Project LIfe: Week 30

Another blast from the Project Life past. . . I proudly present Week 30: July 23 - 29.

In late July there was sunshine and no work. There were naps and days with nothing to do.

I miss you, July.

Made: Balsamic Beef Stew

I'm cooking again!! I made dinner for my family Sunday night and picked a recipe from last week's Ventage Girls fall foods extravaganza.

The recipe was taken from Baked Bree. Potatoes were my only addition.

The finished product was pretty fabulous - even my dad liked it! It seems silly to say, but the sauce was actually really pretty. It was super smooth and had a nice gloss to it. The balsamic vinegar had a really unique and rich flavor. It was a great addition.

Balsamic Beef Stew

Active Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: about 2 1/2 hours

2 lbs beef chuck, cut into bite-size pieces
3 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 red onion, diced
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 C red wine
2 C beef broth
5 carrots, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
6 small potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
2 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp water
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 C flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 package refrigerator biscuits

1. Place beef in a large Ziploc bag. Add flour, salt, and pepper. Shake until beef is coated with flour.
2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil. Add beef and cook until browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
3. Add the onions to the pot, adding more oil if needed. Cook for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add bay leaves, rosemary, and thyme. Add the beef back to pot. Add red wine and beef broth. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low.
4. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until beef is fork tender. Add the carrots and potatoes. Cook for another 30 minutes more.
5. In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch and water. Add to stew and bring to a bubble. Add balsamic vinegar. Cook until stew thickens slightly.
6. Bake biscuits according to package directions. Split biscuits in half, ladle stew over and garnish with chopped parsley.

Ventage Girls: In the Bag

Technically, today's prompt was to write about five things that are in my bag. You all know how much I love bags, though. I couldn't resist the opportunity to show off five bags I'm using right now.

1. If I'm wearing something that's mostly brown, I go with this Fossil purse. The bag behind it is a larger bag (also Fossil) I carry for work.
2. My current lunch bag. I've never had a real lunch bag. I always use some paper or plastic bag scrounged up from shopping. This one was found in my parent's cupboard.
3. I don't go out often, but I transfer a few things (ID, credit card, lip gloss) into this little, metallic Fossil bag if I do.
4. Sigh. Love this Orla Kiely bag. It's a few years old. It's my go-to black purse. Would love some suggestions for a new black bag.
5. I have about a million canvas totes. It's the teacher in me. I think this one is from L.L. Bean and adorned with my initials.

And, the real information related to today's prompt. . .

Five items that are always in my bag:

1. iPhone (Currently adorned with a great Kal Barteski case - I went with "Be Fierce")
2. Lipglosses (Favorite right now is Hemp Lip Protector from Body Shop - compliments of Katrina)
3. Hand lotion (Always a small tube of Aveda Hand Relief - especially in the winter)
4. Zippered Pouch (Washi tape pouch from Pleated Poppy right now)
5. Pens (Really, really prefer Sharpie Pen Grip with fine point)

For more entertainment, snark, and wisdom visit the other Ventage Girls. 

And, just for fun I will guess one item each of them will have in their purse:

Angie - at least one tube of mascara

Emily - a bottle of Dr. Pepper (or Cherry Dr. Pepper) and a Cadbury Egg

Katrina - the phone number of a Segway tour guide / karate instructor

Stephanie - a pair of ballet flats from Target (a pair and a spare)

Currents

Made with 6 x 6 photo collage template from Persnickety Prints

drinking: tea from David's including pumpkin chai

eating: am considering starting a plan in which i try to eat out at a different local restaurant every week for my entire first year in madison.

watching: thinking I should start watching Breaking Bad.

listening: taylor swift - red. especially "22," "Stay, Stay, Stay," and "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together."

reading: still reading Gone Girl and The Art of Fielding. nothing against either of them. have just been in a slump. am thinking about starting The Perks of Being a Wallflower. haven't downloaded it because all available copies have the movie poster as a cover. i hate that.

feeling: really brave.

loving: my new bed. see photo above. it's the only part of my new space that is actually somewhat put together.

thinking: about a warm-weather vacation instead of celebrating Christmas.

making: at least two of the fall foods from last week's Ventage Girls post are on the menu for this week. that's right. i'm cooking again!!

wanting: my boxes to unpack themselves. see photos above.

needing:  new winter gear - like functional boots and a jacket. i have at least a 10 minute walk to work.

currents was totally Tina Aszmus's idea.

Friday Wisdom, Vol. 3

Taken from MDseis (Tumblr).

Starting over - new city, new job, new surroundings - is scary (terrifying, actually).

And completely uncertain.

And amazingly stressful. 

But, it's also really freeing. I have no history here. I don't understand enough about my job yet to recognize the things that will limit me. People don't know my history.

The total crap can lead to something pretty awesome.

Project Life: Week 16

Hello, Week 16. I do realize you happened 27 weeks ago.

In my defense, I did make this a long time ago.

I stared at it for a long time before I finished it. April 22 was the day I moved out of my house. A big week, I guess.

Hold On & Let Go

I have written two different versions of this post. One was rambling paragraphs about how I found myself in a classroom and later as an instructional coach. One was a timeline - sort of a resume - of my key career decisions.

I'm struggling because I'm not sure what I want to say.

Today is my last day at my job.
Tomorrow I start a new role.

HOLD TIGHT:

• Educators work for students. I want and need to stay connected to the realities that face kids.
• Most educators are doing the very best they can for every child. I have been part of this work in classrooms for almost 10 years. It's tremendously difficult work - with more increasing demands being implemented each day. 
• All kids deserve and need a high quality education, and all means all. All also applies to stakeholders. Education all kids isn't something that a teacher or a school can accomplish alone.

LET GO:

• There will be no more school picture day. Oddly, I'm sad about not getting a package including an 8 x 10 and wallets of myself each year.
• There will be no more school lunch. I have a strange love for the chicken patty sandwich, mashed potatoes, peas, and chocolate milk.
• There will be no more summer vacation. There never really was summer vacation; I worked through most of it. It's still strange to think it will be no more for me.

Tomorrow is my big day. I have a fabulous outfit ready to go, and I cannot wait to try something new.

Ventage Girls: Fall Food

I'm so wrapped up in my life that I have hardly taken the time to notice my favorite time of year.

Fall.

Fall around my place means turning the oven back on. It means warm, comfortable food. It means pumpkin and roasts and desserts with cinnamon.

Here are five recipes I'm dreaming about making before fall is over.

Digital Chipboard Arrows - Adrienne Looman (Two Peas in a Bucket)

1. Balsamic Beef Stew (Compliments of Baked Bree)
I have a soft spot in my heart for beef stew

2. Chicken Paprikash (Compliments of Annie's Eats)
Would need to figure out a way to make this with chicken breast

3. Chicken Tikka Masala (Compliments of Can't Live Without. . . )
A favorite dish from a local Indian restaurant

4. Pizza with Kale, Butternut Squash, Bacon, and Smoked Mozzarella (Compliments of The Kitchn)
Would make this - with bacon on only half - to share with Katrina

5. Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Barley (Compliments of Cookies + Kate)
Totally out of my comfort zone but looks delicious

For more fall cooking inspiration visit:
Angie
Em
Katrina
Stephanie

Perspective

I'm not feeling real steady or even or certain or confident these days.

In the moments where I'm feeling the greatest happiness. . .

• After a fabulous weekend with friends
• Noticing small details about the town where I live
• Sharing a meal with friends
• Accomplishing a whole lot all by myself
• Enjoying being able to see my bestie any time I want to

. . . the happiness is replaced with some pretty sudden sadness.

This part of my life is ending.

The sadness is followed by all sorts of anger and frustration.

I cannot believe he did this to me.

Happiness turns into anger and I begin to feel like a victim.

He did this to me.

I'm trying hard to remember to turn this around. 

I'm trying really hard to teach myself to instead think,

His choice made me a better person, a stronger person.

His choice helped me realize how blessed I am. I have amazing friends who will support me and step up to do anything I need. Really. Anything.

His choice helped me remember that I can (and should) rely on my family. They are good people who love me no matter what.

His choice helped me remember that I am hilarious and a whole lot of fun to be around.

His choice helped me believe in myself enough to take advantage of an opportunity I'd turned down several times.

His choice helped me find the strength and direction I lost somewhere along the way.

Yay. He did all of that to me, too.

Friday Wisdom, Vol. 2

Picture from Kerry's Kronicles

I am all about being thankful today (and not just because my most favorite holiday is 34 days away).

I am thankful for the people who are encouraging my big leap even though it really sucks for them. I'm not sure I'd have the strength to be so selfless.

I am thankful that I've found a place where I can laugh until I cry about things that would have just made me cry 90 days ago.

I am thankful that a dear friend got something she's been waiting and working for for a very long time.

I am thankful for the people who are re-arranging their lives to make sure my things arrive safely in a new home (despite my disorganization and laziness).

I am thankful for the Interwebs. They help me waste time, find inspiration, and make friends.

Project Life: Week 37

Hello, Week 37.

We refuse to notice that you actually happened several weeks ago. You were a great week.

You had a job interview and my bestie's birthday.

You look great with paper doilies, grey letters, and some zig-zag washi tape.

Party Ideas

My entire kitchen is packed - except for one cobalt dinner plate. It was in the dishwasher and escaped my mom's very thorough packing.

There is only one chair at my kitchen table. The others have all been moved.

I haven't cooked consistently - much less actually entertained - since April.

This hasn't stopped me from pinning food and party ideas.

Here are some possibilities.

Option 1: Beer and Cheese Tasting

Photo of an ad in Crate and Barrel's catalog

This one is totally inspired by the Crate and Barrel catalog. It would be an appetizer party and would feature many different WI cheese paired with WI beers.

There would be lots of different shaped beer glasses.

I think this one would involve some sort of voting for a favorite beer and a favorite cheese.

Appetizer possibilities include:
Pretzels and Mustard
Mini Hotdogs wrapped in crescent rolls (totally elegant!)
Sweet and Salty Bacon Nuts

Option 2: Girls' Charity Lunch

I'm a huge Gilmore Girls fan. I'm fascinated by Emily Gilmore's charity events. I'd like to throw one of my own. I'd invite my favorite girl friends and ask each to bring an item to donate to a locate women's shelter.

We'd feast on a Pioneer Woman chopped salad bar, indulge in a fabulous dessert (maybe an ombre cake), and talk over coffee.

Option 3: Backyard Drive-in

Photo from here.

I'd set up a concession stand with candies and popcorn (with a variety of toppings). We'd have a double feature. There would be lots of citronella candles. Making out is optional.

The next party I actually will throw? Well, co-host to be more exact. Thanksgiving. More about that soon.

Ventage Girls: I live here.

Happy to bring you another post compliments of my girls:
Katrina
Angie
Stephanie
Em

This week's topic:
Around the House

We Ventage Girls - we keep things real.

We don't mince words. We don't pretend to be things we aren't. We laugh hard. We cry hard. We live our lives to the fullest. That applies to our fashion sense (as seen last week). That applies to all aspects of our houses - the decorating, the cleaning, the dreaming, and the organizing.

I present my house via Instagram. Filtered but unedited. Uncensored.

I pin just as many beautiful home ideas as the rest of you. I see other people's beautiful houses and carefully curated spaces in blog land. I don't lack in inspiration. I lack in ambition and execution. I'm trusting that I can't possibly be the only person with these short-comings and am coming clean here in hopes of encouraging other housekeeping underachievers to stop hanging their heads in shame.

Geotag from Kelly Purkey

1. The view from the outside. Notice the leaves. They are everywhere. They haven't been raked. They aren't going to be raked. Someone else can do that.
2. Kitchen counter. Cookbook holder filled with magazines and a grocery shopping list from several months ago. Stacked on top of cookbooks. Sitting beside my catch-all space for jewelry - it gets dumped here at the end of the day.
3. My bedroom. No dust ruffle. Nothing on the walls. Clothes on the floor. A bed that's never made. It's the part of my house that is the most neglected. I will work on that in the next place I live.
4. My awesome (custom ordered from OhDier) sign. I want this to eventually be the centerpiece of a whole wall of awesome-themed art. For now, it's balanced on top of my giant entertainment center and paired with another cut-out and a printing press "B."
5. The deer. It stares at you the moment you enter the house. Clearly, this is not something I contributed to the decorating. It was a source of pride for him. Now, it's a constant reminder of him - how different we are, how different our priorities are. I will not miss the deer.

Moving day is only 10 days away. I'm 10 days from a fresh start - a chance to dream again of decorating possibilities and creating a space that is all mine.

Hello

Hello. . . skinny jeans. More specifically - hello, colored skinny jeans. I bought red skinny jeans last Sunday. I bought (bright) yellow skinny jeans last Thursday. These are in addition to the jean-colored and black skinny jeans I already had.

Hello. . . actually finishing a book. I finished Every Day by David Levithan for book club just today. Totally intriguing!! Levithan might be my new favorite author.

Hello. . . weekend get-away to NYC with Katrina and Kelly (combined with a work trip). Really looking forward to this!

Hello. . . to goodbyes. I'm struggling with this one. I'm excited about the move. I'm excited about the job. I'm just wishing there was a way to take all my favorite people and places with me. There is one particular goodbye I can't even think about without crying.

Hello. . . personal day on Friday for pampering and packing.

Hello. . . unexpected, hilarious, and supportive emails from friends. Singing little ones and wise words are just what this girl needs.

Stole the idea for "Hello Monday" from Katrina who Stole it from Lisa Leonard.

Friday Wisdom

Pinned from here

There have been way too good-byes-for-now in my world lately. It's tough on a girl. More about that another time.

One of those good-byes was a great lunch with amazing ladies on Sunday followed by this email Monday morning.

Barb,

I am  thrilled for you and your new life.  I must say you look happier than ever. 

xoxoxo

I'm happy. Not always. There are plenty of tears and more than enough frustration.

But, I'm happy.

And, it's nice.

Project Life: Week 38

Look - I'm still working on Project Life. There is no way I would have guessed 10 months ago that my life would end up how it has. 

How could I ever have guessed my marriage would end?
I didn't realize I wanted a new job.
I wouldn't have imagined I'd be facing a move to a new city.

But, I love that I have pictures and stuff to tell the story - the sad and the happy parts. I might not have something in my album for every week, but I love every week that I do have.

I proudly present Week 38.





The left side.

There's even an insert. See it in there? I used a new page protector and converted a Studio Calico digital brush to a Cameo file and cut it on glitter paper. I rock.

The right side.

My Reality

I don't talk about my job much here. I'm breaking that rule today.

We can wear jeans to work on Friday, and we can wear jeans to work every fourth Wednesday if we wear the jeans with our Bluejay t-shirt. The t-shirt emphasizes what we believe about behavior. Bluejays R. . . respectful. . . responsible. . . resourceful. . . reputable.

Yeah. You didn't see this t-shirt on my list of fashion must-haves.

It was a fourth Wednesday today, and I really wanted to wear jeans. So, I accessorized.



Yeah. You can imagine what I was like when I was actually in middle school.

Ventage Girls: Fashion Five

We Ventage Girls (Angie, Stephanie, Em, and Katrina) have been particularly focused on fashion lately. There have been hundreds of emails in the last couple of weeks that included pictures of our outfits, whether cowboy boots are a good investment, the ultimate date outfit (white t-shirt and jeans), and the wonder that is the scarf (we don't all agree on this).

The whole thing is pretty miraculous, actually, as each of us has a distinctly different style. So, we're all blogging about fashion today.

The prompt is brought to you by Angie:
What are five of your must-have clothing essentials?

I think I replace these pieces pretty much every season.

Item 1: Unique, colorful, solid skirt
Item 2: Fabulous (again - unique) handbag
Item 3: Comfortable shoes
Item 4: Scarf
Item 5: Fun cardigan

Repeat this process four times per year, and you'll have an amazing (and Barb-esque) closet.

Fashion Five by barb-e-novak

Chinti and Parker polka dot cardigan
$500 - harveynichols.com

Boden wool skirt
bodenusa.com

Merrell leather flat shoes
nordstrom.com

Orla Kiely zipper bag
modcloth.com

Yellow scarve
etsy.com

Currents

drinking: lots of gin. gin with tonic and lime. gin with gingerale and orange. gin, gin, gin.

eating: too much take-out.

watching: fall television. parenthood. modern family. grey's anatomy (it's a train wreck). boardwalk empire (i have no idea what's going on). 

listening: neon trees - "everybody talks." tristan perryman - "the rebound" (the magic happens at trader joe's). mumford & sons - babel.

reading: every day (d. levithan). gone girl (g. flynn). bared to you (s. day) - a little embarrassed to admit that one.

feeling: freezing cold. it's been between 54 and 57 in the house the past few days. i'm determined not to turn on the heat until november.

loving: not having to share my bed.

thinking: about the possibilities that come with a fresh start. new job. new home. 

making: bits of project life every now and then. will share soon.


wanting: to fast-forward through the next two weeks.

needing: my friends. i'm blessed to have supportive, funny, loving people. 

Project Life: Week 15

Ah, Week 15 of 2012.

aka. The week I met Mr. Christian Grey. Sigh.