German Jello Salad is a name my ex-husband came up with for my blog (yeah, that's a as weird as it sounds, but in my defense he was my husband at the time) based on the first post I ever wrote. At first, I thought it didn't quite sound as serious as the blog I intended to write (that's fucking hilarious once you get to know me).
Then I realized the idea of me being serious in a blog was ludicrous and accepted that it fit me and what I wanted to do perfectly.
In case you've never experienced a German Lutheran social gathering, a German jello salad can be just about anything. And it's all about making something crazy amazing out of what you have around. Or at least that's the impression I get about their origin. Lots of them have standard ingredients like fruit or cool whip (never, ever, whipped cream in my experience), but those ladies don't shy away from cottage cheese, carrots or soda either. Imagine your grandma in the kitchen like, "Sure. What the hell. Throw it in." I think I inherited the idea that a variety of ingredients can mesh well and that's pretty much how I live my life and write my blog. It's about anything and everything, and my posts can vary quite a bit from day to day. It keeps it interesting.
Who am I?
I'm a mom. It's the one thing I've always known I wanted to be when I grew up. I have a daughter who is in my admittedly biased opinion the most adorable child on the planet. She provides me with adventures in parenting, cuddles and the most absurd life experiences.
I'd rather build a bed than make it. I have a penchant for painting wood furniture and I like to create things. My house is an untidy work in progress and probably always will be.
I'm a Kansan. Not just a person from Kansas, but a person who really can't feel at home anywhere else. I think it's an amazing, beautiful place and I love living here.
Laura Ingalls Wilder and Mari Detrixhe are two of my greatest childhood inspirations. I read Little House in the Big Woods as an adult and realized it's all about food procurement and preparation. Mari gave me braided garlic and vegetable transplants as a child and inspired me to grow food and myself in the process.
I make homemade ice cream. I love that my dad thinks he doesn't like
homemade ice cream because he's never tasted mine. Just wait, his time
is coming.
I LOVE teaching.
About anything. Especially about building and making things.
That moment when someone gets it and is able to do something they couldn't before because I was able to explain it in a different and useful way is awesome. I want you to have the confidence to take on projects you never thought you could. You can do it! I KNOW you can.
I like love a lot. I don't think that's cheesy.
I believe in the goodness of people. I try to live my life keeping
that in mind. I love helping and taking care of people. I think being
nice is important. If you find that off-putting, you'll probably find
my generally positive attitude and perky demeanor super annoying and that's okay.
I love who I am.
Seriously, I'm pretty badass.
