Fabulous February

This past week has brought many challenges. I won't go into detail, but my job has been overwhelming, one of my best friends is probably moving away, and other challenges have presented themselves. However, enough complaining.

February is going to be fabulous. Even though all I want it to be is summertime, there is still a lot to look forward this month:

- Oscar nominations. This Tuesday brings my favorite month of preparation for my Oscar party (this year co-hosted by Karen) and a lot of movie watching to get ready for the big night!

- Valentine's Day. For the first time in my whole life, I have the most amazing valentine ever to celebrate it with... so I'm going to celebrate Valentine's all month!

- Anna's 1st birthday. The birthday party is going to be adorable and a wonderful day with family and friends.

- The 25th. This date will mark 4 amazing months with an amazing man :)

- Tax return. Hopefully this month will bring my tax return with my housing incentive... yay!

- Young Frankenstein. On February 20th, the family (along with Hugh) and I are heading to the Music Hall to see this musical I am so excited about!

- The Super Bowl. Yes, I'm actually excited about this because Hugh's taking me to a gathering where I get to meet one of his best friends... now who's playing again? :)

Is there something I'm missing?

What are you looking forward to in February???

Monday mornings ruin my Sunday relaxation

I don't know about you, but Sunday is usually not a relaxing, peaceful day for me. I know it's supposed to be the day of rest where time is spent with family and friends. Sunday is also supposed to be a day to get renewed for the week to come.

Since I have started my job, I have fallen into this pattern on the weekends:

Friday night: Euphoric. I'm so excited it's the weekend so that I can relax and recharge from my busy week with my twelve-year-olds. I usually do something with the girls or my sister.

Saturday: Get errands done, laundry, and maybe go to lunch with my mom or a friend.

Saturday night: Either hang out with friends or in the past three months or so, it's mine and Hugh's date night.

Sunday: I usually spend this day getting ready for Monday. I will finish up laundry, grade, plan lessons, etc. I hate anticipating Mondays. I will sit around all day and just worry about the upcoming week. This doesn't accomplish anything. However, I don't hate my job at all. I'm so lucky to have the job that I do. But having my job has been such an adjustment in my life that weekends feel like my normal life and the work week still feels weird. Sometimes my mom has Sunday dinner or we have a family dinner for someone's birthday.

However, I want to change the way I feel on Sundays. I don't like it! Andrea and I were talking about it yesterday when she was over for coffee. She feels the same way! This is what I want my Sundays to be like from now on (please take note family and friends):

* I want to start having Sunday lunch or brunch with you, yes YOU!

* When the weather gets nicer, I want to go on Sunday walks.

* I want to go to Sunday movies.

* I want to have girl brunches more often like we used to!

* I want to start making Sunday dinners every once in awhile.

* I want a special boy to stop by sometimes after he leaves his parent's house on Sunday evenings :)

*I want to keep up my grading resolution so I don't have to bring near as much work home with me on the weekends.

* I want to go Sunday shopping with a shopping buddy.

I'm starting off the new Sunday today, and I'm having Taryn over for Sunday dinner (beef stroganoff). Then we are going to see The Blind Side.

How do you spend your Sundays?

How do you get rid of the Monday morning dread?

My cozy nook

Sometimes it takes a special person like Taryn Wright to make you get over a stupid little quirk like a haunted basement. I found out on Friday night that my basement wasn't haunted at all. All it needed was a little T(aryn)LC.

After Taryn and I spent some time upstairs on Friday evening, I was getting ready to put some chocolate chip cookies in the oven. While I was doing so, my partner-in-crime since I've been eight, was making the basement ready for the first movie showing: Romeo & Juliet. This included lighting candles, turning on the mood lighting, and bringing down blankets and pillows.

Even though I was skeptical as the movie began, I was pleasantly surprised. My basement is like a little nook where I can escape from the responsibilities of the rest of my house like cleaning up. I can just enjoy watching a movie with the special people in my life.

After Taryn saying, "I remember liking this movie more when I was younger even though Leo is hot," we stopped the movie about halfway through. Then we lounged on the couches for the next couple hours and chatted, laughed, and cried like the best of friends do after 15 years of knowing each other.

That's when a room starts to feel like a home; when you start having experiences in it that will turn into precious memories. My basement is now part of my home :)

My neglected basement

So I can't figure it out- not for the life of me. My dad built me this gorgeous house that could not be more perfect. I picked the color palate- from the walls all the way down to the carpet. Every square foot of my house is my dream come true, especially the basement.

Framed movie posters of Casablanca, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Revolutionary Road, and my favorite film Almost Famous line the walls. There is built in shelving displaying all of my most-prized possessions.... my DVDs. In the center of the shelving is my new 42-inch Samsung plasma. I also recently added an X360 with games like Karaoke Revolution and Scene It. Sounds like the perfect movie going/gaming experience, right?

However, I have never watched a movie down there once. I have never played my X360 down there except for a few minutes on New Year's Eve. I've lived at my house since Labor Day. Rockband 2 and Beatles Rockband that I so desperately wanted for Christmas have never even been opened. The only person that has made use of this room is my brother-in-law, Dan. He comes over and watches football sometimes.

What is it about my basement that makes me not want to be down there? I am racking my brain and cannot figure it out. The only thing I can think of is the couches. They aren't the most comfortable, and I want to buy a good sectional from Nebraska Furniture Mart with my tax return. However, the couches aren't THAT uncomfortable.

What do you think? What is my deal?

My guilty pleasure

I can say without hesitation that my favorite guilty pleasure of the moment is "Keeping Up with the Kardashians." There are a few key reasons why it helps me unwind and be captivated...

1. Khloe... She reminds me more of Taryn than anyone else I've ever been around/seen on TV. I think it's the way she doesn't take any crap from anyone and sticks up for those she cares about with a 'tude. Also, the way Khloe is with Kourtney is like Taryn and I are I feel like... :)

2. The big Kardashian family dinners. Somehow there is always a meal prepared for the whole family to eat at the house. The whole clan is there ready to eat and ready for drama. I feel like that is the kind of house I would love to hang out at but be able to escape from!

3. Obsession with clothes, shoes, power, and everything girlie. I feel like the Kardashians do whatever they need to do to be classy, powerful women. Smooch, Dash, Khloe After Dark, and the whole empire of Kim; they are all doing pretty well!

4. Kendall and Kylie... As Taryn puts it, these girls are going to be trouble. In a few years, they will be gracing US Weekly after years of looking up to to the way their sisters act.

5. Kourtney somehow being in love with Scott will continue to baffle me until I die.

6. The fact that Kris keeps Bruce's ATM card and controls all of the finances. He is the Olympic Gold Medal Winner!

7. Bruce = Scarecrow.

8. I feel like I am part Kourtney, Khloe, and Kim :)

10. That when I watched the first episode, I was like, "Who are these people?" And now I'm like, "I can't stop laughing at you, and I want to be your friend!"

Buy seasons 1 & 2 on DVD on amazon.com for a great price (like I just did) and watch season 3 on E! Sundays @ 9:00 :)

The perfect cake...

... is impossible! I've come to find this out over the holiday season. I can bake cookies and cupcakes along with the best of them, but two-layer cakes are another story.

The first was for the Christmas dinner I made for Hugh. It was from the Joy of Cooking cookbook. A simple "Devil's Food Cake" and "Quick Chocolate Butter Icing." This one was a crater cake that Hugh still ate graciously and with many compliments. However, it was disheartening because I spent a long time on it and then it sunk!

The second was this afternoon. How can you go wrong with a Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake mix and chocolate icing in the container? This one couldn't be as bad, I thought as I put the cake pans into the oven. How hard is it to add water, eggs, and vegetable oil correctly? However, I wanted to overcome my last two-layer cake experience and decided to make another two-layer cake instead of a sheet one. Now I'm dealing with a sloped cake situation again! Can I not bake a cake correctly or what?!

I tried to take the focus off that and decorated the top! My decorating is corny, I know! I know it's hard to tell, but the upper right side is sloped...I'm going to try until I get it perfect!

The first of many, hopefully...

I've went through the stages of my life having a Xanga and starting journal after journal, so let's see if I can make this one stick.

Tonight as I'm waiting for Shannon and Dan to get home from "White Christmas," I realize how much effort it takes to be a good parent. Case and point: babysitting Anna tonight. She's almost 11 months old, so she's all over the place. I love that she's so active and loves to play, but after an hour, I was already tired! She also doesn't miss anything. I took out my phone to quickly text Hugh, and she was all over my iPhone... Hugh got some baby texts tonight, ha. However, the point of the story is that when I do have babies, it's going to be life changing, that's for sure. I like to take naps when I want and honestly be selfish a lot of the time- having babies will change all that! Good thing that's down the road! Anna's good for now :)

Also, I want to type out my resolutions for 2010 so I feel more responsible for them:

Kirby's Resolutions for 2010:

1. Learn to budget better (ex. not have parties as much or have people help out more!)

2. Be more laid back in general

3. Grade papers for 30 minutes/4-5 days a week (I've been a procrastinator so far!)

4. Be more organized/Better time management

5. Eat a cleaner diet

6. Work out 3 times a week

I hope to have these in full swing by the end of the month... I'll focus on a new one every couple of days.... wish me luck!