how long has it been?!?

…since my last post? I have no idea. Seriously.

Let’s just say I’ve been busy. It’s not like we just experienced a giant holiday or anything, not to mention tons of school work, a last push to spruce up the place and hosting relatives.

I don’t know what else to do other than this: a list.

1. I’ve been trying to paint my nails for three weeks. As in, on-my-to-do-list-and-polish-sitting-out-on-my-dresser. Impossible, I tell you. I just do not have the time.

2. Andrew’s in his boot (meant to post–with pictures–about that) and “walking” without crutches. It’s nice to have him back in relative self-sufficiency-mode, but he’s still very limited.

3. He’s also thirty. 3-0. Can you believe it? I can’t.

4. I have more ice cream in our freezer than even I want right now. I’ve made some of it–Cognac-flavored for Andrew’s birthday, plus black raspberry chip (I experimented with lowering the melting point of the chocolate chips–a blog in and of itself) and pumpkin–as well as store-bought vanilla, pumpkin pie and rainbow sherbet, AND a gifted half-gallon of chocolate brownie-something-or-other from a dairy at Penn State. Whew. (What else was I supposed to do with all those leftover egg yolks from the angel food cake I made for Andrew’s birthday? BTW–homemade angel food cakes are WAY better than from the box. Just saying.)

5. Thanksgiving was yesterday. (Duh.) We hosted Andrew’s Aunt Linda and Uncle Dave, who traveled from Indianapolis. (Their son, Luke, and Andrew’s grandma stayed with the Layers.) We had a great time chatting with them at our place, running together on Turkey Day and Aunt Linda was a huge help in the kitchen–so glad they came! We ate the big meal at Andrew’s parents’ house, along with Carolyn’s new husband’s family, so it was quite a gathering. Despite the large number of people, there are TONS of leftovers. YUM.

6. I’ve already done a bunch of school work on this break. I SO want to be productive and feel caught-up and prepared for my upcoming finals. I just have to make it to Dec. 13…

7. My little (almost 6-foot-tall high school senior) brother has his license AND a very cute girlfriend. What is this world coming to?!

8. I have done so much yardwork it isn’t even funny. Andrew totally got out of it this year because of his bum leg. I enjoyed the time outside–really, I did–but my schoolwork suffered. And I have a scar from one of the blisters I got. A SCAR. Seriously. But, at least I got all the leaves and beds cleared and ready for spring.

9. The house is really starting to feel homey. We’re still down a couch–darn La-Z-Boy–but it should be here soon. Before we hosted our visitors for Thanksgiving, we hung some photos, bought bathroom towels (finally!) and decorated for Thanksgiving a little. I CAN’T WAIT to finish up the fireplace room once we get the new couch. I promise pictures over Christmas break. I PROMISE.

10. I am so not ready for Christmas. Like, at all. I don’t even want to really listen to Christmas music yet (but I will, since it’s after Thanksgiving). I’m just too overwhelmed with school; I can’t use any extra brain power to think about buying presents. Let’s just hope I can get all our shopping done in the 12 days before Christmas…

achilles heel, and a list

At least it wasn’t MY achilles tendon that got torn this week…

Yes, folks, you heard that right. We had a major injury this week; Andrew tore his Achilles tendon at basketball Wednesday, which prompted a 4-hour stay at the local after-hours urgent care, in addition to a heck of a lot of craziness.

Not sure why I couldn’t manage to get a blog post out about it until just now–I do remember wanting to snap a photo while we were in the waiting room, except every time I thought about it, Andrew was playing with my phone. As in, the phone with the camera in it.

And I’m not sure why I couldn’t manage to publish any of the already written posts I have sitting in the queue (since that is precisely what they are there for)…busy week, I guess.

ANYWAY, Andrew is laid-up with surgery scheduled Tuesday. He’s definitely in some pain but has a hefty painkiller prescription, and is thoroughly enjoying Netflix’s instant streaming. (A service we cancelled awhile back and he re-ordered just this afternoon in light of his couch-bound state. Hmm…is that how things get done around here? What kind of ailment can I come up with that will get me a re-attached basement door and some furniture???)

Thankfully, it’s his left foot, which means that–technically–he CAN drive (heck, he drove himself to urgent care!), and will be able to to so at some point soon. Until then, he can bum rides to work with his dad and he’s pretty good on crutches. Gosh, it’s been a HUGE BLESSING having Andrew’s parents here.

And another thing: I’ve learned I’m not a nursemaid. Like, AT ALL. I’m just not a nurse. I’m not compassionate (not that I’m mean, I’m just not overly caring, I suppose) and totally thoughtless. Maybe I’m just distracted right now with school. In any case, pity Andrew–I love him to death and I do try to help, but it’s definitely NOT my gift.

So, that’s the biggest news of our lives right now. As early as the night it happened I was already considering it a blessing; it’s forcing us to stop our house projects and relax (well, he can; I still have school!) and spend time in the same room together. I mean, if Andrew can manage it I’d really like a couple quick things done here before we totally call it quits (like that basement door and the drapes), and maybe he can just talk me through some of these tasks, too.

We also postponed our house-warming party, which has given me such relief it’s not even funny. In all honesty, a couple days ago I started getting a bad feeling about the party–just that I wasn’t ready nor was I looking forward to it because of everything else on my plate–and between Andrew’s injury and finding out our new couch won’t be here until DECEMBER (Lazy-Boy, I am SO UNIMPRESSED I can’t see straight–probably a post all its own), in addition to school projects and the fact that we still haven’t gotten any more furniture or lamps….well, I was a bit stressed. We’re thinking January might be a better time for it.

I’ve already single-handedly raked and disposed of every leaf in our yard. Last night. For three hours straight. THREE HOURS.

I was out loading leaves into a trash can and hauling them to the curb in the dark. You bet I earned those BBQ wings I wanted!

In other news, school is–just like always–completely insane. If it isn’t one class, it’s another. In the past week or so, I’ve had two tests, the first part of a project (to be blogged about later, I hope), and a test, two more projects, a quiz and an essay in the next week. And an article to write. And packages to mail (sorry Heather–your b-day/care package will be in the mail Monday). And I’ve got to get to Wegmans tomorrow–we’re out of spinach! And I have to do research for one of the afore-mentioned projects. I love that I can do homework at Wegmans. Sort of.

Here’s a quick pic of one of my project groups:

I’m in the back peeking over two of the girls. We had to come up with 10 recipes (5 regular, 5 fat-modified), and had the rest of the people in our lab cook them and perform a blind taste-test. That was Wednesday, now THIS coming Wednesday we present our findings and a bunch of information as well as fat-reduced products you find at your grocery store. I made two versions of fried chicken, and I’ll blog about it later.

One more thing: we finally re-filled Hadrian’s bed.

The poor guy’s been sleeping on it almost completely flat for awhile now. We just use packing peanuts from the UPS store. You’d be amazed how they flatten over time…

Well, that’s a good summary of the past week or so. Prayers for Andrew’s surgery and my sanity are greatly appreciated!

what’s new around here

I know, I’ve been slacking.

Well, maybe with the blog, but everything else just seems to find its way into my already packed schedule. In addition to the massive amounts of chemistry studying that has been going on for the past week or so (and will continue until 10:59 Monday morning), I’ve been able to fit in a batch of yogurt, Mother’s Day cards/gifts/trips to the post office, multiple hairball clean-ups (eeewww) and some Big Bang-watching. Thank you, Andrew, for doing my dishes and folding laundry. I know I whine and complain and can be a bit of a perfectionist; thank you for being patient.

It will all be over after by 1 p.m. Monday–hurray! I can already taste the margarita I’m ordering afterward…

Anyway, here’s something of a re-cap:

1. Starbucks has had half-price fraps since last Friday, and I didn’t get one until Tuesday, which I think showed great restraint. The kicker? I tried their new ‘mocha cookie crumble’ flavor and I was so not that impressed. Oh well, guess that’s what I get for obsessing over it. I even brought some of my own sweet potato tortilla chips for snacking along with the drink (I love salty with chocolate!), and they are the same kind you can BUY at Starbucks. Ha! Bonus: I’ve been looking for one of their ‘city/state’ mugs that either said ‘Buffalo’ or ‘New York’ that I liked–loved this green one featuring the Statue of Liberty and the NYC skyline. Would love to find one that’s more local to Western NY, but until then, this will have to do.

Side note: I’ve visited more coffee shops in the past week studying for the final than I care to admit. However, I have a post going on my coffee preferences, so I suppose I could chalk them all up to research…

2. We recently received a giant box in the mail–it contained FOUR bags of Julio’s tortilla chips that Andrew mailed back from Texas. He even included a giant bottle of their seasoning blend–think he’s trying to tell me something??

Please note the first ingredient is MSG… Really? Like I’m really going to feel good about shaking THAT all over my organic sweet potato fries… I swear, you guys, it’s like I’m sleeping with the enemy, sometimes.

3. I made Graeter’s Black Raspberry Chip ice cream from Pioneer Woman’s new cookbook awhile ago, and I still have a little in the freezer. Here are a couple photos:

All the blackberries I used turned into this leftover pulp–what a waste! I tried it, just out of curiosity. Big mistake–all it needed was cobbler on top with some vanilla ice cream! I had to stop myself after two spoonfuls.

While the ice cream flavor was pretty spot-on, the chocolate I put in left something to be desired…. Instead of melting INSTANTLY in your mouth like real Graeter’s, these chunks of chocolate were crunchy and almost flavorless…almost no melting whatsoever. At first, I thought it was the kind of chocolate I used: bittersweet vs. semi-sweet, or milk vs. dark. However, upon further research into their methods (yes, I googled for their ingredients), I realized it’s all about the melting point and temperature…! Duh, Holly, did you not just learn about this in Chemistry? Basically, because ice cream is frozen, there is no way the chocolate can ‘melt in your mouth’ very quickly, unless you change the chocolate itself. Graater’s actually adds oil to their premium chocolate to lower the melting point… Now, all I need is their ratio of chocolate to oil…

4. So there is this long piece of carpet scrap we keep near the front door to help minimize mess on the carpet from coming in and out the door. Obviously, it’s not nailed down or anything, so EVERY TIME Hadrian gets in one of his “zoomies” moods, he kicks it up into a wad under the dining room table. Heck, even just normal walking moves the thing around. THIS. MAKES. ME. INSANE. I must bend over 900 times a day to fix the thing. Yet another reason our forever home will not have carpet.

5. I ate sardines the other day for the first time! Yes, I said sardines. Honestly, they taste just like chicken. Ha! No, they don’t…but they do taste just like tuna. Kath made a video of herself making a sardine salad and I was intrigued. I bought a can of them last time we were in Ohio at Trader Joe’s and finally gave them a whirl. Not bad at all! Seriously, just like tuna. I used her basic recipe and added some relish for a little more moisture.

6. Emily and I are plowing through Made to Crave and loving every moment! We both agree that these last couple weeks have been really neat and there just seems to be so much ‘synergy’ going on with everything we’re learning. For example, the beginning of the study focused more on simple principles of emotional eating, whereas now we’re moving into self-control (which was my first major break-through) and obedience to God. The other night, I had a little bowl of ice cream (small, self-controlled and completely permissible for me), but afterward I realized I had eaten it ‘just because I wanted it.’ A perfect example of giving in and meeting a need–even with something permissible–when I should have been strong.

And another example: yesterday, Andrew and I ate a late lunch, so we didn’t want dinner before going to see The Avengers with the Layers. It was about 5:45 p.m. and I’d just gotten a 100% on my final Chem quiz and was craving a walk and some fresh air, so we decided to walk to Vincenzo’s to get some water ice with our Groupon. Anyway (I have a point here, I promise), we indulged a little in some liquid sugar (smalls!) before the movie, but passed on popcorn at the theater, which was easy since the line was long and we were already late. However, by the time the movie ended we were both a bit hungry and Andrew suggested Kone King. Now, I tell you what, I LOVE Kone King–their custard is just wonderful! But you know what my first thought was: “I’ve already had my dessert for today–I don’t need any more.” VICTORY!!! Despite it being 9 p.m., I felt I needed some ‘real food,’ so we opted for subs, where I chose a turkey on wheat. VICTORY!

7. My friend, Regina, took me to the local Yogen Fruz here at the mall. Big mistake; it’s just another thing to crave. At least it’s (pseudo) healthy, right?

8. I’ve come to the conclusion that Hadrian and I are on some sort of weird circadian rhythm… Nine times out of ten, I wake up–moments before my alarm–only to hear him start getting up (his collar jingling, a familiar whine/yawn and stretch from the living room, followed by the clacking of his nails on our wood bedroom floor), also moments before my alarm… As long as I can switch him from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. while I’m on summer break, we’ll be alright.

9. Speaking of Hadrian… I’m the worst dog-mom EVER. I went out on a study break tonight to grab a Starbucks and run a few errands, one of which being to buy dog food–he’s dangerously low. Well, I was apparently more concerned with getting to Ulta before they closed on Sunday than PetSmart… Between that preoccupation and the onset of a sudden “shopping mood” (probably more like procrastination, in this case), needless to say, I arrived to PetSmart too late. Reason #536 that we don’t have (real) children yet.

Guess I’m going in the morning… (Which really just means an excuse to get Starbucks before school, but who’s asking??)

10. Hours to final exam: 12!