Summer Stretch

Here we are at the beginning of summer. While most people use this time to plan vacations and trips and any chance to squeeze in a beach weekend (all of which I do...), I start getting bummed at the lack of TV shows since everything's ended!

It's not the most important thing to think about, but it's on my mind. I'd be lying if I said anything different.

But this year, my saving grace is Season 5 of Design Star. Woot!!

I heart David Bromstad. LOVE any and all HGTV shows that he's in and think he's a decorating genius. Seriously - I would LOVE love LOVE for him to decorate any room in my house. And his paintings?! Oh-Emm-GEESH! He's just sooo good at what he does. For reals.

Anywho - he's like the original Design Star. So I decided I'd actually watch this year and see who I'd like. And if nothing else, to get some inspiration for our home.

I LOVE design shtuff. You may not know it by looking at my house (take a quick look at my bank account and you'll probably see why that is), but I seriously have SOO many ideas. I love things that are different, but not strange. I love having things in my house that no one else has.

Like my orange wall. When I said I wanted an orange wall, I didn't know a SINGLE person that had one. Never saw it on HGTV or anything, I just knew I wanted it. Oddly enough, I'm starting to see it in a couple different shows, nowadays, and have heard of other people doing it, BUT as far as I'm concerned... I pioneered that puppy!

Anywho - I somehow get sewing inspiration from design shows as well. Don't ask me how, but it's kind've cool. Too bad I don't have the ability to stay home and play with stuff because I LOVE love LOVE making my own patterns and such. I've not really had the chance to completely create something from scratch.

Due to time constraints and such, I'll typically take a picture of something and do it myself, with my own little twist to it. Or I'll mimic the top portion of a little girl's dress (like I did for Lil' Abby a few posts back) and then totally switch it up with an original dress portion.

I love it!

And I've got SO many ideas swimming around in my head that I haven't had the chance to try, yet. I can't wait to be able to, someday. I have this dream of doing it for a living... but then again I have that dream for several different things. ha ha... oh well!

Basically, I say all that to say this: I kind've feel like I "get" them. The contestants on Design Star, that is. Like... with every challenge, they want to learn something themselves, but also please the judges and show how good they are at what they already. Does that make sense?

So I'm super stoked to see how they do. And who I like and kind've feel like I connect to.

Who's gonna be on the couch every Sunday night watching with me?! (...or using the DVR and catching up later in the week?!) Can't wait to hear what you think and who you like!!

Whoopsie!

So We've been kicking it into high gear, lately, in the Deep End of the Puhl household.

Not only are my friend Queen Rosh and I still putting the finishing touches on our Etsy store (to soon be open, for those of you interested... it's only taken us, what, like 2 months, now?), but McStudly and I are also kicking it with repainting the entire first floor of our home. It usually takes lighting a fire under us to get things rolling, and since his mother will be in town in a few weeks, we thought it'd be the best excuse to finally get it done!

We started priming last week, and this weekend we will be painting (hopefully!). Then it'll just be about organizing and finishing things in the spare bedroom (FINALLY!).


And don't worry - there will DEFINITELY be pictures once everything is painted... whether they're cruddy lame-excuse pictures from my phone, or I finally end up locating the missing battery charger for my camera, you will get pictures!!


So there you have it. Lots of stuff going on. And hopefully once everything gets rolling (at home, and with Etsy) you will get the full scope on all of the above. I am still reading your blogs, just don't necessarily have time to write one of my own, right about now. But I'm staying in the loop so keep those posts coming!!!



Toodles!!

Free FOOD!

Mrs. Stethoscope is doing a grub giveaway! It's like the best combination like EVER, right?! Food and free. Those words make my heart go pitter-patter.

Get your potential grub on here: http://knsfunk.blogspot.com/


Go check it out and don't forget to mention that you found the link here at the Deep End of the Puhl!

Fabulosity

I arrived home, yesterday, to a box with my name on it. Am I the only one who likes that? It's like Christmas ... only I didn't remember ordering anything.

So I ripped the box open, feeling like I was a kid again, and loe-and-behold it was a gift!! Kelly (from Kelly's Place) totally sent me my Pay It Forward gift and (as Celine Dion, would say) I LURVE it!! It's aDORable!!


Check it:

How awesome is THAT?! I LOVE it!! And even though I'm not a coffee drinker (which I believe is the typical drink of choice for cups like these), I decided it was MORE than suitable for my juice this morning. So I popped in an ice cube and poured in some juice. WHAM! Instant pick-me-up for the road!

Seriously, Kelly - I LOVE it!! Thank you so so much. It's so stinking cute that I plan to use it all the time. McStudly will probably be jealous, but oh well. It's got my "S" on it!! ha ha

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For those of you whom I owe Pay It Forward stuff to: I'm so so sorry. We've had a few bumps in the road lately with regards to finances and we're still trying to level things out. You will be getting something from me - I promise! But it may be a little bit longer, yet. Forgive me??

Happy 5 May!!

Today is Cinco de Mayo. Woohoo!! I'm not even REMOTELY hispanic, by any means, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the grub, eh?



I had asked McStudly is Baked Ziti would be alright for dinner tonight and got the half-asleep grunt equivalent of an "I don't care." but... then I realized it's CINCO DE MAYO!!! And you can't have Italian on 5 May. It's just not right.

So here's my revised idea:


Baked Steak Burritos and Turkey & Bean Tostadas. :-)


The recipes for those of you in need of inspiration for tonight's meal:


Baked Steak Burritos

Prep time: 30 min.
Cook time: 30 min.
Makes: 12 burritos; 6 servings

Ingredients:
1/2 cup - butter or margarine
1 pkg (1 oz) - taco seasoning mix
1/2 lb - beef, boneless sirloin tip steak, cut into thin bite-size strips
1 can (16 oz) - refried Beans
12 - flour tortillas (6 inch)
2 cups (8 oz) - shredded Cheddar cheese
3 (3 tbsp) - medium green onions, thinly sliced
1 can (10 oz) - enchilada sauce
1 cup (4 oz) - shredded Mexican cheese blend

To cook:
1. Heat over to 400 degrees. In 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in taco seasoning mix. Add beef strips; cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until desired doneness; drain.
2. Meanwhile, place refried beans in microwaveable dish. Microwave uncovered on high 2 minutes, stirring once or twice.
3. Spread each tortilla with refried beans to within 1/4 inch of edge. Top each with beef, cheddar cheese and onions. Roll up, folding in sides. In ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, place burritos with seam sides down. Pour enchilada sauce over burritos. Sprinkle with Mexican cheese blend.
4. Bake, uncovered, 7-12 minutes or until burritos are thoroughly heated and cheese is melted.



Turkey and Bean Tostadas

Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Makes: 5 servings (2 tostadas each)

Ingredients:
1 box (14.5 oz) - soft taco dinner kit
1 lb - lean (at least 93%) ground turkey or beef
2/3 cup - water
1 can (15 oz) - spicy chili beans in sauce, undrained
3 cups - shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup (4 oz) - shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup - fresh cilantro, chopped (if desired)
1/2 cup - sour cream (if desired)

To cook:
1. Heat over to 350 degrees. On ungreased cookie sheet, place tortillas (from dinner kit). Bake about 7 minutes, or until crisp. Place on individual plates.
2. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook turkey/beef, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink; drain. Stir in seasoning mix (from dinner kit), water and beans; heat until hot.
3. Divide turkey/beef mixture evenly among tortillas. Top with taco sauce (from dinner kit) and remaining ingredients.



Yum yum YUM!! I can't wait for dinner. Hopefully it'll even be "Might Good" worthy. A girl can dream, right?!


What are YOUR "Cinco" plans?

FREE STUFF!!

For real, people - you will DEFINITELY want to head on over to The Mrs.' blog at "Trying Our Best" and enter yourself into her giveaway.

These amazing bags could be yours:

And who doesn't want one?? Right?! So go check it out and let me know if you've entered the giveaway. Good luck!!

Oh Deirdre...

She's got to be one of the funniest people I know. And if you knew her - you'd absolutely love her. She's got a phobia of closeness and a well-founded view that she has no plans to have children... or marry, for that matter. She loves her some Ultimate Fighting and her favorite movie is The Punisher... she's unlike any other girl person I have ever known.

She's hysterical. I don't think I've ever been around her and NOT laughed at something.


So I had to post her reply to the Girlfriend's Survey I sent out today. I don't typically send these kinds of things out, but I'm SO glad that I did because she literally had me laughing out loud at work, almost to the point of spewing water out through my nose. Good times indeed.


So here it is - Deirdre's Survey Response:



2009 Girl Friend Survey

Welcome to the 2009 edition of getting to know your Friends. ' press FORWARD ' then change all the answers so they apply to you, and then send this to your friends including the person who sent it to you. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little things about your friends that you might not have known!

1. What time did you get up this morning?
5:45am, 6:05am, and finally 6:15am
2. Diamonds or pearls?
Diamonds. Most women under 40 who wear pearls are either bipolar or schizoid.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Madea Goes To Jail. I would’ve gone to jail once if I hadn’t kept myself from running over my dad in a parking lot last year.
4. What is your favorite TV show?
I don’t watch TV. It kills brain cells.
5. What do you usually have for breakfast?
Who cares?
6. What is your middle name?
Michael (Yes, I know it’s a guy’s name. Get over it.)
7. What food do you dislike?
All of it. Look what it’s done to my body.
8. What is your favorite CD at moment?
Who listens to CDs anymore??? Oh well, anything Led Zeppelin is my fav.
9. What kind of car do you drive?
What kind of stuck up question is this? What if someone doesn’t have a car? What if someone can’t afford a car??? Is this to allow people with new cars to show off and rub it in everyone else’s face??? I refuse to answer this question. It sucks. (FYI- I drive a 2009 Scion tC Coupe and I look freakin’ awesome driving it…)
10. Favorite sandwich?
Knuckle Sandwich
11. What characteristic do you despise?
I don’t even want to think about this. It’ll just make me angry.
12. Favorite item of clothing?
Shoes. Hats. Fishnet Trouser Socks. Boots. Coats.
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
Michael Ealy’s House (HELLO!!!) Of course, most of you probably don’t know who he is because you didn’t see “Barbershop”. Just google him.
14. Favorite brand of clothing?
The kind that’s on sale.
15. Where would you retire to?
I’m too freakin young to think about that.
16. What was your most memorable birthday?
My birthdays always suck. I try to 4get them.
17. Favorite sport to watch?
MMA
18. Furthest place you are sending this?
Who knows…
19. Person you expect to send it back first?
My Cuz, Gina.
20. When is your birthday?
Who cares…
21. Are you a morning person or a night person?
I rise and set with the sun. Night blows.
22. What is your shoe size?
The size that will fit in your…
23. Pets?
I got rid of all my pets. I can’t remember the names of most of my exs.
24. Any new and exciting news you 'd like to share with us?
No, not particularly.
25. What did you want to be when you were little?
A Jedi Knight
26. How are you today?
I’m great. I’m always great. Who isn’t???
27. What is your favorite candy?
Man Candy
28. What is your favorite flower?
Black Roses
29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?
The day my belly no longer hangs over my pants when I sit down.
30. What's your full name?
Deirdre Michael Truesdale
31. What are you listening to right now?
I’m listening to my freakin’ phone buzzing.
32. What was the last thing you ate?
Something totally disgusting.
33. Do you wish on stars?
Wish on a star??? And what exactly is this star supposed to do for me??? That’s the gayest thing I’ve ever heard.
34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Beautiful Buxom Brown
35. How is the weather right now?
*Sigh* How long is this thing???
36. The first person you spoke to on the phone today
A Georgetown Law Student
37. Favorite soft drink?
Soft drinks are gay.
38. Favorite restaurant?
Idk.
39. Real hair color?
Black.
40. Favorite toy as a child?
Toys were for sissies.
41. Summer or winter?
Summer. Winter blows.
42. Hugs or kisses
Anyone who has ever met me knows the answer to this.. NEITHER!!! Ugh!!!
43. Chocolate or Vanilla?
Chocolate. I’m done with Vanilla.
44. Coffee or tea?
Tea. Coffee smells like hot dirt and makes people’s breath stink. What I really need people to stop doing is drinking Starbucks and then coming to church singing praise and worship without popping a handful of Altoids. Really… your breath is rockin…
45. Do you want your friends to email you back
My friends will email me back because but only to tell me how “Out of Control” I am and to tell me that they lost about 5lbs laughing at my answers.
46. When was the last time you cried?
Cry? Me… Cry??? Crying if for lesser beings. A better question for me would be “When was the last time you made someone cry?”- The answer is “Sunday”.
47. What is under your bed?
Nothing. What kind of dirtball keeps stuff under their bed???
48. What did you do last night?
Church and Target.
49. What are you afraid of ?
People who get too close to me.
50. salty or sweet
Both
51. How many keys on your key ring?
2. How many more do you need???
52. How many years at your current job?
6+
53. Favorite day of the week?
Everyday. Life is great.
54. How many towns have you lived in?
7
55. Do you make friends easily?
Heck no.
56. How many people will you send this to? ;
I don’t know.
57. How many will respond?
I don’t care.

Feeling Lead...

It's an interesting concept. Do you ever felt impressed to do something, or go a certain direction, but you don't know why? Like... your mind knows something it won't tell you?

Well, I've been having a day week YEAR like that, I suppose. I feel like there's SO much to life that I'm missing, because I make silly excuses. But NOT anymore!! Well... maybe just a few here and there.


ANYwho - McStudly and I should be getting our tax refund within a week or two. We opted for direct deposit (why didn't I do this SOONER?!) and are eagerly awaiting our refund, to include our first time home buyers credit. This will free us of over HALF of the debt we currently have, and that means less stress (not that it keeps me up at night) and more time to dream. :-)


Debt doesn't really worry me, because we are still living within our means - just paying it off and not adding to it. We don't worry about phone calls from creditors and we have a pay-off plan. But after this refund arrives, we'll have a SINGLE blob (blog - a very technical financial term, of course) of debt on our credit. Wait - scratch that... a single blob outside of our mortgage and car payments, that is. For us - that's progress.

We're still paying off our wedding, so this will make it FINALLY almost complete. PLUS - with our pay-off plan, after you pay one debt off in full, you apply that amount to the next blob of debt, and you are paying your debt off at an exponential rate. It's amazing. So in NO time, we'll be done with this blob, too, and we'll get to start paying off our cars, AND finally fix up the house and add a little bit of "us" to it. :-)


This isn't exactly where I intended this blog to go, but oh well. It went there. So no, moving on!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Paying off all of this debt just adds a little more breathing room, and a chance to pursue a few other things that I've been putting off, so as not to add to debt, or anything like that. Hopefully, I'll get to buy a rather cheap guitar and finally start to learn how to play. I've considered getting a keyboard, but guitar is the one I REALLY want. As awesome as keyboards are, I MUCH prefer the sound of real piano, so... it's never been a big hit with me.

ANYWHO - this means adding to the whole song-writing thing. I've been working on a few other songs, but always get stuck in trying to make note of the melody and the ideas in my head for the music, since I'm not one of those people who can accurately jot down what notes I'm singing or thinking. That'll come, I'm sure, but I gotta work to get there, ya know?

So, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to work on it. And paying off all of this debt will make it that much more possible. The only thing that would make it even better? Being able to find a nice sounding guitar for UBER cheap. I check craigslist pretty regularly, and occasionally take a gander on ebay, but... nothing so far.

Anyone cleaning out their closet full of musical instruments that are in great working condition anytime soon? Yeah. I won't hold my breath on that one. But a girl can dream, right?




Right. And in the meantime, I'll just keep working with what I've got.

Cutest Kid Ever

So I finally got the pictures from the Fusion Christmas Party. You know - the one where I got slammed with countless pantry items?! Yeah... that one.

But just for the sake of cuteness, and simply because he is the coolest kid ever, I just thought I'd post this one picture, for now, and hold off on the others for a bit longer. Enjoy!

This is Kaden. Isn't he the coolest?!