Just an update

Happy New Year old friends!

I was just thinking about you all in Guadalupe County today, and I thought I’d drop you all a line and say I hope you have a terrific new year!

If you’re looking to keep in touch, don’t forget I’m still on Twitter. I’ve changed my Twitter handle to http://www.twitter.com/jessicadomel.

You can still always follow up on me on the TFB food blog http://tabletop.texasfarmbureau.org.

Have a good one ~ Jessica

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I just now realized that I never posted on here about my move!  Yikes!  My bad…. 

Well, I guess it isn’t really “news” anymore, but I guess I should tell you – for those who never got the memo. 

I accepted a job at the Texas Farm Bureau office in Waco Oct. 1. I’m their newest field editor, which I have to say, is a blast. In two weeks, I went to Harlingen, Inez (near Victoria) and then all the way up to Lubbock. It was fun!

Anyway, I tell you that so I can tell you this: I’m now blogging again, but this time as part of my new job. 

I’m one of several people who posts to this blog:

http://tabletop.texasfarmbureau.org

By the way, Kelly has some really amazing recipes on there. Check it out. 

Seguin, I miss you, but don’t worry, I’ll come back to visit. In the mean time, check out the new blog. I’ll update there from time to time.

It’s Monday again?

Everybody, meet Bill.

He’s not a morning person either. 

Happy Monday!

Don’t follow me. I walk into things.

The other day someone I’ve really come to respect and admire said, “Everyone can do a better job at something.”

It’s not profound. It’s not something you’d write on your mirror or put on a pillow for your couch. It’s just one of those common sense things that sometimes just evokes a “huh” moment.

I was having a really bad day, and I just needed someone to lean on, and he just said that no one was perfect – even at being themselves, which I’m sure is a scientific improbability or something like that, but either way…

So I’ve been thinking about it for a few days, and you know what?  He’s right. Technically, nobody is perfect at everything; therefore, everybody can do better at something. Right?

I’d like to, at this point, point out that I hated philosophy class in college. With a passion. Hated it. Now psychology I get…. but philosophy? That was at 8 a.m. and my brain just doesn’t process Socrates at 8 a.m.

Anyway, back to the point, what he said really made me think, and I’ve tried to make it a point to try to do something better each day for the past week or so.

Some days I really don’t feel like doing anything better, but I still try. I try to be a better friend, a better person, a better friend, a better coworker, a better ex-girlfriend, a better reporter, a better daughter.

It doesn’t always turn out the way I plan – believe me. I’m still trying to work out a few kinks and misunderstandings in my system (some days I don’t think anyone gets me), but I’d like to think that overall it’s been a fruitful process.

I’ve also learned some useful information and have been able to help some of the people I care about most in the process, so I think that’s a great side effect.

So here I am- also trying to be a better person, a better cook, a better aunt, a better sister and a better blogger.

So be patient with me please. After all, aren’t we all just works in progress?

An over abundance of cuteness

So the other day was my oldest niece’s fifth birthday. I still cannot believe she is already five!  By the way, that also means that I have been working at KWED for a little over five years now. Abby was born on the day I went to my very first house fire. I actually received the call about her birth while I was on my way.

Anyway, in celebration of Abby’s birthday, my brother and fabulous SIL held a cupcake themed birthday party. What could be better?  While I, the proud auntie, took dozens of photos, I thought I’d share with you this one in particular:

THAT my friends, is a GIANT five (for Abby’s fifth, duh), and get this – it is made out of cupcake liners – a TON of cupcake liners hot glued together. There were also flowers that matched this, that I swear to you, I thought were actual carnations until my SIL said that she burnt her fingers hot gluing them together.

I wish I were so crafty! (and patient!)

Oh, and check this out:

THAT my friends is a cake. No lie. It’s a real freakin’ cake complete with a pink hippo, elephants and little sugary gears. Isn’t it ADORABLE?  I have about 10 photos of the cake alone, which I now realize makes me feel kinda like a cake creeper…. anyway, isn’t it cool?

By the way, if you look behind the cake, you’ll see the faux flowers I told you about before. I swear they looked like real carnations, but no, they’re cupcake liners.

I feel like I missed the arts and crafts gene somewhere along the way…

Anyway, that beautiful cake was made by my SIL’s step-mom in San Antonio. Her cakes ALWAYS look and taste amazing. She’s a culinary artist. I love seeing the things she can do with cake, fondant and gum paste.

So anyway, I thought I’d show you guys a few pics from the party seeing as how my nickname around town seems to have become “Cupcake” somewhere along the way… Still not sure how that happened, but you know, sometimes it’s best not to question these things.

Toodles.

A leap of faith

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it before, but I’m one of those people who reads books and writes down things that make a lot of sense and things I want to remember to think about later.  I know that sounds odd, but it really helps me to settle my thoughts at night when I can’t sleep.  I actually have a cute little notebook that I keep by my bed to jot down notes and things when they pop into my head. Things like “don’t forget to call ___ about ____.” If I don’t write it down, I fall asleep and forget OR I’m up all night worrying that I will forget.  Anyway, tonight I was looking in my little notebook for a list I made a while back, and I found in big red letters, “You have to choose the life you want to live and not just fall into it.” I have no idea what book I was reading when I wrote that or where I heard it, but it makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it? I’ve been thinking a lot about choices lately – choices I’m making now and those I’ve made along the way. A lot of them, I feel, were poor decisions or were made in haste, but have ultimately led me to learn something about myself or others – mostly myself.  I think sometimes I fall victim to my own habits. I tend to do things that fit into my groove or things that I know I can do well so that I don’t have added stress or frustrations. I mean, heck, I already have enough problems sleeping at night as it is right?  But I wonder, does that keep me from achieving a certain goal because I’m just marching along the same path I’ve already marched? So I’ve decided I’m going to challenge myself. I’m going to try to jump off that cliff (figuratively, honestly, because I’m not a big fan of heights) and see where I land. We can only grow, right?  Here goes nothing friends – let’s see how this works out.

For the woman who has everything…

I have to show you this cute little thing that I bought the other day while I was out and about talking to people with my friend Kim. It’s a mini-emergency kit, which is especially important for people who can be accident-prone like me  

Check it out:

I don’t know what I was more amused with – the little bag that it all fit in or the fact that there was a little thing of hairspray in it.

Ignore my poor manicure, and check out the cute little hairspray!  

So Kim and I found these downtown at Gift and Gourmet. I was actually drawn to them because well, Kim pointed them out, and the first one I saw was for moms, so I thought about getting one for my sister-in-law. Then I checked the “contents” list and realized my well-prepared SIL already keeps full-sized versions of everything in the mom emergency kit in her SUV or in her bag. AND while I was noticing that, I saw the pretty blue bag (it looks silver in the picture but is really blue-ish), which is technically for bridal parties, but I liked the color so I bought it anyway. THAT and the one for bridal parties has face blotters, double-sided tape, AND stain remover. If anyone needs a mini stain-remover in her purse… it’s me.

Speaking of stain remover, the little kit also has antacid, breath spray, clear nail polish, pain reliever, a mini nail file, a mini sewing kit, facial tissue, nail polish remover pads, double-sided tape (could come in handy with those strapless summer dresses), mini-blotting tissues, stain remover, deodorant towelettes, bobby pins and a little packet of chap stick. 

Color me amused. 

OH, and I managed to throw this in there. It didn’t come with the kit, but I figured it fit.

My dad bought it for me a few years ago. Look at what it does:

It’s a pair of pliers AND a Phillips and flat-head screwdriver. Amused.

I feel like the most prepared person on the planet. Anyone need me to tighten anything or fix your hair?  I totally can. I’m prepared.   

Crabby pants.

Were I a child who frequently spilled things on my clothing, I’d need this bib. Eh, who am I kidding, I’m accident prone. I need that bib anyway. 

I saw it earlier today on a friend’s Facebook page, and I thought, “Yeah, that’s me.” I don’t know why, but I’m especially crabby today. It’s this freakin’ Friday the 13th mess, I tell you. That and the rain and the heat. Thank God for anti-frizz products otherwise I’d look like a brunette cotton ball. 

So I started off the day with the stark realization that it was 4 a.m., in fact, and not 6 a.m. like I thought. So I laid there and just stared at the ceiling, which made me think, “Whoever painted this ceiling yellow had to have been on crack,” and I mentally repainted it sea foam green. Or not. Either way.  

Things only got worse from there. 

I’m thinking that after I get off of work today, I’m going to hide under the covers until the calendar no longer says Friday the 13th and until everyone is collectively in a good mood. 

That seems like a grand idea, eh?

A neat little trick

Friends, I just learned something VERY cool and I felt the need to tell you all about it ASAP. 

BUT first, I must confess – I have my dad’s hands. There, I said it. By that, I mean that my hands are wide… or at least I think they are. 

ANYWAY, I tell you that so I can tell you this story:

Today, Kim (you know, from KWED) and I went to visit John at Sheek By J. Actually, we went because I bought a dress there the other day and felt like I needed a different necklace to accessorize it so it didn’t look like I was wearing a brown paper bag. True story. So anyway, we went in and John (the owner) was showing us a lot of the new jewelry he has and whatnot because he loves us, and I told him that I can’t always wear the small bangles because I have what I call farmer hands. He laughed and said, “stick out your arm.”

Me, being the person I am, I stuck out my arm. 

He stuck a plastic bag (part of it) over my hand and wrist and slid the little bangles over the bag and onto my wrist and then removed the bag. 

It was like magic! 

You should’ve seen my face. It was the equivalent to someone telling me I won $10,000. 

Isn’t that an awesome trick?  You can also take the bangles off the same way – with the plastic bag. 

I may be easily amused, but I thought that was pretty freakin’ awesome. Enjoy!

Jessica versus the toilet.

Today I made my first trek into Home Depot by myself. All by myself – In a green flowy dress. I looked like an adult Tinkerbell walking around Home Depot carrying a toilet repair kit. I just had to point that out. 

Okay, maybe in the past my dad has sent me into Home Depot alone while he was working on something at my house, but this was really and truly the first time I mustered up the want-to to go in there, get what I need and fix something foreign (to me) on my own. 

You see, this morning, as I went to flush the toilet and I heard the little plastic handle thingy crack on the inside of the tank. 

A few profane words later, I flushed the toilet manually (using the flapper thingy inside the tank), and made the mental note to buy a new flushy thingy. 

Ten minutes later I lost the mental note. 

Anyway, fast forward to this evening when I came home and realized the toilet didn’t fix itself, my dad told me he couldn’t visit to fix it, and thus began the “Jessica versus the Toilet” saga. 

Let me be clear, I don’t mind fixing things I’ve been specifically shown how to fix or that I’ve observed in the fixing process. I’m not sure the “fixing process” is its proper name, but I’m sleep deprived, so we’ll let it go.  

So, yeah, I don’t like flying by the seat of my pants when it comes to home repair; however, I figured it couldn’t be that bad. I mean, it is just a piece of plastic, right?

I’m going to be honest with you. I DID try to duct tape the broken piece back together…. with pink, zebra print duct tape. It was not successful.

After the redneck moment passed, I sucked it up and went into Home Depot. Not surprisingly, I remembered where the toilet supplies are in there. My dad and I used to spend a lot of time in Home Depot. A lot. Pretty sure I could draw you a map of the store. Anyway, long story-not-so-short, I have mastered the art of fixing the inner workings of a toilet. 

They should really teach this kind-of thing in college. It should be a course titled: “How to fix stuff you didn’t realize would break 101.” By the way, there’s a book on the shelf at the radio station that’s something about home repair for dummies. I’m thinking I need to borrow that sucker. Just a thought.

Anyway, the score – for those of you keeping tabs – is now Jessica = 2, toilet = 0.