Bethanthemum

Snowmageddon!

2012-01-18T14:46:00.000-08:00

Sort of.

We have 3-5" here in Seattle today, while Tacoma and Olympia have closer to 10. School's canceled, so Joe and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. Sunday's snow was mostly big flakes. Today's snow is a ton of tiny, tiny flakes, mixed in with a bit of wind. To our delight, Zatz was open, so we had lunch.

Just for the record: that blue house is not where I live, but is pretty nevertheless. The second picture is my street.

snowy Seattle

2012-01-16T09:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it snowed in Seattle.

I'm on a 3-day weekend, and I've been wanting to play in the snow. See, we've had a rather mild winter. Especially considering last winter was pretty darn cold.

So I had been planning on going up to Snoqualmie or Crystal Mountain.

Turns out I don't have to drive to the snow this weekend after all.

a quiet evening

2011-11-16T18:30:00.001-08:00

After an exhausting day, it's good to remember to slow down and enjoy the little things.

In my case - candlelight and some tea in my 'fancy' cup.

pumpkin goodness

2011-10-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

I whipped up a batch of pumpkin french toast yesterday. It has to chill 8 hours or overnight, so I baked it this morning. I made two changes to the recipe. First, I used an 8" x 8" pan, because I had a small loaf of french bread. Second, after reading the comments I noticed that some people said it turned out too mushy. So I only used 1 cup of milk.

I think I may have died and gone to heaven. I am currently licking my plate (shh! don't tell anyone!). The few soggy bits on the bottom are mostly the caramel syrup, so instead of drizzling maple syrup over the french toast, I scooped up some soggy goodness from the bottom and ladled it on top. Perfect.

Yesterday I roasted two sugar pie pumpkins and ran them through my food processor to get a smooth texture. I used 3/4 cup for the french toast, set aside 3 tbsp to make pumpkin spice syrup for my coffee, and put the remaining pumpkin puree into ziploc bags to freeze for later use (1 cup in each bag so I know exactly how much I am defrosting).

I knew the pumpkin french toast recipe was a hit when I watched my husband take two bites, put down his plate, and immediately give me a hug. This recipe is Joe-approved. =)

autumn = soup!

2011-10-13T17:39:00.000-07:00

Our weather in Seattle has quickly become colder, alternating between soggy wet and surprisingly crisp. In my mind, weather like that demands snuggling on the couch under a blanket, knitting with wool, and eating soup. This year, even though we are barely into autumn, I have found myself trying new soup recipes at an astounding rate (at least for me). Here are a few recipes I've found:

Over at Collecting the Moments I found a great do-ahead strategy and a simple and delicious chicken noodle soup recipe. Joe and I both caught colds last week and this simple soup was the best of both worlds: quick and easy to prepare, and warm and filling.

(photo from Collecting the Moments)

SophistiMom posted a great recipe for curry pumpkin soup. I do like me some curry, so I ended up doubling all the spices. It was a great soup, and it made my kitchen smell heavenly.

(photo from SophistiMom)

Tonight I'm trying another new recipe: udon noodle soup with bok choy and poached egg from TheKitchn blog. I'll let you know how that goes.

(photo from TheKitchn)

ten things

2011-10-08T10:36:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of Soulemama, here are ten things since my last post two months ago:
1) I've made huge gains in organization at home

2) I celebrated another year of marriage with a picnic at the park

3) I picked blueberries

4) I went camping at Penrose and found treasures at the shore

5) I explored a very small town in upstate New York

6) I visited family

7) I made friends with Dempsey

8) I flew in a tiny airplane mere hours before Hurricane Irene hit the mid-Atlantic region

9) I smiled when I saw my mountains

10) I knit fingerless gloves for a friend

It's good to be back in this space. I hope to be around here more often. I know it's been quite awhile since I've posted, but I'm shocked to realize a full two months have gone by. My, how time flies.

oh-so-important labels

2011-08-07T18:44:00.000-07:00

Finally got around to labeling all my summer canning projects. From L-to-R: raspberry jam, apricot-rosemary jam, cherry pie filling and a ton of strawberry jam.

summer knitting

2011-08-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

I love knitting outside on my patio this summer. It's 75 degrees here right now, but in the shade that's perfect. Our old apartment did not have an outside space, so I have to keep reminding myself to take advantage of the patio area while the weather is so nice. While I've been outside this evening I have heard birds calling, and watched the neighborhood cats skitter around, chasing bugs, birds and each other. Perfect end to the day.

raspberries

2011-07-28T15:55:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went raspberry picking with Joe, our friend Kristi, and my teacher buddy Blea. We picked raspberries at Biringer Farm, then headed over to Bryant Blueberry Farm to pick blueberries. I didn't pick many blueberries, but I'll probably go back for more. I have just enough to make blueberry boy bait a couple times.

My jam turned out runny again, even though I followed the directions and measured everything carefully. I think that's okay, though. I plan on switching from vanilla to plain yogurt (and possibly making my own... we'll see), and having plenty of runny jam to mix in will be nice. I also made raspberry fruit leather for the first time. I don't have a dehydrator, so I used my oven. The lowest temp on my oven is 170 degrees F, which was a bit more than the recipe recommends. What can you do? It's very tart and sticky, and absolutely wonderful. I think I'm going to make more fruit leather once I get my hands on a flat of apricots. I love apricot leather. Yum.

sights from my walk

2011-07-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

dino sweater, part 1

2011-07-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

This morning I finished the back piece of the dino sweater I'm knitting for my nephew. Probably the easiest piece, but still very exciting to get it off the needles. After knitting a couple sweaters for myself, it's very refreshing how quickly sweaters for little ones knit up.

oh, Seattle summer

2011-07-21T13:57:00.000-07:00

Finally got around to cleaning off my front 'porch' area yesterday. Set up our camp chairs and our small outdoor table, swept away as many spiders as I could, and rearranged my potted plants. Today, it rained. But I didn't want that to stop me from enjoying the outdoors. So, I did this:

Great how well those built-in cup holders work for holding yarn skeins.

Ira Spring Trail

2011-07-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

strawberry day

2011-07-04T15:14:00.000-07:00

A week ago yesterday was strawberry day. Strawberry picking, strawberry jamming and strawberry cake-making. Smitten Kitchen comes through again, with a delicious recipe for Strawberry Summer Cake.

a tree

2011-06-20T18:52:00.000-07:00

Much sweater progress has been made. First, I finished my February Lady Sweater. No pictures of that yet, but I have worn it a couple times with glee. Glee, I tell you. I simply can't wear that sweater and not feel incredibly proud of myself for finishing a project that seemed so out of my league. Especially since I love the way it turned out.

Anyway, the tree. Joe asked me to knit him a sweater using this tree pattern we found on livejournal. It's modeled after the Tree of Rohan from Lord of the Rings. I decided to put it on one of Elizabeth Zimmerman's hybrid sweaters. To tell you the truth, I am much more afraid of doing the shoulder shaping than I am of any part of this tree. The charts provided for it are very easy to follow, and I just love how the tree pattern emerges and gets more beautiful with each row.

My knitter-readers will probably notice that the bottom curls. Don't worry, I plan on adding a ribbed border once the body of the sweater is complete.

cuteness

2011-06-18T17:55:00.000-07:00

our new kitties

2011-06-12T15:14:00.000-07:00

A week ago today Joe and I went down to the King County Animal Shelter in Kent to check out two sister kitties we found on Petfinder.

We immediately fell in love, adopted them and brought them home.

Joe joked in the car that since they look so much alike they are like two Sharons. The idea stuck and we named them Athena and Boomer after one of our favorite sci-fi shows.

Our last two kitties were not friends, and often got into fights. It's amazing watching these two play together, sleep together, and bathe each other. They are best buds (unlike Athena and Boomer on BSG, who were most definitely not best buds).

busy baking weekend

2011-05-30T21:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I baked, and baked, and baked.

All the cookies (and the brownies) are for a care package to my cousin in Iraq.

On top of all my cookie baking, I decided to make pizza for dinner.

Today I made Smitten Kitchen's breakfast apple granola crisp. I'm so beat from all this cooking and baking that I didn't get any pictures of the apple crisp. Oh well. Such is life.

pretty dish mat

2011-05-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

Using this idea from Amanda Soule's book, I re-purposed one of our old bath towels into a dish drying mat.

I used a Moda Central Park charm pack that I picked up from The Quilting Loft awhile back. I used the quilt-as-you-go method and added some simple bias tape around the edge.

I have a few more old bath towels that need a new life, so I think I'll make some more of these.

new hair

2011-05-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

Well, it's still my old hair, just a new look.

My now-tiny ponytail.

This should give you an idea of how much I cut off. Roughly 4 or 5 inches, depending on the dread. They were a bunch of different lengths, anyhow.

My head feels so much lighter now. =)

this moment

2011-05-06T17:23:00.000-07:00

From my walk last weekend.

Starting to sprout.

spring planting (finally)

2011-04-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

beautiful sunny Seattle day

2011-04-24T22:33:00.000-07:00

There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

It's been so chilly that many of the trees were still pretty bare.

A closer look at the trunk showed plenty of green.

Things were very green, and warm, in the PSC butterfly house.

We checked out the new Star Wars exhibit, of course. I'll leave you with a few images. And yes, I am sporting a Star Wars t-shirt. Cause I'm that kind of nerd. =)

settling in, one room at a time

2011-04-06T16:02:00.000-07:00

We moved a little over a week ago, and are getting settled in. It's quite overwhelming to pack up everything you own. It's even more overwhelming to unpack into a new space. Since I've had this week off from work I've been slowly going through boxes, deciding where to put things and how to best organize. Besides the necessities (where are my socks?!), I've found that making a space my own, complete with pictures on the walls, really helps me feel grounded.

I've been working on the kitchen space.

Not yet finished, but definitely coming along.
And those spice jars all lined up on their shelves? They make me smile.

making vanilla extract

2011-03-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to buying some plain vodka to make vanilla extract. My extra vanilla beans from the vanilla syrup project were going bad, so I ordered more from the same seller.

Vanilla extract is so simple to make. I cut the beans lengthwise (leaving the top and bottom attached), put a handful of these cut beans in jars, then filled the jars with vodka. I keep them in a dark cabinet, and every now and then I give them a shake.

Here they are just five days later.

I'm thinking of letting these steep until the winter holidays. Might make for interesting homemade presents.

garden dreams

2011-03-13T18:39:00.000-07:00

We're moving at the end of this month into a bottom-floor apartment. Our new place is in a triplex on a residential street. I have been given permission by the owner to garden to my heart's content. And so I shall.

I will start with herbs in containers. Baby steps. At some point, probably not until the summer, I will build a simple raised bed outside. It might not happen this year, but I have dreams of small theme beds. Can you guess what theme I'm going for here?

purple peacock broccoli	royal burgundy bush beans
spanish roja garlic	deep purple carrot

My favorite place to look for seeds is the Territorial Seed Company. The images above are from their online catalog. The links will take you there.

two sweaters

2011-03-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

Last month I started knitting two sweaters. I know what you're thinking. Isn't knitting one sweater hard enough? But the sweaters are so very different, and let me exercise different parts of my knitting brain. So some days I work more on my February Lady Sweater, and others I work more on Joe's tree sweater. And some days I don't pick up either sweater.

The February Lady Sweater is knit from the top down. The top portion is rather plain, but taught me how to do raglan shaping. I'm now on the bottom part, which is a 4-row repeat of the gull lace pattern. My Ravelry notes here.

Joe's tree sweater is a seamless hybrid sweater from Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Without Tears book. The tree part of his tree sweater is an intricate, cabled tree that I am attempting on the front of his sweater. His sweater is knit from the bottom up, so I am currently working on the roots section of the tree.

I hope to have the February Lady Sweater finished by summer, since it'll be a light and airy sweater. Joe's sweater will hopefully be complete by his birthday in September. Although, they both very well might take me a good deal longer. I've been known to stretch a project out for years.

What crafts are keeping you busy this Spring?

spice jars

2011-02-27T16:09:00.000-08:00

My spice jars needed some help. I've collected all sorts of spice jars over the years. At this point I always refill them with bulk spices, so I'd never get the chance to stick to a certain brand.

After shopping around online to get an idea of my options, I went to IKEA and bought a bunch of their droppar spice jars. I fiddled with some printable mailing label sheets I had on hand and made some labels.

They are sort-of color-coded to match what's inside.

Mostly I just wanted some variety.

I love that they all match, and that I can easily tell which spices are running low. Once we move to our new apartment at the end of March, I'll pick up a spice rack for the wall to keep them together. For now they'll go into a storage bin.

remembering Tigerlily

2011-02-12T15:58:00.000-08:00

It's been over a month, and I can't avoid this place or this subject any longer.

This adorable orange cat is no longer with us. She went to sleep for the last time on January 7th after struggling with cancer.

We will always remember her love for all things paper.

Her curiosity.

Her ability to quickly change an already awkward napping situation...

...into an increasingly precarious, and still awkward, napping situation.

No matter what we were doing, she wanted to be close by. At only 7 lbs she was a tiny cat, and she took advantage of her small size to squeeze into small places.

She loved to ride around on our shoulders like a parrot, or a monkey.

And she never missed an opportunity to sit inside of something. Whether that was an empty plant pot...

...or the empty clothes dryer.

I miss that silly little cat more than I can explain. Her absence is felt every day. I am thankful for all the pictures we have of her, and the memories that they evoke.

I will miss napping with her. Finding her cuddling with me under the covers. Discovering that a stack of newly-washed cloth placemats have been taken over by my furry friend. Finding her hidden in freshly-washed sheets that wait for folding. Seeing her face as she greets me at the door. Hearing the ridiculous "meh" noises that she made (no nice kitty meows from her). Watching her dunk a toy in water and then bring it to me to throw. The way she learned to resist the temptation to play with my knitting needles, because she'd rather nap on my lap.

I could not watch you suffer,

I could not see you in pain.

Because I loved you,

I had to let you go.

Now you are free.

Your body is no longer sick,

weak, and hurting.

You have crossed over,

into the spirit realm.

May you walk with Bast,

and I will see you again some day.

You will live forever in my heart.

my Christmas

2011-01-02T17:09:00.000-08:00

My Christmas break was filled with baking,

little ones,

and playing games.

All while surrounded by family.

roasting a pumpkin

2010-11-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

I've recently realized that many people I talk to have never roasted a pumpkin before. While I certainly appreciate the convenience and flexibility of canned pumpkin, I think that using fresh pumpkin is something that everyone should at least try once. I remember thinking that it must be the hardest thing in the world - turning a hard vegetable like squash into that smooth puree for pies. Once I tried it I realized how easy it really is.

Start with a pie pumpkin (or sugar pumpkin, as they are sometimes called). The only grocery store I can always count on to carry these around here is Trader Joe's. Safeway, Albertsons and the like seem to only carry other varieties of winter squash. Don't forget your local farmer's market.

Remove the stem, cut in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy bits (clean and roast the seeds if you like).

Having an orange cat around as "helper" is entirely optional.

Some people like to put their pumpkin halves cut-side down. I prefer cut-side up, so they don't stick to the foil.

After roasting at 350 degrees for an hour or so, they should be easily pierced with a fork. The time really does vary, so check and adjust.

It's best to let them sit for awhile, to prevent burning your fingers as you handle them, and then scoop out the flesh from the skins.

A quick pulse in the food processor turns it from this...

... into this. A smooth puree ready for pie, cookies, or whatever else you like to make with pumpkin.

One trick I learned for dealing with leftover pumpkin puree - measure 1-cup amounts into a sandwich size Ziploc. Smooth flat and lay in the freezer. Next time you need a cup of pumpkin puree just take out a bag and let it defrost on the counter.

a home for Rosie - update

2010-11-20T19:09:00.000-08:00

Remember back in August when we decided we needed to separate our kitties? My wonderful family decided to welcome Rosie back into their home. This takes a huge amount of stress out of our lives. While this means that Rosie will be very far away (on the other side of the country), we know that he will have a wonderful home full of loving people and curious animals.

In order to get Rosie across the country, Joe and I will be taking him along with us (on the plane) on our trip to visit family for winter break. I'm sure it will be an entertaining trip - lugging a crying kitty through the airport, onto and off of planes (we have a layover, unfortunately), all while dealing with the usual traveling stresses. I hope to document the trip in photos so I can blog about it when I get back.

I am going to miss that face.

sandwich rolls

2010-10-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

I am in love with these honey wheat sandwich rolls.

I made the dough in my bread machine (cheating, I know, but a necessary short-cut for a busy teacher), and baked them up on a Sunday so my hubby and I would have sandwich bread for the week.

I've been trying to bake my own bread for sandwiches for some time. I've found some great recipes (my favorite so far is SouleMama's WHO bread). But when it comes to slicing the bread it just doesn't work well for sandwiches.

I actually made this recipe twice before I was really happy with it. The first time I used a washed tuna can to cut the dough. The rolls that baked up from that batch were just too small for sandwiches. I searched and searched my kitchen for something that would make a better size and then realized that I could just cut the dough into rough rectangles. It worked perfectly.

I hope to get into a routine of making these rolls on the weekend for the coming week's sandwiches.

How do you slice homemade bread for sandwiches?

this moment

2010-10-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Soulemama.

mute and restless

2010-10-21T16:50:00.000-07:00

I'm one of those people who can't stand to take a day off work. Don't get me wrong, as a public school teacher I am quite fond of school holidays. But when I'm supposed to be at work, I have a hard time thinking of anything other than what I should be doing.

Even with my germ-filled job, I seldom get sick. That's quite a feat, given that I spend my days with 150+ 8th graders. Who, by the way, have been sick quite a bit this year.

But this year has been different so far. Two weekends ago I fell ill and took a Monday off to rest. I felt good enough to drag myself to work, and with the help of some over-the-counter meds I managed to finish the week. This past weekend I had fun figuring out a three-day lesson to teach my students about the size and scale of the solar system. Monday's lesson went well, but by Tuesday I was struggling to talk. Each class period my voice became weaker and weaker. By the time I got home I couldn't do anything but whisper. And my throat hurt. A lot.

So I took Wednesday off hoping to return to work today to finish the third day of that three-day scaling lesson. I let my voice rest, drank tons of herbal tea and just generally rested. But still no voice. So I stayed home today.

I'm now able to get a very pathetic version of my voice to eek out now and then. I'm not sure if I'll be able to talk much tomorrow, but I'm determined to go to work. If I have to, I'll grab the loudest kid in each class period and appoint them my helper. S/he can repeat to the class each direction I manage to squeak or whisper.

However it turns out, it's sure to be an exciting Friday.

this moment - only a couple days late

2010-10-17T11:14:00.001-07:00

enchiladas

2010-10-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

I love trying new recipes.

I especially love trying new recipes from ThePioneerWoman.

Ree takes great photos of every step, so I never have to worry if I'm doing things right. And so far, everything I've tried has turned out great.

I recently made enchiladas again, using her recipe. I made a few changes (subbing ground turkey and green sauce), but I honestly like the original version best. I think it would have been just as tasty with the ground turkey, but changing from red sauce to green sauce just didn't do it for me.

So, if you like enchiladas, give this recipe a try, exactly as it's written. You won't regret it.

cat therapy

2010-09-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

Sometimes taking pictures of the cats looking cute is all I need to relax.

patience

2010-09-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

Remember when I started my raspberry liqueur project? I've finally moved on to step 2.

Step 1 was seeping the berries in Everclear for a month (I let them sit for 6 weeks... whoops).

Step 2 involved straining the berries, measuring the amount of alcohol, and adding the appropriate amount of water and sugar.

Step 3 involves waiting while it ages in the fridge.

And step 4? That's the best step of them all. When we finally reach step 4 in October I will get to taste my creation. And I sure hope it tastes good.

the Autumnal Equinox

2010-09-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

Tonight is both the autumnal equinox (for those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere), and a full moon. There are two equinoxes per year - one in the spring, and one in the fall. They are the two days where the length of day and the length of night are equal. Hence the name equinox (equi for equal and nox for night). As a science teacher, I absolutely love teaching astronomy and getting a chance to explain things like equinoxes to my students. I could go on and on about the equinox, but I'll let you look it up if you want more information.

This year, I decided that I wanted to make a autumn leaves garland out of felt. Fall is my favorite season, and I've never really done much to mark the season. Sure I decorate later on for Halloween, and I make applesauce in the fall, but I've never really taken advantage of the season.

Strangely, even though I started in August, I managed to finish my garland tonight (I swear I did not plan it that way!). So as part of my acknowledgment of the equinox I hung my garland.

It's evening and the sun has passed the horizon, so these pictures aren't the best, but I wanted to share. Please excuse my messy home (and the cat that is getting into who-knows-what in the sink).

felt leaves progress

2010-09-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

All the dark colored leaves were stitched with gold floss. The light colored leaves will be stitched with dark brown floss. Then they will all be strung together to make a garland. I'm trying to finish before Wednesday night (the autumnal equinox). Wish me luck!

nature walk

2010-09-19T14:47:00.000-07:00

Pictures from my walk today. Joe and I wandered around our apartment complex, and over into Magnuson Park. While he was looking for objects for a sculpture project, I was busy snapping photos.

autumn leaves

2010-09-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

autumn is coming

2010-09-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

Leaves in reds, oranges and yellow on the ground. Drizzling rain. Crisp air. Autumn is coming.

butter chicken

2010-09-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

My recipe for butter chicken (adopted from PioneerWoman's recipe). Basically I doubled the spices and added cornstarch to thicken. Otherwise it's the same.

Combine and marinate overnight:
4-6 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized pieces)
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cardamom
1 whole lime juiced

1 whole onion, diced
1/4 cup butter
1 can (14.5 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
1 pint whipping cream (I only use half a pint, but you can use a whole)
cornstarch
chopped cilantro, to taste
basmati rice

Saute onion in butter until soft. Add marinated chicken and cook about 10 minutes. I drained off the liquid after this step. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat with the lid on. Combine whipping cream with cornstarch to thicken, then add to chicken mixture. Serve over rice and top with cilantro.

this moment

2010-08-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

fall leaves garland

2010-08-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Three kinds of maple - including big-leaf maple and vine maple.

Oregon white oak leaves.

Cottonwood and quaking aspen leaves.

Oregon ash

Now I just need some twine to turn these lovely felt leaves into a garland.

My wonderful husband used his amazing computer skills to turn some Google search images I found into simple stencils that I cut out and traced onto felt. The whole tracing and cutting felt part of this project took much more time than I thought, so he grabbed some scissors and helped me out. He's great like that.

In case you're wondering where I got the idea for this project, the second and third picture in this post inspired me.

peach salsa

2010-08-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

First you need some peaches.

I used three and a half in order to get six cups (don't worry, the other half found a good home).

Add some chopped onion, red bell pepper and jalapeno.

Oh, and don't forget the cilantro.

Add some vinegar and honey, and give it a good stir.

Raw pack into jars, filling all the way to the top (it cooks down).

Process in a water bath canner for 20 minutes.

This recipe yielded 4 pints of salsa. I was worried about spiciness, so I didn't add the jalapeno seeds. My salsa turned out very high on the tasty scale, but very low on the spiciness scale. So next time I'll add the seeds.

Peach Salsa
6 cups pitted peaches, diced
1 1/4 cup diced onion (I just used a whole onion)
4 jalapeno peppers, diced (seed these if you don't want it too spicy)
1 bell pepper, preferably red, diced and seeded (though any color will suffice)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or 1/4 c dried
3/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoon honey

This peach salsa recipe is from a Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op blog post.

vanilla syrup

2010-08-19T08:33:00.000-07:00

Using this recipe, I turned sugar, water and vanilla beans into tasty, tasty vanilla syrup.

a home for Rosie

2010-08-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

Rosie needs a new home. In case you don't know Rosie, he's (yes, Rosie is a he) a 12-lb furry bundle of love.

While we love him to pieces, we have to split up our cats. Tiger has been having seizures when she gets over-excited and really needs to be the only cat in the house.

Rosie needs a healthy cat or dog to play with. He'd also do fine as the only pet, as long as he gets enough love and attention from his humans.

The pros and cons of adopting Rosie

Pros: extremely loving
-lets you carry him like a baby
-lets you pet him any which way you want
-will demand love and attention
-loves to sit on laps
-extremely cute

Cons: loves human food
-will get onto counters and into the sink in search of food
-will lick plates and stick his head/paws into glasses
-yodels randomly

If you, or someone you know, is interested in adopting Rosie, please contact us. My email is elizabeth dot n dot stone at gmail dot com, or you can leave a comment on this post.

Mt Rainier - Paradise

2010-08-17T16:26:00.000-07:00

Mt Rainier is truly breathtaking. It's no wonder that the south slope is officially named Paradise. Not as high up as the northern slope of Sunrise (6400 ft), Paradise is 5400 ft above sea level. Since I live just steps away from Lake Washington, standing on a mountain that high is an ethereal experience. Of course the actual peak of Mt Rainier is 14411 ft, so even though it looks so close, I was really only about a third of the way up.

There's something about the air up there that I can't pin down. Maybe it's just how clean the air is. Or maybe it's the lack of the city pollution that I've grown accustomed to. Or maybe it's just that fresh mountain smell. I'm not sure. But whatever it is, I am always acutely aware of the air on Mt Rainier.

Last Saturday my husband and I visited Paradise and did some hiking. I'd like to one day hike the Wonderland Trail, but I'm far from ready for such a long hike. Instead, we hiked to Sluiskin Falls and back, which was about 4 miles round-trip. Along the way we saw tall firs and fields of wildflowers.

I'm ashamed to say that in the seven years I've lived in the Seattle-Tacoma area, this is only the third time I've made it up to Mt Rainier. I want to plan more day trips to Mt Rainier, and eventually camp up there (reservations can be tough to get).

Couldn't have said it better myself, Muir.

Where's your favorite place to enjoy nature?

two years

2010-08-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Joe and I celebrated our handfasting anniversary. Married for two years, together for almost seven. I couldn't have found a better man. I love you Joe.

paddling a canoe

2010-08-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Joe and I rented canoes through the UW and paddled through parts of the Washington Park Arboretum.

We saw many female mallard ducks, some of which decided that we were very interesting.

Here's my goofy and wonderful husband.

Look how much my hair has grown!

There are a few spots in the arboretum where you can pull up to the shore. We stopped at one and traded seats. These ducks, I think, were hoping for some food.

In order to get to the arboretum from UW, you have to paddle below parts of the 520 bridge. We spotted this heron standing on the overpass, watching the water.

I love seeing how nature copes with city life.

raspberry liqueur

2010-08-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Totally started some of this on Thursday using frozen raspberries from u-picking.

I'm sad that this process takes a couple months, but excited to try some homemade raspberry liqueur.

I'll keep you posted.

Apricot-Blackberry jam

2010-08-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

Following this recipe, I made two batches of apricot-blackberry jam yesterday.

The first batch tasted great, but didn't firm up enough. It's not so runny that I would call it syrup, but it is a runny jam. I think I rushed the recipe a little, letting it just boil, instead of hard boil. I couldn't help it, though; I was excited.

I didn't have enough blackberries for the second batch, so I ended up using 2 cups blackberries and 2 cups raspberries (from our u-pick experience).

I bought the apricots from the Lake City Farmers Market. Which means that while I harvested only half of the fruit in this jam, it all came from either local farmers, or in the case of the blackberries, a public park in Seattle.

I was patient with the second batch, and it turned out runny as well. Not sure what I did wrong, but at least it's tasty.

this moment

2010-08-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

wild blackberries

2010-08-04T14:04:00.000-07:00

We found plenty of invasive Himalayan blackberries over at Magnuson Park today. Tomorrow I am going to look for apricots at the farmer's market so I can make blackberry-apricot jam.

beet pizza

2010-08-03T10:33:00.000-07:00

I found some beets in my CSA box this week, and wasn't sure what to do with them. I've cooked beets before, as part of my desert tortoise's food, but I had never eaten them myself (as far as I can remember). So I decided to give them a try. Only problem was that I had no idea how to prepare them.

So I headed over to the Pioneer Woman's food blog, Tasty Kitchen, and searched for "beet." What I found, among other recipes, was the bloody beet and goat cheese pizza. This seemed a no-brainer. I love pizza. I love roasted garlic. I love goat cheese. Seemed a good way to introduce my taste-buds to beets.

Besides, cut beets are so pretty, don't you think?

Anyway, I modified the recipe a bit. We like to make our pizza dough in the bread machine instead of by hand. It's still tasty, but that way I can prepare the toppings while the bread machine takes care of the dough. And, bread machine pizza dough turns out well every time, whereas pizza dough by my hands sometimes is a flop. I also didn't pay attention to the amount of goat cheese that the recipe called for. I just added cheese until I was satisfied. Here's the finished product:

The roasted garlic and goat cheese was a great combination. The beets added a sweet touch that I enjoyed. I'd definitely consider making this combo again.

camping at Penrose Point

2010-08-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

The best of both worlds.

The forest...

And the beach...

Trees made for napping...

Hammocks for reading...

Or hiding...

And trees carved like sculpture (my favorite)...

this moment

2010-07-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

drawstring bags for camping gear

2010-07-29T15:31:00.000-07:00

Inspired by this post, I decided to make some simple drawstring bags to hold our camping dishes.

Using leftover fabric from an earlier project, I made five bags.

After the bags were complete, I experimented with fabric pens and fancy stitches to make labels for the bags.

I finished them today with double drawstrings for easy opening and closing.

I hope they help make packing go smoothly and help keep the campsite more organized.

quilt-as-you-go placemats

2010-07-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Inspired by this Moda Bake Shop post, I decided to try two new sewing techniques: quilt-as-you-go, and making and sewing bias tape.

Raspberries & Blueberries!

2010-07-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

I had a great time this weekend with my husband and our good friend Marion. We went back to Biringer Farm Saturday, but this time for raspberries.

Back at home, Marion and I made raspberry jam.

Unlike my earlier attempt at strawberry jam, this time I carefully followed instructions, and the jam firmed up nicely.

Aren't these itty jars cute?

At Bryant Blueberry Farm, we each headed out with a bucket.

Besides feeding them to the goats, and snacking on them ourselves, I'm not sure yet what I'll do with the blueberries. Maybe some blueberry muffins?

What do you like to make with fresh blueberries?

beautiful western Washington

2010-07-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

The first three photos are from Asahel Curtis. The last three are from the Cedar River Watershed. All photos were taken on July 22nd.

this moment

2010-07-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

New & Improved Donuts

2010-07-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

Does one need an excuse to make donuts? I don't think so.

But if I did need an excuse, this new-to-me (thanks Keitha!) donut cutter is it.

It makes perfectly shaped donuts and donut-holes. Before this, I used two separate biscuit cutters that weren't really the right size. The donut part ended up very skinny, and the donut-hole part was huge. Now they are perfect.

The second donut-making experience went smoothly this past Saturday. My hubby and I set up the kitchen so that I can fry the donuts, and he is right next to me ready to glaze them.

We've decided to strain the used frying oil and reuse it the next time we make donuts. My husband has clearly labeled that oil so we don't confuse it with others.

He cracks me up.

Yum.

It's Science!

2010-07-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a summer class for science teachers at the local university. One of my assignments involves setting up an experiment and then doing a display board (kind of like a science fair project). The idea is that at the end of the class I walk away with a display board that I can use as an example for my students.

We did ten experiments throughout the course of the 4-week class, which we were supposed to choose from for our board. I really liked the baggie garden experiment, but I didn't want to use the class data. I wanted to do the experiment again, this time changing a different variable.

I'm interested in the idea of using untreated gray-water to water plants, as a way of conserving energy (since all of our waste-water is currently treated so that it meets potable water standards). So I poked around my house and decided to try three different cleaners that I currently use in the bathroom: Seventh Generation multi-surface concentrated cleaner, Method Le Scrub gently abrasive cleaner, and Target's Up&Up all-purpose cleaner with bleach.

I don't have lab-glassware at home to measure and mix the water and cleaner, so I improvised. See Mom, those shot-glasses come in handy!

I set up my baggie gardens with lentil seeds (from my kitchen) and tried to keep all variables the same, except for the added cleaner. Then I attached them to the wall using push-pins, and I'll check on them daily.

We'll see in a couple of days how my garden grows. Which cleaner do you think will allow the most seeds to germinate?

Low Tide at Golden Gardens

2010-07-13T16:27:00.000-07:00

Accidental Felt Incident

2010-07-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

I must preface this post by telling you that my tea leaves sweater project was my first adventure in knitting with wool yarn. Yup, I called it an adventure.

I finally finished my tea leaves sweater last week. Started in March, finished in July. That's record time for me, especially for such a large project. Especially considering I've had other things on the needles for awhile.

As a comparison, I once took 4 years to finish this simple cross-stitch pattern.

Back to my story... I was so excited to finish the sweater, I couldn't wait to wash and block it. So I did. And I did it totally wrong. Somehow. I'm not going to go into that. I will, however, share with you some before and after pictures, so that you can share in my sorrows.

Before:

After:

There were many tears over this mishap. Many. But I decided that I wasn't going to let the mysteries of wool overcome my superior intellect. Nope, not me. I bought more yarn so that I can begin this project again.

But this time, I bought superwash wool.

I will succeed.

more bike riding

2010-07-07T16:43:00.000-07:00

I feel like superwoman.

Today I biked to school with the intention of taking the bus home. Our temperatures have jumped from highs in the 60's, to highs in the 80-90 degree range. Overnight. But as school was getting out, I said "heck, why not?" So today I rode both to school and home from school.

I won't be able to ride tomorrow or Friday, due to fieldtrips (yay for fieldtrips!), but I hope to continue my daily bike rides next week.

my bike ride

2010-07-06T17:05:00.000-07:00

Today I took my new-to-me bike to school on the bus, and rode it home.

The bus trip to school took me about 20 minutes. The bike ride home took 35 minutes. Not bad.

Tomorrow I think I'll try riding to school in the morning, and then depending on the weather I'll either bike or bus it home. The forecast is calling for a jump in high temperatures of about 20 degrees. Yikes.

07/06/2010 Route
Find more Bike Rides in Seattle, Washington

Strawberries!

2010-06-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

Perfect way to spend a gorgeous Saturday.

Hooded Sleep Sack for Baby

2010-06-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

Today I finished the hooded sleep sack I've been working on for Valerie's baby.

This is the first time I've sewn fabric to a knitted piece. It was a little tricky, but I managed. Some parts, like the sleeves, had to be hand sewn because I didn't want to contort myself too much to make them fit in the machine.

It's a little hard to tell in the pictures, but there's a zipper that closes up the front.

And since I don't have a baby to model this on, and I didn't think the cats would sit still long enough for a picture, I decided to let Joe's monkey try it on.

I think it needs a cute patch for the front. What do you think?

homemade sorbet

2010-06-24T15:58:00.000-07:00

We restarted our CSA subscription with Full Circle Farm and picked up our first box last week. Inside there was, among other things, a fresh cantaloupe and a recipe for "Homemade Cantaloupe Sorbet." How could I resist that?

My cantaloupe sorbet is still firming up in the freezer, so I can't tell you yet how yummy it is. But in case you'd like to find out on your own, here's the recipe, paraphrased a bit:

Handmade Cantaloupe Sorbet from Full Circle Farms

2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
3 cup 1-inch pieces peeled, seeded cantaloupe (I just used the whole melon, however much that was)

Heat sugar and water in saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves and water boils. Pour into medium bowl and allow to cool. Puree cantaloupe in food processor until smooth (mine was a little chunky, but mostly smooth). Mix pureed cantaloupe with sugar water mixture and stir until well blended. Freeze until almost firm, stirring occasionally, at least 3 hours or overnight. Using a heavy whisk, beat air into mixture until fluffy. Return to freezer until firm without stirring, at least 3 hours or overnight. Keeps for about three days. Serve with mint.

I'm still working on the "freeze until firm" part (pre-whisking).

You could use the same recipe with any fruit. I think peach would be good, too.

Since I had the food processor out, and we were running low, I decided to make some more peanut butter using a recipe from The Tangled Nest.

Yum.

Perfect start to my summer vacation.

Made with Love

2010-06-20T11:33:00.000-07:00

Friday after work I went to the fabric store to buy a zipper for the baby sleep sack I'm making. I ended up leaving the store with a zipper, some remnant baby flannel, batik fabric that I turned into pajama pants yesterday, and these cute iron-on labels.

The directions said to iron on a low setting for 20 seconds. Which I tried, but it didn't work. So I added some stitch witchery, which did the trick. It could be that since my iron is old, it didn't get to the correct temperature. Or it could have been something about putting a patch onto a knitted garment. I'm not sure.

Either way, it's a cute addition to an otherwise simple sweater. A little reminder that it was made with loving care.

I pass death with the dying

2010-06-08T19:12:00.000-07:00

I buried a squirrel today.

It was 2:40pm, the final bell had just rang and I had a million things to do before 3:30 when my carpool left. A student was planning on staying after school for help, I had referrals to write, and there were some emails that needed replies. I walked out of my classroom, intending to quickly handle the paperwork so I could work with my student. As I walked towards the office I noticed a group of students staring at something on the ground: an injured squirrel, helplessly flailing around. I quickly shooed the students away and then stood there.

I watched the squirrel flail.

I had no idea what to do.

No idea what to do, no desire to watch an animal suffer, yet a strange feeling that if I didn't give it my full attention I was somehow disrespecting a fellow creature. So I watched, and soon other adults came and stopped to help me figure out what to do.

After much discussion and a frustrating call to Animal Control (who, by the way, do not deal with "wildlife"), the squirrel died. I felt both relieved that it was no longer in pain, and also sad that I wasn't able to help it.

I'm not even sure how it ended up on the ground, or how exactly it was injured. But I realized that when I have children of my own, teaching them to not only respect living things, but also to respect death and dying is going to be one of my top jobs. Before other adults joined me there were a couple students gawking nearby. One of the students made some very disrespectful remarks about the squirrel and its situation. I pulled him aside and explained to him that watching an animal suffer caused me to suffer, and that his words were not only insensitive, but that they added to the suffering of both myself and the squirrel. The look on the student's face confirmed that he understood what I was trying to say.

I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey work of the stars,
And the pismire is equally perfect, and a grain of sand, and the egg
of the wren,
And the tree-toad is a chef-d'oeuvre for the highest,
And the running blackberry would adorn the parlors of heaven,
And the narrowest hinge in my hand puts to scorn all machinery,
And the cow crunching with depress'd head surpasses any statue,
And a mouse is miracle enough to stagger sextillions of infidels.

-Walt Whitman

Baby Knits in Progress

2010-06-03T18:09:00.000-07:00

What used to be an ever-elongating rectangle is now starting to take shape.

I'd still say I'm about half-way done, but at this point I can finally see what it will become.

This odd-shaped bit of yarn will eventually become a hooded sleep sack (or carrying bag, as Debbie Bliss calls it).

I'm thinking of lining it with some baby flannel, since it's not too thick. I picked some up at the store the other day, just in case.

What is currently on your knitting needles?

Middle Earth

2010-05-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

I'm taking off today for my Memorial Day weekend.

I plan to relax, knit a ton (finishing tea leaves, more baby knits), and watch the extended versions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (yes, I'm that kind of nerd). So, while I'm not going far, you could say that I'll be in Middle Earth for the next few days.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Baby Sweater

2010-05-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

The month of May sure went by quickly. Even so, I've been busy.

My tea leaves sweater is almost finished. I ran out of yarn, and couldn't make it to the yarn store until last weekend. I plan to finish the sweater this weekend, since I have four days off. Here's a sneak peak:

Since I couldn't work on the tea leaves, I decided to start a sweater for my cousin Valerie's baby. I used the boat neck sweater pattern from Debbie Bliss. I decided to use a cotton/acrylic blend called Baby's First because it has easy care instructions (can go in both the washer and dryer). That, and it's super soft. And green. A lovely green called "beanstalk."

I had to adjust the pattern a bit, since the yarn I chose was bulky weight. I ended up using a size 9 needle for the majority of the pattern (and a 7 needle for the wrist and waist rows). I cast on three stitches short of what was called for the 0-3 month size, which ended up giving me the same measurements as the 3-6 month size. Since this baby will be born in November, s/he'll have a February-May sweater. Of course I realize that the sizes are completely arbitrary. Baby could be smaller than that, or bigger than that. No matter. Cute is cute.

projects to begin

2010-05-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

When I heard the news that my cousin Valerie is expecting a baby, two thoughts went through my brain:

1 - I am going to be an Auntie! (technically cousin, but whatever)
2 - What am I going to knit/sew for this child?

I am so excited to begin creating for this child. I won't meet her/him until November, so I figure that's plenty of time for a few projects.

I came across the Debbie Bliss books through my local library. After much perusing, and careful thought, I have my list of potential projects. I ended up choosing projects from Essential Baby: Over 20 Handknits to Take Your Baby from First Days to First Steps and Baby Knits for Beginners. I very well may only do a few of these, but it doesn't hurt to have a long list.

I tried to organize my list according to age/size, so that the things baby will need first will be finished first. I made copies of the patterns, since (a) I should resist the urge to be a library-book-hog and (b) I like to mark up my patterns. I'm not quite done with my tea leaves sweater yet, but I should be able to begin baby knitting by June.

Here are a few things I would like to make.

What are your favorite things to create for a new baby?

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T09:52:00.000-07:00

I'd like to wish all the mamas in my life a Happy Mother's Day.

May I share a few more pictures of my "children"?

While I know that one day Joe and I will have human children, for now we practice parenting with our kitties.

We've learned to deal with bodily fluids, trips to the "doctor", excessive ~~crying~~ meowing, running in the house, the need for constant attention, sibling rivalry, and the importance of enforcing a strict bedtime routine.

Pretty much covers it, right?

walking the cats

2010-04-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

My husband and I don't have kids yet. Or dogs. But we do have cats. They are indoor cats, and sometimes they just need to get out into the fresh air. Our old apartment had a balcony that they were allowed to visit, but our new apartment does not. Hence, the walking.

We've discovered that the perfect human to cat ratio for walks is definitely 1:1.

These pictures are from a few weeks ago, when my brave husband decided the kitties needed some air.

He took them one at a time, of course.

I'm not sure how my husband managed to walk the cats and take pictures at the same time, but I'm sure it was epic.

Sidewalk Chalk

2010-04-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

My nephew is an amazing kid. One of the things he likes to do outside is draw with chalk.

Gia accurately describes him as "more of a Pollock" since he prefers to make abstract lines. He'll make a few lines, stand back and admire his work, and then add a few more. It's really cute to watch.

While we were decorating the walkway the other day he decided to work on tracing around his feet.

I love to watch him create.

I just can't get enough of that kid.

Visiting Virginia

2010-04-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

I spent last week in Virginia visiting my family for spring break. I had an amazing time packed with so much wonderful.

There was the early morning train ride up to the National Zoo.

There was the birthday cake to celebrate my brother, my cousin and myself (all of our birthdays are very close together).

There were new family members to meet (although I somehow managed to not get any pictures of Mike, and only a few of Gia).

And an adorable almost-three-year-old nephew to play with.

Hearing him say "Aunt B" just melts my heart.

Spring Eggs

2010-04-05T16:29:00.000-07:00

For the past few years I have experimented with using natural dyes for spring eggs. Here's a picture from 2007:

And this is from 2008:

I'm not sure what happened in 2009... This year, due to time constraints and simple forgetfulness, I decided to try using food color to dye my eggs. Strangely I went straight from Paas to natural dyes, without ever experimenting with food color. The process is almost identical to using the little tablets, and less like the long soaking that natural dyes require.

A little food coloring, a splash of vinegar, some hot water and you have dye ready for eggs. It takes about 5 minutes to get a strong color.

I used the short glasses that my husband etched with cute baby dinosaurs. You can almost see their shapes in the picture.

I decided to try making a swirl/marble effect using olive oil. They turned out somewhat how I expected, and somewhat not.

Even with the strange-looking swirl eggs, I think this year's experiment was a success.

Happy Spring!

My Tea Leaves

2010-04-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

One look at Amanda Soule's Tea Leaves sweater and I knew that I was going to make one for myself. I just knew it.

I had tried to make a sweater before, but I decided to stop for a couple of reasons. First, I was using very inferior acrylic yarn that I did not like at all. The color was flat and the texture was ugh. Second, since I didn't like the yarn, and the pattern was very plain (just a simple v-neck pullover), I couldn't imagine myself enjoying wearing it. So I decided to stop investing any time or effort on the project and hold out on making a sweater until I found a pattern I really liked, and yarn that I would enjoy knitting with and later on wearing.

So as soon as I saw Amanda's sweater, I clicked on over to MadelineTosh's website and bought the pattern.

Then I had to find the perfect yarn, which I did, at Bad Woman Yarn in Wallingford. After checking out every single yarn they had for sale, I decided on a wool/silk blend made by Plymouth Yarns called Mushishi.

Now, I was determined to make this sweater the right way. I started by making a gauge square, first on the recommended #7 needles, and then on some #9s. Because, who am I kidding? I know I knit rather snugly, and the recommended needle size is always too small for me. Once I figured out that I'd need #9 32" circulars, I headed over to Etsy and found some (also some #8 32" circulars). They arrived a couple days after I ordered them. When I got home, I immediately opened the package, briefly inspected my new needles, and then immediately began knitting my tea leaves.

I was in heaven.

I am still in heaven. The yarn is just dreamy to knit with. It's my first expensive yarn (and yes, this will be the most expensive sweater I own, but it'll be worth it). And by expensive, I mean high-quality, bought-in-an-actual-yarn-shop yarn. Dreamy.

Painting - Part 2

2010-03-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

In the month since we began, we added more coats of paint (I stopped counting), touched up mistakes and finally added the symbols to our Eye of Jupiter painting.

See the difference?

Before:

After:

And here it is in its final resting place (we hope). Please forgive my messy home.

We're still a bit wary about how secure it is, but we're hoping it doesn't fall off the wall. That canvas is pretty darn heavy.

The symbols are stylized versions of the twelve zodiac signs.

Now it's time for our next painting project to begin: a Celtic Tree of Life.

Meeting New Family

2010-03-30T18:45:00.000-07:00

One week from now I will board a plane for Virginia, where the rest of my family lives. I often go to Virginia during my teaching breaks, staying with my parents and visiting with my brother, nephew, and my recently-back-from-deployment cousin. Sometimes I squeeze in a trip to visit one of my great-aunts, or my mom's cousins.

I'm not from Virginia, though. I was born and raised in central California. When I was in my 3rd year of college, my parents decided to pack up and move across the country to Fredericksburg, Virginia. After finishing college in Washington State I decided to stay. That is how I come to live in Seattle, while my parents are very near the other Washington.

What makes this trip to Virginia different is the addition of not one, but two family members. My recently-back-from-deployment cousin is newly married, and I will get to meet her husband while I'm visiting. My brother is recently engaged, and I will get to meet his fiancee. In an effort at getting to know both of them during my less than a week stay, I have been compiling a list of essential questions. Here is a sampling:

What are your views on womens' rights?

Do you believe in evolution?

Who is your favorite Firefly character?

You get the picture. I can't publish all of my questions, for security reasons. I don't want them studying up now, do I? I want honest, in the moment answers.

Don't worry, there will be a full report when I get back.

Spring is Here!

2010-03-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

The first day of Spring in Seattle was beautiful. I think the mercury reached 68 degrees or so. I spent the Equinox with my husband and some good friends. We started the day off at the University District Farmer's Market. Most of the offerings were still winter-fare, with many root vegetables and squash. That was to be expected. I left the market with a loaf of sourdough bread and a small strawberry plant.

Then we went to Bad Woman Yarn to buy yarn for a sweater project I've been dying to start. My friend and I checked out every ball, skein and shank of yarn in the store before I finally decided on the perfect yarn. More about that later.

The evening was filled with food, friends and games. Our friends brought over Settlers of Catan, a game we had heard much about but hadn't had the chance to play yet. We played two games before my friends had to head home, and then we played another before we went to bed. I had a blast.

I had such a good time that day, in fact, that I completely forgot to take any pictures. And so I leave you with a picture from yesterday of one of my cats enjoying the Spring sunshine in my little nook.

Breakfast Pizza

2010-03-28T12:07:00.000-07:00

Breakfast Pizza. Now doesn't that sound wonderful? Two amazing ideas, breakfast and pizza, combined to make an excellent meal. Strangely, I've made this twice now, and both times I ate it for dinner ~~and breakfast the next day~~.

I cheat a little bit, and make my pizza dough in the bread machine. I've made it by hand as well, but in my busy life the bread machine can be a savior.

The only thing I changed in the recipe was the addition of mushrooms. I love mushrooms, and firmly believe that just about anything can be made better with mushrooms. And so you have it.

I think it was the combination of cheeses. Or maybe it was the cheese plus the herbs. I don't know. What I do know was that the first bite was heavenly. As was the second, and third, and so on.

If you'd like the recipe, head on over to Smitten Kitchen and check it out.

Cherry Pie

2010-03-07T19:06:00.000-08:00

Today marks seven years since my Aunt Sandie passed away. She was only 44 years old when she died from ovarian cancer. I've never had any sort of ritual to mark the day. It's my way of avoiding my feelings.

On the first anniversary of her death my mom baked a cherry pie. We all sat down and shared it. Cherry pie was my aunt's favorite. So today I decided to bake a pie to honor my aunt.

Since cherries are not in season, I cheated a little and bought canned pie filling. I also bought pre-made pie crust. So really I just assembled the pie. I figure that was okay for my first special pie.

I wish that my aunt was still here. I wish that she could have met my husband. I wish I could have gotten to know her as an adult, instead of only as a child.

So many wishes.

Instead I work at my relationships with her two children. We are all so young that we are still navigating the change from child-to-child relationships into adult-to-adult relationships.

I love her children like they are my siblings, even though they are not. I look forward to the day I have my own children, and I know that my cousins will have a major role in their lives.

Rest in peace Aunt Sandie.

We Learn to Ski

2010-03-07T16:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Joe and I trekked up to Crystal Mountain Ski Resort on Mt Rainier. We decided to try skiing, since one of our friends works as an instructor. Our friend Eric knew we were coming up, but didn't know if we'd end up trying skiing or snowboarding. While we waited around for the class to start, I wondered if we'd have trouble finding him. There are so many instructors, and so many different classes offered. Then from behind me I heard a loud "Yeeeeeeesssssss! You're wearing ski boots!" He found us. No problem.

I still can't believe how much I learned in that half-day lesson. I went from not knowing which end was up, and feeling very shaky, to being able to traverse the slopes with confidence that I wouldn't crash and burn. Not to say that I'm a super awesome skier, or that I didn't fall down. There were definitely times that I got going faster that I'd like, and those times brought a huge amount of panic. But I managed to remember the v-shape that slows skis down, and the fact that if I turned to one side for long enough I'd eventually be pointing sideways or even uphill, and I'd come to a stop. There were a couple times I almost ran into other skiers, but I managed to avoid smashing into them. A plus for me and for them.

We stayed on the Discovery lift, which is for beginners. There are other lifts that start from basically the same area, which means that at times skiers or snowboarders would come careening down the hill at crazy speeds. Here's one of the lifts that we didn't take:

This was our lift:

And because we are who we are, I leave you with a couple goofy pictures.

Thank you Eric for teaching us how to ski. =)

Hot Rice Bags

2010-02-28T20:07:00.000-08:00

Awhile back I came across this post by Lyanda Lynn Haupt on her blog, The Tangled Nest. In her post, she shares instructions for making a simple sewn rice bag.

I have two rice bags, although they aren't as cute as the one in her post. Mine are made from re-purposed hand towels. They don't have covers, yet. One of my next sewing projects is going to be making fleece or flannel (I haven't decided yet) slip on covers using her tutorial.

I'm posting about this because every night I find myself saying to my husband, "I need to heat up my rice." Each time I say that I smile at how ridiculous it must sound. While we've had a very mild winter here in the Pacific Northwest, it's still nice to be able to turn the heat down, saving money and feeling more environmentally conscious. With an extra blanket or two, and a hot rice bag (mine takes exactly 4 minutes in the microwave to reach optimal temperature) I can sleep cozily without having the heat on all night.

Does anyone else use a rice bag to stay cozy in the winter?

Reknit

2010-02-25T18:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, while driving home, I heard a story on NPR that really caught my attention. I always listen to NPR (or PRI, or BBC World News, or whatever is on KUOW when I'm in the car), but I don't always really listen. Sometimes my focus drifts in and out as I become more or less interested in the particular story or news item. Yesterday my focus was yanked back into attention when I realized the story was about knitting.

The story I'm talking about deals with a project called Reknit. A simple equation explains how Reknit works:

your old sweater + $30 = new knitted thing

Each month she makes something different. One month it was scarves. This month it's fingerless gloves. Very cool idea. Here's a link to the story.

I am a bit concerned with the money part of the deal. I mean, $30 to unravel and then knit something new is not even close to minimum wage. It's a shame not only that (a) people do not value re-purposing enough to pay the true cost and (b) it's often cheaper to just buy something new. Even still, I think it's a very neat idea.

What is your take on the Reknit project?

Painting - Part 1

2010-02-14T18:27:00.000-08:00

Joe and I acquired four large canvases at our old apartment by chance. A neighbor, whom we did not know, was throwing them away, because of some minor defects (all fixable). Being the hippies that we are, we just couldn't see them go to waste. So we held on to them. For months. When we moved in December I made Joe a deal: we would transport the canvases to the new apartment, as long as they actually turned into art. So Joe and I started planning, and we now have plans for three of the four canvases.

We started painting the big one. Joe had already designed the picture on his computer, transferred it to the canvas (a complicated process that I will not go into right now), so all that was left was the paint.

The picture is a combination of the Eye of Jupiter (from Battlestar Galactica), and the zodiac signs. In the BSG series, the Eye of Jupiter is a star that goes supernova. The image appears as a painting, and then as a mandala carved into a pillar, before the star actually explodes. Joe and I have been drawn to the image, so it seemed fitting.

We'll do at least one more coat on the Eye, and then move on to the zodiac signs.

In our new apartment there is large blank wall that will be perfect for our first painting.

Along with making donuts, and taking the car to Toyota to get the accelerator pedal fixed (my poor car has been part of two recalls!), we worked on this painting on Valentine's Day. A perfect way to spend the holiday, if you ask me.

Donuts!

2010-02-14T16:49:00.000-08:00

Today Joe and I made donuts, following Pioneer Woman's recipe.

First I have to show you my new deep fry thermometer. I didn't have one, and Pioneer Woman was very specific about the oil temperature, so I went down to City People's and found this one.

When I opened the package I realized that it has an adjustable clip that hooks onto your pot so the thermometer stays upright. Brilliant!

Okay, here's what you really want to see. Glorious donuts. And they are yummy!

We have three of those containers full, but not for long. I think I ate five or six throughout the deep-fry process.

Saturday walk

2010-02-07T08:08:00.000-08:00

Saturday in Seattle was just as Spring-like as Friday, so Joe and I headed out for an early afternoon walk down to City People's.

On our walk I saw and heard many birds, but couldn't manage to get one to stay still for long enough to take a picture, until I came across this crow. Ever since reading Lyanda Lynn Haupt's Crow Planet, I've looked at crows in a different light. I've always been fascinated with their shiny plumage, amazing intelligence, and prominence in myths (particularly Huginn and Muninn, since I often see crows in pairs). But now I think of them more as members of my community.

While looking for birds to photograph, Joe pointed out to me how the sunlight catches on the fuzzy parts of this tree's branches, causing it to look like it glows.

Happy weekend everyone.

Magnuson Park

2010-02-06T10:30:00.000-08:00

Friday I arrived home from work at 4pm, about an hour earlier than usual. It felt like Spring outside - sunny and warm - so Joe and I decided to take a walk. We live next door to Magnuson Park in Northeastern Seattle. We've only been to the park twice before, so we headed out to explore some more. This time we checked out the human-made ponds, a childrens' garden, and the P-Patch community garden. Along the way we saw some amazing things.

We saw a beautiful blue sky.

We saw mirrors made of still water, perfectly reflecting the sky above.

We saw a man walking his golden retriever.

We saw Canada Geese.

We saw a mosaic on the path.

It looked like a maritime compass.

We saw a whale sculpture built into a little hill.

This is his eye.

And this is his tail.

We saw a little altar at the top of a spiral mound.

We saw an amphitheater.

It was a beautiful walk.

cat napping 101

2010-02-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

Like most housecats, my kitties prefer to nap on our laps. Sometimes they choose ridiculous positions that can only be comfortable for felines.

When there's not a good human lap around, they prefer to snooze on the couch. They will sometimes even share a couch.

Sometimes one of them will hide. That way they can pretend they are not sharing.

And then there are the rare (although becoming less rare, I have to admit) times that they both try to invade our laps, at the same time. That's always slightly terrifying to watch, because sometimes it ends with hisses and punches. And that's not something you want a front row seat for.

Now, isn't that adorable?

fitness

2010-01-31T14:09:00.000-08:00

It started on January 9th. I found a blog called 6 Changes, in which the author outlines a plan to enable people to be successful at New Year's Resolutions. The author proposes focusing on one new habit for two months. After practicing for two months that habit should be internalized fairly well, and you can move on to the next habit. Following this timeline a person will be able to start six new habits in a calendar year. I decided my first habit was daily exercise (no matter how small), in order to achieve better overall fitness. I'm not trying to run a marathon, or lift a certain amount of weight. I just want to feel fit and healthy.

I have exercised 17 days out of the last 23 days. That's a 74% success rate. I'd like to get that up to 84%. That's a realistic goal, right? My original goal was 100%. But going from 0% to 100% all at once is a bit much to ask. Especially when I work long hours at a stressful full-time job. The only way I can get in some exercise is if I do it in the morning before work. By the time I've come home from work I'm just too beat, physically and mentally.The days I have skipped exercise have been those where I've woken up too late, or didn't feel well enough to exercise.

Some days I take a 10 minute walk around my apartment complex. It's hilly, and allows me to feel like I've done some work while I check out my surroundings. Some mornings I go down to the fitness center and walk on a treadmill, or try out the elliptical machine. Some mornings I even use the weight machines a bit. What makes this work for me, at least at this point, is that the only requirement I have for myself is that I get out the door. If I feel like going for a walk, I go for a walk. If I feel like lifting weights, I lift weights. If I feel, as I did yesterday and today, like pushing myself to walk for twice as long on the treadmill (40 minutes instead of 20 minutes), then that's what I do.

At some point I'm sure I'll add in other types of exercise to my fitness routine to keep myself motivated and challenged. But for now I'll just keep walking out the door.