The Tingazars

Or should it be the Salingeys? I can't decide which is a catchier band name. In any case, ryan's and my families really know how to jam.

We have an extra room in our basement that's sort of turned itself into a little recording studio. So when my parents came into town a couple weeks ago, Ryan laid down some guitar tracks and then everyone took a turn singing to the Beatles. You know, for fun. Even my 3 year old niece participated.

It was awesome.

Fast forward to a few weeks later (this past weekend) when Ryan, his sis Megan, and I went to Idaho to see his missionary brother return from Guam/Micronesia (more on that later). We decided to get some more tingeys in on this and got Ryan's brothers Drew (on drums) and Dustin (on bass) to add to the track.

And now it's nearly complete.

Show us, show us! you cry. All in due time. In the meantime, I'll leave you with some more pictures of the process.

Just you wait...

Living in a movie

As I type this, Ryan is downstairs composing another project on the keyboard. I always tell him he should be a movie soundtrack composer. Or maybe it's better I keep his talents for myself. When he plays I always find myself in the middle of a movie. Sometimes dramatic, sometimes epic, often emotional, but always beautiful.

Today's song feels like a mystery thriller. Right before the climax. Like the moment where all the pieces are swirling around in the protagonist's head, slowly coming together. And the camera is panning quickly around the actor, swirling like his thoughts, faster and faster until... bam. He knew it all along. And maybe a robot is involved somehow. You know, for good measure.

Any agents out there looking for the music to a robot mystery thriller?

We're here for you.

Anyway, I'm happy for the organic soundtrack going on in my basement. The cool melodies are my promise that we'll be making beautiful music for many years to come.

Hitting the runway

I signed up for a sewing class at church, partly because I got a sewing machine for Christmas (though I haven't threaded one in the last decade) and partly because I needed something to do to keep me from distracting Ryan from studying. (Study time? I think you mean movie time...)

So here's the pattern for a simple summer skirt:

**Note the "easy" on the top right. Sold me.

And here's the fabric:

courtesy of my mother-in-law :)

As a side note, I was browsing through the patterns and came across Project Runway-inspired patterns. They're actually pretty interesting.

So I was flipping through the patterns when I came across this one.

Anyone else remember April from ANTM? Cycle 2 or something? Looks like she didn't need to win after all! I mean, who needs a Cover Girl contract when you can be a sewing-pattern-cover cover girl? Right?

This is funny

bumpits.com

In just three easy steps, you too can have the bump of your dreams.

Because "flat hair is so last year." 

This is not funny

Ryan got food poisoning yesterday. But before you rush out to buy this:

I'll tell you the secret. Don't eat the chicken sandwich at Subway.

Meat, Part 2

K, so we like meat around these parts--what's it to you? Neither one of us had ever made a London broil before (or even heard of it), so we looked up a few recipes online and then did our own thing. But wow it turned out good. Tender, full of flavor, and did I mention it only took 20 minutes total? The perfect fast sunday dinner.

And now, here's Chef T. to guide you through the process.

London Broil a la Tingey

Dry Rub
Mix these together:

• 1 Tablespoon of each: rosemary, thyme, and marjoram
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons of each: kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Liquid Goodness
Mix these together:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of each: lemon juice and red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves crushed garlic

Buy a top round roast that's about 1 1/2 inches thick the whole way through. Rub the Dry Rub into both sides of the roast. Layer it on thick, and use all the seasoning. Then drizzle half the Liquid Goodness on the top. Broil on high for 5-8 minutes (we did 6). Flip the meat, drizzle the rest of the liquid on this side, and broil for another 5-8 minutes (we did 6 again). It should be a nice pink color on the inside. Slice it thin against the grain and enjoy!

Happy Texas Independence Day!

(and thanks to Talida, my best friend in 6th grade, for the reminder and following quote)

"I have said that Texas is a state of mind, but I think it is more than that. It is a mystique closely approximating a religion. And this is true to the extent that people either passionately love Texas or passionately hate it ... For all its enormous range of space, climate, and physical appearance, and for all the internal squabbles, contentions, and strivings, Texas has a tight cohesiveness perhaps stronger than any other section of America. Rich, poor, Panhandle, Gulf, city, country, Texas is the obsession, the proper study and the passionate possession of all Texans."

John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

I'm on a killing spree

There's something very attractive to me about growing and using your own fresh herbs. I've always dreamed of having one of those cute windowsill mini gardens full of herbs to use each night. But, in light of recent events, this dream is fading fast, so I need your help.

I bought a potted basil plant at Target last week for 2 bucks. It looked something like this:

And it smelled like heaven. A week passes. Now it looks something like this:

And by "something like," I mean "probably even worse than" since I took that photo half an hour ago. Is our home really so bad that plants try to kill themselves just to escape it? Well I've got news for you, basil plant. You're sticking around as long as I can still puree you into pesto. Those dried leaves don't scare me. The way I figure it, I get fresh AND dried basil all in one plant.

But in the meantime, if any of you gardening gurus have figured out the right water : sunlight ratio for basil (or any plant, for that matter), send me a line. I'd appreciate it.

The Forty Day Project

In an ideal day, I would:

• Wake up early
• Read scriptures and pray
• Exercise
• Make a delicious breakfast
• Pack a delicious lunch
• Get to work early
• Come home early
• Make a delicious dinner
• Work on novel/short story
• Read a novel/short story
• Pray
• Go to bed early

Currently, I probably do 4 or 5 of these things on a regular basis. And thus begins my Forty Day Project. They say to start out small, so for the next forty days, without fail, I'm going to add two things to my daily routine. Just two. Read my scriptures and exercise. Since I'm a wimp, I'm starting with things I already do semi-regularly but know I'd be a lot better off if I did them daily.

So, if you're up to it, pick a couple things from your own ideal day that you can add to your routine. You'll be that much closer to living the dream :)