Weekend Update:

Weekend Update, you know, sort of like on SNL only without Seth Myers and not really funny at all.

Here is a little of what we were up to this weekend:

• took a long walk from Argenta to the River Market over the pedestrian bridge with Tillie, grabbed some bubble tea, and stumbled upon an Earth Day celebration happening on the northside riverwalk.
• ate an entire bowl of homemade guacamole in one sitting.
• Kristin (1/4 of the Order) is in town with her kiddos from DE!
• finally found the perfect new bike for Andrew. 
• finally scored copies of the Bridget Jones movies. We've watched them every day since. Helen Fielding cracks me up.
• made the decision to cut sucrose and high fructose corn syrup out of our diet.
• enjoyed a cheese plate: 4 different types of cheeses, almonds, and crackers. I hated all 4 cheeses, btw.
• checked out the egg selection at Whole Foods -- $6/dozen for pasture fed local eggs.
• baked lemon muffins for this week's breakfast

Words of Wisdom:

 via Word of Wisdom Living

I have been reading a blog lately called "Word of Wisdom Living: eat smarter, look better, live longer" written by an incredibly intelligent man named Skip Hellewell. Every week, he writes about foods, the research he does on the foods on your grocery store shelves, and changes you can make to your diet to improve your health and your life. We've already made several of his suggested changes: only eating whole grains with more fiber than sugar, exercising, cutting out sugary drinks, etc. He did a really interesting post a few days ago about the different types of eggs and how they are different. I think it's incredibly interesting and tomorrow we are venturing out to Whole Foods to do some investigating of our own.

Tonight, I watched a video lecture that he suggested from his post "Is Sugar Toxic" called "Sugar: the Bitter Truth". I highly recommend it. It is long but so informative and helpful. America has it so wrong. And we are infecting the rest of the world with our bad food and bad eating habits. Andrew and I have made a pact after watching that lecture: only water and milk, no fructose (high fructose corn syrup) and sucrose. It's a pretty big task to take on but if we can do it, it just might be the best thing we've ever done for ourselves. So we're up to the challenge. Now I challenge you to take a look at the ingredients of your processed foods (yes, even breads) and really open your eyes to how much sugar is being put into your body without you even knowing it.

"The Taco Falls Over: The Story of Andrew Sever"

A book that would no doubt vividly depict specific hilarities of my life. I always tell Meghan that this would be the title of my biography if I ever had one. Mostly because every time we have tacos I spill one magnificently, even though we use those awesome hard taco shells with the flat bottom. There are a few things that lead to a perfect taco in my opinion. Things such as fresh ingredients, homemade guacamole, the right type of protein (meat substitute) and the ability to withstand a tiny earth quake. It is serious business when a taco falls over. If you know anything about physics and the principles of potential and kinetic energy then you know what I'm talking about. Those things are like miniature medieval trebuchets ready to launch their delicious innards as far as they'll fly. If Shakespeare taught us anything it is that that is a tragedy. (I don't know I'm tired)

Today was dreary and wet outside with no signs of it improving in the next few days. I don't mind at all however. I love the rain. I remember this song from when I was younger "I'm only happy when it rains" by Garbage (I think) and it still pops into my head when I hear someone talk about how dreadful the weather is. 

I'm nearing the end of my semester at school putting me at only two and half more years until I change my major again. Get ready, it is going to be a good one. Not true. I'll be done this year. 

I'm really a terrible blog writer (or just writer in general) but I wanted to post tonight instead of my lovely, talented wife because she always does it and sometimes I feel guilty about my laziness. Sometimes. When I'm on here I want to write little stories about fictional characters I've thought up during the week. Usually bunnies... I don't know.

I haven't done anything fantastic lately other than go to school and talk about how I should be working out. I put a lecture together yesterday for a class I have to teach regarding Streptococcus mitis. It isn't all that interesting, the pathogen that is. My lecture is a hoot.

 I'm impressed if you read all of this. It is exceptionally scatter brained. Usually when there is a post like this (mostly on a gaming forum or something, Sophia knows) you would just write, "tl:dr" which means, "Too long, didn't read" and typically followed by a smart ass comment like, "Can someone get me the cliff notes?"

I hope you learned something. I know I did.

::Nerd Alert::

If you are looking for a cheap game that will waste HOURS of your time (appealing right?) then look no further!  It is something like fifteen dollars but well worth it. I've been playing this game for several months now and I love it. It isn't technically released so it just keeps getting better and better as they get closer to finishing it. Minecraft

Bensimon:

I snagged this cute pair of Bensimon Ladies' Parisian Tennis Lacet the other day from Ideeli, yet another members-only shopping site that I frequent -- here's your invite (you're welcome). They should be arriving Saturday, around the same time as one half of my favorite set of twins comes to town. 

I've been living and breathing fashion more than usual lately. I've been constantly browsing fashion sites, doing some dream internet shopping (on my own time), and playing dress up in my closet nightly. I've got some posts planned for the next few days that may or may not include the bags I am currently loving and a nerdy little fashion planner that I created.

I never wanted this blog to be a fashion blog. There are already so many of those around, all cooler than I could ever be (see some of my faves here, here, and here). This was always supposed to be an outlet for creativity and expression -- a way to let everyone get a peek into our little hermit world. Yes, granted our (my) world has been infused with shoes, bags, and clothing as of late, but I'm working on bringing back a little more of our "real lives". And we're making plans (pretty exciting plans) for ways to put a fresh new spin on things. So get ready to check that out.

Sunday is for baking:

I hate Sundays. I can never enjoy myself because I know the weekend is coming to a close. But here are a few of the productive things that we did today:

• worked on Andrew's quilt
• played video games (okay, so not so productive)
• made jam
• bathed Tillie
• baked cranberry and black tea breakfast muffins for this week
• made homemade guacamole (amazing, btw)
• ate tacos, drank margaritas, and listened to the Beatles on the porch (again not so productive but fun. and tasty)

Also, our all time favorite band (mine anyway) is coming to LR in July and we totally scored some tickets! The last time I saw Jack's Mannequin was in Tulsa with LB. It was the most amazing show of my life. This one should be a close second though. Can't wait. And LB, if you can fly home in July, you can totally come with me! Just like old times.

Record Day:

Today was the 4th Annual Record Store Day.

We hit up one of our local music stores, Arkansas Record and CD Exchange, where we picked up some Queen and Led Zepplin albums, listened to some live music, and got some free promotional items.

From their site:

"The original idea for Record Store Day was conceived by Chris Brown, and was founded in 2007 by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Don Van Cleave and Brian Poehner as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally.

This is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances and performances. Festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet & greets with artists, parades, djs spinning records and on and on. Metallica officially kicked off Record Store Day at Rasputin Music in San Francisco on April 19, 2008 and Record Store Day is now celebrated the third Saturday every April. "


The Coachella soundtrack is amazing, btw. I wish we were there right now. There are some seriously amazing bands (Jack's Mannequin, Two Door Cinema Club, CeeLo Green) performing. But since we can't, this CD will have to do. Spin Magazine made their own compilation, Whoachella 2011. I think you can download it here.


I hope you celebrated, wherever you are. Check out their website to learn more, listen to some of your favorite bands (Regina Spektor!) declare their support for Record Store Day, and find a store near you. 

New Reads:

I've been wanting to read Bossypants by Tina Fey since it came out, mostly because she is hilarious. But also because I am in love with her. We're best friends, only she doesn't know it.

From the inside cover:

"Before Liz Lemon, before "Weekend Update", before "Sarah Palin", Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: a reoccurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV. She has seen both of these dreams come true.


At last, Tina Fey's story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live; from her passionately halfhearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon -- from the beginning of this paragraph to this final sentence.


Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've all suspected: you're no one until someone calls you bossy."




You should absolutely read this book. It is hilarious. I literally cannot stop laughing. By page 8 I was laughing so hard I was crying. This is a big deal.

P.S. Whose arms do you think those are? I say her husband's. Andrew says Alec Baldwin.

shoes and cake:

Here in limbo, we (read: I) have something of a closet crisis. Without a big enough closet, I have had to get creative with my shoe storage. Last night while going through my clothes and shoes for the week (yes, I like to plan my outfits for the week on Sunday night), I realize I had finally done it -- I'd officially run out of room. And Andrew, being the super smart and resourceful person that he is, fashioned a new shelf for me out of an old board and some books:

It's not the prettiest solution, but while we're waiting out our stay here in limbo, it will have to do.

(note: this is by no means all of my shoes, just the ones on the top shelf of the closet.)

We've also been trying to get into the habit of cooking and baking on Sunday for the entire week. We made some amazing breakfast muffins yesterday. And we also made this:

The recipe came to me from a professional chef who explained that she came across the recipe while perusing cookbooks in a bookstore. Never someone to let the pictures of dishes persuade her into buying any book, she took one look at this dish and immediately bought it. And I'm glad she did. It is painfully delicious and is the perfect compliment to my evening tea. Throw in a little online shopping (like right now, for instance) and I'm in heaven.

New Reads:

"At the end we are steeped through and through with the genius, the vehemence, the indignation of Charlotte Brontë." —Virginia Woolf

I first read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte in the 8th or 9th grade. As a kid, I had a weird fascination with books that were deemed "classics" and set out on a mission to read them all. I don't remember much about this book though. Sure, I remember the basic plot but I can't remember how I felt about it -- whether or not I liked it. 

So with this new remake coming out, I decided I should read it again before I saw the movie (I love movies based on books, especially period pieces). 

I am about halfway done now and pretty much with every chapter, I find myself wondering how it's possible I had such lukewarm feelings for this story. It's got all my favorite things: orphans, boarding schools, ghosts, mysteries, love, strong female leads, and beautiful language. I find myself falling in love with this story with every page. It's like Charlotte Bronte wrote it just for me. I'm pretty sure I would have gotten along swimmingly with the Bronte sisters, especially Charlotte. And so the only explanation I can come up with as to why it has taken me this long to realize how amazing this is, is that when I originally read it, I was young, distracted, and impatient with the lengthy writing style and volume of pages. I don't think I understood a lot of what was underneath all that language. But I'm glad I'm rereading it. It is fast becoming one of my favorite novels.

From Amazon:

"Charlotte Brontë’s most beloved novel describes the passionate love between the courageous orphan Jane Eyre and the brilliant, brooding, and domineering Rochester.  

The loneliness and cruelty of Jane’s childhood strengthens her natural independence and spirit, which prove invaluable when she takes a position as a governess at Thornfield Hall. But after she falls in love with her sardonic employer, her discovery of his terrible secret forces her to make a heart-wrenching choice. Ever since its publication in 1847, Jane Eyre has enthralled every kind of reader, from the most critical and cultivated to the youngest and most unabashedly romantic. It lives as one of the great triumphs of storytelling and as a moving and unforgettable portrayal of a woman's quest for self-respect."

Meet Tillie:

All about Tillie:

Age:
3 years old

How she came to be a Sever:
while checking out some cats available for adoption, I met Tillie, took one look at her face, and immediately knew she would be coming home with us.

Favorite haunts:
under blankets, the dog park, the chair in front of the window

Splurge food:
any table food she can get

Personal style:
understated elegance

Additional info:
loves ice cubes, chasing cats, sleeping on Andrew's pillow, and riding in the car with the windows down

Monday came too quickly:

Spent the day working on Andrew's quilt (got everything stabilized and cut down) and watching the Best of SNL 1990's and 40 One Hit Wonders of the 90's on VH1. We also made pizza with wheat crust and then proceeded to eat it all and felt incredibly full and sick. Note to self: wheat crust fills you up way faster than regular white crust.

Found this tonight. It's funny cause it's true.

via Kris Atomic

Andrew's quilt:

Woke up this morning itching to do something creative so I got started on Andrew's t shirt quilt.

This is what I started with:

This is what it looked like when I stopped for lunch:

And this is what I had about an hour later:

I've cut everything down. This is the aftermath:

On tomorrow's agenda: picking out some manly fabric and more stabilizer. This quilt is going a lot faster than my previous one.

Happy Friday!

Thank God it's Friday. I feel like I almost didn't make it.

We've spent the evening eating brinner (breakfast for dinner), watching some of our favorites shows, and dreaming of the amazing new clothes in J.Crew's new fall line. I know it's a little early to be thinking of fall, but with the announcement of a new J.Crew opening in LR this summer, I'm already saving up for the pieces I want from the collection:

Oh and Happy April Fools Day! Hope none of you got pranked too badly. We made it out unscathed.