Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Books: February 2013

...or, more accurately, book.  Yeah.  I only read one book this month.  And technically, at the time I'm writing this post, I haven't quiiiiiiiiite finished it yet.  But I will by tomorrow, the end of the month!

via Tower Books
Believe it or not, I've never actually read The Lord of the Rings.  I tried to, in middle school, when the movies were first being released...but it's kind of a slow read, and it reminded me more of a history book than a novel, so I never finished the first book.  I hate history.  But then I met Mr. Geek, and after a few years (literally) of convincing, I finally decided to give Tolkien another go.  At The Mister's suggestion, I started with The Hobbit this time- which reads more like a fairytale than a textbook and therefore feels more like entertainment than work.

So now, I've finally started LotR.  And...I like it!  This isn't nearly as arduous as I remember :)  Maybe it's because I enjoyed The Hobbit (both the book and the movie) aaaaaaaaaand because we listened to the first half on CD while driving back and forth from Alabama for wedding stuff.  So technically I've only read half this book, but it counts!  And I like it.  And in March, I'm tackling the next one.

What books did you read this month?

Much love,
The Geeks

Monday, February 25, 2013

Fashion Aspirations

Today it was in the upper 40's...spring is just around the corner and I'm so excited!  My wardrobe is not quite ready yet, though.  There are a few key pieces I want to acquire that can be remixed a millions different ways this season and beyond.

A Blue Pant Suit

earrings: Forever 21 / jacket: New York & Company / top: ModCloth / necklace: ModCloth / pants: New York & Company / bag: Prada via Rue La La / shoes: ModCloth
I have a grey pant suit and a black suit with both pants and a skirt, but I'd really like to shake things up with a bright blue pant suit that I can wear with a plain white blouse or other bright colors.  The Prada bag included in this board is never gonna happen, but hey, a girl can dream, right?  I would like to pick up a nice square handbag, though.

A Grey Pencil Skirt

cardigan: ModCloth / earrings: ModCloth / top: Ted Baker via ideeli / bag: ModCloth / skirt: ModCloth / shoes: Vince Camuto via ideeli
 I can't believe I've made it this far in life without a pencil skirt.  I need to correct that.  We'll start with a dark neutral (preferably a grey, not a black) and then maybe branch out to bright colors.  I love the rosy pink-and-red theme of this board, especially that lovely cardigan- I'm a sucker for sweaters in every color of the rainbow.

Navy Blazer

earrings: ModCloth / shirt: Brooks Brothers via Rue La La / blazer: Forever 21 / khakis: J Crew / shoes: Stella McCartney via ideeli / bag: Forever 21
 I really think the whole khaki-pants-and-navy-blazer look isn't something reserved for boys only- so I want to try it, too.  I realize I just mentioned finding myself a blue pant suit, but for that I'm thinking more of a cobalt blue- this blazer is more of a sport-coat-navy-blue.  And I think it's time to get a new everyday bag- this time I think I'll go for a tan instead of a black.

What basic pieces are you looking for this spring?

Much love,
The Geeks

Friday, February 22, 2013

Oh, Internet...{8}

This week started out with a 3-day weekend, which was fantastic.  The internet certainly didn't take a holiday though!  Here's a look at some of the internet's hard work from this week:

educational! // chart by Good Eggs via The Kitchn
beautiful! // artwork by Maxwell Tielman via Design*Sponge
I adore those mirrored dressers! // photo by Nicole White via Apartment Therapy
I am not normally a fan of Keiko Lynn's style, but I am in love with that coat!
OHMYGOSH HE'S SO CUTE // via Cheezburger


I love this dollhouse remodel featured on Apartment Therapy.  I've always wanted to do this- decorate a dollhouse like I would decorate my dream house.

The Squirrels' wedding invitations are INCREDIBLE!

Check out this Hypable piece on the coolest college Quidditch players.

What happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... is inspired by Kaelah Bee's Things I Love Thursday posts.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Fancy Dress

Mr. Geek and I have tickets to the ballet in March- The Washington Ballet's Cinderella.  It was sort of a joint Valentine's present to each other- he likes the chance to put on a nice suit and take me out on the town, and I, of course, love the ballet.  (He's starting to like ballet too, for that matter.  My efforts to "culture" him are working!) 

I recently traded in some credit card rewards points for a Kohl's gift card, so I'll be heading there soon to pick up a new dress to wear on this upcoming fancy date.  I'm not quite sure what I'm looking for, so, as always, I hit up ModCloth for some inspiration, and I found this beauty:


Mermaid to Measure Dress via ModCloth
Oh, my.  This is quite the stunner.  A little sexy, very classy...and out of stock.  (Not to mention my price range.)

I'm not sure I'll find anything like this at Kohl's of all places, but maybe this will be my inspiration- a 20's/30's-inspired silhouette, a slimming black, a touch of the unexpected.

Do you like playing dress up?  What's your idea of the perfect date?  What's your go-to place for fashion inspiration?

Much love,
The Geeks

Monday, February 18, 2013

Alexander Carpenter, Everyone


Let's just appreciate the adorableness that is Alex Carpenter today.

(Mainly because I can't come up with anything interesting to write.)

Happy Monday!

Much love,
The Geeks

Friday, February 15, 2013

Oh, Internet... {7}

Lent may have started this week, but the internet certainly isn't giving up being awesome.  Here's some of that awesomeness:

image via Cheezburger
via Hypable
perspective // via boredboarder8 on reddit


Zach Galifianakis is hilarious, you guys.

Check out these Hypable interviews with Mary Kate Wiles and Ashley Clements .

What awesome things happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... is inspired by Kaelah Bee's Things I Love Thursday posts.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

On Fasting and Abstinence

As today is Ash Wednesday, I had planned to write a little about what I'm giving up for Lent this year.  Every year, I spend all day on Mardi Gras stuffing my face and talking loudly about all the things I'm giving up or taking on for the next 40 days and how hard it's going to be.  And then, every year, on Ash Wednesday the Gospel reading tells us that when we're fasting, we should not look gloomy- we should not look like we're fasting.  In other words, when we pray by sacrificing things, we shouldn't brag about the things we're sacrificing- that sort of takes away from it.

So I'm not going to share with you what I'm giving up for Lent, and I'm not going to ask what you're giving up.

It's really interesting, these 40 days of prayer and penance, of fasting and sacrifice.  It's certainly easy to appear gloomy during Lent, when we give up the little indulgences that we love and focus instead on our relationship with God.  But I don't think that sacrificing things implies that the things themselves are bad- after all, when Saint Joseph's Day comes around, we're allowed to relax our Lenten observances a bit and celebrate the feast (but not on Saint Patrick's Day, though some people seem to think so).  I think the point of sacrificing something for Lent is to remind ourselves that we are dust, and unto dust we shall return-our bodies may be of this world, as are our physical indulgences, but our souls are not.  So the act of sacrificing something- like meat on Fridays- doesn't have to be a gloomy experience at all.  When we lived in Roanoke, my family would often have dinner at Parker's Seafood on Friday nights during Lent, and it always felt like such a treat.  My sisters and I would always order the same thing- fettuccine alfredo with shrimp- and we would spend the whole dinner catching up on each others' lives.  Fridays during Lent were generally free of extra curricular activities- football season was over, so our marching band musicians had no obligations, and dance class was generally a Monday - Thursday event (although Lent occasionally coincided with competition season, so sometimes I had to meet everyone at the restaurant all sweaty after practice)- so we were all able to relax and decompress and laugh about the week.  Sacrificing meat for seafood- something that was considered a much simpler, less celebratory food in Biblical times- brought our family together for a happy dinner, not a gloomy one.

How do you tackle your Lenten sacrifices?  (But remember- I'm not asking you what those sacrifices are!!)

Much love,
The Geeks

Monday, February 11, 2013

Lifescouts: Skydiving

image via Lifescouts
This post was originally written a long, long time ago on my old Livejournal account, right after my little adventure.  It's a pretty good story, so I thought I'd share it here.

How Mrs. Geek Earned the Skydiving Badge

We met early in the morning and talked of logistical matters- how many vehicles to take, who should drive, how many people could fit in each car, would we have time to stop for a meal. Two of our number were late arriving, but we found out later in the day that this hour would’ve been spent waiting either way. We climbed in the cars discussing the lies, half-truths, and denials we’d fed our parents so that they would let us out of their sights for an entire day- most, myself included, never told our parents a thing so as to save unnecessary worry. We swapped stories about how we’d spent the night before.  One boy had wanted to go to confession but was unable to make it without raising suspicions about why such a thing would be so completely necessary. He was at peace with his life, though, and knew in his heart that his affairs were in order and that everything would be okay. Most of our stories were different in tone from his; we’d had intentions of going to sleep early to be well-rested and prepared for the day’s events, but had instead spent the entire evening at bars and nightclubs and parties with the small, quiet voice in the back of our minds reminding us that this could be our last night alive, so we should make the most of it.
We were a surprisingly morbid bunch.
After two and a half hours of discussions about Power Rangers, questioning one boy’s sexual preferences, and discovering Seagull Paradise (Seagull Island? Seagull Village? What did we name that place?) we arrived at the air field in Delaware and picked up our paperwork.
Most people signed their lives away blindly; I tried to read the whole thing carefully, wanting to know exactly what my family’s rights were should something happen, exactly who they could sue (the answer: no one), but in the end my impatience beat my maturity and I scribbled my signature on the last page and rushed to turn it back in. I scribbled my signature again on a check for $150 and was disappointed to hear that the video/pictures package was unavailable that day. We took our seats in the shade and waited to hear our names called to begin our (very, very, very) brief training.
It was summertime hot, but not nearly as stifling as the 100 degrees of weeks past, so a Frisbee was thrown about and a really terrible game of volleyball soon began. The sun reached its highest peak in the sky overhead (behind a humid haze of thin white clouds) and our stomachs rumbled with complaints about a lack of breakfast or lunch. We were told that our first set still had an hour and a half to wait, so a few of us drove from the middle of nowhere to a little west of the middle of nowhere, past cornfields and cemeteries and railroad tracks, to a tiny restaurant advertising pizza and subs. 

I ate as if I’d never eaten before, as if I’d never tasted a ham sandwich quite so delicious, then proceeded to look at the “coolest CD player ever,” one which was “so tight.” Our little lunchtime delegation found a grocery store on our way back to the middle of nowhere and purchased bottled water to keep us energized.
As we climbed back in the car with the water in the trunk, it dawned on me exactly why we were in the parking lot of a Food Lion in DelMar (the place where Delaware and Maryland come together, where the land is divided by crooked, curvy streets marking the boundaries), and for the first time that day my adrenaline started pumping.
The pumping died down when we were met in the parking lot by an instructor, offering us vouchers to come back another day if we wished since the wait was literally going to be all day long. Two of our number took him up on the offer; they were staying the whole weekend at the beach there anyway and would come back the next day. The other ten of us all decided that since we’d traveled so far to get here and spent all day building up the anticipation, a few more hours couldn’t do us any harm.
We sat around sharing funny stories about work and downing the lukewarm bottled water as if it were the elixir of life, and all the while I kept snapping pictures and telling people to smile, because this could be the last picture ever taken of them.
“You mean the last picture ever taken of me alive,” someone said. “I’m sure they take pictures while they prep for burial.”
We laughed about painting the fields with our mangled bodies, wondering if we could manage to smash into the ground in the form of a smiley face. We said we should call our lawyers (though none of us actually have any) and hurriedly arrange a last will and testament, promising our cars and stereos and gun collections and other favorite worldly possessions to whomever managed to survive the day if we did not. The instructors listening to our morbid conversation chuckled and shook their heads and kept walking past.
We were laughing at the thought of death. We were so young, so alive, that the idea of dying seemed so preposterous that the only way to deal with it was to joke about it. We could simply not fathom the idea that perhaps the adventure we were about to embark on could end in some way other than a safe return. We were invincible.
The first pair was called to receive their harnesses. I tagged along, trusty camera in hand, wanting to document the entire experience on film so that friends and family would know why we were gone in case we didn’t return. Still we smiled.
The little Cessna came trundling into view and the boys met their instructors who tweaked their harnesses and reminded them again about the simple choreography of limbs necessary to insure that everything went smoothly. Suddenly they were squeezing themselves into the back of the rickety old plane, and I felt my first wave of fear; we were really going to do this. 
Fifteen minutes went by (maybe more?) but it felt like an eternity. The next pair was called in for preparation, and again I photographed the ordeal of hooking snaps and pulling belts and turned my face away to hide my blush as the instructor asked the guys to “move their boys” out of the way so the harness could be tightened fully. A call rang out over the loudspeaker informing those around that in two minutes, we should scan the skies for the specs that would be our friends. 
I climbed into the back of the golf cart and was driven out to the gravel bullseye in the middle of the field, the constant photographer on the watch.
“There they are!” an instructor shouted, readying himself to assist with the landing and recovery.
It was Icarus, flying too close to the sun on his makeshift wings. He was soaring, spinning in circles, coming around in a wide, sweeping arc. But his wings would not melt to pieces; he was getting closer; I snapped one, two, three pictures; there he was- and he was not Icarus, he was Cameron, and he was safely landing on the ground, striding confidently forward as if he’d been traveling by Portkey for years, falling out of the sky on a regular basis. As his parachute was gathered up, there came another- I recognized him immediately as Scoop, his floppy mop of blonde-brown hair blowing in a gentle breeze. His long legs were pulled in close to himself and then he was back again, standing firm on solid ground, once more on this earth, a part of this world below the clouds and the sun.
I screamed for them like they were rockstars, and both vehemently told the instructors they wanted to go again- right now- higher- faster- longer- 
I strode back across the field, camera in hand, preparing to capture the next pair climbing aboard the plane that looked so fragile when on the ground but so agile when climbing up up up. Any fear was gone, and the adrenaline hadn’t started. All I felt now was envy and impatience; I wanted to fly, and I wanted to fly now. I couldn’t stand the thought of waiting for the next group to go- I needed to experience this for myself.
But I did wait, if impatiently, and waved goodbye to the next two boys who climbed into the plane with their instructors. After what felt like an age, I was being strapped into my own harness (snug all over but especially pinching at the thighs) and went to receive my training.
“So what made you want to do this?” asked the instructor. I thought about it for a second, then decided on my answer.
“Well,” I explained, “I’m only a teenager for a couple more weeks; I figured I should do something stupid while I can still get away with it.”
“This isn’t stupid,” he laughed.
“My mom would think this is stupid,” I replied.
invincible, stupid, 19-year-old me // {personal photo}
We, the only two girls brave enough for this adventure, were shown the elegant ballet of preparing for the jump. “Jump” is probably the wrong word for it; it’s actually a fall. The instructions were clear, and I nodded that I was ready, handing someone my camera to photograph my experience.
Still, I was not scared. I was excited, like when you first walk through the gates of an amusement park and pick out your favorite roller coaster. But you still have to walk through the whole park, passed the over priced pretzels and the giant costumed characters and the souvenir vendors and the lame kiddy rides, and then there’s the wait in the impossibly long line and the safety instructions and the bored ride operator who checks the security of your enclosure with the lightest push on the bar…
I’m horribly impatient.
I met my tandem instructor and allowed him to tweak the harness, loosening and tightening and tugging and snapping and twisting. He gave me a set of goggles, pulled them tight, and said that I needed them to seal on my nose so that no air would be let in and they would stay in place during free-fall. He said if my contacts were to pop out, don’t worry, for when I landed and removed my goggles the little lenses would be right there, and I could pop them back in again. He reviewed the dance involved in making the freefall and we made our way towards the plane.
I crammed myself in behind the pilot, sitting on the floor (the pilot’s seat was the only chair) with my feet stretched out in front of me, my friend and our two instructors smushed together to my right. The plane taxied down the makeshift runway with the door still open (for circulation), then turned around and waited, crouching like a tiger, in preparation for flight. The door was closed. The temperature shot up. My heart rate remained impossibly steady.
We took off, rising into the air, farther, higher, faster. From my position sitting on the floor, I couldn’t see out the window to my right, but I had other things to worry about. I crossed myself and began to gather my thoughts, to pray.
I thanked God for the life He’d given me, asked forgiveness for anything I’d done wrong. I told Him I was ready, and I understood if He wanted to call me home that day. I mean, honestly, if I had to die eventually anyway, this would be one hell of a way to go out. Then I said a decade of the rosary, just for good measure. A real sense of peace fell over me then; again, I was not scared, I was not nervous, and for a moment I was not even excited; I was just ready. I asked God for the serenity, strength, and sense to execute the free-fall properly so as to not screw anything up. Then I crossed myself again and started grinning. 
“My dad flies planes like this,” I shouted to my instructor over the buzz of the propeller. “Not so sure what he’d think about me jumping out of one.”
I heard the pilot communicating with the air field, and knew from the day’s experience that we were two minutes away from the drop zone. I was told to turn around and kneel behind the pilot so my instructor could tighten my harness one last time and attach us together. All the while my mantra was the steps of the dance- plant my feet on the step, cross my arms across my chest, three-two-one- arch my head back, pull my legs up behind me.
“Stupid question,” I shouted.
“What’s that?”
“When I kick my feet back, do I go on the outside of your legs or in between them?”
“Doesn’t matter,” he said. “Just arch your back as much as you can as quickly as you can and leave it like that.”
The door opened; the cold air felt refreshing after the boiling hot plane ride as I put on my goggles. My instructor tucked my ponytail inside the cord so it wouldn’t get in his face.
The first pair was lining themselves up- leaning out the door- and then-
They disappeared from view completely.
Still, I was not scared.
We inched our way to the door on our knees. I sat on the edge of the plane, put my feet on the step- but they wouldn’t plant solidly like I’d been told! Instead they were being blown in the wind like the branches of a frail tree, unable to take hold of a solid base. I didn’t panic; something told me everything would be okay. I crossed my arms in front of my chest. My instructor leaned us forward and put his foot on the step- leaning forward like this I was able to plant my feet now.
“Okay ready?”
I nodded silently.
“Three- two-one- arch!” he shouted. I felt us lean forward, almost in slow motion, and then my feet were no longer touching anything and all rational thought escaped my mind. The next few seconds were just sensation, no thought.
The first sensation was cold. Really really cold.
The next sensation- processing the image of the bottom of the plane directly in front of me. My mind quickly put this together to mean that we had flipped immediately upon exiting and were now upside down. Next I had to process the image of the ground directly in front of me, which meant it was below me, which meant we’d finished the flip.
The next sensation was of my mouth stretched into a grin- I’d apparently started smiling when I crossed my arms and was still smiling. My mouth was filling with cold air and I couldn’t close it, so I tried to scream but no sound could be heard though I was shouting myself hoarse, so I stopped.
The advertisements said we’d be in free-fall for 60-70 seconds; it felt like just an instant, just the amount of time it takes to snap your fingers. Later, back on the ground, back in this world, my friends and I rationalized that the fall was probably only 30 seconds since the smaller plane couldn’t reach the high altitude we had expected. 
In the air, all I knew was that free-fall was the most delicious experience you could ever imagine. As soon as the cord was pulled and the parachute began to deploy, I felt a tug pulling me back up briefly, and I immediately craved that feeling again. I wanted it back- no, I needed it back; I wanted to keep falling.
My instructor tugged on both of the handles used for steering and suddenly we were hovering. We weren’t floating, we weren’t gliding, we weren’t descending to the ground, we were stationary there, looking about at creation below us and soaking it all in.
“You want to steer?” he asked me (in a regular voice now. The rushing wind was gone and all was still, quiet, peaceful) and at first I said no. “Aw, come on, girl- you’ve got nothing better to do up here!”
So I slipped my fingers through the loops and held onto the straps.
“Your dad pilots airplanes,” he said, “but you- you’re flying, girl.”
He showed me that if I pulled down on just the right cord and let the left stay up, we would go into a spin, and if I relaxed my legs the blood would rush to my feet and my legs would go numb from the force of gravity.

{personal photo}
 “It’s so beautiful,” I kept saying (I probably sounded pretty stupid after a while). We coasted around, watching the cars grow larger and the dots become people, sailing in cool arcs around the air field. He told me to tuck my legs in close and get ready for the landing, and we picked up speed as we aimed for the large gravel target. I screamed to my friends on the ground who were watching me, taking pictures, and landed perfectly with a rockstar fist-pump. 
 
“That was awesome!” I shouted over and over again, allowing myself to get unhooked from my instructor. “I want to do it again right now!”
 
Awesome, awesome, awesome was all I felt.
 
{personal photo}
I called Mom and told her what I’d just accomplished, then explained why I hadn’t told her I’d been planning it. I described the whole thing to Dad, let him know the statistics- jumped 9,500 feet, free-fall for less than 60 seconds, parachute deployed at 3000 feet, 5ish minutes of coasting to the ground. Mom, I think, is still digesting it, still trying to wrap her mind around the idea, and Dad is just very impressed. He thinks I’m brave- but bravery is being scared of something and doing it anyway. I wasn’t scared.
 
My baby sister thinks I’m crazy and other sister flipped out, shouting incoherently about how awesome I am. 
 
I am pretty awesome.
 
I am young.
 
I am invincible.
 
I am alive.
 
----------
 
Mr. Geek has also been skydiving, though I'm not sure he would describe his experience quite so dramatically.  Maybe I can convince him to share his story sometime, too.
 
Have you ever been skydiving?  Would you go again?
 
Much love,
The Geeks

Friday, February 8, 2013

Oh, Internet...{6}

I am SO GLAD this week is over.  At least some good things happened on the internet this week...

gif via Cheezburger
via Tumblr

Adventure in the Great, Wide, Somewhere // via Tumblr
the dad who makes these pancakes is pretty awesome // via My Nintendo News


A Han Solo origin story movie?  I'll take it!

Silly Iranians- that plane won't fly.

It's official- Benedict Cumberbatch's character in the new Star Trek film is...

What happened on your internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet is inspired by Kaelah Bee's Things I Love Thursdays posts.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

On Virtual Experiences

I could write a post for you today about how the internet has made it possible to carry on relationships with people without ever meeting them face-to-face, how we feel we're somehow still connected to our high school friends because we're friends on Facebook, and how some people are apparently okay with buying a car after "virtually test-driving" it on a website (that is, watching a video taken from the driver's seat of the car).  Such a post would be inspired by the following video from the amazing John Green:


Instead, I'll just let you watch and enjoy this video.

(Personally, I still want to go to London and experience this in real life.  And I'd rather sit with my baby sister and discuss the latest plot developments in The Lizzie Bennet Diaries than comment on her posts about it on Facebook.)

Much love,
The Geeks

Monday, February 4, 2013

Culinary Adventures: Ragu Surprise

Friday night I put some finishing touches on a dish I've been experimenting with, and I think the recipe is finally ready to share with you all.  As you'll recall, one of my resolutions this year is to cook more meals from scratch- and I also want to create more recipes from scratch.  This first one was a success!

I'm not sure what to call this dish.  The obvious title is a turkey ragu, but you can make it with any number of ground meat- I wanted to use lamb but couldn't find any at the grocery store, and I made this once before with sausage.  Plus, there's a special ingredient in here that you wouldn't expect, so the title needs to be equally as special.  After he finished seconds, I asked Mr. Geek's opinion on what it should be called.

Butt-Face McGee's Special

That's what he thinks we should call it.  (We have interesting pet names for each other.)



I'm gonna go with Ragu Surprise- substitute in your own favorite ground meat or even mushrooms where I've used turkey, and be ready for a flavorful surprise :)


Ingredients:
-olive oil
-ground meat
-salt and pepper, to taste
-3 garlic cloves, diced
-1 medium onion, diced
-1 C finely shredded carrot (approximately 2 carrots)
-1 15oz can tomato sauce
-1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
-2 tsp tomato paste
-1/8 C parsley
-1 Tbsp basil
-1/4 C pomegranate juice
-1 Tbsp sugar


-saute the garlic in a bit of olive oil in a pan over medium heat; just as it starts to smell good...


-...add the onions and sweat them until they start to get translucent


-then add the shredded carrots


-pour in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste and lower the heat a bit; let it simmer

photo unrelated lol

-while the sauce gets all warm and yummy, season the ground turkey (or whatever it is you're using) with salt and pepper, then brown it in a little bit of olive oil in a separate pan; keep an eye on it while you spice up the sauce and make sure it's good and brown before you call it done, especially if it's turkey


-add the parsley (yes, it looks like a lot, but it's worth it)


-add the basil (and enjoy how delicious it smells)


-here's the surprise part- pour in the pomegranate juice.  Just trust me on this.  Add the sugar to counterbalance the tartness.


-once the meat is fully cooked, add it to the sauce with a slotted spoon (to de-grease-ify it) and then stir it in


-put the lid on, turn the heat waaaay down, and simmer while you cook some pasta


This stuff is pretty delicious, I gotta say.  It took a little time to get the proportions right, and I might tweak them a little more the next time I make it.  The hard part about creating a recipe is quantifying what it takes to reach the right flavors; I had a notebook next to me, writing down amounts and scratching them out to correct them- 1 Tbsp of tomato paste became two when I decided it needed more.

What's your favorite meat sauce recipe?  Do you like to create dishes as you go or do you prefer the protection of a recipe?

Much love,
The Geeks

Friday, February 1, 2013

Oh, Internet...{5}

Wow, it's February already!  When did that happen?

Here are some things that caught my eye this last week of January:

photo by Kaelah Bee via Little Chief Honeybee
photo by Bonnie Tsang // image via Oh Joy!
tiny sugar cookies on sugar cookie display stands! // photo by Bakerella
Dilbert is basically my life
These Chloe shoes are currently missing from my life.  Let's fix this. // via The Cinderella Project
I love Charlie.  I just...love him.  Especially his opinions on the phrase YOLO.

 Molly Ever After shares her thoughts on living in small spaces.  Personally, I prefer room to stretch out- I'm wistfully dreaming of the day when we can afford our own house!

Hypable asks- who's your favorite Darcy?  (Matthew Macfadyen all the way!)

Check out this giveaway on The Long Thread!

This shirt looks so simple to create...of course, Make It and Love It makes EVERYTHING look simple!

Check out this post from Mrs. Dragon about how marriage is hard- and yet totally awesome.

What happened in your neck of the internet this week?

Much love,
The Geeks

Oh, Internet... is inspired by Kaelah Bee's Things I Love Thursday posts.