:::housekeeping, march '09:::

{i haven't taken the time to check this post for spelling and grammar errors, so read at your own risk...}

enough is enough. i've been such a blog slacker lately, with posts and pictures piling up and no motivation to to do anything about it. so, i'm forcing myself to write this quick-ish catch-up post to get myself back into the blogging groove.

1. spring is almost here! the bulb flowers are blooming, there are buds on the trees, and warmer weather is slowly but surely trying to stage a comeback. hallelujah!



one week later (yes, it's taken me over a week to write this post):

we have blossoms! it's spring! time to head over to the tidal basin.

2. every week we get a flower arrangement for the reception desk. our florist is not that motivated to so his best for our order. we usually get half dead flowers and fillers that have already gone to seed. i guess he is the brother of an attorney that used to work at the firm, so they don't want to just fire him, but seriously...anyhow, sometimes if the flowers miraculously last until friday afternoon i'll take some of them home with me.

this week i snagged these green spider mums, one orange tea rose, and this lovely bunch of orchids and lisianthus.



3. last saturday my activity for the day was going up to columbia heights to return some things at lane bryant, and to stop by target. i was trying to find shoe polish (which i never found) when i noticed that the foot care products were displayed right near the frozen food. does anyone else find this a little gross? do you really want to be thinking about athlete's foot while you're trying to pick a frozen pizza?


i stopped at five guys for lunch. very naughty, but so good. as i was leaving, i ran into one of the workers from lane bryant. now if that isn't poetic...

i would chose five guys over in-n-out every. single. day. and that's coming from a southern californian grew up singing, 'in-n-out, in-n-out. that's what a hamburger's aaaaall about.' five guys burgers taste exactly like a backyard burger -- fresh, grilled, with soft doughy buns and all wrapped up in foil (was my dad the only one who wrapped hamburger patties in foil as soon as they came off the grill?). it's the burger of your childhood. it's perfect. it's life changing. and their fries...heaven help me.

one of my purchases at target was this green bag that i'd been thinking about for a few weeks. when my other purse fell apart, i decided i actually needed a new bag, and was happy to bring this one home.


5. i spent the night at elizaben's on saturday so that i could take them to the airport for their 5 a.m. flight to honduras. after church (i only made it to the last hour-and-a-half after sleeping in), i came back to their apartment to make my 3rd attempt at baking a decent loaf of michelle's sheepherder's bread. my last two attempts were failures, but i was sure that this time i would finally triumph.

this bread takes a lot of time to make, so i brought my miss marple dvds to watch on their hd tv by way of their hd dvd player (is that what you call it?).

the quality put my little portable dvd player to shame! wow, just, wow. i felt like i was there solving the mystery right along side with miss marple.

i also found other ways of entertaining myself, like playing with this embossing tool that my sister bought. fun times.

as time wore on, however, i started getting antsy about getting home before dark. to home to the district from their house i have to ride a bus and ride two metro lines, and it makes me a nervous wreck. i am not a champion bus rider. i hate it, hate it, hate it, every time i have to do it.


i made a list of the times the bus would be stopping in their neighborhood and watched the clock tick on, and on, and on...

i think i might have taken this photo during the second of three one-hour risings. serenity now...i must be doing something wrong. i think my pot is too big.


when the sun finally set, i had a full-blown panic attack, threw the loaf in the oven , yanked it out 20 minutes lates, let it cool while i packed my stuff up, then wrapped that 40lb brick of dough in foil and tossed it in a shopping bag. as soon as i got outside i started running like a mad woman to the bus stop. i had my puffy, ankle length white coat on, a lap top strapped across my chest, my purse in one hand, and the dough bomb in trash bags in the other. i looked like the stay puft man on a neurotic rampage.

here's the ill-fated loaf with it's on set on the bus. i don't know if sheepherder's bread has ever ridden public transportation before, so there you go.


here's what that stinking bread looked like when i finally made it home around 11 p.m. i've decided that i'm not attempting this bread until i live in my own apartment again and can devote 48 carefree hours to the process.

6. i've been meaning to have a good, long date with my iron since i moved. i love my iron, and i love having the space to have my own board. i think i love ironing so much because it offers instant gratification -- you start with something wrinkled and unsuitable for wearing, and you end up with something crisp and dazzling. mmm, ironing...


i bought this iron when i was still at byu, and it's been the only thing i've insisted on carrying with me through all of my moves. it was $100, which was a lot for a college student, but it was so worth it.

7. i went to old ebbit express for lunch on wednesday and had their chicken taco salad. it was delicious, as every $9.90(!) salad should be.

(let me guess, this picture is cut off)

ah, caught up. as i said, i've been working on this post on and off for a full week! hopefully i've got my mojo back now and can be a more faithful blogger.

it's spring!

sorry, i just had to say that one more time.