Holy Guacamole!

For Cinco de Mayo I went to a Greek bar with my friend Rachael.  Last year we met up at an Irish Pub.  It's our tradition.  I'll have to think about where we'll go next year.

So while we didn't get into the spirit of Cinco De Mayo, everyone else around me seemed to.  So much so, that by yesterday afternoon I had a serious hankering for a taco and guac.  I was thinking about stopping at Chipotle on the way home but then remembered that I am trying to save moola.  I also remembered that in my freezer I had...

Fishless fish! 

All thanks to my coupon-clipping last week.  So I picked up some wine and tortillas and skedaddled home to attempt cooking fishless fish tacos with guacamole.  And do you know what?

They didn't turn out half bad!  Bobaloo even said that he enjoyed them.  So, I consider my twice-a-year-cooking-adventure a success.

¡Buen Trabajo Jillito!

December 6

Looking back....

Today's prompt for the blog-a-thon is to share your first blog post.  So here it is...

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Let's get ready to rum ball!

Get it? Rum ball = Rumble. Well, this seems as good of a way to start a blog as any. Merry Christmas.

On December 24, 2008 I was 25, newly married, and working as a receptionist.  I started out reading a couple of great blogs and was inspired to create my own.  

This blog was started to be a place to be weird and goofy but my brand of weird and goofy is best experienced in person so instead I started writing about the goings on in my life. 

It took a long time to find my "voice" here and I cringe reading some of my old posts.  Cringe.  But just like my brace-faced/home-permed/neon outfit middle school pictures, they still exist.  I refuse to delete, keeping them as evidence of growth.  Or something.

This blog and I have been through a lot together.

 

And to those who read, you have given me so very much.

I'll stop being such a sap now.  Anyhow, thanks for reading.

The Finished Project

Back in September I started painting clothespins, and here is the finished project...

 

Sorry the pictures are a little weird, there isn't a whole lot of natural light in the kitchen. 

We live in a rental and all of the walls are painted white so I was trying to add color without putting a bunch of holes in the walls.

I ordered my favorite pictures from Snapfish, put up some of my postcard collection, Bobaloo hung up some twine, and there you have it!

No matter where I serve my guests, they seem to like my kitchen best.

Bobaloo is the cook in our family and this way he gets all of his people hanging out in his kitchen.

Orange you Glad?

When I was around 19 or 20 years old my friend L gave me this book...

I really didn't like emotions and feelings.  The big ones are still hard for me.  Sadness and anger.

L would make fun of me because I never spoke about how I was feeling about stuff.  She'd always say something along the lines of, "It's okay for Jill to have feelings too."  And I would respond with, "We're not going to go around the table making I feel... statements, are we?"  Pretty stunted.

So today, let's put it all out on the proverbial table...

The groovaru is in the shop, which is going to cost moolah.

It's been a rough week at work.

My brother is on his way here!

3-day weekend!

So, how are you peeling today?

Lovely

Gillian at A Daft Scots Lass has given to me the Lovely Blog Award.  Awesome.  Thank you very, very much.  I started reading the Lass's blog during the challenge in July and really dig her sense of humor and sass and am a bit envious of her awesome red hair.  She has a great 100 Things About Me that you should probably check out.

Here's the dealy-o:

• Add the "One Lovely Blog Award" image to your post
• Share seven things about you
• Pass the award on to seven nominees
• Thank the person who nominated you and add a short blurb about them
• Inform the nominees by posting on their blogs

Sharing is caring...

1.  I hate scary movies.  I fainted in the movie theater when I saw The Sixth Sense.

2.  I have been a vegetarian for fifteen years.

3.  Most days I leave the house with mismatched socks, I've learned to let that go...

4.  I don't understand the concept of "having a good cry."

5.  I was born with cold in my bones. I am always freezing and have icy hands and feet.

6.  When Bobaloo and I first checked out Colorado I told him I would never move here.

7.  If I am really comfortable around you, I'll bust out my Carlton dance.

I pass this here award onto these peeps*:

Designs by Row

Loonysuse

Itbritt

My 2nd Cup

Peeling an Orange With  a Screwdriver

* I know bloggy awards are not everyone's cup of tea (I love them!), so just know I dig your blog.

July 14

I have three tattoos.  The first one I had done in a teensy weensy parlor in a teensy weensy town in Minnesota.  It was my eighteenth birthday and Friday the thirteenth and the idea was to go get inked and then head to the casino to play bingo.  Looking back, those are some weird birthday plans.

My mother was none too pleased with me and said something along the lines of, "why on Earth would you want to do that to your body?!"  At the time I thought it would be a way to remember my ideals or whatever.  Ready for the picture?

Really accentuates the pipes, eh?

 

 

 

 July Challenge

Midweek Shuffle

I was over at Coffee Lady's blog this morning and her post got me thinking about the days of the week.

I have worked a lot of customer service jobs.  A lot.

My first full-time job was being a cashier in an office lunchroom (lunch lady!).  I got to see my friend Adam everyday because he was a security guard at the front desk.  After a while we noticed all of the workers would have the same responses to the dreaded yet expected question, "how are you?"

Here are the responses:

Monday  "Ugh.  It's Monday." or "Pretty good for a Monday, I guess."

Tuesday  ...

Wednesday  "It's hump day!" or "We're halfway through the week!"

Thursday  "Well, tomorrow's Friday!"

Friday  "It's Friday!  The weekend's almost here!"

Day after day.  Week after week.  Person after person.

The only day nothing was said was Tuesday.  So when we'd see each other on Tuesday mornings we'd look at each other and say "It's Tuesday" and crack up.

Adam, his wife, and I would go to Denny's every Tuesday as a celebration of sorts.

Now I am hungry for a Moons Over My Hammy.

3-pack

I was lucky to grow up right next door to a family that had three daughters around the same age as me.  They sort of adopted me as their fourth which was nice because I got stuck with two brothers.

Here's a pic of us at Halloween:

I'm the runty mouse on the left.

My brother and us four girls went trick-or-treating together every year until we became teenagers.  And every single year, Amy (redheaded spiderweb) would trip in front of the same house on the same crack in the sidewalk.  Every single year. 

When I was about five I was oddly obsessed with tape and destruction (construction) paper.  It was weird, but my parents kept the tape and paper coming because it kept me entertained and quiet for hours.

Around this age my family was introduced to the concept of birthday parties.  I don't think my parents grew up having them so the idea of inviting a bunch of kids over was a bit foreign.  So when I turned five, my parents invited the family next door over for cake and ice cream and they brought me a present.  I tore through the wrapping paper and what had they got me?

A three-pack of Scotch!

I am sure there were some other things too, but the joy of a three-pack all to myself is what I remember.



Friday

Bobaloo and I both were able to leave work early on Friday so we headed to the tavern and met up with some friends to kick off the long weekend.  This evening also turned into a reminder of why I don't drink whiskey.

 

 

Saturday

I spent Saturday morning cleaning and finishing up the second bedroom project while Bobaloo volunteered at Red Rocks.  Later, we had some friends over in the afternoon for some beer, tunes, grilling, bubbles, and general tomfoolery.  Our neighbor got chickens last week and he invited me over to feed them. So cute!  It ended up being a pretty late night.

 

Bubbles, Nik the HomeDawg, and the rock band.

Sunday

See Saturday's description.  More of the same.  A lot of goofiness.  Plus I watched one of my fave flicks:

 

"I just like to smile, smilin's my favorite"
 

Monday

We checked out the annual duck races in Morrison.

 

 

 

All in all, a good weekend was had.  And I killed some brain cells.

 

 

 

Friday

I was so happy to meet up with my friend Rachael for some beers after work.  We always have a lot to talk about and we think we're hilarious.  I sure love this gal.

 

Saturday

I did nails for the ladies at the senior community which was fun and I think my nail-painting skills are improving.  After, I embarked on the dreaded second bedroom project while Bobaloo did some work in the yard.  We rewarded ourselves by having some beers and Bobaloo made goofy faces at me.

Nik taking a break from helping me clean.

Goofy face.

Sunday

Yesterday I continued my cleaning project and in the afternoon Bobaloo and I went to a bar to enjoy the weather and some tunes on the patio.  Basically, the entire weekend was cleaning and beer.  Hopefully with summer here, I will have more exciting things going on for these weekend recaps.

 

 

 

May 17

 

Thank goodness today's topic is easy because it's Friday and my brain hurts.  Today's topic is a favorite photo of yourself and why.  Let's do this.

 

 

 

Sometimes when first meeting people I come across a little quiet and reserved.  Little do they know this is the real me.  My buddy named this alter ego of mine Lightning Oops.  I like it.

 

Happy Friday to you all and a Happy Syttende Mai to all you crazy Norwegians...

 

 

May 9

 

Today's Blog Every Day in May challenge is a moment in your day.  Easy peezy, lemon squeezy.

 

My backseat driver:

 

 

First off, don't you worry.  I took this photo at a stoplight. 

 

Sometimes Nik likes to comes along for the ride to pick up Bobaloo from work.  She doesn't look out the side window like a normal dog, she stares out the windshield.  Sometimes at stoplights she'll stare down the other drivers.  No matter what, when I look in the mirror her rather intense dog-face is looking right back at me.  Creeper!

May 6

 

It's day 6 of this here Blog Every Day in May challenge. Ambitious I know, but there are topics posted for every day. Go check it out. Today's topic is if you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question "what do you do?" so here goes.

 

I would probably just reply with, "Oh you know, this and that."

 

Speaking of this and that, here's what I did over the weekend:

 

Friday

It was kind of a long week so Bobaloo and I kicked it mellow Friday night.  I did make a batch of my Panty-Dropper Drink and we walked over to our friend Aaron's house for a visit.  The weather was perfect for an evening stroll.

 

Saturday

I was so excited about the alpaca show I couldn't even handle it.  It was the largest show we have been to with alpacas as far as the eye could see!  We also watched an alpaca agility competition, which is basically the animal going through an obstacle course.  It was a pretty goofy sight.

 

Three Amigos

After the show we stopped into the Buffalo Rose for a couple of drinks and to check out the afternoon band.  We ended the night eating snacks and watching a flick.

Sunday
Yesterday we headed to Civic Center Park in Denver for Cinco de Mayo.  The lightrail near our house opened recently so I got to make my maiden voyage (compliments of some free tickets from RTD!). 

At the fiesta we checked out a taco-eating contest and watched a band.  We ran into my girlfriend and her husband and went to a couple of bars in the area for some good old-fashioned day drinking.  I was so happy to bump into Rachael because the two of us can laugh and laugh all day.  We took the train back to our side of town and enjoyed the gorgeous day on a patio.  Bobaloo made his famous white sauce pasta for supper and I called it a night.

A great weekend was had!

May 5

 

I'm on a roll with this Blog Every Day in May challenge. Ambitious I know, but there are topics posted for every day. Go check it out. Today's topic is Publicly profess your love and devotion for one of your blogger friends.  What makes them great?  Why do you love them?  If you don't have blogger friends, talk about a real-life friend so here goes.

 

There a few bloggers that I have been following forever (or since 2008):

 

Lora at Fever is my blog hero.  She is super duper smart, insightful, funny, and her posts always give me something to chew on.

 

Jacob at Busy Busy Busy used to post every Monday which was a great way to start the week.  He doesn't post as often now but when he does it's funny, funny stuff.

 

Jennifer at Chronicles of Consciousness has an awesome blog and great taste in music.  She should really come to see Widespread Panic at red rocks one of these days.

 

Amanda at The A-List always has me cracking up, she is hilarious and introduced me to the Morning Margarita once upon a time.

 

Here's a picture of my in-real-life best friend and I.



 

Her name is Jillian and I have known her since we were thirteen.  I don't think we liked each other very much at first but a year later we were inseparable.  We've been through a lot of stuff together, basically every after school special scenario you can think of.

 

We live 1,000 miles apart but are still thick as thieves.  If you ever want to see two grown women make a game of cribbage foul-mouthed and rowdy, come to one of our get-togethers.  Jillian is one of the most ambitious, smartest, and toughest chicks I know and has a heart of gold. 

 

She was my saving grace during a time when I really needed one and I love her dearly for it.

 

Friday

Friday was a mellow evening at home. I attempted to cook dinner (eggplant ziti) and the house is still in one piece. I am trying to save moolah for some future fun so Bobaloo and I just stayed in.

 

Saturday

The last Saturday of every month Bobaloo volunteers at Red Rocks. While he was busy with that, I cleaned and did a little bit of yard work. Hopefully, we can get some plants started in the yard soon. It was a beautiful day so we had a couple of friends over, drank beer, and listened to tunes. There were also some buzzed up craft projects taking place but that's a post for another time. All in all, a great day.

 

Sunday

We shook off the cobwebs Sunday and headed to the Holiday Bar for the annual deviled egg competition. Bobaloo made his eggs Greek-style for this event. The day was gorgeous so we chilled out on the patio and had a few beers. Bobaloo's friend Billy came with and we were Bobaloo's egg groupies, called The Eggheads.

 

A great weekend was had and I was sad to see it come to an end but am looking forward to some fun plans ahead.

 

 

 

Friday

 

Friday was the day that would not end at work.  I was very happy when 4:30 rolled around and I was able to happy hour with Bobaloo and my friend Sam.  Later, we all went back to our place to do some grilling, beer drinking, and music listening.  We moved into a house recently, it's great to have more space to have folks over.  I also started reading Sarah Silverman's The Bedwetter, so far so good.

 

 

Saturday

   

Nik & Bobaloo at the new pad

Oy vey.  This is where the weekend got a little out of hand!  We got our tickets for Widespread Panic at Red Rocks and decided to celebrate with bloody marys (which were delicious, by the way).  The snow blew in and we made a decision to just hang at home.  It turns out some of our friends were bored too so they came over for some good old fashioned day drinking.  Snowladies were made, hotdish was eaten, laughs were had, and goofy songs were written.  I capped the night off by losing my iPhone during a liquor store trip which is why there aren't a whole lot of pics in this post.  Genius.  By the way, if you haven't had tatertot hotdish yet this winter I highly recommend this stick-to-the ribs goodness. Here's one recipe, though you can pretty much use up whatever is in your cupboard.

 

Sunday

 

I woke up, had some coffee, and shook the cobwebs so we could head up to Nederland for Frozen Dead Guy Days.  FDGD is an awesome festival that celebrates Grandpa who is frozen in a Tuff Shed.  Bobaloo, a friend, and I made the trek and enjoyed some good music, had some beers, and witnessed the goofiness.  By the time we got home, I was pretty well beat so I capped the weekend off with some frozen pizza and Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

 

 

You're still here? It's over. Go home. Go.