAZY. These old rockers are… something. The stage set-up and performers were insane. I waited all night for “Stop!”, but I wasn’t insanely impressed. Thinking about the show still makes me ask a lot of questions.

See Jane’s setlist from the show.

Henry Rollins, Spoken Word, March 24, The Pageant, St. Louis- Henry is, always has been, and always will be, THE man. Punk rocker-turned-comedian, he is so intelligent, entertaining, and insightful. I don’t care if you don’t agree with his political bend- he makes a lot of sense and will make you laugh. I hope to never miss a Spoken Word show as long as he and I are both alive. (Oh, and next time, I’m hanging out back by the tour bus to meet him.)

Coheed and Cambria, May 11, The Canopy Club, Urbana, IL- I don’t have much negative to say about any Co show. This show is certainly in the running for the best I’ve ever seen, from them or any other group. The setlist was killer, the venue small. And, they boys, rocking- per usual. If you have never seen them perform, grab a ticket or two sometime. If you ask my husband, he would say that their live show completely changed his mind about the band. Completely amazing.

Dukes of September, featuring Michael McDonald, Donald Fagen, and Boz Scaggs, June 28, The Fox Theater, St. Louis- As a gift to my in-laws for father’s day (or, actually, really more of a gift for me from my understanding husband), we saw this trio. We were at least twenty years younger than the average age of the people there, but I didn’t care. I have grown to appreciate the music of the 60s and 70s, especially the Doobie Brothers. I cried when they played “Takin’ it to the Streets”, for multiple reasons.

Summerland, featuring Marcy Playground, Lit, The Gin Blossoms, Sugar Ray, and Everclear, August 7, Family Arena, St. Charles- Look, Art- If you are on a tour called Summerland, and your band has a song with the same name, please play the damn song. (They didn’t.) Instead, they forgot the lyrics to their own music and played a crappy headliner. We didn’t see much of Marcy Playground, Lit was horrible (but that is to be expected), and Sugar Ray was… well, they weren’t very good either. Even the junior high girl within me that loved Mark McGrath in his prime didn’t care to see the show. BUT! The Gin Blossoms? They freaking rocked. They came out, played all of their hits, played them well, and got off stage. That’s what I want in a concert.

An Undercover Weekend, featuring Aquitaine (as Oasis), Animal Empty (as PJ Harvey), Humdrum (as Beck), Volcanoes (as The Killers), and Lucabrasi (as U2), September 7, The Firebird, St. Louis- Reeled in because our buddy is a member of the kick-ass Animal Empty, we only stayed for the first two bands. We are old and married, and that’s just what happens. Aquitaine was AWESOME. I pretty much loved them just because they were covering Oasis, and Oasis is better than The Beatles. My blog, my opinion. The best part was that they played the part of the band members onstage.

The Urge, November 17, The Pageant, St. Louis- Let’s just say that I’m glad that Steve Ewing sells hot dogs.

Coheed & Cambria, December 2, Pop’s Sauget, IL- I never thought I’d say this, but it was too loud. Actually, I should say that it was pretty loud, but the dude at the soundboard didn’t do a great job of making it sound good. Pretty good set list, but the band has started dragging out the end of “In Keeping Secrets…”, and that is just bugs me.

El Monstero, December 23, The Pageant, St. Louis- It’s a local band doing Floyd. With that said, they put on a show. It is a little much for my senses to take in, but the music sounds awesome.

How Do You Feel?

Friends,

As much as I’ve been trying to stay positive, these last few weeks have run me through the ringer. Cortisone shots, burglaries, unexpected bills, finals, house hunting… and I turned 29 in there somewhere.

This is not our first time hunting for a home. In fact, it’s our third in the last two years.

It. Is. Exhausting.

We are working, touring houses, running errands (or skipping them), coming home, browsing more houses, packing away our belongings, then trying to sleep. Set the alarm, and repeat. This also means we aren’t necessarily always eating home-cooked, healthier meals, and we certainly aren’t getting much done around our current place. (Except having ADT install more security devices, that we ARE doing.)

Can I just ask all of you to send us good vibes?

We would like to find a house quickly… but we want to choose wisely. It’s so hard to keep a balance when we are ready to run out of our place.

We have a place to move if needed, and it would be safe. It would also be tough and wouldn’t buy us any more time that what we already have.

I hope that soon we will be able to say, “HEY! Look at our awesome new house!”, then call all of you up to help us move. It’s coming, friends, I promise.

Thank you to all of those who have been so supportive lately. We are surrounded by awesome people. You are all AWESOME.

 

Burglars are Jerks, Round Two

You’ve probably already read the Facebook posts about us being burglarized for the second time in less than two years. If you’re curious, here is some information.

We are fine. Our pets are fine. They took things (rough estimates places the value of items stolen around $2700 right now), and they can totally be replaced. Thank God for home owner’s insurance.

We are moving. Luckily, we have access to a place that is empty in South County, and we will stay there temporarily until we decide what we’re doing in the long term.

I’ve heard, “Try not to have nice things in your home.” Yeah, the television they took? It’s the first one either Ben or I have ever purchased- all others have been hand-me-downs. The Wii? It was a wedding gift to ourselves.

We also spend over 1/3 of our monthly budget on paying down our debt. Imagine if we were greedy and didn’t care, how many things would we have in our home that could have been stolen?

Ben and I are so blessed to have a group of people that care for us so much. We are eternally grateful for those people.

The world has cruel, mean people in it. The people, or person, who took our things obviously needed it more than we did. We are still standing afterwards, and for them to make their life “work” they needed our things. It’s really okay.

So many of you have asked what you can do to help.

I would say that we could use help moving, but I’m not even sure when that’s going to happen. We aren’t on a specific timetable, and I’m not sure they’ll be one. If you’ve offered your services, and we do need help, we will let you know. Thank you for your generosity.

In the long term, you can help in so many ways, most (or all) of which would include giving to those less fortunate.

Go volunteer somewhere that will allow you to help kids NOT steal other people’s things.

Give to others that need and don’t be greedy.

Help fight for those who may have intellectual or developmental disabilities. Many people committing crimes have a disability that impairs their judgement. They need help much more than Ben and I do, honestly.

Come celebrate with us- Come have dinner, play games, and you can help us move again within the next year when we find a house to make a home. We’ll keep you posted on all that.

Thanks to you all for the kind thoughts- even in bad situations, I am overcome with the love that Ben and I receive. You all are awesome.

Let Us Be Serious for a Moment

Rarely does my blog take a serious turn. (And, actually, I’m way too serious in life in general, so it’s an odd thing for me to say.) But after reading this article about Jerry Sandusky and his abuse charges, I feel as though I should just get my anger out of my system.

Take a moment to read this article, and pay specific attention to his quotes.

First of all, I am sad for Sandusky that he is in such denial.

Secondly, if someone you know is “dramatic” or a “veteran accuser”, wouldn’t you stay the hell away from them? If I know that someone that adds some flair to the normal, and spreads unwanted news around, I just keep away. Wouldn’t this be (even more) true for those in any kind of spotlight? I would have my own back and check behind myself often.

Maybe a more important point: It’s obvious to me that this guy wants to go out on top. How about NOT BLAMING VICTIMS, no matter if you think they inaccurately accused you of a crime? If someone is a victim, especially children, or a current adult and victimized as children, they need help. More so, if someone is an adult now, and is lying about being a victim years ago, let’s get them some help.

How can 45 people orchestrate a plan this well and get a guilty verdict if it didn’t happen? There’s always a weak link in a chain. The longer the chain, the more opportunity for weak links.

Finally, if you’re not guilty, please take the stand. Plead your case. I know our justice system is flawed, but if you’re willing to talk to news reporters and cameras, you should be able to tell your side to a judge, jury, and God. Swear on that Bible and let’s go, boy!

 

 

Music Monday: The Afterman

I’m still not sure what I think about the new Coheed album.

If you want, you can listen to it via Rolling Stone.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/coheed-and-cambria-the-afterman-album-premiere-20121008

You’ll have to let me know what you think if you take a listen.

That’s it for today!

 

The Strike is Over!

Were you all as excited that I was when I heard the news that the NFL referee strike is over? YAY! My actual quote to Ben early this morning while watching the news was, “Oh, good! Now I can go back to bitching about the regular refs!” Hey, at least I’m honest.

Speaking of news, do you guys watch any local news? Because the stories that make the news completely make me scratch my head. I wanted to give you an explanation, but I have a few valid points as to why I cannot give you any. One, I can’t waste space in my brain with the nonsense that is covered. I have too much other nonsense in there right now. Two, the only thing I can think of when I see something silly that is considered “news” is the waterskiing squirrel scene in Anchorman.

Note: While looking for the clip from the movie, I could only find this, which is really weird, but a mashup of two of my favorite things of all-time:

There was also a report of a guy out west that dressed his nephew up as a terrorist and filmed it, all to see how long it would take for the police to show up. I did hesitate posting the video for you to see due to this imbecile’s nuttiness, but I think it’s important to highlight the downfalls of our nation.

The man said he made his nephew dress as a terrorist, and stand in the street, to teach him a lesson in response time. What is wrong with people?

I’d rather see a waterskiing squirrel.