Today I’m thankful for living half a mile from the best farmers' market in the region. Every Sunday until noon there’s a huge farmers' market in the parking lot under the freeway at 8th and W Streets in Sacramento. It’s crazy crowded and traffic is a nightmare. But, we always walk. It’s fab!
During the summer we go almost every week to get fresh strawberries, blackberries, peaches, melons… when it gets colder we don’t go as much, but I’m planning to go the Sunday before Thanksgiving to get all the fresh herbs and vegetables I’ll need to make that meal.
Buying your fruits and veggies at the farmer’s market really saves a lot of money. On our walk home we always add up how much we spent and what it would cost at Safeway. It seems to consistently be about half because you’re not dealing with the mark-up grocery stores charge to make a profit.
But on top of the savings, it’s a really fun atmosphere that gives you a sense of community. Going there allows you to interact with your neighbors (even if it’s just a smile) and the farmers who grow your food. I just love it, and I’m really thankful that going is so easy for us because of our location.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Goal #91: Buy a nice camera
Last week I ordered a new camera and it’s here! My old one had a good run, but it was purchased in 2004/2005 and technology has advanced a lot since then. My old Kodak EasyShare produces pictures that are grainy and especially bad if you try to zoom in at all.
I decided that buying a new one before my trip of a lifetime to Europe was an absolute must! After doing a lot of research, I decided on the Canon PowerShot SD1200-IS.
Here’s a little comparison of the picture quality.
I decided that buying a new one before my trip of a lifetime to Europe was an absolute must! After doing a lot of research, I decided on the Canon PowerShot SD1200-IS.
Here’s a little comparison of the picture quality.
My engagement ring with the old camera
My engagement ring with the new camera
I just got it last night so it was hard to test out in our house (it was dark ouside). There wasn't much to take photos of. I'll have to take some real pics before I can really evaluate... this weekend's trip to Santa Cruz is the perfect test :D
See my list of 100 goals to accomplish by my 30th birthday here.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Thanksgiving menu
In two weeks, James and I are hosting our first Thanksgiving dinner at our house. I'm thrilled that my parents, brother, his girlfriend, and my future mother in law will be joining us! Here's what's on the menu for the day...
Main course:
Turkey (using this recipe and this article)
Salad:
Fresh Express BLT salad from Safeway
Side dishes:
Mashed potatoes (using this recipe plus sour cream)
Gravy (using this recipe)
Sweet potato casserole (using this recipe)
Basil bubbles (see recipe below)
Green bean casserole (using this recipe)
Sausage, apple and cranberry stuffing (using this recipe)
Cranberry sauce (from a can)
Dessert:
Mom is bringing the pies! Strawberry rhubarb, pumpkin, peach and pecan.
Drinks:
Pinot noir
Riesling
Sparkling apple cider
Hungry yet? Me too!
*Basil bubbles recipe:
This is the recipe my mom makes every Thanksgiving. The're sooo good!
Ingredients:
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 stick margarine
2 cups sour cream
*chopped garlic
*parmesan
*basil
*paprika
Instructions:
- Mix flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.
- Cut in margarine.
- Add sour cream.
- In a separate bowl, combine garlic, parmesan, basil and paprika.
- Form balls out of the dough and roll in the mixture of herbs.
- Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.
"Are you changing your name when you get married?"
Today I happened to see an article that kind of offended me. Click here to see it – it’s by a writer who seems to think she’s progressive and modern. I just think she’s judgmental and bossy.
Faith Salie makes the argument that women should not change their last names when they marry. It’s her opinion that the practice is sexist and women are giving up their identities when they give up their last name. She gives several examples of famous women who go by their maiden names as “proof” that this way is better, such as Mariah Carey and Vera Wang. Okay…
My opinion? It’s a personal choice. I’m not going to change my name because my fiance asks me to, nor will I because my father asks me to. And I’m certainly not going to do something just because a humor writer says I should. That decision is my own.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm fairly liberal with feminist views. And I am 90% sure that I’m going to change my last name when I get married next year. I’ve thought about it quite a bit. That 10% of hesitation is there because I do have a problem with the man being the one to always keep his name. But really, I dislike that just as much as a child always taking his or her father’s name. It’s the same problem, and they’re both equally sexist.
My main reason for wanting the same last name as my husband has to do with us being a family. We do want children, and I want all of us to share a name. I think that makes a lot of details easier and it’s just something I want for our future family.
To my reasoning, Salie says “Um, nuh-uh. Did your grandmother have the same last name as you? Was she still your Nana?” No, biatch. But my mother does have the same last name as me. Duh.
James doesn’t care what name I use. He recognizes that it’s completely up to me and that’s how husbands should treat the decision.
My whole point is that a person’s name is his or her own choice. I can do what I want. And you, Faith Salie, can do what you want. We all have that freedom and to judge other people on their choice is just petty and divisive.
P.S. - After I'm married please don't call me Mrs. James K. I have a first name. It's Chardonnay K. I do feel that calling someone Mrs. Husband's name does remove her identity. It says that all she is, is that little "s" after "Mr." Just personal preference.
Faith Salie makes the argument that women should not change their last names when they marry. It’s her opinion that the practice is sexist and women are giving up their identities when they give up their last name. She gives several examples of famous women who go by their maiden names as “proof” that this way is better, such as Mariah Carey and Vera Wang. Okay…
My opinion? It’s a personal choice. I’m not going to change my name because my fiance asks me to, nor will I because my father asks me to. And I’m certainly not going to do something just because a humor writer says I should. That decision is my own.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm fairly liberal with feminist views. And I am 90% sure that I’m going to change my last name when I get married next year. I’ve thought about it quite a bit. That 10% of hesitation is there because I do have a problem with the man being the one to always keep his name. But really, I dislike that just as much as a child always taking his or her father’s name. It’s the same problem, and they’re both equally sexist.
My main reason for wanting the same last name as my husband has to do with us being a family. We do want children, and I want all of us to share a name. I think that makes a lot of details easier and it’s just something I want for our future family.
To my reasoning, Salie says “Um, nuh-uh. Did your grandmother have the same last name as you? Was she still your Nana?” No, biatch. But my mother does have the same last name as me. Duh.
James doesn’t care what name I use. He recognizes that it’s completely up to me and that’s how husbands should treat the decision.
My whole point is that a person’s name is his or her own choice. I can do what I want. And you, Faith Salie, can do what you want. We all have that freedom and to judge other people on their choice is just petty and divisive.
P.S. - After I'm married please don't call me Mrs. James K. I have a first name. It's Chardonnay K. I do feel that calling someone Mrs. Husband's name does remove her identity. It says that all she is, is that little "s" after "Mr." Just personal preference.
Friday, November 6, 2009
More wedding appointments
Next weekend we're headed to Santa Cruz once again to take care of some exciting (to me) wedding-related tasks.
We're meeting with an officiant - I realized I better take care of that since that's the one thing you actually 100% need to get married! I really like her from talking on the phone. She seems cool and like we'll get along great, which I think is important. I want her to genuinely be able to say something nice about us at our wedding ceremony, and have a personal connection.
I also tried to meet with another woman who I thought I liked, but she must not want our business. After some phone tag and emails back and forth, I said "Let's meet Saturday at 9 a.m. What's a good location to meet?" No response... ever... kind of unprofessional.
James and I agreed that our ceremony will be secular (like us) and our officiant must be willing to perform same-sex ceremonies. I know to some people it seems silly since we're not a same-sex couple, but it's a very important matter of principle to both of us. We don't want to give our money or trust our ceremony to someone who does not believe in equal rights as we do. Finding an officiant who met these requirements wasn't hard at all.
And, since we're in town, we also made some cake tasting appointments (free cake!). I'm bringing these photos to give them an idea of what we want:
We'll also visit our ceremony site to scope out some details like parking (while enjoying the view). Have you seen the view? So excited that we're getting married here!
We'll also eat lunch at our reception site most likely. It should be a fun, busy Saturday!
Photo Friday: Halloween
Since last weekend was Halloween (and I didn't dress up), I'm posting pictures from Halloweens past. I don't dress up every year, but these are my favorites:
2008 - Flapper! I wish I had a better picture of the whole get-up, which included fishnet stockings, awesome flapper dress, pearls, clutch, feather boa, long gloves and headband.
This is a full-length shot, but I wasn't wearing most of the accessories.
Halloween 2008 was spent at a club with some friends from work.
I'm cutting friends out of these pictures, as I feel kind of weird about posting pictures of them where they probably don't even know about it.
2006 - Wilma Flintstone! I made my dress out of a ghost costume - I cut it into the right shape.
This was the first Halloween James and I were dating. He refused to dress up as Fred Flintstone. So lame.
I loved this costume, especially the fact that I made it all myself, including the Wilma necklace.
Halloween 2006 was a house party at the apartment of some good friends.
My idea for next year is a retro chick, kind of like this:
I'm sure I can find a totally groovy dress at a secondhand store, and some fugly accessories at the mall!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Thankful Thursday: Short commute
Living 2 miles from your office is great! I am so thankful for my short, 10 - 12 minute commute each day.
Most days I get to go home for lunch, which is great because I usually am too lazy to pack something for lunch in the morning. And I can’t go out for lunch every day; it’s just not budget or diet-friendly!
I realize that someday I won’t have this luxury, and that makes me sad. We want to buy a house in a year or two, and unfortunately probably can’t afford a home in our wonderful centrally-located neighborhood.
For now I’ll savor it and be thankful!
Most days I get to go home for lunch, which is great because I usually am too lazy to pack something for lunch in the morning. And I can’t go out for lunch every day; it’s just not budget or diet-friendly!
I realize that someday I won’t have this luxury, and that makes me sad. We want to buy a house in a year or two, and unfortunately probably can’t afford a home in our wonderful centrally-located neighborhood.
For now I’ll savor it and be thankful!
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