I'm really bad about this updating thing.

So, I keep thinking that I should post an update and then always seem to find something else to do... But I am having a nice, calm lazy morning and the whim has finally hit!

Work has been absolutely crazy of late. We had inventory last month, which led to a lot of overtime and long days of literally crawling on my hands and knees counting every item in the store that was under five dollars... You know this little twenty five cent bouncy balls your kids grab and then drop all over the store? I crawled around tracking them down and then counted every single one! Now that that is over, it is tax free weekend in Missouri and I just happen to work the back to school section... it is a war zone in there!

I am currently up for a promotion at work, too. It would be a really big step up, financially and on the corporate ladder... Management seems really keen on me to get the position, but they are still required to go through the open interview process and you never know who might apply - so it is not a sure thing. I am really hopeful, though. I have been working really hard and could really use this!

On the personal side of things, not too much has changed... Been trying to get out a bit more. Went to the farmer's market with my friend Ruth the other day, planning on meeting an old co-worker for drinks after I get off of work tonight - that sort of thing. Chris and I have been having a "movie night" kind of thing on most Mondays, so that has been fun. (He and I have been pretty damn successful in this whole friends thing - a few bumps in the road, but doing well and really enjoying having such a good friend.)

So, yeah, in general things are going pretty well. Quiet, mostly work-focused, with a little bit of fun here and there... actually have been able to pay all my bills and stand on my own two feet with no help from anyone for a few months now and that is a really nice feeling.

A very over due update

Sorry about the long gap in updates - was kind of waiting for things in life to settle down so there wasn't this big section of "why me?" "I'm ok" "I feel horrible!" up and down posts every five seconds.

Well, things are settling in...

The break up was rough for a while, and still is in some ways... but Chris and I have kept up a really good friendship through the whole thing, which really helps. It is almost like we just dropped the last 4 1/2 or 5 months and picked back up at the couple of months of friendship we had before that. We still hang out, just much less frequently, and I still know I can call on him for help... Like on Monday when I tripped and dropped a full glass of wine into my laptop and he had to come take it apart and make it all better - and I haven't even had a sip yet, so I can't claim drunkenness... just pure clumsiness! I think we will be okay. There may be a few bumps along the time period of adjustment, but I genuinely think that I am lucky to have a good relationship end not only without a fight or resentment but with me getting to keep someone who I consider to be one of my best friends.

Work is going fairly well. Had my 90 day evaluation and was told that I was definitely on a path to management, if that is what I wanted. I don't really know how long that path is... they weren't very specific. I don't know if that will be in 3 months, a year, or more... But, at the very least it is nice to know that (1) they see how hard I try and how much work I put in; and, (2) that it is at least possible that this job can go somewhere.

The apartment is coming together fairly well. I am about 80% unpacked... the hold-ups being the fact that almost all my clothes are dirty and I don't have the money to get the laundry all done, so the closet is a complete wreck... and that I have no place to store all my old memory stuff (photo albums, baby stuff, etc) and all the seasonal things like Christmas decorations so they are just piled in the entry way. If you can ignore the mess of a closet and the huge pile of storage in the entry, everything else is actually pretty much put together. Once I get the storage and laundry issues dealt with, I will go through with my camera and show off my decorating skillz. :-)

I have a few anecdotes and things from the last month, but I will leave this post as just a generalized update and try to mix in those things when I get so much better at updating. ;-P

Ugh.

Moved in.

Chris and I broke up... :-(

Small details will come about both, but right now I just need to talk some things out to my friends. Chris does have the ability to read this, so... Hi there, if you are. I don't mean to air dirty laundry and I want to point out the fact that he did not do anything wrong and I have no anger about it.

The Countdown Continues...

Nine days left until I get the keys and move into my new apartment!

This has been the topic pretty much owning my mind for the last couple weeks - possibly to the annoyance of all those around me. This Saturday I will be having a garage sale at Chris' parents house in Olathe... my Grandma had a bunch of stuff she wanted to get rid of and is letting me keep the profits from that, and I am selling a few large pieces of furniture that won't fit into the new place (computer desk, armchair, etc) as well as a few small pieces of my own. Hopefully this will fill in the financial gap for the move (paying for gas, feeding any of those that help me move, etc).

Then, next Saturday, I get the keys in the late afternoon (to save me from paying an extra day of May rent) and I have Saturday, Sunday, and Monday to make the move itself happen. Almost nothing is packed because I didn't want to pack too much too soon and not be able to live my life for a month - but now I only have a couple days off before the move happens and it all seems pretty overwhelming to get it done.

(So, wasting time by typing this update is brilliant, right?)

Otherwise, work is pretty much the same - but it does look like things may trend upwards in a slow way... better than nothing! If I can just trend toward more money, that'd be great...

Ok, it is time to force myself to get some work done rather than type my every last thought down for the interwebz to see...

Moving Along...

Many things going on right now...

Fred the Fish died this morning. :-( He had seemed pale and listless for a few days, and this morning he was wrapped around his little filter. I got him loose and he was still alive, but barely... his fin was all ripped and he just kind of laid there... After a few minutes he twitched a bit and he was gone. I am very sad... poor Fred.

In other news, I did find a place to live. It is smaller than what I have now, but the quality of the community and the place itself is higher. The kitchen is much nicer but the living room is much smaller... I get the keys on the evening of Saturday the 29th and then do the move on the 30th and 31st. Nothing is packed yet, of course... sigh... I spent like 6 hours yesterday getting all my utilities, insurance, etc switched over. Crossing state lines is a pain in the ass!

I have 20+ days to pack everything, throw out all the trash I have collected, sell what things won't fit in the new place, and all other various moving necessities.... Ugh... so much work.

Okay, well... time to cuddle the kitty and be a bit sad about the loss of the fishy... and then hopefully get a little bit of moving work done before I go to work this evening.

Oh Dear...

Well, mostly, life has been going along as usual. I work 4-5 days a week, depending on the length of each shift - mostly coming to about 30 hours a week. It's not enough to live on, not really, and money is kind of hemorrhaging... but it is still better than going crazy at home with no income at all.

Chris and his friends were officially cast in this years Renaissance Festival here in KC - and they got a very nice stage, which is a really big vote of confidence in how good the show they wrote is. They will have one show running, perhaps two if they can write one in time, and they will be performing all weekend, every weekend, through the course of the festival (Sept 4th to Oct 17th). It's a really great thing. Their show is really very funny - so if you plan on being in KC this Fall, you've got to go check it out!

In other news, I got the news yesterday that my lease is up on May 31st instead of the last day of June... cutting my timeline practically in half. Plus, I have to give my current apartment notice by April 30th... just 3 days from today. So, basically, I have 3 days to find an apartment that will actually rent to someone with a part time job and terrible credit that is in the area that I need to be in so that when I give notice I don't find myself suddenly with no place to live at all. And, then, after I give that notice on Friday I will have about 4 weeks to pack everything up and arrange the move itself. It's a bit high stress at my house right now...

I hate moving... the process of packing and literally moving the items from house to house... it SUCKS. I am sure everyone agrees with me... I am just trying to focus on the fun of getting to decorate a new place once all the crappy parts are over - plus the amount of $ that can be saved in gas once I am living closer to work/friends/etc... And I am willing to take a smaller place to make my monthly rent lower, too... I might be able to cut a hundred or more dollars out of my bills - let's hope!

An update that has been long coming...

So, it has been a few weeks...

So, didn't get any of the other jobs so now I am working my 32 hours a week at WalMart. It is all evenings, so at least there are no early mornings... It should bring in *just* enough to cover all my bills, and the slow selling of everything I own that is not necessary is paying for gas money and occasional food.

Otherwise, my Birthday was a nice one. Spent the day with Chris... We wondered around, found a really ghetto fabulous mini-golf course that was half falling apart, and had a meal at a nice place that is usually one of our favorites but ending up pretty comically bad because our server was a bad one for the record books. But, it was still very fun and because the service was so bad we did end up with a free gift certificate to go back again - not enough to cover one of their big fancy meals, but enough to go in for one of their appetizer happy hour specials and get a drink and some yummy food. Chris gave me a Nintendo DS and Pokemon Platinum... The geek in me was very pleased. I have played it during pretty much every lunch break and it has made me do a happy dance.

There have been a couple rough patches in the last few weeks, but nothing I really like to air out in full view of the interwebz... Never been a fan of airing my dirty laundry for all to see. I usually talk to friends one on one while I'm dealing with it, but beyond that it strikes me as kind of disrespectful to anyone else involved in the issues to go all public. Things look like they will be okay, though, I'll say that much.... just a kind of sucky rough patch.

Otherwise... Still looking for either a different job that will give me the pay/hours I need or finding a way to get kicked up into full time where I am now.

I'm also looking for a new place to live. Right now I am living about 25-30 miles north from my job, most of my local friends, and from the man. The last two or three jobs I have had have all been in that same area down south. Plus, my current area seems to have a penchant for rapid gunfire, screaming fights/domestic abuse, and a strong need for police presence that happens to have drawn weapons. My current lease is up at the end of June, so I'll have to get moving on that pretty soon.

Well, I am sleepy as heck so I will have to keep this as a pretty simple summary. Hopefully I will get better at posting more regularly...

Job-ness and stuff...

So, right now I have a few plates spinning and I am waiting to see which will fall and which will remain....

As some of you may have noted on facebook, I was offered a job at Walmart as a part time sales associate (32 hours a week, give or take) in the Lawn & Garden department. I went in yesterday to take their mandatory drug test before they officially hire you and I am now just waiting for them to call me and set up my orientation. If I do get the full 32ish hours a week, at the rate of pay they offered (which is pretty low, but still above minimum), I will make enough to just barely pay all of my solid (rent, electric, phone, etc) bills. But I won't have any income with which to buy gas, food, or do anything other than twiddle my thumbs at home for fun.

I did interview at a coffee shop in town that needs someone during the day on the weekends, and since WalMart mostly wants me for evenings it could work out that I can mesh the two jobs together... But, that will include: (1) me getting offered the barista job, and (2) WalMart not pitching a fit when I say "I need to change my availability to not be available during the day on weekends".

If I get lucky and can mesh the two together, the WalMart paycheck would pay the hard bills while the coffee shop would feed me and my car. So, that would be ideal.

I also interviewed at a Subway... the per hour is slightly less that what WalMart will pay but I have a decent chance of actually getting full time (40) hours in a week.

Plus, I have a call-back interview with Helzberg Diamonds. They are looking for a full-time office manager... at the end of this year. Until the position would open up, they would have me "train" part time. Basically, they would have me sit and learn their office stuff and how the sales floor works for a few hours a week in order to keep me on the line until the office that they need me to manage is ready. So, this would essentially fill the "part time work" spot instead of the coffee shop until the end of the year, but would then become a full time position.

So, quite frankly, I am waiting to see what ends up being actively offered to me by each place... and then I will pick and choose and wiggle things around to see what will actually be done. This could end up turning out really well - or it can end up with me barely getting bills paid and eating the cans at the back of my pantry and begging for loose change to put gas in the car... haha. Either way, I will likely have a lot less free time that I have had in recent history.

In other news, my birthday is in just over a week!

Ugghhh

So, yeah...

Still no luck on the job search and I am starting to live in that little area between zen and sheer panic...

I spent 4 hours today applying to 20 different Walmarts, 6 different Targets, and god knows how many QuickTrip Stores... I made myself for practically every shift and practically every job that I could feasibly figure out how to do - from lowly stock girl to management.

SOMEONE HIRE ME!!!

I've, of course, applied to all the big corporations that are headquartered here in KC... Cerner, Garmin, ADT, etc... I am registered with all the reputable temp agencies... I apply to everything on Craigslist that doesn't look like a serial killer trying to wear my shoulders as a new, cute Neko-Neko hat... I am on Monster and Careerbuilder...

I have been to countless interviews and killed myself with the stiff and uncomfortable professional dress and high heels for days at a time....

I am seriously about to just post signs everywhere that says "willing to do anything safe and legal for a guaranteed $10/hour and 40 hours a week".

Did I mention that I really need a job?

A Random Wednesday Afternoon...

First off, a Happy Birthday to Jessica, a little late! Sounds like you had a really good one.

My own birthday is in about two and a half weeks... I currently have no plans what-so-ever... I asked Chris to make sure he has the night off so I can spend time with him, but otherwise there are no plans. But, I mean, my whole family is not exactly having a financial party at the moment - and neither am I, personally. Usually, I call up my Grandma/Mom and say "I'd like a nice meal at 'X'"... but this year I just don't feel like I have the right to demand a nice meal that will cost hundreds of dollars after we include everything/everyone.

Otherwise... I managed to force Chris to let me take a picture of the two of us. He says that we just haven't been doing things that people really take pictures of - and I see his point - we tend to make the cheapest food possible and watch a movie at home... but... I don't know. I'm happy, and I don't see any reason why I shouldn't document being happy - even if it isn't in a foreign country or at a special event. So, yeah... I accosted him with the camera today. I think the torture is evident on his face :-P

Other than torturing the boyfriend, things have been pretty quiet. Applying for every job that moves... Counting pennies... trying to keep from thinking too hard from thinking... at all. Hopefully, I will at least find something that will at least pay bills here soon. It's too easy to freak out, and that wouldn't help anything at all.

Sunday is my family St. Patricks Day dinner... in which we imbibe much beer and whisky and debate everything you have been taught to not speak about in polite society. My Uncle Mike will be coming in from the Army (he's more like an older brother than an Uncle)... and I have been informed that Chris is to come as well... So, everyone who knows my family... say a little prayer for him. (Actually, I think he'll stand on his own pretty damn well.)

Now, it is time to dredge the larder (that is for Andy, who doesn't even read this, but still) to find out what is for dinner.

An Update to This Morning's Post

If you didn't read the post from this morning, I'd suggest scrolling down and starting there first or none of this will make a whole ton of sense.

...Did not get the desk job. :-( The owner said it was nearly even between another girl and myself, but they went with her. He also said that he plans to have a second position open up in a week or two and he'd like my permission to call me back in regards to that. I, of course, gave it to him... but I'm not really holding my breath.

Ugh. I will likely be in a mild money panic for most of today. I am headed to Chris' for the night, but not until 8pm or so because he works until then. He'll probably slap most of the panic out of me (figuratively, of course)... but between now and then I will just try to remember that I did make $75 this morning... better than nothing.

I already sold most of my excess stuff (electronics I don't use, books, etc) but I do have my DVD collection that I might get a nice amount for (it's probably about 150-200 DVDs...). I don't want to do that, but since I do have 2TB worth of movies and TV on my various hard drives it's not like that would leave me without entertainment. I'll save it as a last-ditch sort of thing if the end of the month comes and I still can't pay rent.

Ok, well... I am starving after spending 6 hours standing in a grocery store and handing people coffee while staring longingly at the "Massive Meat Sale!!!" (is it just me, or is that a BAD name?)

Marchy March

It is my first time being awake so early in quite a while without being mad at someone/something for waking me up out of turn.

I got a new part time job at the local coffee company as a demo rep for the weekends. I can do a demo Saturday or Sunday, both or neither... just depending on my schedule and financial need. I get $50 for a 4 hour demo or $75 for a 6 hour demo. And, it actually sounds like something that I can make fun for myself if I approach it with the right attitude... I go in the the factory to pick up some beans and some equipment and take it out to local restaurants, supermarkets, fairs, etc... then I set it up and spend a few hours just brewing up coffee and talking about coffee and the best ways to roast and brew it. Not a bad way to make $50 :-) It could be worse at the very least.

I also interviewed for a 30-hour per week receptionist/dispatching/appointment setting sort of position that would be a Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm position. It went really really well and I will know between 10am and 11am my time if I got the job... To be honest, unless they met someone completely shockingly amazing (or who offered sexual favors), I will be surprised if I don't get offered this job. And, while it is relatively low pay and not technically full time, I did the math and - after taxes - the pay from this job should pay all my solid, non-negotiable bills (rent, electric, car insurance, etc.). There won't be much more than a dollar or two left over, but at least my important and un-skippable bills will be covered. And then I have the coffee job to keep my gas tank full and food on my table.

Downside? If I am short on money for any reason (unexpected bills, birthdays and holidays I need to save for, etc) I can easily end up working 7 days a week for many weeks. And that sounds exhausting...

Upside? Well, paying my bills of course! And, even when I do have to work 7 days a week it will never be more than 6 hours a day and I never have to be up before dawn... AND my evening are *always* free.

Speaking of... time to get my butt off the computer and into some clothes so I can go make some money talking about yummy coffee!

I'll update this post with whether or not I get the desk job.

Sad Times

Well, another semi-rare update from the world of Sarah.

Life isn't too bad right now, some mild dramas and anxieties... no more or less than anyone else, I'd guess.

Today is a sad day, though. A really, really fantastic woman I knew passed away this morning after a long battle with cancer... leaving behind a husband and two young children. We weren't best friends, and there are many many people feeling a deep and harsh loss today... but all I can say is that it is rare for me to meet someone in this world whom I instantly respect and like. I never saw anything but kindness, generosity, and patience from her, even when life was being so far from fair.

So, if you're the praying type... Maybe say one for Susan Norman as she goes on to whatever is next - though if there was ever anyone who had a fast-pass to heaven, it'd be her. And, maybe, say one for the family she left behind. The kids who have to feel this loss and deal with not getting to have Mom be there for all the big and little days - and the husband who has to go to bed alone tonight.

If you're not the praying type, maybe just give it a shot anyway? Who is it hurting... and what if it helps?

A tiny little update...

So, I have been ridiculously terrible about updating this for the last two or three weeks. I know your lives must be in deep and unalterable peril from that fact. Have no fear, a random life update is here!

My job has become ridiculous to an insulting and maddening degree. I have taken home, all together, less than two dollars in the last seven days. Granted, they will have to raise my paycheck to be at least minimum wage for the hours worked - but they always just end up cutting me from the floor and requesting I clock out... so the hours are pretty low, legally, even when I am actually on premises for a while after. Last night I ended up babysitting the boss' toddler son while taking care of his "VIP" guests for free... all the same work as I do for pay, but this time with a 16 month old baby pulling my hair and with no money at the end of it... WIN.

Otherwise... life is going on as normal. Chris and I are hitting our one month this week (depending on how you count it)... so that is nice. We both have today off so we are heading to my place once I get his butt out of bed (it's already 11am!) and we will placate the kitty and play with computer/tv stuff. I think I might also take a few pieces of non-sentimental jewelry up to a shop to sell. Work is definitely not paying, and even with my relatively sizable tax refund I am going to need more money soon.

It has been snowing on and off pretty much constantly all winter. We barely see bare ground anymore - and that is actually not normal for Missouri. We usually get one or two good soilid snow falls, and that is it... but it has been relatively constant since December. Fell on my ass in Chris' driveway yesterday - with tons of grace, of course.

Alrighty... time to wake the man up and see if I get my face eaten off by a grumpy monster. Wish me luck!

my nobe is duffy...

I have discovered that sinuses that are stuffed to my ears make every man who doesn't have a noticeably deep register (i.e. James Earl Jones) begin to sound like Ray Romano to me... It makes watching TV really strange.

Two nights ago I tossed and turned all night, kept feeling hot and then freezing... kicking off blankets and then huddling up... Needless to say, I was sick as a dog when I woke up. I spent the whole day yesterday pretty much prone until NyQuill took me away on a happy cloud. Luckily, I slept pretty well and feel markedly better today... though still worn out and filled with sinus joy...

Woohoo...

It's likely I will become gloriously fat in the keeping of this blog...

So, I had someone over last night and made a yummy dinner... Cod, marinated all day in lemon, butter, and herbs and then baked in the same... A nice whole wheat linguine... brussel sprouts tossed in bacon and the fat from the bacon and then roasted to a happy place in the oven...

Unfortunately the pasta was a bit under cooked (by a minute or two) and the fish was over cooked (also by a minute or two... if only I had switched out their times!)... But the sprouts were freaking delicious... Though my dinner companion did not seem to appreciate their beauty. Luckily, he brought a more than decent bottle of wine so he is forgiven.

This morning, the amazing brussel sprouts were tossed in a hot pan again to get warm, then eggs and seasonings were added... Pop that under the broiler for a few minutes with a few pieces of fresh buffalo mozzarella, and - poof! Yummy frittata!

Lesson learned here: bacon saves all meals, even those where you just couldn't get the timing right.

Nancy Pelosi looks like those aliens from AI... Anyone? Anyone?

Yes, Jessica, Alton Brown may be your food savior, too. The Good Eats church welcomes all comers. :-)

Also, I figured out how to leave comments open without having to have an account or sign in - so for those of you that didn't want an account, now you may leave a hello or burning indictment of me.

It's my magical regular Tuesday off. I slept until almost 8am - which is insanely late for me. Granted, I was up until 11pm or so, which is also insanely late for me. I have been working so many days lately that I now sleep like a grandmother - in bed by nine, up at five or six. Maybe I can convince Denny's to let me share in the early bird specials...

Todays exciting plans include getting gas in the car, doing some laundry and dishes, and picking up some cat litter before my home is designated a poop disaster area - though some FEMA funds would be really helpful right about now!

Is anybody watching this election is Massachusetts today? The, apparently, very close and heated run off for the late Senator Kennedy's seat is pretty much owning my TV. At first I was mildly annoyed by yet another seemingly endless coverage of something Kennedy related... but, to be honest, this is turning out to be a rather important seat - the winner of this seat basically defines what will happen to the health care reform that is being ramrodded through in Washington right now. I have pretty strong feelings on this, which many of you can already guess... but I haven't had my coffee yet so I will hold off on ranting until I can make sure I am completely coherent.

Plus... The wafting scent of kitty waste is telling me that it is time to run to the store... Mmmm... nothing like the smell of cat leavings in the morning.

Smells like victory.

A healthy breakfast... or cardboard and sticks...

Well, I decided to try this whole healthy (read: low calorie yet high in nutrition) breakfast thing. Part of having this blog is my desire to live a little healthier and a little happier, so I am back on SparkPeople... exercising and eating well (for all of two hours now).

But, hey... I managed to feel full after only eating 197 calories, only 2 grams of fat, 16 grams of protein, 14 grams of fiber, less than 200 grams of sodium, and 100% of my vitamin D, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, thiamin, riboflavin, and Zinc... as well as about half of my daily calcium.

Plus I did a short workout that included various forms of crunches and wall push-ups (because I can't even do the girly ones on the floor...).

Now, if only it didn't taste like eating sticks and water with a cup of coffee.

Anyone have any suggestions on filling, tasty, healthy-ish meals? Especially things I can throw together relatively quickly after first waking up or coming home from a long day.

Update

Um...yeah. My cat manages to get Kitty Tonsilitus.

Her throat hurts enough to make her puke everything back up. She is feverish and pissy.

WIN.

It's just one of those days...

Have you ever woken up in the morning from what was technically a pleasant dream (the content, plot, etc was enjoyable during the course of the dream) but have it actually make you sad or angry because it isn't for real? Like, being a little kid and dreaming of free candy and waking up in the household of a diabetic vegan? That's how my day started. I had a dream in which I got exactly what I wanted and I would have paid anything in those moments after waking to give up my waking life to just go live in that.

The mini-angst of my subconscious was short lived, though...

As I went in search of coffee I found even more piles of lovely kitty puke in the hall (Sam has been blessing the carpet a lot lately) and no kitty in sight. It took about 10 minutes to find her, lying behind the couch hot as if she had just come out of the oven. A few phone calls and a short drive later, I am now waiting in the the exam room of my vet while they piss off my sick kitty even further by taking her blood and shoving that delightful thermometer where the sun don't shine.

It's just really not my day. :-(

I'll update when I know something...

Did you know? ... and other early morning ramblings...

Did you know that if you add a pinch of salt to your coffee grounds when you make your morning coffee - it cuts any bitterness that comes from using poorer quality beans (like me and my poor folk foldgers...)? Once again, my Food Network boyfriend Alton Brown proves himself worthy of my love. This is the best cup of coffee I have been able to produce with my limited means.

Still trapped in my habit of being in bed and asleep before 10pm... which should prove interesting tomorrow when I am scheduled to work from 3pm until closing... Which means when my phone rang for about 20 seconds at 12:30 this morning (you know who you are -_-... you will get a coaster directly to the eye) I wasn't a happy camper... But it does mean that I wake up naturally before my alarm - allowing me to ramble on about absolutely nothing at 8am.

I really did have something clever to write about, honestly... I just forgot what it was. Time for more coffee!

An exploration in...Soup.

Well, for my day(s) off I decided to try to cook something fun and more complicated than my schedule will usually allow... All from scratch and using nothing that has ever been processed...

Started last night. One whole chicken, one sliced white onion, chopped carrots and celery, a couple cloves of garlic. Filled the pot (a nice, deep enamel stock pot) with water, a few dashes of salt and fresh grinds of pepper. Brought to a rolling boil and then dropped to a simmer before going to bed.

When I woke up in the morning, the chicken and veggies had almost completely disintegrated into a delicious mess...

Slowly straining the tasty tasty stock from all the dissolved chicken and veggie bits... I ended up with enough stock for this soup as well as about 8 cups worth that went up into the freezer to be used another day.

After straining off all the chicken bits, I added a bit of butter to the bottom of the pot and dropped in 3 chopped and cleaned (they get nasty dirty on the inside!) leeks... Stirred that around and let the leeks sweat and give off yummy flavor for about 10-15 minutes.

After the leeks are done sweating, I dropped in some roughly chopped baby bella mushrooms and just a few tablespoons of the home made broth to sautee all together.

While the leeks and mushrooms are cooking, I peeled a few cloves of garlic, lightly tossed them in olive oil, and then wrapped them in tin foil before putting them in the oven to roast for about 45 minutes.

This is what the leeks and mushrooms look like when they are happily sweated and sauteed...

On top of the leeks and mushrooms go cubed potatoes....

On top of the leeks, mushrooms, and potatoes goes the broth (just enough to cover)... and then it all gets brought to a boil and left to simmer for about 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes, the potatoes are starting to dissolve into the broth...

About this same time the garlic is done roasting...

The whole pot is removed from the heat and I bring out my trusty immersion blender...

After about 3 minutes of blending, a very thick and smooth form of mushroom leek mashed potatoes is formed.

Don't forget the garlic!!

Time to make this a soup instead of a strange version of a Thanksgiving side dish.

After the half and half is added, the color is lighter and the texture is much smoother and creamier.

The finished product! Garnished with cracked pepper and parsley flakes. Pretty damn yummy.

Who says that a day alone at home has to be boring or wasted? I'll be eating off of this for the rest of the week!

The point of all of this...

Well, as some of you know... I have attempted to keep blogs multiple times before. I always do pretty well for a while and then suddenly it is a year later and I haven't updated. All my other blogs have always been private - a lot of whining to the 2 or 3 friends who would listen to it.

I've been going through a lot of life changes recently, so I figured, why not try again? Be a bit more open (I can still specifically block people if they are active assholes...) and maybe writing about what I am doing will make it more likely that I will do things worth writing about.

So... Hope people enjoy it and I hope that this is soon an archive of a fun and full life. I believe I am a secret comment whore, so... validate me, people! :-D