Kiss the Cook (but only if you're family)

How does a recording artist end up with a dog who doesn't like music? I dunno...but our little Sawyer is more than annoyed about the rehearsal that is taking place right now in the downstairs studio- and we are 2 floors above it! He keeps whining and looking at me with that sad expression in his eyes pleading with me to make it stop and then burying his head under the covers. No worries...the new record material doesn't suck..in fact, its quite nice. Apparently though, nice or not, Neal and Shawn are just making it a little too loud for Sawyer's delicate taste- who knew.

They are practicing my song right now...("confess" #9 on the record, so you can check it out when you get it March 7! wives are allowed shameless plugs*grin*)...so I am not minding too much except for the whole sleeping issue. A studio without soundproofing is not a smart thing.Of course the sound proofing materials are all down there...in a box...but hey, that's another post for another day!

So life is sometimes hard and I have been feeling that reality hard core in the last little bit..you might have noticed from my posts. Marriage is hard, living away from the people you actually know is hard, and sometimes even spending time with God feels hard. Life being hard makes me feel tired and before I realized it, I was really starting to feel down in the "depths of despair"(as Anne of GReen Gables would say) So I have been living there and not liking it all that much.

I decided last week to make the small changes I can make since not everything is under my direct control. For one, I started back at the gym...something I love, but seem to forget I love. And I decided to learn to cook.

Those of you who know me, try not to laugh yourself sick. You never know, I might find out, and be hurt. (love the sarcasm) For those of you who don't actually know me, I will let you in on the not-so-inside-joke: my track record in the kitchen is slightly less than stellar:

[Kate's Kitchen Track Record:]
-Once BROILED banana bread...hard as a rock on the outside, completely gooey inside. This was only discovered by thrashing the loaf onto the ground numerous times until it cracked open..yeah, it was that hard.
-In college, I burned soup. I wasn't even cooking it from scratch or anything impressive...just a can of soup that I put on the stove and forgot about for a couple of hours...it was burned TO the pan so badly, I had to throw the pan away.
(i could go on like this for awhile)

So despite the former bad experiences, I have felt inspired by the Northwest and the ability to get fresh food from local markets...and so far, I would proudly like to announce, I am 3 for 3! I made a glazed Mahi Mahi Monday night, Vegatble Cous Cous last night, and a broiled chicken with a green salsa tonight. My husband thinks aliens have taken over my body or something...he actually asked me how I made the salsa tonight after we (Neal, Shawn and I) finished. I wanted to call the papers...Shawn asking moi for cooking advice??!?! Unheard of!

Anyway..I am taking all interesting meal ideas at this point...


Oh yeah..posting the newest pic of our new pup..we get her on the 28th...still no name decision! Taking all suggestions...we named SAwyer after Tom Sawyer...so I would kind of like to name her after a spunky literary character,..any ideas?