Running Inspiration
Feb 5
Life: Bread crazy!
Feb 2
I know you’ve all been anxiously awaiting a post about packing healthy lunches for work with a few salad options. And eventually, I will! However…it’s been cold in Denver. Really cold….this morning was 17 below zero, and yesterday the high was 2 below zero. So all I can think about is soup! And what goes better with soup than fresh homemade bread?
A friend of mine in Bowling Green got a bread machine for Christmas, and she’s been posting pictures on Facebook ever since of all the delicious bread she’s been making. Cinnamon raisin bread with a cinnamon glaze, apple walnut bread, and I even saw her post about pepperoni and cheese bread! My mother in law also uses a bread machine to make pizza dough for her famous homemade pizza. And I started to think fondly back to when I was a kid smelling bread baking in the kitchen at our Orchard Park house. Basically, all signs pointed to me needing a bread machine! So this month, I used my allowance to buy a Oster bread machine. I made sure to find a coupon to Bed Bath & Beyond, and even got 20% off! Woot woo! Saved enough to get a new bread machine cookbook (which is on it’s way via UPS right now!).
I’ve only tried two loaves so far. Which is pretty good since I’ve only had the machine for 4 days! I bought a pre-mixed package of Cracked Wheat Krusteaz brand. That was my first attempt. I followed the directions for high altitude and honestly, I think that’s where I went wrong. The bread was decent and of course, smelled delicious, but it wasn’t quite right. I think the extra water called for by the high altitude instructions wasn’t necessary. The second loaf I made from scratch, a simple classic white bread. This turned out a little better! The top started to sink down as it finished baking but it tasted delicious.
There seem to be tons of options and I’m excited for my new cookbook to arrive, I’m sure I’ll have more posts once I’ve tried a couple new recipes. A few things I really believe after reading dozens of reviews and tips is that it is essential to get the measurements correct. And also essential the yeast doesn’t come into contact with water until the machine is kneading it.
Well enough chatter, here are a few pictures from my first attempts into homemade bread!
I’m a working gal again! This will most likely be my one/only main post about my new job. It’s usually a very bad idea to blog about your work, unless you’re required by work to blog….but hey, just this once I’ll fill you in on my new position, and since I have only good things to say, it should be alright! 
I feel incredibly blessed. I was job hunting and applying to different positions for just about 1.5 months since I moved to Denver with absolutely no positive feedback, understandable in current job market but still discouraging. I was starting to question when I should go to temp agencies or look into retail when I got great news! I had a phone interview, followed by an in-person interview, and finally the job offer! Amazing!
I’m working full-time at a Catholic non-profit that works to provide tuition assistance to low-income students so that they may attend the Catholic school in their neighborhood. Providing a focused, value-based education is something that I can fully support and am so excited to be working for an organization with this mission. We focus on supporting students at six of the schools in urban neighborhoods. Can you imagine how awesome it feels to help a child get a chance to really excel in school? To perhaps be the first person in their family to graduate high school and continue onto college? Some of the stories I’ve read since I’ve been working speak to these exact situations. It’s great work. I realize I’ve only been there for one week, but I’ve already feel such a connection to the work.
I’ll be ‘wearing many hats’ in my position – some administrative/database maintenance, some marketing, some event-planning, etc. There are four fundraising events per year, plus other various donor appreciation events. I had to laugh a little when I got an email requesting I take over the social media responsibilities! I suppose I know a thing or two about social media, so I’m ready to take on that challenge!
My coworkers are great. It always takes a little while to get used to new coworkers and work styles, but I feel like I’m fitting in well so far. They had a bouquet of flowers waiting for me on my desk on my first day, and fresh donuts on the second day! So great! Another thing I think is great is that we rent office space from the Archdiocese of Denver. So every day I go to work at this expansive beautiful campus, and the view out of my window is of the large bell tower and seminary chapel. We are a small organization, but get to work alongside so many other people – it’s a great environment. I’m sure there will be stressful days or bad days, but I think it will be incredibly calming to drive up to such a beautiful building and be surrounded by genuinely nice and friendly people.
Going back to work has been an adjustment though. This week felt a little sloppy in terms of getting household stuff taken care of, working out, spending time with Mike, etc. It’s nothing new to us, I worked before! But I think I’d gotten used to being at home all day, with loads of time for projects and cooking, etc. Mike has really stepped in a ton, and we’ve delegated chores so we feel it’s balanced. I think it might take another week or two, but with some time on Sundays to organize and get ready for the upcoming week each week – we’ll find ourselves in a normal groove of life in a household with two full-time working adults.
Thank you to those of you who kept up on the interview process and were keeping me in your prayers. It also feels great to feel a little more at home in Denver. We knew God had plans for us, and it’s so awesome to finally see some of those plans take shape !
This year was a whirlwind! The goal here is to sum of a few of the notable events, accomplishments, etc. Did I forget something? Whoops! Here goes nothing…(nothing is ranked, I have a hard time with that….)
Top Family News
1. Emery Solana is born! Love my sweetie niece and her precious outfits & smiles.
2. Nathan James is born! My budding football star nephew, he’s a bundle of joy and mischief.
3. Mya Lynn is born! My princess niece, her giggles are infectious – in a good way!
4. Dan & Kelli get married! Kelli – you’re far too good for us, but welcome to the family!
Honorary mention: Rach & Jer got hitched! So did Heidi & Jeff! And Sharon & Dan!
Top Travels
1. Anniversary Camping trip @ Warren Dunes: tornados.
2. Weekends at the Lake House – renovated and with new toys: jetski & kayaks!
3. Chicago to visit Amy & Graham: best friends, cinnamon rolls, the L.
4. Camping @ Hocking Hills with the Robinsons.
5. Mystery Vacation: Columbus & Cincinnati.
6. 36 hr trip to Denver, 3 day trip to Denver: Interview, Apartment hunting.
Top Events or Activities
1. MOVED TO DENVER! Mike & Joan drive the moving truck out, then a month later my mom & I drove my car out!
2. Started running. Finished Somerset Stampede 5k, and Red White & Blue 26.2 Relay Marathon.
3. Edwards reunion in Bowling Green! So crazy & fun!
4. Lived with my parents again for 1 month, commuting from Fremont to Findlay.
5. NFL Sundays at Dakota.
6. I accepted a new position in Denver. Time for my ‘fun-employment’ to stop! Bummersville, sorta.
7. Ann Arbor trips that include Grizzly Peak, Ikea & Whole Foods.
8. Blogging! ShelbyElizabeth.com launched in May, theDenverLark.com launched in December!
9. This blonde went brunette!
10. MOVED TO DENVER! Whoops, it’s important enough to be listed twice!
Top T.V Shows
1. Pysch
2. Bones
3. Top Chef: Masters
4. 30 Rock
5. Castle
Top Movies
1. Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Pt 1
2. Despicable Me
3. Date Night
4. True Grit
5. Toy Story 3
6. Twilight: Eclipse
7. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
8. The Social Network
9. How Do You Know (I haven’t even seen this but I know I’m gonna love it! Paul Rudd, come on!)
Favorite Colors 2010
Purple, Green, Orange
Favorite Drink 2010
Iced Chai Latte
Favorite Book 2010
Born to Run by Christopher McDougall
Favorite iPhone Apps 2010 (used in 2010)
Words with Friends, iReddit, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, ESPN Scorecenter and Groupon.
Cheers to you 2010. You’ve been one amazing year, and I hope for us all that 2011 surprises us by exceeding the previous year. Happy New Year to all.
Christmas Eve Menu & Events
Dec 24
Merry Christmas Eve! Well, I’ve talked about it before…the Robertson Christmas Eve tradition is a night with bazillions of appetizer type foods, followed by watching Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and attending midnight Mass. This has always been one of my favorite holiday nights with my family. Now that Michael and I are married, we’re incorporating most of this tradition in our new joint traditions. However, this year we weren’t able to travel home to spend the holiday with family. We knew a few other people here in Denver that are from the Midwest/South that aren’t going home either. So we invited our friends Sharon, Dan & Mat over tonight to join us. The plan is still tons of appetizers, a few holiday drinks, and holiday movies!
I’ve been working on the menu for a few weeks, even before I knew we would have guests over to celebrate with us. I wanted to incorporate the ‘usual suspects’ from the Robertson family menu, but I also love trying new recipes – so I’m mixing it up a little bit! I had a little too much fun making little menu cards as well, to indicate the basic ingredients and name of the dish for our party.
One of the Robertson staples is Salami rolls. I call them Sarah’s Salami Rollups, because as I recall, my sister Sarah was the one who made sure these got on the menu. It is simply cream cheese spread over slices of hard salami, then rolled up, and secured with a toothpick if necessary.
My other sister Stacey always made sure we had Mr. Terry’s Ranch Wraps. Terry (or Mr Terry…) is the Camp Director at the summer camp we all attended and worked at. He also taught me and my brother to swim, and coached most of us as well (he was the director of a community center where we grew up, and also…taught swim lessons!). Anyway – he’s a dear family friend, and he makes these amazing wraps. Mix together a packet of ranch seasoning and cream cheese, spread that over a flour tortilla. Then put corned beef on top of the cream cheese mixture, and put one row of pickles (sandwich sliced) along one end. Roll them up, wrap in plastic wrap and put in the fridge. It’s best to have them in the fridge for a few hours. Once they’re good and cold and it’s almost time to eat, take them out and slice into bite-size portions. Yum!
The other usual suspects include veggie tray & fruit tray, egg rolls, chicken bites, spanakopita, chilies & cheese dip, salsa, etc. A few of the new things I made this year include Sweet & Spicy Pecans and Eggnog Monte Cristos. I’ve linked both of those to their recipe from the Food Network. The Sweet & Spicy Pecan recipe comes from Joe & Jill Biden, that’s right….our Vice President!
And one note about the Eggnog Monte Cristos, they are best served room temperature/slightly chilled. I just tested it out – they are delicious and the cranberry sauce is essential to the flavors. At room temperature slightly chilled, the flavors of the gouda cheese and egg nog really burst.
Alright – enough chatty Cathy about our evening, I’ve got to get back to cleaning & food preparation! I hope you all have a joyful Christmas Eve and Christmas, whether celebrating with friends, family, or peacefully at home!