this little light of mine: ge giveaway!

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and GE.

If you've been following this blog experience o' mine for an extended period of time you might remember when I posted about reupholstering this $10 chair from Salvation Army. With the help of my mom I recovered it and loved it but after a few years, I'm kind of over the pattern. Next up: re-re-upholstering this chair! I'm thinking of going with a light, neutral color but then I think I'm crazy because I have a little boy who likes to climb on furniture with buttered-toast hands. Sigh. I just love "upcycling" old furniture. It feels really good (and cheap).

I wouldn't say that I'm obsessed with being "green". I will say that I try because I care about our environment but I also really care about being frugal. To me that means that I try to use reuseable bags at the grocery store (when I remember to grab them out of my car before I run inside the store), only run the ceiling fan when I'm sleeping (did you know it does no good if you're not in the room?), rarely run our air conditioning (a real luxury in San Diego) or heater, and turn off the lights when I'm not in the room. I also give myself a really hard time when I leave the curling iron on all day. I hate that. When we moved into our current place David and I switched all our lights to energy saving LED bulbs. I'm not sure how many years they're supposed to last but I can safely say that they will outlive us in their experience here.

I rarely do giveaways on my blog (this is my second one) but if you comment about what your energy use problem-os at home are, you'll get a chance to win a $50 GE energy smart LED light blub that lives 20 years (Did you hear me? Twenty years! That's almost my entire lifetime!) and saves you $85 in energy costs. The giveaway ends February 28, 2011.

Rules:
- No duplicate comments.
- You may receive two total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post.
b) tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post.
c) blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post.
d) for those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
- This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 or older.
- Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail (so leave your e-mail).
- You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
- The official rules are available here.
- Here's the round-up!

Also, this GE ecomagination Challenge is really cool. Basically, the folks at GE are trying to figure out how to bring big, new ideas to the area of clean energy saving. Got big ideas? You can submit them to the GE ecomagination Challenge. I think that's awesome. I mean, I'm trying to make small changes in our home but whenever I hear about ways that other people save energy in their houses, I'm all ears. So speak up!

Ready? Go!

moving on

dearest loyal friends,

I'm like the annoying kid down the street who tries to slither away and say, "I'm leaving now . . . I'm really going . . . you're going to miss me . . . I'm leaving . . ." but this time it's for real. I know I've taunted you with fake-outs of not blogging anymore, but I'm changing my tune.

this adachef/bryant milestones/bryant memoirs has been good to me. I started this blog in June 2005 as a internship journal to document of my life starting in boston during my culinary internship. I've posted through several different relationships, college experiences, moving, traveling, my engagement and the first year or so of my wonderful marriage, but the time has come to move on from my "adachef" days. I've started a new blog, "lizzy writes" (www.elizabethbryant.blogspot.com) and would love for you to join me there.

a project

(the living room - FYI: a flat screen LCD will be next to the yellow vase)

So, dudes, allow me to impose upon you my interior design experience as of late. I REALLY dislike sitting in front of a computer all day, and since my job normally consists of that said activity, I jumped at the opportunity when my boss nominated me to furnish our corporate apartment because "Elizabeth is the only one around here who could do a good job at this". Yee ha!

(the master bedroom - I really love this duvet from IKEA)

The next week and a half was spent at 3 different trips to IKEA, 1 trip to Wal-Mart (hate it), 1 trip to Costco, 1 trip to Best Buy, almost 7 hours of overtime and $2,700 of reimbursement on my credit card. I had to recruit David to come to the apartment until midnight so he could help me assemble furniture (dang IKEA! sweet husband!) and then spent several hours alone in the apartment while I fretted about the mysterious footsteps on the 2nd floor - convinced that there was a "bad guy" lurking in one of the bedrooms. I stress myself out. Anywho, it was surprisingly hard to furnish an entire 2 bedroom apartment on a $2,000 - $3,000 budget from furniture to lamps to rugs to mops and cleaning supplies. However, I think it turned out pretty cute and not to "girly". All in all, it was a much more enjoyable work week and very fun for me to decorate on someone else's tab.(the guest bedroom - very cheery, don't you think?)

mmm...donuts

All I can think about this morning is donuts. doughnuts. doh-nutz. I cannot get them out of my head! Cinnamon sugar coated. Perfectly glazed. Bavarian cream filled. Chocolate dipped. Twisted. Powdered sugar sprinkled. DONUTS!Why do donuts sound so delicious? Could it be because Krispy Kreme has finally opened its doors again to the maddening crowd of Arizona? (You bet.) Maybe it's because Marta posted this delightful picture of donuts from Daylight Donuts and I want to pluck one of those babies right out of that virtual box? (Right, again!) But I'm putting my money on the fact that it's because I'm suffering through major sugar withdrawals from my "no-sugar ventures". Don't get me wrong, I did have a Oreo milkshake on Saturday night and enjoyed it throughly. I also had a smallish slice of Grasshopper ice cream cake last night after Sunday dinner. It was also very delicious. However, during the week, I've been pretty good. No "weekday dessert" for me and I've been diligent about working out and cutting out fat. The results are finally starting to show. Yee ha! I can't wait to show up at the beach with my rockin' new Shade suit, killer sunglasses (can't afford 'em, but love 'em), a very cute beach bag and a tan/toned bod. I will conquer!

But seriously, don't donut(s) sound soooooooooooo good?

marta's tag

Marta is amazing and if she can be tagged then so can I.

What I was doing 10 years ago:
1998 huh? You are asking the world's worst memory to conjure up stories from 10 years ago? Psh. I blocked out those years, yo! You really should ask my friend, Julie, what I was doing 10 years ago. I guarantee she knows better than I do. But, here’s what I do remember:

I was just finishing up 8th grade. I transferred schools that year and it was my first experience in a "public school" with other kids that I didn't know. It was my first experience with "real junior high", the salad bar, staggered lunch breaks and a big school. Luckily, most of my church and neighborhood friends went to this school so I wasn't alone. I remember sitting outside during lunch and shamelessly flirting with boys. I met my soon-to-be best friend, Sarah, at that lunch table. She was new too, but sadly, didn't have back-up friends like I did. One of my friends (pretty sure it was Kemra) took her under her wing and invited her to eat with us. Since that day, we were best friends all through high school and most of college. Her friendship was an important part of my life.

On hot days, I would sit inside in the cafeteria and practice my penmanship so that I could write like Angie. I would sit at one of the white, veneer cafeteria tables, open my notebook, pull out a scrapbooking pen and doodle for the entire lunch period. Mostly, I would write my first name joined with the last name of my daily crush (and I'm not exaggerating when I say "daily". Just ask Julie.)

Speaking of daily crushes, I also remember sitting on the rail outside of the school waiting for my ride home. Most of the neighborhood kids waited in that same spot, but most importantly, so did Kevin. I remember going back and forth with my crushes on him. I was really into shaking hands at that point (nerd) and I would go up to him and shake his hand and he was nice about it. He made me laugh and he teased me. It was fun and I wrote my name a lot with his.

Mostly, I remember the feelings I had. I remember dropping a maxi pad in the crowded school hallway on my way to the bathroom and feeling like everyone stopped to stare at me as I picked it up. I remember being commissioned to draw "life stories" of my friends with their recent crushes and feeling pleased by the compliments on my creativity. I remember trying not to laugh when I caught Mr. Boyd, in the back of the classroom, casually put his hands behind his head while he secretly sniffed his armpits. I remember worrying about what boys thought of my hair and wondered why I didn't trade in my glasses for contacts years ago. I remember circling future marriage prospects in my yearbook and giving Tricia "the scoop" at the drinking fountain on whether or not Chase liked her. At the time, I thought I would have liked to skip over the next few years and into my adulthood. But, just like everyone does at some point in their lives, I crave the easiness of childhood and realize that those embarrassing, creative, curious, fun experiences taught me how to be who I am now.

5 things on my to-do list today:

1. renew library books
2. work out
3. pick David up from work (we carpool these days - we're soooo green!)
4. make salmon tacos for dinner
5. watch the season finale of LOST

5 things on my lifelong to-do list:

1. birth several babies
2. wear a size 4 or 6 again and keep it that way (except when growing said above babies)
3. climb Kilimanjaro
4. run a marathon
5. make David so insatiably happy, he'll be confused

Sweets I enjoy:

chocolate chip cookies and/or dough
reisin
melted dark chocolate
red vines (only in movie theatres)
fancy french pastries
fruit snacks
frozen hot chocolate from DQ

Last three books I read:

1. The Memory Keeper's Daughter (meh)
2. Austenland (hee)
3. These Is My Words (ohh)

Last three movies I saw:

1. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (eee)
2. The Family Man (aah)
3. and we watch a little Gilmore Girls DVD every night (sigh)

Places I've lived before:

Mesa, AZ

Provo, UT

Rexburg, ID

Boston, MA

Now tag amongst yourselves . . .

Since we moved, we have not yet set up our computer. It's really a pain in the neck because all my pictures on there and I have no idea how to use my mom's new Mac computer(s).

Sidenote: David and I recently counted how many computers are currently in use at my parent's house: a total of 7 if you count David's work laptop. Radiation anyone?

Anyway, I have to tell you about some things going on. First, Mother's Day was really sweet. We were going to be out of the house by Sunday, so David gave me my present early so I could enjoy it in our house. He picked me up the most beautiful bouquet of flowers, a delish bar of Godiva dark chocolate and 3 children's books (Flotsam, The Higher Power of Lucky and Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!)

Sidenote: I need to buy The Penderwicks. I am in love with these books and rightly so. They are charming, innocent and down-right lovely. Anything with this delightful of a cover must be good.

I love that David was thoughtful enough to get me a gift for Mother's Day even though I'm not a mother. More than that, I love that he was thoughtful enough to think of getting me a gift that I will use as a mother in the future. He's pretty darn great.

Moving has been quite the process. We were scrambling to get out of the house only to find out that we still haven't sold that darn sofa and we can't afford to move our piano! Drat! Now we are in the middle of figuring out the details but the transition to my parent's house has been great for one solid reason: my parents are awesome.

Our other exciting news is David's upcoming company party. Can I even tell you how excited I am? Is it OK that I'm this excited for a company party? Well, here's why I'm excited.

A) The company is not my company - since David recently switched jobs so we no longer have the same parties to attend.

B) The event is "out of town" (READ: Carefree, Arizona) and they are putting us up for the night at the Carefree Resort and Villas. Do I care how nice it is (or isn't)? No. Do I care that it is only like 40 miles from our house? No. Do I care that it is excessively decorated in the Southwest style? No. In fact, I'm kind of happy that I get to stay at a resort in Arizona. I've never been on the tourist side of things here in the Phoenix valley. Plus, I've never been to the North side of the valley so it should be fun.

C) I get to "gussy" myself up for the formal dinner and awards banquet that night. I'm going to look so hot - just you wait.

Here's the big problem: There's a BIG FAT nothing to do in Arizona in the summer. Maybe we'll get lucky and be blessed with some more of this awesome weather we've been having. I doubt it. Does anyone know of anything remotely fun to do in Carefree or Cave Creek?

Oh, and since I have no recent pictures to share - here's one of my favorite (less well-known) engagement photos. I thought I'd throw this in for good measure. I love California.

home sweet home

OK, I know I've been MIA this last week but working overtime and moving is not a very productive combo for blogging. Many of you have asked where we moved - well, brace yourselves . . . 5 miles away into my parent's house. It's going to be a huge adjustment for all of us but it will be a great blessing in the long run. David graduates in less than a year now and we plan on buying a home (somewhere outside of AZ - READ: San Diego) once he's done. As much as we would love to buy a house right now in this craptastic market that we live in, it would not put us in a good situation to sell once he graduated since we're both determined to live outside of this very hot state. (FYI: It's nearly impossible to sell a house in AZ right now). Moving in with my parents was not ideal, but it will be so helpful to save money and also really fun for us since we love my parents.

In any case, our garage sale was a success except for a stupid lady that said she wanted to buy the sofa and then after we held it for her all day, she decided that she didn't want it anymore. In the mean time, 7 people offered to buy it. We're very mad. So, if anyone's looking for a very comfortable, 1 1/2 year old, slipcovered, inexpensive sofa let me know. We're selling it for $250 and it has to go this week.

I have so much to blog about! I didn't even get to brag about the gifts David got me for Mother's Day, the new "interior design" project I got to do for work or all the moving fiascos. I need to document all this stuff. For now, I'm mostly reminiscing about the home that we've loved for the last year and a half.
When David and I were engaged, we looked around the Phoenix Valley for a place to move into when we got married. Several apartment complexes later, we were both discouraged by the ridiculous price for such crummy places. No yard, noisy neighbors, small spaces, very little parking and absolutely no painting are just a few reasons to not live in an apartment if you have a chance. After a small miracle, David's uncle graciously gave us a killer deal on his 2 bedroom, 2 bath home in the right location as a favor to us. We were thrilled. David spent the week before our wedding painting the whole house the perfect colors that I had picked out. We lovingly changed toilet seats, planted flowers, pulled weeds, trimmed bushes and all kinds of other little projects. It's sad to move from the place where we began our marriage but we look forward to creating more memories with children in the next place.

TOP TEN THINGS I'LL MISS ABOUT THE HOUSE
10. The wood shutters that David and his dad put on every window in the house.
9. My white, painted headboard in the bedroom. 8. The orange trees next door at the church that smelled divinely of blossoms and the smell of irrigation from the ditch.
7. Living walking distance to Superstition Ranch Market.
6. How quiet it was (Senior Community surrounded us).
5. The vines that grew around our bedroom window and surrounded the entire front of the house. 4. The water pressure of the master bathroom shower (just right).
3. Our duck (she has 7 eggs now!)
2. The faded olive green exterior paint contrasted by the front door that I painted dark blue. 1. Having a place to come home to that was our own. A place to relax and talk and love with no distractions. Goodbye Little House. We love you!

Friends! Countrymen! I'm having a GARAGE/MOVING sale tomorrow morning starting at 6:30 a.m. (I know - kill me) and we seriously need to sell our stuff. Many of you know that David and I are moving from our awesome abode and we no longer have use for our furniture. We are selling our sofa, dresser (that I love so much), chair, tons of clothing, lots of paintings and artwork . . . needless to say, a good time for all. Spread the word and please come!

Saturday, May 17th 2008
6:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.(ish)
4957 East Broadway
Mesa, AZ 85206

“The time has come,” the Walrus said,

“To talk of many things --

such as . . . my new Etsy shop: Bushel & Bloom! I'm so excited about this, you guys! I've been wanting a change for a while (since my other name was SUPER lame) so here she be! I've already put up two of my weekly menus for sale. Each menu comes in a set of 25 with a really cute thumb tack for easy kitchen posting and a few of my favorite recipes. Get cooking!

I also have a few things at home that I'm working on - some new paintings (including a Bohemian clock) and lots of other goodies. I'll post about them when I'm done. Oooo, I'm so excited!

weekly menu

Hey everybody! This week's is going to be a little nuts. I hope I can keep up with my diet and exercise routine (I've been doing pretty good). My brother and his wife are coming into town from Seattle resulting in a 3 day party for my family (see Friday, Saturday and Sunday meals as a reference). I'll also be traveling a little bit for work this week so we'll see how that goes. In any case, here's this week's menu (and a new menu template - still having problems with enlarging it. Help?):

Monday: Salmon Fillet with Mango Salsa over Steamed Rice

Tuesday: Grilled Chicken, Apple and Gruyere Cheese Panini on Sourdough (that about sums it up - nothing special, no recipe)

Wednesday: Whole Wheat Fusilli with Vegetable Tomato Sauce

Thursday: Something quick - I'll probably be home late because of a day trip to Washington. One of my favorite quick meals is 2 small corn tortillas with some sharp cheese melted on it and 2 steamed eggs on top along with some fresh, roasted green chilies. Yum!

Friday: (Family Party) Cheese Platter with Crusty Bread and Fresh Fruit (I wish we had a Beecher's in Phoenix so that I could buy some of that divine Gorgonzola or Roquefort. Maybe some Brie or some of their Flagship. I so wish you could try their Blue-Vein cheeses. I might be able to get Stephen and Leone to bring some . . . I love cheese.)

Saturday: (Family Party) - Don't know what I'm supposed to bring to a BBQ. Maybe I'll pamper myself and not bring anything.

Sunday: (Sunday Dinner) - Mexican Food?

What are you guys making this week?

Am I the only one not obsessed with Planet Orange?

I feel so left out.

menu template

After a couple of kind requests, here's the weekly menu I made and use (I switch it up every few weeks). I hope you can all open it. I don't know why it didn't let you before.

making menus

One thing I'm really good about doing is making dinner every night. I'm not one to order pizza or throw some boxed macaroni & cheese together. I enjoy cooking but I realize that many of my friends and family don't and/or feel like their skills are lacking. In an effort to be accountable to my "lizzy gets fit" goals, I've decided to share some tips of mine for cooking dinner.

Every week, I make a menu. I made up a pretty little menu and decorated a small bulletin board to post in my kitchen so that I'll be motivated to look at it (scribbed on a sticky-note and thrown on the fridge doesn't seem to work for me). I look online for recipes (often from Martha Stewart) and make the list on Monday mornings. Then after work, I go to the store to get the items I need for the week. Here's this week's menu: Monday
Stir-Fry with Broccoli, Snap Peas, Carrots, Mushrooms, Red Bell Pepper and Chicken over Brown Basmati Rice - Takes 30 minutes (I don't have a recipe for this. I just throw in whatever veggies I have with some sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce, crushed red pepper, kosher salt and maybe some broth if needed).

Tuesday
Steaks with Balsmic-Dijon Sauce, Steamed Green Beans and Roasted Rosemary Potatoes - Takes 30 minutes)

Wednesday
Portobello and Zucchini Tacos with Pico de Gallo (this is a favorite recipe of ours) - Takes 20 minutes

Thursday
(I'll be home late tonight so it had to be easy) Zucchini and Tomato Frittata (except, I'm subsituting the Zucchini for Yellow Squash and adding some fresh basil leaves, Gruyere cheese and maybe some chives on top for good measure) - Takes 30 minutes

Friday
Salmon over Spinach Beet Salad with Turkey Bacon and Shallot Dressing (I may omit the turkey bacon) - Takes 20 minutes

Saturday
Date Night (with a gift card!)

Sunday
Dinner at Mom's - Make rolls!

Another tip - if possible, walk to the grocery store or market to get your weekly items. The walk there and carrying those groceries home will give you your exercise for the day.

just another reason . . .

The last few weeks, we've had some visitors. Our very own Mr. and Mrs. Mallard. We love seeing the papa's green head poke out of the canal that runs next to our driveway and we always carefully back-up our cars to be safe.

This afternoon, David was watering our front yard when I heard, "Come out here!" I rushed out and there were 3 large, carefully tucked eggs in the bush below our bedroom window. I can't imagine that they are anything but duck eggs. Do you think they're duck eggs or some other creature? Aren't they sweet? I hope they hatch something soon.

Here's David's portion of my little couple's quiz tag.
Segment 2: David
Relationship Status: Married and loving it. My wife's the bomb.

Celebrity Crush: Michelle Pfeiffer (especially on the last scene of One Fine Day. She is one hot mama!) and I have a man-crush on Sam Seaborn from The West Wing.

Favorite Band: The Shins. My wife forced all her music upon me and so now I really like them. I also really love the soundtrack to Spirit and Meatloaf has a special place in my heart. "My Best Friend Kenny" - that's all I have to say.

Favorite Movie: Band of Brothers or Last of the Mohicans

What kind of pet do you own? We have lots of crickets

Where do you live? Somewhere other than San Diego and therefore, lame.

Where do you work? For some construction company.

What do you look like? Not as thin as I once was.

What do you drive? A Pick-Up truck and always will until the day I die.

What is your favorite TV show? Scrubs

How would you describe yourself? Intelligent, handsome, clever, kind, charming, edible and downright sexy.

What is your name? I Am David.

Favorite Candy? Starbursts and Jelly Bellys

I loved Carli’s idea of a quiz for both husband and wife. It was interesting knowing a little bit about the both of them and noticing how similar they are in their humor and laid-back personalities but how varied their interests are. Besides, this blog is rather a “journal” for me and I know I love reading stuff about my parents when they were young so hopefully my kids will get the same joy. David and I are about as alike as an Arizona summer and an Idaho winter, but we sure do love each other. Let’s start with me . . .

Segment 1: Me
Relationship status: Married and guilty of "falling of the face of the earth" after doing so. Can you blame me? My husband is a sexy babe!

Celebrity Crush: Cate Blanchett (have you seen her?)

and Mark Ruffalo (have you seen him in Eternal Sunshine or 13 Going On 30? <-- Let’s pretend I haven’t.) Favorite Band: Matt Pond PA (because everything about every song is almost flawless) and David Gray (because he was my soundtrack in Ireland as I walked around Powerscourt).

Favorite Movie: Shadowlands (I can’t even talk about it), Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain(makes me so happy I could die), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (makes me think about love and relationships and I live for those two things). What kind of pet do you own? I so wish we had a redbone coonhound puppy. Someday we will have one and I will name it Frankie – boy or girl. Where do you live? Arizona, bleh.I'd rather be living here though. OH, how I’d rather be living there.

Where do you work? I'd rather not talk about the work I do. It's very secretive and also boring.

What do you look like? A human girl. Mostly like this:

What do you drive? I drive this:

but I wish I drove this:

What is your favorite TV show? LOST (can’t watch this alone), The Office (can’t watch this without peeing a little) and Gilmore Girls (I died a little inside when they told me it was over)
How would you describe yourself?
I'm a prisoner of love.

What is your name? Work: Elizabeth, Most Family: Liz, My Mother: Elizabeth, Brothers, Christian, Stephen and Marcus: Lizzy, Mitch: Lizzy or E, David: “Girl”, “Liz” or “Wife”. Mostly “Girl” though.

Favorite candy? I love me some Riesen and 5th Avenue. I also quite love fruit Mentos (a trait I acquired from my husband) and Red Vines.