reincarnation.

I think that my grandma is living in my backyard. I have been observing a butterfly that landed on my leg this weekend. She flew around and landed on my leg and wouldn't leave. Even after shaking my leg I couldn't get her to fly away. She finally flew off of my leg and landed on the table next to me. I saw her again chilling on one of the posts in my backyard the next day. Then, tonight I found her sitting on a flower pot. A few hours later I went to see if she was still there and she was in the same spot. Then she fluttered around a bit and landed on the chord of my outdoor lights. I am not sure why but I am positive this is my grandma reincarnated as a butterfly. She came back to watch over me.

I can't help but wonder however what this means in the caste system. My grandma was an amazing woman. Insects aside she has been given wings to fly around the world. Something I am sure she never was able to do. Despite her ability to take flight, she is always here for me. Watching over me. Surviving the heat and rain.

Budgeting.

Being a grown up is difficult and when you have to millions of expenses to account for and all of your money in one account the lines begin to blur. How much money do I need to make sure I have in my account to pay my necessary expenses while being able to have a little fun at the same time? And I am pretty terrible at remembering that my fun budget isn't as big as I think it is and usually end up in the red each month.

Well starting Monday I think I am going to go to the envelope system. My friend Kate was telling me about how her and her husband budget by using Dave Ramsey's system of keeping envelopes of cash for each expense. The problem is I'm afraid I need to have a lot of envelopes!

1. Rent

2. Bills

3. Food

4. Clothing

5. Clothing

6. Clothing

7. Travel

8. Travel

9. Beauty (hair, eyebrows, etc.)

That is only 9 and it is already exhausting! Although on a positive note I think that it will make shopping more fun. When my clothing budget gets full I can go and indulge in whatever I want and not feel guilty that I am spending. I think that it will make for a good change in my life!

Ill keep my non-existent readers informed as to how this lifestyle change works out!

Fresh Herbs.

I have been enjoying my new house and indulging in a little bit of cooking. It has taken some adjusting because I have my first gas stove and oven. When I first started my oven I quickly realized that there is no temperature gauge. I bought a temp. meter and since have had to work with some trial and error. Equally as difficult has been learning how to cook on an open flame. My recent cooking endeavor was fresh pesto with cooked tomatoes from the OKC Farmers market.

My recipes are a bit difficult to convey because I tend to introduce ingredients on a tasting basis but I'll attempt to give a recipe....

First, a bunch of basil, about 1/4 cup of pine nuts, clove of garlic. Mix these ingredients in the food processor until mixed into a paste. Pour in olive oil streaming while the mixture continues to spin. Then, add about enough parmesan cheese to cover the top of your mixture in the food processor. Mix again until smooth.

Now like I said I tend to do a lot of taste testing before becoming content with my sauce. I added more pine nuts, more olive oil, AND more parmesan before finishing.

Cook your tomatoes in olive oil face down on the stove in a non-stick pan. As they begin to get tender I would suggest smashing them with your cooking utensil of choice so that the juice mixes with the olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Put your cooked noodles on top of the tomatoes and then pour over the pesto mixture. Stir the ingredients together until the pesto evenly coats the pasta.

And finally, cover your pasta with parmesan and a pinch full of pine nuts.

I would suggest enjoying this with a nice glass of wine but it has been so hot in Oklahoma about the only thing I can stand is a jug of water!