i am an addict.

hello, my name is barbie and i'm an addict.
what is my drug of choice?
chocolate. no.
beer. no.
wine. no (um, maybe...but that is another blog).


pinterest.com. it's a virtual pinboard of your interests and likes. and you can organize it!

you can repin things others have pinned, or create your own via whatever inspires you.


there is something for everyone: food, travel, games, crafts, weddings, photography, fashion, books, technology, science, decorating.

in the last 2 days that i have know about this site, i have created 10 boards, and 41 pins. i am manic.  the only thing that is slowing me down is this having a job thing.

check out my pinboards here: http://pinterest.com/herbstgirl/

let me know if you want an invite (currently it's invite only), i would love to see more of my friends inspirations. oh, and thanks to my homegirl, jenni for the awesome find.

when in rome

rugby is the national sport here. and truth be told, it's pretty entertaining. i'm sure i would enjoy it more if i knew all the rules, but even without knowing them it's pretty easy to follow.

our landlord's mom placed two tickets to the rugby worldcup in our mailslot last week. the game was usa vs. austraila. i know what your thinking, but we do have a rugby team. honest. here they are. i am particularly fond of todd cleaver.

it was especially fun because everyone was rooting for usa. not because everyone here loves usa, but more along the lines of everyone dislikes austraila. we were the lesser of two evils. it doesn't matter, i'll still take it. no, we didn't win. i think i lost count around 5-66 or something. but it was still a fun experience.

core values

i found an interesting blog about discovering your "core values". do you know what yours are? i mean, sure i can list lots of things that are important to me, but before this, i don't think i could have narrowed it down to the five most things that i would want to live my life by.

want to do a little self discovery? here is a printable list of 90 values. read them all and then using your gut instinct go through the list once to narrow it downs to the ones that stand out to you. on my first try i narrowed it from 90 to 30. then, a bit later, go over it again. continue the process until you are left with 5.

the best part is that there is no right or wrong answers. and it is all in how you view it. for some "power" could have a negative connotation invoking power-hungry politicans, for others it could mean being powerful in your day to day life or overcoming adversity.

my five? family, happiness, learning, love, and self-expression

what are your five?

moroccan tangine, anyone?

do you want a dish that you can serve your vegetarian friends, but your meat loving friends won't roll their eyes at? not only that, but it's incredibly healthy and unlike tofu, it has enormous flavor and aroma. try this moroccan tangine:

moroccan tangine

ingredients:

1 head garlic, chopped
2 onions, chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
3 cups vegetable stock (I used Trader Joe's individual vegetable stock concentrate and added water)
1 14 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
1 red pepper, chopped
1 pound butternut squash, cut into roughly 1 inch cubes
1 medium eggplant, chopped into roughly 1 inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 box prepared couscous

Heat up olive oil in large stew pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onions and garlic. Stir for 1 minute, then turn heat down to medium. Let cook about 7 minutes. Add dry spices and let cook 1 minute until fragrant. Add lemon juice.

Add parsley and 1/4 cup cilantro. Add tomatoes and bring to boil. Add in vegetable stock, chickpeas and butternut squash. Cook, simmering, 1 hour.

Salt eggplant pieces, let rest 2 minutes then rinse well with water and add, along with crushed red pepper flakes, and chopped red pepper to stew.  

Cook additional 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add additional seasoning to taste. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup cilantro. 

i found this recipe at the alchemist chef and adjusted it to my liking (basically removing the raisins and celery and adding an additional carrot).


i didn't have too high of hopes for it, because its basically heaps of vegetables with a few seasonings. but it was an astounding success. both aaron and i agreed it was one of the best meals we have had in awhile.


the only draw back would be the amount of time involved. it probably isn't a weekday meal. i started it after work at 7 and we didn't eat until 9:30. but it would be an awesome weekend meal. if you have a persistent meat eater, i'm sure some diced or shredded chicken would not hurt the recipe either. 


if you make it, let me know what you think!

caitlin rosemary wech

my beautiful new niece is the best update yet. as she is brand new, pictures will be forthcoming.

caitlin rosemary wech
3 September 2011 at 3:00pm
7lbs 8 oz.


it's amazing how this sweet little girl has tamed the wech men (at least while she is in their presence).

i'm very happy for the whole family, and for us to. i never get tired of being an aunt. so far, it's the best job i've ever had.

guess whose back?

i took a break. sorry.

i wanted to write what I was feeling without censoring myself. for that i got a journal. i highly recommend journaling. it has been very therapeutic and i'm sure i will continue for quite some time, but now i'm ready to record my life in a more public manner.

to play a quick game a catch up in the last few months:

1.  i have successfully weened myself off of sertraline. there was a nasty month or so in there (a huge thanks to aaron for being most supportive. but i am officially off of "happy pills" and feeling much more like myself than i have in about a year.

2.  i have combined all of my genealogy blogs (originally there were 4, i'm crazy) into one blog. for the up-to-date-latest on my genealogy efforts check out heborola.blogspot.com

3. i finished knitting my winter cabin blanket

4.  aaron hurt his knee playing frisbee. pretty badly. the jury is still out as to whether or not it is an ACL tear, but it is leaning more towards "tear" rather than "no tear". he has an appointment with a sports doctor today.

the most important update to come soon...