tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62941113781692051282024-03-13T12:32:50.427-07:00Easily Distracted by Julie D'ArcyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-63557872505257357802013-06-29T10:30:00.001-06:002013-06-29T10:30:12.224-06:00Embroidery Project for the Day (or Two)I have this pair of hand-me-down cropped jeans that I didn't think I liked, but now I love. Trouble is, they are the fake-ripped-up style, not too bad, but every time I wash them, I'm thinking that any moment they're going to become the ACTUAL ripped-up style. So I started out by taking an old pillowcase and cutting up patches and ironing them onto the wrong side with Stitch Witchery. I made a few reinforcing stitches around the edges, then I decided I should have some fun with it. So I started embroidering:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/1012188_10200852279003950_294593506_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/1012188_10200852279003950_294593506_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The middle, solid part is a piece of corded trim, embellished with some iridescent white delica glass beads. Then the embroidery was done in double-stranded white tatting thread (didn't actually have any embroidery floss in white, wasn't going to let that stop me), and the center jewels are iron on gems. Once I got that far, I thought it needed a few extra little bits, so I started looking up embroidery stitches on the web (since I haven't done this since I was a kid). That's where I happened upon this instructional video of Wendy from Knitter's Brewing (socalknitgirl on YouTube):<br />
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Her instructions are clear and easy to follow, plus her nails look fabulous! I started watching so that I could add a few little French knots to the design, and I wound up watching the whole thing, and now I want to try doing a bullion rose or two someplace else on the jeans! I'll post pictures of my results!<br />
If you are a knitter, Wendy has a whole channel on YouTube full of vids for knitters! Check them out--they've got to be good!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-72513142178672009432013-03-26T11:44:00.003-07:002013-03-26T11:53:47.190-07:00An American Girl's Interpretation of Venezuelan Pabellon CriolloWhen I was a Senior in college at what is now <a href="http://www.sapc.edu/">St. Andrews University</a>, I got to go to Venezuela for a month during our January term. It was technically a class in Marine Biology, and I was a Chemistry Major. I'd love to say that I had the absolute time of my life, especially since I saved up all my summer money to go on this trip, but in the end, it was just okay. I had wanted to go so badly because so many of my friends were Biology majors and they had gone in years past and had the time of their lives. They were all friends beforehand, so they had gotten to go as a bunch of friends. My problem was that all of my friends had already gone in years past, so the folks I went with I can barely remember the names of to this day. But I made the best of it, got to enjoy someone else's culture, music, lifestyle, and food.<br />
The food was probably the best part. We stayed in a small town and rented out their houses and went to the local restaurant for all of our meals. We had Cafe con Leche with breakfast (probably instant coffee, but it was damn good, nonetheless), white bread toast (I hate white bread, but this stuff was great), and arepas (little cornmeal fried patties with butter). Lunch would be any old thing, but after going out into the icy cold water all morning, tasted mighty good. Dinners were often chicken (especially tasty thinking it might have been the one that woke us up that morning) with more arepas, fried plantains (starchy banana-like thing), and lots of black beans and white rice. For special occasions, we'd have our black beans and rice with this amazing slow-cooked beef. I still feel like I remember the taste, but have never really come across a recipe that really did it justice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://jennfrys.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/pabellon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://jennfrys.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/pabellon.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone else's picture: Served like this (with plantains) I'm told is called Pabellon con Barandas, where baranda means "guard rail"; so the plantains are there to keep the rest of the food from falling off the plate!</td></tr>
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Then the other day, I was in the nail salon waiting, and I started talking to the woman next to me. As it turns out, she was Venezuelan, so I told her how I had gotten to go there twenty-some years ago and what a lovely country it was (despite my own youthful angst, it was a lovely country). Then I asked her about that beef, as it is considered by many to be the national dish of Venezuela. Never having learned Spanish, I could never remember the name of it, which she reminded me, was Pabellon Criollo (I'd like to say I remembered that name until I sat down here, but, no, I still had to go look it up). She told me it was simply onions, garlic and peppers (mostly sweet peppers, not spicy), then you brown the beef and stew it for a long time and eat it with black beans and rice.<br />
When I got home, I was inspired. I got out my new obsession, the Slow Cooker, and defrosted some stew beef, threw in some <a href="http://www.knorr.com/product/detail/246077/beef-stock">Knorr Homestyle Stock</a>, some carrots, garlic, a little squeeze of agave syrup for sweetness, some <a href="http://www.buenofoods.com/br_retail_products.html">Bueno Autumn Roast Green Chile</a>, and two cans of black beans (I don't care how easy you try and make it, I hate preparing dried beans.). While the original dish keeps the beans and meat separate, I decided to slow-cook them together so that the beans would sauce up the stew and all the flavors would meld together. All in all, I think I did a pretty good job of reproducing the flavor I remember. Mine was spicy, though, whereas the original was not; nonetheless, I wanted that pepper taste to it, so I made the concession. I suppose if you wanted to, you could simply substitute mild green chile or even fry up some sweet bell peppers with some onion instead. I have excluded the onion from my recipe as my husband doesn't care for it--I could hardly tell the difference.<br />
Since this is now my second try, I thought I'd record it this time!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JAhvEzUypcw/UVHqetyX1uI/AAAAAAAAAmA/pdBnvQK7lyw/s1600/IMG_5132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JAhvEzUypcw/UVHqetyX1uI/AAAAAAAAAmA/pdBnvQK7lyw/s400/IMG_5132.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What mine looks like so far--it's only been cooking for a couple hours.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Pabellon Criollo</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
1 lb. (or more) stew beef, cut into cubes<br />
1 pod Knorr Homestyle Stock--Beef<br />
2 cups (or so, if more beef is used) hot/boiling water<br />
3 carrots, cut into bite-sized chunks<br />
3/4 c. Bueno Autumn Roast Green Chile (or peppers of your choice)<br />
1 clove garlic, minced<br />
1 bay leaf<br />
2 - 15 oz. cans black beans<br />
2 T agave syrup<br />
pepper to taste<br />
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Note: While most recipes would have you salt the beef, the Knorr stock is salty enough, so I let it go. Please check the taste before you go adding any salt to it.<br />
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Place the beef chunks into the bottom of the Slow Cooker. Dissolve the pod of Knorr stock in 2 cups or so of boiling water (this is less water than is recommended by Knorr, but the Slow Cooker doesn't allow for much evaporation, so I started with less liquid). Add the carrots to the Slow Cooker, then pour the stock over it all, which will allow you to judge if you have enough liquid so far to cover the ingredients. Add all the remaining ingredients. I added the black beans last in order to judge whether I should drain any of the liquid out. Overall, you should have enough liquid to cover everything, but not so much that it's all swimming.<br />
Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. If desired, towards the end of the cooking time, use a slotted spoon to remove the pieces of meat, let them cool a little, then shred them with your fingers. Add the shredded meat back in for at least a half hour or so.<br />
If you get into a crunch for time, or don't get started on it until late morning, cook on low for 4 or 5 hours, then crank it up to high for a couple more hours. The meat might not be as meltingly tender, but that's when I'd recommend the shredding especially, as it breaks it up and allows the meat to soften for the last little bit of cooking time.<br />
Serve it with white or brown rice of your choice. I suppose if you wanted to make it a little Peruvian, you could serve it with quinoa instead!<br />
Please let me know how it turns out!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-13290539232986048912013-01-18T12:02:00.001-07:002013-01-18T12:02:35.191-07:00Not Just a Word Nerd--A Word Warrior!I'm not sure if anyone has noticed from reading this blog, but I'm a little wordy. Chalk it up to having a Ph.D., being the child and grandchild of journalists, and carrying the spelling and grammatical correctness gene. I may take some liberties here on my blog because A) it's my damn blog, and 2) nobody reads it anyway. I suppose, like every other blogger, I just like to see my own thoughts and ideas spewed out there for all to see and criticize, yet, unlike every other blogger, I realistically understand that nobody cares. Nobody is going to pay me for my opinion, no matter how profound.<br />
Something I do get inexplicably paid to do is edit and proofread other people's writing. I work for a fine online editing company called <a href="http://www.scribendi.com/">Scribendi</a>. People from all over the world send in their documents to be edited--everything from poetry to graduate dissertations to just about any other written thing you can think of. I have personally edited self-published books, textbooks, scientific papers, song lyrics, resumes, and much, much more. I've had the privilege of reading some fascinating work and making sure the message got through, as well as the burden of trying to make dreadful things readable. The coolest part, I think, is that I got such a nice gig despite having any sort of degree in writing or English (my Bachelor's is in Chemistry, my Ph.D. is in Biochemistry). I actually demonstrated my skills and got hired based on that--cool, huh?<br />
So, as a confirmed Word Nerd (sorry, Word Warrior) and Ultimate Nitpicker, I salute the fine folks at Scribendi, and repost this adorable video they have created in order to get more work for their existing editors, and perhaps recruit some new editors! Word Warriors Unite!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fscz5RYdZXg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
My only criticism is that there are far too many trees in the "shootout" scene for it to be authentically Wild West-style. Since the company headquarters is in Chatham, Ontario, I understand they had to work with what they had, but next time, you guys are all invited down to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to shoot your shootout! We've got tumbleweeds and desert and dust--it's so dry and brown here, you won't even have to sepia-tint it later! It's not THAT long of a drive...is it?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-12858607442155763682013-01-13T16:59:00.000-07:002013-01-13T16:59:14.871-07:00Fume-Free Cleaning (If You Don't Count Cussing)I don't know what the water quality is like where you live, but here in Albuquerque, New Mexico, we have exceedingly HARD water. In fact, I never fully appreciated the very definition of hard water until I moved here. Calcified water deposits get all over everything and never come off. As in never. As in, every couple of years, I simply THROW OUT my steam iron because it gets so clogged with hard water chunks it randomly spews them onto my husband's shirts, and no amount of country wisdom seems to be adequate to clean it.<br />
This being said, today I walked into our family bathroom and decided (mostly since I'm getting over a cold and can't smell the fumes) I would clean the stains from the sink and toilet. To give you an idea of what I started out with, here's my less-than-a-year-old toilet:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BSMSnMnbzro/UPMzqhte4NI/AAAAAAAAAYY/jp_F9NMlpjk/s1600/photo+2341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BSMSnMnbzro/UPMzqhte4NI/AAAAAAAAAYY/jp_F9NMlpjk/s400/photo+2341.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New toilet: A whole 'nother DIY adventure I shan't trouble you with.</td></tr>
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As well as my old-as-the-house-itself (about 35 years old) marble/something bathroom sink:<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4xYT_grt_6I/UPMzqK5n1XI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/LYwMoHD2MxQ/s1600/photo+2337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4xYT_grt_6I/UPMzqK5n1XI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/LYwMoHD2MxQ/s400/photo+2337.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yikes.</td></tr>
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No, really, the stains on the sink just look like a little grubby dirt, but they are, in actual fact, now part of the rock itself:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vOQubrn9lag/UPMzqVZ41fI/AAAAAAAAAYc/BVGIeImqglE/s1600/photo+2339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="436" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vOQubrn9lag/UPMzqVZ41fI/AAAAAAAAAYc/BVGIeImqglE/s640/photo+2339.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, and I took these pictures after scrubbing it with steel wool and Comet powder for 20 minutes.</td></tr>
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So because I had already tried traditional cleansers and elbow grease, I thought I'd take a step back and consult that repository of all human knowledge (no, not Wikipedia; the other repository of all human knowledge) <a href="http://pinterest.com/">Pinterest</a>. Now, for anyone out there reading this who is not a bored homemaker or gay man, Pinterest is a highly addictive social media site where one can go to find clever snapshots with links to recipes, pictures of other people's pets, cat memes, helpful hints, and pretty much anything one can imagine to enable the reader to waste time in the guise of compiling useful information. Among the multitudes of helpful posts about how to clean everything in the world using common household goods are more than a few variations on the wonders of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and white vinegar. I started out with the simplest suggestion, mixing a paste of baking soda and peroxide and slathered this all over my target areas:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5q_jwB0NR0/UPMzq50hQyI/AAAAAAAAAYk/8oS9ulPx_rg/s1600/photo+2345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5q_jwB0NR0/UPMzq50hQyI/AAAAAAAAAYk/8oS9ulPx_rg/s400/photo+2345.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmmm...pasty.</td></tr>
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For the toilet, I got all the water out of the bowl first. If you've never had to fix your own toilet, how you do that is to turn off the water behind the tank, flush a couple of times until the tank is mostly empty, then scoop, bail, or sponge out the water in the bowl. I needed that icky brown ring to be dryish, so the paste wouldn't all just slide down to Goldfish Heaven. I let it sit (read, went back to look at <a href="http://pinterest.com/jvdarcy/love-me-some-dogs/">pictures of dogs on Pinterest</a>) then went back and started scrubbing, first, with a scrubby sponge, then with damn steel wool (the chemist in me saw this part as folly, as steel wool is probably pretty reactive with peroxide and/or bicarbonate), and after about ten more minutes of hard scrubbing, started to see the tiniest little bits of toilet ring coming off.</div>
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F**K THIS, I thought to myself, and also out loud, but without the asterisks. Then I figured out what the missing element from all of these helpful hints was. </div>
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THIS IS THE CLEVER BIT. IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, FEEL FREE TO GO BACK TO PINTEREST.</div>
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But seriously, it worked, so, there's that. </div>
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Once you've got your paste all soaked in and scrubbed up to no avail, get out your reading glasses and an X-Acto knife, and scrape it off by hand. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X0zH-6jaXAM/UPM-X7TPQUI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/vncAzhysI14/s1600/photo+2349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X0zH-6jaXAM/UPM-X7TPQUI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/vncAzhysI14/s320/photo+2349.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The clever bit.</td></tr>
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Here's my breathtaking before and after pic; I bet you can hardly believe it's the same potty:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e2AGJleswFE/UPMzrdziPbI/AAAAAAAAAYs/O_UlYejmY5E/s1600/toilette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e2AGJleswFE/UPMzrdziPbI/AAAAAAAAAYs/O_UlYejmY5E/s640/toilette.jpg" width="416" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It has been five minutes, so it undoubtedly no longer looks like this.</td></tr>
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Now the sink seemed to be another, wholly less satisfying matter. I pasted, I scrubbed, and I X-Acto-scraped, but that nonsense just wasn't coming off of there. Plus, if you compare before and after (below), you'll notice that the rim around the sink isn't just dark because it's in shadows, but because it is the most stained of any of it. So one last internet tip to go--I doused it all (enough to wet the paste, but not wash it away) in white vinegar. For those of you who have forgotten, here's what I just did (excluding the peroxide, which I figured called it quits a while ago):</div>
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<span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;">CH</span><span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; line-height: 23px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">3</span></span><span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;">COOH + NaHCO</span><span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; line-height: 23px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">3</span></span><span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;"> ===> NaCH</span><sub style="border: 0px; color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">3</span></sub><span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;">COO + H</span><span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; line-height: 23px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">2</span></span><span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;">CO</span><span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; line-height: 23px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">3</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23px;">Sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid react to form sodium acetate salt and carbonic acid. Carbonic acid is the weak acid in soda pop, which quickly breaks down into carbon dioxide and water.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;">H</span><span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; line-height: 23px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">2</span></span><span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;">CO</span><span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; line-height: 23px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">3</span></span><span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;"> ===> CO</span><span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; line-height: 23px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">2</span></span><span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;"> + H</span><span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; line-height: 23px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">2</span></span><span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;">O</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;">Sorry, the chemist in me had to share that part with you. Just pretend like you already knew it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0e2233; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px;">So, as much as I'd like to say that this reaction enabled me to simply wipe off the hard water stains with the side of my hand, there was still some more X-Acto knife action, plus a little bit of paint-scraper work after that, but at least it came off. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D8CvAbvuAyM/UPMzqZFFbWI/AAAAAAAAAYg/vkVdj64LqD8/s1600/Sink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D8CvAbvuAyM/UPMzqZFFbWI/AAAAAAAAAYg/vkVdj64LqD8/s640/Sink.jpg" width="458" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still not good as new, but certainly much better. Don't know what that stain is in the drain, but it should be the part of the house that survives the nuclear apocalypse (are we still having that?).</td></tr>
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I hope that all three of my blog readers found that helpful, and I certainly feel as if I've gotten it off of my chest, which is, after all, the primary purpose of having a blog.<br />
Not to let you think that my efforts went unnoticed, I was under the constant supervision and unwavering moral support of my entire family.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v1Vb_8ajNC0/UPMzrWkgeqI/AAAAAAAAAYw/vjLQAjB1Mzc/s1600/photo+2346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="441" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v1Vb_8ajNC0/UPMzrWkgeqI/AAAAAAAAAYw/vjLQAjB1Mzc/s640/photo+2346.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not shown: Actual unwavering support.</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-45867029519000286602012-06-05T12:13:00.000-06:002012-06-05T12:13:14.029-06:00Sexy, Healthy Food Porn!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1877033586"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://ny-image1.etsy.com/000/0/5215503/il_570xN.119365945.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/39511375/corset-of-arms-if-women-ran-the">One way to get skinny...</a></td></tr>
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A few nights ago, my husband and I were supposed to go to a cookout with some friends after he finished golf, so I got sort of gussied up (in a cookout kind of way) and was all ready by the time he told me he'd be done. Well due to some unforeseen circumstances, he wound up being quite a bit later than the time he had said. Since it was too late to head out to our friends' house, we decided to go out to eat. We picked <a href="http://www.zios.com/site/">Zio's Italian Kitchen</a>, and it was a lovely dinner. He had the traditional spaghetti dinner, and I had a nice chicken dish with angel hair pasta. Knowing that this meal was flying in the face of my diet, I ate all the chicken and veggies, and left about a cupful of pasta behind. When I got home, I looked it up, since Zio's is a franchise, and the nutritional info was listed on their website. Even having left a bunch of pasta behind, I still estimated that I had consumed about 900 calories and over 80 grams of fat in that one meal! What a disaster for my diet! (It was still yummy, though.)<br />
So in an effort to know what I'm eating and keeping better track of my nutrition, I've been trying to cook for all of us as much as possible. I've been making big batches of breakfast food and tracking all of the ingredients. I've made <a href="http://allrecipes.com/personalrecipe/63213339/massive-amount-of-healthy-french-toast/detail.aspx">massive amounts of French toast</a>, oatmeal (I prefer <a href="http://www.coachsoats.com/">Coach's Oats</a>) and quinoa hot cereal, and more scrambled, mostly whites, eggs than you can imagine. Today I made another big batch of breakfast, and this one is fast becoming my favorite. Breakfast Strata. Think omelet + toast + whatever you want to throw in there, all in one pan. Here's the result:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vSNxv2ukOrU/T84_hI3kJeI/AAAAAAAAASo/q9f-14X29bo/s1600/breakfast_strata.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vSNxv2ukOrU/T84_hI3kJeI/AAAAAAAAASo/q9f-14X29bo/s320/breakfast_strata.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Sorry I forgot to take the picture when it first came out of the oven, but this gives you the idea. My only bit of disappointment was that, despite the nonstick pan AND olive oil spray, it still stuck to the pan like crazy! But that was only a minor bummer, as this thing turned out utterly delicious.<br />
Keys to the healthy success of this meal include:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Nature's Own Double Fiber bread (since the bread soaks up the egg anyway, you can hardly even tell there's bread in it)</li>
<li>Half whole eggs, half whites</li>
<li>Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese</li>
<li>Dash of nutmeg (if you think it sounds weird, just trust me, you'll be hooked for life)</li>
</ul>
<div>
Here's the full-out recipe:</div>
<div>
16 eggs, half whole, half whites only</div>
<div>
1 cup nonfat milk</div>
<div>
1/4 teaspoon onion powder</div>
<div>
1 Tablespoon (or so) dried basil</div>
<div>
1 teaspoon dried oregano</div>
<div>
a couple generous shakes of nutmeg (so like, 1/4 teaspoon, maybe?)</div>
<div>
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste</div>
<div>
8 slices of wheat bread (I used Nature's Own Double Fiber bread), toasted</div>
<div>
7 or 8 slices of turkey bacon, cooked</div>
<div>
1 frozen brick of spinach, thawed and squeezed dry</div>
<div>
8 oz reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook up the bacon, blot the grease off in a paper towel, and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, crack your whole eggs, separate your whites, and make sure the dogs appreciate that they are getting the yolks. Add milk and seasonings and beat until well mixed. In a well greased baking pan (mine is 13" x 9" x 2"), break the toast up into chunks (like 4ths or 6ths) and layer it across the bottom evenly, squishing it down a little as necessary. crumble the bacon slices across the top of the bread. Pour the egg mixture slowly and evenly across the whole pan. Now make an even layer of spinach across the top of that (or you could mix it in with the egg, I just thought it came out more even this way). Layer on the cheese, making sure to get it evenly distributed across the whole pan. Cover the pan with foil (so the cheese doesn't get brown too fast) and put it in the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes, taking the foil off for the last five minutes. Cooking times may vary, depending on the dimensions of your pan. Test with a knife in the middle, it can come out a little moist, but not wet. Serves 6 hungry people.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As you can see from the big chunk I ate right away, I was really hungry. Since I cut up my strata into 6 even pieces, I figured out the nutritional data calling that a serving.</div>
<div>
Calories: 394</div>
<div>
Protein: 34.8 g</div>
<div>
Fat: 20.7 g </div>
<div>
Fiber: 8 g</div>
<div>
Total carbs: 21 g</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Enjoy! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-39432700403212421252012-05-24T11:38:00.003-06:002012-05-24T11:38:57.241-06:00Sucks Being a Skinny Bitch on a Diet<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/428347_10150490796372583_78875072582_9056789_219886166_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/428347_10150490796372583_78875072582_9056789_219886166_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.wepay.com/stores/easily-distracted-by-julie-d-arcy?page=1">Not THIS skinny bitch...</a></td></tr>
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I get it. Everybody who has ever dieted in their life (so, everybody in THIS country, at least) bitches about their diet. How hard it is. How they're not seeing results as fast as they want. How they just refuse to give up X (coffee, cupcakes, lard). Whatever. I feel your pain, I really do.<br />
But I'll tell you one thing you other dieters have that I don't--sympathy. You see, I only weigh 109 lbs (as of this morning). My goal weight is 102 lbs, mainly because I've got this extra chunk-chunk around my waist, my jeans don't fit comfortably, and 102 lbs is a healthy weight FOR ME, as the entire span of my 20s and 30s has demonstrated.<br />
You can stop looking at me that way. If I say I'm on a diet in public, I get this look like I'm some heroin-soaked has-been fashion model trying to relive her youth. I am not bulimic or anorexic, and I don't believe too many women's magazines. At the age of 44 (nearly 45), I have accepted that I have a tiny bust, a tiny pin-head, a huge nose, a somewhat funny-shaped face, and a husband who thinks I am one of the most beautiful women on the planet. Quite honestly, it's that last part that is the reason why I'm on a diet. My husband and I are constantly challenging one another, supporting each other's efforts for self-improvement. However, I'm afraid that while I was busy packing on my whole whopping 7 pounds, he has packed on considerably more. He loses some, then gains it back--it has been quite informative to watch the differences between women and men when it comes to weight loss. My husband can lose up to 5 lbs in a day, then a few days later, he gains that same amount back. Most of the women I've read about (I don't dare talk to them) do the same thing, but over much longer stretches of time. Sure, there's the diuretic loss of that first few pounds of water weight (I got rid of that a while back), but then it's just slow and steady. Except for me, where it's steadily nonexistent.<br />
I have changed my whole life for this new healthy lifestyle, and, to be honest, my lifestyle wasn't that unhealthy to begin with! I exercised and ate a fairly balanced diet, along with the occasional trip to Carl's Jr. (Prime Rib Burger--you can never have too much meat). Now, I exercise a ton more, balancing stretching with aerobics and dance and weight bearing exercise. I eat a ton less. I am trying to get used to the feeling of being slightly hungry most of the time, and never feeling utterly stuffed.<br />
So, with that in mind, I'm posting recipes, exercise, and lifestyle tips that have been helpful to ME, in the hope that they might be helpful to you. While my husband can live off of canned tuna and rice cakes, I'm just like every other woman (and most men) I know--I like variety and flavor, and sometimes I crave stuff that I just have no substitute for. Also, I sit in front of the computer on my ass instead of taking the dogs for a walk or trying out those 15 new exercises I pinned on <a href="http://pinterest.com/jvdarcy/health-and-wellness/">Pinterest</a>. A little bit at a time, I'm figuring it out, working it out, making the changes, and keeping it that way. <br />
Just so you know, this blog post has been sitting as a draft for several days, during which time, I've finally managed to shave off a couple of pounds! This morning, before breakfast, I weighed 103.8 lbs! Granted, then I ate breakfast with 2 cups of coffee, so I'm probably back up to about 105, but still, getting there!<br />
My next post will be about some of the exercise regimes I've found--which exercises seem to do anything, and what they do. It'll probably turn into a series of installments, since there's so many to choose from. Walking fitness, butt-busters, abdominal workouts, oh, and then there's the exercises to help all the hurting joints I've injured trying all of this out. So stay tuned! <br />
Also, if you are at all intrigued by the colored pencil drawing of my Doberman Pincher, Mimi, above, you can buy a print of it for your very own in my <a href="http://jvdarcy.etsy.com/">Etsy Shop</a>. Clicking on the link below the picture will take you right to it!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-59874045386072600372012-05-08T10:00:00.000-06:002012-05-08T10:46:24.859-06:00Spontaneous Cannellini Bean Soup with Lemon and Spinach--Healthy Food Porn<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_994706339"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.290487731.jpg" width="332" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/87238262/la-primavera-fun-bizarre-green-print-6-x">La Primavera--in honor of the veggies of Spring! </a></td></tr>
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Today I started out driving my honey to the airport for a 6 am flight, followed by some oatmeal with quinoa and apples, followed by going back to sleep. When I finally got up, I had a cup of strawberry Greek yogurt and a cup of coffee with 1/4 cup of non-fat dry milk and 1 T sugar-free French vanilla creamer (planning on cutting that source of corn-syrup solids out--more to follow). I took an inventory of the Costco needs and the regular grocery store needs, then decided to take a field trip to Sunflower Market to see about some good veggies and perhaps a substitute for the creamer.<br />
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<a href="http://www.turtlemountain.com/img/products/coco-milk-creamer-hazelnut.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="http://www.turtlemountain.com/img/products/coco-milk-creamer-hazelnut.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Sunflower market was a big win today, as they had fresh kale! At a price that I could afford to make soup at! That made me pretty happy. Bought some fresh lemons, some farro (never tried it), some wheat berries (probably for bread, but we'll see), and some sea salt. I also perused the refrigerated coffee creamer section for some substitute for all the fat and calories in non-dairy creamer without having to resort to black coffee. I decided on <a href="http://www.turtlemountain.com/products/coconut-milk-beverages/creamer-hazelnut">So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer in Hazelnut Flavor</a>. I'm trying some in my sugar free hot chocolate right now, and so far, it's not bad. The real test will be tomorrow's coffee. Stay tuned.<br />
Did my usual Costco run for stuff for the boys--they do frozen fish sticks and corn dogs (What the hell, it keeps them alive, and keeps them from complaining about my crazy health food.). Plus, I'll admit, their fish sticks are really good. The oldest keeps making them on the regular (not non-stick) aluminum foil, so if I happen to go out to the kitchen right after he's made some, he has usually left me half a fish stick stuck to the foil.<br />
Next stop was the regular grocery store for canned beans and various beverages. They had canned Cannellini beans, as well as garbanzo beans (organic, storebrand, and on sale!), and Great Northern beans. So the house is all set to toot.<br />
Got home with enough time to try out the <a href="http://www.prevention.com/preventions-walking-boot-camp">Walking Boot Camp</a> regimen I found on Prevention mag's site. Upside: it was pretty strenuous and a good workout. Downside: Could only take one dog, so now the other two are mad at me. Got home and went to <a href="http://www.zumba.com/">Zumba</a>!<br />
I ate pretty well today, but I also got a lot of exercise, so once I finally got home I was suitable famished. I had been thinking about some Cannellini bean soup that I think I saw on <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/giada-at-home/index.html">Giada at Home</a>. Since I'm too lazy to look things up, I decided to just make something up. So here's what I made up:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_994706329"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://render1.snapfish.com/render2/is=Yup6aQQ%7C=up6RKKt:xxr=0-qpDofRt7Pf7mrPfrj7t=zrRfDUX:eQaQxg=r%3f87KR6xqpxQQQJxnQQxlGexQQQJnQQlGeeeaqpfVtB%3f*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gX0QQoo%7CRup6G0o%7C/of=50,590,392" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://melomeals.blogspot.com/2007/11/lots-of-different-things.html">Someone else's white bean soup, I take terrible photos.</a></td></tr>
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<br />
3 (15 oz) cans (drained) cannelllini beans<br />
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped<br />
zest and juice of one whole lemon (it was a small lemon, so I added a little more bottled lemon juice to taste)<br />
1 c. Chicken stock<br />
1 c. filtered water<br />
<br />
Threw all that in the blender and pureed it a bit. I don't think I completely pureed it, just got it pretty smoothie-like.<br />
Threw that into a soup pot with a bit more water and stock until it looked soup-like and heated it on low. Added a teaspoon or so of dried basil and a pinch (or a few dashes) of ground cayenne pepper. Let it simmer while I took a shower (in case you skipped over the part about the Walking Boot Camp and Zumba class, I was gross.) Took a brick (10 oz.) of spinach out and plunked it in warm water (now that the blender is empty and needs rinsing, I thought I'd use that).<br />
Once I finished my shower, I came out and stirred, tasted, added a bit of salt and cayenne to suit my tastes, then threw in the now-thawed brick of spinach (be sure to squeeze it out first). For some added protein and feeling of fullness, I added a 12.5 oz can of white meat chicken (Kirkland brand from Costco, I believe). If I had used veggie stock instead of chicken stock, I think you could call it vegan up to this point.<br />
<br />
Overall, I have to say, it tasted as yummy as that picture above of someone else's soup. The spinach in that amount of beans made it slightly greener, but I'm always happy to have more spinach. If I put my mind to it tomorrow, I'll figure out what the nutritional content is on that bad boy, because I bet it was pretty stunning.<br />
So, yummy--check. Low fat--check. High protein & fiber--check, check.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-57592066764281068672012-04-30T11:52:00.001-06:002012-04-30T11:52:42.543-06:00Trying out Tophatter<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.55635645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.55635645.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/20548518/imaginary-flora-an-electron-micrograph-6">Imaginary Flora, digital manipulation of old microscope photography</a></td></tr>
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Upon the recommendations of <a href="http://handmadeology.com/">Handmadeology.com</a>, I've decided to try out this live auction site, <a href="http://tophatter.com/">Tophatter.com</a>, as a venue to sell some of my artwork. They only allow you to schedule one auction at a time when you are new, so it will be an interesting test to see if anyone is interested in my work. My first piece up for auction will be a 6" x 8" print of "Imaginary Flora", shown above. It will be appearing in the <a href="http://tophatter.com/auctions/1901">Weekend Bazaar auction</a> on May 6th at 12PM Pacific Daylight Time (1 PM Mountain Daylight Time, here where I am!). I hope that some of my friends will be able to show up and talk me up! The starting bid will be only $3 + $2 for shipping! I usually sell this print for $15, so this auction could be a great deal for someone!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-50143113977298807612012-04-22T17:50:00.000-06:002012-04-22T17:53:51.668-06:00The Mint is Dead, Long Live the Mint<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1880043282"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.134160365.jpg" width="425" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/43846840/paisley-face-print-of-an-original-art">Paisley-Face in mint, available in my Etsy Shop.</a></td></tr>
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<br />
<span class="huge" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></i></span><br />
<span class="huge" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It is the destiny of mint to be crushed.</span></i></span><br />
<span class="bodybold" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">--Waverley Lewis Root</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apparently, Waverly has only crushed it, for he seems to have left out the part where the mint is more than happy to be crushed, as it knows it will simply grow back from where you have ripped it from the ground and strangle out the sturdiest of more delicate and desirable herbs. (In case you were wondering, as </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">was </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I, who on earth Waverley Lewis Root was, I Wikipedia'ed him, and he was an American journalist for the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Post who wrote primarily about food. I'm sure if I could ever get any of my family or friends from Northern Virginia to read my blog, one of them would have probably known him. Alas, then I'd have to take the heat about writing a blog as the only non-professional-writer member of my family. Phhht, I say to that.) </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who knew that a gift from my daughter's elementary school teacher a dozen years ago would still be reaching out to bitch-slap my garden all these years later, despite my attempts to kill it. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dear, sweet, Ms. Voge, the most beloved teacher a young girl (and her parents) could have, at the end of the school year, invited her entire class and their parents over to her house for a party. As a twenty-something nouveau-hippie, she grew her own veggies and herbs and raised bunnies in her vast back yard, and collected eclectic vintage and exotic furnishings for her little house. As a gift to each of her students, and unwittingly making herself Patient Zero in this city-wide, minty contagion, she gave a single, tiny mint plant to take home. Since I grew up a couple thousand miles Northeast of here, knowing how well it grows in Virginia, I took it home, expecting it to grow for a little while, at least as long as my daughter's attention-span at the time, then perish in the gruesome desert of the Southwest. Little did I know that that mint plant would spread across the area I had planted it in and send out little feeder roots to my entire back yard.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Both my son and I have gone through and ripped out any signs of mint-life to be found from under the cottonwood tree, where we originally planted it (don't get me started on what a noxious weed of a tree the cottonwood is). I dug out the tiny roots that had infiltrated the dirt plot around the tree in order to grow something--really anything--I wanted, instead.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wZwKr7aLO70/T5SMu9FUSGI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/XWe1Pmw7Mow/s1600/photo+1868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="416" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wZwKr7aLO70/T5SMu9FUSGI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/XWe1Pmw7Mow/s640/photo+1868.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That was a couple of weeks ago.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since I needed to treat the tree for disease this year, I decided to plant flowers there, since the treatment chemicals are not the sort of thing you'd want in your edibles. I gave it some yummy soil and some extra chunks from the peat pots my edible plants were in, and sowed a few marigold seeds. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PgT-ZpVqzJo/T5SMuDW4AHI/AAAAAAAAAQw/zvb2-7qavs4/s1600/photo+1867.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="330" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PgT-ZpVqzJo/T5SMuDW4AHI/AAAAAAAAAQw/zvb2-7qavs4/s400/photo+1867.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, come on.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I made sure that the flowers and garden plots got water, while the xeriscaped bricks around them got none.</span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rR2OHr9hRVM/T5SMvi9N5gI/AAAAAAAAARA/tj7sMFSwRdo/s1600/photo+1869.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rR2OHr9hRVM/T5SMvi9N5gI/AAAAAAAAARA/tj7sMFSwRdo/s400/photo+1869.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okay, seriously. F*ck you already.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few years ago, I did find something that gave the mint a run for its money, but it's hard to say whether it was a good trade-off or not. As it turns out, another weed-disguised-as-aromatic-herb that seems to grow in every climate on earth (I'm not kidding--I saw it growing in a window box in a science lab in Dae-Jung, South Korea, which is climatically comparable to South Florida) is rosemary. Now, I like rosemary in some dishes just fine, so I found it a lot more useful than the mint. However, a few months go by, and that rosemary had spread across everywhere! It even seemed to duke it out with the mint and win! The fact that it also overgrew my basil and oregano, two herbs I like a lot more, was what really put the fear of Mother Earth in me. Not to mention the fact that rosemary grows on these sturdy, woody, pine-like stalks, that maintain their integrity even after death, during winter. Not good.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I seem to have been able to extract all the rosemary from years past. This year I bought ONE plant of rosemary, and I planted it next to my broccoli, <a href="http://juliedarcy.blogspot.com/2012/04/companion-planting-i-sure-dont-know.html">as was suggested by my research about Companion Gardening</a>, and it seems to get along okay so far.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DZCrGlVpebo/T5SMwFE8ATI/AAAAAAAAARI/LTHWBgUzuKE/s1600/photo+1872.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="365" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DZCrGlVpebo/T5SMwFE8ATI/AAAAAAAAARI/LTHWBgUzuKE/s400/photo+1872.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okay, Rosemary old girl, I'M WATCHING YOU.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So we shall see what the future holds for the battle of the <strike>noxious aromatic weeds</strike> delightful, fragrant herbs plotting against my garden. In the meanwhile, I think I might make up some prettier garden markers.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To end my tale of treachery, I'll leave you with this picture of my larger garden plot, complete with three different types of tomatoes, basil, and oregano.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UhkgOp556AY/T5SYN9IXRRI/AAAAAAAAARQ/WZV3BnYVJJo/s1600/photo+1864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="468" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UhkgOp556AY/T5SYN9IXRRI/AAAAAAAAARQ/WZV3BnYVJJo/s640/photo+1864.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com0Albuquerque, NM, USA35.101934057246055 -106.655273437534.270581557246054 -107.9187009375 35.933286557246056 -105.3918459375tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-62318475662853584842012-04-13T21:40:00.000-06:002012-04-14T11:52:44.747-06:00Companion Planting: I Sure Don't Know Much About Plants<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/7941845/surreal-dandelion-two-color-etching-and" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.14266581.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dandelions attract pollinating insects and <br />
promote fruit ripening. Mwah!</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">For someone with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, or really, anyone with a degree that has "Bio" in the name, you would think I would know something about plant biology. However, I went to graduate school in a medical school, so my education might have been a little heavy on the animal part. I basically know about plants what the dudes at Home Depot and Ace Hardware tell me, so that puts me up there with pretty much any adult who knows how to ask a question.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">
When I told my husband I'd gone out and bought seeds and some seedlings to plant this year, he gave me quite an earful on all the stuff I might do wrong, and how you can't plant some plants next to each other, or else they'll try and kill each other, or plot against you in a bid for global domination, or some shit. Once I felt thoroughly schooled in what I didn't know, I figured I'd seek out some knowledge about what to plant together and what not.</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">As it turns out, what he was mostly talking about was a concept called </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">Companion Planting</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">. The principles of companion planting have to do with how different plant species can help each other in different ways, including nutrient uptake, pest control, and pollination. Some plants planted next to each other will cause both species to thrive, while other combinations of plants can be detrimental to one side or the other. Some plants repel specific pests (onions and other alliums repel aphids and slugs), so they should be planted next to other species that are vulnerable to those pests. For some reason I cannot seem to discover, you should not plant brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages) near nightshades (tomatoes, peppers and potatoes), as they universally hate each other. Since I am planting two relatively small plots in separate sections of my yard, and not planting a zillion different things across the vast farmland of America, I was able to divide and conquer, based on plant compatibility.</span><br />
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Some excellent resources I found were at Wikipedia (of course!), where there is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companion_planting">a general discussion of companion planting</a>, as well as a rather detailed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companion_plants">list of plant compatibility</a>, broken down into categories and giving the specifics of each type of harm or benefit (although no one seems to have an explanation as to why broccoli and tomatoes hate each other--bad phloem, I guess). </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1m7nfMVoz5o/T4jkjdwRfoI/AAAAAAAAAQo/mTXoIy28tUA/s1600/photo+1852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1m7nfMVoz5o/T4jkjdwRfoI/AAAAAAAAAQo/mTXoIy28tUA/s320/photo+1852.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tension down here is palpable. Someone's about to get cut.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There's more handy information about companion gardening at <a href="http://www.howtogardenadvice.com/garden_info/companion_gardening.html">How To Garden Advice.com</a>, and they have their own groovy chart, as well as a graphic example of why you shouldn't plant chard and potatoes next to each other (if you have baby potatoes in the house, you might not want to let them look).<br />
So, in case you're wondering what sorts of yumminess I have planned for the growing season, here's the plan for my two planting areas. In the smaller of the two beds, I'll plant the broccoli and cauliflower, along with sage and rosemary. That bed might fit some yellow beans as well, if they ever decide to germinate. Then, all the way on the other side of the yard (are you hearing me, broccoli?) I'm planting TONS of tomatoes, along with Serrano chili peppers, basil, oregano, and flat-leaf parsley. For tomatoes, I got traditional Romas, some Super Sweet 100 cherries, and an heirloom called Black Krim. The Black Krim variety is from the Isle of Krim on the Black Sea, which I'm totally hoping is just like the land-locked desert of the Southwestern U.S.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_530484378"><img border="0" src="http://www.veggiegardener.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/black_krim1-300x292.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.veggiegardener.com/black-krim-january-2010-tomato-of-the-month/">Image from veggiegardener.com, click to read their article about the Black Krim!</a></td></tr>
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<br />
If my peas germinate, they go in that box as well, though I may have to build some sort of wall of herbs between them and the tomatoes (I can't seem to get an honest answer from any of these sites as to the compatibility of tomatoes and peas.). Oh, and apparently, I need to plant those marigold seeds I got around both planters, as they give off all sorts of bad bug mojo. I will try and keep my readers apprised of how things are going over the course of the summer, with lots of pictures of the Doberman trying to steal tomatoes off the vine and getting zapped by the electric fence.<br />
Tell me what your favorite homegrown vegetables and fruits are! Are you planning on growing any this year?<br />
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-50461054310354540992012-03-30T10:52:00.004-07:002012-03-30T12:56:27.259-07:00Eggs Over Easy--Stop Making It So Complicated!<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 570px; height: 406px;" src="http://img2.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.223158690.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><div>Last night, after making myself some eggs for dinner, I decided to do a quick Google search for how to make the perfect Over-Easy Egg. Like all things internet, there's more advice out there than anyone should know what to do with. And also, like all things internet, everybody says it's EASY. You just won't believe how easy. Easy-peasy... er, and something else that rhymes with easy. Trouble is, it's not that easy to flip over an egg without breaking the yolk. I mean, it's possible that it really is easy, and I'm just a f*ckwit, but, like everybody else who posts their opinions on the internet, I'm going to assume that it's not that. <div>As every single other advice article will explain (for very little reason), the insides of an egg has three parts: the yolk, the inner white (which goopily clings right around the yolk and cushions it from the heat), and the outer white (which is the part that sprawls across the pan if it can get away with it). Other advisors will tell you that you should simply monitor your egg until that inner white is firmed up and opaque, then, oh-so-simply-and-easily flip it over. This maneuver is mostly facilitated by copious amounts of grease, a non-stick frypan, a magical spatula, AND a lifetime of hand-eye coordination and practice. Sounds SUPER EASY so far, right?</div><div>Well, if you troll around some more through discussion boards and the Ask.coms and About.coms out there, there's usually a few still, small voices of reason peeping through the din out there. And now I'm one of them. Rather than peep, I'm going to shamelessly pronounce to everyone out there (all 5 of my readers) that I cannot flip an egg for nothing. Oh, sure, every now and again I get lucky and the flip results in one perfect egg, but certainly not if there's more than one egg in the pan.</div><div>So here's what I do, and it works, and it really is easy. Heat up your pan on a low to medium heat, spraying it with a little cooking spray (yes, even if it's a non-stick pan, eggs are the stickiest things on the planet!). I like to cook more whites than yolks (since I'm not that big of a fan of atherosclerosis), so my trick is to crack all of my eggs into a measuring cup first, so it can all go in at the same time and cook at the same rate. If you like to keep your eggs all segregated from one another, well, that's between you and your egg maker, and you'll just have to figure something out. Mostly, I just use the spatula at the end of cooking to separate the blanket of whites into my eggs and The Honey's eggs. In my example, I was just cooking for myself, so the whole thing went onto my plate (The Honey is out of town... :-( ...).</div><div>Once your pan is heated up and your eggs are all cracked and/or separated (for my example, I just used one whole egg and one white), pour your eggs into the pan. Some sources say that it shouldn't be so hot as to make the sizzly, crackly sound when it hits the pan, but mine does, and nothing bad ever comes of it. Have a big enough pan for your eggs to spread out nicely--it'll ensure that they cook evenly and make it easier to separate, if you decide to share. So now, while you let it cook on one side for a few seconds (say, 30-ish?), add any seasonings you may want on your eggs. I put a little salt, freshly ground pepper, and a sprinkle of onion powder. </div><br /><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0QG2uhqWcSY/T3UnZpTyE0I/AAAAAAAAAQQ/ijLweAYIf6U/s597/20120329_211047.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 597px; height: 532px;" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0QG2uhqWcSY/T3UnZpTyE0I/AAAAAAAAAQQ/ijLweAYIf6U/s597/20120329_211047.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>Sizzle, crackle, pepper-grinder-noise, salt-shaker-shake...</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i><br /></i></span></div><div>Now here comes the magically easy part: Put a lid on it. I chose a lid that is smaller in diameter than my pan, but not so small as to touch the eggs themselves. That way, I have neatly enclosed my eggs so they can steam for a few seconds. If you only have a properly-fitting lid, that works too, but your eggs might need a few more seconds, as now you have a bigger steam-chamber to heat.</div><br /><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8IIYTkWQS9Q/T3Um9sD91fI/AAAAAAAAAQU/yuL-GV5hW7k/s600/20120329_211208.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: 487px;" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8IIYTkWQS9Q/T3Um9sD91fI/AAAAAAAAAQU/yuL-GV5hW7k/s600/20120329_211208.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>Looks funny, works like a charm</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i><br /></i></span></div><div>So now you stand there for a few seconds (again, like, 20 to 30 maybe?), eating your bacon first (shut up, everybody does it), buttering your toast, or toasting your tortilla on the adjacent burner (advanced maneuver--I have never succeeded in doing these two things at once. Either the eggs or the tortilla pay the price for my insolence.). Now peek at your eggs and see if they are done, which they probably are! Now you only have to get them from the pan to the plate without breaking the yolk, and that I can't help you with. Use a spatula. You'll be okay.</div><br /><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d3FYbfJGVFk/T3UmvHV9wrI/AAAAAAAAAQY/n42kTH-tnuQ/s600/20120329_211224.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: 525px;" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d3FYbfJGVFk/T3UmvHV9wrI/AAAAAAAAAQY/n42kTH-tnuQ/s600/20120329_211224.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>Perfect egg, jiggly photo.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i><br /></i></span></div><div>So, like everything in life, this takes a little practice. However, you must admit, this is pretty easy, compared to flipping the eggs over! The only real variable is cooking time, and that, I'm afraid, just takes practice. Nowhere near the amount of practice it would take to master the <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/eggs-over-easy-recipe/index.html">Alton Brown Flip-in-the-Air method</a> (my dogs would really appreciate all the failed attempts, though, unless it all wound up on the inside of the fume hood), but practice. And, unlike Alton's outtakes, my errors are probably still edible and free of dog fur.</div><div>Oh, and yes, I am aware that these eggs really aren't Over Easy, since you haven't actually flipped them over. Either stop being so pedantic, or make up a catchy new name for this type of egg yourself. Short answer: Shut up and eat your eggs before they get cold.</div><div>Also, if you enjoy the sunny image at the top of the post, it is my artwork! You can go purchase it, in ACEO-size or 5" x 7" size, in either my <a href="https://www.wepay.com/stores/easily-distracted-by-julie-d-arcy">WePAY store</a> (5" x 7" is on page 2) or my <a href="http://jvdarcy.etsy.com/">Etsy shop</a>. I hope the rest of your day is truly Over Easy! (No spatula required!)</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-80207475666555354612012-03-28T18:37:00.003-07:002012-03-28T19:56:35.472-07:00Food Porn! Okay, Not Really...Tonight's post is in response to all the Food Porn pins I've been making lately on <a href="http://pinterest.com/jvdarcy/food-porn/">Pinterest</a>. Ever since I started attempting to lose a few pounds, every time I see some yummy, indulgent, nutritionally-worthless food pin, I indulge in it for a few seconds, then pin it to my Food Porn board. I've even gotten to the point where I find yummy-but-healthy food links and pin those on in there, too. Tonight at dance class, one of the other dancers (who also follows my pins on Pinterest) told me to please stop pinning Food Porn late at night, which I was totally guilty of, and it was doing me utterly no good either. So, tonight, once I got home (ravenous after dance class, of course), I decided to make some food just for me. It started looking pretty promising, so I'm recording what I did here, and if it is as good as I think it might be, I'll not only publish this blog post, but pin it to the Food Porn board! (Right now, I'm scurrying back and forth, two dogs in tow, between the kitchen and the computer to check on the food.)<div><br /><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TwdMo2vK7dI/T3PKL2Gl-ZI/AAAAAAAAAPM/-2Sq4sypids/s777/20120328_203220.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 328px; height: 389px;" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TwdMo2vK7dI/T3PKL2Gl-ZI/AAAAAAAAAPM/-2Sq4sypids/s777/20120328_203220.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>It's important to drop food on the floor while cooking, the voices in my head tell me.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><br /></i></span></div><div>So tonight's impromptu recipe is Curried Quinoa with Chicken! </div><div>In a smallish saucepan, measure out 1 c. Bob's Red Mill Quinoa (because it's already rinsed, otherwise, go rinse the quinoa) 1 c. water, and 1 c. chicken stock. Turn on the heat (medium-high-ish) and start adding some seasonings. I added about 1.5 Tablespoons of curry powder, 1/4 teaspoon (couple big shakes) onion powder, a delicate shake of garlic powder (whatever that means), a couple shakes of ginger powder (grated fresh ginger would be better, but whatever), a sprinkle of dill or lemongrass (I found the lemongrass bottle first), and salt to taste. Cut a lemon in half and squeeze that sucker in there, too (I used about 1/4 a lemon, as it was this insanely huge, Palm-Springs-grown lemon from my friend Lisa, who runs a lovely Bed and Breakfast <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lazy-K-Ranch-Bed-and-Breakfast/196616980440372">here</a>, and is a much better cook than I am.) If you happen to feel so inclined, you could also zest a bit of the lemon zest in there for good measure. I decided to slice up a carrot (very thinly, so it would cook quickly) and dumped that in there so it could cook with the quinoa. Now that I think about it, I also added a teaspoonish squeeze of Blue Agave at some point as well. Stir it up and let it reach a boil, then turn it down to simmer, cooking for 12 or so more minutes. Once it has cooked for that amount of time, turn it off and put the lid on it to let it swell up.</div><br /><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-U1VW31bsa40/T3PDzG7NQ_I/AAAAAAAAAOs/w7y4UBseqqQ/w447-h500-k/20120328_200532.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 446px; height: 500px;" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-U1VW31bsa40/T3PDzG7NQ_I/AAAAAAAAAOs/w7y4UBseqqQ/w447-h500-k/20120328_200532.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">I wasn't kidding about the big freakin' lemon</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></i></div><div>While it's simmering (and almost done, really), get out a small saute pan and spray a little cooking spray on it. Open a can of chicken breast (or if you want to be all fancy, cook yourself up some chicken by method of choice) and drain the water off. Dump the chicken into a small mixing bowl, then add to it a couple teaspoons of curry powder, salt and pepper to taste, and a little drizzle (let's call that a teaspoon or two) of Blue Agave nectar (or honey, if you want). Mix it together with a fork, breaking up the biggish chunks of chicken into manageable chunks. Now throw that into your pan and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lazy-K-Ranch-Bed-and-Breakfast/196616980440372">s</a>aute it up until it is warmed up and you've got a little browning going on. </div><div>By now, your quinoa is all fluffy, so all you need to do is toss everything together, and enjoy!</div><div>Here's a horrid picture of my result!</div><div><br /><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-xOOx_pQh6Rg/T3PEoAe8fNI/AAAAAAAAAOw/IOHPRrpKvfc/s903/20120328_200909.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 452px; height: 338px;" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-xOOx_pQh6Rg/T3PEoAe8fNI/AAAAAAAAAOw/IOHPRrpKvfc/s903/20120328_200909.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>We all know it's the ugliest food that tastes the best.</i></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i><br /></i></span></div><div>The end verdict is that is was pretty tasty! I added a bit too much salt, so, you know, don't do that and you should be okay. It would have been good with a sprinkle of raisins in it, but I'm out.</div><div><br /></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-82334765904641504122012-03-09T11:17:00.003-07:002012-03-09T11:29:41.790-07:00Lovely Giveaway of Vintage-Style Jewelry!I was just looking through Facebook, when I chanced upon one of the many giveaways. Mostly, I do not find them interesting, but this jewelry designer has some rather lovely styles! For my entry into the drawing, I had to choose my favorite necklace, and it was very difficult! Take a look at some of these choices:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/93749141/vintage-creamy-white-enamel-flower"><br /></a><br /><div> <img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 570px; height: 382px;" src="http://img0.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.314862564.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></div><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/93749662/beaded-twist-asymmetrical-flower"><br /></a><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 570px; height: 382px;" src="http://img2.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.314864634.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 570px; height: 382px;" src="http://img2.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.314862374.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/85844258/blush-pink-rhinestone-loop-necklace"><br /></a><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 570px; height: 382px;" src="http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.309664189.jpg" border="0" alt="" />Have I posted too many good choices? It's ridiculous to try and choose, right? Personally, I chose the coral and white one, but if I win, I might see if I can change my mind to the top one with the black and white swirly beads. As I said, tough choice!<div><br /></div><div>Go here for all the rules on how to enter! <a href="http://www.artisticblend.com/2012/vintage-in-color-giveaway/">Artistic Blend Designs Vintage in Color Giveaway!</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-77571379122050982252012-02-15T21:18:00.002-07:002012-02-15T22:02:06.506-07:00The 30 Day Drawing Challenge Continues!So when we last spoke of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Drawing-Challenge/142354032473972">30 Day Drawing Challenge</a>, I was all caught up to Day 10, Favorite Candy. Next came "Turning Point in Your Life". That one threw me a little bit, for I do sort of feel as if my life has been something of a smooth, rolling lumber from one inevitability to the next. Well, okay, not really, but it's not like fraught with Aha! moments or anything either. Plus, honestly, I was kind of tired over the weekend and didn't feel like drawing anything. So I snoozed on through Saturday and Sunday and utterly didn't draw anything.<div>Early Monday morning, a flash of inspiration hit me for my turning point. Back in July of 1996, before I moved to Albuquerque, I drove down here from Rochester, NY, to see the place and see if I could find a job. At night on Interstate 40 coming across Eastern New Mexico, there's a whole bunch of frigging nothing. Then you start meandering through the mountains east of the city of Albuquerque, and at some point along the road, you come up over a crest, and the utter nothing turns into a vast sea of city lights. Well, okay, I'm from Back East, so I've certainly seen more lights in one place than that, but it still makes quite an impression as you come up over the crest and can see for miles, and, all of a sudden, there's something to see. It made quite an impression on me, and little did I know what a turning point in my life it would be. I moved here and have been here ever since.</div><div>It was a fine idea, I thought. I could execute it on a piece of black paper with colored pencils, it would be somewhat abstract looking, yet representative of my memory of the event. It was a done deal. Except, I forgot.</div><div>So anyway, here's a lousy drawing of my house, the first and only house I've ever owned.</div><div><br /></div><br /><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/398493_10150526126727583_78875072582_9155843_1692702034_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 344px; height: 300px;" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/398493_10150526126727583_78875072582_9155843_1692702034_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><i>I made it pretty small, so you wouldn't be too disappointed.</i><div>Day 12 of the challenge was "Most Recent Accomplishment". I had been thinking about drawing my newly painted kitchen, but the thought of drawing my kitchen bored me for some reason, so I picked something else. I picked getting a new hairdo. </div><div><br /></div><br /><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/422167_10150526581832583_78875072582_9157297_678567361_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 384px; height: 433px;" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/422167_10150526581832583_78875072582_9157297_678567361_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Yeah, I know, as actual accomplishments go, getting a new 'do doesn't really rank, but I'm the sort of person who gets the split ends cut off twice a year for years, then once every five or so years decides to spend WAY too much money getting highlights done, but always really <i>natural-looking </i>highlights with colors that look like my hair probably used to be that color at one time. Well not this time, Bub. This time I wanted something fun and different and not natural-looking THAT PEOPLE WOULD ACTUALLY NOTICE. So I went with deep mahogany low-lights with kind of magenta-like highlights. Not so much that it was too crazy, but enough that people could see I was taking a chance. It came out absolutely beautifully, thanks to a lovely gal named Emerald at the <a href="http://trilliantsalons.com/">Trilliant Salon</a> over across town. I like it so much, I might even go back and have her touch it up (or even ADD MORE COLOR) once it grows out some.<div>Day 13 of the challenge was "Comic", and at first, I wasn't really sure what that meant. Like the Sunday Funnies, that kind of comic? Or draw a stand-up comedian? I thought for a little while of drawing a comic strip of my Facebook Friend who's a comic, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/erikbergstrom">Erik Bergstrom</a>, telling one of the jokes he posted on Facebook, but that started getting too complicated, so I just started drawing some comical dude. He turned into a somewhat creepy comical dude, so I labeled him "My Creepy Valentine".</div><div><br /></div><br /><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/426574_10150531421922583_78875072582_9168741_396677330_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 768px; height: 861px;" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/426574_10150531421922583_78875072582_9168741_396677330_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Of course, he's not my actual Valentine--my real Valentine is awesome and adorable. This guy is the Valentine for that self-absorbed someone who just can't seem to find a guy who will accept her for how wonderful she really is. Don't fret, girl, I'll give him your number. <br />Well now it's getting late and I'm really starting to talk out of my ass, so I should probably wrap this up.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-56529330722767150392012-02-14T15:08:00.004-07:002012-02-14T15:34:56.054-07:00Happy Valentine's Day!I do hope you are all having a lovely Valentine's Day! I decided this year to have a Zombie-hunting theme to my Valentine's gift giving. My Valentine's card is from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/noncomposcards?ref=top_trail">noncomposcards </a>on Etsy, created by the hilarious and talented Erin Appledale, author of an ACTUALLY ENTERTAINING (as opposed to what I'm doing) blog, <a href="http://www.ohhonestlyerin.com/">here</a>.<div><br /></div><a href="http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.304629727.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 285px; height: 374px;" src="http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.304629727.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>To save space, I'll give you the punchline on the inside--it says, "If I were a zombie, you'd be the first to die."<div>Right after I found that, I chanced upon a fellow WePAY shopkeeper who was offering up some pretty awesome, hand-cut signs, one of which looked like this:</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://static.wepay.com/img/x/p/131039.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 174px;" src="https://static.wepay.com/img/x/p/131039.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>I thought this was pretty romantic, so I had to buy that as well. You can get your own sign, or other nifty items, like etched glassware, in <a href="https://www.wepay.com/stores/desolationallie?page=1">Desolation Allie's WePAY store</a>.<div>The last part of my Valentine's gift we're just going to have to agree to pretending like it goes with the theme, which it might, if you consider the realm of Zombie hunting or Post-Zombie-Apocalypse survivalism, or something. I was on <a href="http://www.groupon.com/">Groupon </a>(totally addicting, by the way), and they had an online deal on some Night Vision Recording Stealth Goggles, and I knew I had to buy them immediately. I figure, if nothing else, my husband can finally find Bigfoot, and put the whole issue to rest already. He'll have a carcass to the local Game and Fish by the end of the month.</div><div>For anyone following along on my 30 Day Drawing Challenge, I'll get back to that tomorrow. I've been keeping up with it, just needed a break for today.</div><div><br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-63004553660172454172012-02-10T23:26:00.004-07:002012-02-11T11:27:21.229-07:00Finally Caught Up, Just In Time For A Hard OneSo, the past few days I've been blogging about the 30 Day Drawing Challenge, looking at other people's works, beleaguering myself with the choices for each day's challenge (oh, such problems I have!). One of my fellow participants, artist Megan Mars, hasn't been posting to the same group I have, but has just been posting it to her Fan Page. When she posted her most recent entry, it occurred to me that I hadn't actually checked to see if we were using the same list. As it turns out, we weren't. So since I believe I used her list for my very first post (and it shares the first few challenges in common), I suppose I should post the list that I am actually going from myself.<div><br /></div><br /><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/59033_142354102473965_142354032473972_210222_6260111_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px; height: 720px;" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/59033_142354102473965_142354032473972_210222_6260111_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>I was a couple days behind, but I think I've caught up. Yesterday, I managed to finish and post Day 8, Favorite Animated Character. I have loved Looney Tunes' Wile E. Coyote since long before I ever moved to the Southwestern Desert. Having built almost my entire preconceived knowledge base of the desert on watching Wile E. and Road Runner, I have to say, living here now, I got it pretty much correct.<div><br /></div><br /><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/422374_10150517216882583_78875072582_9129964_1808048703_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 480px;" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/422374_10150517216882583_78875072582_9129964_1808048703_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Day 9 was "Favorite TV Show", which is another thing that changes every few years. Some runners-up included "Supernatural", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", and "The X-Files", but as far as the TV show that I currently can't wait to see in my Tevo lineup each week, I had to go with the BBC/SyFy Channel series, "Merlin". It's a true escape from real life, present day, and, well, historical or literary accuracy. I think it's really sweet.<div> </div><br /><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/401188_10150519783722583_78875072582_9135260_1975111097_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px; height: 375px;" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/401188_10150519783722583_78875072582_9135260_1975111097_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Plus, I got to pretty much make up the sword from thin air--Excalibur hasn't really made much of an appearance on the show yet. This drawing was all in graphite except for his blue eyes, which were colored pencil.<div>Day 10 was "Favorite Candy" and that was pretty easy. According to my Dad, my first word wasn't "Mama" or "Daddy", but "emmanem".</div><div><br /></div><br /><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/422742_10150520190582583_78875072582_9136214_273708317_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 368px; height: 407px;" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/422742_10150520190582583_78875072582_9136214_273708317_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>I only drew one, 'cos I'm on a diet. But the red ones are the best.<div><br /></div><div>Today is Day 11, and the challenge is "Turning point in your life." I've had quite a few turning points, so that will require some thought. I guess you will just have to wait and find out.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-14968368050268175712012-02-09T14:35:00.004-07:002012-02-09T15:10:20.727-07:00More 30 Day Drawing Challenge!I'm a few days behind in the 30 Day Drawing Challenge, but not as far behind as I am at this blog! I told myself I was going to get back to it, and by gosh, I am!<div>So when we last spoke, I was on Day 4's challenge on Day 5. I did finish Day 5's challenge that evening, just didn't blog about it. Day 5 was "Best Friend", and I used a photograph of my honey as the model, as my actual husband was all scruffy-faced and Don-King-haired on his day off all day.<br /><div><br /></div></div><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/420069_10150506240652583_78875072582_9099145_213002929_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 384px; height: 411px;" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/420069_10150506240652583_78875072582_9099145_213002929_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> This is one of the few shots I have of my husband smiling. Not that he doesn't smile, he just doesn't do so on purpose for the camera. Cute puppy, Troy, appears courtesy of our daughter's boyfriend.<div>Day 6 was "Favorite Book", and I had a good amount of trouble thinking of one for this, too. I'm not exactly a bookworm, but not exactly illiterate; I was just having trouble with the superlative nature of the word "Favorite" again. Then, I thought, what book do I use, go back to and enjoy the most? </div><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/430781_10150508700257583_78875072582_9107854_1102608482_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px; height: 350px;" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/430781_10150508700257583_78875072582_9107854_1102608482_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> Yeah, I know, I'm a word nerd. Plus, sheesh! Two days in a row of pencil and shading! Seriously, ENOUGH, for a minute, anyway.<div>Day 7's Challenge was "Favorite Movie", and I won't bore you with how difficult a choice that was, but, again, I went with my heart, and not what I thought would make me look good or whatever, and picked the movie that still seems as good today as it did when I saw it on some fuzzy Baltimore station on a little Black & White TV.</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/400262_10150514639702583_78875072582_9123869_642763758_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 415px; height: 384px;" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/400262_10150514639702583_78875072582_9123869_642763758_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> I went back and watched some clips of "Yellow Submarine" on YouTube, to get an idea of some of the shapes and colors, and it was just as much fun to watch! I was dorkily quoting dialog the whole day, which, out of context, makes even less sense than in context.<div>I'm all caught up(ish) to yesterday's challenge, "Favorite Cartoon Character", which I'm putting the finishing touches on. I decided that, although color is bold and fun and all, shading is really what I'm better at. Plus, I thought it'd be fun to create a shaded cartoon character from a flat, outlined image. As soon as I finish that, I'll only be a day behind (which, as I mentioned, is better than I've been doing at blogging).</div><div>So, is anyone else out there doing this challenge? What other challenges are out there that people are participating in? I had found a fellow artist doing a 28 Days of Faces challenge for the month of February, which looked like a lot of fun, and, had I seen it first, I probably would have picked that one instead. I love creating faces! </div><div>Feel free to leave a comment and tell me all about your mid-winter creative endeavors!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-85613285490349219662012-02-04T12:12:00.003-07:002012-02-04T12:45:33.894-07:0030 Day Drawing Challenge, Day 4! (Which Should Be Day 5)As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the challenge for Day 4 was "Favorite Place", and I had a hard time of it. I've been to a lot of different places in my life, yet none of them particularly stand out as my absolute FAVORITE. The places we go and how we feel about them often don't have so much to do about the places themselves, but more about our reactions to them, the preconceived notions we had going in, the events that took place there, and who we got to share it with. <div>One example of a place I've been where my memory of it was utterly dictated by my reaction to it was South Korea. Ten years ago or so, I had to take a business trip there, and from the second my boss told me about the trip, I was braced for disaster. Our customer there was not happy with our company because most of the equipment we had sold them had screwed up in some way. I was going with our lead programmer and Director of Engineering, two (let's not mince words here) nerds, whereas I was the technical sales representative--yes, little, shy, introverted me, I was the personable one of the group. It was going to the other side of the planet, in Asia, in a county that didn't even share the same alphabet as me. I was so screwed.</div><div>But then, once I got there, the folks we were there to see were SO personable, kind, understanding, and hospitable. They really loved our product and could see all of its potential and couldn't wait for it to be up and running. One of the days we were there was a national holiday, and one of their technicians spent his day off showing us around one of the historic villages. We explored traditional Korean food, went out for beers with them, and I even learned their alphabet during a long, boring drive from one city to another. Overall, it wasn't so much that Korea was the coolest damn place I'd ever been, but it had so exceeded my expectations in every way, that it remains a cherished memory to this day.</div><div>So that got me thinking: My favorite place didn't have much to do with the place at all, but the place it inhabited in my mind! Therefore, that was what I drew: the inside of my mind.</div><br /><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/396491_10150505456007583_78875072582_9096351_181179328_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 550px; height: 640px;" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/396491_10150505456007583_78875072582_9096351_181179328_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> Plus, now I've had the They Might Be Giants' song, "Birdhouse in Your Soul" going through my head for a few hours. At least it's not that, "Rock to Wind A String Around" song. <div>So I've got yesterday's challenge out of the way, but I still have to do today's! That should be pretty easy--today's challenge is "Best Friend". I really only have one best friend, my husband, so I should probably go draw him!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-2156680688445567172012-02-03T07:47:00.003-07:002012-02-03T09:31:12.049-07:0030 Day Drawing Challenge, Day 3!Today, I'm blogging before I've even made coffee! That doesn't bode well.<br />I finally got around to my drawing for the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Drawing-Challenge/142354032473972">30 Day Drawing Challenge</a> last night around 9 pm or so. The challenge was "Favorite Food", and the worst part was how hard it was to decide what my favorite food was! I even posted a poll on Facebook where people could tell me what their favorite food was, but I got exactly ONE response (Thank you, Baxter!). You would think that a Facebook post about something fun and light and non-political would get everybody jumping all over it. I probably should have named each food after Republican presidential candidates.<br />So after some more thought and deep introspection, I decided that really, no food in the world brings me as much happiness in as many different forms than... CHERRIES!<br /><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/416964_10150502373837583_78875072582_9089574_815914089_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 387px;" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/416964_10150502373837583_78875072582_9089574_815914089_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> 6" x 8", Sharpie markers on Bristol Board<div>Today's challenge is "Favorite Place", which is a pretty tough one as well. I've been a lot of places in my life that were pretty great, so it'll be hard to pick a favorite.</div><div>On a related note, my Facebook friend <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/lot5studio">Judith Haynes Levin</a>, an artist from rural Virginia, got inspired to participate in the challenge after I did, so she's on the same day. Check out her favorite food!</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/425835_3092693603916_1461302934_32991086_740494130_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 341px;" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/425835_3092693603916_1461302934_32991086_740494130_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> Look at that luscious berry cheesecake! She's pretty gifted with those markers, I tell you. She also creates some pretty beautiful clay work, which she sells, along with her 2D artwork in her <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/lot5studio">Etsy Shop</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-65803732650843268962012-02-02T12:16:00.004-07:002012-02-02T13:03:39.534-07:00Worst Blogger Ever. Oh, Also, the 30 Day Drawing Challenge<div style="text-align: left;">Yes, I know. If you look, my last post is dated January twenty-something... of 2011!</div><div><br /></div><div>I realize that my blog has no real focus, no rhyme nor reason, no direction. So I'm just going to have to give it all those things. Plus, you know, some content. I'd also like to put a widget for <a href="https://www.wepay.com/stores/easily-distracted-by-julie-d-arcy">my new WePAY store</a> on here and have a reason for people to come by and look at it.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, let us begin, shall we? </div><div><br /></div><div>Today's content will be about the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/30-Day-Drawing-Challenge/142354032473972">30 Day Drawing Challenge!</a> A couple of days ago, I was aimlessly wandering through my friends' posts on Facebook, and discovered that one of them had joined this challenge called the 30 Day Drawing Challenge. It's just as it sounds; you draw something for 30 days in a row, based on the challenges listed.</div><div> <img src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/422390_334755589881063_142933629063261_1064060_1524140562_n.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 556px; height: 720px;" border="0" alt="" /> I am on Day 3 (Favorite Food), but haven't drawn anything yet. Honestly, I love food, so I'm having trouble picking a favorite. Plus, I'm on a diet, so there's that as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>Day 1's challenge was to draw yourself, which is always difficult, unless you're Frida Kahlo. By the way, did you know that Dorothea Tanning lived to be 101 years old? She passed away yesterday, which one can't really feel too bad about, since she made it to 101 years old. She did <a href="http://www.dorotheatanning.org/life-and-work/view-work/work-63/">an amazing self portrait</a>; I found it on her website last night. SEE WHY I SHOULDN'T BLOG? Let me write about whatever I want, and I'll just go all over the place. Can you believe I edit other people's writing and get paid for it? I can't.</div><div>So anyway, rather than show you the magnificent self-portrait of Dorothea Tanning I found last night, here's mine:</div><br /><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/395885_10150497453237583_78875072582_9077018_992992735_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 282px; height: 400px;" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/395885_10150497453237583_78875072582_9077018_992992735_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> Yes, I know, I don't think it looks anything like me either. However, I am trying to stay true to the challenge, and simply draw one thing per day and take it for what it's worth. <div>Yesterday's challenge was "Favorite Animal", which, for me, is the dog. I have three of them, so I'm not lacking for models. I happened upon a square of black drawing paper and thought, hey, all three of my dogs are mostly black, so, easy-peasy! Mister Black Lab Mix, Axel, who would have been as easy to render on a sheet of black paper as *insert some noplace small town with no streetlights* at night, wouldn't participate, and being (apparently) part Amish, is afraid of having his photo taken. So I wound up drawing Cassie, the Aussie Shepherd, who, as colored pencil would have it, has the least black, but really likes having her picture taken. I drew this out freehand, so it's a little off, but I said I was going to take it for what it's worth. </div><div> </div><br /><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/424852_10150500172427583_78875072582_9083826_2013487934_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 420px; height: 384px;" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/424852_10150500172427583_78875072582_9083826_2013487934_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Today's challenge is "Favorite Food", and I certainly hope the model is a bit more reasonable, once I figure out what it is. In the meanwhile, you can go check out the other challengers on the 30 Day Drawing Challenge Facebook Page. There are some very talented artists there who seem to be having a great deal of fun at this challenge! <div>Also, if anyone happens to know what my favorite food is, would you tell me? I'm stumped.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-54301976986422944672011-01-22T15:46:00.003-07:002011-01-22T16:16:18.630-07:00Happy New Year!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.theartistchallenge.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/43-Julie-DArcy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 360px;" src="http://www.theartistchallenge.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/43-Julie-DArcy.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>There's been so much stuff I've tried to finish for the New Year, including <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31431897&l=44cbda4b1e&id=1073448597">Sean's memory quilt</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2079516&id=1073448597&l=a2cb4f8051">my sketchbook for The Sketchbook Project</a>, and getting together new prints to take over to <a href="http://www.thewoodencow.com/">The Wooden Cow</a>. One relatively easy opportunity I decided I was not going to pass up was entering the <a href="http://www.theartistchallenge.com/2011-01-08/art-challenge-43-sunday-morning-sun-art-2011/">Sunday Morning Sun Art Challenge</a> from <a href="http://www.theartistchallenge.com/">The Artist Challenge</a>. Last year, the Sun Art challenge was featured on <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/sunday/main3445.shtml">CBS Sunday Morning</a>, and CBS even used one of the images on later features as a sort of splash image. This year, they are submitting the gallery of challenge items to CBS again, and I believe they have said they'll feature it on the show again! The Artist Challenge is an all volunteer website with monthly challenges, some of them free, some of them have a nominal cost. I truly haven't seen anything on the site that was amateurish or half-assed--these artists take this stuff very seriously!<div>So needless to say, I am excited to be a part of this challenge and to have my work be a part of the <a href="http://www.theartistchallenge.com/2011-01-08/art-challenge-43-sunday-morning-sun-art-2011/">CBS Sunday Morning Sun Art Library</a>! Please go check out the <a href="http://www.theartistchallenge.com/2011-01-08/art-challenge-43-sunday-morning-sun-art-2011/">entire collection</a>!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-90213278880488974842010-12-13T18:27:00.009-07:002010-12-19T20:05:36.200-07:00How Do You Decide What to Do Next When You Don't Know What to Do Next?My husband and I have been writing a book for a few years now and it is getting to the point that probably what needs to happen next is a thorough Roto-rooter-like edit/proofread by me and then find a publisher. Or do I find an agent? Or is it neither of those things? Am I deluding myself that I could actually do any of those things? I started down the garden path to find a literary agent, then looked at some stuff people had written about getting a book published, then started looking at the book to see what sample copy I could send out, then started writing a cover letter to no one, then I realized that my head was swimming and I had no idea what I was doing or what I needed to do next and I know what a run-on sentence this is, I'm just using it to give you the idea of what it feels like in my head. My head is one big run-on sentence, and as an editor, I should know better, but it just never stops. In addition to the book, I am an artist. I show my work in a gallery here in town and also in my Etsy Shop on the internet, so I'm also an internet marketer of some ghastly variety. Plus, and more importantly, I'm a housewife and stepmom (and dog-mom). <div>So what do I do first? Do I work on said book? No, not at all. Instead, I work on something that I know how to do, putting off the probably much more urgent thing (the book) that I have no fucking clue how to do. </div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_UgnHQ8WTwB8/TQmSAA0foqI/AAAAAAAAAM0/jAkGlyatAfM/s320/photo%2B934.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551128544628679330" /><div>One of the first things I have been trying to work on is a book cover illustration! </div><div>I rediscovered a former professor from college on Facebook, friended him, and discovered that in addition to being a brilliant physical chemist and concert cellist, he has written several novels! So upon mentioning my delight in this discovery as part of my Facebook friend request, he offered, "buy one of my books and I'll buy some of your artwork." So I bought one of his books (for Kindle, which I'm reading on my computer, since I don't have a Kindle) and waited to see what he would pick from my artwork. Better than picking something, instead he asked me to design the covers for his next three (I think he said three) books! I was flattered and excited and said 'yes' immediately, of course. So the first image in this post was the condition of the first cover, before I took it with me to the doctor with one of my kids and sat in the waiting room for 90 minutes. So that sketch is considerably further along than it appears in the photo.</div><div><div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_UgnHQ8WTwB8/TQmRyOj3pgI/AAAAAAAAAMs/CfzXTQp7dQo/s320/photo%2B933.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 221px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551128307798877698" /><div>Next...</div><div>As a consequence of being a stepmom and artist, I have volunteered to design my daughter's first tattoo, and her Dad is going to get (part of) the same tattoo with her. Fortunately for the creative process and unfortunately for my kid, said daughter had a terrible stomach ache on Saturday, sending us to Urgent Care, resulting in 4 hours trapped in a small, sterile room with a bitchy teenager. Needless to say, I got almost the entire drawing finished right there. Fairly excellent usage of a day I will never get back. </div><div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_UgnHQ8WTwB8/TQmSMU2ijqI/AAAAAAAAAM8/_ZS0UfH0_Cc/s320/photo%2B938.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 271px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551128756164398754" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Next thing on the list, in no particular order, but that needs to be completed immediately along with everything else, is my Sketchbook Project sketchbook. I found one of the many, many links to <a href="http://www.arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject">The Sketchbook Project</a> and thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to both do something creative and almost completely limitless in possibility and get some publicity by being part of this huge project that will be touring the country, then wind up as part of the permanent collection of the Brooklyn Art Library. Each artist chose from a wide variety of themes--I chose "Science project gone wrong" because, well, how perfect does that describe my scientific career. I can finally make a formal mockery of my own failings in scientific inquiry. Shown here is the back of the book. Those are the only marks on it thusfar. It must be postmarked by January 15th, 2011. <i>Sigh.</i></div><br /></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-57838647321083385762010-12-12T10:09:00.005-07:002010-12-12T10:42:10.381-07:00Featured Inspiration--Natalya Sots Amazing Pots!<img src="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_570xN.126408717.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 570px; height: 477px;" border="0" alt="" /><div style="text-align: left;">Okay, she makes more than just pots, but I couldn't resist the rhyme. One thing I'm really loving about the new Etsy feature called "Activity Feed" (it's pretty much like the running status you get on your Facebook homepage) is how it keeps you up to date on everything any of your favorite sellers or people in you 'Circle' are doing--new listings, treasuries they made, items that they have added to their favorites, etc. This morning I had a couple of minutes so I checked it out. One of my long time favorites, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/natalyasots">Natalya Sots</a>, had a new listing, and I was completely charmed by it! The <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/41580004/sunshine-girl-teacup">Sunshine Girl teacup</a> in the top picture is so adorable and has so many charming details, I was inspired to write about it. Click on the link to go to the listing, and be sure to look at all of her detail pictures, like the little braid going down her back and the tiny flowers! So sweet!</div><img src="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_570xN.131155094.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 570px; height: 381px;" border="0" alt="" />This blue cup (called <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/42965502/blue-cup-with-pants">Blue Cup with Pants</a>) was the first item of hers I added to my favorites. It is truly charming and adorable. I wish I had the kind of home where something like this wouldn't get broken. Perhaps oneday<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/19933503/butter-dish-the-sun-and-cloud">.</a><img src="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_570xN.182355738.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 570px; height: 381px;" border="0" alt="" /><div style="text-align: left;">As fun as her pieces are to look at, some of them are useful too! While I'm not sure if I'd really risk using either of the two cups (they'd probably just sit on a shelf where everyone could see them) this <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/19933503/butter-dish-the-sun-and-cloud">third piece is a butter dish</a>! Can't you picture having Sunday brunch or tea with scones and serve your butter in this? I love her choices of colors and whimsical faces. While I do not create art with any functional purpose, I might just get inspired to create some drawings inspired by her fun faces and flowery patterns!</div><div style="text-align: left;">I have barely scratched the surface of her talents, so go check out her other lovely ceramicware in her <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/natalyasots">Etsy Shop</a>.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-66082411333666601502010-12-03T08:24:00.004-07:002010-12-03T09:57:59.480-07:00Fine Art Friday--A Little Lowbrow from Mary Lundberg<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" i="" do="" not="" often="" feature="" other="" artists="" on="" my="" blog="" s="" the="" no="" one="" reads="" this="" damn="" thing="" but="" am="" trying="" to="" give="" blogging="" a="" so="" in="" honor="" of="" fine="" art="" friday="" sponsored="" etsy="" finding="" spontaneously="" picked="" an="" artist="" who="" has="" inspired="" me="" with="" her="" and="" mary="" lundberg="" seller="" name="" according="" studied="" all="" way="" up="" master="" arts="" degree="" from="" university="" been="" group="" solo="" won="" awards="" for="" despite="" these="" legitimizing="" work="" is="" pretty=""></a><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" i="" do="" not="" often="" feature="" other="" artists="" on="" my="" blog="" s="" the="" no="" one="" reads="" this="" damn="" thing="" but="" am="" trying="" to="" give="" blogging="" a="" so="" in="" honor="" of="" fine="" art="" friday="" sponsored="" etsy="" finding="" spontaneously="" picked="" an="" artist="" who="" has="" inspired="" me="" with="" her="" and="" mary="" lundberg="" seller="" name="" according="" studied="" all="" way="" up="" master="" arts="" degree="" from="" university="" been="" group="" solo="" won="" awards="" for="" despite="" these="" legitimizing="" work="" is="" pretty="">I do not often feature other artists on my blog because A) I do not often exhibit the same behavior twice in any aspect of my life, and 2) no one reads this blog anyway. However, in honor of Fine Art Friday, I decided to share an artist who has inspired me with her talent, humor, and honesty. Plus, no artist has ever inspired me to like Mobile Homes, so she gets kudos for that.</a></div><div>Her profile mentions that she has studied art all the way up to a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Memphis, has exhibited in both solo and group shows, and has been honored with awards for her work. AND YET I LIKE HER ANYWAY.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" i="" do="" not="" often="" feature="" other="" artists="" on="" my="" blog="" s="" the="" no="" one="" reads="" this="" damn="" thing="" but="" am="" trying="" to="" give="" blogging="" a="" so="" in="" honor="" of="" fine="" art="" friday="" sponsored="" etsy="" finding="" spontaneously="" picked="" an="" artist="" who="" has="" inspired="" me="" with="" her="" and="" mary="" lundberg="" seller="" name="" according="" studied="" all="" way="" up="" master="" arts="" degree="" from="" university="" been="" group="" solo="" won="" awards="" for="" despite="" these="" legitimizing="" work="" is="" pretty="">Her artwork all expresses a dark humor, reminiscent of Yves Tanguy or some of the more modern, hip, lowbrow surrealists that I'm not modern or hip enough to be able to cite. I'm seeing a bigtime Tanguy influence in this piece here:</a></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.23838874.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 570px; height: 766px;" src="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.23838874.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><i><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/10873636/original-oil-painting-by-lundberg">In the Beginning, 18" x 24"</a></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6666CC;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Aside from the immense talent, what drew me into her shop and made me check out every single category of art was, well, the categories she gave to her art. While other shops have categories like "Original Artwork", "ACEOs", and "Works Under $20", Mary has named her categories in a way that explains just what you're looking at, while the category titles make you laugh all by themselves. Her categories include "i use offshore banking"(works over $500), "lost my 401k but still love art" ($40-$65), and "art for the really poor" (<$12). The piece below ($50, since we're on the subject) is from a series of Trailer art, featuring bizarre and a little disturbing single-wide trailers. This mixed media piece I find awesome not just because it's a trailer and that the trailer appears to be walking, but that it appears to me to be wearing bellbottoms.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.197679319.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 760px; height: 760px;" src="http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.197679319.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6633FF;"><i><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/63203535/single-wide-mobile-home">Single Wide Trailer #5, 4" x 4"</a></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6633FF;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6633FF;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">The artist is even honest enough to offer a category called "not my best work". It's nice to know that while I use my work from that category to give to people I don't like or to entertain my dog by letting her carry it around, Ms. Lundberg is at least trying to make a buck off of it. The work below, while not her best work, still cracked me up. Besides, the rest of that category I, um, didn't like. No offense, Mary, but it's not your best work. You said so yourself.</span></span><br /></i></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 760px; height: 760px;" src="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.196965416.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6633FF;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/63014073/poodle-on-bob-rosss-hair-original-work">Poodle on Bob Ross's Hair, 5" x 7"</a></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">Last night, after checking out this shop, I thought about what categories I might use for my own shop. Using the same honest criterion, I was thinking, "papa needs a new roof", "mama needs a new dishwasher", "teenage daughter mascara fund" and "please buy this shit before I give it to my dogs to play with". It can't possibly be any less successful than what I've already got.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></div></span></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294111378169205128.post-4455826150285878532010-11-24T17:23:00.005-07:002010-11-24T17:51:42.582-07:00Cleaning Out the Closets--I Finally Came Up With a Good Christmas Gift Idea<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_UgnHQ8WTwB8/TO2sxSAYGlI/AAAAAAAAAMc/6g6fDwzmKoY/s1600/photo%2B905.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 212px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_UgnHQ8WTwB8/TO2sxSAYGlI/AAAAAAAAAMc/6g6fDwzmKoY/s400/photo%2B905.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543276679009933906" /></a>So, in case you haven't noticed from all of the Ebay listings and other rants, I've been trying to clean out all the old stuff in this house that nobody needs. While preparing a very large donation bag of clothes, I noticed we had a ridiculous number of old Little League baseball jerseys of all sizes and teams. My husband (and I, unofficially) have coached Little League since our oldest was about 12 or 13. He's 19 now and his younger brother is 15, also now too old for the regular season play of Little League. So we considered this past Spring season to be our last season as Little Leaguers. It was a pretty good time, lots of great baseball games, lots of great kids and great parents. My husband and I have now both served on the Board of Directors, but I am trying to remove that part of the experience from my mind and just remember all the good parts. In remembering the good parts, I wanted to do something sentimental and cool with all of these old jerseys rather than give them to Goodwill. I'm thinking I will make a little throw quilt out of them, backed in some nice solid fleece. I think it would make a great gift for my husband for Christmas (don't worry, my husband has never read my blog, I don't think, and even if he does, we're not that big on surprises anyway). Does anyone have any helpful suggestions on making a memory quilt? I can tell you that the regular seams between the shirt-fronts will be done with a zig-zag stitch (I don't have a Serger machine, just a Singer). Should I pick a contrast color, like red, and have the stitching show? What should I do about the edges? I made a fleece blanket once by taking two big pieces of fleece fabric and cutting fringe into the edges, then tying the fringe together, so I suppose I could do that. I should probably make a decision on these things so I can get it done before Christmas, along with all the other stuff I'd like to get done in time for Christmas. Not to mention, daughter's birthday is coming up, and she wants me to design her tattoo. More to come on that...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677605416319903604noreply@blogger.com0