i admit...i suck.

Did I really not write since 10/10? Whoa. Who says I can't commit? Ha!
I wish I had a good excuse for not writing, I will say this, I just avoided it. My life is so boring and uneventful that writing would foster that boredom. I am sharing one highlight of all the months I have missed.

November: Thanksgiving. I went to Texas. Ate a lot. Saw my family
December: Snowed. I shoveled. Repeat. Christmas. Slept in. Blah.
January: Happy New Years! Details fuzzy? Yeah Me too.
February: Happy Valentine's Day, Lover. XOXOXO
March: 3 days off!! St. Paddy's Day. Debauchery. WOO!

So that sums up what I have been up to. It's the first day of lent. Maybe instead of giving up something I will GIVE into contributing to this darn blog? Thoughts?
I am back in full effect!
Kells

Music Monday

I am not trying to say that I am a music head. I listen to music I like, whether it is classical, r&b, jazz, musical theatre, blues, rock, and something in-between I love having a wide range of music to listen to at any given moment. Lately at work, I have been ignoring my co-workers. Basically, I can throw on my headphones and get taken away…and get a lot of work done in the meantime. Here is a small snipit of what has been keeping my attention as of late. Some old…some new…and some random KJ picks. Enjoy!


Nina Simone: My Baby Just Cares For Me

Doobie Brothers: Oh What A Night

Kanye West: Homecoming

Billy Joel: You May Be Right

MIMS: This Is Why I’m Hot

AC/DC: Thunderstruck

Adele: Hometown Glory


I have more… I can’t give away too much. Then you will know what is behind my madness!


Loves,


Kelly

adventures in homeownership

I own a house! I did it all by myself. Purchased it in June 2010, a gigantic tree limb fell about 2 weeks later and since then I've had a few lessons in dealing with insurance, contractors, and insurance adjusters. It is a feeling of accomplishment, confusion, and many questions... not so much with the answer part. But, I guess that is the fun part.

Lately, I have been trying to stay on top of yard work, and maintaining the outside for the long, ugly Minnesota winter. One of the things I haven't dealt with is turning on the heat. It has been so warm and why-- turn on the heat? Well, the last week it has been more and more cold. And at night I am dragging Hendrix under the covers to snuggle me to keep me warm. Against my better judgement I decided to flip on the heat.

When I did this nothing happened. I went downstairs to the furnace and looked around. Checked everything out. What was I looking for? I had a flashlight, but I was shining into the great unknown. I felt some pipes, nothing was warm, I moved this gas lever around --which was very scary. But still nothing. I took to my twitter account. Obviously. I got the advice to google the furnace. Which I did -- and it showed me how to take off the cover. I was still unsure, so I grabbed the instructions and read through it (Which by the way are really hard to read...it has a bunch of tables and gas charts which seem very unnecessary) I looked through a window thingee and it had a red light on, So its on right? I played with the circuit breaker, flashed around some more and still got nothing.

So I did the next best thing. I went next door to my neighbors. So, I was like... "Hey Steve... Can you come and look at my furnace?" He totally was all about it. "Let me grab my flashlight and toolbox" Now, this sounds like a really great sexual encounter. Its not. If you are looking for that. No. That didn't happen. He came over, checked it out. Took off the door flashed some stuff, played with this switch, turned back on the gas (i turned it off before), and flipped a switch again and all the sudden everything kicked on! It was amazing! I was so excited and I felt this pipe and it was warm. I was so happy.

That is my story. I learned a few things this time around, and I am sure something similar will happen again down the road. Here is what I learned:
1. Ask for help. (I did eventually) 2. Do research (I figured somethings out mostly it was confusing but atleast I can identify my furnace and know the model # and stuff)
3. Don't play with gas (that is self explanatory) 4. Use people that are homeowners that figured this stuff out before. 5. When in doubt ask a mature man (they love helping helpless women)

After all the excitement I am enjoying a glass of wine. Its a lot of work. This house business.
Cheers,
Kelly

Welcome Back Moss!

Sitting at home watching Glee. I am completely transfixed on the television. Reach over to my cell phone. Scroll up to check anything going on Twitter. What? WHAT? WHAT? I jump out of my seat and Hendrix is jumping on me... What is all the excitment? Randy Moss has signed with the Vikings.
The day instantly got better.

I am a huge sports fan. I am a huge Vikings fan. I love the prospect of being tough to beat down the stretch. Seeing the Vikings winless in the first two games of the season was a huge reality check. We obviously have a lot of weaknesses that we needed to address and fast. It's troubling that everyone thinks that this season is going to be similar to last for the Vikings. No way. No how... we had a lot of things going for us last season that just aren't there this season. Favre is one year older...Sidney Rice is not available for another 3-4 weeks. Our defense doesn't seem as up to par as we have been. We've got to make our team stronger, and adding a veteran wide reciever is the way to go.

That being said, for all the people that hate on Randy Moss. C'mon. It was more than 6 years ago when he had some legal, immaturity, issues with the team. Yeah, there was that meter maid that he might of knocked down with his luxury vehicle. And then there was that one mooning incident... That Joe Buck called "disgusting" but I hope the fans and the NFL community give him a chance. Give him a chance to redeem himself. To my knowledge he had little problem in New England. When you look especially at the NFL there are a lot of redemption happening: Ray Lewis, Pac-Man Jones, T.O... Give him a break. Give him a chance to behave badly...then judge him.

I've always had a special place in my afro heart for Randy Moss. And I hope you will too. Go Vikings!

Kelly

I apologize for spelling errors. Blogspot spellcheck is being a handful.

my twitterview

What is a twitterview? Well it's an interview completely done using only twitter. Does that make sense? Sure.. or not. Anyhow, It is with a smart guy named Joel Carlson who created this phenomenon on his own. He does about 6 a week, with all different people from all walks of life in the Twin Cities. Its great to learn about people you may follow on twitter, a nice way to get a little bit closer to the peeps that make social media in Minnesota so special. I still cannot figure out how I was included on it.

I am attaching the link here. Check it out. I was really excited when he asked me if I would take part, and I jumped at the opportunity. Here you go:
http://tinyurl.com/324y9ge

Crock Pot Chili

Just in time for the fall -- I whipped out my crockpot to create some chili before the Vikings game on Sunday. I will admit it. I am not much of a chef. I experiment very little in the kitchen. But this seemed easy enough...a dump and pour -- something I could not fail at.
Outcome? Kinda successful. The chili was good, a little bit bland -- I should have added some sea salt or more chili powder. There wasn't much pow!! I will season the ground beef a little bit heavier next time.

Another side note, I need more friends. I called/texted about a half dozen people who all were "busy" and didn't accept the offer to taste my Chili. Except Tiffany. She enjoyed it and even got to take some for lunch the next day. The downside of being fabulous and single is that I have chili for days y'all....I froze 2 tupperwares full and have some in the fridge...Guess what I am eating for the next few days? Yum. Here is the recipe, If you make it tell me what you think.
xoxo, Kelly

Christy’s Chili




2 lbs ground beef


29 oz can kidney beans (with liquid)


29 oz can pinto beans (with liquid)


29 oz can tomato sauce


1 cup diced onion


1/2 C diced green chilies


3 medium tomatoes or one large can of diced


1 1/2 tsp black pepper


2 C water


2 tsp salt


3 T chili powder


1/4 C diced celery


2 tsp cumin


Brown ground beef until done and drain off fat. In large pot (or crock pot), combine the beef plus all remaining ingredients. If in pot, bring to a simmer over low heat and cook, stirring every fifteen minutes, for two to three hours.


If in a crock pot, stir to combine and cover. Cook on low 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

BPC: after thoughts

So, I did finish the BluePrint Cleanse. It was much more challenging than I expected and I felt really accomplished that I finished it. The final day I went to a Twins game. BIG MISTAKE... Huge... ((that is a reference to Pretty Woman)) The smells, atmosphere, it was a bit much. The person sitting directly next to me was eating a brat, then chicken fingers, then a Tony O --cuban. I was not impressed.

Other than that. I did well. The last day I didn't finish #5 or #6 because it was too much. You'd be hugely surprised of how filling the juices were. I couldn't drink them at all. So I went to bed and woke up feeling energized. I was thinking of what I was going to eat that day but I made it through mid-morning without eating anything other than some water. I am sure my stomach was shrunken. Is that a word?

Anyhow, I feel awesome. A lot of people had opinions about this cleanse and whether or not I should have done it. I got a lot of criticism too, which was kind of unnerving. It wasn't a reason to drop pounds quick, it wasn't something I did not carefully consider. It was a good experience and I would recommend anyone to do it --if they do research & find out if it is right for them.

Cheers,

Kelly