New blog!

I have a new blog! Thanks to some Facebook suggestions, it's called Blogging at Tiffany's. :) http://bloggingattifs.wordpress.com/

Thanks for reading Newlywed, Unscripted!

Uh oh

My mouth literally dropped open when I pulled up my blog this week and saw that it's been more than two months since I wrote anything. I have, however, been keeping notes of things I WANT to write about, so that must count for something.

Because I have such a long list of topics but I'm also itching to start a new blog, I'm going to wrap this one up with a summary of last weekend, then start fresh. ...

Pete and I celebrate our 2nd anniversary in 5 days. Since we'll be at Western Carolina celebrating another momentous occasion that weekend (happy early graduation, Amanda!), we decided to start the festivities early with a weekend at The Cove near Asheville. ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. One of those places you don't want to leave cuz it's just that awesome. The first picture is from the common area of our cabin, called Pilgrim's Inn. The second was taken in the main lobby of the Training Center where you check in, eat, attend conferences, etc. It's also where I decided I want mountainy looking furniture in our dream home. (Along with a laundry chute, swing, bay window and room for a punching bag. Oh yeah. I keep a list.)

We decided to do a "personal spiritual retreat," which basically means you do your own thing with the intention of growing closer to God. On Saturday, we hiked to the overlook -- the steep way because Pete said it would be quicker, even though I said rushing and sweating isn't romantic -- and met another couple who we saw the night before. They were really friendly and probably the only other ones there who were our age. We ended up hiking down together. This was taken at the overlook as we celebrated our first hike with name tags. (You're supposed to leave them on at all times when not in your room.)

Later, we went through part of a booklet they gave us with a bunch of spiritual questions. It was good to talk about where each of us are with God, how content we are with our lives, where we're going, etc. We don't get much time like that where it's completely peaceful with no distractions. (No TVs in the room and I added a no phone rule.)

We also visited the chapel. We were the only ones there so I stood at the pulpit. :)

Another thing we talked about last weekend was what we've learned in two years of marriage.

Pete's list
- You do different things when you're married. Example: Before - Go out with the guys for a drink, play more video games, spend a weekend snowboarding. After - Host movie nights, do yard work, go to The Cove.
- It's nice to have someone to talk to when you get home - to listen to your problems or happy thoughts and to support you along the way.

My list
- Appreciate the small things: having breakfast together before a busy day, having someone to share dog duty with, hearing his voice over the phone at the end of a long day.
- It's easy to disappoint another person. Sometimes it's our own fault for having unrealistic expectations. Only God can fill our deepest needs.

So there you have it. It's been two years since I started this blog as a newlywed, and now it's time to move onto the next chapter. Next chapter, here we come!

Wishy washy

A friend of mine told me last summer that she makes her own laundry detergent. Pete and I finally made a batch over the weekend, and I'm pretty sure it's going to last a year or so. In true Tiffany fashion, I documented the experience.

Step 1: Buy 4 materials: Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda, borax, Fels-Naptha Soap and a 5-gallon bucket. I picked up the first two items at the grocery store. Pete ordered the soap from Amazon, which was about $3 including shipping. I also got a bucket at Lowe's. It's gray and boring, but it gets the job done. I think altogether, everything came to about $20. I won't have to buy another bucket, and the washing soda and borax will last a LONG time.

Step 2: Grate the bar of soap and add to a pot of hot water. I don't think the pot we used has ever cooked soap before. And I doubt the cheese grater has ever grated soap, but at least I didn't have to wash it. ... Kidding.

Step 3: As you grate the soap, stir and stir and stir until it dissolves in the water and looks like so. 

Step 4: Fill the bucket halfway with water, then add the soap mixture, borax and washing soda. You stir some more, being careful not to leave any chunks of the ingredients. 

Step 5: Fill the rest of the bucket with water, stir some more, secure the lid and leave it overnight. The next day, it's a gel, so you stir some more before using it. (There's a lot of stirring in this recipe.) 

Step 6: For every cup of the detergent, you add a cup of water. We figured the easiest thing to do is fill an empty detergent bottle halfway with the homemade detergent, then fill the rest up with water. Shake it up, then add a lid full of detergent to your laundry. The water doesn't get sudsy, but the laundry smells fresh and clean. You can add some essential oils, but we didn't. 

 Step 7: Fold clean clothes! 

Here's the recipe:

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap

4 cups Hot Tap Water

1 bar Fels-Naptha Soap

1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda**

½ cup borax

Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over med-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

Fill 5 gallon bucket half full of tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir until dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

To use: Dilute concentrate mixture 1 to 1 with water. Shake well before each use, mixture will gel.

Optional: Add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons once soap has cooled. (lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil)

HE machines ¼ - ½ cup per load

Standard machines ¾ cup per load

** must be “super washing soda” baking soda will not work nor will Arm & Hammer detergent.

The smudge

Pete got a magazine in the mail a while back with a wide selection of men's work clothes. He was quick to point out that almost every model had a smudge on his cheekbone, which is highly unrealistic. 

Take this picture for example. The guy looks like some kind of contractor. He's holding an electronic device, blueprints perhaps and wearing fairly clean clothes. But then ... a somewhat round smudge on his cheek. Why?

Or this picture. Pete said it looks like he's holding a tripod so he's probably a surveyor or something. But look, the same kind of smudge. Where would that come from?

Here's one of my favorites. (First, I'd like to say that I've never seen a worker in that pose with that look on his face.) So here you have a flashlight on one side and a level on the other. And here it comes ... the smudge. From what?

And finally, an electrician (I think) with a peculiar rub of dirt on his jawbone. I guess screwing in a fixture is pretty dirty work. ... 

I would also pick on the girly magazines like Victoria's Secret models with pouty lips, that distant look in their eyes, windblown hair and a pair of heels to go with their matching unmentionables, ... but I won't subject you to those pictures. :)

Shrinking beauty products

I'm noticing a bothersome pattern in my beauty products: The most-used item in a set is always the smallest. Yes, the green tea moisturizer on the far right might LOOK like a comparable size, but it's really a measly ounce compared to the 4-ounce cleanser and toner and 2-ounce repairing treatment (which, for some reason, does not have a large "3" on the bottle to indicate its place in my daily regimen). So why are the first two bottles twice the size of the third bottle and four times the size of the moisturizer? Did my face shrink between steps two and three? I'm pretty sure I'm covering the same surface area. 

On the upside, I just got my new shipment in and the new moisturizer is now 1.7 ounces. The repairing treatment still lags behind. At least we're getting somewhere. I wonder if other feisty customers complained. ...

Love you, but ...

A lot of people have asked me how I like the new job.

"I love it," I say. "Everything about it -- the people, the environment, the work, everything."

As crazy as I am about it, there's one problem: I am NOT a morning person. I'm sure most of it stems from my late bedtime, but it's hard to get 8 hours of sleep (and I've determined I need every minute of it) when Pete gets home late and we don't eat dinner til 8:30 or 9. I can't go to bed immediately following dinner, so that tacks on AT LEAST another half hour. Plus, I'd like to have some kind of chit chat with my lifelong companion, so that adds another chunk of time. Before I know it, it's 11 p.m. and I'm lucky to get 6 hours of sleep. I get up around 5 to leave time for my commute, and by 8 a.m. devotions, I'm struggling to hold my head up. All I can think about is how I should have taken those naps when I was a kid.

"One day, you'll WANT to take naps," Mom would tell me.

"No, I won't," I said. "And I'm not tired."

Stupid, stupid kid.

In an attempt to remedy my heavy eyelids, I did a quick Google search: "tips for keeping eyes open." (Not a coffee person, either, so that's out.) Here are my search results:

1. A website called Positive Performance Coaching says there's a lot to learn when you're waiting your turn in a cycling competition. You should watch for the following: "Who is the smoothest?" "Who keeps looking over there shoulder?" (Yes, "there," not "their." That's the second spelling error I've found on the first page.) And finally, "Who is riding like a squirrel?" I have no idea what that means, but I keep picturing a squirrel on a bicycle with nuts in its basket.

2. Tips for keeping your subjects' eyes open when photographing a group of kids. Suggestions: photographing in the early morning before the sun interferes; counting to three at which point everyone should have their eyes open (wait, this is NEW advice?); and not worrying about whether people are looking at the camera, as long as their eyes are open wherever they are looking.

3. A management site that inspires companies to "keep their eyes open for innovation." Among the recommendations: "Make brainstorming a religion. Practice it every day, weave it into the cultural fabric of your organization." That's what we need! A religion based on brainstorming! Pretty sure we already have that. ... Oh, and another recommendation I mustn't fail to mention: "Encourage boyish pranks and wild play in the office. They don't just pump up the team, but also create an atmosphere where you naturally take chances and solve problems." Yes, now I'm positive this was written by a guy. I envision Jim Halpert putting Dwight Schrute's stapler in a globe of Jello.

4. Kissing -- eyes closed or open? "The answer is not straightforward," Kissing Advice says. It depends on the length and intensity of the kiss, as well as your environment. My favorite part of the site is the ad for laser vision correction at the bottom. If you can't SEE your kissing partner, you don't have to worry about it!

5. A thread of comments about struggling to keep both eyes open when shooting, courtesy of NortheastShooters.com. One member offers the following advice: "Put some scotch tape on the glasses over your non-dominant eye." A commenter known as "Jack Daniels" has a different approach: "If you see two guns like I do, just shoot the one on the left all of the time." What a marvelous idea! I can't think of a better strategy than shooting from the gun you THINK is the real one. But wait! Member "P-14" has an even better idea: "I keep both eyes open when shooting, unless I have to aim." Sorry, P-14, the smiling emoticon tacked onto your post doesn't make me feel better. 

Other results took me to sites about keeping your eyes open under water, explanations of certain idioms and protecting your eyes while you tan. I gave up after that.

The only time it's OK to be cold

It was 63 degrees today -- 5 days before Christmas. A white Christmas, my foot. I may detest being cold, but how am I supposed to build a snowman and crave wassail if it feels like spring?

Mom, Dad and Emily came to visit this past weekend for Christmas at the Library, an event that the Billy Graham Library puts on. Touring the library was my favorite part, even though that part isn't specifically for Christmas. The tour follows Billy Graham's journey from a farm boy to national recognition, but keeps God at the forefront just like he wants it. It really makes me proud to work at BGEA. What an honor.

The only thing we didn't get to do was take a carriage tour. It was an hour and a half wait, so maybe next time.

And here's a picture that my friend, Tiffany, took at a nearby intersection (the entrance to the town of Hemby Bridge).