Adult Life: Take Two

Repeat after me: I am a death metal queen

2010-03-17T20:45:00.014-05:00

I'm going to keep repeating that over and over until I believe it because...today Jason bought two tickets for the June Iron Maiden show in Denver. Yeah, you heard me. Bruce Dickenson. This girl. Iron. Maiden. I need more black to wear. And maybe some AquaNet. It will be a true adventure.

In other news the past few weeks have been a whirlwind.

Last week alone I made some fab chicken and dumplings in my awesome Le Creuset Christmas present from Jason.

I drove to Arkansas and back in a day for work. Gotta love the free-flowing sweet tea, nice people, and frequency of running across a Chick-fil-a at virtually every turn.

I flew to Colorado and back in two days for work where I slept in this bed after working what felt like the longest day ever (Down. Mattress. Pad. OMG comfy!),

...and woke up to this the next morning (hello, goorgeous!)

On the way back to the airport I sped through these,

...stopped in a cute area for a quick bite at the amazing La Baguette Bakery,

...saw a Cheeto likeness of Rachel Ray through a shop window,

...ran into the yarn shop next door and snagged some awesome hand-dyed, springish yellow sock yarn and new size 1 needles since I broke my last pair,

...and sped the rest of the way to the airport to catch my flight back home.

I also attended the amazing first annual (I'm hoping?) Laideth Night Clothing Swap-a-rama-lama-ding-dong courtesy of the ever fabulous Shannan and Amy, where I met lots of wonderful laideth, ate delicious food, and bagged some stellar loot in the form of new clothes, jewelery, and a purse.

I also cast on for a new pair of socks. It has become abundantly clear that though I am sure I grabbed the same kind of yarn, and I thought I grabbed the same dye lot, I surely did not, and will now be the proud owner of a pair of slightly different colored pink socks. Meh, what can you do?!

February Flop

2010-02-22T12:00:00.005-06:00

I remember reading back through my archives a couple of weeks ago and thinking of my previous late February posts, "Wow, what was up with me last year?" I mean, yeah winter is long and kind of boring, but I sounded downright pitiful.

Welcome to the end of February. Once again I find myself tired, cranky, wanting to get some exercise, wanting to start some projects, wanting to deep clean my house, but having exactly a zero motivation to do so.

Wanna know what I do have motivation to do? Sit on my couch under a blanket, knit, and watch the Olympics. Watching their superhuman feats and streamlined muscles makes me feel slightly fitter by association. Until, that is, I scuff across the wood floors to grab another sliver of brownie from the kitchen, and immediately back to my preheated spot. My kryptonite? Add a purring cat climbing into my lap and I may as well settle in for a few hours.

Uggh. I'm so...blah.

Apparently everyone else is too because I've seen a rash of How to Be Happy type articles. Even though I'm not in New York I rather enjoyed the recent 50 Steps to Simple Happiness article in the Times. Some of the ideas, totally doable. Some of the others, not so much for this KC girl, but the thought of being fabulous in New York did perk me up a bit.

In other news, my February Lady Sweater is coming along. I'm trying to knit it for the Ravelympics, which means I've got from the Olympic opening ceremony to the closing (6 more days, YIKES!) to complete a project. Must. Keep. Knitting.

Beer for Bikes

2010-02-02T08:57:00.004-06:00

Any KCers looking for something fun to do this Wednesday night, be sure to check out Beer for Bikes at Boulevard Brewing Co. $15 gets you delicious local brew, food, door prizes, and live music; and helps provide kids with physical disabilities therapeutic bikes. Win-win!

Welcome Home

2010-01-28T20:02:00.008-06:00

Tonight I was welcomed home not only by outside kitty waiting for her dinner, but also a package. Inside this package was the best welcome home surprise... ...a wonderful loot of four, balled skeins of Cascade 220 in Plum. MMMM! When the BF and I were in Lawrence at the Yarn Barn two weeks ago I found this, but they didn't have enough, so they offered to mail me some, with no shipping (!), when it arrived at the store. I'd been waiting patiently, and finally, today was the day.

I am a complete yarn nerd. I know this because all I want to do is sit with it in my lap this evening, lookat the fabulous color, and every so often give it a squeeze. Yarn fondler...that's me.

I already know I'm going to make the February Lady Sweater with it. I've promised myself I won't start it yet though because I've got so many other projects going on.

I finally finished my Spring Ruffle Top, and I'm pretty happy with the results.

It took me about 5 days total, working on it after I got home from work. I'm not a super experienced seamstress, and this really didn't give me any problems to speak of. I really liked that there was no paper pattern to cut out (although sometimes those are nice too), and that it was totally customizable. Is that even a word? Anyway, the formulas in the tutorial worked perfectly. I did add the shaping on the sides and I brought the bottom in a bit too, just So it wasn't quite sooo flowy.

My fabrics are from Sarah's in Lawrence, and even though they aren't from the same designer, I think they went together really well.

The polka dots fabric is a little more greenish-brown than is showing up in the photo, and the pattern has a great mix of springy green and a greenish gold. Now I'm just waiting for warmer weather so I can wear it. Do you think anyone will ask if I made it? If they do, umm, is that a good thing or no? :)

I'm also STILL working on my Owls Sweater. I've got the body and two arms mostly done but it feels like it's going so slooow.

I also resolved to knit one pair of socks per month. Easier and less painful than diet and excercise in the new year, no? I started my "January Socks" which are actually the ever popular Jaywalker Socks. I'm using a crazy Paton's Kroy Sock Yarn in Fern Rose Jacquard, and it's been really fun seeing the stripes develop.

At this rate they may be March socks :). Actually, I'm flying to St. Louis and back for work tomorrow, and plane time = knitting time, so maybe they will actually be done within this month.

On that note, anyone else think it's weird that nail clippers are considered possible weapons on planes by the TSA but knitting needles aren't? Not arguing, and I'd obviously never even have to think about that if it weren't for all the crazy regulations...just sayin'. Come fly the fiber-friendly skies :).

A Visitor

2010-01-22T11:59:00.008-06:00

Another week bites the dust! As for the "regular updating" --this week FLEW BY. I've been busy planning my Spring travels for work, trying to finish knitting my Owls Sweater, sewing Made by Rae's Spring Ruffle Top, and planning for Jamie's visit in April!! Couldn't be more excited!

For those of you who may not know, she and I were randomly paired as roommates in college, and it was one of the best things to happen in my life :). We were fast friends, and soon known as Roomie and Roomie Roomerson, as we were that unseperable. Since college, she's migrated back to Portland, Oregon; while I'm in Kansas City, MO. Ususally we're lucky to see one another once per year, but we're actually going to fit in two visits within a six month period. YESSSS!

A quick pictoral history of R&R, Inc. You're welcome :)

Freshman year dorm room roomies, circa 2001:

Toga Roomies, circa 2002ish:

Lake Trip Roomies, circa 2004:

Graduating Roomies, circa 2005:
St. Louis Meetup Roomies, circa 2006:

The Great Divide Roomies, circa 2007:

Matching Undies and a Meetup Roomies, circa 2008:

Birthday Celebration with Jesus Roomies, circa 2009 (the looks on our faces crack me up every time!):

Soon to be....2010!! Countdown. Is. On.

A little Friday love for all my Lovelies!

2010-01-15T11:09:00.002-06:00

(via theheartrender)

Happy almost weekend. Hopefully you get a three-day like me! :)

Blog Love: Attic 24

2010-01-14T11:56:00.009-06:00

Maybe it's the cold, dreary weather or the post-holiday time of year, or my obsession with pretty colors and yarn, but I could not have stumbled upon this cheery blog at a more perfect time.

Lucy, of Attic 24, is a stay at home mother of three (one brand new!) who lives in the English countryside and loves bright colors and crocheting among other things. Complete confession: prior to finding this blog I was not the biggest fan of afghans and I was definitely a knitting devotee. My mind has officially been changed by Lucy and her beautifully colored creations. That, and I'm always envious of her yummy looking breakfast sweets and fresh flowers!

Check out more of Lucy and her cozy life here.

(all photos via Attic 24)

I'm back...

2010-01-11T09:51:00.009-06:00

...from a long and unexcusable hiatus. Things got crazy busy. My nasty heartburn got worse and I didn't feel like doing anything. My nasty heartburn got somewhat better, and then a lot better with the help of some new medication. Then I learned to live without coffee and could magically eat chocolate again without feeling like crap, and life was good.

I trained for and then ran in a 5K (If you read any of my previous posts I was training for a marathon relay, until 3 of my team of 5 bailed THE DAY BEFORE. Love you Jackie for still running with me!).

The BF and I took the great American Road trip and saw all kinds of cool stuff...

... and ate hamburgers with peanut butter.

Then the knitting started...

...and the knitting...

...and the Halloweening...

...and the knitting of the Christmas gifts...

...and the buying of the new couch on which to watch tv, and lounge, and knit (excuse the knitting notions on the floor beneath) ...

...and the sewing...

...and my first time preparing Thanksgiving dinner for the fam...

... and the Christmas Treeing (I love this picture of him).

I went to Portland, Oregon to visit Jamie for my birthday...

...where we ate blueberry Mancakes with Jesus...

...and bought matching rings.

Then came the Christmasing...

...and the doggy houseguests..

...and the snow. Oh the snow. It started on Christmas Eve, where we weren't quite sure we would make it home from Grandma's and might have to eat the stockpile of chocolate mints for survival. It kept up off and on until last week, at which point every school within a 50 mile radius was closed and we ended up with a cumulative foot or so on the ground.

Pair that with a recent week of temperatures at or below zero, and you've got some really nasty roads and a major case of cabin fever.

Today however, we are currently experiencing a balmy 28 degrees with predictions of a meltoff and sunny skies later in the week. Life is good, and I am ready to start new projects, reorganize, and hopefully experience the predicted Bachelor scandal with Jackie (because it's just more fun that way).

Onward and upward, and much more blogging to come in the near future.

Welcome 2010!

Nothing Like August

2009-08-11T19:02:00.006-05:00

What is it about August that just makes it the guts of Summer? Maybe it's the feeling you got as a kid, knowing that school was just a few days away and you had to live it up while you could, asking your mom to stay outside just ten minutes more when she called you in at night. Maybe it's the balmy buzz of cicada filled trees, garden plants beginning to yellow after their fruit has been picked, and the way the sunlight seems to have a golden tint all day long.

Whatever it is, it's here right now, and I love it.

I'm sitting outside this evening, catching up on blogs. The little girl across the street is playing in her inflatable pool, spraying water from a garden hose and yelling things like "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!", "USA!" and "JESSE JAMES!". I'm not sure about the last one, but I remember that feeling. Walking outside is like being wrapped in a blanket, there are grass floaties in the water of your plastic pool, and you're just so unexplainably happy you feel like shouting it to the world. You want to hold on to every second of it you can because it won't be back for another nine months, which may as well be an eternity in kids years.

I was reminded of that feeling this weekend while working in the yard. As I sprayed months of grime off the side of the house, I smelled one of summer's unmistakable scents: hose water on hot concrete. That combination, to me, is the essence of August. Though it's exactly the same tap water I drink all year long, it somehow changes to something special in that scenario. The smell is metallic and earthy and humid. It's a respite for burning feet on hot pavement, it's a romp through the sprinkler or helping Dad wash the car in the driveway.

The days are already getting a bit shorter, and I really need to get the yard mowed tonight, but I think I'll just sit here and enjoy it... for ten more minutes.

(Photo courtesy tsuacctnt)

101 Salads from Mark Bittman

2009-07-29T15:27:00.004-05:00

Ran across this article, 101 Simple Salads for the Season, by food writer and activist Mark Bittman in the NY Times.

They all sound AMAZING! Bring on the salad :)

(Photo via NY Times)

Maybe She Wanted a Cookie?

2009-07-22T11:06:00.010-05:00

With all of the reflux nonsense going on, I haven't been sleeping well lately. I'm fairly lucky, as it doesn't often keep me up all night as some people experience, but I find myself waking up uncomfortable and shifting around several times per night. Last night I was up at 2am, tossed and turned for a bit, and eventually drifted off again.

At 3:30am I woke up again, but this time it was to the drum of running kitty feet. Ugggh. I was soooo comfy, and my usually quiet cat decided, out of the blue, that this night was good for playing. The dog was even startled awake, and jumped off the bed to go investigate. I settled in, and just as I started to doze, the racket began again. I coaxed the dog back into bed, and realized that he was shaking nervously. My goofy pup has been known to shake like this for no good reason, so I got him to lay back down, and tried to sleep...again.

Before I knew it, my cat had dragged one of her toys onto the bed and was alternately pouncing on it, and then kicking it with her back feet. (Actually just guessing on this, since it was pitch black, but this is her typical mode of attack). I sat up, rolled her onto her back, and as sternly as I could at 3:45am told her to "CUT IT OUT AND GO TO SLEEP!"

I can't lock her out of the room, because this only provokes the "cat paw under the door/door rattling" reaction, which is exponentially more noisy and annoying than "wild cat on the bed."

Mere minutes later we've started the whole cycle again, I'm going nuts, and the dog is still shaking. I decided that taking the toy away is the next best option, so I began blindly sweeping my hand back and forth across the duvet so I didn't have to turn the light on. I found the toy, and as I was lifting it off the bed realized that it was soooo soft...and....squishy. (*gulp*)

I dropped it faster than you can blink and sat there in the dark thinking, "Oh my gosh, please don't let that be what I think it is." Slowly I rolled in the opposite direction and flipped on the bedside lamp.

There, in the middle of my bed, surrounded by myself, the shaking dog, and the proud cat was A DEAD MOUSE!! No. Flipping. Way.

I've never seen a mouse, or even evidence of a mouse in my place. But there was definitely a (only minutes prior) healthy specimen laying on her back, dead as a doornail. No marks on her. I looked at the dog who seemed to say, "This is what I was TRYYYYING TO TEEEELL YOU." The cat sat across from us, calm as can be, looking like she was queen of the world.

I got up, cleaned everything up, scrubbed my hands like craaaaaaazzy, and the three of us FINALLY fell asleep for good.

(photo courtesy Natasha Sara )

Post-It Love

2009-07-17T10:23:00.000-05:00

(via)

Skeeered!

2009-07-16T15:50:00.007-05:00

Maybe I'm being a giant weenie, but I'm a little scared today. I went to the doctor this morning after having my second round of pretty nasty heartburn. The first time around it lasted about three months, and once I started Nexium it was gone in three days! Awesome, awesome stuff. Anyway, eventually I was able to go off, and stay off the meds for about four months. It came back a couple of months ago, and nothing is really getting rid of it this time.

My doctor told me today that...(gulp)...I need to get an upper GI endoscopy next week.

For those of you that (like me) don't really know what that means, let me tell you. While you are sedated and numbed up they put a tiny camera in a tube DOWN YOUR THROAT and all the way INTO YOUR STOMACH! Yikes!! Reportedly this doesn't hurt and you really don't remember anything afterward. Did I mention that I have to SWALLOW A CAMERA!!

Ok, ok, now I am being a weenie. Honestly, I think other than the unknown of what this will feel like (supposedly not uncomfortable) I think I am most scared of is the needles part.

Uuuugh. I get squirmy just thinking about it.

I suppose that unless I want to try this without sedation (no thanks) I'm going to have to get over it and be brave.

Anyway, think happy thoughts for me that they find the cause of all this and it's easily fixable. Oh yeah, and that I don't gag all over myself or have a total freak out. Eeeeeeeee..........

Leave me some love. Please?

(photo courtesy bredgur)

Back on the...sneakers?

2009-07-15T21:28:00.004-05:00

I've been procrastinating for months. I know...I'm on a marathon relay team...my team is depending on me. Buuuuut...it's been really hot. I've been doing a lot of other stuff. I'm going to start later in the week. There's always later in the week.

Today is the day, though, to get back on the horse, or the running shoes. My marathon team is complete. There's no what ifs.

I even agreed to do a 5K with my Dad three weeks prior for some additional motivation. I emailed him about it today and he sounds really excited. Not going to lie, I'm pretty excited too. Doing something like this with my Dad, that's good for both of us, that we both have to work for, makes me feel really good.

That little extra push got me going. I started small, but I started. It's pretty steamy today, and I didn't get an opportunity until late, but I did it. First half-mile down, and many more to go.

(photo courtesy timtak)

Missed Connections

2009-07-15T13:29:00.006-05:00

Who doesn't love reading the missed connections on Craigslist? There's a great missed connections blog over at Tumblr. Funny, funny stuff.

Still, today I found the doozy of all doozies, for all things MC. Illustrator, Sophie Blackall, has the most wonderful ILLUSTRATED blog, appropriately titled Missed Connections. Her hand drawn ink and watercolor pictures are fantastic and a little dream-like. Check it out. Blog love of the week!

(photo courtesy Sophie Blackall)

BBAC Week #8 - Cinnamon Rolls

2009-07-12T20:56:00.006-05:00

Not gonna lie, I was a little lazy about my baking this week. The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge recipe this week made either cinnamon rolls or sticky buns. I chose cinnamon rolls and I'd planned on prepping everything up to the actual baking on Friday night. I totally scrapped these plans when given the opportunity to go see the movie UP with J. Such a great movie! The animation blew me away and we laughed so hard we cried for most of the movie.

I got home at about 10:30pm and started my dough. Got everything mixed and let it rise once. By that time I was exhausted so I just covered the bowl in plastic and tossed it in the fridge. So tired, in fact, that I completely forgot to take any photos up to that point. Oops!

The dough risen a bit more overnight in the fridge, but didn't seem over-risen by Saturday morning. I did the poke test (gently poke the dough with your finger: if the indentation fills back in the yeast is still active, if not it has risen for too long) and the dough was surprisingly in perfect shape.

I rolled he dough into a large rectangle, covered it in cinnamon and sugar, and rolled the whole thing into a big, doughy log. I actually think the overnight refrigeration helped during this step as the cold dough didn't stick to the rolling pin, my hands, or the board.

I sliced the roll into twelve buns, and placed them on a parchment lined baking sheet. I let them rise for a bit longer than the recommended time since they were still cold from the refrigeration.

I popped the rolls into the preheated 350 degree oven and started prepping the rest of breakfast. I ended up baking them for 40 minutes, rather than the 20-30 minutes in the recipe, as they weren't browning very quickly. It was definitely worth the wait.

The rolls rose a bit more during baking, and the sugar turned into a glaze in between layers, and created a crispy crust on top. By this time I was starving, so I hopped in the shower while they cooled (recipe calls for 10 minutes of cooling before glazing) so as not to dump the whole bowl of fondant on top and start downing them. I think this was more effective than a low flow shower head at conserving water, because I was in and out in record time!

Not surprisingly, these were really good. Per the recipe, I added lemon zest (you could also use lemon extract) so they were a bit citrusy. I'm not completely used to lemon in my cinammon rolls, but it was a nice addition. We ate them with good, crispy bacon and a fruit salad of honeydew, orange, grapefruit, and Ranier cherries ( love that they're on in season and on sale right now!). Didn't get any photos of the plated breakfast because it immediately went into our mouths. Sooooo good!

Next up: Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread

UHP: Photo Update!

2009-07-10T09:08:00.004-05:00

I have tomatoes!! They're not quite ready yet, but as of yesterday there were even some turning yellowish/pinkish, so fresh, ripe tomatoes are just around the corner.

There have been lots of blossoms on the butternut squash plants in the garden. I'm a little worried though as instead of forming little nubs where the squash will develop once the flowers shrivel, I can only see that the blossom and the branch for about two inches down the stalk are brown and dry. Not sure what happened??

The herbs have grown so much that they're looking bushy and really needing to be pruned back. I will definitely miss them this winter. So will the bumble bees who LOVE the lavender and basil blossoms.

In other interesting news I've seen a number of very smart re-purposing ideas in the blog world this week. Loving this idea from pippa5 on Instructables to create a vertical garden out of a hanging shoe bag. Perfect for growing herbs, greens, or small fruit or vegetable plants and keeping the beasties out. Also great for apartment or patio gardners, or anyone with limited space.

Another great idea from Instructables user Monkeybrad, lawn furniture made from 55 gallon drums. The instructions are pretty simple, and these drums are pretty easy and inexpensive to get your hands on. With the recent influx of spray paint for plastics, you could likely also paint these if you're not a fan of the standard bright blue.

Finally, while this idea may be out of the realm of DIY for most of us, I still thought it was a great idea worth mentioning. Featured on the ReadyMade blog, Jocko Weyland and the folks at Macro Sea are making urban pools out of dumpsters! They've been hosting Friday Pool Parties in the Brooklyn neighborhood where this one is located. Reusing and bringing the community together --doesn't get much better than that!

Cherries and Blog Love

2009-07-08T10:36:00.012-05:00

Two unrelated topics, but both worthy of note.

1.) I am eating the crap out of cherries lately! I bought a 2# bag on Saturday and polished it off today. So good I may get another.

Let me know if I start turning pink.

2.) I have found a new blog crush. I ran across My Milk Toof on StumbleUpon (which you should totally try if you haven't). This blog is probably one of the most original ideas I've seen in quite a while.

Creator, Inhae Renee, sets it up by saying:

"When I was young, I placed my baby teeth under my pillow and when i woke up I'd find a shiny new quarter. But whatever happened to those little teeth? Where did they go? Would I ever see them again?

Many years later, a little tooth was standing at my door. It looked familiar. Its name was ickle. Welcome home, my milk toof!"

Check out the antics of the teeth, Ickle and Lardee, if you get a chance. You won't be disappointed.

(photo courtesy bensonkua)

...Stilt-Walking Skills...

2009-07-07T08:37:00.010-05:00

The BF and I had a very fun three-day break this past weekend. Among other things I got the opportunity to show off my stellar stilt-walking skills.

What? You say you can't walk on stilts at all?

That's too bad because I AM AWESOME AT IT.

The BF, being the stilt newbie that he is, gave a valiant effort. He was up...

...and then he was down.

Don't worry BF, THEEEZ SKILLZ are years in the making. Stilt-walking like this does not happen overnight. Also, I'm naturally gifted with the ability to balance on tiny wooden platforms...in flip flops, nonetheless...pssssh.

(**note: I can only gloat like this because the dear BF has skills superior to mine in virtually every other arena. But not stilts, because I am the winner.**)

BBAC Week #7 - Ciabatta

2009-07-05T22:53:00.008-05:00

Onward and upward to week #7 (my second) of the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge with Ciabatta. This bread was first made in Italy, and should have a crisp crust with a porous, soft interior.

The dough was much stickier than the Challah from last week. I made the poolish variety, rather than the biga, but both involve starting the fermentation process a few hours, or even up to three days, before making the actual dough. For the poolish, I mixed the flour, yeast, and water together to make a sticky, thick pancake batter-like texture. I let it ferment for four hours on the counter, and then stuck it in the fridge overnight.

This morning I added the poolish to more flour, salt, yeast, and water in the mixer, and mixed for about 7 minutes total using the paddle and then the dough hook. It was a bit dry at first, so I added water by the tablespoon until I got the stickier texture I was looking for.

After the first 30 minute rising, I added some fresh rosemary and thyme and did the first stretch/fold, and let it raise for another 45 minutes.

It was looking pretty puffy by then, so I decided to go ahead and divide it up into loaves. The loaves sat in a makeshift couche (one of my kitchen towels) to keep them seperate during the final raising.

To get the crispy crust I was looking for I had to add steam to the oven. I did this by pouring hot water into a preheated pan on the top rack as I added the dough to the bottom rack. I also misted the walls of the oven every thirty seconds for the first two minutes of baking.

The recipe made enough dough for two small loaves and two buns. Since I don't have a baking stone or even a huge pan I decided to bake them individually. The recipe called for a bake time of approximately 22 minutes, but I had to bake each for closer to thirty to get the caramel colored crust I was looking for.

The loaves looked great. I didn't take a photo of the inside this time, though, because I was a little disappointed with how mine turned out. Ciabatta is known for it's light crumb filled with tons of big air pockets. Mine was sadly missing those big holes. The only thing I can figure out is that the house was a little cooler today, and the recipe called for a final stretching ( but no folding) of the dough as it was going into the couche. I think that last stretch probably flattened any air holes that might have formed.

Despite that, the bread tastes great, and looks nice. I'm still going to chalk this one up to success since the buns played an important role in tonight's dinner.

Mmmm...salmon burgers (grilled by the BF) with avocado aioli and leaf lettuce. Pretty excellent way to end the three day weekend.

Next up: Cinnamon Rolls

Monday Night

2009-06-30T09:04:00.004-05:00

Look at those bully butts!

Charlie and I got to hang out with J and Bella last night for some Bachelorette action. Fun times were had by all.

Thoughts from last night's episode:

*Why is Wes still around?
*How did Michael suddenly get so impossibly cute? (whispers) "I'll miss you." And now he's gone!
*Kiptyn is without a shirt approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of the time.
*Jesse's family has a winery AND a rock band. NICE!
*Wes is a tool.
*Hotel confrontations make for good tv.
*Balcony crying scenes two seasons in a row...way to go ABC.
*Ed is back. Go Team Ed!! You've got some making up to do, buddy.
*Reid has nice glasses that he should wear more often.
*Wes is a giant tool.

Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge - Challah

2009-06-27T16:05:00.011-05:00

I've been wanting to perfect (or really get started on) my bread baking skills. It seems like my dough never rises right, or the crust browns before the inside is done. I heard about The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge over at Pinch My Salt and decided to go for it. The rules are simple:

1.) BUY Peter Reinhart's awesome book The Bread Baker's Apprentice

2.) FOLLOW along with the group by baking one recipe per week

3.) SHARE your successes, failures, tips, photos, etc

4.) ENJOY the fruits of your labor..mmmm...

So I FINALLY got my book in the mail and started today with Week #6 - Challah. It was a good, fairly simple recipe to begin with.

Challah is a traditional Jewish yeast bread made with eggs. The dough turned out beautifully and the color was awesome with the addition of 2 eggs/2 egg yolks.

Two rounds of kneading meant the dough was silky smooth by the time it came around to forming the loaf.

It took right at an hour to rise during the first fermentation period. The second went a bit quicker, and I knew it was working when the big bubbles started to form during the second rising. One reason for me to not curse this heat wave: bread dough loves heat and humidity.

After separating the risen dough into six sections I rolled and braided. It's harder than I thought to roll springy, risen dough. It worked best to start in the middle of each section and move my hands away from one another at the same time while rolling.

I made one big and one small braid, and placed the smaller on top of the bigger to make the Celebration Loaf. Brushed the entire thing with an egg wash to make the crust crispy and golden and let it proof for a little longer. Traditionally, just before baking, you would sprinkle the top with seeds to symbolize manna from heaven. I was fresh out of poppy and sesame seeds thought, so I used a little bit of kosher salt to give the crust a nice flavor and a little sparkly texture.

I was surprised at how much bigger it got during baking! It smelled wonderful and luckily I pulled it out at just the right time. The recipe said bake 20 minutes, rotate the loaf, and continue baking 20 to 40 additional minutes. I pulled mine after approximately 27 minutes total. Really need to get an instant read thermometer, but I just took a guess at it's doneness by the look of the crust, and it was perfect!

The crumb turned out really well too. Very soft and springy with good uniformity and no gigantic air-pocket holes.

The BF and I slathered it with butter (and a bit of honey on our second pieces). For my first venture, I'd call it a success!

Next up: Ciabatta

Finding Your Glasses

2009-06-25T08:42:00.006-05:00

How much do I love Regina Spektor? This much <---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> ...and more.

She just released a new album titled Far, and like her previous, it is magical. I can definitely hear a little influence from her recent work with Ben Folds.

I heard a great interview with Regina on NPR's Morning Edition this morning, in which she talks about singing in the shower, forgetting the lyrics, and finding "glasses" at an early age that opened up Beatles songs to her in an entirely new way.

Listen to the interview in it's entirety here. Her new song Eet will give you chills.

(photo courtesy Stuart Leech)

Summer (Etsy) Lovin'

2009-06-18T16:06:00.005-05:00

It's been a while since I've made an Etsy wishlist, so I figure it's about time. The following are some of my summer favs...too bad my birthday isn't until December.

First, I need these awesome Boylan Soda Bottle Glasses from YAVA Glass. Perfect for sipping cold drinks on the porch.

Charlie dog needs this summer-citrusy collar from Lucky Fiona.

This beachy little "Heather" oil painting from thisisalliknow reminds me of lazy days at the lake.

I could pack picnic food or some road trip snacks in these eco-friendly and cute reusable snack bags from Waste Not Saks. (Full disclosure: I already bought a couple of these and love them!)

And finally, this breezy, casual toadstool skirt from Made With Love By Hannah would be perfect with a tank top and flip-flops on a hot day.

Hello, handsome.

2009-06-17T08:13:00.006-05:00

This is my new bike that the BF so sweetly gifted me last weekend. Love, love, LOVE IT! It's a vintage Huffy that even came with the original sales paperwork from 1982. We found it at a crazy antique mall off I-70 and he was convinced that I needed it. He was right.

It's all original, and in really good condition, including tires, seat....

...and this sweet sticker on the fender. I'll probably change a few things out just for the sake of updates and having tires younger than me on it.

Have taken him for a couple of spins around the block though and everything seems to be in excellent working order. I'm guessing it's been garaged for all this time.

Oh new bike, you and I have some good times ahead.

I Want to Like It...

2009-06-11T11:58:00.007-05:00

I want to like Bonnaroo. I REALLY want to like it. Even today as I'm reading an article about a family preparing for opening day this evening, I drool slightly at the thought of Bruce Springstein, Bon Iver, Wilco, Snoop Dog, Band of Horses, Neko Case, and Merle Haggard among others playing the same festival over the course of the next four days.

Even the description sounds good: "A four-day, multi-stage camping festival held on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee." I like camping. Check. I love music. Check. Tennessee is pretty. Check.

It's just that it's not exactly what the inexperienced Bonnarooian (or anyone, for that matter) would expect. No amount of reading over "Being Here" or "Helpful Tips" articles will fully prepare you. I know. I speak from experience.

June 2007 my friend Sarah and I set off to be free-spirited, happy camper, hippie concertgoers for a long weekend. We loaded up with all the essentials: tent, sleeping bags, food, chairs, clothes, knee high mud boots, PLENTY of sunscreen, concert schedules, baby wipes (because it costs at least $10 to take a shower in a dirty stall, IF you can get in...no joke) and a plethora of other goodies. We made our way across Missouri and through Tennessee, planning what shows we would watch when, and listening to our favorite acts that we would soon see in person.

We made it to Manchester and got into the miles-long, creeping lines of cars headed toward the entrance. No problem, we expected this. We inched along, tuned into Bonnaroo radio, and anticipated what to do once we got camp set up that night. Three hours later we made it to the checkpoint, got our car searched, got wristbanded, and herded in the direction of a camping area. We were still cool, though getting tired and hungry at this point.

Everything we'd read before heading out said to plan on having room to park your car, and approximately the length and width of another car behind your vehicle to set up your stuff. It also said that it was permissable to leave and return in your vehicle once during the weekend. No prob, we thought.

I had assumed that there would be some type of "alleyway" system set up between cars, so that in the event of emergency, you could leave. I assumed wrong, and my slightly claustrophobic self started to FREAK!

We followed the other cars into the field where we would camp, and got directed to the actual spot by volunteers. As cars came to a stop people literally FLEW out of their cars. We didn't quite grasp what they were doing until it was too late. They were staking claim, and before we knew it our "car-sized camping area" became an area barely big enough for our tent directly behind the bumper of my car. We literally had to ask those around us to move some of their crap so that we would have a square big enough for our 4- man tent. We were two rows in, and suddenly realized that there was going to be no way for us to move our car until everyone started leaving four days later. Everywhere we looked, for literally a mile in any direction was a sea of cars, tents, and people. Hmmm....

We set up and headed in the direction of Centeroo, or the area where all the shows happen. We walked a circle, getting our barings about where everything would take place in the next few days and watched a few of the opening acts that evening. One of my favorite things was the Silent Disco. There was a DJ and everyone inside was wearing wireless headphones, dancing to the same music, with club lights flashing. We couldn't hear the music from the outside, but it was pretty great and kind of surreal watching a bunch of people dancing to the same beat that we couldn't hear. Little did we know that this would be a metaphor four our weekend.

We got back to our site at about 9pm. We stopped at a line of one of many Port-a-Potties near our site. These are literally 20 or so stalls in length, and there are probably hundreds of these stations throughout the festival. Already many were surprisingly full and gross, after only four or five hours. We wondered what they would look like two days in, in 90 degree heat. Nonetheless, we powered through that, and brushed our teeth at one of the many communal troughs. We could do this, no prob.

That night we stayed up and talked a bit. We noticed that our neighbors were getting louder and louder, but that's to be expected as everyone was pretty excited about being there. We tried to go to bed at about 11pm, as we'd heard that we would be awake by 8am or so when the temperature started to rise. I read for a bit, put my earplugs in, tried to read some more. The neighbors got louder and louder. They'd been drinking whiskey since our arrival at 7:00pm and I'd hoped that the effects would kick in soon so we could all get some rest. Just then I heard, through my earplugs mind you, one of the guy's say very slurrily "Dude, this stuff is about to knock me out. I think it's time for the smack." For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about...Google it. I sat up, looked at Sarah, she looked back at me, both of us slightly in shock. We knew that there would undoubtedly be drugs there despite all the car checks and stuff; but naiive, clean girls that we are, were still a bit shocked. Before long, our neighbors had started an illegal fire and I was imagining them setting a whole row of tents and cars ablaze in their severely altered state. To the right we had some kids completely out of their minds on who knows what, all of us packed in like refugees, and fire. My claustrophobia started to kick in big time, Sarah's too, and we peeked out to see if there was any way of moving our car to another spot. None. There were two campsites between the nose of my car and a gravel road, which was at the top of a pretty significant incline. People were either asleep or still watching shows, and there was no way of getting through without having at least two groups move their cars and all of their stuff.

Trying not to panic, I attempted to sleep. I dozed off, only to be awakened by our neighbors having an in depth discussion on the pros of DATE RAPE. Literally. I started to wake Sarah up to tell her that we were WALKING ourselves out of this crazy mess when one of the drunken/stoned fools from next door FELL ON TOP OF ME. I was laying in my cot, he fell on the outside of our tent, and I found myself with a complete stranger LAYING ON ME with only A THIN PIECE OF TENT IN BETWEEN US!! He apologized overly profusely (through the wall of the tent), in the way that only a drunken and stoned idiot can, and I remained awake for the next four hours to protect myself and my sleeping tent mate from certain death.

Somewhere around 4am, our neighbors (if you can even call them that at this point) passed out all over their site, and I eventually drifted off.

At 6am I woke up to Sarah shaking my cot. "Cara! CARA!! We've got to get out of here. SERIOUSLY." Apparently she had awakened to someone loudly revisiting all of the beverage they had drank the night before...right by her head on the other side of the tent wall. Some how I had slept through that one.

We stumbled outside as the sun was slightly above the horizon to all kinds of carnage. People passed out in chairs, people sleeping on top of their cars. Wrappers, bottles, cans, cold hot dogs, strewn about like casualties. Miraculously, though, the car nearest the road, and all of their camping equipment was gone. Apparently their night had been much like ours, and they had bailed because they could. Sarah and I didn't even have to speak. We began breaking down the tent, and throwing stuff into the back of the car as if it were an Olympic sport. When we were packed up we made our way to the campsite standing between us and sweet freedom. Inside a mosquito netted shade tent to the left was a 20 something, passed out on his back, shirtless, with a chest covered in yellow American cheese slices. Not. Even. Kidding.

Trying to ignore this we gently roused the tent between us and the road. We offered to help them move all their stuff if we could somehow just get enough space to drive to the road. Luckily they agreed. When that path opened up we hopped in my car, gunned it up the hill, and after two attempts on the grass slick with morning dew (and likely some Jim Beam) we made it to the road and didn't look back. We drove into town, grabbed some breakfast, and tried to find a hotel room anywhere in town, planning on using day parking for the shows. There were none. No hotel rooms in the area. We discussed for a while, and eventually ended up squeezing our hands out of the wrist bracelets that we'd exchanged for our tickets, and sold them to some scalper on the side of the road for $75 apiece.

Yes. I am a Bonnaroo quitter.

It still bums me out that it all happened that way, but at the time we could not imagine going back in there, and possibly getting stuck again, for three more days.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE music, and I know I would have loved the shows. This was not one of my finer moments, but I can't say that I would honestly change our ultimate decision if faced with the same situation again. Call me a pansy, but by fully plumbed bathroom and stoner-free bed had never looked as good as they did when we got home that night.

For all of you making your way this year, I wish you good weather, good music, good neighbors and if need be, sell your firstborn for a campsite next to the road.

(photo courtesy kloppster)

2009-06-10T11:34:00.000-05:00

Last Day Dream [HD] from Chris Milk on Vimeo.

Wow.

UHP: Photo Update!

2009-06-10T08:24:00.005-05:00

The plants are growing like, well I'd say weeds, but that just seems inappropriate.

I did manage to grab a few photos in between thunderstorms yesterday. I feel a little like a proud mother.

Here's my tomato. Check those yellow blossoms! Ripe, red tomatoes are on their way!

This is one of the herb planters. Clockwise from the top I've got chives in the back, basil off the right side, rosemary in the front, a tiny sprig of sage that's hanging on to the left and in the middle the mint that's BLOWING UP! I've been putting a few sprigs of mint in with the tea bags and sugar before pouring the boiling water over it for sweet tea. Mmmm!

Here's a big, beautiful lavender blossom with some long, lanky dill in the background. I'm going to try to make some lavender chocolate chip cookies similar to the one's at Eden Alley Cafe.

Here are my accidental squash from "The Butternut Incident" . They're still in their pots on the porch for a couple more days. You can probably see the white shoot that stretches off the bottom of the page. They're really starting to reach out and grab on to surrounding ground, so I need to get them planted in their permanent home in the yard this weekend. I think the trick is going to be keeping the critters from eating any blossoms off once they're planted. I can't necessarily put up a big fence or even temporary chicken wiring in the yard around it, so not really sure how to handle this. Any suggestions?

Here's a horribly blurry photo of the melons in my egg planters because (**CRASH**) thunder and lightning!!

It was looking pretty ominous so I headed in, and sure enough, the downpour hit a couple of minutes later.

Blog Love: Pioneer Woman

2009-06-09T20:51:00.005-05:00

I've got some major blog love today. I can't believe I hadn't stumbled upon it before now, but if you have been living under a rock like me and haven't checked out Pioneer Woman , you MUST.

Originally a city girl, she met and married her cowboy husband, Marlboro Man, during a "temporary" stop at home. She now lives on a cattle ranch with MM and their kids, takes some of the most amazing photos, and her recipes section makes me want to lick my monitor.

Word to the wise: don't even start reading the love story between her and MM, titled Black Heels and Tractor Wheels, if you don't have a few uninterrupted hours on your hands. You won't be able to stop!

I think I have a blog crush.

(images via Pioneer Woman)

Running? Yeah, I'm going to do that...

2009-06-09T20:31:00.007-05:00

So I signed up for a 5K in July and I'm supposed to start training this week. Last night was Bachelorette night (anyone watching: could not be more glad Dave is gone, and now Wes needs to go...badly) with Jackie who thankfully pitied me drove herself out into the boonies to watch it here. Cookies were had.

Today it has been storming like CRAZY! There was literally a flood in Westport today from the buckets of rain that came down around lunch. Anyway, I'm at home tonight. I had some dinner and got some laundry done. I really need a run tonight, but I just saw lightning again. Does it count that I'm blogging on top of a copy of Runner's World?

What?! Those are BAKED Ruffles. Hey look at that cute dog. Hi Charlie Dog!

I'm just going to be over...there....(aaaand exit)

I Don't Do Mornings

2009-06-03T08:09:00.005-05:00

I shouldn't be asked to do anything that accounts for more than getting myself out of bed, dressed, and out the door in the mornings. Today is a perfect example of this.

We're celebrating a co-worker's birthday at the office today. We all offered to bring some breakfasty food for the party. I said that I would bring my french toast casserole, which is always a big hit, and really easy because it is prepped the night before and just popped in the oven in the morning.

Set my alarm a little early, preheated the oven, popped the casserole in, and proceeded to get ready. Forty minutes later the timer goes off, I take it out, pack it up, and head out the door, congratulating myself for being so on top of things today. What's missing from this listing of events?.....

....oh right, it was ME TURNING THE OVEN OFF!!

This would be significantly less bad if I still lived close to work, but currently I'm at a 45 minute, one-way commute on a good day. That and my low fuel light started blinking a few blocks from work this morning.

Going to have to try to be extra speedy and make it there and back over lunch. *sigh* This is why I don't even let myself use a curling iron before work.

(Photo courtesy nutmeg66)

Urban Homestead Project Update

2009-06-01T15:10:00.002-05:00

The tomato and herbs in their planters are LOVING the weather we've had this month. I'm not kidding when I say that I think each of the plants have grown 6" to 1' since we've finally been having some nice weather. I actually had to pare back the basil, chives, mint, and dill this past weekend because they were starting to get overgrown. I made some homemade pesto with the basil, added some mint to the pitcher of tea in the fridge, and added some chopped dill and chives to the tuna salad we ate this weekend. Fresh herbs really do make all the difference.

In other news, an unexpected thing happened with the worm bin. Those little guys are working so hard and going through so many scraps. I tossed in some squash pulp and seeds a while back and forgot entirely about them. Two weeks later I notice some little green shoots poking their way up through the newsprint. Amazingly, the squash seeds sprouted (which probably means the compost I'm seeing form under the top layer of bedding is pretty darn healthy)! I carefully pulled the baby plants out, repotted them, and set them outside to harden a bit in a part sun/part shade spot. They have taken off, and are now probably about 8 inches long, and starting to bend over. It's time to replant them in the ground.

I had planned on only doing a container garden on the porch this year, but in light of "The Butternut Incident" I'm going to also have a small plot in the yard for some simple vining plants. I bought some watermelon and canteloupe seeds about a month ago. I had just gone through a carton of local eggs that had really tough shells, and had a great idea (though I'm sure that I am by no means the first to try this): break the tops off the eggs carefully enough, and you've got perfectly sized, biodegradable, all natural seed starters that add nutrients to the soil around your plants. Basically I broke the eggs near the pointy end, approximately 1/3 of the way from the top, rinsed the shells, put them back in the egg carton (hole up), and filled them with soil and a few seeds. Once they've sprouted big enough, I'll probably squeeze the shells just slightly to crack them as I'm getting ready to place the seedlings in the ground, just to keep them from getting too root-bound as they grow.

So this weekend is going to be spent finding a great, sunny spot in the yard; digging, digging, and more digging, and planting. Here's to hoping for some awesome melons and squash in a few weeks!!

Yeowch!

2009-05-27T10:29:00.004-05:00

I went on vacation...or was recruited for a vacation...with my grandma and my aunt last week to Colorado. Being the flatlanders that we are I suggested that we take our time heading up and down the mountain. No one listened to me. We headed straight up past 8,000 feet, and then two days later, straight back down. Those ladies mean business.

When I got home I noticed that my shampoo bottles were all deflated looking from the quick drop and then rise in pressure during the altitude change. I think something similar happened in my head, because by the time we hit Denver on our way home I had a splitting headache. I STILL have a headache.

My hair hurts.

(Photo courtesy fabbriciuse)

Sunday Suppers

2009-05-18T14:48:00.005-05:00

I've always loved cooking. Even living by myself I usually try to make a good, healthy, from scratch dinner at least once a week. I separate the leftovers into single servings and freeze them, so I'm not wasting, and so I don't have to eat the same thing all. week. long.

Since the BF and I have been together we always cook Sunday dinner together, and sometimes a few other weekend meals as well. This weekend we had Roast Chicken (with fresh herbs from the planters) with roasted carrots, leeks, and potatoes, and some home made bread on Saturday. We had, or didn't have, my failed attempt at french toast with the leftover home made bread on Sunday morning(I don't even know how it happened, but it was a big FAIL). Then on Sunday night, the BF whipped up some from-scratch pizza dough, and we made a BBQ chicken pizza with the leftover chicken from Saturday night.

We were trying to calculate out what these meals cost, versus going out (which, not gonna lie, we also love). The bread cost about $1.00, and made an approximately 1lb loaf. The chicken was on sale for $1.29/lb, which means it was about $4.50 total. Add in the random other few ingredients, and those meals cost probably somewhere near $10 total...for all three. Well, minus the fact that we ended up eating breakfast out after the french toast situation. By a conservative guess at $10 per meal for each of us if we'd gone out, we saved probably some where near $50!

It was also great to know pretty much everything that we were eating came from whole ingredients. No preservatives, no artificial anything.

When we were cooking I was thinking out loud about all of this, the savings, the health, the activity of preparing something together. I mentioned that my Grandpa, who grew up on a farm during the depression, always eats a whole apple. I'm talking pretty much everything but the seeds. I'm not a wasteful person, generally, but I usually get 1/2 to 3/4 of the way through with a whole apple and decide I'm done. I've always seen apples at the grocery store, in huge, sparkling piles, of probably four different colors and eight different varieties in any given store.

I've been fortunate enough to never go hungry, and (like many in modern day western culture)to have pretty much any amount, of any type of food easily accessible to me at all times in my life. I did help my Grandpa in his backyard garden from time to time growing up, if you call eating one strawberry to every two put in the bucket "helping", but this is the first time in my life that I've really made it a priority to know where my food is coming from, and even attempt to grow some herbs and vegetables from start to finish all on my own. Grandpa, on the other hand, has lived his entire life growing much of his own food during the spring, summer and fall. During hard times in his childhood, his family literally survived on the foods that they produced. They grew, ate, canned, traded, and even saved seeds for the next year's planting from their fruits and vegetables. Fresh fruits and vegetables didn't come from giant crates, and were only available a few months out of the year. They were precious.

This has really given me a different perspective on food and eating. A more appreciative perspective. A more healthful perspective. I would never want to waste anything that I'd babied to fruition like I am with my plants. I've always known where apples, or peas, or potatoes come from, but actually seeing a dead looking seed sprout up, grow strong, and make something edible is pretty miraculous.

Call me the reformed apple-waster.

(Photo courtesy SteveGarfield)

Awkward Family Photos

2009-05-13T14:50:00.001-05:00

Go check out Awkward Family Photos. Just do it.

Pedaler's Jamboree

2009-05-11T12:07:00.004-05:00

Why am I not going to this again?

Oh yeah, family obligations. Waah waaaaah!

Maybe next year, because it sounds fantastic. 75 miles in two days on (IMO) the prettiest section of the Katy Trail. Live music, sponsored by Boulevard Brewing Co, and a $35 entry. Doesn't get much better than that.

A Regular Celeb...

2009-05-08T13:19:00.004-05:00

...well...not quite, but my comment did get read on yesterday's NPR - All Things Considered. That's a national radio show, yo! Whoo hoo!

Click here to hear it (mine starts at 1 min. 50 sec.)

Listen to the Mo Willems story I commented on in it's entirety here. Check out Mo at a book signing above!

(photo courtesy Mark Blevins)

Nice.

2009-05-07T14:46:00.001-05:00

Quirks

2009-05-07T12:25:00.006-05:00

A little known quirk about me:

I'm not anal about many things. I've been known to not make my bed on (frequent) occasion, my closets are disorganized, and my nails are a mess.

But...

I'm really into M&M color. If I get a bag, even fun sized, I pour the whole thing out, and then eat by color. I go from whatever color I have the least of, to whatever I have the most of. If I'm being absentminded and pop one in my mouth without noticing the color, it really bothers me once I realize what I've done. The best bags are when I have the most greens and blues. Somehow I think these two colors taste better.

Urban Homestead Project Update

2009-05-05T08:46:00.006-05:00

Quick update on the project:

Officially put the container plants outside this weekend, as everything I've read says that May 1st is a good time for planting outdoors in my area. Missouri just needs to pull through with no more freakish overnight frosts now, as I'm not lugging those heavy things back inside again. So far they actually seem to be doing better after the initial shock of being outdoors. Went back to the nursery on Sunday and got a few herbs to replace the ones that didn't make it indoors. New basil, thyme, lavender, chives and dill seem to be settling in nicely, while the original sage, mint, parsley, and the tomato are going strong. I saw tons more vegetable, fruit, and berry plants I wanted to snatch up at the nursery, but after my last bout of overenthusiasm, I'm taking things slooow.

The worms are doing well. Last week they enjoyed some old bread, watermelon rind, and squash. I dug down through the layers a bit and am seeing some nice looking compost already! Also, the BF and I saw this at Target over the weekend and got really excited. Its a worm bin made by MIO for Target. We checked over it very carefully and decided that the design is actually really good. each of the two layers have holes in the bottom to allow for migration of the worms, and there's a little black plastic spigot in the bottom to drain of any liquid that accumulates. I'm not sure about the holes in the lid as the worms might try to escape out them, and there are no holes in the sides to
allow for ventilation of the compost. The price at $99 was also significantly higher than my $15 homemade setup, but this one is visually a lot better than mine. Overall it looks nice, and seems to have a good basic design. I'm excited to see a product like this in the mainstream.

Also thought I would share these instructions from Merwing's Flickr for making your own Swiffer duster reusable refills. I'll admit, I do love my Swiffer mop and duster because of the ability to start with a totally fresh cleaning tool, and let's face it, they work great. I don't feel like I'm spreading old dirt around. I don't like throwing away a bulky floor pad, or used duster head as often as I do though, so this could be a great solution. She uses microfiber cloths (I already have a bunch that I use in place of paper towels for windows and surface wipedowns) that can be found in the cleaning section of most stores now. They require a minimal amount of sewing that could be done on a machine or by hand, and they're washable!

The seldom seen Monday Dinner

2009-05-04T20:42:00.003-05:00

So apparently I'm feeling extra domestic lately, because it is extremely rare thing to see me cook on a Monday night. I had this great recipe I really wanted to try though, and I was sooooo not disappointed. I started with a recipe from Alana Kellogg's A Veggie Venture and changed it just slightly. Seriously....new. favorite. thing.

Butternut Mac 'n' Cheese

SQUASH

Slice one 2lb butternut squash in two lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Rub edges with olive oil and place cut side down on a baking dish. Roast at 400F for 60 minutes or until flesh is soft and can be easily scooped out. Set aside to cool. (Note: You can microwave a whole butternut squash for 2-3 minutes before cutting in half to make the slicing a bit easier. If you do that, just reduce the roasting time by 5-10 minutes to prevent burning)

MACARONI

Boil approximately 1 1/2 cup elbow macaroni in salted water to al dente. Let drain well. Timing-wise, finish the pasta and sauce at approximately the same time.

SAUCE

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped finely

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp flour

1 c milk

16oz cheddar/american blend shredded cheese

In a saucepan melt the butter over medium heat and add onions, nutmeg, and pepper. Cook until onions are soft. Sprinkle the flour over onions and stir using a whisk until no lumps are present. Add the milk one tablespoon at a time, and mix thoroughly before adding more (this will also keep the sauce from getting lumpy). Stir continuously and allow to almost boil as the sauce thickens. Turn off heat, add the cheeses and let melt in hot sauce, stirring until smooth and blended.

Scoop the roasted squash out of the skin and into a large bowl, mashing with a spoon. Stir in the hot drained pasta and combine well, distributing the squash throughout. Stir the sauce into the pasta/squash mixture and combine well. Transfer to a greased baking dish. Sprinkle the top with paprika if desired and bake at 350F for 30 minutes until bubbly throughout. You can place it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to brown the top if desired, but watch closely to prevent burning. Makes 4-1c servings.

I know this sounds like kind of a crazy recipe, I mean who wants to mess up perfectly good mac and cheese with vegetables? Seriously though, this was absolutely amazing. I happen to like squash a lot, but even if I didn't I think I would like this recipe. The squash adds a velvety texture, cuts down on the amount of cheese needed, seems to prevent those greasy puddles seen in normal homemade mac and cheese, and seems to make the flavor richer without being blatantly detectable. I will definitely be making this one again. YUM!

(photo courtesy A Veggie Venture -- I may have been feeling industrious tonight, but not enough to actually get my camera out.)

Sunday Dinner

2009-05-04T08:56:00.003-05:00

The BF and I cook dinner every Sunday before sitting down to our favorite: Celebrity Apprentice (Don't laugh! The finale is next week and I'm not sure what we're going to do with ourselves after that).

Anyway, last night we made a primo dinner that I've gotta share. The recipe came from an episode of Everyday Food.

Tandoori-Style Chicken Burgers with Cumin Yogurt Sauce

ingredients

1 1/2 pounds (4 to 5) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into rough chunks
4 scallions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger (from a peeled 2-inch piece)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Vegetable oil, for grates
4 (6-inch) whole-wheat pitas
1 cucumber (8 ounces), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
Cumin yogurt sauce
Watermelon slices (optional)

Serves 4 Prep Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes

Heat grill to medium-high. In a medium bowl, place chicken, scallions, ginger, lemon juice, paprika, cumin, cardamom, cayenne, 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; toss to combine. Set aside to marinate, at least 10 and up to 30 minutes.
Transfer chicken mixture to a food processor; pulse until roughly chopped, but not pasty, 10 to 12 times. Gently form mixture into sixteen 3/4-inch-thick patties (about 3 tablespoons each).
Moisten a folded paper towel with oil; grasp with tongs and rub over grates. Season patties with salt and pepper; grill until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Halve pitas crosswise (toast on grill, if you like). Into each pocket, place 2 chicken patties, cucumber slices, and cilantro sprigs. Serve with Cumin Yogurt Sauce and, if desired, watermelon slices.

Cumin Yogurt Sauce
In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt with 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin; season with coarse salt and ground pepper.

Happy 100 Days

2009-04-29T08:59:00.007-05:00

Today is the 100th day in office for President Obama. He's definitely had his hands full trying to juggle a major economic downturn, international summits, a possible pandemic, and a wiley new puppy, just to name a few. I mean, what have most of us accomplished for the greater good in a little over three months? It's kind of mind-blowing.

In honor of today I give you The Official Whitehouse Photostream. Looking through these pictures, I can't help but continue to feel excited and hopeful that talented and capable minds are at work for our nation, and that we're on the cusp of some major changes for the better, just as I did 100 days ago.

Happy 100 days, President Obama! Here's to another 1,300 and beyond.

(All photos courtesy The Official White House Photostream)

Dandelion Whine

2009-04-28T12:47:00.005-05:00

Dandelions.

As a kid they were great. Hearty, bright, fluffy in their later days. I had no issue with them. My parents did, and this is when I scored my first job digging dandelions out of the yard with a screwdriver. I got paid $.25 per pound, and inevitably we'd never get around to weighing them until the next day when they were all shriveled. Needless to say, didn't get rich from this endeavor.

These days, I didn't think I particularly cared one way or another about dandelions. That is, until they started popping up all over during the recent rains.

I mowed the yard exactly one week ago, and today (even two days ago) you can't even tell. Literally the next day the whole thing was dotted with happy, yellow faces, and by the following (or so it seemed) the fluffy, white puffballs spewing their spawn all over the place. Today I've got more fresh ones, more puffballs, and literally hundreds of spent, spindly stalks looking totally trashy all over the yard. I have no desire to be the "Perfect Lawn" neighbor, but I also don't want to look like the only thing missing from my yard is a rusted car and a sectional couch.

I overexaggerate.

I really don't mind yardwork at all, but I have no desire to mow my yard (it takes 2 hours at least, not including weedeating) multiple times per week, though I know this could keep the problem in check better. The yard didn't get treated at the beginning of the season, and now I've got too many to spot treat. I know I could treat the whole thing now, but I have to keep the dog off of it for a few days, and I don't like the thought of what it does to the environment and our groundwater. I've heard of a few natural cures that sound a little looney (blowtorches and boiling vinegar). I've also heard that there's a corn by-product that can be applied with a spreader that I may look into.

Until then, I should just shut my trap, and enjoy this dandelion-producing Spring weather before it gets so hot that they bake off.

(Photo courtesy Marvin (PA) )

Dark Was The Night

2009-04-27T19:19:00.004-05:00

Go check out Dark Was the Night Red Hot compilation. Good music, good people, good cause.

Not So Delightful

2009-04-27T18:46:00.003-05:00

Got a free mini-sized Betty Crocker Warm Delights sample in the mail and was pretty stoked. I'm kind of a dessert fiend, and have yet to be dissapointed by anything called "Hot Fudge Brownie" in my life.

I opened the package and made it while I was on the phone with my friend Tyler tonight. Inside was a small, black plastic bowl; a tiny package of brown powder (brownie mix) and a foil packet of hot fudge. The instructions were easy enough. First, pour brownie powder in bowl and mix with one tablespoon water. I did this and noticed that it didn't make much, but assumed it would rise when cooking. Second, squeeze contents of hot fudge packet on top of brownie. Finally, microwave for 30 seconds, or until the top of the brownie looks dry. I followed the directions (which would have been pretty tough to mess up) and indeed the brownie did grow in the microwave to almost fill the bowl.

I took it out a few seconds early, and immediately started munching.

Apparently my idea of "dry" is not Betty's because, while the spoonfuls with lots of hot fudge were ok, the other bites tasted a little like chocolate flavored styrofoam. It was too dry with a bit too lightweight of a consistency to even start to resemble that of a chewy brownie. Still, it was free, and it was chocolate so I ate most of it.

In all, I would never actually buy one, and looking back, I'm kind of concerned as to how a tiny packed of powder and water somehow formed a puffy block of cake in less than a minute of microwaving. For real...what did I just eat. Oh Betty, stick to what you do best--delicious canned frostings and Bisquick pancakes.

How to Make a Baby

2009-04-22T16:17:00.000-05:00

The Soft Sell-Dallas Clayton

2009-04-22T10:04:00.006-05:00

Just fell in love with Dallas Clayton's blog full of poems complete with illustrations. Go check it out here.

I particularly loved this one:

THE SOFT SELL

“Hello sir,
We’ve noticed on your account that you have
Time Warner cable internet service but not Time Warner digital cable television.”

“Yes.”

“Have you considered upgrading?”

“No, I don’t have a TV.”

“You don’t have a TV?”

“No, I threw it in the ocean.”

“Why did you do that?”

“To mess with the dolphins.”

LONG PAUSE

“Well have you considered adding an additional cable phone line
for only 17.99 per month?”

The Urban Homestead Project

2009-04-21T09:35:00.006-05:00

The BF and I have been on this projects kick as the weather starts to get warmer. Mainly we've focused on projects that fall into the realm of the recently hip Urban Homesteading craze. In general this movement involves growing more of your own food, keeping small livestock, finding creative ways to reduce waste, and adding back where civilization has done nothing but take for so long.

Like any movement there are the conservatives and the radicals when it comes to trying to make a change. There are more radical aspects of this that I'm not so interested in: Kombucha Mushroom Tea for health (may make you really sick if you do it wrong and reportedly tastes awful), and yes Humanure (No. Effing. Way. Ever.)

Still, there are quite a few things that I am willing to try. Container gardening , for instance. It's true, I was completely and utterly way too excited about buying plants in March, and some of them have not fared so well. I've been bringing them inside when the temperature dips below 50 degrees, and it's worked...somewhat. So far, lost the basil, then the dill, then thyme, and finally one of the lavender plants. The tomato, mint, sage, parsley, chives, and oregano are still kicking though.

I've also worked on sprouting some native wildflowers to plant as groundcover in some areas where the grass is thin on the edges of the yard to prevent soil erosion, and help out the birds and bugs. They're doing ok so far, the tiny green shoots reaching up toward the sunny window I've placed them next to.

The best, and craziest, so far though: vermicomposting. Simplified, you come up with a 2 cubic foot container (I'm using a rubbermaid bin), fill it about half way with damp bedding (plain newsprint, leaves, hay, peat moss, etc), create some ventilation (I drilled some 1/4" holes in the sides of my bin and added a drain to the bottom), toss in some Red Wigglers (yep, worms) and let them go to town on your kitchen scraps.

To keep the worms and the bin healthy and not smelly, you want to refrain from using fats, oils, bones, meats, citrus (too acidic) and cheese. The worms love veggie and fruit pieces and peelings, egg shells, coffee grounds, and tea bags. If kept up appropriately (using only plant based food, odor absorbing bedding, and not overfeeding) the bin can easily be kept indoors with no gross smells. In fact, this is ideal as the worms thrive between temperatures of 50 and 80 degrees F. The benefit of this is that you reduce the amount of waste you're sending to the landfill, and in just a couple of months when the worms have munched through your scraps, you've got nutrient rich compost for your plants.

So far my vermicomposting venture has gone well. I used dampened, shredded newspaper and dampened peat moss as bedding. The worms arrived in the mail and I poured them into the bin, letting them rest for the first evening. It was fairly creepy seeing this big pile of wiggling worms laying on top of all the bedding, but soon they'd made their way down into it, and I put the lid on for the night. The next day I added about a cup of old lettuce I had in the fridge, burying it under the bedding.

The thing I was not expecting: worm escapees. When I went to check on them the next morning I discovered worms hanging outside the bin, worms crawling out from under the carefully closed lid, worms on the ground around the bin, worms emerging from the carefully drilled ventilation holes. Umm...I stared dumfounded for a few seconds. Worms don't particularly gross me out, but the thought of scooping about twenty writhing, damp worms off the floor at 6:30am in my bathrobe wasn't exactly pleasant. Again, that night I checked, and more marauding worms. The next morning I decided to add some apple scraps, thinking that I wouldn't want to survive solely on wilted lettuce either. I brainstormed all kinds of ideas to keep the worms inside the bin: screen over the holes, weatherstripping around the lid of the bin, but magically the apples seemed to do the trick.

I'm one week in today. I've been checking every so often for the last few days and they seem to be pretty happy. No more runaways, no nasty smells, and I feel like I'm doing something good. I may even be better about eating my fruits and vegetables so I've got the leftovers for worm food.

Crazy? Possibly. Bored? Probably. Wanting to think that even in small ways I'm making my little corner of the city better? Definitely.

Pancake Luncheon

2009-04-16T20:43:00.005-05:00

I missed tonight's episode of The Office. No one tell me anything that happened until after I've had a chance to watch it tomorrow or heads will roll.

Long live The Michael Scott Paper Company! Did you get your Evite?

Need a Distraction?

2009-04-16T08:53:00.005-05:00

Try making yourself a custom pair of Vans, or Converse. Sweeeeeet!

Weekend Recap

2009-04-13T18:29:00.006-05:00

Made it to the K on Saturday. The stadium updates are soooo nice. After growing up in KC and going to Royals games since I was tiny, it was weird to see people sitting IN the fountain...well not literally in, but the new fountain seats add more seating where there was previously just water.

The Yankees pretty much spanked us, though I don't think the BF noticed since he has a man crush on Derek Jeter, and we sat front row balcony right behind the dugout. I'm more of a Johnny Damon gal, but that's just me. Even though they didn't win, still had a great time.

P.S. I definitely ate an entire foot long hotdog by myself. Yikes!

Also made a wonderful Easter dinner with the BF on Sunday. We had the obligatory ham, the BF's fabulous deviled eggs, and mac with goat cheese, asparagus and chives. It was A-MAZING.

Best. Idea. Ever.

2009-04-10T12:06:00.006-05:00

Don't judge, but I really like Peeps. I know, I know...they can set on a shelf for literally YEARS and not change consistency or color. Yes, that is gross. Do I care? No.

Imagine my excitement when I found out it is Peeps week over at Serious Eats. Imagine my further excitement when I saw this article on S'meeps.

S'mores + Peeps = delicious, Spring colored goodness. Two of my favorites combined. Why didn't I think of that?

Opening Day

2009-04-10T08:15:00.007-05:00

Welcome back Royals, I've missed you.

Opening day is always exciting for me. You've got the newspaper guys decked out in blue on all the corners downtown, spring is here for real, and a hotdog with a handful of peanuts becomes an acceptable dinner once again, best eaten in the sweltering heat with your legs stuck to a blue, plastic seat.

I'm a Kansas City native, and will always be a Royals fan. I don't care that they haven't seen a world series in 24 years. I don't care at all. I love them, I love the stadium, I love the hot dog races and the shouting vendors. I love it all.

So dig out that royal blue gear, and make your way to the K (and yes, even pay the outrageous parking, because it's worth it). Cheer for the home team, and for goodness sakes, stop wearing your Chiefs jersey to the game. This is baseball, son...have a little respect.

(Photos courtesy cleverswine and jereandreagan)

When I Am An Old Woman, I Shall Send Texts

2009-04-08T09:45:00.004-05:00

Jenny Joseph's poem "Warning, When I Am An Old Woman, I Shall Wear Purple" might be a good enough descriptor for some ladies out there, but not my Grams.

She's pretty awesome. We usually call one another on Friday nights at some point to talk about life, President Obama (we both voted for him...and we don't think anyone else in the family did), friends, dream analysis, women's rights, and what we're having for dinner. She's extremely hip, and looks nowhere close to the 70-something she is. She attributes that to some Mary Kay potion that she swears by. Don't get me wrong, she always looks age appropriate and says that she doesn't want to look like one of those ladies that's "trying to do something but forgot how." Oh, Grams :)

Anyway, she recently traded her minivan in for a brand new, red Ford Fusion. Everyone had been trying to get her to trade the van in for some time, but she waited until she was good and ready. When she was, everyone had an opinion on what she should get (including me) but she ignored us all and got what she wanted. It has leather heated seats, a moon roof, and a spoiler. Grams...and a spoiler. Hehe.

It also has Sync, which means she can hook her cell up and chat in the car. That is, if she had a post 2005 phone, which she didn't. But now she does. Grams went out and bought a sweet new phone "with a bunch of stuff I don't need" she says. However there is one thing she's pretty excited about....TEXT MESSAGING! She hasn't figured it out yet, but we have plans to teach her next Tuesday, and then look out world (and probably my phone bill).

Sometimes I'm a little scared of getting older, and then I hang out with Grams, and I'm kind of not.

(photo courtesy r0sss)

Another Reason to Love Oregon: ...

2009-04-07T08:12:00.005-05:00

...it's home to the band Blind Pilot. These guys are fresh, extremely talented, and most importantly--bike people. They've even done a couple of West Coast tours, hauling all of their gear on bikes. On the first go-round, they were headed from Vancouver, B.C. to Mexico, but the tour was cut short when their bikes were stolen outside San Francisco.

They've had a better streak of luck lately, and just got done playing at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, TX.

I think their sound is a little bit Old 97's with some Guster-ish instrumentation thrown in for good measure.

Morning Edition did a great story on the band today. Click here to listen to the guys talk about bikes, Oregon, song writing, and how they're just fine without drugs, groupies, or tour buses. Also, check out their sweet blog here.

(Photo courtesy andycarvin)

Weekend Fro-Yo Fix

2009-04-03T12:21:00.002-05:00

Another thing I may have to add to my weekend lineup:

Mochi-Yo Yogurt Bar opens in Leawood at 4535 W 119th Street in the One Nineteen Shopping Center. To celebrate they're giving away free product all weekend!

Mochi-Yo is a Pinkberry-ish, Korean-style yogurt bar that serves four flavors with over a dozen toppings and smoothies.

Yummmm.

Happy Friday!

2009-04-03T12:04:00.005-05:00

Good things on tap this weekend:

Tonight--stopping by Bad Seed to grab some potato seeds they couldn't use because of the storm, and possibly some other goodies at their Friday Market.

Tomorrow AM--A good possibility of breakfast out/City Market, especially since the Shatto Milk people will be there with samples (*mmmmm*)

Tomorrow PM--gluttony and good times with friends, movies and dessert.

Sunday--likely a fat lot of nothing with a possibility of napping/grilling/and Sunday night TV. Sounds good to me!

Hello, weekend. I've missed you.

What will they think of next..

2009-04-01T19:18:00.003-05:00

From Whole Foods today...

Also: eco-friendly reusable pet waste bags, the grand opening of a new Antarctica store, and a recipe for toast.

Happy April Fool's Day to you too, Whole Foods. You big bunch of sillies..
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/

Happy Herb Alpert's Birthday

2009-03-31T10:05:00.000-05:00

Happy 76th Herb! Spanish Flea it up today.

Sticker Shock

2009-03-30T09:03:00.008-05:00

I've been house hunting casually for over a year now. Since I'm renting currently, I don't have to get into a place immediately, but it's always in the back of my mind.

I love searching through real estate magazines and websites. I love imagining what I could do to a place to make it mine. There are quite a few older, bungalow style homes available at any given time near downtown where I've been looking. I love the character of the homes, the big trees, the quirky neighborhoods. I also love that I'm looking in one of the cheapest places to buy in the country. You can get a very nice house in this area for less than $150,000. The thing I'm not loving is the amount of shoddy, leaky, cracked foundations I'm seeing. I know that eventually I'll find something that I'll fall in love with, and will be in good condition, but it's kind of a bummer when that's the only thing wrong with a place. It's definitely too big of a wrong to ignore, though.

I've recently run on to a number of awesome, modern pre-fab or kit houses that I'm in love with. Most I have seen in Dwell magazine, which I should really just pony up a subscription for since I buy nearly every issue off the shelf.

The first was the one that really got me thinking. Rocio Romero, located (conveniently for me) just outside St. Louis, MO has a prefab kit that costs around $40/ sq. ft. which is really reasonable. I love the styling and natural light.

I love the large windows in the back (seen in the second photo), but you'd have to have the perfect piece of property to put this on if you wanted any kind of privacy at all. Also, it's just a little bit stark in this configuration.

I also found another from Live Edge, of Oakland, CA, that seems really cozy. Designer, Paul Discoe, combines Japanese woodworking techniques with salvaged urban lumber to create a comfy-yet-modern home.

It's still very modern/minimalist, but the wood really adds a warmth that I like. I emailed to get the details and thought for sure I was seeing incorrectly when I received a reply. Build-out on this one...$250/sq.ft.!! HOLY GEEZ!

Keep in mind that neither price includes land, basement/foundation, appliances, or finish. That means that on the second option I'd be looking at a price probably close to $300,000 or even $350,000 for a 1000 sq.ft., three bedroom house. That same amount would buy you a VERY nice 4-5 bedroom, probably twice the size, home in this market. Not to mention I don't have anywhere near that amount to spend. That's what lots and lots of solid wood costs, I suppose.

**sigh**

Back to the drawing board.

Taco Night!!

2009-03-29T23:43:00.006-05:00

Mmm...tacos...

The making:

The Mad Chef (muaah haaa haaaa):

The building:

(No photos of the frenzied eating were captured)

The aftermath:

Snow Day

2009-03-29T23:21:00.008-05:00

I still can't believe it snowed this weekend. I know everyone was predicting it, but I just didn't want to think it would actually happen.

Tried to go out after all I saw was rain for a few hours. Jumped in the car, headed down the road, and no more than a mile out I ran into snow. This turned into heavier snow, and then giant flakes, and in no time (literally 10 minutes) it was blizzard- ish and I saw (not kidding) eight cars go skidding off the road, including a snow truck towing a salt trailer. Yeah. Turned right back around and high tailed it home.

You know it's a snow day when:

A.) The cat takes up residence in the toasty, straight-from-the-dryer laundry

B.) The dog refuses to leave his bed

C.) You bake something labor intensive just to pass the time. Mmmm... apple rolls

Somehow I neglected to actually take any pictures of said snow. LAAAMME!

Also rented Zach and Miri Make a Porno and Step Brothers both of which the movie store women warned me about. "You're not watching these with any kids are you?" "Umm...no" "Good because there's definitely some inappropriate subject matter that a lot of people don't expect". Really? In a movie that has "Make a Porno" in the title?

I must have a 14 year old boy's sense of humor because I thought both were hilarious.

Gross!

2009-03-27T12:11:00.004-05:00

Not looking forward to this. Now I feel like an even bigger dork for buying plants last weekend.

Must hit the store directly after work to stock up on supplies for Taco Weekend before I get snowed in.

Hey Girl (love, Ryan)

2009-03-26T09:10:00.002-05:00

New hilarious blog love today: F Yeah! Ryan Gosling. What sweet nothings would Ryan murmur if he was your boyfriend? This site will tell you.

Let the Wild Rumpus Start!

2009-03-25T20:13:00.001-05:00

It's finally here...

It's For My Own Good

2009-03-25T11:23:00.006-05:00

Friends...I have an addiction. I once used it just to get my by during tough times, but lately I've found myself needing it more and more. Last week during my hellish sickness, I did it almost all day everyday, just to give myself a bit of relief. Now that I'm better and the weather is improving I really don't want to use it as much, but I am. I'm talking online TV and movies.

Not going to lie, it's gotten pretty bad. I used to just catch up on missed episodes of primetime tv occasionally. Then I started exclusively watching a few shows that conflicted with my schedule online. Then I was searching for new shows to watch when I was bored and the weather was too gross to go out. While I was sick and walking to the kitchen and back felt like running a marathon, I stayed cozy in bed with my trusty laptop and a nearly endless supply of Hulu movies and television shows, and catching up on my favorites at ABC and NBC.

I've got regular broadcast television, but no cable. On any typical night I can maybe find one show that I'll sit down and watch on the handful of channels I get. It's just that when I have tons of episodes, on demand, that I actually like...the draw of the couch gets much stronger.

Even though I'm better this week, I find myself in the post-sickness, changing of seasons, tired, slump. I come home, have some dinner, hang out with the dog, and then the laptop goes on. I just need to sit down and relax for a few minutes. First I'm just going to watch one episode. Then I just HAVE to see how the cliffhanger resolves itself in the next. I toss a load of laundry in, and why not, turn on a movie until it's time to change the wash over to the dryer. All too often I'm still up at midnight just to finish off the last few minutes of that movie. **sigh**

It's pretty bad isn't it?

That's why I'm challenging myself. For the remainder of this week, no more online movies or TV. NONE. I know it's only three days, but baby steps right?

Hi, my name is Cara and I'm addicted to my laptop. (Hi, Cara.)

The first step is admitting that I have a problem...

(Photo courtesy Andrew Coulter Enright)

New Twist...

2009-03-24T08:24:00.009-05:00

...on an old question.

Typically I've heard "If you could save one thing from your burning home other than your family or pets, what would it be?" Yesterday on Talk of the Nation I heard a story that put a different and very current spin on this question. In light of the current economic situation, many people are selling off belongings to ease financial woes. Mary Schmich, columnist for The Chicago Tribune, asks: What wouldn't you sell if times got so tough you had to sell some belongings?

Wow.
It really made me think, and at first I didn't know quite how to respond. I am nervous that this is a reasonable question to ask at this point in American history. I am sad that many people who have previously never had to consider this question, suddenly have to take it very seriously. I am mad that there seems to be a bigger divide than we have seen in a long time between the haves and the have nots, and that some are still so oblivious to the growing amount of struggle happening often in their own neighborhood. I am stunned at the amounts of "haves" who, with one layoff or cutback, slip so quickly into that "have not" realm.

Luckily, I have not yet found myself in a situation that would require me to sell any of my belongings to survive. I attribute this in part to living a fairly simple lifestyle: nice but economical car, no cable television, no daily lattes, old but sturdy furniture, eating out only once or twice per week. Sure, I could make a few more cutbacks if need be, but I feel like I live very sensibly. I also have a job I really love, that I hope continues to be stable and lasting. But, back to the question.

It took some serious consideration for me to answer this. I discovered that there really aren't too many of my belongings that I am super attached to. This, I guess, is good. It might not be super convenient to live without a dining room table or a television (not that anyone would probably want my 13inch :) ), but I could do it. If my house was burning I would definitely grab my external hard drive that holds my entire music collection, photos...the typical stuff. In a selling situation, it's not grab and go. I could temporarily store all my songs on my computer's hard drive, and I doubt anyone would want to buy photos of my family or my friends and I doing goofy stuff. There are a lot of things that I wouldn't want to sell, but could ultimately be replaced if it meant living independently or not. Also, let's assume that since my computer is nearly 5 years old, and my iPod is custom engraved, that those things are safe :)

After much thought, I would not sell the following items:

1.) My favorite quilt - It's not handmade, it's not an antique, and it's definitely not an heirloom, but it's been with me since freshman year of college and I love it. I don't even use it on my bed, but it's one of the most comforting things I have in my house and I would really miss it.

2.) The family rocker - I was rocked in it as a baby, and I know my Mom has always hoped I would use it for my own children some day.

3.) My car - It's not luxury, but my Yaris is a great car, and the first new vehicle I bought for myself. Also, I need it to get back and forth to work and I'm severely independent and know it would stress me out to no end not having it around.

The whole exercise was pretty eye opening as far as priorities and values go. Hopefully I never find myself in this situation because, while the car would give me shelter, and the quilt would keep me warm, I fear a Clampett-esque situation since I don't think the rocker would actually fit INSIDE the Yaris...

Awakenings

2009-03-23T08:14:00.016-05:00

I think that the first day of feeling better after you've been sick for what seems like forever is the BEST. Simple things like being able to breathe through your nose, not having a pounding headache, or being able to walk to the kitchen and back without being exhausted feel totally amazing. Maybe that's why we get checked with sickness every so often, so that we realize how amazing feeling normal and healthy is. Definitely won't take that for granted this week, or probably a long time afterward. I feel like I just woke up after a long and fabulous nap.

In other news, I think Spring has finally arrived. FINALLY. Trees are flowering, bulbs are blooming, and things are really greening up. It felt so nice to be out in the sunshine this weekend. I may have let the Spring excitement get the best of me, and definitely made a not so cheap trip to the greenhouse this weekend. Bought nine kinds of herbs and a tomato plant that I put in some planters on my porch. I know, I know...tomato planting season isn't for almost another month, but I figured I can bring the planters in at night for the next few weeks. Oh yeah, also bought two spring dresses (not from the greenhouse, obvs). Oops. Stopped by Target and Lowes too and checked out some porch furniture. Didn't buy any of that yet, but found an awesome retro-looking set that I'm highly considering.I'll check my excitement for that at least until next pay period.

Another reason I think Spring is here for real...the random duck chilling on the concrete railing outside my window at work today.

Hey there duck. I really like your green head. Say hi to your mother for me.

Yesssss!

2009-03-20T16:36:00.005-05:00

My t-shirts from the $5 Threadless Sale came in the mail today!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Wedding Wrecks

2009-03-20T14:57:00.003-05:00

I'm home sick again today. I seriously can't believe it. EFF BEING SICK! Seriously.

Instead of more whining from me (because I'm about to go completely stir crazy) I give you Tacky Weddings.

Camo?! Awww heeeeellls to the nah! Seriously, this is almost as good as one of my other favs Cake Wrecks. What is WRONG with people?!?

Away We Go

2009-03-18T18:21:00.001-05:00

Comes out in June. Can. Not. Wait.

SXSW 2009

2009-03-18T09:46:00.005-05:00

Today officially opens the South By Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas. The weather there: currently 60 degrees with a high of 80 degrees, no chance of precip. **sigh**

Tonight alone features the likes of M. Ward, the Decemberists, Jessica Lea Mayfield, School of Seven Bells, and over 400 other acts... all today, and not including the next four days of music.

Wish I was there.

(Photo courtesy ldandersen)

Thawing

2009-03-17T18:48:00.004-05:00

So I'm still sick...still...

No green beer for me today. Even though I'm not feeling back to normal yet, I just can't feel totally bummed on this beautiful day. I left work a little early after feeling like crap for most of the day. Stopped by the pharmacy to pick up my plethora of prescriptions after my doctor's visit today, came home, and am now sitting happily outside soaking up some much needed rays. Yeah, it's nearly 7pm, so not many rays are left to be had, and yeah, my medicine isn't exactly working yet. Still, it's much easier to feel less sick while sitting in the sun after you haven't seen it for so many months.

Come on Spring...two more days.

Down and Not Out (of the House)

2009-03-13T19:08:00.009-05:00

Woke up today and I'm officially SICK. I've got a nasty cough, stuffy head, sore throat, my ears hurt, and I feel generally groggy and gross. Tried to get up and get ready for work thinking I would feel better if I just got up and around, but soon found that it just wasn't happening today. Not planning on going out at all, in fact.

So, I signed into the network briefly to answer a few emails, and spent literally the entire rest of the day in my bed, with hot tea, catching up on this season of Hell's Kitchen. (For those of you watching, I still don't believe that Colleen is a cooking instructor and when is Lacey going to go home already?!?) That was the industrious part of my day, followed by an amazing nap from 1:00-5:00pm.

I have now made my way on to the couch where I plan on doing more nothing in different location.

My fab parents are bringing me some medicine since I discovered that every cold remedy I had (3 different varieties, BTW) were expired by at least three months. Hopefully they'll be able to ignore the mountain of used Kleenex piling up on the floor. I'm so gross today...

(Photo courtesy TheGiantVermin)

Doodles

2009-03-12T09:03:00.010-05:00

Hear ye, hear ye--all my college professors listen up!

A story on today's NPR Morning Edition says that people who doodle while listening to a lengthy stream of information retain 29% more information than those who don't doodle. I knew I was on to something!

Listen to the story in it's entirety here.

(Photo courtesy thebigdurian)

Snuffle

2009-03-12T08:45:00.007-05:00

So apparently I'm sick...again. For some reason I think I've had nearly every cold that's gone around this winter. I've been calling this one "allergies" for the past few days, hoping that if I downplayed it enough it would give up and go away. No luck. This morning I woke up with a headache, coughing, tired, stuffy...bleh.

Still, I knew that once I was up and around I would feel a little better, so I got ready and headed out the door. So far so good. That and it's snack day at work, and no one wants to miss that.

I don't think coffee has ever tasted as good as it does on mornings like this.

(Photo courtesy DeaPeaJay)

Gluttony

2009-03-11T14:16:00.005-05:00

Lately I'm eating pretty much whatever I want on the weekends, and not going to lie, it's all been really delicious. I don't feel totally horrible about this since I usually keep it healthy during the week. Also, I am lazy, so it's not unusual for me to eat a bowl of Cheerios for dinner. I figure that this allows me to live it up a little more on the weekends. Maybe.

The following is a rundown of new and old favs that I've been noshing.

1.) Korma Sutra - Chicken Korma

Old fav but sooo delicious. Yummy white meat chicken chunks in a delish coconutty curry sauce over rice. I love that they give you all the extras (starters of crackers and chutneys and unknown ball of fried deliciousness; with mango ice cream, rice pudding, additional sweet balls of fried deliciousness, and homemade chai for dessert) that really make dining out an experience. The portions are huge so I always have leftovers the next day, and the naan is a must try. I'm getting my fix right now because it's a lot harder to step out of the air conditioning into 100 degree heat with a belly full of indian food.

2.) Blanc Burger and Bottle- The Classic Burger

Another old fav. I've not been disappointed with any burger I've had there (turkey, lentil, Kobe, meatloaf, pork) but just finally tried the Classic recently. It was everything a great burger should be; juicy, beefy, perfectly seasoned...mmm. Sadly, I only made it through about half of this monster before I had to throw in the towel. I always have trouble deciding between sweet potato fries and onion rings, and between flavors of Izzy Sparkling Juice. Have not had a milkshake yet, but it's on my list for upcoming visits.

3.) Sheridan's - Chocolate Mousse Pothole

Strangely the BF and I tried this when we were having an ice cream craving in the middle of a blizzard, (the snow variety, not the DQ) and it was heavenly. We've since shared another one. It's vanilla frozen custard with chocolate chips, and a column of chocolate mousse that runs through the center. After writing this I really want one...right now...

4.) The Classic Cookie - Belgian Waffle with Fruit

I've tried numerous brunch options at this place and have loved every one of them. I used to rotate between the breakfast sandwich with fruit, the yogurt parfait with a muffin, and the breakfast burrito. I've been in a decidedly un-eggy mood lately though and decided to mix it up a little. The waffle is crispy and golden on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and not overly sweet. It's topped with fresh blueberries and sliced bananas and served with a side of butter and syrup. It's huge, so I can never finish it, but still end up sneaking a bite of the BF's bacon, which is also delicious. A Classic Cookie brunch is never complete without a cookie for the road. My favorite is the ginger, but I've also loved every other option I've tried including chocolate peanutbutter, chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, and peanutbutter.

In other gluttonous news: Murray's Ice Cream in Westport reopens this weekend after it's winter hibernation (**...and the heavens above opened and spilled light upon the Murray's patrons, the angels sang on high, and it was good**) FINALLY!!

(Photo courtesy waldo oiseau)

Sexy People

2009-03-10T10:38:00.002-05:00

The BF shared this gem with me today, and oh my goodness, I laughed so hard I almost threw up.

Sexy People. Go. Now.

Weekend Pt.2

2009-03-09T19:27:00.006-05:00

The remainder of the weekend was spent with the BF grilling, ...

...poking things with sticks, ...

...beer drinking, ...

...burning things, ...

...and eating lots and lots of banana pudding.

Weekend Pt.1

2009-03-09T18:57:00.012-05:00

This past weekend started off with some dinner with the girls at one of our favs, Korma Sutra, in Westport. With plans to check out First Friday in the Crossroads we paid our bill and headed downtown. We made it, but realized that it was 10pm and things were already winding down. Feeling too full for drinks and in no mood for clubs, we started driving and the following ensued...

First we ran onto (yeah I know it's blurry, but look closely near the top of the windows) ...yep...The Cool Bus. Do we know why or how it was cool? No, but somehow it still was.

Shortly after, somewhere around 59th and Rockhill, we saw this sweet piece of work next to the road. We thought nothing of it, until we ran onto...

...this, at 74th and Main...

...and this at 79th and Walnut... (note unknown saucelike stain on the cushion)...

..and finally these elsewhere in Waldo...

Ok actually the flip'n'fold was at 52nd and Brookside, under a street light, and yeah we still stopped. Where did all these couches come from? The world may never know, but one thing is for certain: they were disgusting...and we sat on them.

Blog Love

2009-03-06T09:22:00.004-06:00

I've been travelling once again this week for work. Mainly when I'm actually home I've been trying to get my place cleaned up when I can, enjoy the nice weather this week, and sometimes just crashing on the couch. That said, my blog has again been sadly neglected.

I HAD to jump on today though, and give some blog love to one of my new favorites, Little Brown Pen. I first spied it on another one of my favorites Smitten, and have been a devout follower ever since. Writer Amy, husband Evan, and their two sons are a hip and very cute family that are living and blogging in Paris right now. (*Luckeeeeeeeeee*) I love the photos of their life and Paris, her writing is excellent, and they even have a fab Etsy shop with some of their designs for sale.

What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been

2009-02-26T13:59:00.008-06:00

Today has been so weird that it's actually kind of comical.

1.) Had to reset my alarm clock last night. Thought I was setting for AM. Apparently I sat it for PM, as I startled awake to a morning-lit room thirty minutes late on my own. Dangit. Got ready for work in a tornadic fashion and made it here near enough "on-time" to call it good.

2.) This morning as I was getting ready to walk out the door I heard this dragging, thumping, scratching noise...from inside my place. I figure that the cat must be wrestling a toy somewhere. I finally spotted her, sitting completely still and staring at the ceiling. From a hole (drilled at some point, I assume, for wiring) in the ceiling, little bits of wood shavings and chunks were being dropped. The noise continued (**scraatch, scratch, scritch, thump, THUMP**). By the sound of it, there is something significantly larger than a mouse living amongst the rafters, above my ceiling, but below the floor of the level above. A squirrel possibly, a LARGE one, maybe the king of squirrels cracking boulders of walnuts on my ceiling. Fab. (*Thump, THUMP*)

3.) I chose a pair of white pants with pinstripes this morning. I hadn't worn them literally all winter, but for some reason they seemed like a good idea. Post squirrel invasion, but still running unnervingly late, I rushed out the door to realize that it was raining. I was wearing white pants, had no umbrella, and it was raining. No time to change. FAB.

4.) The best of all. As it has been a pretty hectic week, I rushed home at lunch to try to catch up a little bit on housekeeping that's been neglected. Vacuuming seemed a good, minimally dirty task to do, in my ill-chosen white pants. Started vacuuming, and soon discovered that the filter was clogged. Took said filter out on the back porch to be shaken off my second story balcony.

In the midst of shaking, thought to myself, "You'd better get a good grip on that filter so you don't drop it." Readjusted grip and continued shaking. Paper filter then fell two stories to the ground below, after detaching itself from the vacuum lid that I was still tightly gripping. Note: My apartment complex has completely fenced off the area behind our apartments with six foot privacy fencing to prevent animals/intruders/etc. from getting to our patios. This would prove problematic if there were ever a fire, as that is also where our fire escapes are... nonetheless ...back to the story.

If I left the paper filter on the ground until later it would surely have been ruined in the rain. I decided that the best course of action was to climb down the fire escape onto my lower neighbor's balcony, climb over the railing, grab the filter, and get the heck out of there before he opened his door with a shotgun in hand thinking someone was trying to break in. I did so, in my white pants, not realizing how grimy my neighbor's railing I had to scale would be. After making it back inside, and cleaning my pants up, I reattached the filter and began vacuuming again.

Immediately the vaccum started to make this horrible grinding noise and smelled hot. Apparently in the shaking/dropping fiasco a small plastic tab that holds the filter on, broke off, leaving my vacuum BROKEN AND USELESS. Now I wasted my entire lunch break, am dusty, and still have a dirty apartment. FAAAAAAAAB.

There is still quite a bit of day left. I am more than mildly concerned.

(Photo courtesy Darragh Sherwin)

Etsy Love

2009-02-24T08:59:00.005-06:00

I've said it before but I loooooove Etsy. There's so much great stuff on there and I often find myself thinking, "Why didn't I think of that?" But, I didn't. I'm just glad that some fab artists did so that the rest of us can enjoy some amazing things.

Currently I am loving:

Tees from rose la biche. They're made of American Apparel tees, which makes them surely fantastically comfy. The detailing makes them pretty and feminine. The perfect thing to wear on days that you want to feel fabulous without trying too hard.

Sea urchin rings from Star of the East. The makers find the shells on the abandoned beaches near their home in Turkey. (Doesn't that just sound amazing?!) They're unique, and though some are quite large, have a delicate quality about them.

A dreamy little terrarium from Gnome Homes. I think I'd like to live there.

A sunny yellow purse for summer from Handbags by Daphne. If you're like me and constantly forgetting where you sat your purse around the house, this color will surely be easy to spot.

This sweet, sweet Steve Zissou print from Autumn & Eve Illustration. This is pretty much just too cool for words.

"If There's a Camel Up a Hill..."

2009-02-23T11:43:00.001-06:00

The BF and I laughed our heads off at this silly thing all weekend. WARNING: You will be singing these messed up lyrics for at least a day.

Young Love

2009-02-20T11:17:00.004-06:00

"We wanted to take the train to the airport, and then catch a plane. Then we would unpack, and get married once we arrived. Then we wanted to go for a little holiday." --Mika, age 6

This was the explanation given by Mika, when he, Anna Bell (7) and Anna Bell's sister, Anna-Lena (5) were caught at a German train station on the morning of January 1st. Mika and Anna Bell planned to travel to Africa, with Anna-Lena in tow, to get married. (*Awww!*)

The cuteness continues: apparently train station noticed something was up when they saw the kiddos carrying lots of swim gear in the dead of winter. They had packed food, swimsuits, sunglasses, and an inflated pool float!

After convincing them that they wouldn't get far without money or travel tickets, police reunited the young lovebirds (and sister) with their parents.

View a video of the cuties here.

(Photo courtesy eyliam)

Reach for the Sun

2009-02-20T11:06:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite clips from a fantastic show. Perfect for brightening a somewhat overcast February day.

Only 28 days until Spring!

On the Road...Again...

2009-02-19T08:49:00.006-06:00

Sorry for the lapse in postings this week. I've started my spring career fair circuit and have been preparing for and on the road a ton.

It's nice to be out of the office for a bit, but the Missouri highways can get a little dull after the first hour in the car alone. I've been using a ton of cell phone minutes, singing along to some sweet tunes, and honking my horn just to hear it on deserted strips of highway. (*MEEEEEP!*)

Can I also just say, thank goodness for iTunes movie rentals and my sweet, sweet iPod. Plug in and listen...it's like having a little surround sound theater in my car.

My first career fair was a little bittersweet this round, though. Most events I attend are sponsored by universities, and I love working with college students. They're always so excited and kind of sweetly naiive about the working world. They're about to get a degree and have all the options in the world spread out before them.

In light of the recent economic situation, however, you can see something else that I haven't seen before...worry, concern, doubt. It would be really scary to be trying to get your very first real job when all you hear about every day are how few jobs are available, and they're getting less and less every day.

On a different note, apparently I need to take lessons from the military recruiters. I always watch them snag people right and left and wonder how they do it. I sat right across from the Marine guys yesterday and still couldn't figure out their secret.

(Photo courtesy idealist.org)

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2009-02-13T15:18:00.008-06:00

I plan on being out and about and enjoying myself on this fabulous three day weekend.

Happy Love Day to all my lovelies!!

(Photo courtesy Swamibu)

Pomegranate Phone

2009-02-12T19:55:00.007-06:00

So I found the KING of all phones today. The Pomegranate Phone is probably the coolest thing ever. It's a phone, a camera, an internet browser, a GPS, an Mp3 player, a video projector, a translator, an electric razor, makes a great cup of coffee, and a harmonica! Waiiit.....

I was almost with them until the business guys ordered fries, and the woman started shaving her legs in her office....and the harmonica....

Apparently this whole thing is an elaborate marketing plan for Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia?? Wow...I bet those taxpayers are happy.

Valentine '09

2009-02-11T08:57:00.007-06:00

Valentine's Day is almost upon us! For those of you who aren't exactly on top of things and still need something sweet for your sweetie, check out some of my Valentine's Day '09 picks:

1.) A tiny Valentine from World's Smallest Postal Service.

2.) A customized guitar pick from JcJeweleryDesign

3.) Some Christopher Elbow Chocolates (the first time I got some I almost couldn't eat them because they are so pretty!)

4.) This sweet poster from ReForm School

5.) This envelope secret necklace from Zare

6.) "Friday I'm In Love" tee from Threadless

(** Note to the BF: This does not mean that you are getting any of this stuff so stop trying to guess, mister!**)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

2009-02-10T16:51:00.005-06:00

Could I BE more excited about this?!?

A Match Made At Merge Records

2009-02-10T08:45:00.021-06:00

I'm a little late, but I think my heart grew two sizes yesterday when I heard about a match made in indie-rock heaven.

Sometime in late 2008 one of my faves, actress/songstress Zooey Deschanel, got engaged to another of my faves, Death Cab for Cutie singer Ben Gibbard.

Everyone together now... AWWWW!!

(Photos courtesy Dese'Rae L. Stage and gussifer)

Let's Hear It for the Boyz

2009-02-09T10:00:00.010-06:00

The web is buzzing this morning over last night's 51st Annual Grammy Awards Ceremony. There are about a gazillion posts covering ladies fashion at last night's events, but I'd like to give the guys a little love with my very own Adult Life: Take Two's Men of the Grammys 2009.

**Disclaimer: This is but a small blog and I'm going to have to link to everything since it is all copyrighted...deal**

Coldplay: I love you guys, and I loved these Sgt. Pepperesque outfits for the tour, but for the red carpet?? I would have really liked to see them in suits, but they're so rad they can almost pull it off.

L.L. Cool J: Ladies may love you, but are you working your golf caddy gig after the show?

T-Pain: One word--FAIL!

Death Cab for Cutie: You have totally pulled off the "indie band at an awards show" with excellence. You are not color coordinated or too matchy, you look hip, but not disrespectful, with just a tinge of rumpledness and slightly messy-but-done hair. Perfect!

John Mayer: I usually love your fashion choices, but tonight's outfit screams anime hero to me. Too shiny, too dark, and the mandarin collar is goofy.

The Jonas Brothers: You all look a little silly to me at 26, but if I was 15 I would love you.

Dave Grohl: I don't know what exactly the motivation was, but you are Dave Grohl and you could look cool in a plastic sack.

Jason Mraz: I like that you broke out of the "black" box with your grey suit, and added a little color with the shirt and tie, but did you really have to wear the woven hat?

Ne-Yo: You on the other hand pulled the hat off completely. I love the ascot tie.

Robert Plant: You are a rock icon and you swept the awards, so you can pretty much get away with anything. This is one instance that the tshirt/jacket combo actually seems to work.

And my best dressed male pick, Jay-Z: Everything about this is good. Classic black and white, it all fits perfectly, and he looks overall super-polished.

(Photo courtesy ericrichardson)

"Dude, it's called a wall..."

2009-02-09T08:59:00.001-06:00

Heard a hilarious interview with comedian Demetri Martin, of The Daily Show, on Friday's NPR Fresh Air.

"I wonder if there were any goths in gothic times? They'd be like 'You look completely appropriate. You don't look stupid or lonely at all'."

Listen here.

(Photo courtesy Tammylo)

Caution Zombies Ahead!

2009-02-06T09:40:00.000-06:00

Good thing the BF got a copy of The Zombie Survival Guide for Christmas so he knows how to keep us safe!

Pranksters across the country have posted various "creative" warning messages on DOT roadsigns, following a post on Jalopnik called How to Hack An Electronic Road Sign. The site says "DO NOT under any circumstances run around hacking into electronic road signs using the information contained in this step-by-step guide of how to transmit hilarious messages to passing motorists." ...right before giving explicit instructions on how to do so.

Jalopnik followed up with We Told You Not To Hack the Electronic Road Signs, Didn't We? a day later with a link to some Today Show footage showing the carnage of roadsigns in several states.

So far these warning messages have showed up in Collinsville Ill., Austin, and Indianapolis, with I'm sure more to follow until the DOT makes signs less hacker-friendly.

Listen to a clip on this from NPR's Morning Edition here.

(photo via NY Daily News)

Blast from the Sesame Street Past

2009-02-05T12:22:00.000-06:00

Sometimes when I'm bored or down I surf YouTube for some lighthearted videos. I got so excited when I rediscovered these guys recently! They were some of my favorites.

I Can't Quite Put My Nose On It

2009-02-04T08:53:00.000-06:00

I noticed that I was down to the last few squirts of my favorite perfume, Lovely by SJP. Thinking it may be time for a change, I've had my eye out for my new signature fragrance. I'm into clean scents and light florals, but loathe anything that smells too strongly of baby powder, musk, or patchouli. I'm also a fan of unique scents, because I'd like to think that I smell different (and maybe better :) ) than the masses. In my search I've definitely run across a few that are more unique than I'd expected.

You've probably heard by now, but Burger King has a fragrance called Flame out. Apparently it smells like "seduction, with a hint of flame broiled meat." Gross.

Demeter also has some pretty unique options in their fragrance library. Two of my most surprising finds for the kid in you: Play-doh and Crayon. Then again, they also have fragrances that smell like various cocktails and desserts, dust, mushroom, lobster, grass, sushi, and even...cannabis. Classy :).

My favorite unconventional scent maker so far is CB: I Hate Perfume. Christopher Brosius creates natural, alcohol free scents that often correspond with his memories of certain places. Gathering Apples is "thousands of ripe, red MacIntosh apples with a bit of old weathered wood from the bushel baskets." Winter 1972 smells like "a field of untouched newfallen snow, handknit woolen mittens covered with frost, a hint of frozen forest and sleeping earth." I'm most curious about In the Library which is described as "english novel taken from a signed first edition copy of one of my favorite novels, Russian and Moroccan leather bindings, worn cloth and a hint of wood polish." I'm totally intrigued and would love to visit his shop in Brooklyn. He'll even whip up a custom scent for you!

This past weekend, the BF and I were at Sephora and he offered to help me narrow down some choices from their massive wall of perfume. We both sniffed and spritzed for a while, and eventually I'd narrowed it to two. While he was across the store I spritzed a test strip with each of the finalists and approached him for a blind sniff test. May I just say, he is such a good sport :). He gave each serious consideration and finally said "I like the first one, but I just think the second one is it." The second one, and ultimately the winner, was....drumroll please.........Lovely. Ha ha ha. At least I know what works!

(Photo courtesy Ms. Tina)

Q: What's Black and White and Red All Over?

2009-02-02T21:46:00.000-06:00

A: Me, in my work clothes, covered in the milk I just dumped all over myself in the grocery store checkout lane...humiliated.

Yeah...this was me today. Stopped by the grocery store after work, list in hand. I breezed through and made my way to the self-checkout. I sat my basket on the platform and started scanning my stuff. Then, in slow-mo, I realized just too late that I'd upset the balance of the basket. My half-gallon bottle, GLASS BOTTLE, of milk is on the outside edge of the basket. The basket, the milk, two limes, and my shampoo all crashed to the floor. Of course the glass shattered and the milk exploded all over the floor, the basket, and my shoes. I literally had milk IN my shoes...my WORK SHOES. GAH!! Sometimes, I am such a nerd.

To make matters worse, it was a frosty, half-gallon of Shatto 1%....my favorite. What a waste!! Uggggh!

I must have been five shades of red. At least no one taunted me...

Ok, it's true, I just put that in there to distract you. What? You still remember that I completely embarrassed myself...in public...? Yeah me too.

(Photo courtesy zoomar)

Almost Sprung

2009-02-02T10:35:00.000-06:00

The groundhog saw his shadow today...sadly :(. Oh well, the end is in sight.

In my family, quirky as this is, one of the surest signs spring was on it's way is that you start noticing that the skunks are emerging from hibernation (usually seen in the form of roadkill, yuck!). Laugh if you will, but it's always true!

Anyway, Spring hasn't quite sprung yet as the skunks are still napping, however I noticed another promising (and less stinky) sign of it's approach this weekend in the form of SANDALS DISPLAYS AT NORDSTROMS!! I nearly swooned.

Having the promise of those pretty, strappy shoes makes it a lot easier to hear that after being 60 degrees on Saturday, we're looking at another week in the teens. Blech! So for a brief but therapeutic time, I parked myself in the women's shoes, peeled off my leather boots and fuzzy winter socks, tried fairly unsuccessfully to hide my gross non-pedicured winter toes, and ogled (and even tried on) some of these:

Steve Madden: "Lukas"

Linea Paolo: "Angelique"

Eric Michael: "Helen"

Born: "Begonia"

Kate Spade: "Grace"

Adult Life: Take Two

Repeat after me: I am a death metal queen

February Flop

Beer for Bikes

Welcome Home

A Visitor

A little Friday love for all my Lovelies!

Blog Love: Attic 24

I'm back...

Nothing Like August

101 Salads from Mark Bittman

Maybe She Wanted a Cookie?

Post-It Love

Skeeered!

Back on the...sneakers?

Missed Connections

BBAC Week #8 - Cinnamon Rolls

UHP: Photo Update!

Cherries and Blog Love

...Stilt-Walking Skills...

BBAC Week #7 - Ciabatta

Monday Night

Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge - Challah

Finding Your Glasses

Summer (Etsy) Lovin'

Hello, handsome.

I Want to Like It...

UHP: Photo Update!

Blog Love: Pioneer Woman

Running? Yeah, I'm going to do that...

I Don't Do Mornings

Urban Homestead Project Update

Yeowch!

Sunday Suppers

Awkward Family Photos

Pedaler's Jamboree

A Regular Celeb...

Nice.

Quirks

Urban Homestead Project Update

The seldom seen Monday Dinner

Sunday Dinner

Happy 100 Days

Dandelion Whine

Dark Was The Night

Not So Delightful

How to Make a Baby

The Soft Sell-Dallas Clayton

The Urban Homestead Project

Pancake Luncheon

Need a Distraction?

Weekend Recap

Best. Idea. Ever.

Opening Day

When I Am An Old Woman, I Shall Send Texts

Another Reason to Love Oregon: ...

Weekend Fro-Yo Fix

Happy Friday!

What will they think of next..

Happy Herb Alpert's Birthday

Sticker Shock

Taco Night!!

Snow Day

Gross!

Hey Girl (love, Ryan)

Let the Wild Rumpus Start!

It's For My Own Good

New Twist...

Awakenings

Yesssss!

Wedding Wrecks

Away We Go

SXSW 2009

Thawing

Down and Not Out (of the House)

Doodles

*Snuffle*

Gluttony

Sexy People

Weekend Pt.2

Snuffle