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noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 14:34:00 +0000

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I love jewelry

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:07:00 +0000

I woke up with jewelry on my mind this morning. It's one of the pleasures in life that always brings a smile to my face. I was lucky to grow up around women with impeccable and unique jewelry styles. As I grew, and they grew further away, I find comfort in taking pieces of them - memories of them- with me on my daily adventures.

I'd like to share some of my jewelry staples over a series of posts but first must tackle the critics. (Typically, I just have one, his name is Michael).

Common criticisms or misconceptions about my jewelry passion:
1) It has to be expensive
This is just untrue. Some of my favorite daily staples are inexpensive costume pieces that I've picked up while running errands. (Shiny things distract me.) Granted, I have some beautiful, expensive pieces, but they aren't valued by me because they are expensive. They're valued because I love them. And love the people who gifted them to me. My taste = things I love. I won't buy earrings on super clearance at Stein Mart if I don't love them.
2) Jewelry doesn't DO anything, what is the purpose of spending money on something that doesn't DO anything.
Ah, the materialistic, inanimate object argument. Trust me, this debate could go around in circles for hours. My new approach- honesty! This is what jewelry does for me:

Routine - I'm finished, ready to go in the world, when my earring back is firmly in place. The comfort of this routine starts my every day on the right foot.
Sentimentality - There is a memory or a story associated with 75% of the jewelry I wear. Someday's I'm a walking scrapbook of my life. I have a grandmother on my ring finger, my other grandmother on my wrist, mom on my other ring finger, and my aunt and michael around my neck. I get to have the people I love with me all day long. How lucky is that?
Confidence- Even on the greyest, most exhausted, frumpy, grumpy, plain ol bad day, something about me will still be shining. I can still look in a mirror, see that twinkle, and smile. It's silly but it's something.

3) You already have one, why do you need another?
This is Michael's favorite argument with me re: watches. Jewelry is not about need, it's about want. Nobody needs jewelry. The simplest answer: I want another because I do.
4) "I don't have any nice pieces like you do"
My girlfriends say this to me a lot. My response "well then let's get you some." I think "nice" is less about price and more about practicality. Every girl should have neat and simple pieces she could put on with every outfit and feel finished. (We'll cover these in the staples). Also, I encourage girls to ask for jewelry as gifts. We're hard to buy for and with some clear, specific direction your friends and family would love to build your collection.

Okay, that should cover the common ones, if you have additional criticisms please email delete@yournotgoingtoruinmyjewelrybuzz.com.

totally out of groceries dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 23:47:00 +0000

Have to eat out a ton this week so I didn't want to buy groceries. So, I made my old standby. Pasta Carbonara. YUM! It's the perfect comfort food and it sound's fancy too.

SERVING FOR UNO

1 Cup Corkscrew Pasta

3 tbs milk or cream

2 tsp butter

1 egg

1/2 Cup parm cheese

3 pieces bacon chopped

Salt & Pepper

Pinch of Crush Red Pepper (optional)

1) Cook the bacon till brown, drain on paper towels
2) Cook pasta according to box, salt water

3) Gently beat egg with milk until just blended

4) Add parm cheese, pepper and red pepper to egg & milk mixture

5) Drain pasta, coat pasta with butter

6) Slowly add egg & milk mixture to hot pasta stirring constantly so egg doesn't scramble

7) Add bacon

8) Enjoy while feeling accomplished about making something that ends in vowel in less than 30 minutes with ingredients you already had at home!

Sometimes I think God reads my planner

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:22:00 +0000

Another nutso week is upon me. In to work early and up late trying to finish projects and meet deadlines. I had low hopes for how this day would go when I found myself locked out of my computer first thing this a.m. But then, meetings started miraculously being cancelled. One by one by morning became cleared so I could finish key projects and not be panicked all day. So, I'm convinced, God looked at my planner and said "Nope, she's at her max. I'll just move some things around."

The rest of the day will be good. I know it.

just like highschool with adult bank accounts

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 01:31:00 +0000

my cousin was in his first year of college when he was reflecting on a situation regarding the adults in his life. he told me...

"you can't even get involved. it's just like highschool but with adult bank accounts. in five years no one is going to remember this argument happened. everyone will move on. it sucks right now but it won't soon."

it struck me as very wise at the time but the fact that i've thought about it and carried it with me reinforces how true it was and is. it doesn't matter how old you are, we (adults) will act like teenagers. (dont' believe me? watch rhonyc). we'll be upset about something today and over it the next.

this sentiment is especially helpful when work gets difficult. and i'm taking my successes and failures way too seriously. it will pass. no one will remember in 5 years. in fact, no one will remember on monday.

eat your eggs. drink your chardonnay. go to bed. tomorrow will be better.

chewed up

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:05:00 +0000

some days work or life makes me feel chewed up and spit out. today was one of those days. i'm tired. my eyes are red. i worked late. and just the thought of talking to someone else, someone in a fast food drive-thru or at a grocery cash register pushes me over the edge. i've developed a solution for such nights though. when i'm starving for dinner but craving quiet and solace.

scrambled eggs, bacon, toast with butter (that's right-- real butter) and chardonnay.

works every time.
now i'm happy and writing away.

hi there. did you miss me?

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:04:00 +0000

I missed you.
so i'm back. not gonna talk about my blog sabbatical. just going to start writing again.

things i'm tired of hearing

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:03:00 +0000

1) Be patient
2) Sit tight
3) Hang in there
4) Use this as an opportunity to grow
5) This is your chance to step up
6) I know you're frustrated BUT
7) In this economy...
8) When I was your age...

I'll keep adding...but do you have any "catch phrases" you're tired of? Do tell!

memories of youthful summers

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 01:35:00 +0000

it's been a long hot summer in jacksonville and i find myself craving the olden days of summer vacations. sleeping until 11. turning on the price as right. eating nachos for lunch. calling mom a hundred times to see when she'd be home to make dinner. mom coming home to make dinner and the sink being filled with said nachos dishes. tuning out her complaints about nacho dishes with loud reality tv. eating dinner. meeting up with friends at chili's for two for one margaritas. dancing, laughing and drinking til dawn. and doing it all over again the next day.
oh to be young again.

scorwin is sleepy

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 02:40:00 +0000

couldn't sleep last night. was up at 3 AM and then slept on and off until 6. then i moved to the couch. typically if i put on the history channel on demand it'll lull me back to sleep for a couple hours. that trick didn't work this time.
and now michael's flight is delayed. it won't be getting in until midnight. doesn't look like i'll get a full eight hours tonight either.
and we all know a tired stephanie is a grumpy stephanie.

one more sleep

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 17:50:00 +0000

and then this guy comes home from Mexico.
longest 4 days ever.

my new grill

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 13:41:00 +0000

I bought an electric grill for my porch and was so excited to use it that I invited Sam & Emily over last night for an impromptu BBQ.

The menu:
Garlic & Parmesan Shrimp Skewers
Oven Potato Fries
Corn on the Cobb
& Cheeseburgers

The grill was so easy to put together and cooked everything perfectly! I wish it was lunch time so I could grill a hotdog. And so the love affair begins...

random ramblings

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:26:00 +0000

1) I love that I hear my boyfriend arrive places before I see him. It gives me butterflies the second I hear it.
2) I was leaving the house this morning and happened to look down as I was locking the door. There's literally a stain about 2 feet in diameter of where I clumsily spill my coffee every morning.

such a klutz

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:31:00 +0000

I spill everything. I fall constantly. I'm perpetually covered in bruises.
I can't get ice out of the freezer without cubes crashing and shattering on the floor.
I drove to work yesterday with cupcakes for a coworker and they went 360 in the cupcake caddy and ruined the frosting.
This morning my coffee splashed all over my legs on the way to the car and then spilled all over my console once I was driving.
I hope this is preparing me for something good in life-- I'm sure getting impatient with it.

in an effort to not forget

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 01:37:00 +0000

I've protesting one my prescription medications (don't worry it's not anti-psychotics) for the last couple months because they make me feel bloated. I want to change the prescription but can't get a Drs appt until mid-July, so because they are required, I started taking them again a couple weeks ago. Since then, I've been having the CRAZIEST, most vivid, realistic to the point of being fortuitous dreams. I want to try and remember so I'm going to try to keep track on my blog.

Dreams
1) Got into a knock-down drag out fight with a co-worker who was throwing me under the bus, to my face, to our supervisor. This co-worker, Ceri, is British. And she was very snooty to me in the dream which was amplified by her accent. We got a big laugh out of it at work the next day. I was truly anxious about missing a deadline at work and it came out in the dream in the form of Ceri calling me out.
2) My elder sister had a 10 lb baby boy-- We were all passing him around and ogling him like he was circus act.
3) Was in a staff meeting and one supervisor (a woman) came in with bowl style hair cut that had been blown out with a round roller so it was all poofed up from her head. She was crying hysterically and came and hugged me. Another co-worker asked "what is wrong with you two" and I screamed at him "YOU DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND". He had a mullet.

That's all I can remember now. Hopefully I'll have more to add in the coming days.

YUMMMMMMMMMMM

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:57:00 +0000

Our resident Chef at work, Bill DeGrafft, gives me food magazines when he's finished with them. And a few months back I pulled out a recipe from Saveur for Angelo's Red Sauce. I'd held on to it with the intention of trying the accompanying manicotti recipe. I talked Michael into coming along on the recipe ride with me and with his diabetes he tries to stay away from pasta, so we decided on veal parmesan.

The sauce is incredible. It was so easy and the ingredients were cheap. It made enough to get 4-5 meals out of it. Amt still gives you that accomplished feeling (and taste) of making something homemade. I highly recommend you try it.

The first night we had the Veal Parmesan (also from Angelo's Fairmount Tavern ). It was very delish, but regretfully I didn't scaloppine the veal enough and it was a little tough. The provolone cheese added such a great flavor. I've always used mozzarella on chicken parm so this was a nice little surprise.

A couple nights later, not wanting to waste the sauce, I picked up some hot italian turkey sausage and some orechiette. I browned the sausage and then added it to the sauce. Put it over the orechiette and broiled a slice of provolone on top. Delightfully indulgent.

Finally, tonight, I seasoned and browned a couple chicken breast halves and then added the sauce to the pan. I let it simmer together until the chicken was cooked through and until I'd heated some pasta. Ofcourse, had to top the chicken with provolone again.

For those of you judging the amount of cheese broiling and pasta eating it sounds like I'm doing. Don't. I hate judgers. Also, it was over 8 days and I buy low fat provolone sliced thin. So you get the flavor but don't feel guilty. I also measure a single portion of the pasta before I put it into boil so I'm not tempted to over indulge.

Maid of Honor Check list

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 21:24:00 +0000

I'm posting this, not to brag on myself, but to help all the other struggling maids of honor out there.
I incessantly Google-d around to find something similar and couldn't, so I made this one up. Some of the things on it are specific to me and my best friend's wedding, so you can ignore those or learn from my mistakes :)

Maid of Honor Survival Kit- I can honestly say we use every single item on this list.
These are all practical things to have in your bag for the bride and other bridesmaids.
It's your job to keep the bride happy and the bridesmaids drama and stress free. Sometimes the wedding planners will have these items, but the bride will feel more comfortable with you reapplying her deodorant...ya know?

bobby pins, big and little
hair spray
lip gloss
tide pen or shout wipes
chapstick
deodorant
safety pins
mints
mouth spray
water bottles
mascara
nail polish- clear
crochet hook - size h-- for the bustle (what a bitch that was) i also think that tweezers would have been helpful for this
scotch tape
band aids
corn pads or shoe pads (anything to doctor up the shoes to make them more comfortable)
lotion (for lubing the ring up)
tissues/handkerchief (groom should make sure to have a handkerchief for the bride to us at the altar to wipe tears, or snot drippings)
Gas X Strips
Excedrin
razor
lighter (no idea what purpose it would serve but i had it)
flip flops
brides dancing shoes or flops
brides wallet, keys, toothpaste, tooth brush and anything else that won't be in her overnight luggage

Things to Remember- during the wedding and at the reception

keep the bridesmaid on schedule for hair and make up and drama free
make sure everyone, including the bride, EATS and drinks lots of water
straighten the veil, fluff the gown
try and keep all the bridesmaids and groomsman together (i didn't do a good job of reigning in the groomsman, but its really hard when everyone wanders off and you're trying to stay on a schedule for pictures)
YOUR SPEECH (lol)
if there's anything you see you can do, ie take out trash, load coolers, just do it. don't ask "what should i do" just take care of stuff
i checked in with Angel every ten minutes or so while she was getting her hair done to make sure she had what she needed or take care of stuff that was running thru her head
put all the brides stuff in your bag that she'll need after the wedding
I made a bag of stuff to put in their room for after the wedding it had chips, oreos, champagne, whiskey, snickers, kit kats, etc. they ate almost everything!
at the reception don't let them talk to anyone longer than 10-15 secs sounds rude but they'll get stuck and won't get to see all the guests
angel and matt really wanted to see the grooms cake and it took 30 minutes to get them through a group to see it
make sure they have drinks (her wedding planner did this i think, cuz she always had them)
try to get them and sit and eat and enjoy each other for a bit

i don't why but...

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 00:05:00 +0000

it makes me really sick at my stomach every time another story breaks about these celebrities that cheat on their wives.

i'm so sad for sandra bullock this week. i love her. i think she's so normal, pretty and kind, and different than other celebrities. she'd waited a long to settle down. she was so cautious. and now he's made her look like an idiot in front of the whole world.

i just don't get it. they always seems in love and adoring in their public appearances. he had a twinkle in his eye when he looked at her. UGH.

why does someone in love cheat?

i guess it's a little bit easier to rationalize or justify if the people were in unhappy marriages and felt stuck. but they didn't seem stuck. they seemed in love!

it's so frustrating to me. and i hate that i know it happens all around me. it makes me feel like honesty is figment of my imagination.

recent food obsessions

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:56:00 +0000

I've been trying to eat healthier lately and in the process have discovered some delish new items.
Thought I'd share them with you:

Butterball Turkey Smoked Sausage- SOOOOOOOOOO Good.
I slice it into 1" chunks and slightly brown each side. Then I pour saurkraut into the pan (about 2 cups) and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Right before you're ready to serve put mozzarella or low fat provolone on top and let it melt. YUM.

Thomas' Bagel Thins- only 100 Calories or 1 WW pt
I've gotten both plain and everything and they're equally great. I make egg sandwiches, pb&j, minipizzas, etc.

Sabra Spinach & Artichoke Hummus- Holy hell this is good.
This satisfies the need for something creamy and indulgent. It reminds me of traditional spinach artichoke dip without all the fatty crap. I dip it with carrots or celery to save on calories. This is BY FAR the best store hummus flavor I've ever tasted.

celebrating

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 01:43:00 +0000

a couple of my readers (well, my only two readers) have given me a hard time about not posting in awhile. the holidays threw me off and then work and then stress and then a litany of other excuses.
so here i am with some happy thoughts.
michael and i celebrated two years of dating bliss last weekend. we had an absolute blast. i loved every second of our pseudo-vacation to downtown jacksonville. we shopped and ate and drank and laughed and walked and had a very delightful day.
i look back at the two years and think oh my goodness life goes by fast when you're having fun. i call it our kissaversary and he calls it our friendaversary since neither of us know the day of our first official date. i got him monster truck jam tickets and he got me my favorite girl scout cookies. we're a simple and easy to please pair.
as you (my two readers) know, we are an extremely social couple. we love to be surrounded by friends and family, so it's on very rare occasions that we get to be in our own company for longer than a few hours.

and ya know what i realized after our faux-vacay?

we are really great together. cheers to many more.

Scorecard

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:09:00 +0000

Michael always says I have a scorecard.
-----------------------------------------
ME: What are you doing tonight?
Him: I don't know. What are you doing?
ME: Come Over.
Him: No you come over.
ME: No, I come over there every time.
Him: Not every time.
Me: Well, the last three times.
Him: WELL IF YOU'RE GOING TO KEEP A SCORECARD [indiscernable grumpy grumbling] fine bye.
-----------------------------
So, I thought this phenomenon was weird. I kept thinking "I can't be the only girl that does this." I decided to refer to my relationship bible, Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus. I thumbed threw it and landed on a section about "RELATIONSHIPS AND KEEPING SCORE."
HOLEY MOLEY.
Don't tell Michael. I don't want it to go to his head. But I think he's right.

The Help

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:28:00 +0000

I just finished Kathryn Stockett's debut novel The Help.
It was 400+ pages and I breezed through it more quickly than any book I've ever read.
I'd been curious about it ever since I was sitting on a airplane and every single woman around me was reading this same exact book.

The novel is set in the early 1960's Mississippi. It follows three primary characters, two Black Housekeepers, and one privileged White woman. They form an admirable, loving, and unique bond in their mutual quest to inspire change and action in the civil rights movement.

It's one of those books that you develop an affection for...almost like how I feel about my boyfriend. I'd change any plans to get to be with it. I'd think about it while I was at work. I'd stay up late and go to work with red eyes just for a few more pages.

The only bad thing about loving a book this much is that now that I finished reading it, I'm a little depressed. There's a void in my heart and on my nightstand.

The Key to Happiness

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:02:00 +0000

I'm privileged to participate in a professional development series at my work. The group meets monthly and we, the aspiring leaders, interview the current leaders of the company in various departments. We had a session today with someone I've observed in the company before. I've never spoken to her, but she's one of those people that has an air or heir or however you spellthatword about them. She glows. Her hair, makeup, and clothing are meticulous. It seems that her attitude follows suite. She smiles at everyone. She looks people in the eye. Like I said...she glows.

As I observed her poised, professional but feminine self speaking to us in the meeting I couldn't help but think, I bet people look at my Mom like this in meetings. She radiates too.

I asked her a question during our session today. The most memorable part of her very articulate answer was "The key to happiness is low expectations."

This struck me as so profound and thoughtful. As I often find myself expecting others to care as much, or work as hard, or [insert unrealistic expectation here] as much as me. Maybe she's on to something. Not in a negative, everyone else in the world sucks and is bound to be a disappointment way. But in the way that maybe there could be rays of sunshine hiding behind the clouds of my own unrealistic nature.

I think I like it.

its baffling to me

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:01:00 +0000

Negativity is baffling me to me.

You know what I mean...when you call someone...someone in support role...for...ya know..SUPPORT and their first reaction to respond with a MILLION reasons why something won't work or why a solution is not an option. Maybe they should find a job working somewhere where their negativity is a job requirement. Like as a prison executioner or something equally horrible and melancholy.

Lighten up. Helping people is fun. Providing solutions gives you a purpose. Cheesh.

One thing I'm Good At...

noreply@blogger.com (Stef Corwin) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:56:00 +0000

I'm trying to be more positive in life. Especially since work is so stressful and it's easy for me to get discouraged.

So my positive self reflection for the day is that I'm really really really ridiculously good at boiling eggs. I have it down to a science. It's incredible and I love being good at it.

How to Boil an Egg...
Put eggs in a sauce pan and cover with cold water.
Set burner to high.
Set timer to twenty minutes.
Remove eggs from boiling water and immediately submerge in an deep boil filled with ice water. This stops the cooking and prevents the yolk turning green. It also causes the membrane inside the shell to seperate from the egg white so you can easily peel the shell away.

Yeah. I'm good at something. :)