tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33992793016437463982024-03-08T12:13:01.556-05:00Mr. Boo's House of VelvetBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-67804761393898002082011-05-07T13:17:00.000-04:002011-05-07T13:17:46.930-04:00I Love You Mommy!<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;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3P_c-lrqnsc/TcV7OwP_4FI/AAAAAAAAAhc/NEipU2aLP0g/s1600/4+generations+of+Payne+women.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3P_c-lrqnsc/TcV7OwP_4FI/AAAAAAAAAhc/NEipU2aLP0g/s320/4+generations+of+Payne+women.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4 generations, Mom is the little girl</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This is Mother's Day weekend and also my Mom's Birthday. When I was growing up it made perfect sense that her birthday was at the same time as Mother's Day, because that's what she was. It is also easy to remember. But it must be hard to have them run together. So, I celebrate Mom as a mom on Mother's day but I hope she knows I also celebrate her as a wonderful woman and whole person on her Birthday.<br />
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Mom taught me tons of stuff but mostly to tell a good story and add a little drama to everyday life. It certainly makes things more interesting. She is also an excellent singer. <br />
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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;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eEw-9wnEVeg/TcV8BUL3JwI/AAAAAAAAAhg/RbmT_9XuHiM/s1600/027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eEw-9wnEVeg/TcV8BUL3JwI/AAAAAAAAAhg/RbmT_9XuHiM/s200/027.jpg" width="146" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Mom, it's the '70s don't judge. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Several years ago we went to Italy and that was so much fun because we got to act like friends too and see new things together. We went with her friends and they welcomed me to the gang and it was strange at first to be hanging out like that but also very cool. <br />
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I don't get many chances to do that living so far away from her and I miss hanging out. Happy Birthday Mom and thanks for being my Mom (and Steve's, I guess).Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-47047119932321755422011-03-14T23:28:00.000-04:002011-03-14T23:28:15.023-04:00When You are Worried About the Future, Redecorate Your Living Room<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1h3YGpqJZqM/TX7S5DuiS5I/AAAAAAAAAdQ/9g6gWCRpEaE/s1600/room%2B027.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584132465680862098" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1h3YGpqJZqM/TX7S5DuiS5I/AAAAAAAAAdQ/9g6gWCRpEaE/s320/room%2B027.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 240px;" /></a>Yeah, so I have been a little nervous lately for a variety of reasons I will not go into here. Needless to say I had to channel that somewhere and my mind kept coming back to my living room. I found myself spending countless hours searching the Internet for area rugs and throw pillows. I hated my area rug. It was wrinkled in several places and I could never straighten it. I was over it. I also had some pictures I never did get framed 4 years after saving a place for them behind the couch. The new chairs seemed to be insulted, having to sit in this half completed mess of a room. If I can't get my life together at least I can finish my living room.<br />
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So I finally framed the pictures and replaced the rug. The rug was a tough one since the chairs had such a loud pattern. I wanted my living room to be grown up but also quirky and fun so no classic oriental pattern would do. Last, the room is very small because I live in a small apartment because the east coast is expensive, yo. I discovered shag rugs and decided maybe texture was a better solution that pattern. I thought <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pC6F1updPds/TX7TEO5MIoI/AAAAAAAAAdY/hhi4zkeXCNg/s1600/room%2B024.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584132657656898178" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pC6F1updPds/TX7TEO5MIoI/AAAAAAAAAdY/hhi4zkeXCNg/s320/room%2B024.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 167px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 223px;" /></a>about it for several weeks and had to decide if I really was the person that was going to buy a gold shag rug. But in the end I decided I was, I was indeed that person. Does gold shag say grown up but still quirky? I think it does. Or maybe I will hate it in a few months. Hope not.<br />
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I still have to replace those horrible pillows. I have several picked out on Etsy. What do you think? (Ed. note: Mark tried to fix my wonky formatting on these pics but then he got frustrated and I got a lecture about how to upload pics which I was not in the mood for so they remain wonky)<br />
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<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;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5i610cK5wvw/TX7UTrdK-EI/AAAAAAAAAdw/vWBCxPPMYcw/s1600/il_fullxfull.197882902.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584134022533675074" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5i610cK5wvw/TX7UTrdK-EI/AAAAAAAAAdw/vWBCxPPMYcw/s200/il_fullxfull.197882902.jpg" style="float: right; height: 119px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 178px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/63258132/penmanship-pillow-take-your-seat">Penmanship Pillow</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><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/-_QSKzpo8YQU/TX7VY8MKMJI/AAAAAAAAAeA/D8bO4jt4ZEk/s1600/russian.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584135212436697234" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_QSKzpo8YQU/TX7VY8MKMJI/AAAAAAAAAeA/D8bO4jt4ZEk/s200/russian.jpg" style="display: block; height: 149px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 138px;" width="185" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/61475493/folkdance-cushion-on-natural-linen">Folkdance</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><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://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z9rh7ryXXMQ/TX7VMpWZP5I/AAAAAAAAAd4/TnvuaCGs6yQ/s1600/francois.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584135001220923282" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z9rh7ryXXMQ/TX7VMpWZP5I/AAAAAAAAAd4/TnvuaCGs6yQ/s200/francois.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/65857078/francois-the-accordion-playing-cat-in">Francois</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-44273670118036920922010-07-31T14:54:00.004-04:002010-07-31T15:51:13.743-04:00in which i yammer on about musicWow, guess its been a long time since I even looked at this blog. So today I decided to refresh the whole thing and start again. As you can see I used some of the newfangled templates and such. It looks so good, I just blew your mind.<br /><br />Last night hubby and myself took a little stroll in our neighborhood to get some take out from Kabob Hut. I would go there for the name alone but luckily the food is tasty too. We forgot it was Friday and Fridays in the summer mean some sort of block party/outdoor concert thing with tons of people and randomness. Mark does not like people so large numbers of them in close proximity make him nervous. Unfortunately, right in front of the Hut was the live band so it was loud and super crowded. As we approached the band began to play the classic 90’s 4 Non Blondes hit, “<a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2F4_Non_Blondes&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNE-Ydu9y1yLrXP5JJvs2rpkAQhevA">What’s Up</a>” and the singer appeared to be a middle aged soccer mom type. Interesting.<br /><br />We escaped without incident but it did get me to thinking about music. I have been listening to more since I gave up my car and use my ipod while I walk everywhere. Listening to music while walking around town does kind of feel like you are in your own movie. Also people look at you funny if you try to sing along, so maybe you should avoid that. I listen to a lot of old stuff from my youth because I don’t really follow new music and I know that makes me old.<br /><br />I am missing a good chunk of my college music because most of it was on tape, usually copied from a friend. After several moves I eventually I threw out the bag of tapes I had. My taste in music hasn’t changed too much since high school but in college when I was a little more angry and a little more political I did tend to listen to some harder stuff. When Mark and I first met I introduced him to Consolidated with the album <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_of_punishment">Business of Punishment</a> and it became one of his favorites. But we have lost that one twice, once when he let someone borrow the tape and again when we bought the CD and I think we left it in the Kia after the car was totaled.<br /><br />In high school I was way into The Smiths (and Morrissey, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bona_Drag">Bona Drag</a> is especially good), The Cure, anything British like Cloudcuckooland by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_Seeds">Lightning Seeds</a>. Senior year I became interested in singing and therefore great albums to sing to like Carole King’s Tapestry and James Taylor. In college I discovered Sarah McLachlan, Indigo Girls, Throwing Muses, Veruca Salt, The Fastbacks, The Sundays and tons more. Also, for the record, Courtney Love is amazing and if you have not seen her new <a href="http://www.vh1.com/video/behind-the-music/full-episodes/courtney-love/1642087/playlist.jhtml">Behind the Music episode</a> you should do it immediately. I need that new album.<br /><br />Since college it has been harder to keep up with new music that I truly like. I mean, I could if I took the time I guess but I just never did. I began listening to a lot more standards and jazz classics. Mark and I would have once a week candlelight dinner at home with martinis and classic ladies of Jazz. I also have a strange obsession with Doris Day.<br /><br />Overall I am more of a lyric person than a music person so if the lyrics are good or I can sing to it I like it. I especially like witty or clever lyrics. Lately I have been listening to <a href="http://www.pandora.com/">Pandora</a> to try and get new music I like. It’s working. My favorite new band is <a href="http://www.thebirdandthebee.com/main.aspx">The Bird and the Bee</a>. They did an entire album of Hall and Oates covers. ‘Nough said. I actually only have Ray Guns are Not the Future which I highly recommend. Pandora also introduced me to my new theme song, The Dollyrots song “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00161OJOK/ref=dm_dp_trk1?ie=UTF8&qid=1280603434&sr=8-1-spell">Because I’m Awesome</a>”. And so is this blog. Rock on.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-40645159453326898992010-02-13T23:22:00.002-05:002010-02-13T23:26:05.602-05:00Snowpocalypse<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/S3d62zb0fUI/AAAAAAAAASQ/u2atVGAXCYk/s1600-h/feb6a.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/S3d62zb0fUI/AAAAAAAAASQ/u2atVGAXCYk/s320/feb6a.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437950157011582274" border="0" /></a><br />So, We just had back-to-back blizzards, have you heard? It's kinda newsworthy. I've only lived here 3 years but it seems like we get very little snow here. I like that.<br /><br />Last Friday the BIG STORM was coming so we got out of work early and everyone was freaking out. I had gone to the grocery store the night before to stock up and it was super crowded with everyone buying essentials like hot cocoa and cheese doodles. Friday night we kept waiting for the snow and making fun and being a little disappointed because it didn't seem to be coming. Then it started. Mark was so excited he could barely sleep and kept jumping up to see what it looked like NOW.<br /><br />The snow kept coming all day and it was very pretty and exciting and we were all settled in. Mark decided to go outside and check it out and I took a picture for fun and we laughed. That night Mark was playing fetch with the cat (it's true she loves to play but doesn't often bring the rubber band all the way back) He jumped up to pick the band off the floor and stubbed his toe. It hurt. A lot. But you have to remember that Mark complains about every little injury so his reaction was not necessarily indicative of the actual level of injury. I told him to quit bellyaching unless it starts to bruise. Well, it did, two toes and part of the foot, quite black and blue. He may actually have broken a toe. He called his Mom, the nurse, and we taped it up as per instructions. Snow storm not seeming so fun now.<br /><br />Sunday we decided to try and dig ourselves out. But we didn't plan on that part. We had no snow shovel or shovel of any kind. I had a rubber broom (as seen on TV) that I never use because its not as cool as it seemed on TV. I also had a plastic dust pan. We took those things outside and Mark tried to push the snow off the car and I used the pan to shovel around the car. That lasted about a minute. My dust pan broke. We gave up. Nothing is open to purchase shovels. We went back inside. I started to feel trapped because in fact I was and that did not make me happy. We began bickering. But, thinking work would definitely be canceled and we would at least have a day off made us feel better. And it was, no work for us, suckers!<br /><br />Monday I walked over to the hardware store (conveniently just across the street but even then I had to walk in the road because sidewalks no longer exist). They only had kid's size snow shovels. It's still better than what we started with so I bought it and trudged home. Mark and I took turns with the shovel even though he had to shove his broken toe into shoes and socks to do it. It took almost 5 hours to dig out the porch, sidewalk, and car. While Mark finished I took the car to the store to just get out and pick up a few things. I locked the door. Neither of us had our phones. Mark was locked out until I got back. He was not happy. That night we watched the news and learned about SNOWPOCALYPSE II: It's Not Funny Anymore. It was coming Tuesday night and all day Wednesday. Tuesday work was canceled and we might be out the rest of the week. You take the good with the bad I guess. at least I bought toilet paper at the store, and hummus. We got mail for the first time on Tuesday and I asked Mark if the postman was resentful to be trudging through the snow just to bring me a Rhode Island Novelties catalog.<br /><br />Tuesday and Wednesday are a blur of boredom, local news alerts, Advil and pain. Pain in my arms, back and legs from shoveling all that snow. I am probably quite out of shape. The short shovel handle doesn't help either. I got very upset Wednesday when Days of Our Lives was cut in favor of constant snow news. Look - the governor is speaking, he says snow=bad stay off roads. Look - the mayor is speaking, snow=bad, stay off roads. GOT IT. Mark and I were not getting along, feelin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/S3d7EOpdtTI/AAAAAAAAASY/H_jCqoa4tXs/s1600-h/feb10c.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/S3d7EOpdtTI/AAAAAAAAASY/H_jCqoa4tXs/s320/feb10c.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437950387654866226" border="0" /></a>g very trapped, had a fight about rationing hummus. Mark's toe still hurts.<br /><br />Thursday dawns and I am still in pain. Mark says we should shovel. I say no. Mark says if we have to work on Friday we need to shovel the car out. I say we are not going to work Friday and I don't feel like it. Mark's work announced they are closed through Sunday, hurrah! My work announced they will be open Friday, UGH. It's 4:00 and we have not started shoveling. I look outside and the snow fairies (or actual paid apartment groundskeepers) shoveled a narrow path from our front door to the street so there is something. We go out to shovel the car. It only took 2 hours this time.<br /><br />I did go to work Friday. Roads are narrow with 10 foot walls of snow on either side and downtown snow is everywhere. But it was good to get out of the house. And talk to people. Mark's toe looks a lot better too. Friday the postman delivered my new InStyle magazine. My weekend was looking up.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-13472223643779237022009-12-17T19:19:00.002-05:002009-12-17T19:30:40.602-05:00My Favorite Holiday TraditionsI really love the holidays. It's weird because I am not christian and therefore don't "believe," but I do respect tradition and family and memories of holidays past. I also see my Protestant upbringing as part of my cultural heritage and the stories told through that religious tradition as the mythical stories I find most culturally familiar. So, it does not bother me to hear songs and messages about Jesus and the Bible; I think about them the same way I would think about Greek or Native American myths except that these are more familiar and somehow comforting.<br /><br />In fact, as much as I did not enjoy church services most of the year, I really loved them on Christmas eve when the lights were low and we held candles and sang songs. It felt peaceful, the one time each year that we all just got quiet and spoke of peace and love. To me, that is what the holiday season is about.<br /><br />I love the songs of Christmas because I love music, and I especially love singing. I do it secretly and only at home but when my voice meshes perfectly with a song and I know all of the words I feel so peaceful and joyful. In my household growing up both my parents loved music. My father, as a collector of music, always had the right song for any occasion and kept the music constantly playing in the house. My mother is a singer, always singing and encouraging all of us to join in and participate in the music. They probably have hundreds of Christmas albums, some better than others. Last year it was Donny Osmond, which I have to say I could live without. In my house I only have about 4 albums but I keep them playing on my ipod daily throughout December. I especially like to play them while cooking dinner and singing along. Mark does sometimes join in because, why not? We like to sing songs about our cat or with our cat's name in them so they can get pretty silly. We like to in invent the best new lyrics and crack each other up. We are playing the Christmas edition of that game now.<br /><br />I love really bad Lifetime or Oxygen holiday movies. I watch them on the weekends and get excited to see the new ones or old ones I missed somehow. I can waste hours on this, but they help to put me in the mood and pass the time while I make crafts or write holiday cards. I am also encouraged to see that some of my old TV friends are finding new work, even if it is once a year. This is a tradition Mark especially hates. But he already thinks I have bad taste in TV.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SyrLWmkD6QI/AAAAAAAAAR0/cLljUYlRdrw/s1600-h/holiday+001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 359px; height: 252px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SyrLWmkD6QI/AAAAAAAAAR0/cLljUYlRdrw/s400/holiday+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416365091035801858" border="0" /></a><br />I love baking for the holidays. I sometimes run out of time so I don't do it every year, but there is something about homemade holiday treats as gifts or to share with co-workers and friends. It reminds me of my Grandma's house and the endless variety of cookies she would have on hand. This year I made my grandmother's Snowball cookies, my mother's Chocolate Drop cookies, my aunt's Almond Rocca and my newest recipe, pumpkin cookies with white chocolate chips. Mark also requested Snicker doodles, which are not technically holiday cookies but whatevs.<br /><br />I love holiday cards. I love choosing them and spend a lot of time on it. I choose several different styles each year and sit down to pick the perfect card for each family on my list. Bet you didn't know I put such thou<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SyrM3oyNM1I/AAAAAAAAASE/9V3kzOVtt9Y/s1600-h/holiday+004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SyrM3oyNM1I/AAAAAAAAASE/9V3kzOVtt9Y/s320/holiday+004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416366758079312722" border="0" /></a>ght into it? I think it's fun. I get this from my mom who would go out the day after Christmas to buy holiday cards half-off and she would buy A TON. We had a special cabinet at home that was bursting with boxes of holiday cards, way more than she needed in any given year. I wonder if she is still slogging through her back-stash? She also writes a letter every year. Letters are controversial, which surprised me when I discovered it as an adult. I thought it was just what you do. Sitting down to reflect on your year and how it changed you or didn't or what you learned about life and yourself. Even if you don't send the letter, I recommend you write one as a way to reflect on each year and live a little more thoughtfully. Or you could just brag. I will read anything.<br /><br />I love buying presents, because I love shopping, and researching and researching shopping. I spend several weeks looking at all of my options and thinking about the person and what they would like. I narrow it down; I first decide what gifts I will make and what I will buy and have to choose carefully in order to have time to make everything. This year I did not and had to purchase a last minute gift which I hate because there is no time for researching. Sometimes I choose poorly and after the holidays I wake from my stupor and think <i>What was I THINKING?</i> but will probably keep making those mistakes in different ways for different people each year. Sorry in advance.<br /><br />To me, the best parts of Christmas are the weeks leading up to it with the planning and projects and dreaming. So, I wish you much Peace and Joy this holiday season, whatever you celebrate, whatever your cultural or religious (or both) traditions. They all connect us to those we love and remind us to live in peace and respect for all of the parts of this season that each of us enjoy most.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-40959366365935255232009-12-13T13:14:00.002-05:002009-12-13T13:27:28.608-05:00Cosmic Cauliflower<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SyUvMrvI8kI/AAAAAAAAARs/bNpiojwbLWg/s1600-h/cookbook+029.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 334px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SyUvMrvI8kI/AAAAAAAAARs/bNpiojwbLWg/s400/cookbook+029.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414786021928268354" border="0" /></a><br />We interrupt this holiday season with a post about the last share of produce from One Straw Farm. It was about 3 weeks ago that we got our final produce before the long dark winter of frozen veggies. This lovely gem appeared on my kitchen counter. Mark explained that it is called cosmic cauliflower and is a cross between cauliflower and broccoli. We eyed it suspiciously for about a week until we ran low on any other veggies and it started to look it's age. We had to decide to eat it or throw it away. Both options had their merits because, look at it! It was scary. I am not normally wasteful so I decided one night to cook it up. I didn't tell Mark because I thought it should be a surprise so he didn't have time to object. We had already tried purple cauliflower and it was not as good as the original so this could go either way.<br /><br />I cooked it up the way I cook most cauliflower or broccoli with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. I had to kind of slice it up and it crumbled quite a bit in the pan. But, it was good, it did taste like both cauliflower and broccoli which is weird but not bad. Mark was a little nervous when he saw it but agreed that it was OK. I still don't know why you can't just eat one or the other but it looks cool at least.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-44558803170017452402009-12-01T20:25:00.002-05:002009-12-01T20:31:17.975-05:00Handmade HolidaysI bring this up a lot but I realize it might be helpful to have some tools you can use to make this holiday handmade! I took the <a title="handmade pledge" href="http://www.buyhandmade.org/" id="j0d9">handmade pledge</a> 3 years ago and have been pretty faithful with it. You can take the pledge here. I make some gifts and buy some gifts but most is indeed handmade. Including the soap I buy every year from the <a title="Officina Profumo Farmacia" href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/heaven-scent.html" id="vwv8">Officina Profumo Farmacia</a>di Santa Maria Novella those monks have been hand-crafting soaps for about 400 years!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SxXCk6kBqRI/AAAAAAAAARc/lJXoNXwCRwo/s1600/craft+010.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SxXCk6kBqRI/AAAAAAAAARc/lJXoNXwCRwo/s200/craft+010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410444466806958354" border="0" /></a><br />Last year I made a scarf and some coasters for my brother, a stocking for my cousin's<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SxXCzWlGCTI/AAAAAAAAARk/zDWWTTFzvm4/s1600/craft+003.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SxXCzWlGCTI/AAAAAAAAARk/zDWWTTFzvm4/s200/craft+003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410444714845800754" border="0" /></a> baby and some homemade ornaments. I also hand embroidered some handkerchiefs for my Dad and made a set of place-mats and napkins for my sister-in-law. I purchased quite a few handmade gifts including grocery bags, a hubcap clock, and reusable dryer sachets and natural handmade laundry soap all online from Etsy. I went to several handmade holiday markets to buy more stuff and save on shipping. I got a printed jersey scarf, printed kitchen towels, and I think some more soap. If you send out yearly holiday greetings, don't forget you can get those handmade too! Last year I got all my cards from<a title="Etsy" href="http://www.etsy.com/" id="qomw">Etsy</a> and hope to do it again this week (is it already too late?).<br /><br />This year I plan to do a little more purchasing and less making myself because I was a little overwhelmed last year and when the sewing machine refuses to cooperate and you have literally hours to get a project done and in the mail it can be a bit stressful. There are so many wonderful handmade goods out there you are sure to find something perfect for everyone on your list. I really recommend going to some local craft fairs to meet the crafters in person and see everything in real life. Who knows, you might find a friend or a bargain or pick up a new skill.<br /><br />If you are in the Baltimore area check out <a title="Holiday Heap" href="http://charmcitycraftmafia.com/Holiday_Heap_2009.html" id="hi68">Holiday Heap</a> on December 5<br /><br />If you are in the Seattle area check out<a title="Urban Craft Uprising" href="http://www.urbancraftuprising.com/index.htm" id="fs:x"> Urban Craft Uprising</a> also on December 5<br /><br />If you are anywhere else (and I would be surprised but hey) there is a complete list of upcoming craft fairs <a title="Here" href="http://www.indiecraftshows.com/events_all.php" id="tqnl">Here</a>.<br /><br />CRAFT magazine has a great <a title="blog" href="http://blog.craftzine.com/index.html" id="t9fr">blog</a> and podcast series with some tutorials and fee patterns for a variety of crafts. That's how I found the stocking pattern last year. And if I have time I might make these cute <a title="felt holiday trees" href="http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/11/how-to_retro_felt_christmas_tr.html" id="v0m7">felt holiday trees</a> for my dining room table.<br /><br />This year has been all about improving my cooking skills and since that is a craft too I am thinking of making some cookie holiday gifts. I just discovered a recipe for pumpkin spice cookies with white chocolate chips that are the bomb-dot-com!<br /><br />No matter what, a handmade holiday is sooo much better than fighting the traffic at the mall. It helps keep the Joy and Peace in the holiday season.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-53815071882734750172009-11-23T20:55:00.004-05:002009-11-23T21:26:14.500-05:00Ta-Da!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SwtDJXWjFTI/AAAAAAAAARM/WC_wNhfoTQo/s1600/chairs3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SwtDJXWjFTI/AAAAAAAAARM/WC_wNhfoTQo/s320/chairs3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407489605754885426" border="0" /></a><br />Guess what? It's me! I have been taking a break from blogging because it kinda felt like a job coming up with postings and I had other things I wanted to do. Such is life I guess. But now I have lots of ideas buzzing around in my head and the holiday season is upon us so you might be hearing from me more often this winter.<br /><br />Anyway - This post is about my holiday gift from #1 Super Hubby! We always exchange gifts in November because it's easier to budget the rest of the shopping and we are never home for xmas anyway. You might remember that last year I got a new computer which I am using right now. This year I finally got living room chairs!<br /><br />Backstory - When we moved to MD we had to downsize from a 3-level 2 bedroom 4! bathroom finished basement apartment to just about 800 square ft. in our current place. We got rid of a ton of furniture, books, kitchen appliances and junk. There is something to be said for pairing down to the essentials and I am glad we did it but I sure miss my washer and dryer and I did miss the living room chairs. They belonged to my parents first so they were worn out and looked rough but they were comfortable and served the purpose. We always planned on taking the opportunity to finally replace them when we moved. Then the recession happened and pay cuts and debt repayment and they became a very low priority.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SwtDT9qtC4I/AAAAAAAAARU/JBfTQWUipiI/s1600/chairs1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SwtDT9qtC4I/AAAAAAAAARU/JBfTQWUipiI/s320/chairs1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407489787838663554" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This was finally the year and while they are modest chairs from Target they are mine and they are cute and they look so good in the room! Plus, Target furniture always means I get to assemble them myself which I actually love doing. Weird, I know but it's so cool to figure it out and put it together and feel like you really accomplished something.<br /><br />Miss Gimp loved the chairs right from the start, she thinks they are her holiday gift. Which holiday? Festivus.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-58405548271638033102009-07-15T21:17:00.002-04:002009-07-15T21:34:18.656-04:00Handmade Nation!I finally got to see <a href="http://indiecraftdocumentary.blogspot.com/">Handmade Nation</a> last night! I have been hoping this documentary would come to Baltimore and it did! Sarah and I went after work and it was a really good film. I felt like a craft groupie when I got there and saw Faythe Levine in person! The film is a great look into the craft movement. <br /><br />I have decided I am more of a craft wannabe instead of a true crafter because I like the IDEA of doing a project much more than actually completing them. I have about 3 sewing projects in process, one knitting project and an idea for a new embroidery project. Just haven't been in the mood to dive in for a while.<br /><br />I have been more focused on cooking recently, as you can tell from my cake post. We haven't bought bread in like 2 months since I taught myself how to make it. I have even made up a great recipe for herb bread and the secret is garlic salt (which should be the secret to everything). I am also into using our CSA produce in new recipes, tonight I created my own recipe for roasted veggie pasta primavera with vegan cream sauce and I rocked it out. May post it but no pics.<br /><br />Handmade Nation made me re-think my crafts again and I just might get back to them. <a href="http://www.artscape.org/">Artscape</a> is this weekend and this is the second year for the DIY tents so maybe I will just shop handmade instead.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-36409599500788208322009-06-20T22:54:00.003-04:002009-06-20T23:16:40.886-04:00Happy Father's Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/Sj2g9AtgwfI/AAAAAAAAAOw/5Y5bnwJBdM8/s1600-h/Perry+and+Roger+fishing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/Sj2g9AtgwfI/AAAAAAAAAOw/5Y5bnwJBdM8/s320/Perry+and+Roger+fishing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349608902409372146" border="0" /></a><br />Just want to give a shout out to my Dad because he is the greatest. That's him fishing with his father and here he is with me and my brother:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/Sj2hdd7hxuI/AAAAAAAAAO4/9q0yrCWmt04/s1600-h/scan0010.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 231px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/Sj2hdd7hxuI/AAAAAAAAAO4/9q0yrCWmt04/s320/scan0010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349609460008601314" border="0" /></a><br />I just realized that I don't have many pictures with Dad because he was always the one taking the pictures. And I honestly don't know what is going on in this one.<br /><br />There are so many great things about Dad, I always wanted to be like him because he seemed to know what's what. Still does. I am very lucky to have such a wonderful father and I am grateful every day.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-71657941540578221942009-06-10T20:26:00.006-04:002009-06-10T21:07:57.481-04:00It's CSA Time!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SjBXlU45-kI/AAAAAAAAAOg/neH58dGFHWY/s1600-h/csa+001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SjBXlU45-kI/AAAAAAAAAOg/neH58dGFHWY/s320/csa+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345869056462944834" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />My favorite time of year - we picked up our first delivery of fresh produce yesterday. I should say Mark did. We chose to go with <a href="http://www.onestrawfarm.com/">One Straw Farm</a> this year instead of <a href="http://www.cvcsa.org/">Cromwell Valley</a>. We did this for several reasons. One - We really don't like having to volunteer on the farm because I hate nature. Two - It was a bit of a drive and when it was rainy and muddy it was not fun. Three - because we had to go there at a certain time and choose our produce, we quickly realized that we had to get there right when it opened or other people would take more than their share and leave only the broken and wilted produce. Getting there at opening was smack in the middle of a Saturday and totally inconvenient.<br /><br />One Straw Farm drops off produce shares at various locations and one happened to be <span style="font-style: italic;">right across the street </span>from us. It's also the location of a weekly farmers market which is totally awesome. Tuesday afternoon is our pick up time and because Mark gets home before me he is the one to pick up the share. I am a little concerned about this because I like to be in control and he gets to choose what to pick up. We get 8 items but they can be 8 different things or 8 of one thing or some combo. Someone said I should make him call me from the pick-up so I can help choose. Should I do it? I should just trust him, right? <span style="font-style: italic;">Maybe....<br /><br /></span>Mark picked up cabbage, kale, swiss chard, garlic scapes, strawberries, arugula<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>and two lettuce<span style="font-style: italic;">. </span>I decided to serve the kale and strawberries for dinner because the strawberries didn't look like they would last. After all the greens I ate last season I didn't think I would say this but I really was looking forward to cooked greens again. I became an expert in cooking kale and chard last year and this is how I made it last night:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sauteed Kale </span><br />1 bunch Kale<br />2 tsp. chopped garlic<br />1 tablespoon olive oil<br />1 tablespoon soy sauce<br />splash of white wine<br /><br />remove stems and clean kale, set aside. Heat a pan on medium with the olive oil. add garlic and soy sauce when hot. Add the kale, toss with tongs and put the lid on, cook for about 5 minutes or until the kale has cooked down by half. Take lid off and add splash of white wine, replace lid. Cook another couple of minutes, its done when it is reduced and before it browns a lot.<br /><br />This is my best guess for measurements, I j<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SjBXsbqTNuI/AAAAAAAAAOo/u3zmlt4m2sQ/s1600-h/csa+007.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SjBXsbqTNuI/AAAAAAAAAOo/u3zmlt4m2sQ/s320/csa+007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345869178539816674" border="0" /></a>ust add what looks good, probably you should use less oil. Story of my life. You can drink the remaining wine while cooking, I usually do. Unless you are using actual cooking wine, I don't judge.<br /><br />As you can see Miss Gimp preferres her greens raw and fresh. Yes she is on the kitchen counter; you can't stop a gimp cat, I've tried, it doesn't work, don't judge.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-8005948836313906902009-05-29T22:02:00.002-04:002009-05-29T22:15:39.201-04:00Road Trip to Bethlehem<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SiCWhgoxw1I/AAAAAAAAAMk/IuZdUGKJ_tA/s1600-h/024.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SiCWhgoxw1I/AAAAAAAAAMk/IuZdUGKJ_tA/s200/024.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341434660502225746" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Follow the Star....<br /><br />Last weekend my co-worker and friend Sarah got hitched in PA. Let me tell you, I have never been impressed with the old state of PA, outside of Philadelphia and arguably Pittsburgh there is really nothing to see. A whole lot of NOTHING. But for Sarah I decided I would brave the drive and visit <a title="Bethlehem" href="http://www.bethlehem-pa.gov/" id="bej9">Bethlehem</a>.<br /><br />Now, asking Mark to go along seemed to be out of the question as he hates car trips, being bored and PEOPLE. So, I hitched a ride with Amy, another co-worker and friend and promptly asked her to drive as the old 1994 Cavalier might not make it. Especially since the Cavalier got into a wee bit of an accident was was still nursing a broken driver side door. Now, Amy loves road trips and PA so she decided to plan a whopper and this trip became the stuff of legends. Seriously, everyone at the reception was asking us how the trip went since it was going to be EPIC. We had big plans to visit the <a title="Yuengling" href="http://www.yuengling.com/index.htm" id="pwt1">Yuengling</a> factory, the <a title="Roadside America" href="http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2208" id="mi:m">Roadside America</a> miniature village and a <a title="winery" href="http://franklinhillvineyards.com/" id="c9gi">winery</a> or two. My focus was on finding a drink since I heard the reception would be sans alcohol and while I am not a big drinker I am also not good in social situations where I know almost no one without a drink in my hand. At least drinking <i>before</i> the wedding seemed like a good compromise.<br /><br />Plans were dashed as we got to a late start and the drive took forever and the tolls cost like a million bucks (srsly people, the value of entering PA is certainly not equal to the actual cost). No beer factory tour only gawking at road side signs like the <div id="y5bv" style="text-align: left;">Balloon Artist <div id="be-0" style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://docs.google.com/File?id=dcjv65c6_54dczw4sd8_b" width="217" height="162" />(these balloons <i>were</i> pure artistry, wish the pics were better!). We pulled into Bethlehem with only 30 minutes to spare and lunch on our minds. The only place we saw and therefore ate was the local McDonald gussied up like a real 1960's MickeyD <div id="g1lq" style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://docs.google.com/File?id=dcjv65c6_55c4t89khk_b" width="175" height="131" />and very popular with the locals. I NEVER eat at McDonald's or fast food in general really so the apple and walnut salad with a side of fries was a new experience for me. I probably won't be back.</div></div></div><br />The wedding was i<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SiCUVVz77vI/AAAAAAAAAL8/CuD20aFeg9M/s1600-h/028.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SiCUVVz77vI/AAAAAAAAAL8/CuD20aFeg9M/s200/028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341432252414553842" border="0" /></a>n a chapel on the <a title="Lehigh University" href="http://www3.lehigh.edu/default.asp" id="corw">Lehigh University</a> campus which is beautiful and we got lots of pictures of the church. Being a historic preservation major I tend to be interested in and take lots of pictures of buildings. Usually, after a vacation I have random shots of building interiors and have forgotten what they are AND nobody cares. The priest was very funny in a peculiar, crazy uncle kind of way which I was not expecting but did seem to spice things up. It was over quickly for a catholic ceremony and I did very much appreciate it.<br /><br />We spent the hour between in historic downtown Bethlehem, founded by the <a title="Moravians" href="http://www.moravian.org/history/" id="mgrz">Moravians</a>. I learned about the Moravians from a trip Mark and I took to a museum conference in Winston-Salem several years ago. We got a lot of comedy material from our tour of the historic Moravian settlement at <a title="Old Salem Museums" href="http://www.oldsalem.org/" id="q8m7">Old Salem Museums</a>. On the tour we found out that Moravians used to decide everything by drawing lots so if you had a question you would ask the council and they would draw lots to see the answer. One poor man wanted to get married and the drawing turned him down 7 TIMES. Moravians no longer draw lots. They do still have a special star and some tasty cookies. The best thing I saw in Historic Bethlehem was the <a title="Brew Works" href="http://www.thebrewworks.com/bethlehem-brew-works/" id="oide">Brew Works</a>. That is where we spent the hour; trying the beer sampler and taking shots of beer in order to finish in time to get to the reception. It was really good beer, even the porter, not usually my favorite<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SiCU1pf9b9I/AAAAAAAAAMU/BnG7gqjfDtY/s1600-h/037.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SiCU1pf9b9I/AAAAAAAAAMU/BnG7gqjfDtY/s200/037.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341432807455289298" border="0" /></a>.<br /><br />The reception was beautiful and Sarah even made the favors; ribbon embroidered bags with CHOCOLATE inside. We danced to some Jackson 5 and ate some cake from a real NJ Italian bakery. We didn't get out <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SiCU9ScocBI/AAAAAAAAAMc/pAYp4gh9ZZw/s1600-h/040.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SiCU9ScocBI/AAAAAAAAAMc/pAYp4gh9ZZw/s200/040.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341432938706268178" border="0" /></a>of there until later than expected and asked the bride for directions home to avoid tolls. Winding through the back roads of PA as the sun was setting we saw 2 wineries, lots of farm land and several <a title="Amish" href="http://www.padutchcountry.com/things_to_do/amish.asp" id="dn02">Amish</a> people riding strange looking bikes. The overall effect was surreal and we weren't sure if we were looking at the Amish on bikes or a group of Brooklyn hipsters with the plaid and the beards and the strange hand-made bikes. I didn't get a picture because my camera had already run out of battery life but if I did, <a title="this" href="http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/1465895.html" id="ahit">this</a> is what it would look like. All of the scenic distractions caused us to get lost twice and resort to a small stretch of toll road to get back on track. Got home late Saturday night and Mark and Gimp were glad to see me. Mark was especially glad to see the cookies I brought home from the reception in the paper bags printed with Sarah and Thomas' wedding date. MMMM... cookies. Gimp was less excited about the bubbles from the wedding, apparently the world's most fierce Gimp Cat is afraid of bubbles. Who knew?Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-57064082281693700992009-04-22T21:59:00.002-04:002009-04-22T22:44:14.405-04:00Earth Day<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zdx7dWu87Vc&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zdx7dWu87Vc&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />Happy Earth day from Sesame Street and Paul Rudd.....and me!<br /><br />Like most things in life, if you think about ALL the things you maybe should be doing it becomes overwhelming. I prefer to slowly incorporate small steps to change my ways and try not to feel guilty about what I am not doing. This year I have some new ideas for small changes. <br /><br />Like this knitted reusable <a href="http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2008/02/diy_swiffer_pads.html">Swiffer pad</a> because I love my Swiffer but need to cut down on my disposables.<br /><br />While my attempts at knitting plastic bags did not go so well, I have new inspiration thanks to <a href="http://www.modishblog.com/modish/2009/04/upcycled-plastic-bags.html">Modish</a> but I probably won't attempt anything as ambitious as the <a href="http://craftingagreenworld.com/2009/04/20/worlds-first-plastic-bag-billboard/">world's first plastic bag billboard</a>.<br /><br />If you are anything like me you have about a million t-shirts around the house. Luckily there are about a million ideas for what to do with them. I am working on turning one into a skirt for summer weekends but I also like the idea of <a href="http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/04/t-shirt_weaving.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954">weaving</a> them or even making a cool <a href="http://www.craftstylish.com/item/45413/how-to-make-an-out-of-the-ordinary-t-shirt-quilt-part-one">quilt</a>.<br /><br />Last but not least, I love the idea of using an Altoids tin to make a <a href="http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/04/altoid_tin_travel_candle.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954">travel candle</a>.<br /><br />One last idea you might want to try, <a href="http://www.sustainabletable.org/2009/04/eat-healthy-monday-meatless-monday-for-earth-day/">Meatless Monday</a>!<br /><br />Just remember one thing - Earth Rocks!Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-88266715910892851802009-04-13T21:52:00.002-04:002009-04-13T21:54:36.460-04:00Happy Spring!<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21662257@N07/3416773380/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3595/3416773380_80b9fcd3ac.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21662257@N07/3416773380/">cherry blossom branches</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/21662257@N07/">bethjc</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> I'm not much for Easter but I do think it's important to mark the seasons and I especially love spring! We decided to celebrate spring by visiting the <a href="http://nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/cms/index.php?id=390">Cherry Blossom Festival</a> in DC. The weather was perfect and the trees were so pretty. It was such a great way to to welcome the season. <br /><br />Now I need to change out my closet and go to the fabric store because I need some new spring skirts. I already have my spring shoes - new ivory ballet flats I got on clearance and have been saving for months.</p>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-7821662952064386152009-03-29T22:46:00.002-04:002009-03-29T22:49:36.139-04:00Happy Women's History Month!A little late, I know. I might not have referenced this month at all but I just finished a great biography of <a target="_blank" title="Ida B. Wells-Barnett" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ida_B._Wells" id="olg6">Ida B. Wells-Barnett</a> by the Rutgers University history professor, Mia Bay titled <u><a target="_blank" title="To Tell the Truth Freely" href="http://us.macmillan.com/totellthetruthfreely" id="vj.o">To Tell the Truth Freely</a> </u>.<br /><br />Biographies are some of my favorite kinds of books to read. I love history because it is the culmination of stories of people's lives. Famous people, every day people and extraordinary people. I devoured the biography section of my elementary school library and my favorite at that time was a book about <a target="_blank" title="Nellie Bly" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nellie_Bly" id="d6jx">Nellie Bly</a> . It was the first time I really thought about being a girl and understood the challenges that have historically come with that. I also just love stories about people that fight, fight back, change the world and don't take no for an answer. Those are the people I admire and those people give me hope for human kind. Nellie Bly was that kind of chick.<br /><br />The <a target="_blank" title="Progressive Era" href="http://www.nps.gov/nr//travel/pwwmh/prog.htm" id="ibz7">Progressive Era</a> gave us many such women including Ida B. Wells-Barnett who was also a journalist. Ida was a trouble maker of the highest order, she was so "difficult" that she was never really given credit for all that she did accomplish. She wasn't difficult as much as uncompromising, unwilling to back down in order to make peace or scratch backs. She was never good at politics. My favorite story involves the <a title="suffrage movement" target="_blank" href="http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/woman-suffrage/" id="sj.o">suffrage movement</a> . As much as I am grateful for the work of Susan B. Anthony and other suffrage leaders, the great shame of the movement is that they allowed segregation and outright racism in order to appease some critics. In the National American Woman Suffrage Association's suffrage parade on March 3, 1913<br /> in Washington DC, Ida refused to march in the back of the parade where they had segregated the African-American suffragettes. Instead, she hid in the crowd until her state delegation, Illinois, passed and then she jumped in and marched under her state flag, integrating the parade single-handedly!<br /><br />Another Progressive Era hero has been my favorite since I read her biography in college; <a target="_blank" title="Margaret Sanger" href="http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/sanger.html" id="m_3r">Margaret Sanger</a> spent her life working with poor women and came to believe that if they had honest information and access to birth control they could improve their lives and the lives of their children. She fought for that cause the rest of her life and founded the American Birth Control League which became the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Her story is fascinating and worth a <a title="read" target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/Woman-Valor-Margaret-Control-Movement/dp/1416540768/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b" id="kprp">read</a>.<br /><br />Some women lead by example and <a title="Madam CJ Walker" target="_blank" href="http://www.madamcjwalker.com/" id="ccsp">Madam CJ Walker</a> certainly did. Becoming the first self-made American woman millionaire the early 1900's she created a beauty empire. Her life story is worth the read and even the story of her daughter's life during the Harlem Renaissance is fascinating. For more on this amazing women I recommend the book <u><a title="On Her Own Ground" target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/Her-Own-Ground-Walker-Paperback/dp/0743431723/sr=1-7/qid=1171558134/ref=sr_1_7/103-5228664-6558241?ie=UTF8&s=books" id="x2:i">On Her Own Ground</a> : the Life and Times of Madam CJ Walker</u>.<br /><br />Just because it's almost April doesn't mean you can't pick up a biography of one of these amazing women, or let me know of a biography I need to read!Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-90750756194988867232009-03-20T23:45:00.002-04:002009-03-20T23:48:48.090-04:00Treats! (or - Probably Why My Pants are Tight)That's what we call sugary goodness in my house, treats. As in - "we don't have any treats in this house" followed by "why don't you go get us some treats?". I have already professed my <a title="love for Ben & Jerry's" href="http://mrbooshouse.blogspot.com/2007/12/this-blog-is-place-for-us-to-share.html" id="z7gg">love for Ben & Jerry's</a> or any kind of ice cream really. My other love is chocolate, of course.<br /><br />When we first got together my husband informed me that he does not like chocolate and in addition to that, sweets are not "his thing" . WHAT? or more accurately, WTF? This cannot be possible. So I set out to change his mind because I couldn't go through life eating treats all by myself. It took several years but I finally broke him and I can proudly proclaim that he especially loves Snickers and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. He also loves any kind of fruity treat and when I do have to "go get us some treats" I ask what he wants and he says, "something fruity and tasty".<br /><br />I usually buy cookie dough, frozen cake or mixes if we want baked goods. I do sometimes make homemade treats but not often. If we have no treats and don't want to go to the store I make something I learned from my grandma, my Mom's Mom. She would take leftover pie crust and spread it with butter, sugar and cinnamon, cut it into strips and roll it. Bake up and eat; nom nom nom. Pie crust is easy to make fast and I can whip it up in no time.<br /><br />Since reading <a title="In Defense of Food" href="http://www.michaelpollan.com/indefense.php" id="flhz">In Defense of Food</a> We have decided to do better eating real food. Our <a title="CSA" href="http://mrbooshouse.blogspot.com/2008/06/first-csa-share.html" id="ya9f">CSA</a> was a good start but we can still cut processed food, white flour, <a title="High Fructose Corn Syrup" href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/02/18/FDGS24VKMH1.DTL" id="dl:o">High Fructose Corn Syrup</a> (HFCS) and the like. Real food takes more time and effort. Real food is sometime hard to find. Try going to the grocery store and not purchasing anything with <a title="HFCS" href="http://www.democracynow.org/2009/1/29/food_safety_georgia_plant_knowingly_shipped" id="pxzb">HFCS</a> . It's hard. We are learning so much. While organic crackers seem more expensive than 100 calorie snack packs they are actually not when portioned into 100 calorie packs of their own <i>and</i> they have less packaging. Also, organic ketchup is soooo much better than the regular kind.<br /><br />This brings me back to our treats problem. Unfortunately we cannot at this time live without treats but we no longer want processed crap. So, I decided to learn to bake more. Baking is a challenge because I can't use real butter or milk (for Mark) and we are trying to use whole wheat flour which has a very particular taste and density. It requires some experimentation as to creating good recipes. I take my work seriously and have done the required research. I began with cake.<br /><br /><br /><br />RESULTS: Worst cake ever: peanut butter cake with chocolate frosting - the peanut flavor highlighted the wheat flavor and the cake was too dry and heavy. Best non-chocolate cake: <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/ScRjN5nZY4I/AAAAAAAAAHg/rMz0nx2BvKU/s1600-h/cake+004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/ScRjN5nZY4I/AAAAAAAAAHg/rMz0nx2BvKU/s200/cake+004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315482550659539842" border="0" /></a>carrot cake from Betty Crocker with vegan vanilla<br />sour cream frosting from somewhere on the Internets - the spices covered the wheat flavor and the density worked well with the carrots and nuts. Best chocolate cake: <a title="this" href="http://www.chow.com/recipes/10794" id="zr4-">this</a> vegan chocolate cake with cocoa frosting from Betty Crocker. The recipe was for 12 cupcakes so I doubled it and made a cake. It is the perfect chocolate flavor and it is the lightest, melt-in-your-mouth texture ever, even with whole wheat flour. It is almost too dangerous to have in the house. And the frosting is definitely the best I have made; better than using baking chocolate or even vegan cream cheese frosting.<br /><div id="x0cq" style="padding: 1em 0pt; text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/ScRjNnGTE0I/AAAAAAAAAHY/oaVGqIwl-aU/s1600-h/cake+001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/ScRjNnGTE0I/AAAAAAAAAHY/oaVGqIwl-aU/s200/cake+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315482545688875842" border="0" /></a></div><br />Monday is Mark's B-day so this weekend I am making his B-day cake. When I asked him he immediately requested the carrot cake but then he saw <a title="this recipe" href="http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/03/strawberry-snack-cake.html" id="abj3">this recipe</a> from Fat Free Vegan and has decided he wants that. It looks fruity <i>and</i> tasty. I hope its not also wheat-y.<br /><br />On another note, have you heard of this thing they call "March Madness"? It annoys me and ruins perfectly good television. But <a title="Fug Madness" href="http://gofugyourself.celebuzz.com/go_fug_yourself/2009/03/fug_madness_the_downloadable_b.html" id="x6n2">Fug Madness</a> is awesome!Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-57762706813645039722009-03-13T21:46:00.007-04:002009-03-13T22:32:04.533-04:00Flower Power<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SbsUIrOariI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/cRx-4QwOF1k/s1600-h/craft+010.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SbsUIrOariI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/cRx-4QwOF1k/s200/craft+010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312862324688334370" border="0" /></a><br />I know I haven't posted much in the last 2 months and I have no excuse. I have spent the winter doing some crafting and recovering from various illnesses. I swear this winter has been the worst for catching bad stuff. It could also be the hundreds of kids I guided through the museum in these last months; all the sniffling and coughing hordes of them.<br /><br />I have begun knitting again after a six month break. I started with a scarf for a xmas gift. While knitting the octopus scarf I joined a new craft group that meets at the library and stays in touch on Ravelry. These ladies are very nice and I forgot how helpful it is to have someone available to answer questions and help with problems. These ladies have even given me the courage to perhaps try a sweater! Amazing after 3 years of knitting to finally work up to a sweater. I also taught a friend to knit and made her go with me to the knitting group so we are now becoming obsessed with patterns and yarn.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SbsQhPpxEZI/AAAAAAAAAG4/q8g_Gw6_1cw/s1600-h/misc+015.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SbsQhPpxEZI/AAAAAAAAAG4/q8g_Gw6_1cw/s200/misc+015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312858348737073554" border="0" /></a><br />After the holiday I decided to make myself some winter hats because its very cold and I didn't have hats and scarves that matched. My first hat was a beret that I first knit in chunky pink yarn and hated it so I frogged the hat and knit it in a medium weight purple-ish yarn. I really like it. I used the pink yarn for a matching scarf.<br /><br /><br />I decided I liked knitting hats so I tried a cap in 3 colors using yarn I got for xmas from cousin Briana. The h<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SbsRSwMhzhI/AAAAAAAAAHA/4WxvmQxfIAo/s1600-h/craft+004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SbsRSwMhzhI/AAAAAAAAAHA/4WxvmQxfIAo/s200/craft+004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312859199286398482" border="0" /></a>at turned out ok but I decided it wasn't girly enough so I experimented with some decoration and came up with this:<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Pretty cool, huh? I really like it and I get compliments every time I wear it.<br /><br />So it got me thinking that I really need a cool hat to go with my blue scarf. It was the first thing I ever knit and still my favorite scarf when its really cold. I had a very small amount of that same yarn left so I decided to build a hat around it. I used some black wool sport weight yarn to do the hat and then combined the blue yarn with some cream yarn and a red button to create this:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SbsTY-EQjpI/AAAAAAAAAHI/skUUV7cg0ps/s1600-h/knit+003.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SbsTY-EQjpI/AAAAAAAAAHI/skUUV7cg0ps/s200/knit+003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312861505112280722" border="0" /></a><br />and my new favorite hat is made. I am afraid I can't stop making flowers because they help to use up leftover yarn and can be made in an endless combination of colors. also because, thanks to the furloughs, I don't have extra money for new yarn so I use what I have. <br /></div>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-11476186977810978412009-03-07T22:00:00.002-05:002009-03-07T22:08:34.680-05:00Miss Gimp Doesn't Want to Talk About it....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SbM1LsN0CoI/AAAAAAAAAGo/gmaBCyh-qYE/s1600-h/misc+002.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SbM1LsN0CoI/AAAAAAAAAGo/gmaBCyh-qYE/s320/misc+002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310646860563876482" border="0" /></a><br />But she is now middle aged and has the spread to prove it.<br /><br />Poor Miss Gimpy doesn't really eat more but she has become a bit lazy, and it shows. She used to love to play fetch (really) and especially loved to chase after ponytail holders but lately she will only do it once or twice before deciding she would rather just lay down. <br /><br />Mark is worried about her so he tries to wrestle with her more but she usually just gets annoyed and walks away. <br /><br />Maybe our bad habits have rubbed off on her. You think she would join us on the Wii Fit?Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-89206532204642554812009-01-20T22:42:00.002-05:002009-01-20T23:06:36.715-05:00ChangeWhat a crazy, beautiful day! Why isn't this a national holiday? I so did not want to go to work today. I did think about heading to DC for the big day but I am a big baby. I hate the cold and I especially hate port-a-potties. For <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">reals</span>. But that doesn't mean I wanted to be at work.<br /><br />We did get to see the inauguration at work, in the conference room on a TV with no cable so the reception was less than great. Sarah and I played around with the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">antenna</span> to get a picture. What is this, 1985? (or 1995 if it was my parent's house)<br /><br />The staff sat in silence during the ceremony. I tried to do my signature running commentary but no one really appreciated it so I shut up. But really, Aretha's hat deserved some sort of comment. It was AWESOME! as was our new president's speech and the entire ceremony (minus the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">incredibly</span> lame Rick Warren). <br /><br />after the TV viewing I came back to my office to see about 4 emails from hubby waiting for me, including:<br /><br />HOLY S*** RICK WARREN HAS BEEN PRAYING FOR A LONG <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">FU</span>***** TIME!<br /><br />So, great minds think alike.<br /><br />I spent the rest of the afternoon unable to concentrate, despite the afternoon meeting with my boss and some minor emergency <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">pertaining</span> to the 80 elementary age school children visiting tomorrow. <br /><br />On the ride home I shared the train with many, many people coming back from DC with their special inauguration posters, buttons and sock caps. I love me some souvenirs so I was a little jealous of the swag but then I remembered how cold it was and, again, the port-a-potties and I was OK. <br /><br />We purchased some American made <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">champagne</span>-like sparkling white wine after work and I settled in to surf the net for pictures of Michelle's ballgown. Priorities, people.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Yay</span> America!Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-76076339539288756342008-12-10T21:41:00.002-05:002008-12-10T21:56:46.786-05:00Easy, Cheap Holiday CraftsOK readers, here are some tips to help out this budget holiday season.<br /><br />First - have you heard of Google Docs? It's free and it's awesome. If you are looking for a free way to create your holiday newsletter, mailing labels or gift tags you can download templates here, just go to <b>New</b> and click on the <b>down arrow</b> and choose <b>From template</b>, you can browse <b>All Types</b> or or search by category.<br /><br />You can also find many download-able gift tag designs and decoration templates from the <a title="Craftzine Blog" href="http://blog.craftzine.com/" id="jf0k">Craftzine Blog</a>. Look for the search bar and type in gift tags or ornaments or holiday or whatever and all of the related blogs will pop up. There are some cool projects out there. Many just require a printer.<br /><br />There are two projects I learn from my days teaching Victorian Christmas traditions that can be made with things most people have in their home. To decorate your tree you can make a Victorian candy cone by taking any square paper (or cutting an 8 1/2 x 11 paper into a square) <div id="o4tf" style="padding: 1em 0pt; text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SUB-QorFQNI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/hLlN95osq68/s1600-h/craft+012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SUB-QorFQNI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/hLlN95osq68/s200/craft+012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278357587539345618" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />and rolling it into a cone like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SUB-7DPSEVI/AAAAAAAAAFg/hLAvXMIJunI/s1600-h/craft+013.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SUB-7DPSEVI/AAAAAAAAAFg/hLAvXMIJunI/s200/craft+013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278358316225007954" border="0" /></a><br />after it is rolled, glue in place and punch holes for a ribbon handle.<br /><br />You can decorate the paper before you roll it using markers, glitter or anything you have. You can use fancier paper like wrapping paper or wallpaper or even fabric covered paper. Keep in mind the cone should be stiff so card stock, felt or wallpaper works best. If you have to use regular paper, glue several sheets together. If you want it to be lined you can glue two pieces of contrasting paper wrong sides together and then roll. When it is done, wait for the glue to dry and fill with your favorite candy!<br /><br />Another great, easy decoration is a Victorian paper lantern, a nod to the era's <a title="Orientalism" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orientalism" id="nc:0">Orientalism</a>. Take any piece of paper and fold in half width-wise.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SUB_Oti7VLI/AAAAAAAAAFo/uZvYpwRVf9c/s1600-h/craft+008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SUB_Oti7VLI/AAAAAAAAAFo/uZvYpwRVf9c/s200/craft+008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278358653999207602" border="0" /></a><br />Cut equidistant slits on the folded edge leaving a border around the entire paper uncut like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SUB_l0X6zGI/AAAAAAAAAFw/NDTGt7Xk2JU/s1600-h/craft+009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SUB_l0X6zGI/AAAAAAAAAFw/NDTGt7Xk2JU/s200/craft+009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278359050969074786" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Unfold the paper and glue or staple the sides together, you should have a lantern shape. These lanterns can be made in any size, small ones for the tree or large ones strung across the mantle or entire room. It adds a festive flare on the cheap! To hang or string just use a hole punch on two sides and use ribbon, yarn or string to hang. again, you can decorate the lanterns any way you want or use any color paper.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SUB_7C5d7WI/AAAAAAAAAF4/c6vnYJXoTeg/s1600-h/craft+011.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SUB_7C5d7WI/AAAAAAAAAF4/c6vnYJXoTeg/s200/craft+011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278359415645138274" border="0" /></a>Happy Holidays!Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-17068188440564017472008-12-07T23:33:00.002-05:002008-12-07T23:36:34.321-05:00Thanksgiving, NYC and delayed long weekendsHow was your Thanksgiving? Mine was really fun. We went to McLean VA to break bread with the Buckmans. We brought <a title="vegan green bean casserole" href="http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/11/best-vegan-green-bean-casserole.html" id="h0-5">vegan green bean casserole</a> and <a title="Quorn" href="http://www.quorn.us/" id="tjrc">Quorn</a> roast cooked with carrots, onions and potatoes. The casserole used beans from the CSA (one bag down, 3 frozen bags to go) and the recipe came from <a title="Fatfree Vegan" href="http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/" id="j5nz">Fatfree Vegan</a>. After the meal we played with the Wii. The kids practiced Rock Band and we tried our hand at bowling. Time sure flies when you're playing the Wii. <br /><br />The holiday weekend was cut short because of the annual conference I attend in NYC. I arrived with a co-worker on Saturday and stayed until Wednesday. The conference was mind-numbingly boring as usual. I counted the minutes on my phone and made frequent trips to the exhibitor lounge for free coffee and cookies. It is good for people watching and rating the fashion of attendees. <br /><br />I <i>almost</i> don't mind the conference because it is very cool to be in New York during the holiday season. We spent two nights just walking around, looking at the decorations and seeing the store windows. I visited Macy's on 34th street; the holiday window was not so great but the floor with Santa and the decorations was worth the trip. Everything was so pretty and on sale! We couldn't believe the sales so early in the season, decorations 40% off? We walked up to Saks Fifth Avenue and they had beautiful holiday windows, plus almost everything in the store 60% off. It was amazing to see the world famous Saks looking like TJ Max with all the low prices and messy shelves. Speaking of 5th Avenue we went to Tiffany's just to check it out and who did we see in the store? Martha Stewart! For Reals! We couldn't go in to the store because she was there but we saw through the glass doors and kept peaking until it started to look weird. Then we casually walked away. <br /><br />I just missed the tree lighting since it was Wednesday night but we did see the tree and the ice skaters at Rockefeller Center.<br /><br />Tuesday night I had dinner with my friend Kristen. It's funny that we can go without talking for several months but then pick up just where we left off. Its also funny that no matter where our lives take us we are so alike we tend to choose the same things without knowing it. We were both wearing eye glasses and berets, but hers were fancier of course. I walked from my hotel to her office on Madison Avenue, just a couple of blocks. It was cool to see her office. We took a cab to <a title="Greenwich Village" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwich_Village" id="awv6">Greenwich Village</a> and had the best meal at <a title="Gobo" href="http://www.goborestaurant.com/west/index.htm" id="aj:s">Gobo</a>. I love eating in NYC because I so rarely get to a vegetarian restaurant and even more rare, a fine dining experience in a vegetarian restaurant. It was New York fancy. After dinner we actually walked all the way back to Penn Station with a stop at Macy's again. It gave us time to talk and hang out until she got on the train.<br /><br />So, because of my interrupted weekend I took Thursday and Friday off to give me a full 4 days at home. In those 4 days I managed to start my xmas cards, purchase 2 more gifts at the <a title="SquidFire Holiday Art Mart" href="http://www.squidfire.com/winter-art-mart-squidfire.cfm" id="pvpf">SquidFire Holiday Art Mart</a> (added to the 3 gifts I purchased on <a title="Etsy" href="http://www.etsy.com/" id="o1od">Etsy</a> for Black Friday) and work on 2 gifts I am making. I plan on making 5 gifts altogether but of these 2 - one needs to get in the mail soon and another takes a long time to make so I started it in early November. I also slept a lot, cleaned the house, did laundry and watched too much TV. Back to work tomorrow and try to fit crafting into my after work time for the next 2 weeks. ONLY 2 weeks? I may never finish! I promise to detail the projects after xmas but don't want to spoil the surprise.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-51143009439034456832008-11-24T21:53:00.002-05:002008-11-24T22:22:35.127-05:00I can be bribed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SStpSLtuPFI/AAAAAAAAAFI/4vUaKSAy11k/s1600-h/may08+022.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SStpSLtuPFI/AAAAAAAAAFI/4vUaKSAy11k/s320/may08+022.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272423549870423122" border="0" /></a><br />I have been commuter challenged. The Light Rail is awesome most of the time but sometimes it drives me absolutely nuts. <br /><br />So, when you work downtown (at least where I work) you get a choice of signing up for a parking pass or a commuter pass. The parking pass is much more expensive and they are in limited supply so you might not even get a choice. Driving downtown sucks because of the traffic and one-way streets. It seemed like the obvious choice to get a commuter pass and be able to use my commute to listen to my ipod, knit or read. It has mostly been a good choice, stress free and relatively short. BUT when the light rail is not working, you have to scramble to find a way to get to work. Every other way takes twice as long and most involve extra money. Last week the light rail was not working. It was a horrible week for commuting to work. There seems to be some issue with <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.rail21nov21,0,2614846.story?track=rss">leaves on the tracks</a>, leaves and brakes and who knows what.<br /><br />I took the bus to work one day, oh how I love the bus. It takes about 3 times as long because of the route and stops. It goes through some rough areas of town. Its REALLY bumpy. I got to listen to a great sermon shouted out during the ride. It was really hilarious to hear this preacher talk about sin and hear the other riders tell him to shut up. "That's the devil in you telling me to shut up" OK. Fair enough.<br /><br />I drove to work one day to pay a fortune in one day garage fees and got to fight the traffic on 83. I don't know the fastest way to work because I DON'T DRIVE TO WORK. At least for 2 days I got rides with co-workers so those were my favorite days. <br /><br />There seemed to be no end in sight until Saturday night when I read the Baltimore Sun and they said the rail was back in service as of Monday, AND to thank us for our patience we get free coffee and donuts Monday morning. YIPEE! <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.rail22nov22,0,3073600.story?track=rss">Free Coffee</a>!<br /><br />Like I say, I can be bribed. The MTA staff were so friendly today and I did get free coffee, Dunkin Donuts coffee no less. I turned down the donuts because of the diet but there were free donuts too! I was actually in a good mood when I boarded the train. Then the fare inspector boarded and asked for our passes. Lady, don't you think even if we didn't have a pass we deserve a free ride for all this crap? Once? Geez.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-54077981411402056412008-11-22T17:38:00.002-05:002008-11-22T17:41:17.842-05:00Good Advice in Tough TimesHere's some free advice to all those <a title="desperate retailers" href="http://bythebrooke.blogspot.com/2008/11/desperation-is-seriously-unattractive.html" id="rf.8">desperate retailers</a>: good customer service goes a long way towards retaining business. <br /><br />I have been working in customer oriented jobs since I was 16 and I have been in charge of training people in customer service for many years. It seems to me that customer service is getting worse just at the time it should be getting better. In my line of work we rely on teachers and group leaders to bring their groups back every year, we count on retaining those sales while making new sales to reach our ever increasing goals each fiscal year. The person taking the reservation needs to make them feel comfortable and happy about their decision. Policies need to be in place to share communication from reservation to tour guide. The tour experience needs to meet the goals of the teacher as explained at the time of reservations and the teacher needs to leave feeling good about the decision to take the kids out of the classroom and into this museum. If not, we lost the customer and the word of mouth can cause a loss of many more customers. I take it seriously and expect other customer service organizations to take it as seriously when I am the customer.<br /><br />I was lucky enough to get my xmas present from #1 super hubby early this year. We went to pick it out last Saturday. My old laptop was cheap to begin with and fine for when I only used it occasionally but with more use it has become annoyingly slow and I am constantly complaining about it. So we went to Best Buy to get a new laptop. I was so excited and had done some research on what to get and what the prices were like. I knew what I wanted. Mark knows quite a lot about computers so he also was very aware of what I needed and what it would cost. He was also excited to inherit my old laptop and try out some new operating systems that would make it faster and allow him to go online while hanging out with me. We had to go to Best Buy because Circuit City and Comp USA had both gone out of business recently. Best Buy is not known for its customer service and it really showed. One saleslady was very nice, answered some questions but then disappeared. when we were ready there was no one around. I finally found someone and asked about the first lady, since I wanted to make sure she got the commission. When I was told she was on a break and they didn't work on commission I asked this new guy to get us the computer we wanted. Instead of having a pleasant attitude and making us feel good about our rather large purchase he proceeded to act like we were stupid and tried to make us feel small. Is this a new sales pitch I am unaware of? He asked if we knew that this computer doesn't come with any software? I didn't even know what to say because of course it comes with software, what he means is that it doesn't come with Microsoft office which we did know but why say it like that? When we said yes, that's fine he said "So you aren't going to go online at all?" What he meant was that there was no security software so we shouldn't go online without installing something. He wanted to try and bully us into spending several hundreds more on security software. Well, trying to make me feel stupid is not the way to do it. We should not have bought anything from him but like I said, not really any other choice. When we got home we realized that HP does come with security software so not only was he trying to bully us he was actually lying.<br /><br />This concept of acting superior as a sales strategy is happening more and more. In these <a title="tough economic times" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/technology/internet/20slashing.html" id="cg75">tough economic times</a> businesses should be looking for ways to stand out from the crowd and price is not the only way. a policy of good customer service can make a big difference in creating a loyal and repeat customer base. I will try to avoid Best Buy in the future.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-21759855499385981532008-11-14T22:49:00.002-05:002008-11-14T23:12:35.428-05:00Holiday Heap!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.charmcitycraftmafia.com/wordpress/events/holiday-heap-2008"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 250px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gkbsQZwJGZ0/SR5G_0GvVkI/AAAAAAAAAFA/9R03WXYZ-RQ/s320/hh08_wcp_300x250animate.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268726676202673730" border="0" /></a><br />Awesome craft show tomorrow in Charles Village, We did some holiday shopping there last year and plan to go tomorrow. My favorites from the <a href="http://www.charmcitycraftmafia.com/wordpress/about/">Charm City Craft Mafia</a> and the <a href="http://baltimore-etsy.blogspot.com/">Baltimore Esty Street Team </a>will be there. Friends and family have received gifts from:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cottonmonster.com/">Cotton Monster</a><br /><br /><a href="http://biggsandfeather.com/">Biggs and Featherbelle</a><br /><br /><a href="http://squidfire.com/">Squidfire</a><br /><br /><a href="http://littleflowerdesigns.com/">Little Flower Designs</a><br /><br />AND I have a beautiful necklace from <a href="http://ibreakplates.com/">The Broken Plate </a><br /><br />I am currently lusting after items from:<br /><br /><a href="http://wholesale.imogene.org/necklaces">Imogene</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5156084">Littlest Bean</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.bakesaledesigns.com/shop/bags.htm">Bake Sale Designs</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.tashamck.com/tashamck/Blog/Blog.html">Tasha McKelvey</a><br /><br />GO TO HOLIDAY HEAP!Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3399279301643746398.post-62198033897000788712008-11-11T20:51:00.002-05:002008-11-11T20:54:34.534-05:00Post Election PlansThe election season is over so now I can concentrate on my real life. Of course I am overjoyed that we have President-elect Obama! It's such a good feeling to see my choice win for once! I remember in 2004 I was going to <a title="school" href="http://www.bankstreet.edu/gs/leadershipinmuseumed.html" id="wlgq">school</a> in NYC and the first school weekend after the election my friend Justin met me in a bar at the Port Authority and we drank and talked about moving to Canada. This is so much better. We are also watching several other issues and have had a mixed bag of success so there is definitely enough to keep me occupied yet. Speaking of politics, check out Mark's new <a title="blog" href="http://channelaxiom.blogspot.com/2008/11/welcome-to-channel-axiom-introduction.html" id="ph3.">blog</a> for rants on all sorts of topics. Its so much better than having to listen to it in the car on the way to Wegmans every week.<br /><br />Mark was out of town for Halloween weekend so my "patterns" were out of whack for several days. I was looking forward to being alone for all of the reasons one would be; not having to consult anyone about what you do, what you watch and what you eat. That seemed like it would be really fun. The reality was much worse. I learned that I am much more dependent on having "that one" around than I thought and can't decide if it's a good or bad thing. I talked to the cat more than I should have and lost interest in cooking anything just for me; I had popcorn for dinner on Saturday night. Miss Gimp whined a lot and kept checking the office door to see if Mark was in there but he wasn't so she got sad. We were quite a pair. I did teach myself embroidery with a book I got at the library so I felt like I was accomplishing something. Last Monday night I came home from work, went grocery shopping and finished just in time to pick Mark up at the train station. All is well now.<br /><br />This weekend I finally sat down and made a list of all of the holiday necessities. Because I still believe in the <a title="Handmade pledge" href="http://www.buyhandmade.org/" id="dnm.">Handmade pledge</a> I have to plan ahead since it takes time to make things. I have been bookmarking ideas from various craft blogs for months now so it was a matter of narrowing down options and assigning gifts to people on my list. Some gifts will not be handmade for various reasons. Our nephews are old enough to have Amazon wish lists now and I know I always hated getting gifts I didn't pick out when I was a kid so I guess I will break down and buy off the list. <br /><br />I bought my holiday cards this weekend from <a title="Etsy" href="http://www.etsy.com/category_sub_sub.php?tags=paper_goods.cards.christmas" id="zxwg">Etsy</a> so they are handmade. Cards for me are very deliberate. I like good quality cards and those are pricey so I usually go to places like Papyrus the day after xmas to get them 50% off. I read an article several months ago from <a title="Museum Audience Insight" href="http://reachadvisors.typepad.com/museum_audience_insight/2008/06/museum-advocates-are-different.html" id="u3sp">Museum Audience Insight</a> and it resonated with me, I too enjoy being the "curator" of my life and making deliberate choices that reflect my style in everything. I usually buy several different style cards and send each style to the person I think will appreciate it the most. That's kinda crazy, true. This year I didn't buy cards at 50% off because we had decided to either go completely paperless or make our own cards but neither happened. So, I was scanning Etsy all this weekend choosing my cards out of the 100's of possibilities. Another reason I am so picky is that we are not religious, not Christian so we try to avoid cards that say Merry Christmas or any religious theme. I choose to celebrate the new year and reserve the time to reflect on my wish for life: peace and happiness. I do believe in sending cards as a way to keep in touch and a nice mini-present to help decorate a friend's home. I love collecting all of the cards I get and stringing them up to decorate. <br /><br />This blog began as our annual holiday letter last year and now look at it! So, I guess I am coming up on an anniversary of sorts.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04447716277925175179noreply@blogger.com1