Nintendo Christmas!

Inspired by several cool, Perler bead-bedecked trees out there, I decorated our tree this year with NES ornaments.



There are some from Super Mario I, II, & III, plus Duck Hunt. I had to work with what I had on hand, but I plan on adding more, once my Perler bead order gets here. It goes pretty well with my Mario table too, ha ha. :)


I finished this garland this morning, using my handy dandy paper punch, some glue, & white thread.


It's so festive in here! Even my grapefruit tree is ready for the holidays! We're having a really simple, homemade Christmas this year, so I've got to get crafting!


Lastly...I've really been into making Mind Maps, ever since my meditation teacher taught us about them. They're a great way to illustrate information, as well as memorize important facts. And they're fun to make! This one was for my Meditation for Global Healing class---it's for "Ethics for a New Millenium" by His Holiness The Dalai Lama.

Food for Chilly Weather

Just posting some food stuff...these rolls are so good! They stayed pillow-y soft for days afterward. Coral, Ryan, Clementine & my sister came over for dinner. Coral brought over some homemade soup & I baked these dinner rolls.


Best Soft Dinner Rolls (from Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book)

*2 teaspoons active dry yeast
*1/2 cup warm water
*3/4 cup very hot water
*1/4 cup honey
*1 1/4 cups cold buttermilk
*3 cups all-purpose flour
*2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
*2 teaspoons salt
*4 tablespoons cold butter, diced

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. In a separate small bowl, mix the hot water & the honey. Add the buttermilk; the mixture should be just warm---if it's hot, it will kill the yeast, so let it cool!

In a large bowl, stir together the flours & the salt. Pour the yeast mixture & the buttermilk mixture over the dry ingredients & mix it together. It should be a pretty soft/wet dough (I had to add some water to mine). Turn dough onto a lightly floured counter & knead for 15 minutes. Really work it! Gradually knead in the butter chunks; it's awkward at first, but it'll get in there. Once it's incorporated, you're good to go.

Place the dough into a large, oiled bowl & cover with a damp towel. Keep in a warm, draft-free spot (like the oven) & let rise until doubled (about 90-120 minutes). Punch down, & let rise again (45-60 minutes).

Preheat oven to 400*F. Turn the dough onto the counter & cut into about 18 pieces. Shape the dough into 18 balls & place onto an oiled cookie sheet. They should be about an inch apart, so they have room to rise. Let them rise until doubled, then bake for about 20-25 minutes. I took mine out a little earlier than I thought was best, but Coral knew what was up (they continue baking a little, once you take them out.) After they cool for about 5 minutes, serve them with butter & some steaming hot soup!

Veggie Chowder, made with carrots, onion, corn, potatoes, celery & love!


Also, I'm addicted to this granola. A big scoop of yogurt, covered with this stuff, is the best snack ever!


Granola (based on this recipe)

*2 cups oats
*1 cup nuts/seeds (sunflower seeds, walnuts & hazelnuts are great)
*1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
*1/4 cup flax seed
*1/4 cup honey
*1/4 cup maple syrup
*2 tablespoons oil
*1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
*spices to taste

*3/4 cup dried fruit---added towards the end of baking (raisins & cranberries are my favorite)

Preheat oven to 300F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment & set aside.

Place the oats, nuts, coconut & flax into a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the honey, maple syrup, oil, salt & spices. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ones, stirring to combine. Spread onto the cookie sheet, making an even layer. Bake for about 45 minutes, stirring a couple times. Add the dried fruit, stirring it into the granola. Turn the oven off, but leave the granola in the cooling oven for several hours, or overnight. Once cool, break it up & store it in an airtight container.

Late Halloween & Birthdays Post!

I had a somewhat lacking Halloween this year, which sucks because it's my mom's birthday & my favorite holiday! Oh well. My sister & I went to visit Mom for one night, then I watched half of Wizard People, Dear Reader with my sister on Saturday & ate delicious baked tofu sandwiches & cranberry sauce. She's seriously the master of baked tofu & cooking tasty food, sans recipes. The main reason my actual Halloween sucked was because both Ethan & I had to work. Wah, wah, wah! Oh, and we never got pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns either! Next year, I tell you, next year!

I thought these tomatoes were really beautiful---all the colors of the rainbow. I picked them when they were really hard & green, so I was surprised at how ripe they got. They actually got much riper, but I didn't take any more pics.


Yesterday was my friend Drew's birthday, so I gave him this card that I made. I carved the mushroom & happy poo stamps too. It's really fun to carve your own, but the material I use is pretty fragile, like if you rub it, it will crumble. My advice: simple is better & don't be too attached to your creations!


Ethan recently found this owl that I made a year ago. It's been driving me nuts, not knowing where it is. I thought Ruben ate it or something!


I made some Halloween cards for sending out. They were made with a combination of purchased & homemade stamps.

For my mom. She loved this witch design that she found on the internet somewhere. I kind of simplified it, but she still thought it was cool.


Skull card. I carved the skull & really like how it came out!


More generic cards, made from the set of Halloween stamps I got at Joann's.

Purple:


Green:


Orange:


I also made a couple non-Halloween cards, in case something non-Halloween-y came up.

Green deer:


Brown deer:


That's it! I need to do homework now...

Epic Mario Table, Completed at Last!

FINALLY!!! This project has haunted me, because I just couldn't get motivated to finish it. I even dragged its components through several moves! The table was found outside a dumpster, back when I lived on Belmont & walked to Movie Madness one night. My brother, Ethan & I took turns lugging it back up the hill to 60th because I saw its hidden potential.

Before:


It actually looked worse, because the shards of varnish were peeling off unevenly. This is about halfway through the sanding process.

And after!:


After sanding off the 70s varnish, I hand-blended a few colors of acrylic paint to get just the right shade of blue, then sealed it with a couple coats of Krylon UV-Resistant Clear Acrylic Coating.

The Mario part was made from bits & pieces of this awesome chart from Sprite Stitch, & unfortunately, I stumbled upon this cleverly badass method, AFTER ironing of the sections individually. D'oh! There are some visible spaces between some of the sections, but I'm not sure I'd be into investing that much moolah on zillions of Perler pegboards to avoid that flaw.

Oh well, if it were perfect, I'd be afraid to use it, right?! I kind of improvised the top section because I was running low on certain colors of Perler beads at that point, & came up with the Nintendo emblem on my own, since the original was too large. The ironed Perler pieces were glued on with Beacon's Mosaic Glue (& weighted down for 24-36 hours, a few at a time), that I found at JOANN's. It says it's suitable for ceramic, glass & plastic, so we'll see how it holds up. So far, so good!

Here's the top tier:


And here's the bottom level:


I LOVE IT!

I've also been working on this owl cowl, which is so cute! The two-handed fair isle method isn't too hard, once you practice a bit. Much quicker than one-handed, in my opinion. I'm using smaller needles than the pattern recommends, because many people on Ravelry thought it came out too big.


Even more craftiness! My sister came over a while back & we were carving stamps & making Halloween cards. I really like this one that I made for a friend's b-day.


Ooh, for my meditation class, we get to do an assignment where we tune out technology for 3 consecutive days! I'm super excited, because I'm way too dependent upon the internetz for entertainment & need to get back into reading. How can I live without watching Hoarders, Hell's Kitchen, & Fringe?! We're allowed to use computers for work or school, but nothing else; no personal e-mails. And phones are to be used as land-lines---no texting, only talking to people when you're actually at home. No radio, no podcasts, no MP3 players, no DVDs, no nothin'!

I can't wait to challenge myself this way & hope it inspires permanent change within me. My professor warned us that we may experience severe discomfort at first, but to be mindful of how we feel. Not to trivialize actual addiction, but there are definitely some similarities between our excessive use of gadgets & other addictions. They can often distract us from the present moment & cloud our awareness & emotions! I'm telling myself that this Friday, Saturday & Sunday will be best, since I can get a lot of homework done & I'll actually be home most of the time. Plus Ethan will be home too, so I won't feel as lonely & depressed, ha ha. :)

In Memoriam

Ruben Colburn: April 19, 2004-October 4, 2010

We will never forget...

*how gentle you were with kids, smaller dogs, puppies, kitties, & especially your brother, Yoda.

*our long Summer walks to the library.

We will never forget...

*the way you would guilt us out, with a look, when we went out.

*how excited you got when we mentioned going for a ride, or a trip to the beach, or for a walk.


We will never forget...

*your goofy smile.

*how much you loved when we'd sing to you or play Enya for hours.


We will never forget...

*all the fun we had.

*our awe of your slobber strings & their seemingly impossible velocity.


We will never forget...

*how sweet you looked when you cradled Baby in your arms & nuzzled her as you slept.

*the way you'd snore sometimes.


We will never forget...

*how excited you'd get when company came over, especially Auntie Coral & little Clementine.

*how you'd beg us to play tug-of-war, & bark insistently when we stopped.

We will never forget...

*how concerned you were when Papa was "out of range".

*the way you would talk to us & let us know your needs/demands, depending on your mood.


We will never forget...

*the way we would mimic your fusses & how we'd take turns, back & forth, for the longest time, almost singing to each other.

*how you'd shake your head, rattling your collar when you needed something.


We will never forget...

*the enthusiastic way you'd welcome us home from work or school.

*how much you loved to chew on carrots, bones, & lavender!


We will never forget...

*how faithfully you protected us over the years.

*the way you charmed everyone around you.


We will never forget...

*your puppy-like spirit, that outlasted your Earth body.

*your beautiful, soulful, brown eyes.


We'll love your forever, Noodle.

Another Sweater Done!

This is the infamous Buttony Sweater, by Katie @ Oh My Stars.


She has a free guide to knitting a custom-fitting, asymmetrical, bulky-yarn sweater. Years ago, I made a magenta one, but the asymmetrical thing just didn't look right on my chest...at all. I think it looks better on smaller folks, but that's just my opinion. I recently frogged that one & cranked this version out It's a more traditional, down-the-middle cardigan. I love it & have gotten several compliments on it already! I didn't add any waist shaping, so it's one of those comfy, warm, non-form-fitting sweaters.


I'm planning on making another with my magenta yarn, but I want to see how this yarn holds up, & whether or not it'll stretch out or anything. That way I can make the next one a little smaller.

And, for some reason, I've never taken pictures of my cell phone cozy, so I wanted to add it to my Ravelry projects page. It's cute, but it's always floating around in the bottom of my backpack, hidden from human sight, including mine. Poor little mushrooms. :(


This weekend is rare, in that I have zero responsibilities! Ethan & Ruben are visiting his parents, & I don't have to work or dog-sit, so I can put my feet up & just chill. So nice. My sister is coming over later for a slumber party, & we're gonna craft our asses off, make enchiladas, & watch The Avengers. What could be better?! After this, I'm going to decorate the house for Halloween, which is also Mom's birthday. This is so fun! Happy October, everyone!

Completing Oodles of Projects!

I've been squeezing the last little bit out of my summer break by finishing projects & little odds & ends that have been cluttering up my life. It feels so freeing!

Firstly, I've finished knitting my second sweater. The first one didn't fit too well, so I've frogged it. At least I can use the yarn for another one! This is the "Cozy V-Neck Pullover w/Deep Ribbing" from Fitted Knits, by Stefanie Japel. What's so great about this pattern is that the ribbing does the shaping for you. It's really flattering in the waist department & is a great basic sweater.


Another thing I did was repair my Nintendo! When Sage was visiting, we played the hell out of it & it finally started to have problems when we'd switch cartridges. We ended up having to jam a particular book into it to hold the game down far enough to make contact w/whatever parts are necessary for play. I found this great place & ordered the repair kit. Using their photo guide, I was able to get in there, clean it out, & replace the 72 pin cartridge connector, which apparently wears out in 25 years or so, ha ha.

Here's the best picture I took. I was too busy cussing to take more!


It took an hour, at the most, then I ended up w/a happy NES, ready for 25 more years of action!


Another thing I got done was the "butchery" of our tomato plants. Coral recommended I trim the shit out of them, so they'd put their energy into ripening the stragglers. I hope it works! For some reason, I feel guilty pruning plants. :( Here's the latest batch I picked.


Ethan & I have been watching X-Files, but this puzzle got us hooked to the point where we were putting it together WHILE watching it. Horrible! This is from Goodwill, & stated on the bottom that there were two missing pieces. Whoever donated it is so sweet to write that on there!


We came up with the idea of replacing them with cardboard (traced, then cut w/an Exacto Knife), then painting them to blend in. I think it worked really well! You'd only be able to tell if it were pointed out. I Mod Podged it a bunch, then hung it on the wall this morning. Cool!


Speaking of mushrooms & Goodwill: Mom bought these giant garden shrooms for me, when she was visiting last time. I LOVE THEM! They're originally from Target, but our Goodwill gets a lot of their close-out & remainder items, so you can sometimes get new shoes & stuff for a steal.


I also mended my sister's slipper that her kitty chewed a hole in:


Other tasks I completed: cleaned my room, washed 3 loads of laundry, made fruit leather out of a box of pears from Coral, backed up all my photos to Flickr & DVD, plus sold a bunch of old books on Amazon. I am officially declaring my old habit of procrastination OBSOLETE! If it feels so good to catch up on things, imagine what it's like to feel that way ALWAYS!

Catching up w/Quiche!

Most of my life, I've had a weird love/hate relationship w/eggs. When I was little, Mom used to scramble them, then COVER them w/cheese & serve them w/toast, in order for me to eat them.

I'm okay if they're in food (I LOVE mayonnaise, to the disgust of my sister, who's also egg-phobic!), but I'm pretty particular about heavily eggy dishes. For instance, I love egg salad sandwiches, but only if I make them myself, & without any funny business, such as relish, or olives, etc. Hard-boiled eggs, mayo/Vegenaise, mustard, S & P. That's it! Crepes are pretty much a "no", although Coral got me to eat some wheat-y, strawberry crepes at the slumber party. :)

I've made plenty of quiche in my time, for a couple of jobs---a café & also at the preschool I worked at---but I always steered clear, myself. Too eggy & wiggly for me! Now I'm feeling like I've missed out on a lot of good food, simply from imagining (wrongly) what it must taste like.

Finally, before our TLC work retreat, we enjoyed a catered breakfast from a nearby café. They had an amazing spread of fruit, baked goods, home fries, & three quiches. I asked my friend, Joey, if I could try a bite of his. It. Was. Amazing. So rich & delicate! I've learned my lesson. Be adventurous! Try new things! (As long as they're vegetarian, ha ha.)

When my mom & brother were here last time, I cracked open my new favorite cookbook, The Grand Central Baking Book, & found a recipe for quiche. It had bacon in it, plus a few ingredients I didn't have on hand, so I improvised. It paid off & I was rewarded with one of the tastiest things I've ever made. Please keep an open mind & try foods you might not otherwise eat. Since I've been a cook all my life, I thought I could imagine what quiche would taste like, but I was wrong! If you don't like something, you can always spit it out & chug some juice or something, holding your nose all the while (which is a great tip that got me through childhood). :) Here's my version of delicious quiche:

Spinach, Onion & Cheese Quiche

• 1 pre-baked pie shell
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• handful of frozen spinach (about 1/2 a bag)
  
• salt & pepper
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup half & half
• 3 ounces grated Asiago
• 3 ounces grated Double Gloucester w/chives & onions

Preheat oven to 325*F. In a large pan over medium heat, sauté the onion & garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add spinach & cook until defrosted & no longer watery. Season well with salt & freshly ground black pepper.

Whisk together the eggs & half & half, with another good pinch of salt & pepper. Place the veggie mixture into the bottom of the pre-baked pie crust & spread evenly. Top with grated cheeses & then carefully pour the egg mixture over the top.


Slowly walk to the oven & place the quiche inside. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until the center is set.


Let cool a bit before digging in!


I wanted to show you what happens if you get impatient & don't let your pie crust rest before baking.

Before:


After:


D'oh! A lot of the pretty details get garbled & it shrinks inward a bit. Oh well! It was tasty & we were too hungry to wait any longer. Next time I'll begin earlier...

In other news, I rescued this plant from the dumpster area out back, after Ethan told me about seeing it. It's cool, though I'm not sure what it is yet.


I brought it in the house when it started raining, then checked the soil a few days later. What the hell?! I took it back outside to photograph these tiny, neon yellow, penis-shrooms!


Yeah, there's tons of dog hair in there too. I ended up scraping out the first couple inches of soil because I think it was full of mold, fungus & dog hair, then topped it off with fresh potting soil. It seems happier already! Who knows what kind of mushrooms those were...

I also disassembled a rainbow wool sweater that I got from Ara @ the clothes swap/bbq that her & Drew hosted. The sweater wasn't flattering on me (too short & wide, plus chunky yarn=not the best look), but I LOVE the colorway. I think I'll make a few kinds of hats & maybe some headbands or something. It took quite a few episodes of The X-Files to get through it (we're re-watching them & are almost done w/Season Two!), but I'm excited for all the possibilities.