The Morning Rising

Hermit Cookies

2012-02-06T23:13:00.000-05:00

These. Are. My. Favorite. Cookies. Just sayin'
Let's make some!

[almost] Everything you need.

Cream the butter and sugar, and add the egg! I do it by hand while making blender noises.

Hey don't judge!

Don't forget to add in the Milk and Vanilla.

In a different bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Smell those spices!

Whisk it instead of sifting... it's the easy way out.

Mix the dry ingredients into the egg/sugar mixture.

Using a cookie scoop or spoon, scoop the dough into even balls. Dip in turbinato sugar, and lay out on a cookie sheet.

Cook!!

Eat!! They're best with milk.

Hermit Cookies

1/2 cup Butter or Margarine, softened

3/4 cup packed Brown Sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves

1/8 teaspoon Salt

Cream together Butter and Brown Sugar, blending until smooth. Blend in the Egg, and then the Milk and Vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together Flour, Baking Soda, Salt and ground spices. Slowly blend the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until combined.

Scoop with a 1" cookie scoop, or spoon, and roll into balls. Dip in Turbinato Sugar for a pretty top. Bake in an oven preheated to 350, for 10-12 minutes, or until fragrant.

Remove from pan, and cool on a wire rack.

Eat them all at once!

Creamy Chicken Soup

2012-01-25T23:04:00.000-05:00

Let me confess, I have a messy kitchen - a very messy kitchen. It's embarrassing. No, I won't show you pictures. Sorry, this one doesn't need to have pictures to have happened. That's my whole story.

Tonight I overcame my messy kitchen and made this deliciousness. It was quite good, and very simple to make.

Creamy Chicken Soup
3 Carrots, diced
1 whole Onion, chopped in bite size pieces
2 medium Chicken Breasts, cooked and chopped
1 cup Mushrooms, chopped
1 (16oz) can White Northern Beans
1 Bay Leaf
2 cups Chicken Stock (homemade or store bought)

Prepare ingredients as indicated above, then add all to a pot of chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to simmer while the veggies cook. They are done when carrots are soft and onions translucent.

Soup Base:
4 tbsp Butter
1/4 cup Flour
1 cup Milk

In a 3 quart pot, make a roux - On medium heat melt butter, sift in flour and stir with a fork to combine. Let cook for just a minute, then whisk in milk until there are no lumps. Continue to stir this mixture for a bit until it begins to thicken up. Pour in cooked veggies and cooked chicken. Let simmer for about 10 minutes longer to let flavors meld.
Yum.

S'more D'Oeuvres

2012-01-22T23:12:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday!

Blogging necessaries...

We had a great afternoon together.. The Hubs and I played Scrabble, and guess what! I won! Yeah! First time since we've been married. Booya. So proud of myself.

See "epoxy"? that's some of my handiwork.. made by adding the E and the Y to the "Pox". So excited about that.

So I had a little gem of an idea... great for a football party! Yeah, I was at one of those today.

Get this stuff together... Fire up your stove. Poof!

Fancy pants. Serve them warm and people will call you queen.

I cut the giant marshmallows in half, in case you were wondering.

2 Years!

2012-01-16T11:44:00.000-05:00

Hi Friends, Sorry it's been so long! And by that I mean, I sorta ditched ya'all for several months... Life got busy! (not pregnant... I know that was your next question). What's up, 2012! (where are the hover cars and replicators?? get with it!)

I just wanted to shout it from the rooftops that we've been hitched for 2 years now!!

January 16, 2010

... Now we just gotta get some of these printed. Yup. Still haven't done that.

Goat Cheese, Artichoke and Mushroom Bruschetta

2011-09-23T20:21:00.000-04:00

So I went to a country music concert this evening, at the Hard Rock Cafe in Baltimore.. it was amazing!
The band that played is called MasonVixon, and one of my DH's best friends is the keyboardist, and I got to meet most of the rest of the band as well. The show rocked my socks off.
Smell that? It's the smell of amazing. You can have some too.

See those ingredients? I don't do rocket science. As you can see also, I don't shop at only one grocery store. You probably really wanted to know that, didn't you? Thanks for enduring... here's the good part.

Pile all those yummy things up, wait a little bit.

That's what I'm talking about. Yum!!

Goat Cheese, Artichoke & Mushroom Bruschetta
French bread
Marinated artichoke hearts

Mushrooms (whichever kind is your favorite)
Goat cheese
Garlic

Slice the garlic bread with angled strokes. Brush both sides of each slice with Artichoke marinade, and toast until lightly crispy. When done, spread crushed garlic on top, lay thinly sliced mushrooms and bits of artichoke in a row. Sprinkle with goat cheese, and drizzle with a little more marinade. Toast until golden.

Blueberry Basil Crumble

2011-09-01T22:31:00.001-04:00

I could try to make excuses and say that I haven't blogged because there was an earthquake, then there was a hurricane. Or because we had no power so the internet was down, or because I wasn't making anything interesting. Or maybe because I was busy painting my fingernails the nicest shade of grey.

The truth would be... I haven't blogged in a while because I've been watching too much Futurama and Star Trek. Yeah, I just might be one of those kids... I might also listen to country music? Question mark?

{smell that? yum}

There, I've admitted to being a bit of a Trekkie, and liking country music all in one post! Glad I got that off my chest.

In case you couldn't guess, I've been on a basil kick. Everything with basil is good! Well, maybe except Green Tea... I wasn't a huge fan of that one. Basil with Lime in water, Basil Iced Tea, Lime Basil cocktail, and this beauty!

There's a good chance you will do a happy dance when you take your first bite. I did! My dear Husband thought I had gone crazy.

Blueberry Basil Crumble (makes about 3-4 servings)
Filling:
2 cups fresh or frozen Blueberries
1/2 cup Sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons Cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
1/2 teaspoon Lemon Zest
3/4 tablespoons finely chopped Basil
Topping:
1/2 cup Quick Oats
3 tablespoons Flour
3 tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 tablespoons melted Butter
1/4 cup crushed Pecans (optional)

Preheat oven, or toaster oven to 350 °F. Pour blueberries in a medium sized bowl. If using frozen berries, soak them in room temperature water for a while (20 minutes or so) to thaw them, and drain. Mix blueberries with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, lemon zest, and finely chopped basil. Butter 2 small ramekins, or something with about a 2 1/2 cup capacity. Pour blueberry mixture into the buttered dish[s]. Mix together oats, flour, brown sugar, melted butter, and finely chopped pecans. Pour over the blueberries. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling in the center. Check often.

Making, Recently

2011-08-21T22:52:00.000-04:00

Here are some shots of what I've been up to in my studio lately...

2 piece vase with fancy handles

Beer mugs...

Pretty pleased with my pulled handles...

A few different platter designs.

More throwing tomorrow!

Basil Iced Tea

2011-08-18T22:10:00.001-04:00

This post almost didn't happen. Picture me, in my kitchen. Barefoot, vintage skirt, tee shirt... you know the drill. I have all my ingredients assembled, just waiting to have their pictures taken with my handy point & shoot. Unfortunately, somehow I usually end up storing my camera either on my kitchen counter, or on my desk. Not this time.

Did I leave it in the studio the other day when I took photos of my recent work? After several minutes of panicking and wondering if I needed to drive over to the studio, I decide to use my Dear Husband's camera... super complicated.

But wait a minute, it HAS to be here... I used last night when I made something else with Basil [coming soon]. Walking back into the kitchen... oh look, there it is, right by my flour canisters.

It was within ten inches of me when I first realized I'd 'lost' it. Derp.

OK! So let's get all over this tea. I learned that basil is not just to be eaten with tomatoes and mozzarella. NO, major NO. Basil is good to add a twist to everything I've tried it with so far. Try a few sprigs in a glass of cold water, along with a few slices of lime... yeah, I'm sipping that. It's a nice green themed glass of water.

Basil Iced Tea
for one gallon
1 gallon water, plus a little more (some evaporates while you're boiling it... don't want to get gypped)
1 cup (give or take) sweetener... raw sugar, white sugar, agave, honey... they're all good.
4-5 large leaves of Basil, washed
3 bags regular tea (mine says it's a blend of orange and black pekoe)
4 bags "Constant Comment" tea (by Bigelow tea)

Boil 1 gallon of water in a large pot. When it has reached boiling, remove from heat, and put in tea bags. Bruise the basil leaves, and throw them in too. It's easy to just hold them all and kind of twist them in several places, just to release the flavors. No need to cut them up, you'll just have to fish them out later. Let the tea steep for 10 minutes or so before removing tea bags. Meanwhile, stir in the sweetening. Do it gradually, tasting it now and then. How do you taste boiling hot tea? I like to take a small glass, fill it with ice cubes, and then spoon some of the tea in there. After about half a minute, it's chilled enough to drink. When it's sweet enough to your liking, let the pot cool down to room temperature, strain out the basil and refrigerate!
Voila! Basil Iced Tea

Chocolate Java Chip Cookies

2011-08-16T23:16:00.000-04:00

These are good. Real good. So good that you'll want to eat them all before sharing them.

Begin by crushing coffee grounds as finely as you can with the end of a knife, or in a mortar & pestle if you have one.

Mix this with melted milk chocolate, and spread thickly on freezer or waxed paper. If you let the chocolate sit for a few days, the coffee flavor has a chance to permeate the chocolate for a more intense flavor.

Chunk it up. Now for the cookie part!

Melt some baker's chocolate.

Brew some super-intense-milk-coffee (pretty much just what it sounds like).

Mixing... it's good exercise.

Add the chocolate chunks.. make sure to steal one for some quality control. Chill the dough, and drop in spoonfuls on a greased (or Sil-Pat-ed) baking sheet.

Finally baked!

Chocolate Java Chip Cookies

Java Chips:

2 c Milk Chocolate

3 teaspoons Ground Coffee

Cookie:

4 Eggs

1 1/2 cup Sugar

4 ounces unsweetened Baker's Chocolate

1/2 cup Cooking Oil

2 teaspoons Vanilla

4 tablespoons Milk Brewed Coffee

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

2 cups Flour

2 cups chunked Java Chips

Melt the milk chocolate. While chocolate is melting, grind the coffee as finely as you can with the handle of a knife, or with a mortar & pestle. Blend coffee into the chocolate, and spread thickly. Let set, and chunk when firm. If you've got the time, let the chocolate sit for a few days to absorb the coffee flavor.

Mix eggs, sugar, melted baker's chocolate, cooking oil, vanilla and milk brewed coffee together in a large bowl. Wondering what milk brewed coffee is? I just kind of made it up... take 4 tablespoons milk, heat it, and add in 1 tablespoon ground coffee. Let sit for a few minutes to brew. Strain before adding (a coffee press is ideal for this). Sift baking powder and flour on to the wet ingredients, and stir together. When combined, stir in the chunked java chips.

Chill for at least 2 hours !!this is actually really important!! Leave the kitchen. Sleep. Take a long walk. Go out for coffee with a friend. Change your sheets. Drop some things off at the thrift store...

When at least 2 hours have elapsed, preheat oven to 375°F !!this is actually really important too!! Scoop out dough with a spoon, and roll into balls. Arrange on a greased, or sil-pat-ed cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until firm, but still glistening.

Yeah. Eat those.

Summer Harvest Salad

2011-08-09T20:18:00.000-04:00

It is so rewarding to sit down to a meal, knowing that you planted, took care of and harvested some of the ingredients. Meet my dinner, it was so good!

A pretty simple combination really. Just a lot of good things, thrown together.

Romain lettuce, tomatoes..

Cucumber...

Chicken, grilled with sesame dressing.

No croutons? No problem. Use some bread (or the single left over hot dog bun that you have), butter both sides, season liberally, and then toast in a toaster oven until crisp. Todd's Dirt works great for this. (PS I know this guy)

Cube up some Muenster cheese (Cheddar also works great for this), toss in some sprigs of fresh Basil. Top with Olive Oil, Vinegar, and freshly ground Black Pepper.

Dig in!

Summer Harvest Salad

1 head Romaine Lettuce

3 cups washed Baby Spinach

2 Tomatoes, diced

1 Cucumber, diced

1 small Chicken Breast, grilled and marinated as desired

Croutons

4-5 sprigs of Basil

Black Pepper to taste

Olive Oil to taste

Red Wine Vinegar to taste

Quick Homemade Pickles

2011-08-04T21:54:00.001-04:00

When I was a kid we had a garden where we grew tons of cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, beans, and everything else we thought would be good. Every year when we harvested our cucumbers, we would use them to make pickles and relish, and then can everything. My mom makes the best relish you will find anywhere. No joke.

Since I don't have a large garden, canning equipment, or a grinder I have had to settle for grocery store relish and pickles... not quite the same. I have pretty much stopped putting relish on my burgers and hot dogs... it's just not even worth it to eat the store bought relish. So I said, No more! And decided to make my own. It's so simple. You won't even feel guilty for not making a large batch to can.

Gather supplies.

Chop up your cucumbers into whatever shape you want.

Mix the ingredients, boil, and simmer.

Pour the simmered mixture on top of your cucumbers.

Eat up! I just had some with a hot dog, and it was amazing.

Quick Homemade Pickles

2 large Cucumbers, chopped in desired way

3/4 teaspoon Salt

1/2 cup Cider Vinegar

1/2 cup White Vinegar

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

3 tablespoons diced Onion

1/2 teaspoon Dill Seed

1/2 teaspoon Mustard Seed

Chop cucumbers in desired way... spears for munching, circles for sandwiches, or diced for relish. Place in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and let stand while preparing the rest of the ingredients. In a medium saucepan, combine vinegars, brown sugar, onion, dill seed, and mustard seed. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Rinse and drain the salted cucumbers, and arrange in a glass jar. Once the vinegar mixture has finished simmering, remove from heat, and pour over the cucumbers. Enjoy when cool, or let them soak together to enhance the flavors. Keep refrigerated.

No-Bake Chocolate Cookies

2011-07-25T16:16:00.001-04:00

These are classics... I can remember first tasting these in the lounge in my second year of college. So easy, and so good!

Mix together sugar, coca, butter, and milk in a medium (I used a 3 quart) saucepan. Put it on medium-high heat, and let it all melt together.

Be patient!

Mix in the peanut butter, quick oatmeal, salt and vanilla.

Spoon them out onto wax paper, and wait for them to cool.

Bring them to a party, and watch them disappear! But not after sampling several first.

No-Bake Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies
from my dear friend, Hannah Thomas

3 1/2- 4 cups White Sugar
2/3 cup powdered, unsweetened Cocoa
1 cup Butter
1 cup Milk
1 cup Peanut Butter (any kind will do.. I used organic crunchy)
5 cups Quick Oats
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Salt

Mix butter, sugar, coca, and milk in a medium saucepan, and mix on a medium temperature. Stir until the butter has melted, and everything is incorporated. Let the mixture come to a boil, and let boil for 3 and a half minutes, stirring often. When that is done, remove from heat (or turn you burner off if you use a gas stove). Mix in the peanut butter, and stir until melted in. Then stir in the oats, vanilla and salt. Spoon out onto wax paper, or freezer paper. Let them cool and thicken, then enjoy!

Wedding Gown Preservation

2011-07-25T12:47:00.001-04:00

Ladies who have ever been brides... I need some advice! I'd like to hear what you think whether your wedding was one month ago, or 50 years ago.

Let's talk about preservation.

I know it's my dream to someday see someone fall in love with my wedding gown, as I did, and happily walk down the aisle in it, clothed in the gently sparkling layers of satin and tulle, as they flow behind the soft footsteps of a new life.

Did you get your wedding gown and veil preserved? Where did you have it done?

Did you skip on getting it preserved, and wish you had gotten it done?

Let me know what you all think!!

(All photos by Sarah Priestap and Jeffrey Porter)

Three Broomsticks' Butterbeer

2011-07-19T23:20:00.000-04:00

Ever since I found an abandoned copy of J.K. Rowling's The Order of the Phoenix, I've been interested in the world of Harry Potter. It is exciting to follow Harry's adventures through his time at Hogwarts. It is always fun to imagine the foods of fantasy, and what they must taste like. My mouth always waters as I read about the sumptuous feasts served at Hogwarts, and I try to imagine what treacle tarts, cauldron cakes, kidney pies, chocolate frogs, pumpkin juice and various puddings and pies must taste like ... not to mention Bertie Botts's Every Flavour Beans, and the Weasley 'treats'.

This brings us to the subject of Butterbeer. With nearly every single trip to Hogsmead, Harry, Ron and Hermione would visit the Three Broomsticks, and have tall glasses of foaming Butterbeer. I always wondered what it tasted like. Finally I mustered up the courage, and the ingredients to try it out for myself. It's quite simple really. And quite excellent.

I had a difficult time managing to take some photos before I chugged down my whole glass.

Butterbeer (adapted from Huffington Post)
Serves 2

1/2 cup Light or Dark Brown Sugar
1 tablespoons Water
3 tablespoon Butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup Heavy Cream, divided
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Two 12-ounce bottles Cream Soda (or buy a two liter bottle so you can have more later!)

In a small pan, stir together brown sugar, and water. Heat, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until it reaches 240 °F. Stir in butter pieces until melted, and add salt, vinegar and 1/8 (or about 2 1/2 Tablespoons) cup of the heavy cream. You now have a beautifully delicious caramel sauce... you will love what the apple cider vinegar does for it! Taste it a bit more, and set aside to cool to room temperature. When it has reached room temperature, stir in the vanilla extract

In a small bowl, combine the rest of the heavy cream, with about 3-4 tablespoons of the caramel mixture. Beat with a mixer until it forms soft peaks.

Fill your serving glasses about half full with cream soda, and mix in half of the caramel mixture into each.. it helps if you pour it all into a measuring cup to find out how much you have, so you can pour the same amount into each glass when serving. Stir it up with a fork until combined, then pour cream soda into each glass until about an inch from the rim of the glass. Top with the whipped topping.

Now, raise your glass to the success of Harry Potter and his brave and loyal friends. Raise it in memory of Tonks, Lupin, Snape, Fred, and the others who died. And raise it in celebration of the fall of Voldemort.

Or just enjoy your deliciously creamy beverage. Cheers!

Strawberry Delight

2011-07-12T22:52:00.000-04:00

It's so easy.

Whip [heavy cream, vanilla & sugar], crunch [pretzels], chop [strawberries].

Pile it up.

Eat.

Repeat as needed. [Yum]

...in other news...

There is a new view in my living room.

Pepperoni Cheese and Herb Bread

2011-07-11T22:52:00.004-04:00

There is nothing like a thick slice of warm bread right out of the oven. Nothing compares with the incredible warmth and comfort. Speaking of comfort, I guess it's appropriate that I'm listening to my Norah Jones station on Pandora right now.

It's even better with just the teeniest bit of butter spread on.

Make this. You won't regret it...

It's a basic bread base, with all sorts of yummies added in.

Some onions,

Sharp cheddar cheese,

Pepperoni and Basil...

Knead them all into the dough.

Let it rise for about an hour... then bake it!

Finally out of the oven!

Pepperoni Cheese and Herb Bread
Bread:
4 1/4 cup White Flour
3 tablespoons Sugar
2 teaspoons Salt
2 teaspoons Yeast
1 1/3 cups Water
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
Filling:
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped Basil
1/2 cup chopped Pepperoni
3/4 cup (or 1/4 pound) cubed Sharp Cheddar Cheese, or Yellow Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup chopped Onions
2 cloves Garlic, minced

Whisk (my lazy way of sifting) the flour, salt, sugar and yeast together in a large mixing bowl. Stir the water and olive oil together in a microwaveable dish, and heat until the water mixture registers between 115 and 125°F. Mix the warm water and oil in with the dry ingredients, and stir gently with a wooden spoon until you have an even doughy mixture. Place the dough into a large, greased bowl and let the yeast rise for about an hour or so, or until the mixture has increased in size. While you're waiting for this to happen, dice up the pepperoni, basil, onions, and cheddar cheese. When the dough has risen, knead in the pepperoni, basil, onions, and cheddar cheese chunks. Let the dough rise some more in a warm spot, for another hour or so. Before you put the dough on a pan, make sure the roundest side is up so that you get a nice smooth loaf. Place the dough on an oiled pan, or a pizza stone, and lightly cover with tinfoil. Bake in an oven at about 350°F for 20 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 400°F, take off the tinfoil, rub the firming loaf with butter, and let bake for another 25 minutes or so. But watch it! Your oven might be different than mine, and it may not take that long, or it may take longer. When it's golden brown and smells good, take it out, and wipe it down with more butter if it's looking dry.

Resist it if you can for a little while longer while it cools.

Using a bread machine? (I love mixing bread this way)
Put your machine on the dough only setting. Pour in the liquids first, then add in the dry measurements, with the yeast on top. When it finishes mixing and rising, knead in the filling ingredients as above, then bake it in the oven!

Kettle Corn

2011-07-05T22:58:00.001-04:00

It would be a lie to say I wasn't finishing my second bowl.
The perfect balance of salty, sweet and crunch.. it brings back memories of summer antique fests, and art festivals in the fall. I would eat it until my mouth was sore ... maybe I still do.

It's so easy to make! You don't even need patience! Might want some dental floss when you're done though.

Popcorn, vegetable oil, sugar and salt.

Put enough oil in the bottom of a 3 quart pan to just cover the bottom. Toss in 3 kernels of the popcorn, and put your burner on high heat.

When all three kernels pop, the oil is hot enough to pop your kettle corn. Pour all the kernels in, and sprinkle with the sugar. Swirl it a little to mix in the sugar evenly before it starts popping. You don't have to keep your pot right there on the burner. I prefer hold it about an inch or so above it, so I can shake and swirl to my heart's content. I recommend doing this, unless you love the sound of a pan screeching on a burner grate.

Ouch! Guess I'd better put on the lid. Keep the pot in constant motion now, and give it a shake every now and then. You need to keep the popping corn in motion so that it doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan. Shake, jiggle, swirl, repeat as needed. Not you, silly. The hot pan in your hand!

Keep that lid on still, or you might get a cute sugary burn on your neck. Did you know hot oil splatters sometimes? Yeah me too, but I didn't really follow the rules.

If the pan looks like it is filling up, and the popcorn is still popping merrily along, empty some out into a big bowl. Keep shaking! Once you can count to 15 with no pops, all the kernels that are going to pop have popped.

Now you can shake it all out into that big bowl, and mix in the salt. I put in about a teaspoon, but you can add as much or as little as you want.

Ready.... GO!

Kettle Corn

3 Quart cooking pot with handle, and a lid (super important)

2-3 tablespoons Vegetable oil, or enough to cover the bottom of your pan

1/2 cup Popping Corn, or enough to cover the bottom of your pan

1/4 cup Sugar

1 teaspoon or so of Salt

Red White & Blue Pinwheel Cookies

2011-07-04T11:01:00.001-04:00

I love cookies. I have always loved cookies, and especially decorating them. It wasn't until I got the July issue of MS Living that I realized there was a whole area of cookie decorating I had yet to explore. I had to do it.

Let's make some Sugar Cookies so I can show you what I did.

Butter, sugar, eggs... you know the drill.

Add the flour gradually so your kitchen doesn't blow up.

After mixing in all the flour, cover it and let it chill for at least 2 hours, or until you're ready to bake the cookies.

Shape them into balls, and squish them down with a bowl or cup to flatten them. Then bake them!
Let them cool, and then we can have some fun.

Mix up your frosting. The magazine suggested royal icing, but I'm not a huge fan of that, so I just mixed confectioner's sugar and a teeeny bit of milk. Oh, and food coloring! Kind of important.

We filled some plastic sandwich bags with the colored frosting, and cut the tiniest piece of corner off to use as piping bags. We also used a lazy susan to help with the circle drawing part, and it worked SO well!!

Drag your toothpick both in and out in relation to the center of the cookie. There's a lot you can do to be creative.. you can vary the width of the circles, the pattern of colors, how many or few strokes with the toothpick you do. Have fun! You can even do dots.

Ta-da!

Eat them.

Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies
(from The Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook)

1 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
1 1/2 cups Sugar
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until fluffy, then add in the sugar, beating until combined. Beat in eggs, cream of tartar, baking soda, vanilla, and salt until combined. Stir in the flour gradually. Chill covered for at least 2 hours. Preheat oven to 375°F. Shape dough into balls, and squish out on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 9-12 minutes or until just turning golden brown. Let cool before frosting.

Mise En Place

2011-07-02T22:22:00.000-04:00

Thanks go Google, I remembered/found the French term I was looking for. Mise En Place is a term that means "to put in place," and refers to measuring and setting out all the ingredients of a recipe before starting out. Super necessary especially when you're making something like candy, where you have to move fast at some points, and there is no time to search for ingredients and fumble with measuring cups.

Now I'm off to bake some basic Sugar Cookies to decorate with the family tomorrow!!
My plan is to make these, cause they're EASY and beautiful. A great way to relax on a holiday weekend =)

Italian Chicken Fingers

2011-06-30T23:08:00.000-04:00

These are Chicken Fingers are really excellent (Harry Potter said that once... minus the part about the chicken fingers). And the best part? They're easy. The hands on time is less than 15 minutes, so you can have a seat and catch up on some reading [of HP book #7] while they're baking.

-yum-

I was going to have a really nice picture of the ingredients all measured out (there is a fancy french word for this, and I tried for like 20 minutes to find it, but I failed.. I will tell you when I find it) and arranged before I started assembling and baking the delicious chicken fingers, but when I went to edit my photos, I discovered that raw chicken isn't really attractive. So, sorry. No ingredients pictures.

-dip-

Dredge in breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.

Doesn't dredging have something to do with lakes? I'm really confused by this.

Lay them out on a greased pan, or a pan with a nonstick baking mat (it's true love). Bake them, and read some Harry Potter (is it bad that my fingers always want to put a "y" on the end?) while you're waiting to fill your mouth with warm savory delicious-ness.

Bake them until they're golden beautiful and smell oh, so good. Or until your oven thermometer reads 165 (F) when you put it in the chicken (the USDA said so).

Confused as to what to do next? Eat them! Yum. Good, right?

They're great with barbecue, or ranch dressing. We were going to make some onion rings to go with {amazing, right?} but didn't have time. *sigh* maybe on Monday.

Want some? Me too.

Italian Chicken Fingers

(recipe from Jacqi W)

10-12 chicken breast tenders

Ken's clear Ceasar salad dressing

1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 (F). Mix grated Parmesan and bread crumbs in a bowl. Prepare your baking sheet with a nonstick mat, or grease. Dip each tender in the salad dressing, then dredge in the bread crumb and cheese mixture. Lay out on a pan, and continue until all the tenders are coated. If you have extra coating left over, and are like me, you can spread it over your already coated chicken tenders... don't want to waste any! They can always take a little more.

Bake on the middle rack for about half an hour or until crisp golden brown.

Strawberry Shortcake

2011-06-21T22:38:00.000-04:00

Best. Dessert. Ever. The perfect combination of sweet, creamy and ... biscuit. My dad has this every year for his birthday (a few weeks ago!) because it's so delicious, and also because his birthday is in strawberry season. Enough talk, let's eat.

How do I get at this deliciousness? Let me show you.

Make some biscuits.

While you're at it, show how much you appreciate your measuring spoons by doing a photo shoot with them.. it makes them feel real good about themselves.

My mom always said to mix it with the pastry blender until the shortening was cut into pea sized bits... it's a pretty good rule of thumb whenever you're baking anything that you'd like to be flaky.

Add in the milk gradually. I like to make little 'ponds' to pour it into, though they usually overflow.

Mix it up until it's all together.

Resist the urge to shape it into clumps. Roll it out! Or at least press it out with your hands = ) It just looks better. Besides don't you want to use your circle cookie cutter? The dough should be about an inch thick.

Lay them out in an ungreased pan (one reason I love this recipe so much, no greasing!) Then bake them!

While they're baking, make some whipped cream. Heavy whipping cream + sugar + Homemade Vanilla + generous amounts of elbow grease. I wanted to just stand there and eat it.

Can you smell that good smell? By now your biscuits should be done. I like mine with a little more brown on top, so I baked them just a little bit longer.

The strawberry preparation is pretty straight-forward. For about a quart, hull them (take off the green part), and mix them with some sugar, to bring out the yummy juice. You can chop them if you want, but it's not necessary. Just as long as you can fit them in your mouth.

You can arrange it nicely on a pretty plate, or just scoop it all haphazard in a bowl. It tastes the same either way ... SO GOOD

Want to make these for yourself?

Biscuits Supreme

2 cups Unbleached flour

4 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar

2 teaspoons Sugar (doubled for dessert recipes)

1/2 cup Crisco

2/3 cup Milk

Blend the dry ingredients, cut in crisco 'till pea sized. Add milk gradually, and blend with a fork. Roll, and cut out. Arrange on an ungreased baking sheet, and bake at 400 (F) for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Strawberry Topping

1 quart fresh or frozen Strawberries, hulled and chopped (optional)

1/3 cup Sugar (optional)

Whipped Cream

2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 cup Sugar

1 tablespoon Vanilla

Whip the cream by hand, or with a mixer until it starts to thicken. Add the sugar and vanilla gradually, and keep whipping until it's nice and fluffy.

(a family recipe)

That Vanilla Thing

2011-06-14T12:58:00.000-04:00

So you know how you have it in the back of your head that you can make your own vanilla extract (or is it just me)? It was there in the back of my mind too for a while, then I did it. That's right, I made my own vanilla. After many hours of grueling and intense labor I finally got... wait hold on. It only took a few minutes to get it started.

You'll need 3 vanilla beans. I got mine from here.

Make sure to sterilize all your equipment with boiling water.

Cut all of the beans in half.

Drop the beans into some rum. You can also use Vodka...maybe I'll try that next time.

Put the mixture into a cupboard, and let it sit there for at least 2 months before using it. You will need to shake it every few days, or whenever you think of it. Then just wait!

When the 2 months are finally up, you can pour your vanilla into a nice bottle that you have a lid for. I used an old syrup bottle.

Stick a few of your beans into the bottle, that way the vanilla is always fresh and fragrant. You can also replenish it.

Homemade Vanilla Extract:

1 Cup Rum or Vodka

3 Vanilla Beans

a little patience

Making: Ring Holders and Mini Bud Vases

2011-06-07T21:59:00.000-04:00

Hey Guys! I guess I've been blogging a lot recently... or, well. today. Seems like that's just how it works out sometimes.

So I went to a video game store tonight with the Hubs, MAN I felt so out of place. At least he knew what he was looking for. I started looking around at the games too, and a saleslady overheard me saying that I didn't really know what I liked, so she hopped in and told me all the different genres of games. SO overwhelming! I had a really hard time not blurting out, "I just want something cute and relaxing!" ...*blank stare* Guess I'm not a gamer = )

BUT that's not why I'm here.
I made some pottery! There is a show coming up in November that I will be participating in, so I'm starting to work on a list for it! So exciting.
Today I made ring holders, and Mini Bud Vases (not really a fan, but maybe someone else will like them).

Won't You Walk With Me?

2011-06-07T10:01:00.000-04:00

After parking my car (in the free parking) I have a nice 15 minute walk to work through downtown Historic Annapolis. It's such a nice walk with lots of lovely and interesting things to look at, I thought I would invite you to join me.

I always walk through this little short cut, and cut through the parking lot of the Rockfish Restaurant.

They have a rooftop garden, and I think [hope] they might grow some of their own herbs.

Hi, Me!

There is a playground (I think there might be a school over there)

And a place that sells intelligent cars (and some BMWs and Mercedes, but there were people over there, and I didn't want to creep)

There is a real estate office that has some very pretty hydrangeas.

Getting on the bridge!

Check out that boat!

Some history.

So many boats!

It's a drawbridge, and sometimes I have to wait. But today I got to the other side in time.

I think the buoys look like little lost snowmen.

Big fancy house.

Their garage has a call box, or code box or something. (over there by the white post on the left)

Someone is growing a big garden in Annapolis! I like to see how things are coming along.

There are always people in love.

View of the dome on the Naval Academy base. Also, Stevens Hardware, my favorite place to run errands.

Main Street!

Buddy's has great food. I had my first crabcake here!

Kilwin's has even better 'food'

Yummy things! My friend works here dipping chocolate, and other things. They make nearly all their sweets on site.. it always smells SO GOOD when I walk by!

He didn't have trouble finding a place to park.

A view of The State House from Francis St. (and a side view of the Pottery)

A famous important guy. I should learn who that is.. it would build character.

Finally at work.. time to open up the shop!

An Occasion

2011-06-02T22:46:00.000-04:00

Today, I have finally removed the last of the wedding blogs from my news feed. My bloglist is officially wedding-planning-blog free! About time, considering I've been done planning my wedding for nearly a year and a half!

XOXO

What is your favorite blog in your feed? Why?

Knee Deep in a Baby Shower Invitation

2011-05-23T10:54:00.000-04:00

So I'm designing the invitation for my sister's baby shower, and I'm halfway through putting the thing together.. laying it out in Photoshop, doing text and stuff. [listening to a Joy the Baker Podcast]
Suddenly it struck me.. I should probably be doing this in InDesign.
mmhmm.
Then I can mess around with the leading and fun stuff.

I'm wearing this. It's a caftan... and it's probably not flattering, but that's OK! At least it has a cool print and is comfortable. That's really what matters anyway.

For the Love of Baking

2011-05-19T21:44:00.000-04:00

I love baking. I love eating baked goods.

I can remember loving baking at a young age. When I was about 6 or 7, I can remember loving to make cakes, and I was really excited that my cousin also loved making and decorating cakes.

Then beginning when I was 10 or so, I loved decorating cookies. Christmas cookies. I would spend so much time on each cookie, placing each sprinkle by hand or toothpick.

(Hey everyone, do you like my plaid shirt? It's my favorite too.)

Then when I was slightly older and in junior high, and high school, I would bake cookies or other tasty treats to bring to events at church, or to English class to impress my latest crush. I tried out all sorts of things... homemade pudding (my mom said it would be lumpy.. and boy was she right), lemon tea cookies, spritz cookies, chewy ginger cookies, dutch apple cake, hermits, green pumpkin apple pie (Laura Ingalls Wilder, anyone?), and the occasional lemon meringue pie. I loved anything off the beaten path. I loved the kitchen!

Now you can find me in the kitchen whipping up some Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread (TRY IT AND EAT IT ALL), Lemon Tarts, apple crisp, homemade granola, or blueberry muffins... still trying to work out that pudding.

Anyway. My point? (other than I love baking) Wait. Wasn't that the point? .. yeah, it was.
But! In order to bake, you need a relatively clean kitchen, and clean tools.. this is not one of my strong suits, people. I hate cleaning up! Though it's a really good feeling to walk into my kitchen and have a clean slate.. it's just difficult to bring myself to do it = /

So I have decided that cleaning will be my new hobby. And my reward will be baking.
Yep. I'll let you know how that works out for me = )

Time?

2011-05-05T23:08:00.000-04:00

How is there enough time to do all the things I want to do?

How can I have enough time to read all my favorite blogs, cook delicious dinner, expand my musical palette, explore new recipes, design lovely cards and other prints, refinish furniture, design my apartment, test glazes, and make pottery!
Blimey. I gotta get busy.

geez. I didn't even mention blogging and posting (whenever I get there..) on etsy.

Spring Update

2011-05-04T22:30:00.000-04:00

Posting and listening to Billy Joel as I am munching the last bits of my Easter candy (isn't this combination true happiness?)

It has been a busy month since I last posted!

Here are a couple pictures from The Live Stations of the Cross, presented on Good Friday by the Find Us Faithful youth group from church. I coordinated costumes.

My parents came down from NY for a birthday visit :-) It was great seeing them, even though we didn't have a lot of time together. Saturday, we visited Patapsco State Park, and had a fun hike.

I got a desk to refinish! No pictures of that yet, but I will have some.. hopefully a sad 'before' and a fantastic 'after' picture :-)

Tuesday this week, I bought TWO new sets of sheets. Excessive? Probably not. We need them so badly! I have been saying I would get some new sheets for the last year, since we only have one really good set of sheets. They're just so expensive though! The price tags always frighten me away. So how did I end up buying two sets in one day? One was from Costco, and the other I found at Bed Bath & Beyond on sale, and I used a coupon! (yeah, coupon!) One is a nice grey color, and the other is a nice grey color with a delightful white pattern that reminds me of what would happen if some damask crashed into some henna. It's quite pretty = ) .. can you tell that I love grey? I think I got good deals on both of them.. and that's what matters, right?

I did some of this on Monday. For at least 9 hours = ) So much fun!! I love a good printing job.

Next Up! (when I get to doing a project.. maybe Saturday?) My Vertical Pallet Garden!!!!

Did I give this up for Lent?

2011-04-18T11:11:00.000-04:00

Wow, has it really been this long since I've posted? Yipes..it's been since February! I guess I really have been neglecting this.
What have I been busy with since then?
-I am in charge of the costumes for this years' Live Stations of the Cross at church (this Friday! eep!).
-settling into MY NEW STUDIO!!!! (more about that later!)
- trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to stay on top of housework.. you wouldn't believe how much mess 2 people can make! I can't even think what it will look like once we start having kids!
- did I mention I have a studio??
- I've been through a month long country music phase, this is being followed by a classical phase.
- I have also been playing through World of Goo again.. = ) how I love that game... it's like a physics experiment, except there's music, and they make cute noises!

that's all for now, as I look over at the tiny replica of Minas Tirith that is on the back of my desk, and dream of HOW AMAZING it will be when The Hobbit comes out. DEFINITELY dressing up for that showing :-D
I promise it won't be so long a wait this time.

Studio Tour

2011-04-18T11:02:00.000-04:00

Here is a short tour of my new studio, and what I've been working on lately.

Storage area for plaster bats and anything I need to keep covered overnight.

Work table! With nice canisters to keep everything neat!

I love my ribs = )

The table around my wheel.. with clay being reclaimed (a lot more work when you don't have a clay mixer and a pug mill!)

My beloved Randall (Val Cushing loves them too)

Test tiles awaiting their doom = )

Exploring some goblet shapes.

Lovely mugs, and a darling little teapot that makes me jump up and down.

Rectangular casseroles! LOVE them.

A little ambiance for the studio tour ; )

Some mugs I doodled on.

And finally... a colander! I can envision myself pouring macaroni in here to drain = )

Acorn Earrings

2011-02-26T08:41:00.000-05:00

Aren't these just the cutest little earrings ever? I just found them this morning while I was browsing Etsy. They are made by an artist in Lithuania, and the Etsy shop is called Colours to Go.
They are so sweet, I can't wait to get a pair of my own.

Have you seen my front door?

2011-02-14T13:59:00.000-05:00

If you have been following my blog at all, you know I love a good DIY decoration. Every few months, I try to make a new front door decoration that goes with the season. Today I threw together this festive, but not too Valentines-ey (meaning I can feel OK leaving it up throughout February! =happy) door decoration.
Super hard? No way. I used cardboard, staples, duct tape and a magnet to hold the thing together. The whole project took no more than 20 minutes. The most time consuming part was hanging it!

Other materials/tools:
cereal box
scissors
cloth place mat that coordinates with the flowers
artificial flowers of choice
matching long ribbon- at least 3'
tissue paper
tape (masking or duct)

Sorry, I didn't take pictures of the process.. but here's what I did: I cut the cereal box so I could curl it into a cone, and trimmed any edges that were sticking out. Staple the edges, and tape anything the stapler doesn't reach. You can experiment with the height, and how tight you make the cone. Wrap the cardboard cone with your place mat, making sure that it is snug and doesn't bunch anywhere. Make sure the 'seam' is in the back, unless you want to make that part of the design. Secure with rolls of duct tape, or stitch loosely along the edge. Tuck any of the place mat into the inside of the cone. Arrange your flowers, and put inside cone, using tissue paper if necessary to help keep where you want them Next, wrap part of the ribbon around the top of your cone, and tie a knot in the back. If you have a really long ribbon, you can have two lengths going up the door. I had a short ribbon, so I only had one length to go up the door. Secure the ribbon on the inside side of the door, (or wherever you would like to secure it), and go admire your work! We have a metal door, so I taped a strong magnet to the back of the cone to prevent it from banging around with use of the door.

Here are a couple other DIY wreaths I have enjoyed over the past few months.

Tried and True: Baking Powder Biscuits

2011-02-14T10:26:00.001-05:00

Ever since I can remember my Mom has made these delicious biscuits, I have many good memories of childhood that include making these, and eating these (one that even includes food coloring!)
Now that I have my own home, I make them here too.

They are so easy to make! Whisk the dry ingredients together, mix in the wet ones, roll and cut out (or scoop, and press to flatten), and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet or pizza stone. You can even enjoy pinches of the yummy yummy dough without feeling bad (no eggs).

They are so good! For dinner, have them with creamy white sauce (chicken stock, milk, flour, spices and chipped beef or chicken), or with a hearty stew. For breakfast (or an anytime snack) split one into halves toast and slather with honey! Yum!
There's a dessert too! Add twice the amount of sugar the recipe calls for, and serve warm with chopped strawberries (local, and fresh of course) and vanilla bean ice cream. SO good!! We always had this one for my Dad's June birthday. :-)

So versatile they are a must have recipe for any home kitchen.

Baking Powder Biscuits
2 Cups Flour (for something a little different, substitute 1 cup white flour with 1 c whole wheat!)
4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Cream or Tartar
2 Teaspoons Sugar (double for dessert recipes)
1/2 Cup Shortening
2/3 Cup Milk

Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pea sized. Make 3 wells in the mixture, and distribute the milk into them. Blend well with a fork, using cutting motions. Roll, and cut out with 3" round cookie cutter (or a heart!). Arrange touching on pan.
Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes.

Thanks Mom!!

View from here

2011-02-03T23:06:00.000-05:00

How's it looking from where you're sitting?

This is what it looks like for me!

What is that, you might ask? Let me tell you! The Mr. found a way that he can *cough, hack* his camera software so he can do cool things with it. (he's kind of a genius like that) He has it set up to take a picture of my darling little garlic plants every 15 minutes, and he has it set to take images for about a week! Then he'll take the images and magically (because I don't understand what he does) make a movie out of them, and you can watch the plants grow!

This video was his first test, and he set it to take pictures every 30 seconds, overnight. I love watching the morning light come through the window in the back.

Pretty cool, huh?

Flowered Invitations: Finishing

2011-01-03T17:53:00.000-05:00

Finally they were all printed!! Now to cut them all out, and get them ready to ship!
It would have been impossible with out my rotary cutting supplies -blue cutting mat, guide ruler, and rotary cutter- which I got at JoAnn's with a 40% off coupon -yay-

This took so much time!

Reply cards all cut, counted and ready to be packed.

Counting envelopes.

Here are the invitations all ready.

Finally ALL done!

I shipped them with lots of padding -we can't have any bent corners! and put all of them in a giant plastic bag inside the box, in case of any water.

Flowered Invitations: Printing Process

2011-01-02T17:35:00.000-05:00

Here's the fun part! I started out with the wording of the invitations already printed on the paper. When I printed the invitations last year for my own wedding, I did the screen printing first before the wording. I think I prefer the order I did it this time.

Materials:
prepared screen
Acrylic screen printing ink (for paper)
squeegee
apron!

Mark where you need to set your paper each time, and make a way so it is easy to switch out papers. I used a strip of folded over duct tape (so that there were no sticky sides), and I lined this up with lines that were printed on the paper.

Lining it up...

Embarrassingly bad picture, but this is what you do next!

(it's hard to take a picture of something you need your hands to do! and I was too lazy to get the tripod out)

So nice!

Doing some touch-ups.

So many beautiful invitations!

I found that when printing so many pages, the ink can start to dry on your screen, and start decreasing the clarity of each print. So I started washing off my screen with cool water every half hour. It added a lot of time to the process, but the end result was a lot better.

Happy Printing!

Flowered Invitations: Preparing the Screen

2011-01-01T15:30:00.000-05:00

A few months ago I was asked by a friend to make the invitations for his upcoming wedding - I was more than happy to oblige. I used the silk screen method, and over the next few posts, I will be giving you an inside look on how that's done!
- I am by no means a pro. at this, so if you know more about screen printing techniques than I do, feel free to suggest, correct and critique!

Materials:

silkscreen

photo emulsion solution

emulsion remover

screen printing squeegee

photoflood bulb

lamp

transparency sheet, or something to create your image

sheet of glass

masking tape (this will be your best friend)

My brand new silkscreen that I got for my birthday :-)

Adding a base, hinges and kickstand to make the printing process easier. The base allows you to make register marks so that you can lay down the paper in the exact same spot. The hinges keep you from having to reposition the screen, and the kickstand keeps the screen up while you're positioning the paper underneath.

This stuff is so cool. Basically, it is a light sensitive solution that 'hardens' when exposed to light, so whatever isn't exposed to the light will wash out, creating a nice clean stencil. The hard part is that you have to apply this to both sides the screen in the dark!

Taping the edges makes the clean up process so much easier!

Use this to mount the light bulb, and position it about 10" above your screen. Use a photoflood light bulb, which you can get from Amazon for no more than 8 dollars. I have tried doing this with just a normal light bulb, and would not recommend it, as the light is not nearly as bright and the results are not nearly as clean.

To create an image, something must block the light. It is not necessary to think in negatives or anything, just draw whatever you want, and that's what will be printed. I drew up my designs in Adobe Illustrator, and printed them with my free laser printer (3 cheers for craigslist!) on cleaned off recycled transparencies. Found objects could be really great used for this step, like doilies, stickers or string.

You will also need a sheet of glass to help keep the transparency flush to your silkscreen while it's being exposed.

The 10 minutes of exposing the screen seems to take forever! It's fun to watch the emulsion change from bright green to turquoise. The transparency should be exposed on the back side of the screen (the side where the screen is flush with the frame). If you're printing words, make sure you place them with this in mind.

After that's done, wash out the screen with cool water, until all the spaces are cleaned out. The first time through, the right hand side washed out perfectly. I don't know why, but it took me 2 more tries to get the left side to wash out!

Next up: The Printing Process!

Easy as Pie Holiday Centerpiece

2010-11-22T14:45:00.000-05:00

... and it smells almost as good as pie too! But not quite.

You'll need 3 things:

3-4" diameter pillar candle (scented if you like)

Pinecones (big ones work better!) I have collected mine all summer long, but you can also find them at craft stores this time of year.

Cake stand

Put it all together, and you have an easy and beautiful centerpiece! You could add to this by putting a bow around the pedestal part of the cake stand, or you could dust the pinecones with 'snow' or glitter to add a Christmas twist.
So many possibilities!

MBH

2010-11-13T23:11:00.000-05:00

Dear The Mysterious Black Hole,
Please return the following in appropriate condition:
- 2 rectangular tupperware bottoms (why did you take only the bottoms?)
- earbuds
- Mr's Sunday pants
- old cell phone charger
- pink top

Thank you,
The Management

The Lark

2010-11-03T23:14:00.001-04:00

After about 8 months, I finished!!! .. definitely one of THE BEST books I've ever read. I could go on and on, but I'll just say, you must read Les Miseables - you won't regret it.

Monday List

2010-10-25T09:21:00.000-04:00

enjoy a nice breakfast while catching up on emails and blogs check
plan out meals for the week check
grocery store
print out some things at the library (wishing we had a laser printer!) check, but unsuccessful
dishes
enjoy some afternoon yoga
laundry
farm stand for local veggies (and maybe another pumpkin!)

yay! the rest of today, here I come!

October means Yum!

2010-10-16T23:17:00.000-04:00

I think October may very well be one of my favorite months of the year. Here are some reasons I love it.
- it's not HOT
- bright sunshine
- the breeze is cool
- yellow leaves are falling
- the color orange
- hats, scarves and sweatshirts
- it's a great month to be outside in Maryland.. except for the occasional downpour (but those are OK too because I have polka dotted rain boots)

I bought some pumpkins last Monday, and I cooked them, and will be freezing them! It tastes so delicious.. just like squash!

*tip* don't peel pumpkins. Instead just cut the thing in half, clean out the insides with spoon, put the pumpkin half face down on some aluminum foil, cover with foil and bake it for about an hour in a 300 something oven. After this, the skin will lift right off so easily! I wondered why I even thought peeling was an option.
You can tell if it's done by 2 things:
- you can smell delicious pumpkin smells wafting in from the kitchen
- you can easily insert a fork into the pumpkin

while you're waiting for your pumpkin to bake in the oven, separate the pumpkin seeds from the rest of the pumpkin innards. Rinse them off, and add (I had the seeds from 2 small pumpkins, probably about 3 cups of seeds?) about 2 teaspoons of olive oil, and mix in about 1 teaspoon of salt, or other flavoring (like, seasoned salt, or old bay). It's fun to experiment with the spices you use. I wonder what cinnamon would taste like? Or how about chili powder?

I can't wait to make pies and breads and soups!!

bedtime!

The Word Is Out!

2010-08-29T21:58:00.000-04:00

Wesley and I are taking on the position of youth leaders at church! The leader of the last couple years is stepping down to focus on his last two semesters of college. He is actually one of Wes's good friends, and he's been working on passing his knowledge down to us. I am definitely glad we are not alone in this, since there are a few other college age leaders too, and a well organized system for how things work

Many of the kids I already know, and of course my sis-in-law, Ashley is one of the youth. We are really excited about this new role, and we look forward to getting to know the kids better. I know that it will be a challenge sometimes, and it will stretch us, and we will grow... but it will be SO worth it!

Yeah!

Perhaps You've Never Wondered

2010-08-05T19:44:00.000-04:00

Today I found out how jelly beans are made.

President Reagen was apparently a huge fan of jelly beans, and had canisters of jelly beans scattered all around the White House.

Pecan Pie Bars

2010-08-03T21:50:00.001-04:00

I was feeling creative and adventurous, so I tried out a new recipe last week for Pecan Pie Bars.

They were absolutely delicious, and disappeared much faster than I thought (hence I wasn't able to retake the blurry picture above!)

Pecan Pie Bars
1 1/4 cup Flour
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Butter
2 Eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup coarsely chopped Pecans
1/4 cup packed Brown Sugar
1/2 cup light colored Corn Syrup (I used part Honey.. I wonder if it would work will all honey??)
2 tablespoons Butter, melted
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
For the crust, mix flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the 1/2 cup Butter until the pieces of butter are pea sized. Line a pan with tin foil, and press the crust mixture into it -the tin foil allows you to remove the bars super easily- Bake the crust for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
For the filling, stir together beaten eggs, pecans, brown sugar, corn syrup (and honey), the 2 tablespoons melted butter, and the vanilla. Pour over baked crust, spreading evenly.
Bake the entire thing for about 20 minutes, or until the filling is set (doesn't jiggle). I think mine was a tad overdone -oops.
Let cool in the fridge for a while before indulging. Store in refrigerator in an easily accessible container.

Pots and Pans, Love.

2010-08-03T16:58:00.001-04:00

I remember that day when we brought home our first very own set of brand new pots and pans. It was so shiny and new. I also remember the first time I went to brown butter in my 1 quart saucepan. My pan also turned brown. And since that day when my new pans no longer looked new, I have been looking for a way to remove those stains. I'm sure you can go out and buy a bottle of something, scrub the pans with it, and have a nice looking pan again, but I wanted the satisfaction and freedom of home cleaning methods.

So on my day off, I decided to do some reading about methods and try out a few for myself.

here's the sad mess I'm starting with

boiling with some vinegar... that didn't help

I also tried boiling with cream of tartar, as one place recommended... that didn't help

and finally, here it is with baking soda!

one final scrub...

ta-da! so shiny!

I should have guessed it would be baking soda- it seems like baking soda fixes everything. Now I start on the outside of the pans!

Envelopes

2010-07-31T00:49:00.000-04:00

Currently shopping for envelopes... I need some that are A2 size, white, recycled paper, and CHEAP.

why?

Christmas cards! I love Christmas cards, and my silkscreen.
Here's my idea:

+

merry

+

Kitchen Project

2010-07-05T23:35:00.000-04:00

I had a little fun today with a spur of the moment project. I started out just stenciling on the stripes, and then thought it needed a little more :-) I actually used t-shirt printing ink, because I didn't have any other type paints.

To make the stencils, I traced or drew outlines of images onto masking tape, cut it out with a very sharp X-Acto knife, and voila! Some of the stencils were a little more complex, involving secondary pieces, for example the one below.

Getting ready to stencil.

Here we go!

Ta-da!

Solution: The Smelly Sponge

2010-05-20T23:35:00.000-04:00

Anyone who has ever worked in a kitchen has undergone the unfortunate experience of "the smelly sponge" and even worse, the smelly hands after using the sponge. Sponges are great but after a few uses, they become excellent breeding grounds for bacteria and pretty soon, a reek begins to emanate from them. What to do when your sponge becomes infested?? Yes they are cheap, but I feel so bad throwing away a 'good' sponge. I recently realized an excellent solution.

Toilet bowl cleaner.

It makes for an excellent household cleaning product for more than just toilets, for example it is great for cleaning mildew off shower curtains.
Here is what I did:
When the sponge was damp, I covered its entire surface with the toilet bowl cleaner, and then set it in a bowl of warm water, just enough to cover the sponge. I used a fork to press on the sponge to mix the cleaner and help the sponge absorb it, and I flipped the sponge over a few times in attempt to help the cleaner penetrate both sides.

I let the sponge sit in the cleaner water over night, and in the morning I rinsed it out, and the smell is only faint. It even looks cleaner! And on top of that, I feel much better about using it, since I know it's clean.

On a much different note...

Isn't this a fantastic image? It's like... My Fair Lady meets Sound of Music!

just sayin'

News, news, news

2010-05-17T15:32:00.000-04:00

Wes and I have recently been praying a lot about our jobs- his job at Radio Shack, and mine at Lord & Taylor and Annapolis Pottery. We are getting by with our finances, but it has always been tight. This week however, things are changing! Rather suddenly, God provided me with a job offer for a full time position at the Pottery! So I have put in my 2 weeks notice at Lord & Taylor, and will be moving up in hours this week. Wow! God is amazing. I really look forward to developing my skills as a potter, learning more about the craft, and learning things on the business side of being a potter. I am excited to be leaving Lord & Taylor as well. I have really enjoyed getting to know my coworkers, and becoming friends with them - and I will miss them. But sizing clothes, emptying dressing rooms, folding shirts, and ringing up customers really isn't what I love. AND I will be getting Sundays off! (and Mondays too). I am looking forward to the more predictable schedule, and not having long empty days.

And now that I finally have a day off, I have things to do.. go to the bank, the Post Office (did you know that's a trademark?), make some cookies, and maybe even visit the fabric store or thrift store!

Monday

2010-05-10T11:37:00.000-04:00

While back in Houghton for my art show, I decided to check my CPO box for old times sake. Of course I haven't been a student there in over a year, but hey, why not?

from pigasso on flickr

There was mail in it! I opened it (yes, of course I still remember my combination!) but the mail wasn't for me :'-( I guess that's what it feels like to be an alumni. alumnus? .. you know what I mean.

Needless to say, I wasn't surprised.

In other news, my laptop has been having a terrible weekend. Soon after I arrived on campus, I went to start up the computer and log in to my normal user. My computer came back at me with something like, "this is impossible, the domain is not recognized." Not recognized?! I have been logging in exactly like this for the past 4 years! So I called my husband, since he knows things like this. He told me to go to the Help Desk! How could he do such a thing! So I went there, because it's not like I had many options. So they helped me create a new user, and so now I am hopefully at the end of transferring all my files and settings from the other user. It actually hasn't been too terribly hard, thanks to my external hard drive, Xmarks (browser add-on that remembers all your bookmarks, even if your computer dies- yes! it works with Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Explorer!), and Brief, my ever favorite blog reader. Thanks to them, I have a much lower stress level right now.

Now that I have both these add ons back on Firefox, I need to catch up on the 800+ blogs I have missed reading since last Wednesday!

Gallery Show

2010-05-06T23:35:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow is the opening show of my first ever non school art show! My work is on display at the Arts Council for Wyoming County gallery, in Perry, NY.
Most of my pieces are things I prepared for my senior show last spring, and the rest of it was made over Mayterm. I had really wanted to create an entire new series of work for this show, but unfortunately I was unable to, since getting married and moving.

Pictures to come!

List I Found

2010-04-13T11:38:00.000-04:00

This weekend, Mom and Dad came to visit, and they brought some stuff I had left at home. Along with all the stuff, I found some list I made sometime. I have no idea when I made it, but I think it's rather funny.

- game night with friends
- Christmas party
- Everson (art museum nearby)
- cut Liz's hair
- get my hair cut
- make Cheryl some earrings
- pet the kitten
-Christmas shopping
- finish FoTR
- make a movie
- make fun skirt
- become proficient in the accordion
- tree climbing
- driving stick!!!
- family drawing lessons
- family game night
- Lego 'take one'
- photo portraits
- gingerbread house
- aerobics
- contest: snowman building
- fun music
-white elephant
- walk backwards
- folk dancing
- Settlers
- snowball fight
- thrift store
- bowling
- Narnia reading night
- make bread
- make peppermint bark
- paper snowflakes
- sock puppet play

.... what was I thinking?!

Big News

2010-04-05T12:32:00.001-04:00

Big news!
My husband just changed his voicemail greeting! A thing that has not happened since we MET.

My Kitchen

2010-03-23T12:16:00.000-04:00

Recently I have been noticing, and getting frustrated with the lack of a really good and efficient organizational system in my kitchen. Well, I thought about getting a Butcher's cart, or something of the like. That would be a good option, since they often have a place to store spices, there is usually a drawer, a surface with ample storage space...

Basically it's like a few more cupboards, and a bit more counter space. But then what if we move, and there's no place to put it? Then we're stuck with this thing.

Then I was reading a blog, (EAD Living, to be precise). The post was entitled "More Kitchen Storage, Please" The author who is in a similar predicament to mine, posted a few pictures of the options that she had found. I love this one from Pottery Barn.

What about installing some shelves in my kitchen? I have one wall that is more or less, entirely open, I do believe it would be perfect! It seems to be that more and more people are turning to 'open shelving' instead of opting for the standard kitchen cupboard. It can make for a very beautiful kitchen atmosphere. The trick is making everyday things look elegant and decorative.

image from a Martha Stewart featured apartment

Maybe something like this? Notice the repetition objects, grouping of colors, allowance of space around groups of objects... all part of a well set up shelf.
So how about it! I am loving the idea.
I asked the Mr. about it, and he suggested I make a 'mock up' to see how it works in the space. So, I guess the next step is to find a bunch of cardboard!

I also need to change the wreath on my front door. It's looking a bit out of season.

The Guest Book

2010-02-27T13:38:00.000-05:00

It's finally finished! It started as a cool thing I saw in a blog, and it just kind of went from there!

The first step was to get a good image of a tree that I wanted to use. After searching for probably hours, I finally found an image from a forest conservation website. It was a really small image, so I couldn't print it the size I needed, and have the crispness of image that I needed. Tracing paper to the rescue! After tracing the image from my computer screen, and coloring it in with Sharpie (where would I be without my Sharpie collection?) Print it out on a transparency, expose it onto the coated screen, wash it out, print it onto some mat board, then TADA! We have several trees ready for fingerprints!

In progress...

Here is is all beautifully mounted on 1/2 inch thick black foam board, and in my living room!

Wedding Photos I

2010-02-22T16:58:00.000-05:00

Getting ready!

Love this one

Kirsten and Aunt Lynn steaming the dresses.

Probably about the 50th time Mom and I have done this

So glad we got a shot of this!

detail of the front of my dress

My dress is a Maggie Sottero, (look at the other dresses there too! they're amazing!) My hairpiece I made myself. Veil is from NY Bride.

DIY Wreath

2010-02-22T13:02:00.000-05:00

Last week I saw a picture of this wreath, and I immediately wanted to make one.

And I didn't really have any fabric around that I had enough of and wanted to use for this, so I decided to use what I had. Earlier that day, I had gotten a package in the mail, and there was lots of brown packing paper.. yards and yards of it.

So I found a wire coat hanger, made it into a circle and started cutting packing paper. The strips were about 4" wide and who knows how long. I crumpled the strips up before using them, so that there would be a better texture, and there definitely was! I used a hole punch to put holes in the paper before stringing it. And finally, after lots of scrunching and adding a bow, here is what I got!

Happy front door.

(all materials courtesy of Bed Bath & Beyond, though they don't know it)

Honeymoon!

2010-02-22T12:48:00.000-05:00

We went to West Virginia for our honeymoon. I know, it doesn't sound like a super romantic, or extravagant spot to get away to, but it was great! We found a great little place that rents cabins out, and it was perfect. Just what we needed after the stressful weeks of getting ready for the wedding (which was also perfect). I guess we never took pictures of the inside of the cabin, but it was quite comfortable and had everything we needed, including a gas fireplace, jacuzzi, and hot tub!

Here are a few pictures from when we went for a hike.

The view looking down - so dizzying!

Looking out over the land. Those tiny dots are cows!

Here we are, all sweaty from hiking up the trail! The only picture of us we took on our honeymoon! oops.

1 Month Post Wedding

2010-02-19T12:13:00.000-05:00

- I can comfortably spend time relaxing, not feeling bad that I'm not working on making paper pom poms, assembling favours, or planning how to drape cloth down the aisle.

- I do not miss things like planning table decorations, choosing bridesmaid dresses, and worrying about everything getting done on time.

- I love having the time to think about doing non-wedding projects, like decorating my bedroom, and trying out fun recipes!

- I want to get a project like this going:

Saw this photo in Evelyn's blog, Oh My Word today!

- Married life is great! It's interesting figuring out what our jobs in the house are and just learning to live together (and sharing a bed every night is definitely an adjustment)

- Thank You notes are a constant cloud over my head. Can't wait to get those done

- Our marriage license finally came this week! We are officially officially married!

Basically, it's great.

Five and Foure

2010-02-18T23:58:00.000-05:00

We got Netflix. And we've been using it. So far, we've watched 5 episodes of The Office season 4, which we haven't seen (favorite show!) And we watched Hancock this evening. It's a weird movie.

that's about it, I think. I have a day off tomorrow! Yay. I am planning to finally cover that mail holder I've been working on, now that I finally have hot glue. And some other stuff, like catching up on blog reading.

Poor Hubby's hard drive died. Good thing it's all backed up.

Excerpt

2010-02-16T18:52:00.000-05:00

..."In three [garden plots] Madame Magloire grew vegetables; in the fourth the bishop had planted flowers and here and there a few fruit trees. Madame Magloire once said to him in a kind of gentle reproach, "Monseigneur, you are always eager to make everything useful, yet here is a useless plot. It would be much better to have salads there then bouquets."
"Madame Magloire," the bishop replied, "you are mistaken. The beautiful is as useful as the useful." He added after a moment's pause, "Perhaps more so."

from Les Misérables

Snowy Day

2010-02-10T09:44:00.000-05:00

Snowy days call for new blog posts!
Recently I have been working on a little project, making a mail holder. Right now our current system (if we get mail!) is to just kind of toss it on our makeshift coffee table, and I'm not really thrilled with this system. I got this brilliant idea a few days ago to make my own mail holder out of a small priority mailing box.
The box is 6.25"wide, 9.5" long, and 2" deep. The first thing I did was make the part that actually holds the mail. At the highest part, it's 5" tall, but it scallops down to the front, where it's 3" tall. I made myself a little pattern so that the sides would come out the same.

Next, I made the base for the holder. With the leftover 4.5 x 6.5 x2" part of the box, I trimmed the flaps off (save them! we need them later). Then I cut the box width ways, so that the top and bottom would fit together to form a box that was half as deep as it was before (if it was a loaf of bread, we would have 2 slices now). So the dimensions of the box are now 4.5 x 6.5 x 1"
With the flaps that I didn't throw away, I used them to close up the ends of the box. But before I taped the second one on, I filled the box with scrap paper as tight as I could fit it in there (it was all flat, and trimmed to size) This is an essential step so that there is a heavy(ish) weight at the base of the mail holder, so that it won't be top heavy.

So! Now we have the 2 essential parts of our mail holder. The next step is to secure the holder box to the base. (I would have been showing pictures thus far, but I couldn't find my camera while I was working on these steps) Duct tape works great. Before you get out any tape, draw lines on the base so that you'll be able to line up the mail holder nice and straight. At the front, the mail holder is 1.25" away from the front, and the back of the holder is .75" away from the back.

So here's what we've got so far! The next step is to cover it all with cloth. But I don't have anymore hot gluesticks for my hot glue gun. I left them all at my Mom's house, and haven't stopped at the craft store to get more.
So that's what's up next!

One Year

2010-02-08T10:52:00.000-05:00

It is exactly one year ago, today that Wesley proposed! = )

Can't you hear, the winter winds are howling?

2010-02-05T23:31:00.000-05:00

I don't quite understand how an entire city can shut down before the snow has even hit. The meteorologists have been going crazy all week about this storm coming this weekend (forecast of about 12-20 inches of snow in 24 hours), this morning it wasn't snowing at all. And it was only flurrying lightly at 3 in the afternoon when I went out to go hunting for a good second hand coffee table. Right now, we are using a box with a shelf on it, which works surprisingly well, but isn't quite the preferred system.

Anyway, When I got to the thrift store, it was closed! So I peered in the windows, and saw some nice things, so I'll have to go back in a few days when the Locals have dug their ways out of their homes. And I went to another thrift store and it was closed- even the bank was closed early!

We are slowly getting things in order, and our little house set up! We have our pots and pans, we have enough Pyrex and Corningware to last us a while, and we have a set of knives (finally, we don't have to use our Leathermans anymore). I put most of our books on the bookshelf today. That's a good feeling to finally have that set up.
Did I mention that I had a 'snow day' today? I didn't have to go in to work! Yay!

Now we just need our comforter set. We would get it, but the store is out of stock! augh!
I just love it though, and I can't wait for it to get here, whenever it does.

I am currently looking for another job that will give me more hours and more money. Since those are both good things (to a certain extent)

276 blog posts I have yet to read, yet they keep piling in.

Wedding CD

2010-02-04T00:37:00.000-05:00

Now that I've actually got time to think about enjoying the blogs that I read I came upon this delightfully tickling wedding favor.

Isn't that just kickin'? I was rolling in laughter.

It reminds me of the 1970s tv series of the Land of the Lost (which also renders me on the floor laughing)

You've all seen it:

2010-02-04T00:13:00.000-05:00

You've all seen motorists see how many buses they could jump over in a bike. What if we switch things up and see how many bikes we can jump with a bus?

Wesley has gotten me to start watching Top Gear with him. It's a lovely show made in the UK about cars. It's quite amusing and even accessible to those of us who aren't so absorbed in those things that acquiesce to ferry us around neighborhoods, and to and from our jobs.
Anyway, the host of the show is brilliantly funny! In the episode we're watching right now, he was test driving some very expensive sports car on the test track for the show. As he was accelerating, the car started making odd noises, and the host started comparing it to Darth Vader. Eh, you'd have to see it for it to actually sound funny.

So yes. If you must watch a tv show about cars, I highly reccomend this one.

The Week of the Wedding

2010-02-03T09:39:00.000-05:00

Well folks, the wedding has come and gone, and what a great time it was! The 2 weeks leading up to the wedding were so busy! I wish I had spread out my tasks more efficiently, because by the time Saturday the 16th rolled around, I was wiped out. Thank God for my bridesmaids, Wes's groomsmen, other friends who were involved in the wedding, Wes's family, my family, and ESPECIALLY my Mom! I for sure would have keeled over without their help.

Here is most of my family, except those who couldn't come (sad!)

This photo is actually not from the wedding day. Wes's parents hosted a reception for us down in Maryland, for those folks who wanted to come to the wedding, but couldn't drive the 6 hours up to NY. It was so much fun! And we had dancing, which we didn't have at the actual wedding. It was so much fun to have our first dance.

Wedding favors! I'm so glad a friend of mine took this shot- it's great to have some documentation of the smaller details of the day.

I'll be posting more soon about updates on my life. It is much easier, since life has settled down to some form of normalcy, since all the festivities are finished with.

Review

2010-01-02T23:49:00.000-05:00

It's been a while.

-Christmas was good.
-Wes and I are looking at apartments tomorrow and Monday! :-)
- hopefully signing some lease papers, so he can start moving in once they're through
- we went to a wedding today. it was so beautiful! I almost cried the entire time while she was walking down the aisle.. because I was thinking of 13 days from now when that will be me.
- did I mention I'm getting married in 13 days? crazy. The time has flown (and dragged)
- we finalized the pick for the bridesmaids' jewelery. they're not quite as creative looking as I'd like, but they match, and it's one of those details I don't really care too much about.

Isn't this shot darling? It's just my wedding colors too!

- we're going to be having some pictures outside (weather permitting). any ideas on how to keep my dress safe? ( Check out these amazing photos from a recent blog on Style Me Pretty)

Snowflakes in the Air

2009-12-19T00:55:00.000-05:00

I just realized I have not updated in quite some time, and I owe quite a bit of posts about things I've been doing! For now, here's this lovely picture I found in a blog today.

Carnations, Anyone? Part II

2009-12-04T12:06:00.000-05:00

Grrrr. AC Moore! How could you do this to me in my time of need!!!!

:'(

They didn't have spherical wet flower foam. So I bought a bunch of rectangular, and I'm going to MAKE my own spheres (take that! ACM). My practice from that sculpture project in 3D design will come in handy I'm sure.

Carnations, Anyone?

2009-12-03T23:57:00.000-05:00

A few months ago now, I happened upon a blog post by Eddie Ross. And in the current blog post, he was talking about a creative use for the often (and rightly so) disregarded carnation. For the first time ever, I was able to truly enjoy an arrangement of carnations! I enjoyed it so much, that I wanted to try it out myself.

It would, of course, be a stunning arrangement for a wedding, but it doesn't really match the overall decor of my wedding. But I wanted an excuse to make it, and a place where it could be shown off, so that more than just my family could appreciate it.

So I asked my maid of honour if I could make one (or two?) to display at my bridal shower! I know a bride typically isn't supposed to plan, or do anything for her own shower... but I said "pretty please," so she decided she could let me do it, since I really really wanted to.
So here we go!

Eddie Ross's example. (SO lovely!!!)

First I have to start with this funny looking thing.

So, a trip to AC Moore it is! First thing tomorrow morning, to get two of these things. And on the way home, stopping at the grocery store (maybe more than one! buwahaha. If all the area grocery stores suddenly have no white carnations, you'll know it was me) to buy an armload of white carnations!

More to come! :-)

*I'm so excited!!!!*

Who Can Add a Single Hour?

2009-11-30T22:29:00.000-05:00

Now I know why people wait to find jobs before they plan a wedding date.

----> learning some things about faith.

(From Luke 12)
22Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

27 Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

I was having a stressful day (preparing for my senior art show), and a friend sent me this passage. I read it, and reread it so many times during that week! It kept me going, quite literally. And here I am at another point in my life where I need to hear this passage loud and clear in my heart.

-I need thee, every hour I need thee-

Noah

2009-11-29T23:23:00.000-05:00

In other news, I have poison ivy. You'd think I'd be free, seeing as it's November, but apparently not. It's mostly on my ear lobe. Can't say I've ever had it there before! I've got a couple other minor spots as well.

Portfolio

2009-11-27T23:56:00.000-05:00

I updated my portfolio with some new stuff that I made over the summer.
http://lydiajoy.weebly.com/

Weekly Waste: http://homestarrunner.com/blubbos.html

Things I Have Seen

2009-11-17T22:59:00.000-05:00

A few days ago at work, I was on my lunch break. I have an hour for lunch, which is great. Except this time I had somehow forgotten to bring The Two Towers with me, which is my current reading material. So I was sitting there, bored, and I didn't want to watch what was on the TV, so I pulled a magazine out of the magazine basket that we have in there. The magazine was one of those ones that talks about the newest fashions in Hollywood, has ads all over the place (many of the names I have become familiar with, since working at Lord & Taylor), and gives rates the outfits that stars wore to various parties and award shows ETC.
And then, hark. What is this I see? A quiz!
"Can you correctly match the actresses with photos of their clavicles?"
......................
What?
*I read it again to make sure I saw it correctly*
I did...

There was a lineup of about 10 photos of different actresses, and below them were pictures of them (in different outfits) cropped as you see below.

Sheesh. this is ridiculous! Who even cares!
.. ehrm. I'm embarassed to say that I could name a few of them. But that's only because Kristin Chenowith has a very distinctive smile!

Later that day...

I was driving home on Rt. 690, and all of the sudden, I notice a "No Parking" sign by the side of the road. You wouldn't think that would be anything weird. EXCEPT for the fact that 690 is a 3 lane HIGHWAY, speed limit 65!

It makes me wonder.

Vintage Postage Stamps

2009-11-17T01:32:00.000-05:00

I owe a post about the invitation process, and another one about some interesting things I saw last week. Unfortunately I don't have time right now to write anything more than a quick post.

[image from Duet Weddings]

I just have to say, I think that using vintage postage stamps on wedding invitations is one of the dumbest ideas ever. It would perhaps be cute if it only required as many as 3 stamps. But I have seen wedding invitations where half the envelops is covered in postage stamps. really? that's just obsessive, and it doesn't even look good. one word - moderation. This is overkill, kids. seriously, tone it down.

that's enough ranting for now.

Invitations Part 1

2009-11-08T17:03:00.001-05:00

Hello one and all! I am failing at posting several times a week, I must increase my efforts.
This past week, I printed the first step in the invitation project, and it went really well! I am so excited about this, and I'll be printing the next step in the next few days. I'm so excited to finally see how they turn out!

Getting ready to ink my screen in preparation for "round 2"

Taking the newly printed invitation from the screen.

Doing a little bit of touching up

Mom caught me taking a picture of the finished product.

Here they are!!

Of Today

2009-11-02T00:18:00.000-05:00

I feel like I should post. But I have other things I should be doing.

in other news, we talked with our officiant, have ordered tuxes, we're talking with our photographer for real tomorrow, and we have our invitation paper!
*commence screen printing process*

I've been doing today: finishing up Thank-You notes (finally), enjoying not working, spending time with Wesley, and making a wedding website for us.
We're getting married!

over + out

Update

2009-10-25T01:19:00.001-04:00

Hello one and all,
It's been a busy week of work. At my job (it's just a job. if this were my career I'd have to kill myself). I feel bad for the store manager. She's there pretty much all day, every day. I think I would quit. That's been most of my week. That, and writing thank-you cards.

in other news,
did I mention we ordered our wedding bands? :-D and we're meeting with our photographer tomorrow! and we're getting honeymoon plans in order!

we still need jobs.. I'm just trusting God there.

To Wear a Veil

2009-10-17T16:39:00.000-04:00

So I'm sitting here while Mollie is practicing doing my hair for my wedding. It's a fun time!

This morning I had my first bridal shower! It was great, and really fun to see and spend time with everyone. And I got some cool stuff that we need.

Since The Last

2009-10-14T11:27:00.000-04:00

I have not posted the entire week! My apologies, friends. I have been so busy with seemingly everything! Last week, after I got home from firing the kiln at school, I filled in as a substitute for my art teacher at the highschool I graduated from. That was a good experience, except I was sick! I caught a cold sometime last weekend, and am still working on recuperating from that.

After subbing, I worked on pricing, and re-packing all of my ceramics that I had here at home; boy was that a big task! And then it was time to figure out what to do for my display and decorations, etc. I am so thankful for my Mom! I probably would have lost a whole lot more sleep if she hadn't been so helpful.

And then it was time to drive up to Houghton to go to the sale, and get my things from the kiln! It was SO incredibly exciting to walk into the studio after the kiln had been unloaded! I was happy with nearly all of my pieces! So then the rest of the night was spent pricing and packing everything.

And then I was waking up early on Saturday morning with not enough sleep to head over to Letchworth Park to finish setting up my booth!

I learned a lot from the whole thing, and I know some of what I need to work on improving, and what I should keep on doing. It was a good weekend.

In other news.... I'm getting married in less than 100 days! 94 to be exact! I am so excited.
This weekend, I'm going to Maryland, (where my fiance Wes is from) because his mother and a family friend are throwing a bridal shower! How fun!
And we're ordering our rings!!! la la la!!!

Parting Shots:
If you like to read blogs (I know I do!!!) and have a hard time keeping track of them all (I know I did), I have a great Firefox add on for you!!!
Follow this link https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4578

Vincent van Gogh sold only one painting in his entire life. The painting "Red Vineyard at Arles" was bought by his brother, who owned an art gallery at the time.

Poor Jack

2009-10-07T23:06:00.000-04:00

I just realized that I have never carved a pumpkin.
Yes, Never. I need to fix that, as soon as the show this weekend is done. I have carved clay pumpkins, but never a real pumpkin... sad day.

Speaking of the show.. my pottery is IN THE KILN!!! I am so looking forward to unloading it! Perhaps even more than I was looking forward to unloading it the day of my senior show! Excessive? Regretfully, I couldn't be a part of most of the firing process, because I had to come back home since I had agreed to substitute for my highschool art teacher. So dear Marc was in charge of it, and he stayed up until 5 in the morning taking care of the kiln! I say he deserves at least an ice cream sandwich for that. I can't wait to unload it!!!!

Lovely bisqueware waiting to be glazed.

It took me all day Saturday and Sunday to glaze all my work.

And then on Monday I loaded the kiln, finally finishing it at about 9:00 that evening.

And finally on Tuesday the firing began! I was in charge of lighting the second burner, and putting the spyhole bricks at the appointed times..

I eagerly anticipate seeing what my babies look like when we unload the kiln. I'm hoping that some pieces turn out as lovely as I imagine....though there are some that need to turn out MUCH lovelier than I imagined if they are going to be worth buying!

Parting Shot:
This month is National Awareness Month.. so pay attention to things going on around you, it could save your life.

Who could resist this sweet face?

The Kiln Cake

2009-10-02T00:39:00.000-04:00

Here is my happy kiln in our garage.

As a gift for my graduation, my parents bought me a used bisque kiln off of ebay. After a long and drawn-out process, they decided that the best way to get the kiln to our house was by picking it up themselves from MAINE. Long trip.

So they took a long weekend and drove to Maine. As a way to show them how grateful I was, I decided that I would make a kiln-shaped cake for them.
Here we go.

Some of the lovely layers that had to be baked one at a time, because I only have one pan that's the right size! It took all afternoon, but it was worth it.

The construction of the control panel box took some figuring out, since I had to guestimate a measurement for how tall it needed to be. I "glued" pieces of graham cracker (that I cut to size) with melted white chocolate (makes a delicious treat!)

Some of my lovely cakes baking. And making cupcakes with the leftover batter!

I had to build a stand to put the cake on of course, because a) cakes need cake plates and b) kilns are often on kiln stands c) why not???

Stacking the layers! I put shishkabob skewers in there to make sure it all stayed straight.. I'd hate to have a cake-slide! yeep.

And now here's the finished product! I had a much more complex idea of what I wanted it to look like, but time and skill did not allow...
They liked it! So I think it was successful.

At the End of the Day, You're Another Day Older

2009-09-30T00:08:00.000-04:00

It has been an eventful day!
I got the shoes for work that I was looking for... from a consignment store in town! And they were only $12! Good times. I'm pretty sure that they will get many more miles on them. You probably don't care to see a picture of them, so I won't bore you with that.

In other news, there were 4 dear in the field behind my house, nibbling on grass and eating apples that had fallen out of our apple trees. I wish I could have been closer to just watch them, because they are really beautiful creatures.

Of course I grabbed my camera to take a few pictures of them, but the zoom on my camera doesn't reach very far, so the pictures aren't super interesting

This morning when I called the cat to come in after he had been out for a while, I could hear him meowing, but didn't see him. I thought he was inside or something but when I checked, he
wasn't. So I went back outside, and there he was on the ROOF of the garage! He had probably
climbed up the porch swingset, and was too scared to come back down! Poor little kitty, he was
so scared! The roof meet the house right below my window, and a cat that I used to have (Scamper) used to jump up to my window box from that roof, and I would let him in. He wasn't about to jump up. (notice how big his tail has puffed?) Anyway, eventually we got him up to my room by lowering a ladder down to him. Work went well. I earned some money and got aching feet.

I have more to say, but I'm tired, and I need something to post about tomorrow, so I can't talk about everything today!

Up Next: The Kiln Cake
Up Next, Next: Invitation Project

Parting Shot: A mud pack is a quick treatment for bee stings. Use it, if needed, when you are out on a hike, or until you can get to a place to be treated for bee and wasp stings. Today is National Mud Pack Day, so celebrate by covering your face in mud, and pretend it's good for you! Or you could celebrate by getting a bee sting...

First Day of Work

2009-09-29T00:56:00.000-04:00

So today is my first day of work at Lord & Taylor. I expect it to be a nice day of aching feet and uncreative boredom. This is my first job where I get payed to look professional!! Because of that I got to go shopping (thrift store of course) to get new clothes. Very exciting, cause I got some good stuff. Maybe I'll do a fashion show for you some time, but not now since I have to get to bed (it's only the wee hours of today.. thankfully I'm working in the afternoon). I do need some new shoes though. I don't really have any dressy flats (dressy eyebrows, anyone?) to wear to work, and I don't want to be stuck wearing heels all the time, though I'm sure I will on occasion when I'm feeling ambitious.

Let's see how long it takes me to miss the freedom of unemployment..

It's Confucius Day. Thank him for his 499 sayings.

Shoes for the Bride

2009-09-28T16:48:00.000-04:00

Recently I have found that I have a love for shoes. Cute shoes. Shoes have the power to give a whole different look to an outfit... like if you're wearing jeans with sneakers you're dressed to go for a hike but if you wear the same jeans with some low heels it looks so different.
Since I'm getting married in January I have an excuse to buy some new shoes that I can wear with my dress! I knew that I didn't want your typical satin bridal heels, and since the wedding is in January I couldn't wear like a sandal. Mom and I went on several excursions to look for shoes and finally after hours and hours of finding nothing, I found these darlings! They go great with my dress, and I am so excited to wear them! AND they are comfortable and have good traction! wow. Mine are charcoal grey, not purple.

Ambitions

2009-09-28T14:56:00.000-04:00

I've decided to become a blogger. Not a blogger like I have been previously: updating every few months with snippets of attempted profound thoughts. So my plan is that I will talk about whatever I want to talk about! Whatever activities I feel like sharing like wedding planning or pottery, and I am hoping to be able to post lots of pictures, cause that makes it significantly more exciting. Actually, when I look through my blogs that I subscribe to, I am ashamed to say that sometimes I just look at the pictures and decide from those if I want to read it or not. Of course most of the blogs I read are either about art or wedding planning, which of course both rely heavily on visuals. So I guess I am a very visual person.

and with all that, I suppose I ought to put a picture up here so that my blog post is worth reading for all you other visual people.

My ambition is to post several times a week.
And if I remember, I'll tell you the story about the food in the picture above.