...while I still have my eyes open...

...but not betting on me being able to keep them open for much longer... ;)

Here's some shots of a few going on's in my world as of late...

I thought I already did a mention on this dish above...but I guess I didn't.  So, here ya go, guys! That is my Lemon battered and pan friend chicken atop a creamy, lemony, buttery, angel hair pasta.

Ryan wanted to do chicken piccata one night for dinner.  I do not like chicken piccata. I do however LOVE Lemon Pepper Chicken.  So, I fixed my chicken up the way I wanted and Ryan made his own.  (He ended up liking my dish more...oops :)

I don't know why, but I will buy a journal at the book store if it's in the clearance basket or sporting a decent price tag.  I might not have a use for it at the time...but I always end up finding a purpose for it!  Just like the one pictured above.  I started carrying it in my purse to keep for note taking, jotting down days I need to remember to take off from work, recipes I come across (so entirely handy to have on you when you are at the doctor's office and flipping through a magazine and end up coming across an awesome recipe but you don't have the guts to rip the page out...lol!), and keeping a record of when herb and flower seeds were planted in the last month.

Basically, I can use any "gardening" type notes to reference to when next year comes around.  It has been such a great little tool already.

One of my sisters was on a "crochet wash cloth" making spree.  I have always wanted to make a couple but never seem to have the time to do so.  I finally forced myself to sit down one morning and what is pictured above happened. :)

(Super easy pattern...but I can't link it at this time.  If anyone is interested, leave a comment and I'll link/comment back :)

FINALLY!!!

(Petunias, 10 different kinds of pepper plants, Strawberry plants, 

and various other flower/herb plants were picked up last Sunday!)

I got my flats of Petunias, ready and waiting...until the frost warnings dissipate...to be planted in the beds out front.  I did go ahead and plant a few pots today.  Lady Slippers and white/pink petunias are taking root as we speak.  My Moon Flower seedlings are in their own pot now too.

(I start the stubborn Moon seeds folded up in a paper towel, moisten it, and then slip into a sandwich baggy until the seeds crack open.)

Plus the Pineapple Sage and Lemon Balm herbs are planted next to the two foot high Catnip 

Perennial I have from last year.

I love Catnip/Lemon/Ginger tea.  

Have you ever had Catnip tea?

AMAZING stuff.  Instantly calms, soothes, and relaxes the body and spirit.    

I started these seeds over a week ago and still nothing has turned up.  I planted sunflower seeds the same day and those sprouted up with in three days!  I really hope something happens with my herb seeds.  I love being able to walk outside and grab fresh leaves to compliment a dish.

The Golden Doodle in my life.  Miss Sophie.  She's such a pretty girl, isn't she?  All 80 pounds of her! hahah. She loves, loves, LOVES her people.  And she's saying it's time for bed now...

I had something pretty awesome happen for me today...I will mention it soon in the next post.  Take care, everyone!  I have to finish my laundry for work tomorrow morning.

Take care,

Well hello there...

...I did not mean to be this absent!  So sorry, everyone!

Work.  Work has been such work!  I'm catching on quickly though so it's going pretty well.

Like, take this morning for example.  I get there right when the restaurant is suppose to open.  I look at the printer where the ticket orders come in and we have three of them already.  ALREADY...key word.

I look behind me and all five HUGE pieces of equipment...fryers, grills, ovens...are OFF.

Food needs to go down NOW.  But everything is cold to the touch.  Oh boy.

I get all the switches turned on and I start getting the plates set up.  I'm panicking...but not too bad.  Whatever that was going to happen was just going to happen because I still had to wait for the grills and fryers to warm up.  That kept me some what calm......ish.

I look over my shoulder after a few minutes and I see someone tying on an apron.

YES!  Thank the Lord...I have another cook to suffer through this with me! hahah.

Turned out to not be an absolute mess.  We managed to get all the orders out in a decent amount of time and all the guests were satisfied.  whew!

So...that's my most chaotic story from the work front so far.  This even topped the craziness of Mother's Day...so...that means things have been pretty super at the new job!

I am so incredibly blessed that this opportunity found it's way to me. 

So very thankful!

Busy, busy week...

I was literally....so entirely productive on Wednesday that it felt like two days off in one.  When Thursday came...( my second day off for the week)...I blew it.  I had the hardest time getting anything done.  My mood was disgusting.  I was alone for the most part of the day and when Ryan finally got out of work I thought I was going to start crying.  I still don't know why I was so sour on Thursday but Ryan and I took a trip to the grocery store that evening and bought the fixings to make our first beef enchilada dinner.  (They turned out really good, by the way).

After our tummies were full we watched a bit of TV and my mood swung back upwards.  I managed to get some decent sleep before work yesterday...which helped out huge for a busy Friday morning shift.  After work, Ryan and I got together and watched the Detroit Red Wings put their fans through every single emotion possible to man.  The team was doing that whole thing where they play their hearts out and make you feel like they got the win in the bag.  Then, in the last few minutes of the 3rd period, the Ducks tied up the lead with two quick goals.

Another. Freaking. Overtime game...!!!

The broadcast cut out to commercial shortly after OT began and only seconds of returning back we saw the Wings Captain shoot the puck right into the Ducks net giving us the win to tie the series!  Ryan and I just stared at the TV.  Did we just see a replay? Or did THAT really just happen?

Yup.  We won!  Now we play the ultimate make it or break it game tomorrow night.  If we lose, we are done.  If we win...we face the Blackhawks.

Tomorrow night will be one heck of a nerve wracking night for us Wings fans.  Superstitious tendencies and other necessities we feel the need to incorporate into a game for a "win" will be running rampant as we all wait to see the outcome of our dearly loved team.

Anyways, I have four other posts in the works for publishing at this point.  It's been rough trying to keep my thoughts on a straight line while all this new job and hockey business has been taking over my life.  Prep yourselves for a couple photo dumping posts.  I took lots of pictures while life has been kind of crazy.

Take care,

Spring has sprung...

...see?!

I think it was Wednesday that we were looking at scattered thunderstorms through out the day.  The sun went away for a bit and then broke out in between the heavy, dark clouds.  I took a look out the front window and then booked it out the front door with my phone to take that shot above.  I love how the blossoms from the tree are touched by the sunlight while backed by the grey clouds.

Just a little share.  I have a Red Wings game on...and things keep happening...which is causing me to keep turning to the TV.  I'll catch y'all after the game!

...I think it's called a "hockey hangover"...

...yeah, sounds about right.

The Detroit Red Wings walked into last night's game tied 2 for 2 (in this first round of the playoffs)

 against the Ducks. 

(stupid....stupid ducks!)

((Sorry, don't mean to offend any Duck fans))

We lost in overtime and Twitter became a mass of pissy Wings fans...fighting not only the fans of the enemy...but Wings fans were fighting among themselves.  

Oh happy day!!!

(please note the use of heavy sarcasm in that last sentence)

I think we were all a bit "whip lashed" due to the previous game's conclusion.  Monday night's game went into overtime as well but we caught the win...LIKE WE WANTED IT.  Last night however, you could already feel the loss as soon as the puck dropped at the start of OT.

I knew it was going to happen...you know, waking up after a loss and feeling like you had the worse nightmare ever.  Especially when these games are so critical at this point.  The Red Wings have made the playoffs for 22 years straight.  They have a few cups won in those years...but...when you are right there...and you get nixed in the first round (not saying that that is what's going to happen!) ((fingers crossed))...it just sucks.  It makes your heart hurt.

Anyways...I will conclude this post on a some what happier note.  Today is the birthday of Steve Yzerman.  Stevie, now retired...(since 2006)...was the Red Wings longest standing captain.

Following the departure of the previous captain, Danny Gare, after the 1985-86 season, then-coach Jacques Demers named Yzerman captain of the team on October 7, 1986, making him the youngest captain in the team's history. Demers said he "wanted a guy with the Red Wings crest tattooed on his chest." The next season, Yzerman led the Wings to their first division title in 23 years.-wiki

His career began with the Wings the year I was born.  This was MY captain.  He is who defined the game of hockey to me.  He's the reason for the comradery I have for this team...that brewed in my heart through my younger years ;)

Happy birthday, "Captain"!

Alright...I have other business to attend to in the blogging world.  This is my last day off of work till...who knows when.  hahah...

See ya soon!

"Flash through Friday"...

Since the work week can sometimes come and go quickly, and since we may not always have a chance to keep everyone in the loop with what is going on in our day to day's...

...I would like to implement into this blog of mine "Flash through Friday"...which is essentially a photo/fact dump from the week coming to a close.

I will begin tonight! Why not?

A fun little fact about me:  I can NOT turn down a free book.  Even if I already have a copy of it.  My mom did not desire to keep all of the books pictured above so she passed them on to me.  She had them in a bag all set and ready for me saying "I know you'll take them". (hah!  I officially need another book shelf ;)   Looks like I am stocked for my summer reading this year.

After a long and exhausting day at work on Thursday I got home and immediately changed into some comfy clothes.  Comfort food was made for dinner which was followed by some snuggle time with Bailey.  Doesn't he look thrilled?  He really is very passive with me.  He primarily wants attention.  That keeps him happy.

The chef training me this week has passed on a few tips and tricks she's learned over the years.  This has been inspiring...so inspiring that even though the last thing I wanted to was stand in my kitchen at home after being on the clock in a kitchen all day...I still managed to whip up some fresh baked goods.

I do not have a recipe for the Lemon Bunt Cake above...because I just kind of threw all the ingredients together.  Figures that it turned out beautifully and I didn't think to write down the amounts as I went... :\
It is officially the best cake I have ever made when it comes to texture and sweetness.  All sorts of "light and fluffy" with just the right amount of lemon flavor.

Picture above was found on Pinterest while I was in bed and trying my hardest to fall asleep the other night.  I'm pretty sure this is going on my project "bucket list".  It might not turn out as sleek as the one above, but I think I could make it happen with some help.

In all seriousness...I'm being completely serious about wanting to attempt building one.  It would be a dream come true to haul something like this up north and use it during my camping trips.

I can just picture it...laying in this little nook...all wrapped up in a thick, heavy comforter with several pillows surrounding me...waking up to the smell of the fire from the night before that is lingering in the morning mist...

~~~

That will do it for now.  I am mentally strapped.  Auto correct has been flagging darn near every other word I've typed so far....hahah! ;)  I am off of work for the weekend (I know, right!) sooooo........I will get much needed time with my computer then.

Good night, sleep tight...and have a great weekend, everyone!

Blogging from my phone is pretty unpleasant but it's the way I must go about it at this time...(as I am suppose to be asleep right now!).

The new job couldn't have happened at a more opportune time, what with the A-Z Challenge finished up. As soon as I get on a regular schedule at work, hopefully consistency will take place in my world a bit :)

I should be able to get some time with my computer tomorrow evening though so I will see you all then!