Screw You, Monday!

Well, today sucked.  Lost a team member today.  I say "lost" because she quit...I don't know where she's going or what she's going to do, but she wasn't my "direct report".  It was her choice but I don't think she wasn't un-provoked.  She didn't leave just to spite me.  I say "team member" because damnit, the three of us were a team.  Technically yes, I am a position above, however, I know damn well our tripod wasn't about to stand without a third leg.

I get it, I really do.  I completely understand feeling like enough is enough, and no longer wanting to be in that environment.  Do I think she was in the right to just walk out at 9am this morning?  Hells no!  Do I think lately she's had a rough time and some issues and was struggling? Hells yah.

What is comes down to is this: you fucked us over.  This is the busiest we have EVER been.  30+ job placements a week... I remember when we were doing 9 or 10.  Last week? 54 or some shit.  This week? probably 40.  And now... now... I get to pick up the slack and so does my remaining tripod leg.  We're a little wonky right now.  Like a starfish that is missing a leg... it is still a starfish but you know that shit aint right.

I'm protective of my tripod... I don't want my other remaining leg to feel overwhelmed and under appreciated taking on more work.  I'd rather be stressed and stay late to make sure she is OK and happy.  Is that going going to make a steady tripod?  Probably not, but two unhappy legs is a lot worse then just one.

This shit hasn't fully hit the fan yet but it's coming.

To my missing leg: I'm mad, and you know it.  That's why you didn't reach out to me at all today (we never even said hi to each other this morning before shit went down).  I'm mad because you screwed me over and are going to make my work life miserable the next few weeks.  Not like I didn't have enough stress as it is/can't afford more.  I needed you- not just for work load but for mental and emotional support. I knew I could talk to you about personal matters and shoot the breeze all at the same time.  I knew that you could do your job and do it well and do it with the deadlines we had.  She needed you too- she really needed you. Although you two bumped heads a lot... you two were a force to be reckoned with.  Finding a replacement leg is going to be rough...rougher then you know.  You aren't replaceable.  A knock off tripod leg will be placed in your hole and we'll learn to function again.

I hope you find happiness, I truly do.  

To blog, or not to blog?

Sometimes, blogging is hard.  I actually really enjoy it but I struggle with what I want to put out on the interwebs and what I don't.  I don't know who's eyes will see what.  The problem with that, however, is that the best blogs are honest and full of real shit.  Real life shit.  Yeah.... I'm not so sure I'm ready to go there yet!  

Here are some lighter things to fill the void!

• I'm moving soon- yay!  The act of moving sucks donkey balls, but we are fortunate to be able to upgrade to a better place. 
• It's only July but we are planning family Christmas at our place.  I. COULD. NOT. BE. MORE. EXCITED.
• I still have this crazy love/obsession for my dog.  I just can't help it!
• Work is... interesting.  We are super busy but they are cracking down on OT and expecting more work to get done in a day, with no extra help, and done perfectly.  Nice, eh?

Hopefully I can get back into this and post more!  I really, really want to!

Sunday Funday, Pt. 1

Now that Fall is here, my drive to make fabulous home cooked meals has kicked in.  Anything that spells comfort is what I'm looking for.  Cold and rainy day? Why, bundle on up and grab a plate.  That is what I'm going for here people!

Today, I made my first pinterest-found recipe: Chicken Noodle Soup.  Found here: Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup

The actual title on the recipe is listed as such " Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup- so easy a monkey could do it!! "  No joke, eh?  Well sign me up!

-1/2 Onion, chopped
-1 bag egg noodles
-2 or 3 cans cooked chunk chicken, drained
-1 or 2 cans sliced carrots, drained
-Bunch of celery, chopped (added by me, not in original recipe)
-Chicken bouillon cubes
-Water
-Parsley flakes, salt and pepper to taste, maybe some garlic pepper.  Get fancy!
-Olive oil

(Finely chop that onion, I just kinda haphazardly threw the knife at it and ended up with far too many stringy or long pieces.  Also, I bought 2 bags of egg noodles but definitely only needed one.  I didn't think I had enough with just one bag so I added 1/2 of the second.  WRONG!  Hubs and I both agreed we had too many noodles and not enough chicken.  {I made it in a very large pot and the chicken was drowned out by all those damn noodles.} )

 

Add some olive oil to the bottom of your pot to saute the onions.  I also generously added garlic pepper and Mrs. Dash Table Blend for flavoring.  Once those bad boys are nice and loosey-goosey, fill the pot with hot water 2/3 of the way full, add the bullion cubes (I added 4 at this point), and boil!

Boiling? Check!  Add them egg noodles, bitches! Recipe called for 12-15 minutes boiling time.

While the noodles were boiling I opened the cans of carrots and dumped them into a colander to drain.  I then chopped up enough celery until my brain said "OK lady,... that's enough foolin' around".  I threw that on top of the carrots so everything was in one contained place and my cutting board was free, justincase!

Once the noodles were ready, I taste-tested the broth since the original recipe told me too.  Again, since my pot was larger I felt my broth was a little watery so I threw in one more bouillon cube.  Delicioso! I added the veggies and then opened and drained my cans of chicken into the same colander and then added that to the pot as well.

Simmer for 10 minutes, and BAM you got So-Easy-A-Monkey-Could-Do-It-Chicken-Noodle-Soup!  I added some more garlic pepper and some Lawry's Seasoning Salt.  OH, and parsley flakes.  Original recipe basically threatened you if you didn't use them and called into question how un-American you were... I didn't want to get shanked so in the went!

This was delicious!  I warmed some Hawaiian's King rolls to go with it.  Those buttery little bastards dipped in the soup?  OM NOM NOM...  Even the hubs was vocal about liking it!  Normally even if he likes something I get a very short "yeah, you did good hunny" or "you didn't do too terrible".

I followed the recipe almost exactly.  To me, chicken noodle soup always has carrots and celery so I added them in.  I felt they could have been cooked a bit longer to make them not so crisp and crunchy.  I like 'em soggy just like the carrots!  Also, I went a bit over board on the noodles which over-shadowed the chicken.

I just paused to clean up and my big ass pot was 8 quarts!  Wayyyyy to much for just us two.  We could have done with probably 1/2 that amount and still have a shit ton left over.

All in all, I will be making this many more times in our future!  Plus it really was so easy a monkey could do it.  The hardest part was sauteing the onion.  Not even kiddng.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

OH how I love thee!  I absolutely freaking love Christmas.  It is the best time of year and my favorite holiday.  I just love the whole idea of it; making a big to-do about spending time with your family that bugs the shit out of you, getting gifts for them that you know will make them squeal like a pig, and eating so much you actually look like said squealing pig.

Holiday Party

Christmas Past

I also love the traditions that Christmas brings.  Hubs and I have made our own over the last few years and they really are just simple things that make me light up like a lightening bug.  Sometimes I think he could care less about some of the things, but he knows it makes me happy so he shut's up about it keeps his head down.  Happy Wife, Happy Life, am I right?  We spend every Christmas Eve at his Grandma's house even though it is about two hours away.  Totes worth it.  The man is 31 years old and never missed a Christmas Eve there.  I'll be damned if I'm going to be the one who ruins his "favorite" status.  We get one new ornament every year that symbolizes something major that happened for us.  This year, my Grandmother gave us a "new home" ornament, and we bought a "new dog" ornament.  Christmas dinner ALWAYS consists of prime rib and green beans cooked in bacon grease (OM NOM NOM!!).  Christmas night we load up with hot chocolate and drive around looking at Christmas lights.  My mother also informed me she still has "The Night Before Christmas" book from the 1980's that she read to us as children.  It's earmarked for me when we have our first little bambino!  Don't think for one second I won't be bawling my eyes out as soon as I get my grubby hands on it.

Too. Much. Christmas.

My husband is soooo better than yours.

This year we had Ruxin and I totally went all out for him.  I know he is only a dog, but he's my dog dammit!  He ended up with two stockings full of toys and rawhides, plus home-baked dog cookies.  Love the little bastard!

I do love Christmas so much we've already talked about Christmas next year and how it's pretty much going to suck donkey balls.  I mean, it's on a Tuesday for crying out loud!  Who has Christmas on a Tuesday?  Christmas Eve on Monday? Pssssha.... I don't know about this.  There is definitely going to have to be some trickery in the time-off from work department.  

This was also our first Christmas in our new house.  And I must say, that fricken rocked!  We procured ourselves a 9-foot beaut of a tree and I've started my Christmas decor collection.  Watch out 20 years from now- you won't know what hit ya!  

Hope everyone out there had a very Merry Christmas!   

I Hate To Admit It, But I Forgot About You

I just read my last post from god-know-how-long-ago... and I actually sounded kinda cool!  At least I think so anyway.  It had been so long since I was on here that I didn't even remember what I had written.  I didn't recognize myself.  I don't know how I feel about that, other than it makes me a little sad.  I kinda wish I didn't give up and go on some stupid ass hiatus.  IDK...it is what it is I guess!

Lots of stuff has happened in the last 5 months.  Let me enlighten you...

Now you are all caught up!  Maybe I'll get back to writing...  maybe I won't... wouldn't you like to know?  LOL you probably couldn't care less.  And you know what?  That is fine by me!