JillieBeenBaker: I'm Alive!!!

Yes, I've disappeared again. And yes, I seem to have come down with the Plague again. Twice in 6 weeks...not so hot. I'm still coughing like I have Tuberculosis, but otherwise I am back to 100%.

Some exciting things have happened since I last posted! I got a new phone (buh-bye Blackberry). It's a Droid Bionic and it is amazing. It takes better pictures than my camera, and I can upload the pictures directly to Picasa and then put them on here. Woo! I'm sure no one else is as excited as I am about that, but maybe the pictures will turn out better. All the pictures from this post were taken on my phone, so we'll see what they look like on the big screen!!

I also got a new computer! My laptop took a crap about a year ago and I used my Blackberry (so slow) to get by for awhile, until my bud Jeff let me borrow a netbook until I could save up for a new computer. I got so used to the netbook (it was a good little computer!) that when my 15.6" laptop came, it felt like a big screen TV! It still does, actually. I looooove it! It's not the Apple I wanted (it's a Dell), but I've had good experiences with Dells in the past and it was a great price (got a nice discount through work!).

So after reading tons of blogs about DIY-ing, I finally decided to give it a go and re-stain a piece of furniture I have. The top of it got ruined (more on that later) and I just wanted to find a matching stain and get it looking good again. Well, I went to Home Depot and bought everything I needed. Then I decided that since the day before, I got a memory foam topper for my bed (sigh. heaven.) I needed new sheets and bedding. So I went to Bed, Bath & Beyond and got new sheets. Then I decided I was sick of the ugly blinds in my house (I'm sorry- blinds are hideous to me) and that I wanted to sew some curtains. So I went to JoAnn's and got some fabric to make some adorable living room curtains. I couldn't find any fabric that I liked for bedroom curtains, and I needed curtain rods, so off to Target I went. Found some curtains at Target for my bedroom, got them hung, and made up my new bed. By that time, it was dark and the furniture did not get stained.

This morning I woke up (in my fab new fluffy bed with silky new sheets) with new inspiration. I was going to get my living room curtains made and stain that damn piece of furniture if it killed me. So I pulled out Aunt Peggy's sewing machine (which is on indefinite loan to me). Mind you, this sewing machine and all the goodies that go with it have been sitting in my house for 3 months. And it has not been used. Over the summer, my Aunt Sis taught me to sew. What I didn't realize is that Aunt Sis has the newest, coolest, push-a-button-and-it-practically-sews-itself sewing machine. I pulled out Aunt Peggy's, knowing it's old, but thinking it can't be much different. Uh I was wrong. After Googling instructions on how to load the bobbin and thread the machine (and after typing in the particular model number for this machine), I was informed that Aunt Peggy's sewing machine is so old, that it is, in fact, VINTAGE. Wow. Well, I was having problems. I had a breakdown. I called Aunt Peggy 394304983094830948 gazillion times to help. Finally after about 2 hours and 3 breakdowns we got the damn thing working. And I was on a roll. I got my living room curtains done, and it only took me....what? 6 hours?!?!?! Time sure flies when you're sewing. After the initial frustration, I actually found myself getting lost in it and relaxing. And I made my own curtains from scratch. Cute? I think so!

(Haven't figured the flash out on the phone yet...)

Don't mind all the cat supplies on the floor. Sorry.

Well, since the time changed, there are far fewer daylight hours (it doesn't seem to get light all that much earlier, does it?). And thus, my day was spent making curtains and I still didn't get to my poor little piece of furniture. Which is still sitting in its little corner giving me sad eyes. I'll get to it soon. When I have daylight. I am NOT using paint stripper in my house and fumigating myself.

Since it gets dark at about 4:30pm now, I decided it was going to be dinner and then an early night. I starred this recipe for Chicken Enchilada Spaghetti from How Sweet It Is a couple of weeks ago. If you haven't read her blog, go now (well, after you finish reading this). This girl kills me. And she has yummy recipes.

This recipe seemed pretty easy (I wasn't in the mood for some long, drawn-out gourmet meal), relatively healthy, and yummy. I subbed the cheese for fat-free (which, when melted, is just fine) and instead of using half a red and half a green pepper, I just used a whole green pepper. And no ~~herbs that taste like dishsoap~~ cilantro. This was SO yummy and came together in about 20 minutes (plus another 20 to bake the chicken, but if you have leftovers or a rotisserie chicken, that would be even quicker!).

********************************************************************************

Chicken Enchilada Spaghetti

from How Sweet It Is

serves 2-4

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp pepper

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1/2 lb dry whole wheat spaghetti (this is a little much...I used maybe 1/4 lb and had PLENTY of pasta)

1 10 ounce can of red enchilada sauce

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

cilantro (OPTIONAL!)

Boil water for pasta and cook according to directions.

While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Add onions, peppers, salt, and pepper and let cook until veggies are soft, about 5-6 minutes.