This is the Title of an Uncreative Violinist.:)

Rather than delete this blog altogether, I've decided that it's probably better to make it private.  I know this will diminish who reads it considerably, but I also don't want to have to stop writing.  Making it private seems to be more logical.  I'll gladly include anyone who wants to continue reading, but I also would prefer to know who is reading, as well. I will probably make the change sometime this weekend. I understand this might prove to be a little annoying; I used to get really irritated whenever a blogger I followed would suddenly change their settings to "private" without any warning, and I no longer could get a glimpse into their *interesting* lives (not that my life is interesting!).  It felt like I was being shut out of an exclusive club! Hmph! But after having this thing for almost five years, my feelings have changed. The way I use social networking has changed, and I no longer have such a desire to put every single detail of my life out...

Oh boy, it's almost June.  We're scrambling around here trying to finalize reservations, book flights, car rentals among a bunch of other things for our upcoming June wedding/vacation trip to Colorado.  Fortunately, we did figure out our accommodations for the two nights we'll be spending in Boulder for the wedding, but now we just have to figure out what to do for the rest of our trip, which will most likely be in Aspen/Snowmass like last year. And alluding to my pathetic ramble of a post that I deleted...the whole bridesmaid dress thing has been figured out and it will ALL BE FINE.  Of course.  I guess you really can't teach an old dog new tricks concerning the idea that one shouldn't stress the little things in life! This past Memorial Day weekend was spent down at my in-laws and my family actually joined in, too.  Everything was centered around a ball game on Sunday (the Reds lost to the Cubs *sad*) and then we stayed through Monday (in the end, when I re...

We receive a monthly issue of "Bon Apetit" and for two nights this week, I've made their Vietnamese Pork Chops, as they were absolutely scrumptious.  Ryan said they were "the best pork chops I've ever had"  (May be a slight exaggeration, as I'm thinking that most husbands say that to their wives!). In any case, they were incredibly easy to put together (that's what always reels me in-- the "ease" factor) and I just made different sides to go with it both times.  Since my laptop is completely broken and I have no way of uploading pictures anymore, I didn't bother taking any photos.  But here is the link from the website:   Vietnamese Pork Chops The first night I made them, I made black rice (apparently a "superfood"?) and a spinach/beet/tomato salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Last night, I made mashed sweet potatoes and sauteed kale.  Really, I think anything can go with pork chops. Later today:  teaching and...

Some of you may have caught my last post and, yes, I took it down because it just didn't seem right to have such a whiny, rant-y... bitchy  post for just anyone to stumble upon.  Those were and should remain my private thoughts.  It just wasn't wise at all to indulge in the moment of feeling frustrated onto this blog of mine. And perhaps that is why I have such long periods of no posting; I'm still struggling with what is acceptable to write about, and what is too mundane. Speaking for myself, I thoroughly enjoy reading about people...their struggles, their desires, the mundane details in their lives that make them human.  I identify with that.  And so once in awhile, that loosens the reigns on any common sense I might have and I'll have a relapse where I just vent.  No care as to who might read it or how they might interpret it or interpret ME. But after publishing it, I asked myself, "If my friend saw this and asked me about it...would I defend it?"...

Some meals from the past few days: 1)  Pappardelle pasta with salmon, leeks and grape tomatoes in a garlic cream sauce 2)  Tilapia baked in parchment paper; sauteed kale and a beet salad w/ feta cheese and pecans And this evening, I made a Chicken and Rice recipe a friend sent me. He wanted me to try it first and see if it turned out okay.  It was more than okay!  Pretty yummy...and easy to put together. This is a pic of our small half bath that was recently painted "Pebble Grey".  Our upstairs master bath is the same color, but I couldn't get a very good angle of the entire room.  I'm really happy with the way it turned out, and I'm so glad I didn't pick out a darker color.  When I was looking at swatches, the pebble grey color looked SO light, but my dad wisely advised that, of course, paint always appears darker once it dries.  So I took a chance and it was just what I envisioned! Okay, gotta go and finish some laundry.....