the ward family blog

the house hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 23:45:00 +0000

For my first-in-a-long-time update, I thought I might clue you in to the biggest adventure in our lives right now...house hunting.

We've decided we're finally over renting. I personally have decided that I never, ever, ever, ever again want to share a wall with a non-family-member. We've been scraping together a down payment for the last several months, and a few weeks ago, we finally called up a realtor and asked her to help us find our first house.

There have been several candidates so far, but I don't think we're close to making any offers. We have a lot of pretty specific requirements. I want a gas cooktop. Ross needs a non-master bedroom on the ground floor to haul heavy equipment in and out of the house two or three times a week. My small kitchen appliances are red, and I don't want the cabinets or floors to clash. Also frustrating: $150,000 doesn't go very far in Jenks, where we're looking to buy, but move one or two more miles south, and it buys a mansion on several acres. So frustrating!

Here are some houses we're thinking of taking a look at in the next couple of weeks. Advice and suggestions are always welcome!

House #1

House #2

House #3

At least we have a lot of options!

one hundred thousand miles

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 May 2011 22:42:00 +0000

Here's to 100,000 miles down and another 100,000 to go. I love my car!

designer pet shampoo

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 21:30:00 +0000

Yep. It exists. I think it's safe to say this falls in the "beyond" section at bed bath & beyond.

i've been working

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 04:09:00 +0000

Angie left me a comment letting me know that the people demand updates. Frankly, I didn't know I had people, but who am I to argue?

I've always thought updates would be much easier if people would write in with specific questions because I can never think of what to write. Problem is, nobody wrote in with specific questions. So I decided to make some up. It's make-believe. You know, like on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

What have you been up to since your last update? What's keeping you so busy that you can't muster the time or energy to post?
I've been working.

I work, too. That's no excuse.
Well, I also took a bar exam in February. I thought it would be a good idea to be licensed in two states.

You want to be licensed to practice law in two states? Are you crazy?
I'm not sure yet. The doctor is running some tests.

Did studying for the bar exam really take so much of your time that you couldn't post an update on your blog?
Well, no, because I didn't study nearly as much as I should have. The answer to my family law essay was "Yes." But like I said, I was also working. And we were closing this big deal, and millions of dollars got wired to our client after the papers were signed, and I had to make like nine different versions of 100 different pieces of paper, and it was all pretty crazy.

That sounds serious. Did you get a cut of the money?
Unfortunately, no. And if I had gotten even a 1% cut, I would have quit my job, paid off all my debts, and moved to a remote unnamed island off the coast of Mexico by now. And I would have hired someone to write this blog post two weeks ago.

I still don't believe you haven't had time to write on your blog. What else have you been doing? Have you been compulsively watching X-Files on Netflix streaming?
Yes. I am almost finished with season 7. It's such a great show! I keep wondering why I never watched X-Files when it was actually airing on television.

I heard David Duchovny isn't billed as a main character in seasons 8 and 9 of the X-Files. What kind of crap is that?
I know, right? Without Fox Mulder, seasons 8 and 9 of the X-Files aren't even really the X-Files anymore. I think I'll call them the Y-Files. Or perhaps the Why-Files, as in Why did anybody bother to make this show without David Duchovny in front of the camera week after week?

You are not as clever as you think you are.
I know.

The washing machine just beeped. Shouldn't you go move the laundry to the dryer?
Probably, but the clothes I laundered yesterday are still in the dryer, and I don't want to fold them.

Isn't your husband kind of type-A about stuff like that? And since he's busy making cables for some new electronic toy he bought, don't you think he'll ask you to take care of the laundry in the very near future?
Excellent point. Perhaps I should go to sleep so I'll have a good excuse not to!

Thanks for indulging me in a game of make-believe.

--LW

Untitled

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 18:10:00 +0000

Notice Oklahoma's precipitation forecast during the next 48 hours.

I'm not sure I can take much more of this!

look what i made!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 01:45:00 +0000

an email exchange

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 04:00:00 +0000

My mom knows me like only a mother can know her child. To illustrate, here is our email exchange from earlier today.

Mom wrote:

Subject: belated greeting

Leah,

I just realized today that this past Sunday was National Pie Day. Knowing how much you love pie (various kinds), I wanted to apologize for letting such an important holiday go by without acknowledging it. If you were here or I was there, I'd make you a pie for sure!

Love,

Mom

I replied:

Mom,

Thank you so much for the belated greeting. I, too, failed to realize this momentous holiday in a timely fashion. Therefore, I have decided to celebrate it at a later date to be determined -- perhaps this Saturday.

Allow me to take this opportunity, however, to acknowledge another day of note. According to my Food Network desk calendar, today is National Pistachio Day. Additionally, this holiday is of lesser consequence than National Pie Day, but it should be acknowledged and observed nonetheless.

Finally, please mark your calendar for yet another significant day. In addition to being my birthday, March 4th is National Pound Cake Day. The stars must have aligned on the day of my birth, as this could not have been a coincidence. No; it must have been God pre-ordaining my undying love of cake. Please begin your fervent preparations for this Double Holiday with haste, as we have much to celebrate. Cake, of course, will be a necessity on this wondrous occasion. Out of reverence, perhaps we should contemplate making a cake of the pound variety.

Love,

Leah

Ah, my mother. She knows me too well.

Hey mom, pass the pie, would ya?

WINNER: who is the target market for this product?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 05:50:00 +0000

We had four fabulous entries to last week's contest. Here were the entries:

Sarah's top pick was the Good Luck Money Ring. (Slogan: A ring that actually attracts money!) It's layered in 24-karat gold elegance! Oh yeah, and one size fits all.

Heather's entry was the Hide & Seek Doll, a creepy Chucky-style doll meant to trick people into thinking you've got extremely quiet, very still munchkin children counting off a game of hide and seek in your corner. They're guaranteed to bring smiles to all they meet!

Breanne gave us this gem: the Jacquard Caftan, which appears to be some sort of wearing apparel. Or perhaps it's a tablecloth or a window treatment; I'm not entirely sure. In any event, it's purported to be figure-flattering and is "perfect for wearing while entertaining guests or simply lounging around the house." And a bonus: It fits sizes 6-24!

Finally, Angela presented us with the Neck Genie Elite. This scientific marvel of a product will help you look years younger in just minutes a day. It appears to be some type of neck exercise apparatus that will rid you of your double chins and neck folds. Also, it comes with an "elegant storage bag." I don't know about you guys, but I'm sold!

I thought about these entries all weekend, and it was very tough to pick a winner. In the end, though, I have to go with the Good Luck Money Ring. Why? Because it's the stupidest product of the entire group. It has literally no function other than to be ridiculous. The Hide & Seek Doll could probably double as a small scare crow. The Jacquard Caftan, while hideous, actually does function to cover up the necessary body parts (and then some!). And while I'm sure the Neck Genie Elite won't actually make my double chin go away, I bet it actually does exercise some of the muscles in that region. The Good Luck Money Ring, though? There's no way it actually attracts money, and it's ugly as sin. There's nothing else you can do with it that's worthwhile.

Thus...I declare Sarah the winner! Congratulations, Sarah. As first-prize winner, I've decided it's only appropriate to give you the product you picked out! Get ready; very soon, you will be the proud owner of a Good Luck Money Ring! (And a $10 Sonic gift card, just for being a good sport.)

Honorable mention goes to Breanne for the Jacquard Caftan, mostly because I know the meaning of neither jacquard nor caftan. (My best guess is that jacquard means "ugly" and caftan means "tent.") In addition, this product purports to make you look thinner, but it breaks every fashion rule in the book. It's a giant, loud-colored, patterned blanket, and you want me to believe it's figure-flattering? Ha! Congratulations, Breanne. I'm not going to send you a Jacquard Caftan, but I will send you a $10 gift card to the restaurant or retailer of your choice (provided there's a location in Tulsa).

Sarah, Breanne: email your addresses to me at march4th {at} gmail {dot} com to claim your prize!

Heather, Angie: better luck next time. And yes, there will be a next time!

who is the target market for this product?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 01:26:00 +0000

And a better question: What other great products do you think we could find at dreamproductscatalog.com?
Let's do a scavenger hunt, shall we? Report back with your findings by leaving a comment. The person who finds the most hilarious product, as determined solely by me, will win a prize (which prize will also be determined solely by me).
Okay...GO!

**UPDATE: This contest will be open until Friday, January 21, 2011, at 5:00 p.m. CST. Winner will be announced over the weekend. The prize is a secret, but it's gonna be awesome!

the beginning

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 01:58:00 +0000

The View

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 15:14:00 +0000

Just wanted to share with you the view from my new office.

the mac donald's

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 04:10:00 +0000

Have I told you about my Grannie?

Her name is Fern. She's...well, she can't be explained in just one sentence. Instead, I think I'd like to try to explain her in a series of blog posts. Only problem, though, is you have to promise never to tell Fern I'm writing about her. It might make her as sick as she's ever been. (More on that some other time.)

If I had to choose one word to describe Fern's most prominent personality trait, I'd say this: Fern is frugal. Miserly, even. Once my mom told me how embarrassed she was that Fern refused to buy sandwich bags when my mom was a child. Instead, Fern saved bread bags after the loaf was gone, then used those to put sandwiches in and send with her kids to school for lunch. "That's not so bad," I thought. Then I learned that some of those bread bags had been in use literally for years. Fern washed the bread bags and hung them out to dry on the line, right alongside the clothes. Miserly, I say.

There's no telling how far Fern will go to save a penny, especially on food. Recently, Fern found herself with a surplus of hamburger buns. She had five leftover buns and nothing to do with them. But suddenly, a lightbulb! McDonald's double cheeseburgers are only ONE DOLLAR EACH! So Fern drove herself down to The Mac Donald's. ("You just can't beat a hamburger from The Mac Donald's," she says.) She walked up to the counter and ordered five double cheeseburgers, plain, cheese on the side. I can only imagine how puzzled the clerk must have been, but she complied. Fern paid $5 plus tax and, as I picture it, left the restaurant giddy, gleeful, having just hatched an ingenious scheme. She drove home and retrieved her five leftover hamburger buns. Then, she disassembled the double cheeseburgers, cheese on the side, and reassembled them into -- you guessed it -- ten cheeseburgers.

What did she do with the cheeseburgers? She didn't have friends over. She didn't binge on fast food. "I wrapped 'em up real tight and put 'em in the freezer!" she said. "Now I can have me a Mac Donald's cheeseburger anytime I want! And they only cost 50 cents a piece!"

Like I said, Fern is frugal. Miserly, even.

Oh Christmas Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 02:13:00 +0000

...oh Christmas tree, you took all day to put up!

My first pie

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 18:49:00 +0000

In all my years of cooking and baking, how is it that I've never made a pie until now?

(It turned out very tasty, by the way!)

Who is the target audience for this product?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 23:26:00 +0000

I've seen the Mangroomer multiple times in Bed Bath & Beyond circulars. Who buys this thing? And how many people have injured themselves with it?

It's things like this that make me laugh out loud.

Happy Thanksgiving, all. And if you're on a diet, just picture a fat hairy man using this during your holiday meal tomorrow! That oughta quell your appetite!

I'm thankful.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 02:05:00 +0000

I'm thankful for my husband.

I'm thankful for my job.

I'm thankful for my family.

I'm thankful for a car that runs.

I'm thankful that my biggest worry is what to cook for dinner, not whether we'll have enough food to eat.

I'm thankful for my friends who accept me despite my severe lack of a social life...and who drag me out for coffee despite my objections.

I'm thankful for my education.

I'm thankful for pie. That's right. Pie.

I'm thankful for my sister.

I'm thankful for my brother-in-law, and I hope he still likes me even though I didn't send him a card on his birthday. (Does a text count?)

I'm thankful that my mom taught me how to cook.

I'm thankful that my dad taught me how to keep learning.

I'm thankful for the click-clack-clack of the keys on the keyboard as my husband practices the piano with his earphones on.

I'm thankful for life. And I'm thankful for the one who provides it.

Celebrate your blessings this Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for?

Ross's new toy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 02:45:00 +0000

where have i been?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 02:20:00 +0000

WORKING, that's where!

Seriously, though -- sorry for the lack of updates. Know what I need? BLOGGER FOR IPHONE. Google, I know you and Apple don't get along, but I sure wish you would get over your differences if only for the one purpose of giving the good bloggers of the world an iPhone app from which to quickly blog. If not, I might have move this blog to wordpress or tumblr, which would surely break my little heart. (Tumblr is neat, though...)

I have some serious baking planned in the coming weeks, including a mass-production of pumpkin bread (or cake, as my mother insists), a pumpkin pie, and homemade marshmallows. I guess making marshmallows isn't so much baking as it is candy making...so, we're gonna be making some candy 'round these parts, too. I'll do my bestest to take a few pictures of the process or at least post the recipes and a review!

attorney at law

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 04:28:00 +0000

Hello again.

It's been a while, and I apologize for that. News:

I started my job on September 1.
Then, on September 10, I found out I passed the bar exam.
I got my first paycheck on September 15 (yay!).
On September 22, I was sworn in and received my license to practice law.

It has been a good month! Of course, adjusting to working full-time has been a bit of a challenge. My house is dirty, there are dishes in the sink, I have been putting off ironing for about ten days now, and we eat more grilled cheese sandwiches than I care to admit.

But I like my job. I like it a lot.

I'm gonna try to do better around here, and now that I actually do leave the house at least once a day, I will probably have more to write about. The month after the bar exam, I sat around and did, literally, nothing, so it was hard to come up with stuff to write about. What do you blog about when the only thing you did that day was take two naps, watch five hours of television, and nuke a Lean Cuisine?

So keep reading. I'll try to keep writing.

big money! no whammy!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 15:18:00 +0000

Kirstie & Nathan (my sister & brother-in-law) visited last weekend, and we had a really good time. Most ridiculous thing we did? Well...Nathan decided that because he'd never been to a casino before, it was absolutely necessary that we go. So Saturday night, we did. I encourage you to visit any casino's website. You will see many photos of lovely, young, well-dressed people having the time of their lives. I think these people must have been hired, because do you know what we did see?

Rows and rows and rows of slot machines
A bright red plastic ashtray at each and every slot machine
Old ladies clutching dollar bills in the left hand and a burning cigarette in the right hand
Five middle-aged men on stage playing country music (and they weren't bad, really)
A "non-smoking area," which measured about 100 square feet and was immediately adjacent to a cigarette vending machine

It was pretty crazy, and Nathan was less than impressed. I suspect this might have something to do with the fact that he put $10 in a slot machine and lost it all in about three minutes. "Big money! No whammy!" he said. But it was big whammy, no money.

We surveyed the despair around us and decided we didn't want to become senior citizens clutching their Social Security money at the penny slots. So we left and went for frozen yogurt.

Kirstie fared pretty well, though. Here she is with her winnings!

what a week!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 21:05:00 +0000

We've had a busy seven days.

We drove to Colorado. It took a really long time.
We stayed in Littleton, south of Denver.
We drove to a wedding rehearsal in Loveland, north of Denver. It took about 1.5 hours.
We drove to Littleton.
We drove to Loveland for a wedding.
We drove back to Littleton.
We drove to Denver for dinner.
We drove back to Littleton.
The next day, we drove to Tulsa. By the way, Kansas is boring. Windmills and silos. Fields and barns. That's pretty much it.
The day after that, I drove to Mountain Home.
Then, I drove to Calico Rock.
The next day, I drove back to Tulsa.
Today, I refused to drive anywhere. Except to the Honda service garage for my little Accord's 90,000 mile tune-up.
I hope I can see my car hit 290,000 miles. I love the Accord.
When it finally dies, I think I will replace my Accord with another Accord.
Or maybe a different Honda.
But definitely a Honda.

I digress.

Kirstie & Nathan are coming to Tulsa this weekend. It will be so great to see them! We don't get to enough. I'll try to remember to tote my camera around and post some pictures early next week.

Leah

brown sugar cookies & a new food blog

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:44:00 +0000

Can I tell you three words that will change the way you think about sweets? Okay: brown sugar cookies. YUM.

I am a longtime lover of sugar cookies. I am also a longtime lover of brown sugar. I have been known to sneak a bite every now and then when baking. (One-fourth of a cup in the bowl...and a spoonful for me.) Sometime in the few weeks before the bar exam, in a stress-induced frenzy, I had a random thought: is there a way to combine my love of sugar cookies and brown sugar?! Yes -- brown sugar cookies!

So, after the bar, I googled. I settled on this recipe from a blog called Nosh With Me, which I instantly fell in love with. How did I not know this baking blog existed before now? Go check it out -- her recipes look so great!

This recipe appears to be originally from Cook's Illustrated. I get that magazine, so how I missed the recipe I will never know. I'm glad I found it, though. It's goooood.

Without further ado:

Brown Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
14 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (about 1 3/4 ounces)
2 cups packed dark brown sugar (14 ounces)
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (about 10 1/2 ounces)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Directions
Heat 10 tablespoons of the butter in a pan over medium-high heat until melted. Continue to cook the butter until it is browned a dark golden color and smells nutty, about 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer the browned butter to a bowl and stir the rest of the butter into the hot butter until it melts. Set aside & let rest for 15 min.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350. In a baking dish (I used a pie plate), mix granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar until combined well; set aside.
Mix flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl & set aside. To the cooled butter, add 1 ¾ cup brown sugar and mix until there are no lumps. Add egg, yolk, and vanilla to butter mixture and mix well, then add flour and mix until just combined. (Note: I mixed entirely by hand with no problems. I wouldn't use a mixer for this recipe!)
Roll dough into balls about 1-1/2 inches in diameter, and roll balls in brown sugar and white sugar mixture. If you have a cookie scoop, use it! Place balls about 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets.
Bake sheets one at a time until cookies are puffy and lightly browned, about 12- 14 minutes. I have a darker cookie sheet and a lighter cookie sheet. I baked for 13 minutes on the lighter sheet and 12 minutes on the darker sheet. DO NOT OVERBAKE! The cookies will crack, and dough peeking through the cracks will look raw. Don't be alarmed. After a few minutes of cooling, this will turn into yummy, chewy goodness.
These cookies are best when still warm served with a glass of milk. Try them out! You won't be disappointed.

granola!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 03:09:00 +0000

Look what I made in the crock pot. Granola!

It's true. I got the recipe here, at a blog I recently discovered. It turned out pretty great! Here's what you need, though the ingredients can certainly vary. I'm learning that granola is really a "use whatever you have on hand" kind of situation.

You need:
5 cups oats
1 T. flax seeds
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 c. unsweetened coconut
1/4 c. slivered almonds
1/4 c. craisins
1/4 c. raisins
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. honey

This is the easy part: put all ingredients in your crock pot and mix. Cook on high for about 3 hours. Try to stir every 20 to 30 minutes. It works best if you vent the lid with something.

I like this granola quite a bit. It's not too crunchy and only a little sweet, and it has craisins, which I consider a huge bonus! Don't get me wrong; I like raisins, but raisins are just so...blah. I like the addition of craisins. It gives the granola a little zing.

I found the crock pot method a little fussy, though. Next time, I'll probably just bake it in the oven on 350 and stir every five minutes or so. Granola in the crock pot can burn (though it takes a lot longer than in the oven), and I thought the frequent stirring was kind of a hassle -- a lot more of a hassle than keeping a careful eye on granola in the oven. But that's just me.

Anyway, here's what I did with my granola!

Who needs a restaurant for a fruit & yogurt parfait? I make my own. They're tastier. And they come in a pretty glass.

Pretty glasses: it's how I roll. (Also, it's how I use glasses that otherwise sit in the cabinet and collect dust. Somebody should've told me I'd never use fancy dinner- & glassware.)

the bar exam: an evolution (or devolution?) of meals

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 20:20:00 +0000

A long time ago, I had aspirations to tell you about a simple and summery and delicious meal I made for myself one night when Ross was working. It was only a simple pasta primavera, but it looked so pretty I just had to snap a photo. I wanted to write a blog post to tell you all about how delicious it was and how easy it is to make, but studying for the bar exam took over, and I just didn't have time.

Shot in my kitchen on June 21, 2010 (five weeks before the bar exam):

Then, about a month later, I snapped another photo of a meal I made for myself one night when Ross was working. It was a sad step down from pasta primavera to peanut butter & jelly.

Shot in my living room on July 16, 2010 (11 days before the bar exam):

Things only got worse from here. In the five days before the bar exam, I went to Panera twice (two days in a row, AND I ordered the same thing both times), Pei Wei once, and Chili's once. I ate more grilled cheese sandwiches than any 27-year-old is supposed to. One day, I went to Target and bought only marshmallows and sour gummy worms. The day before the bar exam, my sweet mom sent me one dozen cupcakes.

The diet has not been going well around here. Luckily, I don't have to take another bar exam for a whole six months. Now if I could just find a way to fit into my suits in one month...

post-bar update

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 20:25:00 +0000

Hello, friends!

I just wanted to give you a quick update. The bar exam is over. Without exaggerating, I can safely say that it was the worst thing I have ever had to do in my entire life except attend my PaPa's funeral. I would rather have my wisdom teeth extracted nine times than take the bar again.

Today at church, one of our friends asked me about the test. "I'm sure it was a long test," he said. "What, three hours?" I think he almost had a coronary when I told him I had to write 16 essays in 8 hours -- and that was just day one! I envy people who've never been to law school. What marvelous, stress-free lives they must lead, where a three-hour test is on the long end.

You'll be glad to know I'm back to my old self, though. I'm watching a lot of TV and making lots of food. I'm experimenting with a crock pot granola recipe as we speak! I'm also awaiting the arrival of some new baking pans I ordered from Amazon, and I have some fun test recipes lined up to break them in. I've got several posts planned for the next few weeks, so stick around and see what the Wards are up to these days!

Leah