Hosting a Work Meeting

Aside from the everyday Carlson Blue button downs and the almost obsessive need to have a coffee maker in the room, what does the art of hosting a work meeting entail?

If it is before 11:00AM you better have a breakfast option, the same goes for lunch from 11:30-12:30.

But what it certainly does not entail is having to rely on only yourself to produce a well maintained meeting. If you are part of a team of co-workers they should be there helping set up and definitely helping clean up and take down.

Also? Do not ever think of just leaving any space a mess for the janitor to clean up. I don't care if you are Bill Gates or Barack Obama...okay, they probably hire people for that....but it is still rude as can be.

But mainly I shouldn't have to ask you three times to get up from your cubicle to come help me clean up a pigsty that resulted from a two hour morning meeting.

The end.

(Conference Room Pictured Not Actual Conference Room)

Foodie Friday

Currently I await the results of my first attempt ever at making my sister-in-law's broccoli cheese casserole. Unfortunately I altered it a lot due to my inability to prepare for last minute cooking.

Normally the recipe calls for the following (and is delicious, I promise)!

Kathy Blume's Broccoli Cheese Casserole (sister-in-law's Aunt)
8oz Cheese Whiz
1.5 C Minute Rice
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
10oz package of frozen broccoli (cooked)
1/2 an onion (white or yellow) sautéed in 1 stick of butter
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup milk
Salt & Pepper to taste

You cook the broccoli according to the package. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Saute the onion in the stick of butter, add the rest of the ingredients. Do not add the rice until ready to put in the oven. Cook 30-40 minutes.

Haley's Off-Brand Messed Up Version (yet to be tasted)
8-10oz Light Grocery Store Brand Velveeta knock-off
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 can cream of chicken soup
1.5 tbsp minced garlic sautéed in 1 stick of baking margarine
1.5 cups brown rice
10 oz frozen organic broccoli florets boiled about 3 minutes in hot water
Sea Salt, Pepper, and Onion powder to taste

New life lesson? Always have every kind of onion and always have instant rice.

Theories of Decorating

The inverted proportionality of the penniless decorator theory:

The more I want to decorate, the less money I have.

The more I want to decorate, the less time I find to spend on decorating.

So perhaps I need to test the theory out and see if a reversal of me wanting to decorate results in more money and more time? I'd be happy to sit on the floor if it meant more and money and time.....so that I can decorate! (This might be a challenge to test out).

Seating Woes

Currently my place is a black hole of emptiness. I literally can sit in a computer chair or on my bed as an alternative to the floor. I have been looking religiously on sites like craigslist and eBay for cheap seating- couch, love seat, chairs, etc.

So far? Nada.

To the right you see my pitiful excuse for my dining room. Excuse the beach bag and empty boxes I've been meaning to get rid of.

Ideally I would like it to be a warm buttercup color with the white trim and tons of plants. Insert a cute white wicker dinette set or settee and voila! Instant sun room.

I've seen multiple examples of what other renters do with this room and honestly I have no intention of actually eating in there. I just want a nice place to sit with a book, maybe some storage for extra kitchen items, and my dog crate.

Here, also pitiful, is my living room. Can we say sad? However! I shall not get discouraged dear readers. This place is going to have seating, color, and a certain panache reserved for quality entertainers like myself. So, depending on the find, I'm aiming to reach the goal of seating for either one of these rooms. I think once I actually find something to sit on I will be able to design better, no? Now if I only had more than $4.78 in my bank account and $11.50 in savings I might actually get this accomplished.

A New Quest!

If you are looking for a place to express yourself there is no better place than Austin, TX. I could fall in love over and over again with the use of color in this town. Upcycling is the new black...and while that is all fine and dandy, it does make finding key pieces difficult or pricey. The market demands for vintage, kitchy, or practically anything outside the parameters of 'normal' styling can put a serious drain on the pocketbook. As I am seeking to decorate my new apartment I have serious qualms over spending money on it. I can not even find a bed frame for under $60! I have taken it upon myself to set out on a new blogging (and consequently decorating) quest. The Chronicles of the Penniless Decorator. Simply put-I'm going to try and find free to very cheap items and DIY projects to make my home fabulous. I'm going to give myself until the first of July.