Woolanthropy

Representations of Self

2011-05-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

My basic photography class came to an end this week. The last assignment was to do a self portrait. This was by far the hardest assignment.

A little bit of me thru books.

Then, as a maker of things, I thought about doing a whole series of hand shots doing what I do everyday. This was much more difficult than I thought it would be as time to set up shots, in general and especially while cooking, and working the self timer proved to be very interesting. But I got a couple of shots that I liked.

Tank and I

Tank was not cooperating as she just wanted to go to bed for the night.

My instructor suggested taking a self portrait every year on your birthday. Just a little food for thought that I may try next year. Also on Pinterest (warning: highly addictive) I came across the most amazing family portrait series that I thought I would share.

Source: marvelouskiddo.blogspot.com via Woolanthrope on Pinterest

The Girls

2011-05-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

Tank La Rue: my snoop, my spooner, and biggest love. She's a poke snout and very verbal at snack time and bedtime. Her greatest delight is to burrow under blankets, preferably next to me. Her favorite toy is a donut that her Aunt Darcy gave her. When she squeaks her toys it is what I imagine puppy laughter sounds like. It is pure joy to my ears and makes me smile.

Koi: my skittish, green eyed, bedroom cat, who demands lots of love at bedtime and first thing in the morning (even if you aren't technically awake but have shown signs of movement). It's really the price of admission to sleep in what she has come to claim as her bed. This is the animal that gives me the least amount of trouble and I am truly grateful for her good health and sweet disposition.

Those are my sweet girls and the best two photos from my photo shoot with them.

Portraiture

2011-05-18T15:24:00.001-07:00

This weeks photography assignment was to take portraits. There is nothing better than family portraits, especially if they are furry, as it is at my house. While I took photos of all my furry loved ones, I am choosing to focus on my eldest, Wiggs. His proper name is Ludwig von Kat and he was born and acquired in Las Vegas, after papa had a winning day at the tables.

Here he is looking angelic, which isn't very often. I just caught a little glimpse, but mostly he is a bit of a terror. One time, when he was a kitten, I had finished working swing shift at the casino and came home and was dozing on the couch. At a full run, he came across the room and jumped on my face. With one precise claw out, like a ninja's blade he punctured a hole right in my hairline. By the time I got to the bathroom, six feet away, I was looking like Carrie with blood running down my face. So much blood from one little hole by one tiny cat.

This is his politician's face. If only I had an American flag for a back drop. He wears a tuxedo everyday. He is very formal in that respect.

This is his gangsta, bad ass face. He is one snarky cat, but this picture cracks me up because he looks so very serious. This face says, "if you cross me, I will piss in your bed". And he backs up his threats.

Here he is sniffing the breeze. Just inhaling the sweet smell of the air after a couple of days of rain.

Pretty much this is what he looks like most of the time. Lounging around in all his glory. He is 15 years old, has irritable bowel syndrome, and at the end of last year started having the occasional grand mal seizure (which is scary as hell). Getting old is such a pain. He is very friendly when he wants to be and loves his tummy rubbed, which is a bit unusual for a cat. Wiggs likes a good lap. He is fond of laying on knitting projects and trying to eat the dog's dinner. I just love this crazy cat and all his many personalities. Thank you for letting me share him with you.

Happenings

2011-05-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

What have I been up to?

Eating well.

Hitting an all time high on the scale back in March, I decided to reclaim my body. Since then I have given up sugar, wheat, and dairy and began walking the canyon near my home on a regular basis. It's been been an incredible process. Occasionally I want to eat something decadent (who doesn't?), but I haven't been craving the sugar (my biggest weakness). My sleep has been better, I have lost weight and toned up, and, in general, I feel better than I have in a long while.

Photography

These photographs are from my Basic Photography class with Julia Dean. I am only three weeks into the class, but my knowledge has really increased in how to use my camera. It's so nice to know what all those things are on the camera menu. I was really clueless and intimidated by my camera before class and just used it as an expensive point and shoot. Now I also know my camera's limitations and can work with them.

What's happening with you?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-13T17:22:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

Root! Root! Root!

2011-03-31T15:24:00.001-07:00

Today is opening day of baseball.

My hubby plays in the Dodgertown West Adult Baseball League. He loves it. This past January he played in a tournament at the Camelback Ranch in Arizona, where the Dodgers have their Spring Training facilities. I went along for the ride. While he was playing I was exploring the city. I took a yoga class at Urban Yoga and then drove to Tempe Yarn and Fiber and bought some yarn. However, this post is about baseball.

I am not really into sports, but I married a sports loving man. He's obsessive by personality and he loves the Dodgers and he loves playing baseball. We had a great trip to Arizona. He played four games and enjoyed every minute of it. He wrote about his experience on Dodger Thoughts and it was then posted to ESPN. Here's his story in honor of opening day. The photos in the post are by yours truly, except for the locker room shot.

Now get out there and Play Ball!

I prefer mine made out of yarn.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-30T10:15:00.001-07:00

Inspired by Andree

Yes I know it's supposed to be wordless but I thought I needed to give credit to Andree for inspiring this post. Next week, no words. None. Zip.

A new adventure

2011-03-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

Here's a confession. I am afraid of small needles. When I first started knitting, I was all about 15, 17, 19, and 35 size needles and bulky yarn. Scarves were flying off my big, fat needles at a rapid pace. It gave me a great sense of encouragement and satisfaction as a beginner. Of course, I eventually downsized to worsted weight and number 8 needles. I have done a couple of shawls on size 6 needles and maybe a baby sweater on size 5s. In my mind making socks was for the insane. The size 0 and 1 needles are teeny tiny, so scant compared to a robust 15. The anorexic runway model of needles in my world of healthy sized needles. I love needles that could stop a vampire.

A couple of years ago for Christmas, I got two pairs of knit socks from my friends Ellen and MaryJo. They were my first pairs of knit socks and I love them. So my thought was maybe some day I will knit socks. Well, the tipping point came after a daily browsing around Ravelry and coming across these particular socks.

The Burning Stripes Socks by Susan Luni.

I love stripey socks and this pattern gives me stripes and variegation. They remind me of the Noro Striped Scarf by Jared Flood. It's a pattern I love. While finishing my dissertation I made quite a few of these because the pattern required no thinking but the Noro colors kept me interested. It was the perfect project for my stressed out brain. What else I like about this sock pattern is that it looks fairly straight forward...no lace or cables or anything too fancy.

Now I already know I would be one of those second sock syndrome people. Second sock syndrome is when you knit one sock and then never knit the other one. I know this because I once tried to knit a pair of gauntlets. The funny thing is I never even finished the first one and it was almost done. I think it may still be on needles in some long ago project bag. So sad. That said, I definitely needed a two socks at a time method.

This book seemed to cover everything I might need to know like two at a time, toe up or cuff down. This is also a two needle method rather than the magic loop. My friend Mary Jo, who knit me socks, she says she prefers this method.

For cross referencing I picked up these two books at the library. I love the library.

A bought two balls of Schoppel Wolle Zauberball. I love the colors.

This method uses a 16-inch needle and 24-inch needle. On Mary Jo's recommendation I got two different colored needles. She says it's easier to keep track of your needles that way.

Look at these toothpick like needles. These are size 1. Did you know that there are 2 different size one needles? You probably did, but I didn't! It's really like a 1 and 1.5. Yes, it's a little bit confusing.

Never say never. I am about to try my hand at sock knitting. Now if you have any experience with sock knitting I am happy to take any advice, since I don't have a clue about what I am doing. Already I am thinking I need to divide up these two balls of yarn since I am knitting two at a time. Am I on the right track with that? Will it get too crazy if I am knitting from outside the skein on one pair of socks and the inside on the other pair? Just writing it sounds like a mess so I think I answered my own question. But please chime in if you have an opinion.

I will let you now how this sock adventure goes.

Cat's Eye

2011-03-24T16:42:00.000-07:00

I see you.

I'm gonna get you.

What?

Sweet Tarts

2011-02-17T13:26:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's Day I made the hubby a Chocolate Tart with Orange Mascarpone Whipped Cream. It was yummy.

Today the recipe was published on LA2DAY an online lifestyle magazine. Pretty exciting stuff.

Behind the Scenes

2011-01-20T16:24:00.000-08:00

In my last post, I mentioned that lots of things were happening in this New Year. Last year was spent in contemplation of what to do, now that I completed my Ph.D., and the care taking of animals. In December, I decided it was time to start my own business. There was lots of encouragement from family and friends, which helped fortify my decision to move forward. It feels right. Without further ado, let me introduce...

You can read more about it at my new blog:
Sweetie Darling Handmade

Over here at Woolanthropy you will still find all the fibery goodness you have come to expect. In fact, there is a pile of knits just waiting to be photographed. Over at Sweetie Darling, you can read about my misadventures into business. Basically, I am growing my own media empire. Watch out Martha! Here I come!!!

Pure Love

2011-01-11T20:30:00.000-08:00

There are lots of things underfoot in this new year, but something significant is missing from under our feet here at home. Our big dog, Bodhi, passed away last Tuesday. He was 12 and half years old and in dog years he was in his nineties. In June he was diagnosed with lymphoma, went through chemo all summer and was declared in remission in October. Thanksgiving weekend came and his appetite went. In December a dose of new chemo almost took him out, but then he rallied and was eating well and acting a little frisky. On Tuesday past, I came home to find him in a bad way. It was very sudden, the distress was evident and we had to take him to the vet. This is not to say that we did not know this was coming. The decision to do chemo was to buy us a little time. Throughout it all he had a wag in his tail and a light in his eyes. If it was possible, we could not have asked or found a better dog.

He was a handsome devil. He was sometimes called devil dog for a particular look he had, but in reality he had the sweetest disposition. Even the vet was surprised by his demeanor because as a chow/akita mix he was supposed to fit a snarky stereotype. Bodhi was named for being a bodhisattva; a wisdom-being that works for the complete enlightenment of all sentient beings. For us, he did his job nobly well. My heart is better and more full of compassion for having cared and loved this beautiful animal.

My wish is that I could write more to tell you about his full life, but it is still so heartbreaking that I am doing more weeping than writing. The fact is I have been trying to write this post all week. What I want to simply say is Bodhi brought us joy and he is very missed.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T13:02:00.001-08:00

A glimpse of our home.

Space age Christmas tree.

A tree full of pickles.

The traditional tree.

Honey & Pine nut tart.

Fresh baguettes.

Much love from our home to yours this Holiday Season.

-- Post From My iPhone

Advent Calendar

2010-12-19T19:41:00.001-08:00

My big project for Christmas this year was to make an advent calendar for the Cookie & Kiss.

Thankfully those two still live in the present moment because it took me eight days to sew rather than the two days I gave myself.

After looking at several different patterns for inspiration I thought I knew what I wanted to do. There are pros and cons to working without a pattern. One advantage was the freedom to do anything I wanted, but the flip side was that it took longer as I made design choices along the way.

Originally I thought I would do the numbers in small buttons, but that would have distorted the pockets and added bulk. The buttons were tossed in favor of appliqued numbers. The pockets are roughly 5x5 squares. The dimensions came to 33" x 41". It was big, but with two kiddos the pockets had accommodate two of everything.

Two years ago, I made the kids their stockings. Luckily I had lots of bias tape from the project that I used to trim the calendar.

Cookie and Kiss love their calendar and were more interested in filling the pockets than emptying them. Kiss claimed number 3 because it had the star on it.

Christmas is two days away. Our tree has yet to be trimmed, but it is beautiful in its natural state. We bought a big one this year. For the most part the presents have been bought and wrapped. Today there will be grocery shopping and last minute runs, dressing the naked Christmas tree, and cleaning up after days and days of rain.

Are you ready for Santa?

Good Day Today

2010-12-07T09:44:00.000-08:00

This gave me a good chuckle this morning. I love a good laugh in the morning and I believe it is a sign of a good day ahead. So I am sharing this silly little video in the hopes you have a little laugh and your day is lighter and brighter for it.

Did I detect a few Bah humbugs out there? Naw, I think it was my cat trying to sing along.
Carry on.

String Trees

2010-12-06T14:33:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Crochet Today has been putting out the cutest patterns and this tree garland was no exception. The sock yarn was Heart & Sole by Red Heart in Christmas and Razzle Dazzle. Razzle Dazzle is the best name.

There is enough yarn to make one another one. This one was made for Cookie and Kiss. It's for one of the pockets on their Advent Calendar. The calendar was finished this morning and sent out for overnight delivery, so they will get it tomorrow. YAY! All this making of special things has put in me in the Holiday Spirit. Has the spirit caught up with you yet?

These fabulous photos were taken by my good friend, Ellen. I think I have to enlist Ellen to photograph all my makings. She has a great eye and makes my trees look tres, tres jolie. Thanks, Ellen.

What are you making for the holidays?

The count down begins

2010-12-01T16:04:00.001-08:00

The last three days I have been in a mad jam session with my sewing machine. The Christmas season is here and I am slightly behind in my tasks, but having a blast nonetheless.

Right now the madness centers on an advent calendar. Yep, it's the first day in the count down to Christmas. Told ya this elf was a little behind.

Funny how one minute it's Turkey time and the next it's Christmas. Time moves fast. We had an amazing weekend with fantastic food and spending time with family and friends. I hope you all had a turkey-riffic Thanksgiving.

-- Post From My iPhone

Punkinheads

2010-11-18T20:53:00.000-08:00

Every year for the annual Stitch N Witch Party I try to come up with a unique handmade item for the prize bags. This year I was inspired by a new magazine, Prims, which is dedicated to primitive and folk art inspired dolls.

The Punkinheads were born.

To make these adorable fellows I drew out a pattern in a gingerbread man kind of way, except with a pumpkin head. After cutting out and stuffing the muslin, they were grunged and put in the oven at a low temp to dry. The grunge mixture was instant coffee, cinnamon, and vanilla. Then I watered down acrylic paint with the grunge mix and painted up the punkinheads. They were popped back in the oven to dry. Once they were dried I took a nail file and sanded them for a more worn look. The fun part was giving them personality out of vintage buttons, snaps, embroidery thread, and grunged up gingham.

They turned out pretty darn cute and were lots of fun to make. Yes, Halloween was a couple weeks ago and Thanksgiving menu planning is in full effect, but I had to share.

My Hero

2010-11-09T09:53:00.000-08:00

Meet Alice Herz-Sommer. She is an amazing woman and I want to be just like her.

She is a reminder to love love love.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T20:05:00.001-07:00

These three Skellybones went out in the mail to haunt houses in Texas and Minnesota.

Here's hoping your candy bags are full and the monsters don't find their way under the bed tonight.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Here are the links for the sock skeletons & blue fuzzy monster who likes baked goods hat from the last post.

C is for Cookie

2010-10-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

Rustle rustle
rustle rustle
sweep sweep sweep sweep
shake shake
sweep sweep
shake

Hey! Hi. You snuck up on me.

Sorry. Just clearing out the cobwebs that have accumulated in the corners of the blog during in my absence. After this year of taking care of the sick animals and some family members I just needed a little break. My energy had run very low and my exhaustion led to a very bleak and dismal outlook on life. If you don't have nothing nice to say, don't say nothing at all...right?

Now I am starting to recharge my batteries. The week started with a yogi cleanse, which entails kundalini yoga, fresh juices, Chinese herbs and a vegan diet. The cleanse ends on Monday, but my energy has been so much better that I might stay on the vegan path for a little longer. This week has also been all about crafting and getting ready for Halloween.

Last night was our annual Stitch n Witch Halloween party. This year's theme was animal spirit. My animal spirit is Cookie Monster...a real sugar fiend, if you know what I mean, and my worst enemy, which I indulged at every turn since July. It didn't really help my outlook, only momentarily. Yeah, the quick fix and indulgence of sugar sunshine. It didn't leave me very happy for long...just a sugar high and the inevitable crash.

Funny thing is I am currently not eating sugar, so felt chocolate chip cookies are my choice. No sugar and full of fiber! num num num num! Me like cookies!

Glad you stopped by. I have really missed you. Hope to see you again real soon.

083010: bird of a petal

2010-08-30T17:13:00.001-07:00

Today I hiked through Runyon Cyn. It was gorgeous! And penance for dessert yesterday. The bird of paradise is a flame in my backyard. Happy Day!

-- Post From My iPhone

082910: Richandthickandchocolate

2010-08-29T21:40:00.001-07:00

Chocolate Malt Cake - Bon Appétit September 2010

No one in their right mind should be eating this cake! Everyone loved it at our family dinner tonight.

-- Post From My iPhone

082810: Baking

2010-08-28T12:45:00.001-07:00

-- Post From My iPhone

081810: super duper

2010-08-18T09:34:00.001-07:00

Everyday is super!
Keep smiling. Keep making. Whistling a happy tune and brewing up some berry hibiscus ice tea.

Photo is from my new shakeitphoto app. Cool beans.

-- Post From My iPhone

081510: His & Hers

2010-08-15T07:11:00.000-07:00

Herringbone Scarf - His Birthday present

Covalence Scarf - enough yarn left over for me!

Hand Dyed Chunky Yarn
70% Merino/20% Alpaca/ 10% Silk
from Twist Fibre Craft Studio
in Newburgh, Scotland

081410: A Taste of Summer

2010-08-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

Bleu cheese, bacon burger grilled in the backyard. Dining a fresco. Music playing. Sun setting on a Saturday night.

081110: Stitch

2010-08-11T13:13:00.001-07:00

My nephew got a new puppy. His name is Stitch.

He has that puppy smell and is very, very cute.

-- Post From My iPhone

080810: Sunday Dinner

2010-08-08T17:37:00.001-07:00

Ratatouille

-- Post From My iPhone

080710: sunning

2010-08-07T12:24:00.001-07:00

Annenberg Community Beach House

-- Post From My iPhone

080610: hello sunshine

2010-08-06T19:39:00.001-07:00

Today I met Owen. He is a snuggle bug and fit perfectly in my arms. Melina and I had a great visit. We took a walk around the neighborhood.

We grabbed some lunch at the Busy Bee and ate in the park. It was pretty much a perfect day.

-- Post From My iPhone

080510: Stencils are fun

2010-08-05T12:05:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow I have the pleasure of meeting Owen Douglas. He was born on May 27...a wee bit early...to my friends Melina & Clive. This gave me the chance to try out my stencils for a super quick project this morning. Super duper cute stuff.

080410: over my shoulder

2010-08-04T10:11:00.001-07:00

Sits a cat

-- Post From My iPhone

080310: for my Hubby

2010-08-03T11:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday!
Sending my LOVE around the world and back again...hugs & kisses too!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

080210: Knittin'

2010-08-02T17:54:00.001-07:00

-- Post From My iPhone

Mid Summer

2010-08-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

My friends over at Funny Magic and Knot Sew Crafty hipped me to the August Break. An unstructured approach to blogging for the month of August. A photo/s, words or not...just living in the moment and enjoying what August presents each day.

Sunday Morning

for the scribblers & doodlers

2010-07-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

What a totally cool project! My sketches are more like chicken scratches but, what the heck, I am doing it. This will be a challenge and a stretch for me as I don't consider myself much of a draw-er. However, in the 6th grade I drew 50 girls from 50 states in anime style and conducted my own Miss America contest. I cannot remember which state won, it was definitely what I considered my best drawn and prettiest girl. The inspiration was Sung Kim, who came to my school in the 5th grade after moving from Korea. She could draw those anime girls sooo good. I wanted to be able to draw like Sung. My personal Miss America contest was my attempt at drawing. I wonder what happened to that notebook? Long gone, but now I have another chance to doodle and create something.

Do you doodle?

Action Packed

2010-07-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

Well summer has been going full throttle since I last posted, hence the lack of activity around these parts.

Here's the quick and dirty run down of the last few weeks:
Graduation
Charissa and Carla came to town to help me celebrate
A life gone too soon
A graduation party with lots of friends and family
A double birthday party for Mary Jo and Darcy
friends leaving town
My nephew graduated from Junior High
A friend's husband remembered
A trip to Texas to watch some crazy kiddos!
My big dog, Bodhi, diagnosed with lymphoma
One last minute renewing of passport
Family and fireworks on the 4th
The start of chemotherapy
A trip to the UK - London, Blackpool, Edinburgh, and St. Andrew's for The Open

Just got home on Monday night so I am catching up on laundry and time changes. Bodhi is doing well and responding to his treatments. There are loads of photos to download and stories to tell. Whew! What a wild summer so far.

How is your summer treating you?

Dr. Yamashita

2010-06-10T17:04:00.001-07:00

In full regalia.

Off to the ceremony.

-- Post From My iPhone

Progress

2010-06-04T15:02:00.001-07:00

The quilt top is almost done. I need three more strips to make it wider. This has been so much fun.

Now I am getting ready for a weekend away in my own town. Watch out, downtown, I am coming to eat and drink and make merry!
-- Post From My iPhone

Sew GO!

2010-06-02T15:42:00.001-07:00

Lucille is ready to go.

The fabric is cut.

Let's sew.

-- Post From My iPhone

Cupcake 32

2010-05-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

This week I stumbled on the most fantastic Cupcake site called Ming Makes Cupcakes. Cupcake 32 is also known as Graham Cupcake with Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosting.

Graham Cupcakes with Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

CUPCAKES
1 cup flour
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk

Mix flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt. Beat in butter gradually. Beat in sugar and mix thoroughly. Beat in eggs, then vanilla and milk until just mixed. Pour into lined cupcake pan. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out almost clean.

FROSTING
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 stick butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 T key lime juice

Mix together ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Frost cupcakes. Top with a lime slice and a sprinkle of crumbs.

Now I do not know what Ming's story is but he makes some amazing looking cupcakes. Instead of a lime slice I used a Trader Joe's key lime gum drop to top the cupcake. I have only tasted the raw batter...yummmmmm and the frosting.....well I can barely stay awake to write this from the intense sugar crash I am experiencing. In fact, I just found some dried icing on my chin and I have powdered sugar all over my shirt so I must look a sight.

The recipe makes a perfect dozen and loads of frosting. There is extra frosting, so what can I throw that on top of this weekend? Hmmmmm. This dozen is going to SnB with me tonight, so hopefully they turned out yummy.

Coming at it from both ends

2010-05-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

There was a time earlier this year when I was having a really tough time finding joy in knitting.

GASP! I know. Never did I think that would happen. I mean, knitting is my happy place. Playing with sticks and string brings me JOY...

but...

Every project had lost its appeal. Total dullsville. In a willy nilly search for new projects I would cast on and still be unenthusiastic or I couldn't get gauge with the yarn at hand. One week I desperately cast on for three or four new projects in the hopes that one would renew my prior fervor but all it did was leave me feeling more frustrated and unmotivated. This was serious. This was a knitting depression.

This was not going to do. I needed my happy place back so I had to figure this out. After acknowledging that this was a significant problem, I gave my self a clean slate. Yep, permission to clear the mind, the ravelry queue, the ubiquitous stash and start fresh. Both the clearing the rav queue and stash are meant figuratively, of course. But does anyone else feel the pressure of their ravelry queue? 200+ projects all lined up for a rainy year or decade. Do you feel the pressure of using your stash in order not to be the next hoarder on Hoarders? Because stashing is just one more skein away from hoarding when your closets and garage are bursting with yarn already. Too much pressure from your hobby/love/joy really isn't about that specific thing exactly...at least in my case, it was just a manifestation of other pressures that were happening in my life. But when bad things start popping up in your happy place, it is time to take action. Therefore, it was time for a fresh start.

The next thing I did was rededicate myself to the process of knitting and not the end product. It was time to start enjoying the journey and stop and smell the yarn once in a while. Sometimes I just want to wear the shawl or get the gift made in time or knit without thinking and I am jonesing for the rush of the bind off of the finished project. There is it. Attachment to the finished object. All the bumps, foibles, dropped stitches, following patterns, and crappy inexact gauges were giving me grief and standing in my way of said FO! Writing this I realize that I had gotten in a very bad habit of not wanting to think at all while knitting. I just wanted to float along on a row of stitches without engaging in the process. Escapist knitting, if you will. This worked well for me while finishing my dissertation. During those last few months, I made scarves which was all I could manage in the few stolen moments of knitting at the time. Now I had the mindless knitting habit, which was not working for the things more complicated than a scarf. It was time to reignite the flame of process and study the quirks of the journey and maybe learn something new. Whoa, what a concept.

Lastly, I asked myself what I wanted in a project and the answer was a simple cardigan. With this cardigan, my hopes were to engage in the process of constructing a sweater so that in the future I will be able to adapt/alter/make sense of other patterns in regards to my body. Also, I wanted a sweater I could wear all the time. A go-to sweater.

The easy top down raglan by Cosmicpluto aka Laura Chau was a good place to start.

My general inclination towards yarn is the bright and colorful, but in an everyday sweater you really need something a little more neutral. The yarn is Noro Silk Garden in the two most neutral colorways available. The cream color is one of my all time favorite Noro colorways because it is almost the antithesis to the incredible colorways he is generally known for. The brown/black colorway was to add a little more interest to the sweater, although I debated about doing an all cream one with subtle stripes.

The body is finished and it worked up nice and easy from the top down. The tricky part is knowing exactly when to join the sweater under, what will essentially be, the underarm. It should be comfortable, not too tight under the armpit, but it's still kind of like diving into unknown waters and taking it on faith that it is going to work out. Trying to stay in the process, I reminded myself that I can always rip out a few rows if in fact it doesn't really work once I got further into the body. Being able to try on the sweater going from top down is another great advantage in getting the right fit.

Coming to the bottom of the sweater was a convergence of keeping my striping in mind, ribbing, the buttonhole placement and where to end the sweater. There was some anxiety as I negotiated all these factors but with a little bit of thinking things through and going with the flow I was satisfied with the results.

Now I am on the first sleeve. It seems to be taking so much longer than the body for some weird reason. The yarn is more easily tangling around one another and if you are familiar with Silk Garden it tends to stick to each other. Another cause of construction anxiety was the decreases. The pattern called for 10 decreases, every 5 rows, but I have spider monkey arms so I wondered whether to do the decreases every six rows or stop at 9 decreases. I went with the pattern and it seems to have worked out. It probably would have worked if I stopped at 9 decreases as well, but I have not finished the sleeve yet to make a sound assessment of it. Because of my long limbs it seems I have inches to go before I will bind off. When the time comes I am sure I will have another moment of anxiety in determining where exactly to bind of sleeve...at the wrist crease, a row or two beyond. Does anyone have an opinion on this? Please chime in if you have a preference. The 3/4 sleeve length, which I really like, was ruled out because I want this to be an all purpose sweater.

How often is it that there is only one project going on? Never. This means I have another cardigan on the needles. This one is Manu by Kate Davies. She is an amazing designer and you may be familiar with her Owls or Paper Dolls sweaters. This sweater is knit from the bottom up and is more complicated from the simple top down raglan sweater.

Now the problem with knitting from the bottom up is it takes some time to get to something more exciting than stockinette stitch in the pattern. There are about 4 more inches to knit before any pattern changes take place. The yarn is Rowan Felted Tweed and a beautiful teal blue. There just had to be some color in this process. But have you maybe seen these colors before?

Like maybe in the last post?

Coinkidink or not? I wasn't aware of it until I uploaded my pictures and saw all the photos next to each other. Anywhoo...

By giving myself a fresh start and a couple of projects to compare and contrast techniques has allowed me to focus and enjoy knitting again. I declare the knitting slump officially over and I am glad for it. (picture cartwheels & split leaps through grassy meadows & brilliant sunshine)

Now, back to sleeve length, any thoughts? Where do you stop your sleeves?

2 Squares

2010-05-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

This morning I went to my first quilting class. It was taught by Ann Tilley at Hands-on 3rd and it was fantastic. For our practice square Ann had us do an impromptu log cabin using scraps from the studio basket. I grabbed a bunch of bold and colorful graphic prints and went to town.

According to Ann, log cabin squares traditionally have red or yellow center squares which represent the heart of the home. With that tradition and symbolism in mind, I started with a red center. We also did foundational piecing and used a 12 x 12 piece of muslin to sew our fabrics on and helps to square up the piece when it is finished. I have not squared my squares up yet.

Ever the over-enthusiastic one, I did a vertical striped square in a more monochromatic palette of grays and blacks.

Really I just had to play with that skull fabric and toile. Although now I wish I hadn't put them side by side, however, it does produce a yang/yin effect with death and life side by side. Just a hint of blue to add a dash of color.

Quilting class was a damn skippy fantastical time. I feel my mojo coming back. The random nature of putting these squares together with what was at hand was so delicious and appealing to my sense of play. The next three classes will focus on putting these new skills together in creating a pot holder out of the practice square and the start of a baby quilt. This is exciting stuff, I tell ya.

Enlightenment

2010-05-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

And now a few wise words from Puppetji

This provided a good belly laugh out loud morning start to my day. I hope it does the same for you.

Sewing Mojo

2010-05-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

My sewing mojo done got up and went about the time my sewing partner left town. Lately I have been feeling the call of the machine and projects have been dancing in my head. Recently, I went to a meeting of the Modern Quilt Guild and then over at Traveller's Yarn I stumbled on to this little kick in the pants.

Chickpea Sewing Studio is offering a twelve step program for the weary sewist.

This is it.

For 12 months, 12 days a month, I will sew 1 for hour.

Twelve hours of sewing a month is a reasonable amount of time. The hubby is heading out of town for another week which means I can set up some kind of sewing situation around these parts.

This is just what I needed to get my mojo back.

There is a flickr group too.

How's your sewing mojo?

Ms. Green Jeans presents

2010-05-14T07:23:00.000-07:00

This year we had grand plans for a veggie garden in our small patch of dirt in our small backyard. Sometimes grand plans have to be put on hold, especially when a long, short dog named Tank, needs emergency spinal surgery. If we can't buy tools and yards of lumber, then it is to the pots we go! On Wednesday morning, I stopped by the garden center and picked up a couple of pots and plants! First I spotted the perfect strawberry pot, which I was going to use as an herb garden. Then I found another pot, perfect for a tomato plant.

Yesterday morning, I got outside and potted. I love playing in the dirt. I love the mineral rich smell of the soil. The herbs smell so good and the tomato plants smell like tomato. The sun is shining, the roots are unwinding into new territory, everything is sparkly with water droplets...life is so amazing. From this puttering and potting around, we will have fresh bright edibles to enjoy in our meals and on our table.

Here's the run down of plants.

Herbs: basil, thyme, oregano, chives (onion and garlic), sage, trailing rosemary, and parsley

Veggies: Roma tomato, Golden Pear tomato, jalapeno pepper, banana pepper, and fennel

The jalapeno is already bearing fruit!

The herb pot turned out perfect, except I bought way too many herbs and now I need another herb pot. You really cannot have too many fresh herbs. Plus I ran out of potting soil, so another trip to the garden center has to be made to finish planting.

It's looking mighty green out back.

Fresh tomatoes...Oh I cannot wait. But it will be mid-summer before I get any tomatoes.

Here are my extra herbs & pear tomato plant. I have a pot for the tomatoes. Today I will pick up another pot for the herbs and more potting soil.

After giving everything a good drink of water, this fellow crawls out from under the deck. He sure surprised me. Gorgeous creature.

Maybe a month or more ago my mom gave me a whole bunch of cuttings from her succulents. Last year I had picked up a large bowl with succulents in mind. From her cuttings and a couple of extra plants I picked up I filled the entire bowl.

On the same day as the bowl, I planted a lemon tree. We are going to have so many lemons! Look at the baby lemon. So cute. I talk to the lemon tree most mornings while I stick my big snoot in to smell the blossoms. Yes, it is still blossoming. I better get my lemonade stand ready for business.

This little treasure was found in my Grandma's garage. Not too long ago it was filled with mosquito larvae from the collected rain water. Now it is filled with the leftover succulents from my mom.

An aloe vera breathing new life after being pot bound in a little pot. It has now been divided into two plants. The other two plants, well, I have no idea what they are, but if given the chance they will turn into tree size succulent plants. My neighbor has both on her hillside and they are huge!

Taking my cue from Ellen.

What's happening in your yard?

She's Flies through the Air

2010-05-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

With not so much ease.

Last night my friend, Darcy, and I went to join the circus. Really, we took and aerial fitness and conditioning class at the new Cirque School. We were raring to go. After a warm up of rolling around on one of those giant balls we did a circuit of silks, trapeze, ropes and floor exercises. Boy howdy...this was more of a workout than I anticipated.

It is core intense

Super core intense...core whore intense (as Darcy called it). You have got to work all those muscles to keep your balance.

It is also Lat- tastic.

I couldn't resist this image. It's so super hero cartoonish.
The lats are the muscles that pull you up on ropes and the trapeze and they are especially important in keeping your shoulder blades from ripping out of your body.

As Darcy and I were hanging side by side, by our knees, on the trapeze, the instructor asked us if we had done this before. We both exclaimed, not since monkeybars on the playground. Let me tell you, hanging as a full fledged adult rather than a 60-pound ten year old is a helluva lot of more pressure on the backs of the knees. I've got the bruises to prove it. It was much easier as a kid, but we did all right and even got to do a trick on the trapeze, which did not feel graceful nor did it probably look very graceful. Also, following directions with your ass over your head while hanging from a bar is more difficult than you would think.

The silks were fun and intimidating. Darcy was really able to pull herself up. It's all in the legs. We even did some kind of fetal wrap and hung parallel to the floor until gravity gently lowered us down.

In the end, we were sweating, our hands red and sore, a little ache in the wrists, muscles exhausted all over the body, and the backs of our knees bright pink. So what did we do...we signed up for more. It was so much fun.

Afterward, with hearty appetites, we chowed down Thai food and talked about how sore we would be tomorrow. But today, I am not as sore as I thought I would be. Lots of muscle fatigue but not too sore. I'll let you know how it goes next week and maybe try and get a picture or two.

My Giant Dusty Muffin

2010-05-10T12:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I hope everyone got a chance to see Betty White host SNL this past weekend because she was a HOOT!

This of course brings me to a new recipe I tried this past week. Last week I attended my first meeting of the Los Angeles Modern Quilt Guild. For the meeting I baked up Apple Zucchini Muffins. These muffins are on the healthy side, with no butter or oil used in the recipe. They get their moistness from the yogurt, apple, and zucchini.

Apple Zucchini Muffin
from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics

yields 12 muffins
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Baking Time: 25 to 30 minutes

1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 cup oat bran (substituted regular oatmeal for my muffins)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup peeled, cored, and chopped apples

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a paper liner in each cup of muffin tin.

In a bowl, whisk together flour, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to mix evenly.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until pale yellow. Add the yogurt, brown sugar, and vanilla and beat until thoroughly mixed. With a spatula, fold in the zucchini and apples. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just blended.

Spoon about 1/3 cup of batter into each muffin cup. Bake for 15 minutes, rotate the muffin tin in the oven to ensure even baking, and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. When a paring knife inserted into a muffin comes out clean, the muffins are done.

Remove the muffins from the tin and place on a wire rack. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Cool completely before storing in a sealed container.

Here's a sweet muffin shot

Take a Picture

2010-05-08T17:25:00.001-07:00

This past week, I had the good fortune to take a Photography Workshop with Gale Zucker. Gale is a super fab photographer who shot the photos in Shear Spirit. Shear Spirit is a great book that makes you want to chuck it all in and have an alpaca farm in some deeply green and hilly place and dye your handspun fibers in an antique bathtub, but I digress. Ellen, Ana, and I drove up to Santa Barbara for the day to the Loop & Leaf for the workshop on how to better photograph our fiber and knitwear.

This is my Crochet Scarf made from I Love This Wool yarn from the Hobby Lobby courtesy Miss Carla and the pattern is pure Ellen Bloom based on the building block of fashion...the granny square. Carla made the same scarf in a different colorway and I just had to do one too.

The workshop was amazing. Gale is just as fantastic a teacher as she is a photographer and gave us great information, tips, and tricks. Everyone seemed to be having a blast taking photos. I know I enjoyed every moment of the day.

The photos following are
Clapotis on a tree
Madeline Tosh yarn tone on tone
Loop and Leaf...a beautiful yarn store filled with lusciousness and friendly people.

Pringle of Scotland Animation by David Shrigley - Life Behind The Scenes

2010-04-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

This morning I was checking out a (new to me) knitter's blog, Eskimimi Knits and found this delightful animated short on Pringle of Scotland.

Pringle of Scotland Animation by David Shrigley - Life Behind The Scenes

Funny, right?

One of the reasons I found it interesting is that we are going to Scotland in July for the British Open, which it is only called outside of the US. There it is known as The Open. I'll be attending one day of The Open because I am a good wifey. The rest of the time I will be exploring the Kingdom of Fife in search of all things woolly while the hubby plays golf and drinks Scotch. I wonder how much yarn can fit in his golf bag to bring home? Hmmmm, some testing may be in order. With the extra padding for the clubs I am sure he won't mind one bit if they are encased in skeins of wool. Yes, the wheels are churning and I am dreaming of chasing down sheep through the heather.

Spot of Sunshine

2010-04-23T09:55:00.001-07:00

Here is Tank enjoying some morning sunshine. She is doing very well. Slippery surfaces are a challenge, like linoleum and wooden floors. When she drinks from the water bowl (which is on linoleum) she moon walks backward to the safety of the carpet. It's really damned cute. Right now she is barking at me because the sun has moved on and she knocked her pal Ducky off her snoozer lounger. Both were gifts that really helped with her recovery. She is loved.

I hope you all find a moment today to soak up a little sunshine.

-- Post From My iPhone

Strawberries

2010-04-19T09:53:00.000-07:00

The beginning of strawberry season is here in California. Last night we had a friend over for dinner. For dessert I wanted to make something with strawberries. Something kind of light and bright after having a ricotta & Swiss chard tart, grilled rib eye and asparagus on arugula with shaved Parmesan.

Now what should I call this...Strawberry Shortcake with Brown Sugar Biscuits and Lemon Curd.
So I whipped up some Brown Sugar Biscuits that I found on Epicurious. The original recipe made 8 servings but I cut it in half. Even after cutting the recipe in half I got 6 biscuits.

Brown Sugar Biscuits

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes, chilled
1/2 cup whipping cream, plus additional for brushing biscuits
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl; whisk to blend. Add butter. Using fingertips, rub in until coarse meal forms. Gradually add 1/2 cup cream, tossing until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; shape into 4 1/2-inch round on parchment or foil. Chill 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut dough into four 3-inch rounds, gathering scraps and reshaping as needed. Place rounds on prepared sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool completely. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. If desired, rewarm in 350°F oven 5 minutes before using.)

Strawberries

1 container of strawberries, hulled and quartered
a sprinkle of sugar
lemon zest of whole or half a lemon
The juice of half a lemon

Mix all in a bowl and wait for biscuits.

Lemon Curd
Bought it. I would love to tell you that I made my own lemon curd, but I did not. Fresh lemon curd is a lovely thing indeed. I have made it in the past, but it was not in the cards yesterday. The other thing that made this dessert come together was Creme Fraiche.

Assembly of dessert
Cut a biscuit in half and spread a dollop of lemon curd onto bottom half of biscuit. Spoon strawberries on top. Add a dollop of creme fraiche and crown all this goodness with the top half of the biscuit. Serve extra strawberries on the side. Just in case everyone needs more and they will.

The biscuits are buttery and slightly sweet from the brown sugar. The lemon curd adds sweetness and a burst of flavor. The fresh strawberries love them some lemon curd and they both play nicely together. The creme fraiche adds a tang that counter balances the sweetness of the whole dessert. This dessert was a success in my mind. I love the biscuit as opposed to short cake or angel food cake. The biscuit is not as sweet and lets the fruit bring the sweetness. Serve this at a brunch because this would be fabulous with a mimosa.

I know, I know...no pictures. All I can offer is that my computer is media challenged at this time. There is no joy in my technology. The Mac, Ipod, and Iphone are not speaking to each other right now. This means I have to make an appointment with the MacIdiots at the Apple store. Have you ever dealt with these so called geniuses? Phooey...I haven't met a genius yet and after every visit the problem gets worse. The frustration is too much, but I am going to have to make an appointment. Pure dread, but it has to be done. This poor blog has been languishing the past few months because of it. Of course there is part of me that believes that Apple just wants you to buy a bigger, stronger, faster computer when your hard drive fills up. It's an evil plot I say! That's my rant for the day. Now I am going to enjoy a little reprise of last night's dessert. That will make the day right for sure. Now if I only had Orange Juice I would make me a mimosa too. Yeah Monday morning take that!

Two Rascals

2010-04-07T13:04:00.000-07:00

These two scamps got their picture taken in the post office before being put in a box bound for my two favorite babies in Texas.

Yes, the Easter basket is arriving a little bit late. Luckily, Cookie and Kiss don't really know Easter from any other day of the week and I am taking advantage of that fact. They are growing up so fast, it won't be long before I have to get my act together and mail in a timely fashion. The word on the street is they are still coming off a major sugar high incurred last Sunday when they gorged on all the yumyums found in the Easter egg hunt.

These two are super sweet and without the sugar crash. I hope they like them.

You can find the pattern for these cuties here and here (on Rav). They are called Bunny Nuggets. Adorable!

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

I know it is soooo wrong.

Here is something a little more tasteful.

What am I saying....it's all tasty.

Enjoy the day!

How to boil an egg

2010-04-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

The Easter Egg is a symbol of spring's renewal and the resurrection, if you lean that way. Tomorrow is Easter and therefore eggs have been boiled and dyed in preparation for the hunt. Charissa called me this week to ask me how I boil my eggs.

This is how I boil my eggs (this information was given to me by my Aunt Mary Lynne who makes a mean deviled egg).

Boiled eggs
Put eggs in cold water.
Bring to boil.
Boil for 6 minutes.
Turn off heat and let sit in water for six minutes.

According to Cook's Illustrated for Fool Proof Boiled Eggs
Makes 6 eggs. Published March 1, 1999.

You may double or triple this recipe as long as you use a pot large enough to hold the eggs in a single layer, covered by an inch of water.

Ingredients

6	large eggs

Instructions

Place eggs in medium saucepan, cover with 1 inch of water, and bring to boil over high heat. Remove pan from heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl with 1 quart water and 1 tray of ice cubes (or equivalent). Transfer eggs to ice water bath with slotted spoon; let sit 5 minutes. Peel and use as desired.

Of course, I have to ask - How do you boil your eggs and who taught you to boil an egg?

Beware of cats!

2010-03-22T14:23:00.001-07:00

Never leave your knitting unattended.

It's the perfect place for a cat nap. But if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Heehee.

-- Post From My iPhone

2 + 2 = FUN

2010-03-13T18:53:00.000-08:00

Today is Cookie & Kiss' Birthday and they have come to town to celebrate! The request for dinner was Uncle Joe's pizza. Pizza is Kiss' favorite food and Uncle Joe was happy to oblige the birthday girl.

She is all smiles while eating her pizza. Lovin' it!

For dessert, chocolate cup cakes with marshmallow icing

Cookie wasn't so sure about the marshmallow icing, but loved the cake. Kiss was another story. She loved everything about these cupcakes, especially the icing.

Best cupcakes ever!

The Chocolate Cupcake recipe comes from A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg. The cake was moist, tender, and delicious. Molly makes a chocolate glaze for her cupcakes, but I wanted to please a younger palate. Recently, I was cleaning out the cookbook shelf and came across a recipe I had clipped from Food & Wine, September 2003 for Marshmallow Icing. As soon as I saw it I knew this was the topping for the babies' birthday cake.

Chocolate Cupcakes
makes 12 cupcakes

1 ounce semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup hot brewed coffee
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup well stirred plain whole-milk yogurt (not low fat or nonfat)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line the wells of a standard-sized muffin tin with paper liners.

Put the semisweet chocolate in a medium bowl with the hot coffee. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and opaque.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the egg on medium speed until it is pale yellow, about 1 minute. Add the oil, yogurt, and vanilla, beating well. Gradually pour in the melted chocolate mixture, and beat to thoroughly combine. Add the dry ingredients all at once, and beat on low speed until the batter is just combined. With spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and briefly stir to make sure that all the dry ingredients are absorbed.

Spoon the batter into the wells of the muffin tin, making sure that it is evenly distributed. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack, and cool for 20 minutes. And then very carefully remove the cupcakes and allow to cool completely before icing.

Marshmallow Icing

5 large egg whites
1 2/3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cold water
1 1/2 cup light corn syrup
Pinch of cream tartar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Bring 1-inch of water to boil in a wide saucepan. In a large stainless steel bowl, whisk the egg whites with the sugar, water, and corn syrup until blended. Set the bowl over the saucepan and whisk the whites until the sugar is completely melted, 4 to 5 minutes. Rub some of the mixture between your fingers to be sure it's not gritty.

Remove the bowl from the saucepan and add the cream of tartar to the whites. Using a stand mixer, beat the egg whites at medium speed for 1 minute to break them up. Gradually increase the speed to high and beat until until the icing is fluffy, firm, and no longer warm to the touch, about 1 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Use right away.

Makes 6 1/2 cups of icing.

This last little note about the amount. Guess what? I didn't really see it until I was typing up the recipe. Of course, an abundance of icing was made. Way too much icing for a 12 cupcakes. I could have iced at least 3 dozen cupcakes, maybe 4. The icing is deliciously sweet. Cookie didn't really like the stickiness, but I got a big ole seal of approval from Kiss, as the pictures attest. Totally worth every sticky, sweet moment of pleasure. BTW, there were no complaints from the adults either. A crowd pleaser all the way around.

2010-03-11T10:45:00.001-08:00

Soul Consoling Tower

Monument in Manzanar Cemetary.

On the road home from Mammoth we stopped at Manzanar. We thought it important to share with our nephew, as it is part of our family history. My father was born in an interment camp in Arizona and visiting Manzanar touches a place deep in my soul that aches at the injustice perpetuated on the Japanese and my family.

From an editorial in the LA Times, July 10, 1998

"The nation has recognized that the forced relocation of the internees was a colossal blunder, the result of panic, fear and blantant prejudice. It's too easy to say, as many do, 'It can't happen again.' Manzanar should stand as a solemn reminder that liberty always is a precious and vulnerable thing."
- Keeping Manzanar's Message

At dinner my nephew asked why they don't teach important stuff like this in history class. We really didn't have a good answer to this question. All I can say now, is if you are on the road it is worth the stop to learn about and embrace a moment in our own country's history and the treatment of it's own citizens. It is worth it even though it makes me weep every time.

-- Post From My iPh

Keep your tips up

2010-03-08T14:37:00.001-08:00

The family is hanging out in Mammoth. Just Stopped for lunch after a morning of skiing. We have worked up a powerful hunger. It's snowing and the wind is blowing on the top of the mtn. Awesome.

Tank is doing well. She is trying to walk. It's scary & exhilarating at the same time. Kind of like skiing.

-- Post From My iPhone

Good Wishes

2010-03-05T14:07:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

This picture is of my Mom and my Aunt.

I absolutely love this picture. My mom has such a playful and joyous spirit. These are two of her best qualities. She's always a HOOT!

I love you, Mom!
Enjoy your weekend celebrations.

Life has gone to the dogs

2010-03-03T19:54:00.000-08:00

Did anyone notice the full moon this past weekend? We did at our house. We called it bad moon arisin'.

Let me tell you why...

The short story...the hubby punched a pit bull & saved a woman.

The long story...We went to LACMA to kill some time and on the way back to our parked car we heard screaming. From across the street we could see legs and a dog in the bushes across the street. Both Joe and I ran across the street. I started calling 911, while the hubby grabbed the pit bull off of the woman. When the pit bull came back for more, he kicked it. That got the pit bull's attention and it came for him and he punched it in the face and got bit in the process. After that, the owner of the pit bull was able to take hold of her dog.

What happened was that the pit bull attacked the other woman's dog. That woman protected her dog and got attacked in the process. The woman had bites to both forearms and if the hub's hadn't pulled the dog off her it probably would have been worse because she was on the ground. The owner had part of her finger bit off in the fray. It was a messy, bloody, and scary scene.

The fire department and police showed up and started patching up Joe and the woman that was attacked. She was taken away in an ambulance. During that time, the owner and the pit bull were given a wide berth while everyone was patched up. After everyone was taken care of, the firemen threw the owner a lasso to put on her dog, which had gotten out of collar and leash during the fracas. Then a policeman aimed a shotgun at the dog while the owner let it go and they got the dog into the back of the squad car. The EMT's were then able to take care of the owner.

This was the point that we left for the doctor's office. Luckily, our physician was in his office and gave the hubby a tetanus shot, antibiotics, a better patch up, and a referral to the plastic surgeon for stitches. Joe got a couple of stitches in two places and is going to live to punch another dog.

And when the full moon came out later that night...he did not transform.

I am really proud of him for helping a stranger, especially when such a formidable animal was involved. He's my very own Hasselhoff.

Nice picture...right?! Needs a bikini wax from where I'm standing.

More about dogs...

On Sunday, Tank went to get a recheck and got her stitches out. She is definitely doing better. The bowels are finally moving. No need for more details about that, but all you mama's know what I am talking about. Poop becomes way too interesting. She is trying to stand, but her front left leg is very limp and so she falls over. That leg is going to be the slowest to recover. Hopefully the right front leg will become strong enough and she can start walking on three legs. We went to the doctor's today because her appetite and thirst were really low. Now she is eating some anorexic dog food. Seriously, dog food for dogs with eating disorders. She loves it. I am glad she is eating something. When you can't even entice a dog to eat a hot dog or Pirate's booty you know you got some trouble.

This has been an really exhausting period of recovery. Not much sleep at night. Loads of worry. Constant monitoring. Big LOVE to all the mama's out there. Really... BIG love to you!

Tank update

2010-02-24T12:57:00.000-08:00

Never in a millions years did I think I would ever purchase one of these for myself.

Nope, no baby on the way. We just needed a safe contained place for Tank. She is not doing as well as we would like. She still cannot stand or pee on her own. To encourage movement, but not be stepped on by us or the other four legged critters in the house, we bought the playpen. We do physical therapy 5 times a day. The back legs are weight bearing but the front legs are floppy. When we do our exercises I have us running in green fields with the wind whipping through our ears.

It's been tough around here. We were up to the early hours of the monring trying to get her to go to the bathroom. We have been dead on our feet during the day. Things are getting better in terms of expressing her bladder. Thank goodness for youtube demonstrations, but still you have to feel your way around. One thing that is encouraging is her will to be next to her mommy. At night we have her in the bottom half of the crate in the bed between us. On the first night she crawled out of the crate and Joe found her spooning with me like she does every night. Unfortunately she is in a fragile state as her spine heals, plus we were so tired we were afraid something would happen and she had to be put back in the crate. In spite of this, it was a very encouraging sign.

She loves to burrow so when she goes into her Playpen I put her favorite blanket just out of reach. She definitely finds a way to burrow under it. My hubby thought I was mean but we need her to start moving around on her own. We are still hoping for more improvements in her movement. Otherwise I have to start thinking about buying her a skateboard. Maybe Tyson can come over and show her how it's done.

good, bad, and hopeful

2010-02-19T14:23:00.000-08:00

Well life has been crazy good and then crazy bad. First off, we had a great Valentine's day in Solvang. We went to Village Spinning and Weaving and picked up my new drum carder. It's fabulous. For lunch we went to Cold Springs Tavern, which is a very rustic little oasis on an old stage coach road and frequented by bikers. Very cool. The chili there is excellent. We had a really fun day little road trip together.

Things went bad on Wednesday morning, when I returned home from yoga practice to find my lovin' spoonful, Tank, on the floor and unable to move.

Of course, I completely freaked out when I found her. After dialing the vet's office about 10 times to no avail, I was finally able to pull myself together enough and get through and tell them I was coming in. We were immediately in the car and off to the Vet. The x-rays showed that she had some compression in the neck between the C2 and C3 vertebrae. After the x-rays I had to take her to another facility to get an MRI, which showed that indeed she had a neck injury and bulging disc. She went immediately into surgery where she had a bad reaction to the drugs and they had to stop the surgery. After an EKG and getting her to wake up from anesthesia, they decided to proceed with the surgery. Wednesday was a very long day.

Tank is still in the hospital. She still does not have movement in her legs but we are hoping and praying that when the swelling goes down she will regain movement. Her prognosis was good before surgery because she still had feeling in all of her limbs. Needless to say, I am hoping for a full recovery and that she up on her legs soon.

Tonight, we are going to visit her in the hospital and bring her some treats. Apparently my finicky eater is not eating. So nothing there is as enticing, and says I love you, like hot dogs and cheese. She's not highly food motivated but I am hoping she will be tail wagging and gobbling down the goods.

Some other good news in an otherwise worrisome week is that I picked up my diploma yesterday. The last of the library books have been returned and truly I am not a grad student any more. At the student union I picked up my official UCLA frame and hung it up immediately for fear it would languish somewhere if I didn't. Honestly I never took much stock in the diploma. To illustrate my point I have no idea where my undergrad degree is and I never went to my graduation ceremony. This time there is something different. This time it is a very tangible piece of paper marking my time and hard work. The Ph.D was the hardest paper I have ever written...well maybe it was my Master's thesis that was the worst...I was practically suicidal at the end of my thesis. No the Master's thesis was the worst experience in grad school, but the Ph.D was definitely the hardest to write and the yearly struggle perpetually undermined my confidence. So, for now, not every time I pass it, but when I am paying attention and I catch a glance...I marvel at my accomplishment and it tastes sweeter for the appreciation and the experience.

So that's all the good and the bad around these parts. We are hoping for more good things for Tank, like getting back to standing, walking, and eventually a scamper or two.

Be Mine

2010-02-14T09:31:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

The hubby and I are in the car driving to Solvang. We are picking up my birthday present and spending the day together.

Wishing you all a day full of LoveLoveLove.

-- Post From My iPhone

It rained and rained

2010-02-06T07:57:00.001-08:00

And then it poured.

Yesterday a storm blew in during the wee hours of the morning. It was dark and rainy all day. Then about 2am this morning it started to pour. I could hear the heavy rains pelting the roof. I waited for it to pass. An hour went by and then another and another. It rained like no other rain storm in a long time.

This is what it looks like in front of our house.

The hubby was up a whole lot earlier and said the water was running over the red curb in the photo. Emergency vehicles and city truck keep going up the canyon and the canyon is blocked to traffic. It was one helluva a rain storm and I hope everyone weathered it well.

- Post From My iPhone

About Houston

2010-01-27T12:03:00.001-08:00

Carla and I have been out and about. Yesterday we took a four mile walk through the green belt of downtown Houston. Today we took a two mile walk after eating cheesecake for breakfast. Very indulgent. Then we went to the Craft Museum and checked out their two exhibitions on metalworks. We are having a grande ole time together.

-- Post From My iPhone

Tuesday

2010-01-26T08:26:00.000-08:00

Monday

2010-01-25T10:05:00.000-08:00

Lunchtime

Play time

Almost nap time.

--
Post From My iPhone

Babes

2010-01-24T11:09:00.000-08:00

Having a B-L-A-S-T with my babies in Texas.

-- Post From My iPhone

Beanie Babies

2010-01-20T16:03:00.000-08:00

Okay...really a couple of teenagers in beanies.

This is my nephew who wanted to make his own beanie. He did a great job on his first beanie. He was able to finish it before he went skiing in Mammoth. Now he has requests to make some for his friends. I see another beanie making session in the near future. While showing him the ropes on the beanie I cast on for an identical one for my other nephew. They both picked out the same yarn. So danged cute. I love them to death.

This is the photo he sent me from his mobile after his mom brought him home the beanie. I got a thumbs up!

Here are some picks from my birthday hike at Pt. Mugu.

This was the view from the top of the climb. I love how the ocean and sky merge together. You could see to infinity and beyond from the top. Amazing.

Me & my honey.

And the reward....

dinner at Malibu Seafood.
yum

43

2010-01-16T18:35:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday and it's been a wonderful day. Well, really an incredible week.

This morning we went to breakfast at our local joint, Cheebo. After breakfast we headed toward the beach. We stopped in Malibu and grabbed a coffee, then we drove out to Pt. Mugu and hiked just north of Sycamore Canyon. From the top of the mountain beautiful views of the ocean on one side and a green valley, that was home to the Chumash Indians, on the other. We put out the blanket, ate an apple, and laid back and watched the clouds roll by. It was quiet, the kind of quiet where you hear the gentle breeze move through the grass. Very peaceful.

After conquering the mountain we worked up a powerful hunger. The next stop was Malibu Seafood for some steamed shrimp and clams, fries and cole slaw. This place has great food. We ate outside and watched the shadows grow longer as the sun started its final descent for the day.

Today was really and truly a great day because I got to spend all day with my honey. It was a joy just to be wit each other. There are some many distractions in day to day life, but today we really had a chance to enjoy the simple things and reconnect.

The celebrating for my birthday really started last week when Carla was in town. We just had to start the celebrating early. Last year she was in Houston and it was too painful to be celebrating without her. Last Saturday, a group of good friends gathered at The Must Bar for drinks and eats. Man, you have got to try the Black Sangria. MmMm good. After that a smaller group took on the night and some karaoke. Really, people should get together and sing more often. The hit of the night...Aquarius. Yeah, when the moon is in the 7th house Aquarius. We sang until our voices and song selections ran out.

Then on Sunday, as I posted, the hubby made cinnamon rolls. Fresh cinnamon rolls are a little bit of heaven. Carla left on Tuesday. We got a little teary but know we will be hanging out in a matter of days.

Thursday night, the hubby took me out for my birthday dinner. It was a wine tasting dinner at Mozza featuring the wines from Mt Etna, Sicilia. The evening was fantastic with interesting people, great food and even better wine. The sommelier, Jeff Porter, was enthusiastic and very knowledgeable, which made for a fun and enlightening evening. Grabbing a reservation at Mozza takes a bit of pre-planning...like 5 weeks in advance on the calendar, but it is well worth the wait to taste anything from their Mozzarella Bar. Yes, they make their own cheese. Hello, calling now...right?!

As you have read, I have had an amazing week. 43 has started off with a bang and I feel so much joy and love in my heart for all those who are a part of my life and that includes you all here in this little corner of the bloglandia. Virtual Smooches and Hugs! It's been a very good day and I am radiating JOYJOYJOY. I hope you are feeling the LOVE right now.

The celebrating continues.... for tomorrow I am off to the Wiener Races.

Whooping it up!

2010-01-11T13:49:00.000-08:00

These are the home made cinnamon rolls made by my hubby on Sunday morning. They were sooooo delicious. He whipped up some scrambled eggs with turkey bacon too. Good thing too, otherwise we would have woofed them all down in one sitting.

This has started off as a fantastic year. On Sunday, January 3rd, my knitter gal pals got together for our holiday celebration. The only person missing was Carla, who is now living in Houston. We gave her a jingle on the phone, all shouting about how much we miss her. Ellen crocheted us all fabulous shawls for Christmas. So while Ellen had us lined up to take our picture, Carla popped into the back yard shouting Happy New Year! Well, I couldn't even believe my eyes that I was seeing Carla in the flesh! She is so sneaking because the last time I talked to her she was going to the bowling alley...when she was really driving back to L.A. with our friend Lilia. She is so damned sneaky! It was the best surprise ever. We were squealing in delight that she made it to the party. We had a grand time on Mary Jo's brand new deck, soaking up the sunshine, with all in attendance. It was perfect.

Since Carla has arrived we have been going non-stop. Movies (it's complicated - hysterical), eating, drinking, knitting, a little T.V. watching (The Biggest Loser and Iron Chef), going to Trader Joe's, more eating, drinking, singing (karaoke), snacking, hiking, and all kinds of nonsense. She leaves tomorrow. Wahhhh! But I can't complain too much as I will be off to Texas the following week. Yes, I have to check in on Cookie and Kiss and check out that devil cat, also known as, Mira.

Bon temps roulez!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T10:06:00.000-08:00

by Doxieone

Wishing you all the best and brightest in the New Year!

byebye '09

2009-12-31T09:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I got to spend time with my boys, Tyler and Andre. Be still my heart...Andre wants to learn how to knit a beanie and that required a trip to the Stitch Cafe for yarn and needles. When we got home we all knitted up some swatches while practicing our stitches and listened to Bob Marley.

When Uncle Joe got home the boys played Axis & Allies.

While I made Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Taking over the world is serious business, so we interrupted the game for dinner at Cheebo. After dinner, the boys finished the game. Uncle Joe, playing Germany, won by taking Moscow. Then we all played all the Wii until after 11pm. It was a fun night hanging out at home.

Today we all went to China Town, where we picked up a bonsai tree for Tyler as part of his Christmas present. For lunch, we walked over to Phillipe's and ate everything in sight. Then we took a stroll to Union Station and were in awe over its grandeur. What a beautiful train station. Just being in the train station made me itch to hop on a train and get out of town. Now we are all sprawled out on the couch and watching Up. What a sweet movie.

Today was the just the most perfect way to end a pretty danged good year. Me and the boys walking in the sunshine and enjoying each other. Yep, pretty perfect.

I am off to join them on the couch.

I hope your year ends on a sweet note.

Christmas Day Memories Thru an Old Lens

2009-12-26T11:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, in the rush out of the door to get to the festivities, I forgot my camera. Instead of getting all bothered I downloaded a new app for my iphone called the Hipstamatic, whose tag line is digital photography never looked so analog. The results are nostalgic and slightly faded yet the events happened yesterday afternoon.

We all arrived at my Aunt & Uncle's house at the same time with arms full of food and boxes of presents.

The table centerpiece was very festive with fresh roses and vintage choir members.

The tree was trimmed in mostly red and white.

My Aunt has many vintage ornaments that don the tree. This little elf actually has a "made in Japan" sticker on his back.

After some appetizers, drinks, and socializing, we opened presents. There were nine of us all together, a pretty small group, so we took turns opening our presents to make it last as long as possible and enjoy all the gifts and the happy faces.

The sides: Peas & Asparagus, Yams with Apples

Au Gratin Potatoes and Honey Baked Ham
In my mind these two things go together like right and left feet. It's a classic combination that makes my taste buds sing.

Speaking of singing, after dessert we retired to the living room where Roy broke out the autoharp. We sang Christmas carols and it was the perfect way to end a perfect day.

Today, both the hubby and I have the sniffles. This morning has been spent watching Sherlock Holmes on TCM and snoozing on the couch. The prescription for the day is lots of rest and liquids and laying about.

I hope your yesterday was fun and lively and full of love and your today and tomorrow is full of peace.

Scenes of the morning

2009-12-25T08:06:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas to All!

Post From My iPhone

Tree trimmed

2009-12-22T14:15:00.001-08:00

Here is a glimpse of the tree.

At our house the fireplace is outside. We hang the stockings by the TV with care.

A granny from Carla.

We put the old fashioned big lights on the tree this year instead of the twinklers. You know, the kind that will set your house on fire. They get hot!

Yesterday I discovered the the tree skirt soaked up the water from the tree stand. This year the tree will be skirtless. I know...scandalous.

Now to start the wrapping because Santa Claus is coming to town.

-- Post From My iPhone

Take me out to the ball game

2009-12-20T09:49:00.001-08:00

Sunday morning at Downey High School watching the hubby play his championship baseball game. I did my own boot camp workout for an hour. Now I got new moves and it just seemed natural being outside and all to apply them and keep the sweet potato fried at bay.

The hubby just did a diving catch in the outfield. Awesome! (he thinks I don't pay attention).

He just got a hit. I think he's trying to impress me.

We got a Christmas tree last night. It finally feels like the holidays at our house. The last photo is what Christmas looks like in Hollywood.

-- Post From My iPhone

Love & Goats

2009-12-18T17:25:00.000-08:00

If you are not familiar with Pomplamoose, let me introduce you all to them. They got something special going on. Enjoy!

One more day

2009-12-17T09:13:00.000-08:00

by Jonathan Gill

There is one more day of boot camp. After tomorrow I will have gone everyday for three weeks. 15 days of running, jumping, lunging, lifting weights, holding up my own body weight, crunches, sweating and hauling myself around the park in various ways, in rain and sunshine, in mud and on concrete, I have done it all. In general I am feeling good. The body has toned up. I have made a new friend. It has been a good experience. It's nice to be able to commit to something for the short term and while it has been challenging it was never something I couldn't really do. Maybe something a person in their right mind wouldn't sign up for but it was never something I wasn't capable of doing. This morning the hubby told me he was proud of me and definitely made it worth it.

There were a couple of things I didn't like about the experience, which mainly involved the teacher. She seems to have lost the passion for it (assuming she had it in the first place) and creating a group dynamic. However the best day was this past Monday when we had a relay race. Everyone was in a seated chair position against the wall, but sans the chair and just relying on your burning, quivering thighs to hold you in place. The first person had to run across the field and back before the next person could go and start running across the field and back. You get the picture. We had eight people lined up. The fifth girl to run, literally ran like the wind. She was super fast. I started whooping and hollering and cheering her on because being the seventh person against the wall my thighs were screaming and I appreciated her quickness. Then other people started cheering her on and something about the exercise changed. Most days I am the slowest runner but since this was a race I turned it up a notch and ran as fast as I could because there was one more person waiting to run. Finally we had some camaraderie as a group which had never happened in the previous days or since. It's kind of a shame.

The thing I love the most is being outside and exercising, even on the rainy days. It kind of makes me want to sign up again for the next session even though I am not in love with the teacher. Strange, right? I have a couple of weeks to figure that out, but for now there is light at the end of the tunnel. One more day of boot camp and I am done. Now to call and book an appointment for a massage. My body is screaming for some laying on of hands to relieve these stiff and sore muscles. Woohoo one more day!

Me Love Cookies!

2009-12-16T10:10:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I baked up a batch of cookies for a tree trimming party. First I thought I would make straight up ginger cookies but I have a bunch of oatmeal that was screaming to be made into cookies and some cranberries as well. Instead of going one way or another I decided to combine them all into one cookie.

Ginger Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup of butter
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/4 cups brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups uncooked oatmeal
1 cup minced candied ginger
1 cup dried cranberries

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. In a smaller bowl, stir together 1 cup flour, baking soda, salt and ground ginger. Add mixture to the buttery mix. Add brown sugar, turbinado sugar, eggs, and vanilla to mix. Blend 1-2 minutes, or until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Stir in the oats and the remaining flour. Fold in the candied ginger and cranberries. Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on rack. Makes about 48 cookies.

The cookies were delicious. They were chewy and oaty with gingery heat and a touch of tartness from the cranberries. Now if I make them again, I would definitely add some lemon zest. I think a citrus top note would really elevate all the flavors.

What your favorite cookie recipe? If you have a link to a recipe, please leave it for me. In some ways I consider myself a cookie monster. Me love cookies!

Deck the Door

2009-12-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

The other day I picked up a pine wreath at Trader Joe's. It smelled so good I couldn't resist. Now it needed some decorations and crocheted snowflakes seemed to be the call. Attic24 had posted her snowflakes earlier and that's where I started. My first snowflake was made with Vanna's white yarn but the snowflake turned out thick and bulkier than I wanted. Then I remembered my fabulous Noro Silk Garden sock yarn in cream and thought this would do the trick for a slightly more vintage and delicate look. I love they way they turned out. While at Target some time back I had picked up some rustic owls and perched them among the branches. A little pop of red ~Noel~ was added and the wreath was done. Usually I lean more to the tinselly-side of Christmas but I really like the rustic simplicity of the wreath this year.

Now with a wreath at the door it is time to turn to the interior of the house. Hopefully we will be getting a tree today. It doesn't really feel like Christmas until there is a tree in the house and some decorations and of course presents! I have been shopping but I am behind in the making and the days are blowing by. I feel I am not alone in this predicament. Tally Ho!

All About Camp

2009-12-10T09:20:00.000-08:00

Camp Pluckyfluff lives up to its name. You need pluck and fluff and wheel and a weekend to get get buck wild with fiber and have one helluva good time.

On Saturday last we gathered at the Urban Craft Center for a two day extravaganza with fiber and our spinning wheels. The gang was assembled and ready to spin. We learned lots of techniques of which you can find in Lexi Boeger's book Intertwined: The Art of Handspun Yarn, Modern Patterns, and Creative Spinning. The hardest part for me was core spinning. This is where you wrap fiber around a core, sometimes thread and sometimes fiber that you are simultaneously spinning. This technique definitely will require more practice for me, but according to Lexi if you can master it you can make any type of yarn you dream up.

My favorite part was working on the drum carder and creating the different batts from all the available fluffiness. The picture shows a row of carders that we worked on. We put those carders to good use.

My favorite batt was made of mohair and was the lightest cloud of fibery goodness. It was fun to spin up too.

This was one of my favorite yarns of the day. It was thread-plied and depending on the angle in which you held the thread created all kinds of interesting waves and wiggles in the yarn.

This is the mohair in action. It was spun around a purpley pink mohair core, which shows up through the translucence of the mohair batt.

Mohair is not my favorite thing to knit with but it is a beautiful fiber to spin with and creates an amazing yarn.

The entire weekend was all about making yarn and it was so much fun. Lexi is a great teacher with an intuitively creative and curious mind. There is something about the playfulness and randomness in creating these art yarns that appeals to me. I believe it is finding a sense of freedom in and from what could be an exacting and precise pursuit, such as spinning. There is technique and foundation and upon that knowledge there is the pursuit of playful manipulation and pushing the boundaries of the medium in order to stretch yourself in mind and body and yarn. Personally this is where I find a bit of personal satisfaction. It is easy to become trapped by the pursuit of perfection but this workshop showed me that there is beauty in the playful imperfect perfections that I create. This is the stuff that gets me excited and taps into what I know is true for me but sometimes I forget. There is something very meditative about spinning and it is no surprise to me that all kinds of other thoughts and meanings and threads of half formed thoughts have been stirred by the creative endeavors of the weekend.

If you spin I highly recommend going to Camp Pluckyfluff. You will love it. It was actually stumbling upon Lexi's yarns early on in my knitting that made me even consider learning how to spin. I picked up her first self-published book in 2005. Her yarns were like nothing I had ever seen and that was my inspiration to learn how to spin. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to go to camp.

Now let's talk about the Urban Craft Center. Great place. If you live in LA and you haven't been to the Urban Craft Center, you should drop by or take a class. This was my first time to the new location and it is very nice. I had a Needle Felting Birthday Party at the old location and we all had a blast. The new space is light and airy and with plenty of space and equipment for projects. The retail space is great with fabulous fabrics and lots of other artsy crafty must haves on every shelf.

Tis the season to be crafty and I hope you are enjoying all your projects!

just a peek

2009-12-09T18:11:00.000-08:00

looking for the best angle

From my cotton candy batt in the previous post, I spun this crazy, colorful yarn. Camp Pluckyfluff was all that and more. Tomorrow I will post more pictures and write more. To be honest I am too pooped out to properly write about how much fun I had over the weekend.

Today was the half way point for boot camp and I am so glad. Man, it is kicking my ass. I am so tired at night. My shoulders are so tight, my right knee hurts, and the plantar fasciitis has flared up in both feet. Monday I worked out in the pouring rain. Tuesday was in the 30s. Today was adventure day and we lunged, skipped, and ran around the park, including every staircase we could climb. Tomorrow I will do it again. Glad to be on the downhill side.

At Camp

2009-12-05T18:57:00.001-08:00

Used a drum carder for the first time. Look what I made.

-- Post From My iPhone

Hooked

2009-12-04T12:20:00.000-08:00

on Grannies

Lookie what I got in the mail from my friend Carla!!! They are Susan Bates Aluminum & Bamboo crochet hooks. I love them. She has been making grannies squares galore in the form of pillows and now an afghan, which is coming along so beautifully. Of course, Ellen is our inspiration and mentor. She's the Queen of Crochet! Recently Carla was raving about the bamboo handles on the Susan Bates crochet hooks, but I couldn't find any at my local Joann's. Well the Hobby Lobby was stocked and near and dear to Carla so she traipsed on over there and bought up a bunch and sent them to me. YAY! You can always depend on your friends to support your habits! Carla and I are in deep together and I am thankful for that, but, man, do we miss having each other nearby for misadventure.

Following Ellen and Carla's lead I jumped on the Granny Band Wagon. It started with Sarah London's mystery crochet along in November. It said to grab a hook and green yarn and make grannies. Well I had both hook and yarn and went at it. After realizing that the mystery was a Christmas tree and advent calendar, I decided that I needed to rethink my project. A big ole granny tree is great but I don't need one that big. So I taking a cue from Ellen, I decided to make my squares into the Babette. There is something addicting about them granny squares and I am having a ton of fun making them.

Boot Camp: day 5

Check out my new running shoes against that big blue sky. The new shoes are great, so much more supportive than my old pair. At first I wasn't too keen on the pink color but now they make me happy when I look at them all covered in wet grass and working hard. The first week is down and there are two more to go. Woohoo. I am happy for that. I survived. Wednesday was the hardest day. My muscles were the most sore and I had a difficult time running that day. I am looking forward to a couple of days of recovery time before the whole thing starts again on Monday.

What are your plans for the weekend?

This weekend I am going to Camp Pluckyfluff at the Urban Craft Center to learn how to spin all manner of fabulousness into yarn. I am soooo excited.

Have a great weekend!

14

2009-12-03T10:58:00.001-08:00

My little buckeroo of a nephew turns 14 today!

He is truly growing into a very nice young man. His smile lights up a room. He is kind and loving and gives great hugs. From checking out his birthday list it seems he would like to be a piano playing ninja when he grows up. Sounds really cool to me. Maybe I will join him.

Happy Birthday!

How do they know?

2009-12-02T14:18:00.000-08:00

How do they know where your yarny projects are?
Why?
Why do they want to take a nap in your projects?

It's awfully cute until you come home and find that once cute sleeping snugglepuss has barfed all over your projects. Of course, I had already joked with Carla that I had found Wiggs nestled in my granny squares on the table and that he better not barf on them. Well, I know my cat too well and he did barf. Also on the top of the dog's head and down his back.

Yes, the cat is still alive. He was not fed to the coyotes. The projects and dog have been washed and are no worse for the experience. Secretly I think Bodhi kind of liked it. Now my projects are covered with foil and Wiggs has not been back on the table.

Boot Camp - Day 3
Cons:
1. Not impressed with the instructor. She doesn't know my name. She has never asked what my goals are or if I have any injuries or issues she should know about. She never corrects form or tells you what muscles you should be concentrating on or feeling while doing the exercises. She never gives modifications for the exercises according to people's levels. I am not impressed, can you tell? She does know how to count to twenty.
2. Even though I bought new running shoes yesterday, I was slower than yesterday :(
(I am a gazelle. I am a gazelle.)

Pros:
1. 3 days down
2. Laying on my back and looking up into the big, beautiful sky.

When's the last time you laid back and looked into the sky? Not a glimpse while walking around, but laying on the ground and looking into the sky and watching the clouds roll by? It sure had been a while since I found myself in such a position. It was a little bit surprising at first, looking into the big gray clouds in the expanse of sky as I got ready to do crunches. It was stunning. If and when you get a chance I suggest you try it because it is a true and simple pleasure. A true and simple pleasure. Just looking into the sky. It was the best part of my day.

The appetites

2009-12-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

These are the bites that were out while we made ravioli. The hubby's bread, pepperoni, Parmesan cheese, mixed olives, olive salad, and Celery & Citron Conserve. In the December issue of La Cucina Italiana magazine they featured an article about pairing cheeses with compotes, conserves, and condiments. This would replace the usual cheese platter and really focus on one cheese as the star. It's the best article I have read in my year subscription.

Earlier in the month I made the Celery & Citron Conserve along with roasted butternut squash and served it with a peppery Pecorino. It was an amazing combination. The Conserve is bright and lightly bitter. The butternut squash is simply roasted and then mashed with coarse sea salt and olive oil. This adds a touch of creamy sweetness and then the Pecorino with it's firm nutty bite all add up to something really special.

On Saturday I serve the Conserve with Humbolt Fog goat cheese. Again the bright citrus played off well with the tangy creaminess of the goat cheese. This Conserve is one of the best and easiest things I have made and it is simply delicious.

Sedano con Cedro
celery & citron conserve
45 minutes plus cooling
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

2 Lemons
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons water
5 large celery stalks, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
Fine sea salt

Using a vegetable peeer, cut zest from lemons, leaving white pith on fruit. Then, using a sharp paring knife, cut pith from fruit, following the curve of the fruit from top to bottom. Finely chop pith; set pith aside. Cut each section of fruit away from membranes and place in a bowl; set fruit aside.

Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan; heat over medium-high heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Add chopped pith, celery and pinch salt; reduce heat to very low and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thickened, about 25 minutes.

Transfer mixture to a blender and purée until smooth but still chunky. Transfer conserve to a bowl and let cool.

Roughly chop reserved fruit and stir into conserve.

Conserve keeps, covered and chilled, 1 week.

Now that I have got your attention with food, it's time for my boot camp report.

Boot Camp Report: Day 2
Well, I am happy to report that even with the holiday weekend of feasting I lost 1 pound and a 1/2 inch on the waist. Woohoo. I weighed myself before boot camp and it was the motivation I needed because I was feeling sore and stiff this morning when the alarm went off. Also I went to bed at 9pm last night. This ole body was tuckered out yesterday.

It was even colder at the park this morning. Running was extra hard today because I am mostly sore in my gluteus maximus, hamstrings and hip flexors from yesterday's run. The running does get me warmed up and more. My hope is that at some point I will be running like a gazelle, bounding and leaping with lightness through the park. This is what I visualize as I shuffle and huffle around the track.

Remember that lightness as a child? When you could run and play for hours and hours? Sure you might get out of breath for a moment but then you were springing and bounding back into the action. I want that carefree feeling back in my body instead of this heaviness that comes with adulthood. Now I don't mind slowing down a bit as I age but I always want to be able to do the splits and stand on my head and maybe not bound like a gazelle but have the grace of one when I am eighty or so. This is what I visualize for myself when my mane has grown fully gray.

Downsizing

2009-11-30T18:09:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day of my gut busting Holiday Boot Camp.

It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, except for the running part. Me and running just do not go well together. Somebody needs to be chasing me for me to really get into it. That being said, I did sign up for this so I ran most of the time and huffed and puffed my way around the park. Boot camp is out in the park and it's nice to see loads of other people up and at 'em first thing in the morning, even dogs. The morning was crisp but soon I was sweating up a storm. I have never been much of a morning person but getting up and exercising first thing in the morning is truly energizing. I feel like I could conquer the world and tick off my to-do list after class. However, come late afternoon my eyelids were very heavy and so was my body.

Going to bed early tonight and then doing it all again tomorrow.

Fab photo by kevindooley
and no I am not running around the park in my blue leotard.

The hours and its rewards

2009-11-29T09:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we enlisted the entire family for making pasta and having dinner together. Ravioli was on the menu. The hubby and I planned on making a ricotta ravioli with cherry tomato sauce and butternut squash ravioli with brown butter chestnut sauce.

First up, the hubs and resident dough-maker made a triple batch of pasta. After the dough rested we were ready to roll.

Jean, Joe's mom, made the ricotta filling. She's a pro and everything she makes is delicious. My favorite of her dishes is her lasagna, chicken cutlets and peach pie. Mmmmmm. Earlier in the morning I made the butternut filling.

For making the ravioli we used the assembly line method and employed Andre and Tyler, our nephews.

The hubby was at the pasta maker and impressed us with his work.

Tyler and Andre took turns either cutting out the pasta or filling the pasta. My job as the line supervisor was to help in maximizing cutting and filling. The boys were very excited about making pasta and were excellent sous chefs. They took their job very seriously and were a tremendous help. We were making ravioli for two and a half hours. Yeah, seriously. We were having fourteen people for dinner.

After the ravioli were filled the boys had a turn at the pasta machine making fettuccine.

It was a blur of activity in the kitchen for hours. After the pasta was finished I put Brussels sprouts with Pancetta in the oven to roast. Then it was time to make sauce and get some water boiling.

This is the butter getting brown and infused with fresh sage.

The hubby was in charge of the cherry tomato sauce.

Here's the whole menu:

Ricotta Ravioli with Cherry Tomato Sauce
Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Chestnut Cream Sauce
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta
Escarole with Pinenuts
Green Salad

Cannoli & Brownies

The hubby and I started with the ricotta ravioli. Everything was made in small batches so two or three people were served at a time. Eventually everyone was served and we started the butternut ravioli. We were able to taste everything too, but while standing up and manning the stove. The ricotta filling was light and fresh with bright parsley inside the pasta. The cherry tomato sauce was simple and sweet. Delish! My first bite of the butternut squash ravioli just stopped me in my tracks. It was outta sight. The sweetness of the squash was beautiful against the silky cream sauce that had a hint of sage and the bite of chestnut. Against all this creaminess you would taste a high note of the orange zest. Really it may be one of the best concoctions I have ever made, if I do say so myself. The bitterness of the escarole and the smokiness of the Brussels sprouts made them the perfect vegetables to balance out the meal.

For dessert, my mom baked yummy brownies with chocolate chips and walnuts. Earlier in the afternoon Jean filled cannoli shells with her homemade filling and they were a not too sweet way to end an incredible meal. I wish I had more pictures of the finished products, but to be honest it's hard to be a maker and a picture taker at the same time. This applies doubly when there is eating involved, but I did my best for a person who was cooking all day long.

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Chestnut Cream

1 butternut squash
¼ cup marscapone
1 tablespoon orange zest
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut squash in half and scrape out seeds. Place cut side down in roasting pan. Cook in oven until soft, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

Scoop out flesh into the food processor. Puree squash until smooth, then spread on baking sheet and return to 400 degree oven to dry, about 8 minutes. The consistency will be like mashed potatoes.

Scrape squash into large mixing bowl. Mix in marscapone, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and Parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and refrigerate for four hours or up to 2 days.

To fill Ravioli: Lay out a sheet of pasta dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut into circles with a 3 ½-inch cookie cutter. Put 1 tablespoon squash filling in the center of half the rounds using a small spoon. Leave a 1/2-inch border all around the filling. Moisten borders with water and top with remaining rounds of dough. Press all the air out and seal firmly by pressing all around with fingertips. Lay raviolis out to dry on a lightly floured board or baking sheet and lightly flour the tops. Repeat until you run out of dough and/or filling. To cook, boil in lightly salted water until tender, about 3 minutes.

Uncooked, filled raviolis may be used immediately or frozen for 2 months. Lay them out on sheet pans and place in freezer until frozen. Transfer to plastic bag.

Brown Butter Chestnut Cream Sauce

2 sticks butter
8 sage leaves
¼ cup chestnuts, crumbled
¼ cup heavy cream
Salt
Pepper

Over medium-high heat cook butter with sage leaves. When butter browns remove sage leaves. Add chestnuts and heavy cream. Bring to boil and then turn down to simmer. Whisk sauce together while simmering about 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve over pasta.

Is this what it looked like at your house this weekend?

Glimpses of the Day

2009-11-28T09:40:00.001-08:00

Centerpiece

Homemade Bread

Cranberry Sauce

Harvest Salad

Yams with Apples

Caramel Apple & Sweet Potato

Sadie *hearts* sweet potato pie

Love in the kitchen

The real deal in the kitchen

Stove top happenings

The remains of the day

That's pretty much how it went down at my cousin's house. Today we are going to the hubby's sister's house and cooking up homemade ravioli and enlisting the family's help in the making. Yes, another day with full on feasting, ma nel modo d'Italiano. Tis the season! The butternut squash has cooled and I am about to make one of the fillings for the ravioli. How does this sound, butternut squash ravioli with brown butter chestnut sauce? Yeah, that's what I think too!

Enjoy your day.

Red Alert

2009-11-27T11:14:00.000-08:00

It seems that I have jumped on the bandwagon rather late but I am knitting up a red scarf for the Orphans Foundation of America. The Red Scarf Project provides the scarves for the OFA's Valentine's Care Packages, which go to young adults who have moved out of the foster care system and into college. This year they are short on scarves!!! So I have been knitting furiously the past two days and making good progress.

Maybe you will have time to knit a scarf up too.
The deadline is December 15, 2009 and is fast approaching.

Send scarves to:

Orphan Foundation of America
The Red Scarf Project
21351 Gentry Drive
Sterling, VA 20166

I hope everyone is doing well post-food frenzy. We had a delicious dinner although it was not without some hiccups in the kitchen for me. My fool proof pie dough recipe proved too much for this fool. The overworked wet ball of dough went straight into the trash and I hopped into the car to buy pie crust. Thank you, Mrs. Smith for helping me out. Then I overcooked the Brussels sprouts a bit but nobody seemed to notice and complimented me on them. My biggest fan of the evening was Cameron, my cousin's 11-year old son, who ate three slices of my sweet potato pie! Love that kid. That's the kind of appreciation a cook craves.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T08:13:00.000-08:00

(photo by Old Shoe Woman)

Already there is a bustle in the kitchen. A dance of pot and pans. The hum of the oven. The heavenly smell of baking bread fills the house. A couple of arguments. Pie crusts to be made. Sweet potatoes to be boiled. Brussels sprouts to be scrubbed, chopped, and cooked.

Later there will be the coming together of family. Embracing loved ones. Catching up. A well deserved glass of wine. Football in the background. A dog named Sadie trying to eat the appetizers or anything else she can get a nibble of. A beautiful meal with everyone around the table. Seconds. Buttons bursting.

Much later, the drive home. Changing out of uncomfortable pants. Putting on comfy pajamas. Settling down for the night. Watching a bit of television. Knitting a few rows. Reflections of the day and many thanks for all of it.

Much love to you all on this day of Thanksgiving.

Wrapped in goodness

2009-11-24T11:27:00.000-08:00

At the first concert I attended at the Hollywood Bowl this summer, I cast on for the Mara Shawl. Over the summer I saw six concerts at the Bowl (Santigold, Adele, Ray La Montagne, Porgy and Bess, Mozart, & Pink Martini) and every show I knit a little more on my shawl infusing it with starry nights and great music.

Somehow along the way, I deviated completely from said pattern. The deviation started with adding eyelets to the shawl. The original pattern was all garter stitch rows. Boring. Plus, I thought the shawl would be too stiff and heavy in garter stitch. The yarn is Dream in Color Classy, which is a super wash and I knit rather tightly so I thought the eyelets would add some lightness to the shawl.

The original pattern is also more like a shawlette but I went big. In going bigger I was definitely in danger of running out of yarn in the main color. Also, the Mara pattern has a ribbed edging at the bottom and again I thought it might be too stiff with a ribbed edge so I went for a ruffle.

I definitely did not have enough yarn in the main color, called cinnamon girl, so I added in another color called Chinese apple, which was also Dream in Color Classy. The ruffled edge became striped and I had just enough of the main color to complete the shawl.

In blocking I lost a bit of the frill of ruffle. The shawl blocked out huge. It's 78-inches across. Unfortunately I did not measure before blocking, so I do not know what the size was before blocking. It was knit on size 8 needles. I love everything about this shawl - the color, the yarn, the striping in the ruffle. Next summer, when the Hollywood Bowl starts I will wear my fabulous shawl to keep out the evening chill and bring it full circle.

Whoa Nelly!

2009-11-23T14:34:00.000-08:00

The last two weeks have been hectic trying to exercise, going to Italian class in Long Beach, being social, and becoming obsessed with granny squares. That's the nutshell version.

Two weeks ago I started exercising after a long period of inactivity (sitting on my arse for hours, days and then months while finishing my dissertation). After finishing there were some fits and starts of activity. Finally, it was the discomfort of wearing my pants that spurred me into action. Un-com-fort-able! They were squeezing me to death like a boa constrictor. So in a moment of desperation I signed up for a gut busting Holiday boot camp. The boot camp will be for the first three weeks of December in the hopes to combat the dreaded and inevitable Holiday weight gain. So now I find myself having to get in shape for boot camp and I have been dragging myself almost everyday to workout. It is really sad when you have to workout for your workouts. What is even sadder is looking in the mirror and not recognizing your own body. The long months of stress eating and sitting at the computer have turned me into a marshmallow. There is no tone or muscle definition, just the soft sugary goodness that matches what I put in my mouth.

So I have started exercising. It's a good thing.

Next up is to get the eating habits in order. Boy is this the wrong time of the year. The holidays for me start at Halloween. We had no trick or treaters this year so you know I ate the three bags of candy I bought almost single handed. I ain't proud but it's true. Then some friends came over for cocktails and I cooked up some nibbles, and noshes, and threw down a cheese plate. My Italian teacher came to town and I made some Italian cookies with chocolate and hazelnuts for class. This past weekend was a book club meeting (The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz - best book I have read this year - loved it) and I made salted brown butter rice krispie treats and they were crazy good. You can find the recipe at Smitten Kitchen.

For Thanksgiving I am making sweet potato pie and Brussels sprouts. Also I have been dying to make Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls. Doesn't that sound delicious? The hubby just got a new bread baking book (My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method by Jim Lahey). A boule is cooling as I write.

Obviously, I am not sure I will win the battle of the bulge but keeping it at bay seems like the best strategy for now. I will do my best to just indulge on Thursday, but who knows what other fabulous temptations will come to bear over the weekend. Many I am sure. I guess a workout here and there won't hurt either before boot camp comes early next Monday morning. Maybe tomorrow I will get up early and get to spin class. It's been months since I have clipped in. Oh and the hubby just informed me today that we may have to go to a formal party in Miami in three weeks. A formal dress?! The pressure just makes me hungry. Does anyone else have this problem? Any other strategies for negotiating the holiday goodies you would like to impart? I am taking any and all suggestions and reminding myself everything in moderation, including moderation.

Dueling Brussels Sprouts

2009-11-10T13:07:00.000-08:00

Saturday night, in our inaugural dining room table dinner, I tried out two potential Brussels sprout recipes for Thanksgiving. Both recipes came from the new Gourmet Today cookbook, which we picked up after we heard about the demise of Gourmet magazine. I know, so sad.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic & Pancetta
serves 4
Active time: 10 minutes
Start to finish: 35 minutes

1 pound Brussel sprouts, trimmed & halved (or quartered, if large)
2 ounces slices pancetta, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup water

1. Put rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Toss together all ingredients except water in an 11 x 7-inch baking pan, then spread out in one layer. Roast, stirring once halfway through roasting, until sprouts are brown on edges and tender, about 25 minutes.

3. Stir in water to deglaze pan, over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits. Serve warm.

Roasting the Brussels sprouts really brings out the sweetness. I have done something similar to this recipe before. I left out the third step in the recipe and did not deglaze the pan. It didn't really seem necessary and kind of a pain to do on the stove, which it does not explicitly state. I wouldn't recommend deglazing in the 450 degree oven unless you want a serious Brussels sprout facial with you dinner. Also for the duo of Brussels sprouts I halved the recipe. For the pancetta instead of mincing it, I cubed it. Maybe you got all kinds of ninja knife skills and can mince the heck out of something, but it seemed easier to cube the pancetta. Plus that gives you a nice bite of pancetta with the Brussels sprouts.

Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts
serves 8
Active time: 25 minutes
Start to Finish: 35 minutes

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups water
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed & halved lengthwise
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup (4 ounce) bottled peeled cooked chestnuts, coarsely crumbled

Combine butter, salt, pepper, and 1 cup water in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet and bring to a boil over high heat. Add Brussels sprouts, reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove lid and boil over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until water has evaporated and sprouts are lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add cream and remaining 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil, stirring. Add chestnuts, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Again, I roughly halved this recipe and instead of a skillet I used a dutch oven. My thought is if you make this recipe with two pounds of Brussels sprouts there is no way they are all going to fit in a skillet.

Both recipes were delicious. The roasted Brussels sprouts with pancetta had a great smoky flavor. Pancetta is Italian unsmoked bacon and we all know everything is better with bacon. You just can't go wrong with roasting the Brussels sprouts. The second recipe created the same caramelized sweetness in pan roasting the Brussels sprouts but the cream and chestnuts really made into something luxurious.

Chestnuts...yum. The first time I ever tried a chestnut was on the streets in Chiang Mai during Loi Kratong, which is the most amazing festival with floating offerings on the river and floating lights into the sky. *sigh* Chestnuts, yes, the chestnuts add a nice sweetness with the Brussels sprouts and cream.

For Thanksgiving I will be making the recipe with chestnuts. Nothing says it's the holidays like chestnuts. They add a festive and dressy touch to the Brussels sprouts.

Last night with my leftover Brussels sprouts with chestnuts I made an Alfredo sauce, added the leftovers, and served over pasta. OMG! It was outstanding.

Here's what I did...

In a skillet I added about 2 tablespoons butter and got it melting.

Then I added 1 tablespoon of flour and mixed it in with the butter. Cooking it so the butter and flour got some color.

Next I added the little bit of cream I had in the fridge. It was the smallest container of cream that you can buy, which I think is a half pint. It was maybe at most a half cup.

To that I added some grated parmesan...or maybe it was pecorino. I didn't measure, just sprinkled straight from the container. Maybe about a quarter to a third cup of cheese. Oh yeah, and salt and pepper. Not too much salt, the cheese adds to the saltiness.

Once it was all stirred up and thickened I added my leftover Brussels Sprouts with chestnuts.

Meanwhile in another pot. Water is boiling and pasta is added. In fact, I started the pasta first because I knew the sauce would come together quickly. I used orecchiette, which takes approximately 15 minutes to cook. So when I had about ten minutes left on the pasta I started the sauce.

I drained the pasta, but didn't drain it dry, so that a little of the pasta water would thin the sauce. The pasta went quickly back into the pot, the sauce went on top, stirred them up together, and dinner was done. It was soooooo good.

The hubby has been traveling way too much and he is out of town again. Usually when he is gone I subsist on grilled cheese sandwiches and the like. I never cook anything too fancy, but this was so good that I am thinking that maybe I shouldn't be so lazy about cooking for one. Part of my problem is I am not really a fan of leftovers, but I ate my leftover pasta for lunch today and it was good. Not as good as last night good, but still yummy.

Guess what? I had never eaten a Brussels sprout until last year. Can you believe it? They are amazing and I cannot wait to get our garden going so we can grow our own for next year. Have you ever seen what they look like in the garden? They grow on the craziest stalk.

Aren't they amazing looking?

And so danged tasty!

Christmas Comes Early

2009-11-08T10:05:00.000-08:00

This morning I am sitting quietly and admiring my new 1960s Danish modern dining room table made of teak.

Yesterday, the hubby and I went to Surfas to check out the canning demonstration put on by Saving the Season. We got there just as it started and it was standing room only. The demonstration was scheduled for three hours. Unfortunately the audio was terrible and the speaker wasn't very charismatic in her presentation to hold us in the standing position for said three hours. Instead, we shopped for flour, a new pizza stone (the old one broke in half) and other kitchen doodads, like a 2 in 1 lemon/lime squeezer.

After shopping at Surfas we decided to go to Father's Office for lunch. It didn't open until noon, so we wandered through H.D. Buttercup, sitting on different sofas and imagining what would be the next couch when the time came. The former Helms Bakery houses the giant space where different vendors showcase their furniture. It is a fantastic place to get decorating ideas and to dream about your future estates, each one with a different theme...a castle (France), an art deco palace (Miami), the log cabin/ski lodge (Colorado). We love our little house, but sometimes we have big house (really walk-in closet) envy. Plus, some of the furnishings at H.D. Buttercup are rather extravagant and extreme in size, so you have to dream big.

As we wandered around, plopping our bottoms from couch to couch, we turned a corner smack dab into Copenhagen and our preferred aesthetic...mid-century modern. We loved every piece they had, but it was the dining room tables (and the sale that started that day) that caught our attention. They had the most simply beautiful teak and rosewood tables, but our eyes fell to one particular table, which also had the best price. Due to the ingenuity of Danish design, the table has the leaves within it and at full extension sits ten people, which is good for big family dinners. It was love at first sight for me.

It really is not advisable to make big purchases on an empty stomach so off we went to the Father's Office to split a hamburger and talk tables. The Father's Office makes a very good hamburger with crisp little shoes string fries that comes with garlic mayo. Leaning more towards ketchup, as is the American way, I found their garlic mayo to be a delightful alternative and didn't miss the red stuff at all...not that they offered any. They also have loads of beer on tap. The hubs ordered a beer with his meal. Secretly I was hoping they had Sparky's Root Beer on tap. On our recent trip to Big Sur we tasted Sparky's Root Beer at the Big Sur River Inn and it is the best root beer I have ever tasted and I have been craving it ever since. Sparky's is a family run root beer business from Pacific Grove and they brew it right. But I digress (and yes it's that good). Needless to say, the Father's Office did not have Sparky's or any other root beer on tap. Bah! I had water.

Time to talk tables. The hubs is a man who like numbers. He is my personal Rain Man, who can magically tell you the number of matches that has accidentally fallen on the floor by looking at them. It's like a super power. So his hamster (which I affectionately call his brain) was wildly calculating every possible permutation in accounts known and unknown. I do the actual accounting and I already knew my answer. After his hamster went through fantastic mental arithmetic adventures, the hubs said he thought we should get the table. I agreed.

After lunch, we went back in and talked to Linnea (beautiful name) at Floor-Model. We sat at the table. We tried different chairs. We checked out other chairs online. We met Linnea's 9-week old min-pin puppy Penny. It was truly Penny that cinched the deal and we bought the table. The chairs will have to wait for another day and a trip to the warehouse. We didn't fall in love with any on the floor. Plus we only want 4 as opposed to 6 chairs. They wrapped the table up and we took it home.

It fits perfectly in our dining room. It is smaller than our former dining room table and more appropriate for our space. The former table was an acquisition with the purchase of our house in North Carolina and it is very nice but it was never what we would have bought for ourselves. We recently reupholstered the chairs, as you may recall. They work with the new table for now. Really and truly I LOVE my new dining room table. It seems silly that the table brings me so much happiness, but I am absolutely smitten by the table. It makes me smile when I look at it and when I think about it. I am competely happy and silly about it.

Our inaugural dining table dinner:
Balsamic-Glazed Pork Chops
& a duo of Brussel Sprouts
(Roasted with garlic and pancetta & with chestnuts and cream)
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Four Vines Zinfindel Port (directions on bottle: Serve with Chocolate, candlelight and a willing companion)

and the rest they say, is history.