Fancy Plate

When Julia and I were kids, my mom used to make us something for lunch called "Fancy Plate". Fancy Plate was basically everything leftover from the fridge and pantry on one plate. Maybe a little lunch meat, a little fruit, a little leftover pork, a little leftover vegetables, some spaghetti, and maybe a cracker or two. We used to hate leftovers, so mom called it "fancy plate" in the hopes of getting us to eat it. And we did :-) We even started to ask for it.

So, blogger friends, I hope that same trick will work on you too :-) Here's my blogging version of Fancy Plate. A little of this... a little of that. Enjoy!!

Luxe Fans... It's Your Lucky Day!
If you're a reader of the blog, you've heard me talk about the Luxe series by Anna Godbersen, and many of you have also become hooked just like me. I have been desperately hoping that Anna Godbersen would write another saga in the Luxe series. She still hasn't, but every time I go to the bookstore, I hope against hope and look on the shelf *just to be sure*. Today, when I made the rounds through Barnes and Noble, look what I found!!! A NEW book by Anna Godbersen!!! It's not "The Luxe", but it's oh-so-similar. It's called "Bright Young Things" and it's set in New York City in the 1920s. Yes, please!! I can't wait to dive into this one, like, tonight. Go get it and read it with me!
Embracing the Bootie
...the shoe, that is! I've long loved the mini boots, but I never thought I could wear them. (I'm not very cool, if you haven't noticed.) But it seems that EVERYONE has a bootie on lately, and they look so dang fashionable, I had to find one that would work for me. I had a gift card from my birthday (Thanks, Wendy & Luke!) so I ventured to DSW to find the perfect bootie. I found the BCBG Paris "Maxine". See me rocking the bootie below. Blazer gave them two paws up.

31 Workouts in 31 Days Recap

The good news: I worked out more in October than I have in any other month, ever. The bad news: Technically, I didn't complete the challenge. If you take a look at the sidebar, I was doing awesome. I only had to invoke a technicality one time. There was a day where I had to write a 20 page midterm paper for my grad class, so working out just wasn't going to happen. However, I did a few boot camps that were over an hour long, so I counted one of them as two workouts. There were a ton of days when I really didn't want to work out, but I did! I was doing great - up until the last three days... when I got sick. Of course! It was like God was saying, "Great job. Yay, you! You're so disciplined and in control! Oh, wait... nope... I'm in control!" I'm talking I was flat on my back, couldn't move, chills and fever, crying to myself kind of sick. Working out was not exactly a priority! So, I failed. I didn't finish the challenge. However, I do feel stronger, lighter, and more apt to keep up my workout routine in November and beyond! Maybe I'll try the challenge again another month...

Christmas Candles on Sale!

Bath and Body Works has all of their three-wick candles on sale right now! There is an in-store coupon you can use for $10 candles! I picked up all of my Christmas favorites: fresh balsam, winter candy apple, frosted cupcake, and spice.

Cozy Socks

Lounge lovers - meet the cozy sock. I am obsessed with this super soft, fuzzy, warm sock. You can get them at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Old Navy, and lots of other places. Whenever I'm home, I literally live in these things. Fashionable? Probably not. Essential for winter weekends? Absolutely. Make sure you buy more than one pair.

Hope you liked the fancy plate :-) Have a great wekeend.

High School Reunion by the Numbers

Three: Number of dresses I bought before I found this one. (It's from Modcloth.com, and I love it! Don't worry, I'm returning the others.)

Four: Number of hours I spent shopping for a dress for my reunion.

Five: Number of seconds Brent spent deciding what to wear to the reunion.

Sixteen: Number of years since I was in Girl Scouts with these ladies.

Three: Number of girl scout uniforms we had: Daisy, Brownie, and Junior Girl Scout.

At least one hundred: Number of fun times we had horseback riding, cooking on vagabond stoves, eating hobo lunches, getting our hair braided, and using port-a-potties in Wimberly.

Six: Number of years we were in choir together.

One: Number of people in pictured with a super cool job. (Amanda, center, is an archaeologist!)

Twenty: Number of years it's been since Cameron (center) and I made secret forts at the creek by her house.
Twenty one: Number of years it's been since Cameron had a reindeer birthday party that I still remember.
Ten: Number of black satin and sequin show choir costumes Meghan (left) and I wore.
Two: Number of high school boyfriends Meghan & I now regret.

One: Number of UT cheerleaders in this picture (hint: It's not me.)
Two: Number of dances we went to together in high school.

Forty: Number of times we ate Rumors for dinner our freshman year of college while watching Dawson's Creek.
Zero: Number of inches of blank wall space in our freshman dorm room.

Ten: Number of years it's been since the girls of the class of 2000 have been together.
Two: Number of moms or moms-to-be pictured below (hint: not me.)
Eight: Number of 80s songs we sang together with teased ponytails.
Nine: Number of times this sweet girl has said she likes my blog.
Twenty-Four: Number of years it's been since we started kindergarten together at Moss Haven Elementary School.
One: Number of puppies who were glad to have some play time with Grammy, but equally glad to have mom & dad home at midnight.
Ten: Number of years until we do it again.

Christopher's Remix

Brent and I love Christopher's in College Station. It's basically the only nice restaurant in College Station, and it's actually really, really delicious. We look forward to going there once a year during opening weekend for football. They have an awesome menu, but we always get the house filet. I kind of want one right now. We took this year's trip in September, and they had a new appetizer on the menu. It was a "chile relleno" - basically a poblano pepper stuffed with beans, cheese, and shrimp and then deep fried. OMG it was good. Brent immediately started plotting how he could get me to make them at home, but I told him there was no way that was going to happen!

When we got home I was flipping through an old Everyday Food magazine, and I stumbled upon this just as delicious but WAY healthier version of a chile relleno: stuffed poblano peppers. I've made this dish twice now, and it is amazing. The Everyday Food recipe is completely vegetarian. That version was good - I made it according to the recipe the first time. But then we thought about Christopher's and how they had stuffed theirs with shrimp. So we decided that the next time we made them, we'd add shrimp.

I made the shrimp version tonight, and it did not disappoint. You get the rich tomato sauce, semi-cruncy pepper, beans, cheese, and spicy shrimp. And it's not fried! So you can have two! Here's how to make this super easy dish that will make you feel like you're at a Mexican restaurant.

Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Adapted from Everyday Food, April 2008

Sauce:
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 jalapeno chile, roughly chopped (seeds & ribs removed)
1 small onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves
Salt & pepper

Mix all sauce ingredients in a blender until pureed. Spread sauce on the bottom of a Pyrex dish.

Filling:
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 package fresh pre-cooked chipotle shrimp from Whole Foods (in the seafood section), chopped
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
Salt

Combine all filling ingredients in a bowl and stir to mix.

Halve four poblano peppers and remove seeds & ribs. Stuff each pepper with filling and place pepper halves filling side up in the tomato sauce.

Sprinkle the whole top with about 1 cup of shredded monterrey jack cheese. Cover with foil and back at 425 degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover and broil until cheese browns (2-4 minutes). Serve with Mexican rice. (Serves 4)

October Obsessions

In no particular order, here are 10 things I'm obsessed with this October:

1. Burt's Bees
I've never been one of those people who is addicted to chap-stick, but I'm starting to wonder... The weather turned cooler by two degrees and all of a sudden my lips were dying. I now crave Burt's Bees original lip balm. It's peppermint-y, tingly, and soothing, and I can't get enough. I'm now the proud owner of 5 tubes because if I'm out and about and I forgot it, I can't stand it. I have to pull into the nearest Walgreen's and buy one. I heard that bumble bees are in danger of extinction, so I sure hope old Burt is taking good care of his bees because I can't live wihout this stuff. 2. The Sweater Dress
Flattering, comfy, and trendy: what more could you ask for in a go-to dress? You better believe I snatched up this sweater dress at Ann Taylor Loft. With a low slung belt and boots... tell me you won't be the most stylish girl at work.

3. Honeycrisp Apples
These are the best apples ever, hands down. I've tried just about every apple there is, and this is what we can't get enough of. They are quite aptly named since they are indeed VERY light, crispy, juicy, and sweet. They also don't turn brown as quickly as other apples when cut: it's a miracle.

4. Essie Nail Polish

My good friend Abbie tipped me off to Essie nail polish on her blog. I've always been an OPI girl, but I am LOVING Essie now, especially this color: Island Hopping. I'm perplexed by the name because it doesn't look summery or island-y to me at all. It's perfect for fall. I hereby rename this color "warm plum crisp". It looks great on fingernails - subtle but polished.

5. Cream of Wheat

I haven't eaten cream of wheat in like 10 years. I'm not sure what came over me, but I was in the cereal aisle and I saw the box, and I was transported back in time. My mom used to make cream of wheat almost every morning in the winter. I was truly curious if I would still like it, so I bought a box of the instant packets. It is SO GOOD. I make it in the microwave at school every day and put in small pat of butter and some brown sugar. When people see me eating it they're like, "Oh my gosh, cream of wheat! I haven't thought about that stuff in ages!" You're welcome, Mr. Cream of Wheat Man, for the comeback I'm staging for you.

6. Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain's show "No Reservations" on the Travel Channel is one of my favorites. If you love food and/or travel, you will love this show. Anthony is a journalist and a chef by trade, so his show is very focused on these two aspects of travel. He HATES all things touristy and loudly proclaims his disdain for anything cookie-cutter. When he travels, he focuses on the food of a place and how it shapes the people and the culture. He eats in local places and even in homes. It's a fascinating and beautifully written show. You feel like you've been there when you watch their beautiful shots and listen to the inspiring narration by Bourdain. There's a new season going on now.

7. The White Watch

It might just be a Houston thing or a YES Prep thing, but the white watch is all the rage in my world. I'm not kidding you that EVERY female teacher at my school has one of these white watches. There are several different styles but they all have a white silicone band and most have some sort of rhinestones. I picked up mine at Charming Charlie for like $11. I'm relatively sure it will only work for about 6 months, but after that it will be out of style anyway, so we're good.

8. Seattle's Best Coffee

I like to try different coffees because I get sick of the same old thing, so lately I've been on a Seattle's Best kick. They claim that it is the "smoothest" coffee you can buy, and I tend to agree. I especially like the "cinnabon" flavor - add a little fat free half & half, a touch of splenda, and a dash of cinnamon and you're good to go!

9. Old Navy Workout Pants

I'm loving the super-affordable and super-comfy workout pants from Old Navy. They are cropped and have a rollover waistband that you can adjust to make the pants as high or low rise as you want. The super cute pink dot pattern doesn't hurt either. I also bought a pair of black cropped walking pants with two pockets perfect for a cell phone or iPod when you're walking.

10. Woodwick Candles in "Fireside"

Last but certainly not least, it's time to break out the Woodwick candles. The Fireside scent will transport you directly to fall. If you missed my last post on Woodwick candles, you can check it out here. This candle is an absolute MUST HAVE for fall and winter.

31 Workouts in 31 Days

Happy October! It's time to break out the fall wreath, buy some pumpkins, have a pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks, and... Workout!! That's right. Today I'm issuing a challenge for myself and all of my blogging friends:

31 Workouts in 31 Days!

There are several reasons why you should join me in this challenge:

• Any extra exercise you do now will allow you to go into the holiday season at your best, so you can have that extra slice of pie or serving of mashed potatoes (or both. let's be honest.)


• October is finally COOL, so you don't have to do every workout at the gym. You can vary your workouts with walks and runs and fun outside things and not die from a heatstroke while doing them, which is a bonus.


• If you succeed in working out every day this month (and you will), going back to regular 3-5 day a week workouts will seem EASY!


• Things always get busy in October, but if you take on this challenge, you have a ready-made excuse to leave work right on time - you have to go work out!

Here are my rules for the challenge, but you can make up your own rules if you'd like:

1. Any kind of exercise counts - walking, running, gym, cardio, weights, yoga, pilates...


2. You should aim for 45 minutes per workout, but 30 minutes will do in a pinch.


3. All 30 or 45 minutes do not have to be done at once. You could do 15 minutes here and 15 minutes there.


4. You don't have to work out EVERY day - you just need to get in 31 workouts in 31 days. So if you miss a day, all hope is not lost. You'll just have to find a day when you could double up - maybe a walk before work and gym in the evening? Or you could just kick your own butt for an hour-long workout, which could technically count as two 30 minute workouts - and you're back on track!

The main goal is for me to get back into a routine because let me tell you - September was no good... no good at all. However, I'm feeling optimistic about October!! We're going to make it happen!!

I've added a gadget to the right side of my blog where I'm going to update my daily workouts so you can keep me accountable and track along with me. You can see that I've already tracked my October 1st workout!

Will you commit to doing 31 workouts in 31 days with me? Why not post on your blog about your commitment? Leave a comment if you're with me!! (...And even if you're not with me, leave a comment because I still love you. Lots of you are having babies and having babies is a pretty good excuse, so all you mamas out there are off the hook for now.)

Time to load up the iPod...

Little Luke

I am officially Aunt Katie! My little nephew is here! James Luke Patterson II was born early Tuesday morning at 1:20 am. He was 9 pounds 5 ounces and perfectly healthy. I'm a little biased, but I think Little Luke is the most perfect, precious, sweet baby EVER.

My sister in law, Wendy, did an amazing job. She has made pregnancy and labor look EASY. Luke was due on September 25th, which came and went, and we weren't sure if and when she was going to be induced. Though we wanted Luke to come on his own accord, we just couldn't wait any longer to meet him! Wendy was induced on Monday morning and was in labor all day and into the night. (Praise God for epidurals!) We were hoping to see him Monday, but he was still nice and cozy and not ready for the real world just yet. Luke finally decided to make his appearance in the middle of the night when Aunt Katie was fast asleep in bed, but we ran right over to the hospital as soon as I was done with work today to see the little man. Wendy is doing awesome. Seriously - she made it seem like it was no big deal - she is very strong and brave! Luke is ADORABLE. He did not cry the whole time we were there - he just slept and made the cutest noises. He is healthy and perfect. I'm so proud of my sister and brother in law and so happy for their newest addition! Yay babies!

A Noble Workout Partner Who Can Find?

"A noble workout partner who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." ~Proverbs 31:10

OK.... so maybe I took a few liberties with that translation! But still... a good workout partner is a gem for sure!!

When we moved into our new house over a year ago, my next door neighbor Diana was the first person I met. She is super nice and wonderful in every way, and the only thing I have against her is that she's a Longhorn. But we have become friends despite that fact. She says "gig em" when she texts me, and I watch UT games when she comes over. She wears maroon to our supper club, and I turn a blind eye to the UT garden gnome in her front yard. Whatever works.

The best thing about Diana is that she is a GREAT workout partner! We both joined the gym in our neighborhood, and last March, we started going to boot camp once a week with a personal trainer there, Charissa. Y'all... you should have seen us at those first boot camps - it was pathetic. I'm pretty sure we couldn't do ten squats or ten push-ups in a row to save our lives.

But, we stuck with it, and we began to get better and better. The boot camps started out as groups of five to ten people, but it gradually dwindled down to .... just the two of us. I never thought I'd be referred to as "hard core" when it came to something like boot camp but wonders never cease. We enjoyed this personal training for quite some time until the gym was on to us, and they stopped the free boot camp :-( Sad. Luckily, our friend Charissa agreed to keep training us. Now that it was just us, she really turned it on and made it her personal mission to "kill us" every week.

Not long ago, Charissa got a new job at a gym closer to her house. I may or may not have cried. We're very happy for her but very sad for us! However, she taught us well, so we quickly decided that we would carry on. We got a super cute notebook, decided on Mondays and Thursdays, and got back to work. In our little notebook, Diana plans Monday workouts and I plan Thursdays. Between those days we do our own workouts, though we are excited for cooler weather when we can walk/run together.

Basically, it's our goal to outdo one another with the difficulty of our workouts. We have both vowed to do whatever the other plans. As we walk out to the car after our workouts, the conversation usually goes something like this:

Me: I'm so sorry if I hurt you!
Diana: No, it's totally OK! I want you to hurt me.
Me: Yeah, I guess I kind of meant to hurt you.
Diana: I'll get you back on Monday.

The next day we usually text each other:

Me: Sore?
Diana: Yep.

So you see, we're totally made for each other! haha! I'm proud to say that those girls who couldn't do ten squats in a row can now do 40 squats holding a 25 pound weight over our heads!!

We've invited our husbands multiple times to join us, but they have declined. I think that secretly they are scared we will kick their butts. ...and we probably would :-) Diana's husband says it makes him tired just to read what we write in our little notebook.

I better rest up now because Diana is planning tomorrow's workout and we may or may not have had a few margaritas while watching football on Saturday night (UT of course... A&M wasn't on TV, people!)

Praying for MOH!

Update: THANK YOU for praying!!! God just proves again and again that he can do more than we can ask or imagine. Today I got a great update about MOH. He made it through the surgery perfectly and is resting and recovering wonderfully. He may even get to go home this weekend. But here's the BIG news: The pathology report came back, and the tumors they removed were NOT CANCEROUS!!! It is truly miraculous, and I am overwhelmed by God's goodness.

Today I want to tell you about a very special person. His name is Michael O'Hern, but to me he will always be MOH. MOH was my high school choir director and my teacher in 10th, 11th, and 12th grade at Lake Highlands High School. MOH is a teacher who has truly devoted his life to his students. I've been out of high school for ten years (yikes!), but he still knows me, keeps up with me, and asks about my family. Now that I'm a teacher, I realize how precious planning periods are, but MOH spent many of his planning periods with me, listening to me cry in his office about how hard calculus was or the boyfriend that just broke up with me. He has devoted over 20 years to teaching, and even recently won Teacher of the Year. His choirs consistently bring home top honors in competitions, and he is well known in the community. MOH stays at school until 10:00 many nights rehearsing with choir or Espree (show choir). He spent Saturdays judging competitions. He gives up a week of his Christmas break EVERY YEAR to take high school students on a ski trip. I can only hope that I will become a teacher as amazing as MOH. If I had to pick five people who have been most influential in my entire life, MOH would be one of them.

Two years ago, MOH was diagnosed with brain cancer. He had surgery and went through intense chemotherapy. He beat the cancer, went into remission, and continued teaching. A few weeks ago, at a routine doctor's visit, they discovered that the cancer had returned. Although this was discouraging news, I know that MOH can do this again. He is scheduled to go into surgery at 7:30 on Wednesday morning in Dallas, and the doctors are confident that they will be able to remove all of the cancer. I know our God can do BIG things, so I'm asking you to pray that MOH will be completely and miraculously healed and that the cancer will never come back. MOH has a website where he is asking for prayers. He is asking you to pray specifically:

1. For the wisdom of his surgeons
2. For his continued positive outlook
3. For peace for his family and friends
4. For his Lake Highlands HS students

If you would add MOH to your prayer list for this week, I know he and I would be very, very grateful! We love you MOH!!

One Last Hurrah

Summer is almost officially over. And to be honest, I'm OK with that. I long for the day when I'm COLD. Also, I've been back to school for over a month now, so I'm pretty much ready for fall: spice candles, football, chili, and Christmas decorations. Yes, please. Still, today Brent was craving a summer treat that I have never made even though he has been asking me to make them for at least six months.

Brent has a few things he requests often for me to make. His favorite request is beef stroganoff. I've never posted about beef stroganoff, but maybe I will soon. It's possibly the best comfort food of all time. It's a winner. He also begs me to make these Fleur de sel brownies he saw on Food Network. I tried to make them once - EPIC FAIL. Have you ever tried to make homemade caramel? Mine turned into a solid coating of cement candy in my pan. I thought the pan was ruined, but after a few hours of work, we finally got it out. Last but not least, Brent has been begging me to make homemade ice cream cookie sandwiches. I always thought it would be too hard, but today he finally convinced me to try. Thankfully, there were no disasters involved. It was actually really easy, and they are SOOOOO good. Here's how I did it:

I made chocolate chip cookies using the Nestle Tollhouse recipe on the bag of chocolate chips. I made the cookies a little bigger than usual.

The cookies were crispy on the outside and still chewy on the inside. I let them cool completely on paper bags. (Does anyone else do that? My mom always used to do that.)

While the cookies were cooling, I let the ice cream sit out on the counter for about 10 minutes to soften up. I used Blue Bell Light Vanilla. I used a knife to spread ice cream on the cookie like you would spread cream cheese on a bagel. It was super easy.

Then I topped the ice cream with another cookie of similar size. I put them all in a parchment paper lined Pyrex dish and popped them into the freezer. One hour later, you've got homemade ice cream sandwiches! They just might make the perfect addition to your Labor Day festivities! Enjoy the last of your summer!