Confession Time! ((ABSOLUTELY NO JUDGEMENT))

artisticjen wrote: »

Confession: Tomorrow I'm going to drive for the first time in 3+ years. Kind of scared about it. I never was one for driving much, but it was nice to grocery shop, etc. for myself without depending on someone else. Hopefully this will be a step towards getting a car in the future.

hnsaunde wrote: »

ShibaEars wrote: »

riderfangal wrote: »

quiksylver296 wrote: »

Don't share ALL, Mo. We're not that kind of girls.

My confession today: I am playing hooky from work. Ninety minutes on my elliptical while watching Extreme Weight Loss, and now I'm laying in my jet tub with a cup of coffee...and you guys.

So jealous right now

I am also jealous. I didn't work Monday, but this has felt like the longest week ever! I can't wait to get out here in just under 2 hours. It's +30 out today and I NEED to be sitting on a deck having a drink! (after the gym, of course )

This is also my plan, and my workout room is in my condo, which sits around 28 degrees in this heat (I'm in Calgary), so the workout is going to be extra challenging on its own. Extra sweat never hurt anyone right? I'm thinking of hanging out at my parents house solely due to the fact that they have air conditioning until it cools down this evening.

jthurman3 wrote: »

@riderfangal Thanks for the book recommendation! I will check it out. (I know you were recommending it for @Susieq_1994 , but I'm swooping in and stealing it. Hee hee) If you like the young adult fantasty/fiction genre, you might like a series by Laini Taylor called the Daughter of Smoke & Bone.

riderfangal wrote: »

Susieq_1994 wrote: »

riderfangal wrote: »

Susieq_1994 wrote: »

jthurman3 wrote: »

Susieq_1994 wrote: »

Kalici wrote: »

spamarie wrote: »

Ack I'm 22 pages behind!

I'm in book-mourning as I've just finished the latest book in the Song of Ice and Fire series (Game of Thrones for you tv people) and the next one isn't even finished being written. Boo!

I'm not sure if book-mourning is a real phrase, but I know several people on this thread will know exactly what I mean.

If that isn't a real phrase it definitely should be. I know I've felt it before and I probably will again.

I totally get book-mourning, especially after a series. (I'm looking at YOU, Rick Riordan!)

ME TOO!!! I read constantly. One of my favorite series is by Patrick Rothfuss. The first book is called The Name of the Wind. The series isn't finished and the waiting for book 3 has been DREADFULLY long.

ETA - Also, The Song of Ice and Fire series is amazing. I totally understand your mourning. Also, I loved Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series! I think we might have similar taste in books!

I didn't read that first series mentioned, you quoted me and another poster (@spamarie). I've read Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, his Heroes of Olympus series, and his Kane Chronicles and loved all of them! I really enjoy kid-friendly books that have good plots.

Sway by Amber McRee Turner is a really amazing child friendly book. I loved it

Ooh, I LOVE getting book recommendations that I might actually be able to read! Thank you!

I actually went through my Kindle the other day and was going to write down all the one I thought you might like but I thought you might think that was weird

jthurman3 wrote: »

Susieq_1994 wrote: »

KrisiAnnH wrote: »

Oh, also not so much a confession, but I know there was a lot of discussion about cauliflower as a substitute for things on this thread a few (well a lot of) pages back... I finally got around to making 'cauliflower rice' (aka cauliflower haha) and had it with curry I made from scratch. Consider me converted, it's amaaaazingggg. So few calories, so much yumminess!

Told you so! I was the one who brought that up, actually; I'd be happy to share my mixed fried cauliflower rice recipe if you want to try another one!

Oh that sounds delicious! @Susieq_1994 - would you please share the mixed fried cauliflower rice recipe? Also, if you have a recipe for a cauliflower-type cheesy fake mashed potato dish, I'd love that, too!

Dnarules wrote: »

Susieq_1994 wrote: »

riderfangal wrote: »

Susieq_1994 wrote: »

riderfangal wrote: »

Susieq_1994 wrote: »

jthurman3 wrote: »

Susieq_1994 wrote: »

Kalici wrote: »

spamarie wrote: »

Ack I'm 22 pages behind!

I'm in book-mourning as I've just finished the latest book in the Song of Ice and Fire series (Game of Thrones for you tv people) and the next one isn't even finished being written. Boo!

I'm not sure if book-mourning is a real phrase, but I know several people on this thread will know exactly what I mean.

If that isn't a real phrase it definitely should be. I know I've felt it before and I probably will again.

I totally get book-mourning, especially after a series. (I'm looking at YOU, Rick Riordan!)

ME TOO!!! I read constantly. One of my favorite series is by Patrick Rothfuss. The first book is called The Name of the Wind. The series isn't finished and the waiting for book 3 has been DREADFULLY long.

ETA - Also, The Song of Ice and Fire series is amazing. I totally understand your mourning. Also, I loved Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series! I think we might have similar taste in books!

I didn't read that first series mentioned, you quoted me and another poster (@spamarie). I've read Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, his Heroes of Olympus series, and his Kane Chronicles and loved all of them! I really enjoy kid-friendly books that have good plots.

Sway by Amber McRee Turner is a really amazing child friendly book. I loved it

Ooh, I LOVE getting book recommendations that I might actually be able to read! Thank you!

I actually went through my Kindle the other day and was going to write down all the one I thought you might like but I thought you might think that was weird

I definitely wouldn't! I love to read, but there are so few books that I'm able to read due to my phobia, and I'm also afraid to go LOOKING for books because I don't know how to determine how "safe" they are. I'd love any recommendations you could give me.

jthurman3 wrote: »

Susieq_1994 wrote: »

KrisiAnnH wrote: »

Oh, also not so much a confession, but I know there was a lot of discussion about cauliflower as a substitute for things on this thread a few (well a lot of) pages back... I finally got around to making 'cauliflower rice' (aka cauliflower haha) and had it with curry I made from scratch. Consider me converted, it's amaaaazingggg. So few calories, so much yumminess!

Told you so! I was the one who brought that up, actually; I'd be happy to share my mixed fried cauliflower rice recipe if you want to try another one!

Oh that sounds delicious! @Susieq_1994 - would you please share the mixed fried cauliflower rice recipe? Also, if you have a recipe for a cauliflower-type cheesy fake mashed potato dish, I'd love that, too!

Sure, I'll send it to you in a private message. I'm personally not a fan of replacing potatoes with cauliflower (I don't think the taste or texture come close enough), so I've never tried that particular substitution. But the rice is really close, enough that you hardly notice the difference at all!

@KrisiAnnH I'll send it to you as well.

Someone may have already done this, but maybe a recipe thread in the group would be a good idea?

hnsaunde wrote: »

@Susieq_1994, have you tried the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare? If the Percy Jackson books are okay for you, that series might be too, and they're also young adult fantasy/fiction.

Dnarules wrote: »

riderfangal wrote: »

kellienw335 wrote: »

@riderfangal - Is your date tomorrow? Do you know what your going to wear or what you're doing?

It is tomorrow. My stomach is turning already. I think we are just going to go to a lounge and watch a football game. I am a huge fan and he likes it too. I am actually really glad it is going to be low key. Honestly part of me is super excited and the other part is dreading it lol

Have fun !

ShibaEars wrote: »

Dnarules wrote: »

riderfangal wrote: »

kellienw335 wrote: »

@riderfangal - Is your date tomorrow? Do you know what your going to wear or what you're doing?

It is tomorrow. My stomach is turning already. I think we are just going to go to a lounge and watch a football game. I am a huge fan and he likes it too. I am actually really glad it is going to be low key. Honestly part of me is super excited and the other part is dreading it lol

Have fun !

Have a great time & try to just focus on the excited part!

hnsaunde wrote: »

LH85DC wrote: »

riderfangal wrote: »

LH85DC wrote: »

LH85DC wrote: »

CountessKitteh wrote: »

peleroja wrote: »

BZAH10 wrote: »

kelly_c_77 wrote: »

BZAH10 wrote: »

peleroja wrote: »

ythannah wrote: »

peleroja wrote: »

MoHousdon wrote: »

riderfangal wrote: »

MoHousdon wrote: »

riderfangal wrote: »

MoHousdon wrote: »

riderfangal wrote: »

ok guys I am on the fence about something. I got asked out on a date this weekend. I don't date because in reality I don't have a lot of free time and I am certainly not wanting to take any time away from my son. But in spite of all this I am considering going. What's a girl to do?

Do you like date asker guy? If the answer is yes, then I say GO FOR IT!

I do like said guy lol

Well, then, buy yourself something pretty (sexy, but tasteful) and go and enjoy yourself. If you just get a meal and decent conversation but it doesn't go anywhere, at least you have a pretty new dress to wear later. But if it DOES go somewhere, I think we all expect to be invited to the wedding.

Hmmm sexy sounds like something I haven't done in a long time And of course you would all be invited honestly I feel closer to you guys lately than most of the people IRL

You HAVE to show us your choices before choosing though. I LOVE helping people pick out clothes and I've NEVER helped anyone get ready for a date before, well, besides myself of course.

The bold part: me too!

Mo, I just ordered a couple of dresses from Modcloth for a wedding and I'm not sure which I want to wear! It's an afternoon ceremony but evening reception at a mountain lodge, so I went for more "fun" than "formal"...

This pink one
Or this black embellished one (comes with straps)

When they actually arrive it might turn out that I hate the fit of one or both, but I couldn't decide and had to order both. All my cocktail dresses are either very winter-y (long sleeves, heavy fabrics, etc.) or too big, or make me look like a waitress (because I have an extensive collection of black cocktail dresses that I wore while bartending.)

There's a crazy four-hour gap between the ceremony and cocktail hour, though, so we were going to change, go for a hike, and come back and change back, so maybe I'll wear the pink one for the ceremony and the peacock one for the reception? Is that attention-grabby or weird?

I love love LOVE that peacock dress! But... I'm old school, so no black (or white) at weddings for me. Or is that concept passé now?

Black is very commonly worn at evening weddings here (at least the formal, hotel ballroom or whatever kind.) But I've read it's less common in the American South and in smaller cities/rural areas (where it's more traditional, I guess.) I even see black bridesmaids dresses quite often now.

BZAH10 wrote: »

peleroja wrote: »

LBuehrle8 wrote: »

@peleroja both of those dress are AWESOME!! I'd wear the formal one for the ceremony and the fun one for the reception where you'll be dancing the night away!! That's just my opinion though, both dresses are fabulous, you have excellent taste!!

I thought the polka dots were more "daytime" than evening - I guess maybe I think it's weird to wear a black dress like that for an afternoon thing? Especially for an outdoor ceremony?

This is not my realm of expertise, though, because I normally just go to work events and wear the same couple of navy or black super conservative dresses, all high neck and sleeves and stuff.

I agree with you: I'd wear the pink one for the ceremony and the black one at night. That one would be super fun to dance in and if anyone even implies that you're taking attention away from the bride maybe tell a little white lie and say you spilled something on the pink one.

Or, maybe I'm a terrible person for thinking this way? Personally, I don't care about weddings being ALL about the bride. They eat up an enormous amount of my time on a weekend, so I'm going to look good and enjoy it!

I'm pretty much that person too because I mostly hate weddings so it's hard to have a good time. Even my own was hard to deal with and it was tiny and very nontraditional. But the whole spend a whole weekend, drive (or fly) for hours, get an expensive hotel room, wait around forever between the ceremony and reception, eat a mass-produced hunk of chicken or "prime rib" at a table full of people you barely know with a glass of mediocre Merlot, sit through hard-to-hear speeches and bouquet tossing and dances and "funny stories" while drunk randos get gropey and terrible music plays...is just not my idea of a good time.

I attend happily for people I really care about because I love them, but I'm always kind of shocked when I hear someone say they like weddings. Everything about them (apart from the actual ceremonies, which are usually nice) makes me unhappy.

Could NOT agree with you more! My husband and I are really role reversed in almost every aspect, including this one. He LOVES weddings. He gets way too excited and spends way more time figuring out what he's going to wear than I do. I dread them.

And, I've worn black to the past two weddings we've gone to. It's easier to wear for an all-day thing that involves food and drinks. Much more forgiving if someone bumps into you and causes a spill.

I'm exactly the same way. I hate attention, dressing up, and having people look at me. I don't dance, the vegetarian meals are usually not very good/filling, I don't drink...the list goes on and on.
When we have gone to weddings, I have worn black every time.

Yes ma'am! We are twins. I do drink, but I'm very careful at weddings. Nothing like being unsteady on my high heels to completely ruin a whole look! Plus, if I am the designated driver I have more say over how long we stay.

All of this! Having people look at me and making conversation with people I don't know well, wedding food, etc etc...they're such terrible events for me. I'm also horrified by the expense and the wastefulness. The idea of spending $30,000 on one party makes me die a little inside. I just...you could do so much with that money! I don't care if that's judge-y (as it's not directed towards anyone in this thread...) I just don't get it.

And re: cake...you're all wonderful people and all, but wedding cake is definitely not sufficient compensation for having to attend an entire wedding reception, haha.

Most of the time it's not even good cake, just sickly sweet and covered in stale fondant. Such a sad dessert.

I do like the "dessert table" trend, though...but still. Definitely doesn't soothe my wedding pain.

My friend - who happens to be a trained pastry chef (!!!!) - is making our cake as her gift to us. She's going to make her basics, and the if I decide that the spice cake should be cinnamony-er or something, she'll adjust.

I am a bit over excited by the fact that I will not have terrible wedding food. Because that's what's going to save me from boredom.

Food tasting has been our favorite part of wedding planning so far! haha. we're actually having a pie buffet instead of cake, because neither of us are big cake fans. And we found a local pie store that makes DELICIOUS pies. The hardest part was deciding which five flavors we wanted!

For food we went with a local caterer who works out of a kitchen at her farm, and focuses on fresh, local ingredients. I'm so so so excited. And she's ordering bread from a local bakery, so it'll all be fresh and delicious. Yum! I hope people end up liking it, I'd hate for everyone to think that we had bland, so-so wedding food.

Oh, and I forgot- we decided not to do traditional appetizers for the first hour of the reception. We're going to have a popcorn bar! (see yesterday's post for more on my obsession with popcorn). We rented a popcorn machine, and are going to have a variety of fillers (m&ms, reese's pieces, pretzel bits, etc) and different seasonings. I'm still looking for recommendations on seasonings (beyond white cheddar) if anyone has any suggestions!

This girl loves her popcorn. I like the sour cream and onion flavour or an all dressed. Recently I tried taco seasoning on it and it was delicious!

Taco seasoning sounds like a great idea! and @hnsaunde caramel and cheddar sounds wonderful - I wonder if there's a way that we can add caramel flavors to the popcorn bar without having to actually make caramel corn...
@WestCoastJo82 smoked paprika would be great! I even have a bourbon smoked paprika, might go well since bourbon is going to be our signature cocktail (assuming we sort through all the liquor license details)

If there's a way to keep the caramel melted, you might be able to just get guests to spoon it onto already popped corn? My slow cooker came with what it called a "little guy", which was for sauces, that might work? Oh, and I found this on Google and now I really want some popcorn...

http://www.buzzfeed.com/notmonroe/19-ways-to-flavor-popcorn-gg32#.mv4X5Y1GQ

ETA: Chafing dishes might work if you want to keep any popcorn sauces heated.