An Almost 39 year old GIRL!

Well it's official in less than 10 days, I will be 39. I've thought off and on that perhaps I am having a mid-life crisis, but nah, I'm pretty much the same old Julie. Not much has changed. I'm a flat plane of bubbly happiness just like i've been most of my life. Oh, don't get me wrong I have the occasional bump in the road resulting in moodiness or crankiness (typically arriving like clockwork once a month (wink,wink))

As I sit here typing on this cool spring Sunday morning... you would not think me your 'typical' 39 year old.. I am sitting on the couch ear buds firmly in place jamming to Pink... I am wearing Superman pj pants and have my hair pulled up in a high ponytail on top of my head with NO makeup (GASP!). Definitely not looking like most 39 year old women I know.

I know I don't feel 39, I feel the exact same physically as I did when I was 20's .. well perhaps there is a telltale sign or two that i'm not a young thing anymore... Occasionally my body will rebel when attempting certain tasks, my ankles are horrible condition from multiple fractures, my left knee can get achy. I have a few medical ailments that are easily remedied with medication. I have the very start of some teeny tiny fine lines under my eyes, but otherwise not many wrinkles (Thank you Jesus for making a sunscreen FREAK and giving me the sense to stay away from the sun when possible!). Gray hair seems to be my only aging vice. I started getting it in my mid 20's and have not readily wanted to admit to or live with it. So every 6 weeks my hair is in a state of color flux. I've had black, dark brown (most of the time), auburn, blond highlighted hair over the past 15 years.

I don't feel 39, I am told by all my friends (whom I am sure are just being kind) that I definitely don't look 39. However, friends have to say these kind of things so I don't let it go to my ego :P

I feel age is more of a state of mind than a state of body. So therefore; unlike 29 ... I have a feeling I'm going to sail into the ending of my 30's with celebration and a feeling of accomplishment rather than a sense of trepidation. 39 is where it's at baby! 39 is HOT! I will continue to tell myself this ,even if I am deluding myself. If you see me around please continue to feed my delusions for as long as possible , this will make me a happy camper :P

Dealing with imperfections

I'm feeling nostalgic and a tad melancholy tonight. Perhaps it's the rain. I just wanted to post some of those random esoteric thoughts I warned of in the beginning of my blog. I've been thinking of all my imperfections this evening, and how they fit in to make me who I am.

First of all I'm very impatient. It is a flaw I have. I get anxious and excited, it causes me great pain in my life because I just can't wait for what should happen on it's own normal course

Another bad thing about me is I'm relatively moody (ha... now the whole world knows). My moods can go from happy one minute to angry or broody the next. I blame it on midlife hormones, but the hubby knows better. That is just me. I am working very hard to control this.

Which leads me to another imperfection... my temper. I have a VERY bad temper. Not many people experience it because I work VERY hard these days to keep it in check. But my family, my hubby, and my close friends know... Julie is not herself when she gets ticked off. It's like I'm the Incredible Hulk or something. :P

Also i'm impulsive. I can do things without thinking about the consequences sometimes just because it seems like a good idea at the time.

I post these flaws and admit it freely to the world. Yes, I'm the typical impatient, fiery tempered , moody Aries of my astrological sign. However, there are a few good things about me that HOPEFULLY allows my family and friends to see past all this and see a different Julie.

This different Julie is a sweet person. She is compassionate and empathetic. You can often see her acting like a sap and bawling over some real or imagined hardship in the world. Yes, seeing people hurting is the fastest way to get to me. I can't stand it, I will do anything I can to prevent it (even total strangers, not just people I love).

This Julie is a bit of a wuss about many things in life, but when it comes to standing up for what I believe is right ,or for people whom I believe have been wronged.. I'm all over it. Bring it on, I'm not scared!

This other Julie cares what the people she loves thinks about her. I've never been one to say "screw it, I don't care what they think". My friends and families opinion of me is VERY important to me. If I appear flawed in their eyes it brings me great pain.

Finally the last 'reverse imperfection ' as it is, my generosity. I have been know to stretch myself thin to give to my family and friends. Whether it be my time, my physical efforts, or what little money I have, I try to give it freely and happily to those I love. It is something that makes me happy in this life, to share.

I hope those who know and (hopefully) love me can see all of these things. All of these imperfections and good characteristics all roll into one to make me who I am. I am not a bad person, but I am a flawed person as we all are.

Rustic Italian Bread

First of all, sorry for the lack of posts the past week. Between the craptastic weather this past week, a sick hubby, and a super rough week at work my creativity for blogging was at an all time low. I am going to try to be better in the future. No promises though :P

Today I want to tell you about the wonderful creation that filled my morning with joy. This wonderful creation was actually about 24 hours in the making.. It is a wonderful Rustic Italian bread I made from scratch.

I had been wanting to make some homemade bread for months now. I have a beautiful heavy duty Kitchen Aid mixer (courtesy of my hubby) and I strive to put that baby to good use. I wouldn't want him to feel he wasted his hard earned money :). So it was inevitable that bread was to be eventually tried.

Oh I've made bread before. It was usually hard, and just all around not really great. Even with a bread machine (a device that was such a pain it was quickly relegated to the bottom of the cabinet).

About two weeks ago I checked out an Italian cookbook from the library (the Montgomery county library has an AMAZING section of cookbooks and i'm working my way through them). It had a recipe for a rustic Italian bread using a preferment (a starter) or biga as it's called in Italian. I made a starter at that time with very good intentions of making the bread. Well I got busy and time got away from me, and well the starter was really bad by that time... Definitely not fit to put into anything I would eat. So I decided to wait until another time.

Well that time came this past Friday evening. I had a phone conversation with my friend, Chad. We were discussing the menu that we are preparing for an upcoming birthday party for another friend. Chad was telling me how he was going to make some of his homemade Italian bread for the party. Then I got the lightbulb idea to ask him about how he does his (I knew I wanted mine somewhat similar to his because it's super tasty). Sure enough he uses a starter too. So I knew that was the way to go. He gave me a few tips too (buy the yeast in the jar for example, dust the bread with cornmeal, and make sure the oven has plenty of humidity for a really crisp crust, and work the dough by hand (something I did take to heart except for the very first mixing in the mixer the dough was hand kneaded)).

Saturday morning, I was off to HEB. I picked up some yeast in the jar ,and some really good King Aurthur bread flour. I came home and started my biga. First of all I made it too liquidy ,and it threatened to overtake the bowl I put it in. I then researched online and discovered it needed to be much firmer. So I added some more bread flour and that helped. I let the biga ferment overnight.

Sunday morning(this morning) bright and early I got up and mixed up the actual bread. Before noon my bread had went through 2 risings and was ready for the oven. I put a dish of water in the bottom of a hot oven to create humidity and I also spritzed the bread with a spray bottle every 15 minutes of the 35 minute baking time. The results was a crunchy on the outside soft on the inside loaf of bread.It was exactly perfect. This recipe is a wheat recipe. Actually it's 2/3 regular bread flour to 1/3 wheat flour. The recipe is from Cooking Up an Italian Life Cookbook. It is Rustic Italian Bread. Email me if you want the recipe (as I really don't want this to be a recipe blog :P).

I have posted pictures of this bread. It is sooo tasty and will definitely become a staple in our house. Next time I'm trying it without the wheat flour to see what difference it makes. My recipe made 2 loaves. I immediately served some hot to my Mom, my hubby, and myself. My Mom had hers with a bit of butter, I had mine the traditional Italian way with extra virgin olive Oil and some fresh ground black pepper, and Alfred had his dry.. But we all agreed it was a success

I'm so thankful to have good resources for making such tasty treats. Good cookbooks and good friends :)

Enjoy your Sunday,

Julie

What defines a lazy Saturday?

I ask this question because occasionally (not as often as I would like) I have a free Saturday. A Saturday free of social obligations. Most Saturdays are spent taking road trips (so many interesting things to do in Texas.. and it's almost all within driving distance) or visiting friends. Usually on the non road trip days we will throw in a few errands too (the library for example.. why can't the library be open on Sunday?) . All this usually makes for a full day.

However, this Saturday I was so excited. I have a FREE day. It's going to be my only FREE Saturday this month.. Oh my, what to do? Well needless to say by the time I did all the things I've been wanting to do.. my FREE Saturday no longer seems free. SIGH!!! I'm such an over achiever at time.

Here is what my FREE Saturday consists of (after I get off the computer and quit sitting on my tush):

The obvious shower and makeup/dress ritual

Drive to Conroe(about 20 minutes away)

Go to the Outlet Mall with my Mom(she wants to shop for a few summer clothing items, since it's suddenly semi-swelting here)

Go to the Library (we do this MOST Saturdays, no big deal here)

Go grocery shopping at HEB (usually reserved for Sundays, but tomorrow is my Grandpa's birthday party)

Go to Wal-Mart

Drive Home to Huntsville

Put up all groceries/purchases

Plant the herbs I purchased last Saturday

Clean house (vaccum, organize some crap in my bedroom, clean bathrooms)

Make dinner (mmm I'm craving Philly chessesteaks)

Make a cake for my Grandpa's birthday party tomorrow. (I'm making a gorgeous dense vanilla cake that is similar to pound cake , it is sooo good you can eat without frosting , which I did the first time I was served this cake (at my mother in laws) but here's the big kicker, I'm going to get creative with my frosting....I'm topping it with a Limoncello buttercream and trimming it with spring green decor that has a touch of fresh mint in it.. mmmm

After all this, I hope to have some free time for myself to watch some Netflix movies or goof off on the computer...

So much for the FREE day :)

Have a great weekend,

Julie

Does Ft Worth Ever Cross your Mind?

So it's a chessy George Strait song from the 80's , but it fits my mood today.

Of all the places I travel on business regularly. I love Ft Worth the most.. I dont get to Austin hardly ever or that would be the best. Ft Worth is a great substitute though.

Again, I know this blog would be greatly enhanced by pictures, but I'm photographically challenged lately (ie... lazy).

I love Ft Worth for a few reasons:

1. It's a big city that feels like a small town. Despite my professed love for big cities, I have been a small town girl my whole life. I like a community I can feel at home in. Ft Worth seems to offer a lot of that. I've made a few friends in the Parole division here who go out of their way to play mother/big sister and make me feel right at home if I need anything.

2. Ft Worth has some of my favorite restaurants in this area. Despite my passion for food and innovative cuisine... My tastes in restaurants are pretty simple. None of those fancy fro fro places for this chick. Two of my favorites (that can't be beat by any other place i've sampled in the Metroplex) are a pizza restaurant and sushi restaurant.

Big Joe's Pizza and Pasta- OMG! This place is pizza heaven. And i'm one PICKY pizza person. I turn my nose up at the national pizza chains.. That stuff is not authentic pizza. ICK! This place is run by a team of Sicilian brothers who originally started business in NYC. It is safe to say it the best pizza I've eaten in my life. While I haven't been to Italy and ate pizza in it's place of origin, I bet this could rival even that pizza. What' even sadder is I'm so in love with their pizza and have rhapsodized so many times when i've dined there .. they know me on site and one of the brothers always flirts shamelessly with me. I guess he likes the fact that worship him as the god of pizza :P If you are ever in the Ft Worth suburbs they have 3 shops. The original is in Haltom City on Hwy 183 (an in my opinion the best ) and there is one on N Beach @Loop 820. The other is in Euless , but I haven't been to that one. If you like Pizza you must go there. It's so good i've never even been tempted by their pastas.

My other favorite restaurant that I wish I could pick up and transplant to Huntsville is Edohana's Sushi. This little sushi restaurant was introduced to me by a friend in Parole. I thank her every time I see her for introducing it me. It's that good. They have huge innovative sushi rolls, some of the best service around (the manager even personally called me a wrecker one night when I locked my keys in my van). If you ever go, you must try the Incredible Hulk Roll. It's creamy and soooo good. Easily the best sushi I've ever eaten. It's located on Hulen in Ft Worth about 2 miles from the I-30 side.

I am hoping that sometimes this spring I can bring my sweetie up here and we can investigate the more touristy side of Ft Worth. They supposedly have an amazing zoo and botanical garden. We shall see. In the meantime, everytime I get to travel to the Metroplex on business I'll be enjoying myself here in Ft Worth.

Long Days and a warm bubble bath

Ok I know i'm going to get flack for this post (especially from my hubby). But I am a bath lover galore. Here lately I have had many 10-12 hour work days. After work days like this, (especially during cool weather), the only thing in this world that will make me right again is a warm bubble bath, a glass of red wine (which I have juduciously given up for Lent), and a good book.


However, not just any bath accessories, red wine, and book will do.

Let's start with the bath. The water must be the right temperture. Not too hot, but warm enough to warm you through and through. After letting the taps run for a minute or so, just the right amount of bath salts and shower gel/bubble shall be added. My favorite gels/bubble baths are from Bath and Body Works, Dial (believe it or not... LOVE their Cranberry shower gel), or Avon. I have to have a THICK cuddly towel upon completion of the bath... ahhh that is heaven

Usually while lounging I will have small glass of red wine (not during Lent obviously). I prefer a nice Austrilian Shiraz, an Italian Chianti, or even a good California Zinfandel (not WHITE). However, I discovered a most wonderful Shiraz from the Texas winery Llano Estacado(Lubbock) that is soooo perfect and flavorful.

At this point I am totally relaxed and ready for the book.. This habit of reading in the bath has been a habit i've had since my teens. Of course, occasionally it results in ruined books.. but it's sooo worth it. I am very random in what I read... On any given day, I might be reading mysteries... my favorite are culinary mysteries (like Dianne Mott Davidson) crime/legal books (John Grisham) ,Amish Christian Romances (Beverly Lewis), fantasy (love some of the high elf and vampire stuff (like Laurel Hamilton), an autobiography of someone who facinates me (I have quite a collection of biographies about the British Royal Family), or a travelouge from Italy or England. See totally random.... Random but relaxing!!!!

So I'm sharing my wind down secret with the world, think me weird if you prefer.. However, know that after my wind down ritual ,I am probably one of the most relaxed happy people on the planet :)


Ciao,

Julie

My Love/Hate Relationship with Texas Springtime

This past week, I've been feeling conflicted in more ways than one. Mainly, I have been overjoyed at the aspect of Texas springtime. I LOVE this time of year. I love the wildflowers, the weather that is picture perfect (for the most part), the increase of fresh seasonal produce in the market again, and being able to start my herb garden anew for the year.

The conflict comes in because this time of year, my head starts to feel fuzzy, my nose gets runny, I constantly have a cough. It's the dreaded allergy season! It makes me feel like i'm walking around with my head under water.

I am pretty lucky with allergies compared to most people around this part of Texas. I have several friends and relatives who are allergic to everthing under the sun (literally) .. Pine Pollen is my trigger. It starts it peak around late February/early March depending on the tempatures. We have had a relatively mild and dry February so it's going to be a killer pine pollen season, I can tell already.


It has been gorgeous warm weather the past week. Yesterday, we traveled to Independence,Tx(near Brenham) to get herbs from the Rose Emporium(they have beautiful selection, much better than local retailers). All day long the wind blew up to 40mph while we were out and about. By nightfall it had reached the nearly freezing mark... Oh my poor tender vegetation. We are expecting another freeze tonight. Perhaps I missed the mark on thinking spring has arrived. If anything Texas spring is unpredictable. I love that, I hate that (thus my title post :P).


So keep me in mind, while I'm out enjoying the beautiful wildflowers and working in my patio herb garden. I'll be drugged up on Allegra D and Nasonex clutching a tissue in one hand, but enjoying the crazy ups and downs of Texas Springtime.

PS: I know these posts would be MUCH more effective with photos, but i've been lazy on that front. I will try more in the future :)


Hugs!