New Plans and Goals!

Well, most of you know how this past year I have been on a whirlwind adventure. I moved back east to live near family for a while, and ended up moving back to sunny southern California because I missed living here.

This past week, I accepted a year-long position with Colette's Children's Home in Huntington Beach. It is through the Americorps Vista program, which is also referred to as the "domestic peace corps." I am really excited about this position because I am going to be able to use my OL Master's Degree--they are going to have me work with their Operations Director and Board to solidify their strategic plan this year, and I will also work with their Executive Director to learn more about fundraising and grantwriting--both skills that I need to build if I plan to stay in the non-profit sector in Orange County. I am excited to begin this position, which starts in mid-August and lasts for a year.

Tentatively, I am also applying to the University of San Diego's PhD program in Leadership Studies with an emphasis on Nonprofit and Philanthropic Management. Ever since I graduated with my Master's last year, I have been exploring options for a PhD program, but have fluctuated because I wasn't sure where I'd land in my job search and with my moves during the last year. I visited USD two weeks ago, met with the Admissions Director, and spent about an hour talking with two students who are currently in the program. I really liked the format and focus of the program, and the campus of the school is beautiful--the building where my department and classes would be held is only 2 years old, and very gorgeous--it even has a view of the ocean and a view of downtown San Diego. If I were to get accepted as a full-time student and be awarded an assistantship (I would have to for the finances to work out), I would tentatively plan to start in the fall of 2010, after finishing my year of being an Americorps Vista. So...we'll see what happens!

I know many of you have been following me in my moves and year of job-searching--and I thank you all for your positive thoughts and prayers! This has been a really long year for me, but the journey has taught me a great deal and I would not have arrived here any other way. I am glad to have moved to Kentucky, but also glad to have moved back to California and to have come full-circle again and land back into the nonprofit sector. Stay posted for how this year goes and how my application process for USD's program goes. I am going to be taking the GRE this fall, and need some prayers for that, as I haven't taken a standardized test in a while.

Regumbah's French Market

I was SO fortunate this week to go with my friend Sharon to a tasting party at Ragumbah's beautiful home in Laguna Beach. What started out as as simple, "Hey, Jennie, you should come to this lady's house tomorrow, it will be fun!" turned into one of the best days I've had all summer!

Most of you know that I have worked part-time at Williams-Sonoma doing sales and cooking classes, and that I have a growing fondness for cooking and all things kitchen related. So, when I showed up with Sharon and learned I got to taste all kinds of special French sirops (syrups) and confits (jellies), I got very excited. Ragumbah is the exclusive importer of these fancy syrups and jellies direct from the maker in France. Her products are in some stores in Laguna Beach and she also sells from her website as well.



What an experience! Even getting to see Regumbah's interesting house was a treat, and that was only the beginning! These French syrups are made using ancient methods in copper pots and are infused with floral essences and oils. They are very subtle but for those with a discerning palette, they are heavenly. We began by tasting some of the floral syrup flavors mixed with some plain Greek yogurt--delicious! Next, Ragumbah handed us crackers spread with creamy goat cheese and with the confit--again, a wonderful flavor. The BEST way to taste them, however, was the sorbets--she and her daughter make sorbets from the syrups combining them in interesting ways, like lemon and violet, or grapefruit and geranium. Heavenly! Other uses for these oils are to add a hint of flavor to whipped cream (or frostings), to make specialty salad dressings, or to flavor champagne to make delicious cocktails.

So, of course when it came to the end of Sharon and I choosing what to purchase, we were torn, but settled on some items for ourselves and to give as gifts to special people we know. So...a couple of you (who probably don't read this, lol) may be receiving some of these in the near future.

Tonight, I came home and began using my selections immediately! I have used my poppy infused syrup in my bottled water (just a few drops and it is so much tastier to drink, and hardly any calories). I made a salad dressing with the poppy syrup that is hands down my favorite dressing--light and refreshing, perfect for summer (recipe will be listed below). I used a tablespoon of the confit, warmed in in the microwave, and drizzled it on my fresh strawberries and blueberries. Then, I used the matching poppy syrup and put a hint of it in the fresh whipped cream I made. Each item was to die for! Amazing flavor, and really added a lot to the dishes, although it is subtle it is very unique and tasty. I just love these!

Yay to Regumbah and her small French import business! I have a feeling that these are going to be popular gifts for friends and family!

Poppy Dressing

*1/2 oz white wine vinegar (of your choice)
*1 oz grapeseed oil (milder flavor than olive or other oils)
*1 tsp Sirop Coquelicot (poppy) from Ragumbah's French Market
*1/8 tsp salt (as an emulsifier)
*1/4 tsp poppy seeds

Combine all ingredients in a cruet and mix throoughly. Dresses a salad for 4. Double or triple for a larger salad.

Great Deal from Craigslist!

So...with the re-painting starting to happen (the kitchen is finished and one wall of the living room as a "test wall" is getting done on Friday), all of the living room furniture is in the center of the room. My roommate said yesterday when we were cleaning everything in preparation for painting that it looks like we're moving...kind of funny, considering I had two huge moves in less than one year.

Looking at the room differently is now making me look at some of the furniture differently. My roommate had suggested turning the couch in a different orientation to maximize on the size of the room a while back, so when the painting finishes, I think it would be nice to try that and see how it looks. If we do that though, I was afraid that the coffee table (which is long and skinney) may look too small for the area--in fact, the way it is designed, I've thought about sitting it in the entry way and looking at it because it kind of could be a "bench" for taking off shoes, etc., but that just depends upon if it fits.

Either way, thinking about the coffee table has gotten me to looking at other coffee tables on Craigslist. Las night, I found an AWESOME coffee table that was larger (square) AND had storage drawers underneath. The owner who posted it said that it was super heavy (not cheaply made) and solid wood. The color was wrong but I often paint things, so I believe that if I painted it black, it would look FABULOUS with the other furniture in there and help fill a very LONG living room (decorating trick...room is too large, use some oversized furniture to fill it and it looks evenly proportioned).

I went over to look at the coffee table today and it was MUCH nicer than it looked originally in the picture. Very heavy, very well taken care of, and nice style. the drawer pulls were black and the drawers had metal guides along the sides almost like file cabinet drawers--very nicely made piece of furniture. So I bought it from her for $25 (if it doesn't work out, I know I can re-sell it for more), and I'm going to paint it up black and see how it looks. That is, when I get is home because it wouldn't fit in my car :-(. I'll figure out a way to get it home so that I can work on painting it. It was a super great price for the weight and look of the table though--I've seen similar ones at Goodwill that I could have painted up that were marked at higher prices.

So...look for future pictures on how this coffee table looks painted up and placed with the other furniture in the living room!

And the winner is........Summer Hue!

OK, so renovations on the place where I live have started to be underway! All the wallpaper is now off of the bathroom and kitchen walls, and my roommate made her final selection on the color that will be painted throughout the house as the warm neutral tone. It is a very light yellow called "Summer Hue" by Dunn Edwards. It is a fabulous yellow because it adds just the right amount of warmth without being a knock-your-socks-off yellow.

The one area that is tricky to decorate around in the condo is the the lighting. Hence the picking of a very light sunny yellow--the light reflects off of it, and it literally will brighten things up. The color looks a bit different in each room due to the lighting, so it adds visual interest, but it looks great in every room so that there is "flow" throughout the house and consistency. So hopefully in the next month or two, I will have some before/after photos to post of the painting.

Other areas that will come after that will be some pics of the downstairs bathroom (which has pretty much been gutted and is going to be brand new, bead board and everything), and possibly a chair slipcover that I am going to attempt to sew as a my first sort of "upholstery" project. So, many more fun pictures to come over the summer! We are lucky because our friend Sharon has offered to help us with the big painting project, which will be an enormous blessing and help us to complete things in a timely manner.

LOTS of things around the house to prep and get ready in order for the big paint! Flooring will end up going into the dining room and kitchen and downstairs bath, so it's like we have to work backwards and accomplish all the things that we can while the flooring is out (like painting, some yard work, etc.). It's so much easier to do these things BEFORE a pristine floor has been put in, hence all the work on other areas than the flooring to get ready for the flooring.

I will make sure I take my before pictures in the next week or so to show progress along the way. Fun stuff!!!

Cousin Karl's Graduation...

My cousin Karl will be graduating from High School in a couple weeks...here is one of my card creations. [I am attempting to actually USE some of my crafty things that I've accumulated, now that I have more time than I used to while working and in school.] Happy upcoming graduation, Karl!!!