Excess

More than ever before, I have noticed that I have a lot of clothes. Like, a lot. Enough that I'm sure I could wear a different shirt every day for a year without duplicating. I've never counted, but I'm fairly certain that is a true statement. 

Let me just make one thing clear. I am not fashionable. I don't really try to be. I dress for comfort and if I happen to look stylish I can pretty much guarantee it's an accident or someone else picked out the outfit. I think being fashionable is fine of course, but in all honesty it ranks very, very low in my priorities as well as on my list of important traits. Like somewhere between having matching socks and choosing a brand of shampoo. For me, clothes are just something I wear because one, it's the law (at least where I live...) and two, I hate being cold. But if you peek into my house at any given hour of the day (which I strongly advise against doing), there is a high probability I'm in pajamas, a long shirt, or more likely, just underwear because of breastfeeding and laziness and it's my house and I prefer being comfortable. 

Fashion can require a tremendous effort--especially if comfort is as much a priority--and the only times I make a real effort to dress to impress is when I know I am getting my picture taken (family photos, for example), I am going on a date with Dalin (let's be clear, that doesn't mean "fancy" just stylish-ish), or when I am going to church or the temple (because those are important places and deserve a little extra effort). 

But anyway, let's take a little look into my wardrobe so you can see what I mean about having plenty (also, I'm showing off how organized it is because I just reorganized today). 

These are my shirts. My long-sleeve shirts. Just my long-sleeve shirts. Do I need more? Nah, I think I'm good. I even have a few in the dirty laundry and added a few more to this drawer after I took this pic. If we're analyzing my color choices, it would seem that I have an excess of blue and gray. Mostly gray. When I looked that up to see what it might mean, I learned that gray became fashionable in the 18th century (so, at least I would have been considered fashionable then...). Gray also is the color (or lack thereof) of conformity, boredom, reflection and uncertainty, secrecy, old age, and poverty. Hmm. Well those adjectives all really suck and pretty much are the opposite of me since I'm supposed to be red or yellow personality-wise, but it's okay because in my heart I know I wear gray because it makes my blue eyes kind of pop. I don't think I'm boring (correct me if I'm wrong though). 

Anyhow, that was a tangent. So let's move on to part two of our tour: my t-shirts. 

I think I'm good there, too. By the way, these are only my "nice" t-shirts. My fun shirts (like the ones you get as souvenirs from colleges and vacations and such) are mixed with Dalin's in another location. 

Now if we're analyzing my short-sleeved shirts, it's apparent that I own a lot of white....which is peculiar because I do not wear white all that much. I like white just fine, but I'm a professional at ruining white shirts so I only wear it when I'm feeling dangerous. Or when I think I'm probably not going near food or drinks or spit up that day (so never). I do like white though, I just don't get around to wearing it that much. I'll work on that. 

Part three of our tour is button-up sweaters, shawls, shrugs, that kind of thing.

Again, what's with all the gray and white. Not sure, but I have a sufficient amount of sweaters, wouldn't you say? I love these sweaters but I don't wear them nearly as much anymore. Time to fix that, too. 

And last (for now), button-up shirts.

As is obvious, I have a respectable amount. The only trouble is, I NEVER wear these. I don't like button-up shirts much at all. Much like polos. Reasons: The collars and the buttons. I do not like how I look in them and I just do not care for them in general. My mom does, which is why I have these in the first place. The only button-up shirt I wear regularly is my chambray shirt, ironically not pictured here because it's in the dirty laundry bin since I wore it recently. But yeah, button-up shirts--not a terrific thing to buy me if you hope to see me in it.

One thing I noticed about my shirts (besides that I have every color imaginable) is that very few of them have logos or patterns. I pretty much just have a ton of plain, one-colored shirts. Kind of lame, but I'm over it. I also noticed, or rather, felt justified in my attempt to not buy clothes for a year. So far so good and I must say, I have not regretted it yet. Even when I've seen something cute and been tempted, I've realized later (when I've completely forgotten the item) that I obviously survived without it and I'll continue to survive. And I've saved a significant amount of money, too, so that's been wonderful of course!

In summary, I'm doing fine in the shirt department. So unless you (I'm talking to you, Mom and family mostly) find a really, really cute shirt that is not a button-up, not a button-up sweater, is not gray or white, and is easy to nurse in, I would probably reconsider. The only things I actually need (meaning want because I definitely don't "need" anything at all) are dresses. A girl can never have too many dresses. Especially a Mormon girl because thanks to church, they'll get plenty of use out of them. Just remember that nursing friendly dresses are a huge plus since I'll probably be breastfeeding on and off for the next ten years while we are growing our little family. Something to think about...

By the way, as I reorganized, I filled a large bag with shirts and sweaters and stuff to give away. And I still have way more than I need. I'll have to go through again in 3 or 6 months. Now just wait until I show you my skirts, pants, and pajamas (that is, if I get around to it)...I have plenty of those as well. Again, dresses or maternity clothes (for later) are what I'm into. Or stuff for a nine-month old (and up) girl because Tenley has loads of outfits for 6 months and down. And my baby is already six months! Yikes, time sure flies. 

What color or shirt-style does your wardrobe mainly consist of?

Is fashion important to you? Why or why not?

Would you rather be comfortable or stylish?

Do you get dressed right when you get up or, like me, are you in pajamas or less most of the day?

A Life of Service

I want to live a life of service. I have been trying to work on that lately. Pretty much since 2014 began. 

I am trying to be more selfless and less selfish. 

I am trying to give more and ask for less. 

I am trying to make others feel more loved, more important and less unnoticed.

I am trying to do more, accomplish more, and waste less time.

Sometimes, you just have to do nothing though. Today, I certainly did not accomplish as much as I wanted (I'm still exhausted from Las Vegas--particularly from our night camping out in the car which is a little Toyota Camry by the way...) and I'm trying not to blame it on Tenley. She's a trooper and even though she has been wanting more attention lately, who can blame her? Not I. She is just learning to do more activities, previously undiscovered, and is more anxious than ever to play (which is a baby's job in case you didn't know). But she is such an angel and I have no reason to complain because she really is a joy to have around.

Also, isn't she cute?

How do you serve others? (Feel free to brag about it--I want some ideas!) 

Has there been an instance of service that you gave or received that really stood out in your mind? 

Catching Up

Happy belated Valentine's Day! I love Valentine's Day because I love the color red and I love stuff with hearts and getting fresh flowers. But Dalin and I had a less traditional celebration because we were in Las Vegas for our good friends' Jason and Halie's wedding! The two got married on the 15th in the Las Vegas temple.

Anyway, the trip was awesome (and tiring) and included warm weather, last-minute hotels, visiting the strip, awesome food from a Las Vegas buffet, a temple sealing, a luncheon, a wedding reception, sleeping in our car overnight, long drives, and lots more craziness. Plus I almost got kicked out of several places for looking 16. One, I have a kid and two, I turn 23 this year, folks. But it's all good. (Also, I realize that saying I have a baby doesn't help since half the teenagers these days are getting pregnant but oh well). I will have to catch up with these stories later though because I am just so exhausted...it's been a long, long day. And I pretty much never want to get in the car again. 

Time to go snuggle my husband and baby girl (lucky her, she's been asleep the last couple hours already ;). 

Hope you all had an equally exciting Valentine's weekend! Here are some favorite pics, just to give you a sample...

I stinking love this girl.

Freaking precious for Valentine's :)

BFFs foreva'

What was your favorite part of Valentine's Day? 

Have you ever been to Vegas? What do you think of it?

Pretty Much Authentic Thai

I'm telling you right now, this stuff is good. And if you ask me, it really tasted like authentic Thai (which was really exciting!!!).

I was pretty apprehensive to try this out to be honest, being a lover of Thai food and doubting my personal ability to match the distinct taste of Thai, but after successfully executing the last couple of new recipes I tried, I figured, why not? Now the only con with this dish that I can think of is that some of the ingredients required are not ones you would typically purchase. So if you're a cheap-o like I usually am, you may want to save this dish for a special occasion when you feel like splurging (it wasn't that much though, and at least with a few of the ingredients, they should last you a while once you buy a bottle or jar.)

The recipe I was looking at came from Pinterest (of course) and suggested making it in a slow cooker. While I had originally intended to do that, after reading the comments, I decided I wasn't going to be able to wait four hours. So, as per usual, I improvised. And either I got really lucky or I'm just a decent chef because it turned out stupendous! I am only saying this because I was very surprised that it was as good as it was. Also, I cut the recipe in half possibly because I did not expect it to live up to my high expectations of Thai food but I'm giving you the full recipe because you will most likely want to have more. Anyway--no time to waste--here it is: 

Ingredients*

Chicken. I bought just regular old sliced chicken in a package. I think normal people slice up raw chicken meat before cooking it but well, frankly I hate touching raw chicken so I wait until it's cooked mostly and then sever it into pieces (which is way harder, but at least I'm salmonella-free). Also, I would probably have liked to have more chicken next time because it was really good, but any amount will suffice if you cut it up enough. 
2 cups chicken broth. The original recipe said chicken stock. I didn't know what that was, but chicken broth worked like a charm so I don't see the problem.

1 onion, chopped

1 heaping Tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

1 red or orange bell pepper, sliced

2 Tablespoons fish sauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 12oz. cans of coconut milk

2 Tablespoons red curry paste (with a sprinkle of regular curry--at least, that's what I did)

2 Tablespoons peanut butter (or peanut oil works I've heard, but hey, I wasn't buying that when I already have 4 containers of peanut butter here)

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

2 fresh limes (for juice)

Fresh cilantro

Salted cashews, chopped

White rice OR Maifun rice sticks (which are noodles)

*Truthfully, I was a mad woman with this recipe and didn't measure anything except the brown sugar (as shown in the picture). I completely estimated, which is kind of dumb and risky for a first-time attempt at a new recipe, but, like I said, it turned out so I probably got lucky. I felt like a real chef though just tossing junk in so that must be worth something. 

Instructions

I cooked this recipe in a skillet (awesome wedding present--thanks Jared and Maren!) because it has a lot more space than a frying pan and I don't like dirtying up multiple pans or dishes unnecessarily (well, who truly does when you are the dishwasher...). 

Add the chicken (sliced) to your pan or skillet and cook, flipping it over to cook it through. Then mix in the chicken broth, chopped onions, minced ginger, sliced bell pepper, and let cook for a little while. Next, mix in the fish sauce (which smelled horrible at first--I thought, Oh no! The dish is ruined!), the brown sugar, the coconut milk (which was part liquid, part condensed stuff, which worried me that I got the wrong thing, but I think that's how it's supposed to be), the red curry paste, and the peanut butter. Stir things around quite a bit. (I read that the coconut milk can curdle if you don't stir it well). You're sauce should be a creamy orangey color and will start to smell amazing if you're doing it right. 

Meanwhile, in another pot, cook up some white rice or if you want to perpetuate the Thai theme, use rice sticks, which are inexpensive and very good with the meal. Rice or rice sticks take about ten minutes to cook so plan accordingly. 

Once you feel that things back in the pan or skillet are cooked through well, stir in the frozen peas and cook for a while longer. I tasted a pea to decide when they were done. Just make sure that they're squishy to the touch at least. 

The last ingredients may seem like they are just for appearances, but I would not skip out on them because I think in some ways, they make the dish. They can, however, be added after the sauce is complete. I did squeeze lime juice in while cooking and also after I dished it. The fresh cilantro on top was awesome, as were the salty cashew pieces. And the lime juice definitely creates noticeable zest. 

The flavors of this dish are incredible. If you like pad Thai, I'm fairly certain you will love this. It made it into our top ten favorite dishes that I make. That's a pretty impressive feat in itself. 

Shopping List- Here is a list of ingredients and locations to help you shop:

I bought the Thai ingredients at Wal-Mart in the Raman Noodles aisle and they were all in the same location (the can of coconut milk, fish sauce bottle, jar of red curry paste, and rice sticks--which cost about the same as regular spaghetti but seems to make a lot more). The fish sauce and red curry paste should last a while and were less than $3 each. If you wanted to make the dish again, you would probably just need to get coconut milk, possibly more rice sticks (though next time I won't cook the whole package), and the fresh stuff.
I bought the ginger root, onion, bell pepper, cilantro and 2 limes in the produce section. 

I bought the sliced chicken breast in the meat department. 

And don't forget the chicken broth and cashews! 

I already had brown sugar, peanut butter, and frozen peas (and the chicken broth, bell pepper, and lime, but that was just by chance). 

Picture of all the ingredients together

And one more pic of the final dish for good measure. 

Please do not hesitate to ask any questions about this recipe in the comments below! 

Also, I would love to hear if you try it out or make any changes. (You won't regret it!)

Just Busy Being a Mom

My life today has been trying to be productive, which is why this post is really short. I actually like Mondays right now (mostly since I've become a stay-at-home mom). It is certainly a challenge getting things done with a baby, but it isn't impossible (glass half full...sorta). Look at the tremendous amount of dishes I tackled today from the past three days (sad, I know)! 

Before: 

And after: 

If you're looking at the time on my microwave, it took like half an hour tops, I just forgot to take a pic right away.

Anyway, here is a nice quote on some cute paper that my sweet cousin Whitney made for me before Tenley was born. I love this and seeing it again today helped me to remember that I need to have my priorities right. Read it and tell me what you think (or what you would add!) Also, note to self, I need to move this to a more noticeable location.

                     

What would you add to this? 

(I take your suggestions very seriously, so please take a moment and consider!)

What have you accomplished today? I hope it's been more than I have!