Thursday, December 20, 2012

I Need Help From The Internet

Dear Internet, I need help.

Question 1.)
How/where do you keep your addresses for people? I think an address book would be futile for me, I would probably use the pages for grocery lists or scrap paper while on the phone with the insurance company or use it to wipe a boogie from my 2 year old's index finger in a pinch.

Here is my current method for addresses: first, I have an email from my MIL from 2008 in which she emailed me addresses for my husband's extended family. So I typically do a Gmail search for any of those peeps to find that email from 2008.

I do the same for some of my extended family. I have a similar email from myself (and to myself) with some other addresses on it.

Next, I search for individual emails from people, if I know I've emailed them with the typical "hey, what's your address?" question.

Lastly, whitepages dot com. Which is soooo lame. And also tempting to click over to the paid link that suggests "hey, want to know EVERYTHING about so-and-so? including their deepest darkest secrets, such as what they watch on tv and where they spend their money?"

I need a better method. Not coincidentally, I write this post on a 10 minutes hiatus of writing Christmas cards.  In other news, look at how dapper we look in black! This was taken back in September, when my sweet baby Amelia was 7 days old. Photo is by Tanya Dunn and I'll share some of those precious newborn nakey bum ones in a later post. Sigh. So sweet. End tangent!



Question 2.)
Do you think it's better to have an idea to do something nice for someone and then not follow through with it, or not to have the idea at all?  If the end result is this: don't do anything for a person. Wow, poorly worded. Let's try it again.

Example 1:
{Me, thinking in my head:}  I wonder what Suzy Q is up to? I bet she would love it if I sent her a mug with some fancy hot cocoa and some even fancier homemade marshmallows with a sweet little note in it from the girls.   {Fast forward three weeks.}    {I never send the gift I so Pinterestly-imagined in my head.}

Example 2:
{I don't think about sending Suzy Q a gift at all.}

Which is better? Example 1 is sooooooooooooooooooo me. Like, I have these ideas of nice things to do for people (okay, like this actually only happens about once per quarter), but then I find I rarely do them. Then I berate myself for never following through with anything, and I wonder if it's just nicer to NOT think of it in the first place. Because in Example 1, I think of a nice thing, but I'm too selfish with my own time and my own laziness and my lack of motivation to actually do it. Obviously this isn't selfishness on the surface, but it's underlying and therefore makes me kind of a bad person. 

Would it be better to just not have those ideas at all?

Question 3.)
What are you making for dinner?  I need ideas, and Pinterest is too overwhelming, even though I finally caved and joined.  Here's what my fridge looks like... yeah... I know. How do I feed my family with that stuff? It's all basically non-edibles, right?  This is the un-Pinteresty fridge imaginable. Clearly you can tell I'm getting a Pinterest complex, am I right? Oh well. Throw me a recipe or two my way, one that's your best go-to recipe that is fast, delicious, fresh, easy, doesn't use spices or pastes or vegetables that I've never heard of, and that my two year old will eat. What's that? You have three recipes that meet that criteria?! Well, send them all my way! (Haha. No. Mac and cheese from a box doesn't count.)

2 comments:

april said...

I made an excel spreadsheet of addresses when I got married so I would have everyone's addresses in one place. Ever since I've just been updating as needed.

And we order Latin food from a local place for Christmas Day. This is all my MIL. I suppose everyone else likes it, but it wouldn't be my choice. I'm making the crudite

Meg said...

1) I use an excel spreadsheet (because I love excel.) Then I just update it when people move... Usually around this time of year I start frantically texting people "what's your new address?" Fortunately as we get older my friends (and I) aren't moving every 2-3 years like the post-college days.

2) YES. I don't know the answer but I wonder this all the time. And I have a friend who ALWAYS does the nicest things - like I pop by her house to borrow a baby item and she gives me a loaf of banana bread - and it makes me wonder why I don't follow thru when I think of things. Maybe if you (and I) scaled back the action and just followed thru on the nice motive?

3) I keep a list in the notes section of my phone when I cook something that's easy and good. Then when I'm stuck on ideas I dont have to ask husband for ideas (worthless), look at Pinterest (oh look I've only pinned dessert!!) or flip thru cookbooks. I also just google the ingredient I want to start with (chicken, pork) and go from there. It makes a big difference if i write down on Sunday what we are having for the week. Some of our staples:
- homemade pizza (buy dough, making it is a pain)
- crockpot ribs
- grilled chicken and goat cheese salad
- chicken Parm in the oven
- chicken w butter, paprika, Parmesan in oven usually w salad, a bag of steamer veggies and oven fries
- chili and cornbread
- crockpot beef tacos
- broiled fish (fast!!) w salad, steamers and microwave baked potatoes

Those are just what comes to mind that I make without a recipe. Most of our meals are the same basic combo of protein + salad + frozen veggie + starch.

I'll be coming back to see other peoples ideas!!!

#longestcommentever