my oh my at all the things to get set up! i managed to completely and utterly confuse myself with the whole email/calendar/contacts thing. i have used hotmail in for years and love it. when i started this whole business venture i googled how to sync my hotmail account with my microsoft outlook account, allowing me to easily manage contacts and my calendar. the next fete was to sync that to my iphone, which is impossible b/c hotmail doesn't have some sort of pop something other that would allow the iphone and computer to wirelessly sync. i could plug my phone into my computer and sync it, but i wanted the syncing process to be wireless. i found this out only after hours of googling and trying different things and then finally making an appointment at the apple store for them to try and help. and that is where the nice guy told me it wasn't possible....but that i could purchase another program for $100 that would work. no thanks.
after leaving the mall and heading to my new office {aka the nearest starbucks}, i remembered seeing on my iphone, where you add email accounts, that gmail was an option {hotmail was not}. so, i thought, what the heck, i'll give it a try. so again, i googled how to do it and after following the instructions it worked! the new gmail account would sync with my microsoft outlook which would then syc to my iphone allowing me to update. now the trick was to sync all my contacts and emails from my original hotmail account to my new gmail account. again, thank you google for providing answers to everything! so, after multiple days and hours of trying to figure this dang thing out....it is DONE! i can email, add contacts, and appointments from either the computer or my phone and it will all sync nicely. whew!
so, the moral of this story is: if you want to sync a free email with microsoft outlook and then to your iphone....don't use hotmail! hopefully someone else can benefit from my hours of frustration!
on a happier, unfrustrated note, i am enjoying my new schedule and office. the chairs are so comfy and it's snowing right now, which makes it even better. so far, monday's are much better now than they were!
Monday, January 10, 2011
what's cookin' this week
pernil {puerto rican pork} with black beans & rice
homemade pizza & salad
crockpot meatloaf {new recipe from mom} w/ red potatoes & green beans
chicken enchiladas & salad
cuban paninis
shrimp & black bean chili
happy monday!
Friday, January 7, 2011
new beginnings
A writing that a friend of mine and mymichael sent me...
New Beginnings
By Daisy E. Vest
A new day can simply bring new beginnings
New beginnings that may require changes
Changes that may challenge our thoughts
Thoughts that were once routines
Routines that need breaking...
Breaking away from the old
A new beginning can simply bring new uncertainties
New uncertainties that may lead to failed efforts
Failed efforts that may lead to great discoveries
Discoveries that unveil our hidden abilities...
Abilities that conquer new beginnings!
"Living the uncertainty of a new beginning is more admirable than existing with a reliable old routine."
this is so very true for me right now! the first week of my new gig is over. not so bad. i do have to say that i enjoy my new office {aka the nearest starbucks}. it's amazing how much work i can get done there verses other places! still lots and lots to get set up, but it's moving forward which is exciting.....and nerve racking.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
belated abstract christmas lights
the week of christmas my friend kelly and i went out to rhema and took pictures of christmas lights. each year rhema puts up thousands of beautiful lights with music and everything. it's a great holiday tradition if you live anywhere near tulsa. my favorite pictures that i took are all more abstract. i had lots of fun blurring the lights to get different effects.
to take photos like these, with the lights blurred creating circles, you have to put your lens on manual focus. then play with it until you get the look you like. i think some of these would look really neat blown up really big on canvas!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
recipe {roasted brussel sprouts}
brussel sprouts. i'm sure for some people that vegetable brings up horrible memories from childhood. i didn't grow up eating brussel sprouts. i am an avid food network watcher and saw the different chefs roasting brussel sprouts and they all looked delicious, but i had never even tasted one until i was in new york city this past october. we were at a little restaurant called "westville" in greenwich village. brussel sprouts were one of their side dish options, so i figured i would give them a try. they were delicious! when i got home i decided to try and make them myself. i have done them a couple of different ways...roasting them in the oven and sauteeing them. both ways are good, but i am going to show you the roasting route today.
if you have followed my recipes any, you know that i like ones that you can tailor to your own tastes. this is definitely one of those. i incorporate different vegetables with the brussel sprouts, you can use the same or substitute ones you like better. the possibilities are endless!
brussel sprouts, mushrooms, red onion, sweet potato {not pictured}, bacon bits, olive oil, salt & pepper, minced garlic
cut the ends off the sprouts and then either half or quarter them
place in bowl
chopped onion, similar in size to sprouts
mixed veggies, quartered sprouts, chopped onions, chopped sweet potatoes & sliced mushrooms
about that much minced garlic
enough olive oil to lightly coat veggies
salt & pepper...don't skimp on the seasonings...it needs the flavor! you can use other seasonings as well if you want.
place veggies in a baking dish that has been sprayed and then top with bacon bits
bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes or a little longer, until your veggies are tender and look similar to the pic above.
this is a great side dish to just about anything! again, you can use more or less vegetables, all to your liking. one tip is to keep all the vegetables about the same size so that they have similar cooking times. you don't want huge chunks of potatoes and small sprouts. either your potatoes will be hard or your sprouts will be burnt in the end.
what you need:
brussel sprouts, ends cut off and either quartered or halved
{for this recipe i bought a small carton and used about half of the sprouts}
1/2 red onion, chopped
sliced mushrooms
1/2 sweet potato, chopped to similar size as sprouts and onions
bacon bits
mined garlic
salt
pepper
olive oil
1. heat oven to 400 degrees
2. rinse sprouts in water and chop all veggies
3. combine all chopped veggies in bowl
4. toss with olive oil
5. add minced garlic, salt & pepper
{these will need quite a bit of salt...don't skimp!}
6. spray baking dish with cooking spray
7. add veggies to baking dish and sprinkle with bacon bits
8. cook in 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until veggies are tender and golden/brown
so, hopefully some of you will be brave enough to try these...if you are please tell me what you think!
Monday, January 3, 2011
what's cookin' this week?
grilled chicken w/ brussel sprouts & cous cous
{i know...you are thinking "brussel sprouts???" but trust me...they are tasty! i will be doing a recipe post with them later this week}
chicken tikka masala w/ rice
cilantro lime shrimp & rice w/ salad
bbq sandwich & slaw
{bbq is with leftover brisket & ham from the holidays that i froze}
green chile chili & cornbread
ranch chicken salad
• 1/4 cups Mayo Fat Free
• 1/4 cups Lowfat Sour Cream
• 1/4 cups Cilantro
• 1 tsp. grated lime zest
• 1 lime, halved
• 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoons ground red pepper
• 1 pound cooked chieckn breast, cut into bite-size pieces OR 1 can of canned chicken
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can Whole Kernel Corn, drained
• 1 Bell Peppers, any color, diced
• 1/2 Red Onion, chopped
• 2 cups Bibb Lettuce
-in large mixing bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, cumin, and ground red pepper. stir in chicken, beans, corn, bell pepper and onion.
-divide lettuce evenly among 4 plates and top with chicken salad.
any new recipes from your kitchen?
a whole new year!
2011 is here! kind of hard to believe to be honest. time truely does go by much faster when you get older...not sure how i feel about that. anyways, there are many changes in my life for this new year. the biggest one is that i am no longer with the architecture firm that i was with for the past 4 years. unfortunately the past year and a half or so was not a great time for the firm. we had some big projects not come through, some bond issues that didn't pass, etc. they had to downsize quite a bit and unfortunately...or fortunately...i was one of the ones who was let go. i'm not gonna lie, it sucked, it happened the wednesday before christmas, which put a bit of a damper on the holidays. mymichael and i knew that there were going to be some changes made, i just didn't realize it was as bad as what it really was.
so, here i am without a job and trying to figure out what the heck is going on. recently i had told mymichael that i wouldn't mind doing something on my own {not knowing the possibility was so close}. we discussed the pros and cons of having your own business vs. being with a company, which there are many for both sides. over the past couple of years i have been doing side jobs that range from residential interior design to photography and graphic design. i have been extremely busy b/c all those things were done in my "spare" time....not during the 40+ hour work week where i did commercial interior design. i have enjoyed all the side work and the variety that comes with it.
what better time to try something on my own than now? i'm trying to look at this as an opportunity. i'm not sure that mymichael and i would have been comfortable me quitting my nice paying job to pursue something on my own. that steady paycheck is very beneficial and it would have been very hard to choose to let it go! so, an opportunity this will be!
over the next few weeks there will be lots of changes made to my website www.rubyjewelstudio.com
and probably to this blog as well. i will be incorporating:
photography
residential interior design services
small commercial interior design services
furniture and accessory resales
graphic deisgn services
it will be a work in progress and i hope to share as i go along.
so, keep checking back to see what's new. hopefully in a few weeks i will have a big launch of the updated website and everything.
i'm really excited....and a bit nervous...to see where things take me & ruby jewel studio in 2011!
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