Skye's Sundries

I'm a Pastor's Daughter!

2012-01-29T17:14:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy, busy weekend! I flew home to Georgia this weekend to see my Daddy get ordained as the new pastor for Messiah Lutheran Church.

Not only was I in town, but Dad's sisters (Debbie and Robin) and brother-in-law (Don) all made it down from New England.

I also got to visit with some friends in Savannah and enjoy a good meal at Moon River Brewing. The only downside to the whole weekend was finding out that I'm sporting a case of pneumonia. Here I thought the coughing and fever were just a touch of a cold...

A warm welcome to 2012!

2012-01-02T07:42:00.001-08:00

Well, a frantic 2011 came to a frantic end last month. I took a moment to reflect on some of the many things that happened this past year, and came up with the following:

*Went house hunting in Savannah

*Stopped house hunting when Brian got orders to move to Texas

*Got married

*Met my father-in-law and step-kids for the first time

*Raised an adorable little puppy

*Quit a job that I loved

*Moved halfway across the country

*Spent 7 months looking for a job

*Made some pretty amazing restoration projects

*Started adapting to Army life

*Spent two weeks with the kids

*Brian and I spent our first holiday season together

*Started a Master's degree

*Met some pretty cool people and a bunch of knitters

*Took computer classes and got Network+ certified

*Finally got hired and started working again!

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty crazy, busy, stressful, wonderful year. I am not really one for making New Year's resolutions, but I do have a few things that I would like to work on this year.

*Stay focused and proactive in my studies

*Make time for taking care of myself, physically and mentally

*Excel at my new job

*Keep in touch with my friends and family

*Explore ways to expand my creative outlets

Between working full time, taking two classes each semester, participating in the El Paso Knitting Guild, and still making time for my husband and dogs, I'm sure 2012 will prove to be a very full year!

We're having a ball out here!

2011-12-03T11:15:00.001-08:00

No, really, we went to a Ball! Brian's unit had a Holiday Ball on Thursday, so we got ourselves all scrubbed, polished, and pressed for the festivities. This was Brian's first chance to wear his snazzy new Class A uniform, and I have to say that I think the new colors (blue and black instead of green) look really sharp.

I tried dress shopping downtown, but the choices were, for the most part, not my style and the size selection was limited to say the least. So, I did what I often do, and decided to just make my dress myself! I took a pattern I used before and made a few tweaks, and came up with this purple satin gown. I even finished it was a day to spare (though I did whip up a little matching zippered clutch about an hour before we left).

I didn't lose my slipper, but I still got the prince in the end. :)

Giving Thanks

2011-11-24T19:08:00.000-08:00

Well, it's that time of year again. Cooking for hours, eating too much, rushing to finish up my Christmas crafting. And, of course, thinking on all the things for which I am grateful. Here is a short list (in no particular order):

the first full holiday season with my hubby
family that supports me
friends that keep in touch
dogs that lick my hands
an abundance of craft supplies
opportunites, both present and upcoming
plenty of food

Apologies and updates

2011-11-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

First, apologies yet again for a long absence. This Master's program is more work than I expected, but classes are going great! I'm working on two really interesting projects at the moment: one on learning theory as applied to knitting and another on the volunteer management system for Army Family Team Building. Very cool stuff!

Secondly, Momo found a new friend! And so did I! Amanda is another Army wife that I met through a knitting buddy, and her 11 month old puppy Lucy is Momo's new BFF. It is such a hoot to watch these two little monkeys play with each other. And, of course, the extra benefit is that they wear each other out so we get some peace and quiet! Harley tolerated their shenanigans, and even tried to get into the fun while chasing the ball outside.

When she's feeling especially lonely and I'm busy knitting or reading in the nap chair, Momo has taken to planting her face between my feet. It's so cute that I can't even get annoyed at how distracting it is.

On the crafting front, it's been pretty low key since I finished the big red chair. Lots of fun little projects and nothing overly ambitious. I've made a few shrugs for ladies on base, and a dear friend of mine commissioned a knitted work: she wanted an obscenely large knitted diamond ring. I am pretty darn proud of the fact that I designed the whole thing all by myself and that it actually came out the way I envisioned! I must be getting good at this knitting thing...
Here's a shot to give you proper scale for the finished product. That's one BIG diamond! And I got to use my new knitting machine to make the band.

The El Paso Knitting Guild had a yarn swap a while back, and I picked up this beautiful bamboo yarn. It's super soft and looks stunning with the way it patterns. But I'm using a size 3 needle and working these fingerless gloves in all rib stitch, so it is taking FOREVER to finish! At least I'm doing both gloves at one time or I would probably never finish the second one...

Just a few years ago I picked up a pattern booklet from Paton's that included felted Mary Jane slippers. I'm pretty sure I bought it just for that pattern. Well, I finally knitted up a pair and they are even cuter than the picture! I had to make a few adjustments, but they are soft and warm and cute and wonderful! And, yes, I will be making many, many more of these. Christmas is right around the corner, after all.

Apart from all the knitting, I also stumbled across an amazingly clever idea: book purses! Who would have guessed, transforming old, hard cover books into charming little purses. I made a practice run with a Lemony Snickett book, then tried it for real on this book about Texas.

It certainly isn't a "throw everything you might possibly need for a two week trip" kind of purse. But it definitely has some style to it. I have a few other old books I snagged from the Goodwill. Let's see how those turn out...

When we moved to El Paso I had this idea that we'd be relatively warmish when most of my New England friends were shivering in their parkas. Sadly, it seems that El Paso doesn't comply with many of my expectations. This morning as I walked the dogs it was a whopping 34 degrees. In all fairness, it's supposed to get into the upper 60s later today. But still. Grrr.

A comfy spot to study

2011-10-07T15:07:00.000-07:00

I'm half way through my first Master's level class, and I'm loving it! I start my first Training Specialization class on Monday and can hardly contain myself. I almost forgot how exciting school can be (I say "almost" because a true nerd never forgets..."

I have found, however, that I need a distinct place to do my studying. My craft table works fine to set up the laptop for research or paper writing, but it's not really comfortable enough for all the reading I'll be doing. The big nap-chair is ok, but being in the kitchen nook makes it a little noisy if the TV is on in the living room.

As I was walking the dogs last week, I noticed that someone had left this beat up, sad old chair on the side of the road to die. Sure, it was in pretty rough shape. But under that battered exterior, I saw potential. So I swung by and tossed it in the car to be given a second (or, judging by the age, a third) chance.
Based on it's condition and questionable origins, the chair stayed in the garage during the deconstruction process.

And there was a LOT of deconstruction! I tore out hundreds of furniture tacks and staples, ripped out bags of ancient batting, foam and fabric, and sanded down really awful finish on the wood. When all was said and done, the naked little chair looked even sadder than when I found it.

But, after many, many hours of love, dedication, measuring, fixing, painting, cussing, and more than one hissy-fit, I now have an amazing new reading chair!!

I even rearranged my shelves to create a cozy study-nook. I couldn't be happier if I were twins!

Etsy is BACK!

2011-09-22T17:04:00.000-07:00

After a long absence, I decided to start putting items up for sale on Etsy again. I shut down the old site and thought long and hard about what the new site would be. I found that listing just random things that I've made really wasn't such a great idea. So I sat down and had a think, and came up with a whole new idea.

You Got It Covered!

Yup. I'll be selling things that cover other things. Laptop covers. Checkbook covers. Notebook covers. Coozies for coffee cups. Even stuff to cover yourself, like aprons, hats and slippers. I'll post items I've already made, but I'm also open to taking requests. Here's a sample of a few things that are either already listed or soon will be:

I'm not expecting to get rich here. But if I can raise a little cash to buy more crafting supplies, I'll be one happy crafter!

So bookmark this page and check back often for new covers: http://www.yougotitcovered.etsy.com/.

And tell your friends!

A very exciting announcement!

2011-09-07T12:48:00.000-07:00

About 10 years ago I was just moving back to Connecticut after graduating from Piedmont with my BA in Theatre. When interviewing for jobs, people would often ask "So what can you do with a degree in Theatre?" to which I archly reply "I can act like I know what I'm doing!"

All kidding aside, I believe that my Theatre degree really has been quite useful. Technical skills can be taught fairly easily, and technology changes to quickly that knowledge can become outdated as soon as it's revealed. But my Theatre degree taught me how to listen, adapt, interact, and communicate. Oh, and it was a lot of fun.

Now here it is, the fall of 2011 is creeping closer, and I'm 5 months into my job hunt. Thankfully unemployment and Brian's income meets all our needs and a little more, so I'm not panicked financially. But I'm just about ready to climb the walls! For a super-motivated go-getter like me, there is little worse than waking up each morning and trying to find things to fill my day.

Granted, I am making some progress on long-neglected crafts. And the baking endeavors have been fun. But I miss doing something meaningful with my time. I miss getting up every morning and having a schedule of important stuff to check off my list. Somehow, a To-Do list that reads "get up, shower, fill 8 hours, eat dinner, go to bed" just doesn't quite cut it.

So, while I continue my hunt for a job (not even "the perfect career" but just a job) I have decided to take on another project. No, I'm not redecorating the interior of my car or knitting a sweater from dog hair or some other senseless time-filler. I am going back to school!

That's right, I am finally going back and getting my Master's degree!! When I decided not to attend NYU right after Piedmont, I always thought that some day I would go back. But I never really knew what I wanted to study. I briefly considered a Project Manager degree when I was working for GP, but the idea of being responsible for a huge project budget was a little daunting. When I was at CCCS, I considered an MBA, but didn't really like the whole "business" aspect of a business degree.

When we moved out here, I thought to myself "Once I find a job, I think I'll look into getting a Training degree." See, I've realized that I'm really good at training. Whether it was mentoring math in college, providing new user training at Pfizer, or conducting first time home buyer workshops, I have a knack for getting information across to people. This weekend a friend asked me "Why wait till you're working? Why not start now?"

Well, I didn't really have a good answer for her (besides not having income to pay for the classes, but that's what loans are for until I start working). So I did some serious internet research, compared a few different schools, and found out that Capella University has a really in-depth Master's of Science in Education: Training and Performance Improvement program. It's exactly what I wanted to study when I imagined a training degree, and it's more affordable that I would have guessed. Classes start on Monday, and I should be finished in just under two years. WooHoo!

Knitted nummies!

2011-08-28T15:51:00.000-07:00

Besides hunting for jobs, trying not to melt in the incredible heat, mushing on two adorable puppies, and making edible yummies for my hubby, I've also been knitting up some really fun foods! A college friend asked if I could make some play food for her kid's kitchen, and I think I have risen to the challenge. What do you think?

And, in the on-going quest to find people with whom I have things in common, I have found The El Paso Knitting Guild! It's a group of about 30 people who share my love of knitting and they meet once a month. I attended my first meeting yesterday and learned some very useful tips about I-cords. I also found out about at least three possible opportunities to sell some of my knitted goodies. That's an all-around win as far as I'm concerned!

Another upcycle project!

2011-07-30T09:35:00.000-07:00

You may recall me mentioning a while ago that I was still looking for a chair to go with Brian's awesome new desk. I have been trolling Craig's List and Freecycle, hoping to stumble across something that would go with the 100 year old desk. While Brian didn't mind using my old kitchen chair, I have been wanting to get the trestle table posted on Craig's List to sell, and couldn't really do that until he had a chair. So last week I stopped by the furniture sale on base and found this sturdy, though kinda pathetic, office chair. I knew it wasn't exactly what Brian had in mind, but I had an idea that I thought would please him.

First I had to take the whole thing apart and clean the fabric (although it was dusty, the fabric was still all intact. So I decided to leave it as an undercoat, so to speak, instead of trying to remove it all). Once all the metal was cleaned up, I sprayed it all down with some silver spray paint. You might think that it looks a little like chrome. That, of course, was the idea!

Once all the metal was repainted, I started on the upholstery. I had to make all the piping from scratch because, for some odd reason, no one seems to sell bright orange piping in canvas. Bright orange? Has she gone mad or just color blind? Wait and see...After careful measuring, making paper templates and trial and error, I was able to start assembling the fabric covers. The arm rests needed all new padding, so I manipulated some polyfoam to fit over the metal covers.

Unlike the rocking chair face lift, this project required a lot of sewing, both on the machine and by hand. I would have loved to use plygrip again, but the frame is metal and I would not have been able to tack the plygrip down to anything. As it is, the handstitching on the seams went pretty quickly and looked just as nice. Hmmmm, orange and black? Wonder where this is heading...

Once all the seams were secure, I started to reassemble the chair. This went a bit slower then the disassembly, and I had to take things apart and put them back together again more than once. Lesson learned: take pictures of EVERY PART before you deconstruct!

Once all the bolts were tightened and the chair pads reattached, the chair was finished.

And the best part, of course, is that it is a Harley Davidson chair! I found it funny that the most expensive part of this upcycle was the Harley patch for the back.

Beat up old office chair: $3
Harley Davidson patch: $17
Fabric, piping and foam: $28
Awesome, one-of-a-kind chair for my hubby: Priceless!

I wanted to have the chair done for his birthday, but was a day late. However, I did have his originally planned birthday present done and wrapped with a day to spare!This was my first real attempt at embroidery. Brian already has an awesome embroidered Harley shirt, so I decided to go with the Mustang on this one. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, but I am not a big fan of embroidery and probably won't attempt anything else again soon.

A Busy July

2011-07-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

What a wonderfully fun and busy month so far! The kids are here for two weeks and, just like in Savannah, I always seem to see and do more when folks are visiting! Unfortunately I haven't brought my camera to all the festivities (missed out on pictures of El Paso's Downtown Streetfest, the Old Ironsides Museum, and Wet n' Wild waterpark), but here are a few pics I have snapped.

I got to see my first Diablos baseball game! I haven't been to a baseball game in ages, and even though Brian wouldn't let me bring my knitting for the boring parts I still had a great time.

And there were fireworks!! We could actually see the fireworks show from the house the night before, but it was more fun to watch in the park after the game.

When the weather is hot, there's no better way to cool down than fresh, homemade ice cream!

I was super excited that K was interested in crafting during her visit. The first project: a teddy bear! This was a pretty ambitious first step and she did awesome.

After the bear she picked out some cheerful pink Batik and made this sling purse.

Of course, I can't spend that much time in my craft room without something to show for it myself. So I made a new bear out of some lingering fur scraps. I know it looks like he doesn't have a nose or mouth, but he does I promise!

I was also feeling the urge for a new purse, so I made this frilly little messenger bag with an adjustable strap. Once the purse was finished, I decided to whip up a matching wallet.

The wallet actually turned out a lot larger than expected. It's almost a clutch purse itself! I'm not sure how this will work out exactly, but I'll give it a shot for a while. (I used a combination of this and this tutorial to make the clutch, in case you were wondering.)

Someone was busy in the kitchen!

2011-06-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

Brian took a nice long motorcycle ride with some of the helicopter pilots on Saturday, and I took advantage of the time alone to whip up a bunch of goodies in the kitchen!

I started with some simple boxed pudding for Brian's lunches this week. I love my reusable Gladware containers, especially the handy 1/2 cup, single serving size ones!

Then I moved on to a big batch of yogurt. I used the "keep it warm in a crock pot" method with great results at Dad's last month, so I repeated that here. I found out, however, that my crock pot's "warm" setting keeps the pot about 30 degrees warmer than Dad's! The yogurt is still tasty, though, so no harm.

And, of course, if I made yogurt you know I'd have to make granola to go with it! I used the wonderful Savannah Bee Company Orange Blossom Honey that Robyn gave me and it adds a nice flavor to the snack.

Last week I used my bread machine's dough cycle to whip up a single loaf of wheat bread. I prefer the way the bread comes out when you bake it in the over instead of letting the bread machine bake it, but it was still a little on the dense side. So this time I used Mom's old wheat bread recipe and made the whole thing from scratch. Oh, the smell of fresh baked bread! This loaf has a great consistency, and requires very little kneading. Yum!

And, thanks to the Saporita's for this long ago idea: home made ice cream sandwiches! The grocery store I went to Saturday morning unfortunately did not have chocolate graham crackers, so I had to make due with honey flavored. Spread a little Cool Whip inbetween the crackers and you have a home made ice cream sandwich. I did learn, this time, that they are much easier to wrap if you let them sit in the freezed for about an hour so the whipped cream and harden a bit. I'll be keeping my eyes open for the chocolate crackers for the next batch...

Oh, the cuteness!

2011-06-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

I had a surprise visitor in my backyard this morning. As I was watering the herbs and veggies, I heard a soft scraping noise coming from the back wall. Being in new and somewhat unfamiliar lands, I was a bit wary as to what might be causing the noise.

After staring long and hard, I finally located the source: this adorable little turtle!
He was oh so tiny, but very brave. It only took a moment of being handled before he stuck his little head back out and started walking around on my hand. I can only guess that he's a land turtle, since there aren't any lake, rivers, streams, ponds, puddles or leaky faucets around. Any guesses on what kind of turtle he is? I emailed the University of Texas at Austin with a picture, but haven't heard back yet. Update: according to UTA, this is an ornate box turtle.I tried to keep him safely in my herb garden containers until I could establish what kind of turtle he was and where would be the best place to release him. But he managed to escape the garden and is now off on his next adventure! Kinda makes me want to knit a turtle, if I could just find a pattern...

And, just because it's been a few days since I've posted pictures of the girls, here they are keeping me company while I search for jobs. Mo is getting so big so fast that it's hard for me to believe that she's less than 5 months old. Hopefully she won't get as big as Harley!

Focaccia bread!

2011-06-21T10:23:00.001-07:00

One of our wedding presents was a Panini press. I experimented a little before leaving Savannah, to moderate success. You would think there's not much to it: bread, filling, press, eat. But the trick is getting a bread that will grill up nicely, filling that will stay in place and heat well, and just enough moisture to flavor the panini without getting soupy. Fresh tomatoes are a no-no, as they just get squishy and slide out. Goat cheese or mozzarella are better than sliced deli cheese. Little things like that. I was thinking about what to make for dinners this week, and decided it was time to give the panini press another go. But instead of buying some bread, I whipped up my very first focaccia bread!

Unfortunately, my potter's instinct took over and I kneaded the dough the way I used to handle clay. This is a bad thing because when you're working clay you are actually trying to get the air out of the clay. When kneading bread, you want to work air into it! Live and learn for next time.

Ingredients:
1 C wrist temperature water
1.5 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
about 3.5 C flour
dried herbs (I used Italian seasoning)
olive oil (for bowl and brushing on top of dough)

Place the water in a medium sized bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add the sugar and salt, then stir until everything dissolves.

Add 3 cups of flour, one at a time, stirring enthusiastically with a whisk. Switch to a wooden spoon then your hands as it thickens. Knead the dough in the bowl for a few minutes, adding the herbs and up to a half cup extra of flour to combat stickiness. When the dough is smooth, oil both the bowl and the top surface of the dough. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and transfer to a clean, floured surface. Adding small amounts of extra flour as needed, knead the dough for about 5 - 8 minutes (until it is smooth and elastic). for the dough into a ball and roll into a 10 - 12 inch diameter circle. Let it rise for about 10 minutes while the oven preheats to 400.

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled baking tray and brush the surface of the dough with a little bit of oil and sprinkle more dried herbs on top. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

What's old becomes new again

2011-06-17T13:42:00.000-07:00

I am really truly home now: my craft room is unpacked and set up!! The table is in place, books are on the shelves, and the file cabinets are nestled in the closet. Now I just have to decide which project to start on first. Perhaps something for Brian's birthday...

Just after we got back from Georgia, Brian finally succeeded in getting the Internet connected. We didn't have a desk when the tech came, so Brian improvised with several of my bookcase crates and boards. It was a good short-term fix, but not very comfortable or attractive (not to mention that he was holding my crate hostage and I couldn't get my craft room completed).

To remedy this situation, I started trolling Craigslist and Freecycle to find him a desk. After only a few days, I came across this beat up wooden desk.

I had never heard of Leopold Desk Company, but Brian did a little research (more on that later).

Though it needed a little love, I could tell it had potential. It was all real wood and very sturdy. I dished out $25, loaded it in the Durango and headed home. That night we stopped by Lowe's and picked up sand paper, steel wool and Minwax stain/polyurethane.

First step was removing all the original hardware and sanding. Lots and lots of sanding!

Once I got the old stain off the top, legs and drawer fronts, it was time to test out the stain. We were both a little skeptical of the stain/polyurethane combo. I mean, could it really work as well as the two separate products? The first coat went on and looked promising. A benefit of living in the desert: I didn't have to wait the full 6 hours between coats!

Minwax did not let us down. The new finish looks great, just as good as I hoped. I am so pleased with how it turned out. Now we just need to find an office chair that will compliment it.

Now, a bit about that research Brian did. Apparently the Leopold Desk Company made desks under that name by hand from 1900 to 1937, which makes this desk between 74 and 111 years old. The only thing that is missing is the key to lock the drawers, and we'll be sending the lock off to get new keys fabricated to match. After poking around a bit more, Brian found that desks similar to this one are running around $500. And I only dropped $25 on it. Score!!

How to make an upholstered headboard

2011-06-16T09:23:00.001-07:00

This little step-by-step description may seem really simple. That's because it is! I didn't have a pattern or any other kind of guild to go by. Just measure how wide the bed frame is and how you want your headboard to be. Then away you go!

It helps if you (or a good friend) have a workshop or some woodworking tools handy. I could have done this with just my simple battery operated hand tools (if they weren't already in El Paso), but Bob's fully stocked workshop made it that much easier!

First, we picked up a piece of 3/4" plywood from Lowe's. If you don't have a saw to cut it down, the folks at the hardware store can usually make simple cuts for you. Just ask.

Then we got a wee bit fancy, just because Bob has so many fun tools to play with. We routered the edges to round them off and added a 1/2" strip of wood along the top to account for the floorboard and raise the headboard a bit away from the wall once it's attached to the bed. We also drilled holes for the bolts that will attach the headboard to the frame.

Once I got the cut plywood back home, I had to seam the fabric together. The headboard was 60" wide, but the fabric was only 56" wide. If the fabric did not have a directional print, I could have just turned it sideways and used a 60"+ length. But the toile would have looked silly sideways. It took a little patience to get the pattern to line up at the seam, but it is worth it to take your time and get it lined up as close as possible (especially if you're as much of a perfectionist as I am!).

To give the headboard that puffy, upholstered look, I used 3 different quilt battings layered on top of each other and wrapped about to the back of the wood. If you wanted to spend a bit more, you could get some foam. But the batting worked just fine. Wrap it over the edges and staple it to the back to hold it in place. Because the headboard will be up against a wall, the backside does not have to be pretty. Just make sure that the edges are smooth and not too puckered from pulling it over the wood.

Once the batting is tacked in place, do the same with the fabric. I started by tacking the top in place and stretching it down the front to the bottom. Again, the bottom part will be hidden by the mattress and box spring, so it doesn't have to be pretty. Just fold the fabric under itself before you tack it down so it won't fray. Then wrap the sides around and staple it to the back.

Now grab a bunch of upholstery tacks and mark off the pattern that you want. I did offset lines at 10" spacing to give it a good, puffy look. Be sure to buy more tacks than you will actually need, as they are prone to bending when you try to hammer them in. Also, I'd suggest using a rubber mallet if you have one (if not, place some extra fabric over the tacks before hammering so they don't get scuffed).

For the last step, use bolts, washers and nuts to attach the headboard to the bed frame. I used 1/4" bolts that were 1 1/4" long. The washers help protect the plywood from strain.

Push the bed back against the wall (making sure the bolts don't touch the wall) and you are finished!

A long, long drive

2011-06-16T08:57:00.001-07:00

I know these are a little late in getting posted, but I've been a tad busy...

About 2 weeks ago, Brian and I headed out of Dad's driveway and pointed our cars West. For the next 1600+ miles I followed Brian's tail lights (except for a little detour around New Orleans...).

At first, the scenery didn't change much. When you're on I-10, Georgia looks like Florida, which looks like Alabama, which looks like Mississippi, which looks like Louisiana.

Even the far eastern edge of Texas looked pretty much the same (though it was getting hotter by the mile).

It wasn't until we were a little ways into Texas that the view started to change. Hills got flatter, trees got smaller and more sparse, and the horizon opened up before us.

The dogs did really well on the trip. They pretty much just slept in the car, sniffed at the rest stops, and wanted to play in the hotels. All in all, it could have been a lot worse!

After three days of driving, we finally made it home! I've been busy unpacking, looking for work, playing with the puppies and occasionally poking around El Paso. Last week Brian and I even took a walk through the El Paso Border Patrol Museum and the El Paso Archaeological Museum, which had a neat nature trail outside.

I have to say, I like El Paso more than I expected I would. That might be due in part to the fact that hardly anyone I spoke to had anything positive to say about it, so my expectations were fairly low. But the heat isn't too bad as long as I stay out of the direct sun, the view of the Franklin Mountains is gorgeous, and we have a really comfortable home. Oh, and I'm finally living with my husband. What's there to complain about?!

Projects from Dad's House

2011-06-14T16:46:00.000-07:00

After the smashing success that was the rocking chair remodel, I decided that the rest of the beautiful toile fabric should not go to waste. After a chat with Dad, I offered to make him an upholstered headboard for his bed. With much help from our friend Bob, I was able to make the whole headboard in just a few hours! Then I used an old twin flat sheet and whipped up a bed skirt to match (which you can just see peeking out from beneath the very purple quilt). There are also new curtains to match. Oh so coordinated!

A close up of the headboard, showing how the furniture tacks give it a nice, puffy look.

I was able to locate a covered button tool, and threw together a few buttons to secure the back of the rocker. I even fussy-cut so that each button had a sparrow centered on it.

The crowning achievement, however, was the remake of the old computer room. This room used to be packed to the brim with clunky furniture, old office supplies, and a bunch of other clutter (seriously, if I had thought to take a "before" picture you wouldn't believe it was the same room). Dad had mentioned that he wanted a place where he could read his devotions and pray. So, out went the clutter and up went the paint! I hadn't intended to use two different colors of purple, but I ran out of the light shade after 3 walls. So I picked up the darker shade as an accent, and it also worked nicely on his bedroom wall. The rocking chair now has a happy corner to call home, and Dad has a relaxing place to pray and read.

These little projects kept me happily busy while waiting to move to El Paso. The move is now done and I'm in the middle of turning a new house into our home. Stay tuned for pictures from the drive and the new house.

Oh, and I already have another remodel project. I picked up an old wood desk that is in need or refinishing...

Unemployed, homeless and rocking!

2011-05-19T12:34:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm officially unemployed. Friday was my last day at CCCS and I can say with no hesitation that quitting a job I absolutely loved was one of the hardest things I've had to do in a long time. I'm also, at the moment, currently sorta homeless. That is I have a home waiting for me in El Paso, and I have all my belongings in a truck on their way to El Paso. I even have a husband waiting for me in El Paso. I, however, am not in El Paso. I'm spending a few weeks with Dad waiting for Brian to fly back so we can drive out together.

Harley seems not to mind staying at Dad's. She LOVES rolling around and lying in the grass. Better get your fill now, little girl, there's not a lot of grass in El Paso!

So what am I doing with myself while I'm waiting to move West? I'm relaxing! Of course, my idea of relaxing may not be what most folks consider relaxing. I spent the first two days cleaning and organizing, which is not only relaxing but also satisfying! But I like projects I can really sink my teeth into (think laying new bathroom flooring). So I decided that now was the perfect time to finally re-do Mom's old rocking chair.

I have no idea exactly how old this rocking chair is, but I know for sure that the fabric is at least as old as I am, and probably a few years more. Mom told me once that when she got this chair it had several layers of poorly applied paint. It took her a lot of elbow grease to get the paint off and varnish it. In some of the corners and hard to reach spots, you can still see hints of green, red and black paint. I remember tracing the patterns on the fabric as a small child, and hours on end sitting in Mom's lap as she rocked me. I'll admit, a small part of me wanted to just fix the loose fabric on the seat and keep the memory intact. But I decided that a fabric facelift was in order.

As usual, the first step to any renovation is destruction. I had to painstakingly pull out hundreds of staples and unravel yards of webbing to get down to the skeleton of the chair.

Then came re-weaving the webbing. I had a small amount of webbing from another project and was afraid I might not have enough. Luckily I was able to re-use the old webbing, which was a nice surprise.

Have you ever looked at your furniture and wondered "How do they get those straight, stitchless seams?" No? I guess it's just me. I have wondered this before, usually when considering a re-upholstery job.

Well, now I know the answer. You use ply grip (also called curve ease)!

Though it looks a little scary, and can leave quite a mark on your fingers if you're not careful, this stuff is totally cool! You tack the bottom down with staples and tuck the edge of the fabric into the teeth. When you fold it together, the fabric is stretched tight and secured, providing a really sharp finished edge. Now that I know about this little gem, I may be inspired to tackle additional decorating jobs...

Lastly, I needed to be sure that there were no loose ends for Roscoe to chew. Using some cambric (or dustcover) I finished up the bottom nice and tidy.

And tah-dah! It's like a whole new chair! I'm pretty excited with how it came out and can't wait to sit in it tonight while I'm knitting and watching NCIS with Dad. I think Mom would approve.

P.S. This would not have turned out so well if it weren't for the awesome website www.diyupholsterysupply.com or the assistance of the Sofa Doctor here in Kingsland.

Daily dose of adorable!

2011-05-03T08:29:00.000-07:00

Not much time to write, so I thought I'd keep you entertained with adorably cute photos. Enjoy!

Daddy's pup, Roscoe, hiding under the table to avoid Mo.

Mo, enjoying the comfy doggie hammock on the drive out to AL.

Mo had a blast sniffing around the rest stops on the way to AL. Look at that stance!

The carpet at Poppa's house is great for napping.

Puppy play dates tucker Mo out!

At 3 months old, Mo weighs in at 14.7 pounds.
If we can just get this UTI cleared up we'll be doing great...

A finished knitting project: a happy little bluebird!

Finally Finished Crafts and Puppy Dates

2011-04-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

For starters, Mo is 10 weeks old already!! It's hard to believe how much she has grown in the month that we've had her. She really is a sweet little thing, and pretty well behaved, as puppies go...

Several years ago (about 6 years, if you really have to know) I started saving corks to make a wine cork message board. As I myself don't actually drink wine, it took me a good long while to get a sizeable amount of corks (many thanks to the plethora of corks from the Inn at Stonington!). After I got a small box full, I sorta put the project on the back burner. As I was organizing for the pre-move logistics, I unearthed the box of corks. Vowing that I would not move a box full of corks yet again, I broke out the glue gun and went to work!

I also unearthed a Sisters journal that I have had for so long I can't recall... I forced myself to sit down, put the pictures in the sheets, and write out the 4 pages worth of sisterly quotes that I had gathered from the internet.

Gotta say, it's pretty darn cute!

This morning was Mo's very first ever puppy play date!! She had a lot of fun romping around Daffin with Raina and Diego. She was by far the smallest of the three, and often tried to climb my legs for a moment's peace.

We even had a visit from some Goldens that were enjoying the dewy field. All in all I think she enjoyed herself. I know that Harley has enjoyed the fact that Mo has been passed out almost all day!

Chocolate muffins and more purses

2011-04-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

I'm really enjoying the pattern for these purses! I whipped up two more today using old linen and some bright, colorful lining fabric. They are so fun and charming that I'm not sure how I'll part with them. In a fit of creativity, I also had an exciting idea for a new snack. A few years ago a friend told me about using a can of pumpkin mixed with boxed cake mix to make a very moist muffin. I got the idea to mix a little peanut butter with powdered sugar, then drop a dollop into the center of the muffin before baking.

The photo doesn't do it justice, but the end result is awesome! The perfect blend of chocolate and peanut butter, with just a little bit of guilt!

Several great finishes

2011-04-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

I finally did it! I finally ran an entire 5K! Okay, so really I jogged it. But still, I didn't stop to walk at all. And I finished in 36:23, which is pretty awesome as far as I'm concerned. It's a little slower than the first Komen 5K (which I did in 36:08), but better than any other race I've done. Now that I know I can jog the whole way, maybe I'll start working on improving my times. But for the moment I'm just going to let my achy knees recover a bit... Thanks to Robyn for convincing me to do it, sticking with me most of the way, and joining me and Dad for a delicious breakfast at J. Christopher's afterwards. What a great morning all around!

On a different note, several years ago I bought a cute little sling-style purse from The Other Tiger in Westerly. I bought it because it was a fair trade product, but also because I thought "What a cute style! I bet I could make this." Then low and behold, I did make it! Katelyn had asked for a purse like it after the wedding, and I finally found the time to make a pattern and try it out. I really, really like the final product!

And for Katelyn's I even experimented with putting her name on a ribbon on the inside pocket. Pretty cute, eh?

Lastly, another example of seeing something and thinking "Hey, I could make that cheaper." Introducing the Doggie Car Hammock a la Skye! I've had this upholstery fabric since I worked at JoAnn's (which, if you were wondering, was almost 10 years ago) and I finally came up with the exact, perfect thing to do with it. There are straps to drape it from the front headrest, elastic straps to secure it to the front and back seats, Velcro to keep the edges secure to the floorboards, and a few ribbon ties to keep it from billowing in the breeze. It is amazing at keeping the dog hair and paw dirt contained.

Love. It.

Financial Literacy Month

2011-04-06T11:52:00.001-07:00

Here are a few short videos from the Federal Trade Commission for your viewing pleasure during National Financial Literacy Month! (I love that they're spoofing "the other guys" videos!)

And the trailer to a great movie I just saw last weekend, "To Catch a Dollar" about microlending.

More more small box.

2011-04-05T07:32:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this yet? Now THAT is dedication! (Thanks, A!)

Accountability

2011-04-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

A very quick post to thank my friend Robyn for keeping me accountable. I somehow talked her into signing up for the Susan G. Komen 5K, then talked myself out of it! With just a bit of encouragement (and a little dash of guilt) she convinced me to go ahead and run the race anyway. Way back in October I had started what was going to be a 6 month run-training program. I started strong, for about 2 weeks! Then I got all distracted with P90X for about 8 weeks. When the wedding planning kicked off, I totally fell off the workout wagon. Which means that for the last 2 months I haven't done much more than walk Harley! I was a bit concerned that I'd be totally out of shape and disappointed with my race performance. So I Sunday I decided to try one lap around the park to see where I stood (which, conveniently, is one mile). I was able to jog the whole way without stopping and finished in 12:27. Not too shabby! Yesterday after work I gave it another go and finished in 12:29. Granted, it was two seconds slower than Sunday, but it was also a lot warmer and was at the end of the day instead of the beginning, so I was still happy. For the next two weeks I'm going to slowly increase the distance that I'm jogging. Hopefully by April 16 I'll be in a good place for the 5K. And even if I don't finish with a great time, at least I'll have done it!

April Fool, Crafting Fool

2011-04-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

What a wonderfully productive weekend! I finally got some of my crafting projects crossed off the list. Here's a quick summary: Just before the wedding Brian had asked me if I would be able to whip up a shoe bag for his Class A dress shoes. He was looking for something that would not scuff or scratch the shoes, but allow him to easily transport them. Flannel seemed like the natural choice. So I opened up my sketch book, took some measurements, and in just about an hour I created this fun bag! It is fully lined with a divider to keep the shoes from rubbing against each other. The drawstring makes for quick and easy opening and closing, and I even made a little buffing mitt to match. And something that has been on my list since, oh, about October... Brian had a few patches that needed to be added to his motorcycle club vest. I wasn't sure my little Brother sewing machine could handle both the leather and the thick patches. But once I switched to a denim needle it worked like a champ! There was only one patch that I wasn't able to sew on the front pocket (but it wasn't for lack of trying! My sewing machine arm just didn't fit inside the pocket). Now don't go thinking that just because I'm an old, married lady now that I only do crafting things for my husband. This weekend I also made three beautiful felted scarves! They are warm and thick and oh so pretty! Though I'm not so sure I'll be needing these in El Paso...

Oh, the cuteness!

2011-03-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

Please extend a warm welcome to the newest member of our pack: Mo!

She is a super-sweet farm mutt that we brought home from the Dover farm this weekend. She hasn't had the pleasure of meeting Harley yet, but will very soon. Mo has her first vet appointment this afternoon, so hopefully she'll get a clean bill of health!

If that wasn't enough cuteness, wander on over to the Purl Bee for an adorable knitted Easter Egg pattern!

Momma's got a brand new bag!

2011-03-14T11:28:00.000-07:00

Knowing full well that I have more craft books then I will ever actually use, I was nevertheless browsing through some at the craft store recently. When I stumbled upon this seemingly simple pattern for a purse with hoop handles I thought to myself "Hmmm, I have some hoop handles in a drawer somewhere... This looks pretty easy, but I certainly don't need another book. Maybe I can just snap a picture with my phone and figure it out when I get home." So I did snap a picture, though it was many weeks later before I actually tried out the pattern.

Ends up that it was even easier to make than I had guessed.
From ironing the fabric to tying off loose ends and signing the tag, this adorable purse only took about an hour!
But the coolest part is how it opens! I was afraid that the handles would only offer a small slit to reach through and dig for lost items. Imagine my surprise when I wiggled it a little and the whole top just opened right up! I added an interior pocket that was not in the pattern, because I hate losing little items like hair clips and eye drops in the bottom of a purse. And the wide opening makes it easy to see almost everything at a glance.
I have two more hoop handles, so keep an eye out for two more purses coming soon. I'd love to find a HUGE pair of hoops to make a bag that can be carried over the shoulder...

Addition to the "F" word post

2011-03-09T12:01:00.000-08:00

Unbeknownst to me, yesterday was the 100th International Women's Day. Thanks to this post for enlightening me, and neatly summarizing a lot of good points about Feminism.

Leave it to a knitter to neatly tie up the loose ends! (pun fully intented)

WEDDING PHOTOS!!

2011-03-09T06:38:00.001-08:00

My wonderfully amazing friends David and Amanda took these beautiful photos from our wedding! Here are the highlights for your viewing pleasure.

Marriage and the "F" word

2011-03-01T12:28:00.000-08:00

So, I did something this past weekend that many people (myself included) thought I may never do. I got married.

Now, you may be thinking, “But Skye, you are such a wonderful and amazing woman! You are smart and talented and thoughtful and kind and you cook and bake no nobody’s business! Why would you be afraid that you would never get married?”

Here’s the thing: I wasn’t afraid that I would never get married. I never thought “I won’t feel happy/satisfied/complete until I am legally joined to someone else through the bonds of matrimony” (besides, when you say it like that, does it really sound all that great?). It’s more that I just never really planned on it. Just like I never planned on having kids, or living in a certain town/region/country, or having a certain job. I have seen enough other people’s best laid plans get laid to waste by the whims of fate. I’ve seen friends and family members chasing some phantom of happiness and miss all the joy and perfection that exists in the here and now. So I made the choice to spend my time and energy being happy with my life and self as I am instead of banking all my potential future happiness on something that may never actually happen.

And now enters the “F” word: Feminist. I’m not going to go into a huge monologue about the history of the feminist movement. I consider myself a feminist in the same way I consider myself a vegetarian. They are both ideologies that help me make choices and live my live in a way that I believe brings me closer to my true self while at the same time making the world maybe just a little bit better. My lack of desire for wedding bells really hasdvery little to do with my feminist beliefs. I appreciate the fact that, as a woman today, I have a wide range of choices about how I live my life. I also appreciate that more and more of those choices are becoming widely accepted as “normal.” When woman were fighting to gain ground in the working world, a woman who wanted to stay home and raise a family was looked down upon by those pounding on the glass ceiling. Not so much now.

When Brian and I first started dating, I knew that he was a guy I could spend a good chunk of my life with. I know the facts and statistics. I know that having a piece of legal paper doesn’t guarantee happily ever after any more than not having that paper means you won’t make it last. There was a little inkling in the back of my mind that we might some day make it legal (mostly brought on by a whole slew of people asking if we would and the fact that the Army wouldn’t recognize me otherwise), but it wasn’t an urgent thing for me.

So, much to the dismay of my more romantically inclined friends and family, our decision to get legally wed really boiled down to logistics. I want to be with him. He wants to be with me. In order for that to happen in the Army world, we needed that little piece of legal paper. As I stood up in front of friends and family and recited our vows, I didn’t feel any monumental shift in my feelings toward Brian because I had decided months ago that he would be my partner. Now it’s legal.

You may wonder then, what prompted this little diatribe. Well, I had a friend ask me if I was going to change my name. When I replied that, yes, I would take Brian’s last name, she responded with dismay. She said that she saw me as a feminist name-keeper type and expressed that she wasn’t able to let go of her identity by changing her name when she got married. This comment did not sit well with me on several levels (1. I didn’t ask for her opinion. 2. She didn’t ask for my reasoning before devaluing my decision. 3. My name is only tangentially connected to my identity and therefore her choice-struggle is irrelevant to me. 4. Really, I need a fourth reason? I just used “tangentially” in a sentence, doesn’t that should count as a fourth reason by itself?), but did serve to get me thinking about what kind of feminist I really am. Is the feminist party going to revoke my girl card because I took my husband’s name? Can I no longer use gender issues as a basis for deciding which candidate to vote for? Do I have to start dyeing my hair and wearing make-up now that I have joined the legions of deferential damsels anxiously awaiting their husband’s commands?

What it comes down to for me is that I like the feeling of belonging to each other. I like the fact that when we are introduced, there will be questioning that we are together. I grew up in a divided family, with step-parents and step-siblings and all kinds of name relation confusion. Even though I didn’t give birth to his children, we will still be building our own version of a family together. And one of the many things that we will share will be the name “Evans.” It’s like a badge that I can wear and say “These are my people.” I think the most powerful thing that any feminist can do is to throw away the preconceived notions of what a woman should or should not do, and decide for herself what is the right course of action.

“Do not send me away or urge me to turn back from you. Where you go, I will go. Where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people.” Ruth 1:16

Three Days and Counting...

2011-02-23T07:39:00.000-08:00

Well, I have to say I'm rather proud of myself. In the last two and a half weeks I managed to pull together what seems to be a reasonably simple version of a wedding without freaking out! I'm not one for the big hoopla, so simple and easy is definitely the order for the day.

In case you were wondering, here are a few of the basic details:

We're getting married at a neat little Savannah restaurant downtown, called Skyler's.
My friend Tom, who happens to be a judge, will be performing the world's shortest ceremony (ok, maybe not the shortest ceremony in the world, but it will be a quick one).
I did end up making my dress, but kept it fairly simple (do you see a theme developing here?). As a matter of fact, it is so charmingly simple that I will be wearing flip-flops with it! It only took about 4 hours to make and almost took longer to pick out the fabric than to actually sew it.
Brian found some beautiful wooden wedding rings online, that totally fit my hippy lifestyle. However, I would have had to take it off every time I showered, did dishes, went swimming, etc. So instead we found some awesome, similar-but-not-quite-matching Tungsten rings online at a great price. Always the super-saver!
I found some yummy wedding favors at the Savannah Bee Company (and I secretly hope that people forget their favors on the table so I can keep them!).
My wonderful friend David will be taking pictures for us, so stay tuned for his photos. Thanks David!

There may be a surprise or two lurking in the background, so be sure to check back next week for the full details! In the meantime, it's business as usual at work until family and friends start to arrive on Friday.

Big plans...

2011-02-11T12:54:00.000-08:00

So, I may be a little busy for a while.

I might find it a bit tough to keep you all updated on a regular basis.

What with planning a wedding (3 weeks from "Let's do it" to "I do"), finding and training a replacement at work and packing up and moving to El Paso, I think I might not have a lot of free time for internet musings.

Oh, and should I mention that I'm still kicking around the idea of buying a house??

What can I say, I'm a glutton for punishment!

It's FREEZE time again!

2011-02-02T06:51:00.000-08:00

Thankfully, this freeze is not referring to temperatures. February marks my first spending freeze of 2011!

For those of you who may not be familiar with this little practice, let me give you some back ground. A long time ago in a life that feels very far away (translation: when I was living in CT and working at Pfizer) a dear friend of mine gave me the book "Women and Money" by Suze Orman. Say what you will about her personality, or her annoying voice, this lady has some great content in her books. I credit reading this book with putting me on track financially and, in an abstract sense, getting me into the work I'm doing today as a financial educator.

One suggestion that came up in the book was to put yourself on a spending freeze, meaning that you don't spend money on anything but the most essential things: bills, food, transportation and the like. I started small, going just one week at a time (some folks may need to start with just one day, depending on their current spending habits). I'm now at the point where I freeze my spending quarterly, for one whole month.

Yes, you read that right. For four months out of the year, I spend money only on household bills (rent, utilities, insurance), groceries (this does NOT include eating out or buying non-food products at the grocery store: it is just basic food supplies), and transportation (in my life, that means gasoline, my car payment, and insurance). Oh, and I still continue to deposit money into my savings accounts as usual, since I'm not really "spending" that. At the end of the month, all the extra money that I would have pissed away on stuff that I really don't need gets rolled over into my savings.

There are several benefits that I've found from this exercise:
1. It is a GREAT way to save a ton of money!
2. It "resets" my spending behavior. For many of us, our knee-jerk solution to many problems is to throw money at it. By taking money out of the picture, I get more creative about ways to solve problems or spend time.
3. It reminds me that I really do have just about everything that I could possibly need, as well as most of the things that I want.
4. If I realize that there is something that I don't have but need/want to acquire before the spending freeze is over, I refer back to #2: get creative. (For example, last year I was longing to have a toaster oven at work because honestly food is so much tastier when it isn't microwaved to death. Instead of buying one, I trolled around on FreeCycle and found one that someone else was giving away!)

I almost feel like I'm cheating, since February is the shortest month of the year. The only exception I may end up making is if Brian and I find the perfect house. But I'll cross that bridge if/when we come to it!

Week 6 of P90X

2011-01-26T10:09:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been working on this P90X thing for 6 weeks now, and I'm proud to say that I've only missed a few workouts. This week I did some MAD push ups, including one-armed and clap! Granted, it's not all that pretty, but I did it. I even used Brian's pull up bar a few weeks ago (with a chair for assistance, but still...). I love the way that the schedule mixes things up so the don't get boring or overwork any one area. I also dusted off the punching bag and used it for the Kenpo workout last Friday. It was AWESOME to beat the heck out of something for 60 minutes!!

While the P90X plan is going well, the plan to run the Susan G. Komen 5K in April is not going nearly so well. With P90X taking up anywhere from an hour to 90 minutes 6 days a week, I haven't made the time to stick to my run training. And when this last cold snap hit, my knee went on strike again. So I'm thinking that I need to re-define my goal. Maybe instead of saying "I will run a whole 5K" I need to focus on some broader goals. Like "I will be active every day" or "I will continually challenge myself physically." I know that in order for a goal to be realistic I have to actually believe that I can achieve it. And honestly, at the moment, I don't really believe that I can be a Runner. I can walk for hours like nobody's business, and kickbox like a madwoman. But running... not so much.

Welcome to 2011!

2011-01-20T07:52:00.000-08:00

Another new year, and already I'm way behind on my blogging! It is a bit harder to write updates when I no longer have internet at home. The girls upstairs moved out and took their wireless with them! But here is a glimpse of what I've been up to for the last month!

For Christmas I went home to Dad's and offered to re-do the guest bath. Back in 1996-ish, our dog Dakota dug a hole in the flooring (which you can see below) and it was never fixed. For years a slippery throw mat covered over the mess. And at some point after I moved out, Mom got very creative with painting the walls. I've warmed up to pink over the years, but not to the point where these walls would ever be soothing! So our deal was that I would replace the flooring if he let me paint the walls, too.

I guess I didn't really know what I was in for with removing the old floor. It took about 3 hours of non-stop pulling, ripping, scraping, and picking to get all of it up.

Not including time waiting for primer and paint to dry, the whole project only took about 12 hours and cost just under $200! Once I figured out what I was doing, it was actually kinda fun and sorta made me wish I had my own place where I could do these kinds of projects. And I am so very happy with the new finished product.

I can't remember exactly when I took this picture, but I found it on my camera and figured I'd throw it in for good measure. I think it may have been the Harvest Moon, with either Jupiter or Venus glowing brightly below it.

I was super lucky for New Year's Eve and Day, as I had both Brian and Dad with me! They even joined me for my annual "start the year by walking on the beach" adventure. This year was very foggy, but much warmer than last year.

Unfortunately, coming back from Dad's brought me home to an apartment with several stinky issues. First, cats had gotten into the air ducts and used them as a bathroom. I had to get a vent cleaning company to come and vacuum and sanitize them so my house would stop smelling like a litter box.

However, once the litter box smell was cleaned up, another odor took over. At first it seemed like maybe the cats were still going to the bathroom under the house, but the smell quickly turned to that of something dead. Lovely. I took pictures under the house, trying to find the offending source, but to no end.

After much back and forth, the dead rat was found and removed from the upstairs porch siding. That was the good news. The bad news was that all the goo from inside the dead rat had leaked into the wall of my bedroom. Thus I have been sleeping on the futon in the living room for two weeks. The odor is just now getting to the point where I can walk into the bedroom and not gag, but the room is still basically unusable. Good thing I have such a big apartment!

On a separate, but somewhat related note, my musings of having a house to be able to do projects is coming to fruition: Brian and I have started looking at houses! I'll admit, the gypsy in me is still a little wary of the idea of "home ownership." But having run the numbers and realized that we could afford a pretty nice sized place in a good area, I've really warmed up to the idea. We spent one weekend just driving around looking at neighborhoods and types of homes, and last weekend we actually walked through the first house (it was a good bargain, but not exactly what we were hoping for).

I'm a wee bit nervous about making such a big decision, but also really REALLY excited about the thought of having a home. Not just a place to keep my stuff, or a place to have people over. But a real home.

We celebrated the start of the process with some delicious fro-yo from Lovin' Spoons.

That's the way the cookie crumbles

2010-12-23T10:53:00.000-08:00

Apologies for not updating you sooner, but my neighbors moved out and took their internet access with them!

I had so much fun baking for Brian's care package last Christmas, playing with new recipes and sharing the yummy goodness. This year, I decided to tweak plans a bit by hosting a cookie swap party. Of course, if you're going to have any kind of holiday gathering, you have to decorate for it. Since I knew I'd be at Dad's the week between Christmas and New Year's, it just didn't make sense to buy a tree this year. Instead I whipped up this faux tree (materials: 8 yards of quilting fabric, lots of safety pins, a few ornaments, my punching bag and an upside down tomato cage!). Simple, crafty and, best of all, free!!

My friends all brought delicious cookies to sample and share. There was a lot of milling about, chatting, sharing funny stories and just hanging out. My kind of laid back, relaxed gathering.

Knowing that a few friends have gluten issues, I made these red velvet cookies using a gluten-free, vegan friendly recipe. They were so good you'd never notice that they were vegan!

Much like my scavenger hunt this summer, the best part of the cookie swap party was that I put my friends to work for me! The leftovers from the swap were promptly packaged up and sent out as gifts to several lucky friends.

Two Years

2010-12-03T13:41:00.001-08:00

Last night I was sitting in my living room watching an old movie and knitting. I looked down at the project in my lap and suddenly realized: I have my Mom's hands.

I can't tell you how many times I studied Mom's hands when I was a child. I used to watch her create amazing things with her hands. Delicious meals, beautiful clothes and toys, thriving gardens all came from the work of her hands. In church I would play with the rings on her fingers, twirling them around and around. I would trace the lines on her palms and the ridges on her nails. I could tell when she had been working on hand quilting a project because her finger nails would be bent bend from pressing into the thimble.

As I looked at my hands last night, I saw those same ridges on my finger nails and the creativity flowing from my finger tips. Of all the gifts Mom gave me, the desire and skill to create is my most treasured.

It's been two years today since she left us, but I'm still occasionally caught off guard by her absence. There are times when I think "Oh, I have to call Mom and tell her..." before I realize that I can only talk to her in my heart now. I wish that I had saved an old voicemail message, just so I could hear her voice one more time.

So much to be thankful for...

2010-11-29T12:35:00.000-08:00

This has been a pretty full year for me, and there are so many things for which I give thanks regularly. I'm thankful for a job that I love, friends and family who are loving and supportive, a great town to live in, a creative streak a mile wide and so much more.

But this Thanksgiving I has something extra special to be thankful for: going on an amazing Caribbean cruise with Brian!

We sailed out of Ft. Lauderdale on Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam to rather rough seas and high winds. But that didn't keep us from exploring the ship and enjoying the fresh sea air.

Our stateroom was very nice and the stewards kept it immaculate and decorated!

I almost felt like I was at summer camp as there were so many things available to do each day. There were pool games and musical shows, educational seminars and a movie theater, a fitness center and bingo. The hardest part was deciding what to do!

The chefs were amazing, not only at creating wonderful meals but also beautiful desserts and decorations!

Day or night, the ship was lovely. As big as it was, I was amazed that we were able to get right up into port for the day trips.
The nature lover in me enjoyed finding the wildlife on each island. This little crab was lightening fast at skimming across the beach and burying in the soft sand.

I have no idea what kind of lizard this is, but I thought the curl of the tail to be a nice touch.

Never again will I scoff at photos of the clear blue Caribbean waters. Words just can't describe how beautiful it is here.

In Grand Turk we had an awesome time Snuba diving (it's kinda like Scuba, except the tank is floating above you an a raft and you have about 20ft of tube to swim around). I'm still getting the film from the underwater camera developed, so stay tuned for those photos!

On San Juan we signed up for the ATV ride through the rain forest. Brian drove most of the way, but I still got a little time in the driver's seat. The scenery was beautiful and the ride was fun. ATV is not something I would have opted for if I was traveling by myself (hiking is more my style) but I enjoyed it more than I expected!

We made time for a little sight seeing and some shopping (I had no idea that jewelry was such a bargain here!) and even got in a little bit of relaxation.

It was interesting to see several of the other cruise lines compared to ours (on the right). Many of the people we met on board said that Holland America is one of the best out there. Not having anything to compare it to, I'd have to say that it was pretty fantastic! We're already thinking about our next adventure...maybe Alaska??

Fun things I've done

2010-11-14T06:40:00.001-08:00

Life have been pretty busy lately, but that's nothing new. Work has kept me running around, and I've done some really fun Holiday Planning workshops. I love that my job is all about getting people to think critically about how they deal with money. Not that I think everyone walks out of a class and completely changes a lifetime of financial habits overnight. But you have to start somewhere, right?

I'm coming up on my third week of training to run a 5K. As expected, my biggest challenge is not to push myself too hard, too soon. I have a detailed, gradual plan (check out Active Trainer if you're interested in buying a ready made plan or creating your own) to work up to running for 4 miles without stopping to walk. But the over-achiever in me wants to just jump right in to running non-stop for as far as I can. I know that isn't sustainable, or even healthy, so I'm taking my time and building a solid foundation. I've also started doing an hour of yoga every Sunday morning. It's a peaceful yet energizing way to ease into my week. If you haven't heard about it, the website Yoga Today offers free one-hour classes every week. It's a great way to keep it fresh and challenging. Today I succeeded in doing Crow pose!

When I moved into this apartment, one downside was the very small closets. I compensated by hanging two tension rods in my bedroom closet: a lower one for pants and a higher one for shirts. The shirt rod is support by some old shelving hardware left from the last tenant. But the pants rod kept slipping under the weight of my pants. Since the inside of the closet is drywall, I couldn't increase the tension on the rod without damaging the plaster. So I did what any DIY crafter would do: I improvised!

With just a few simple supplies (screws, screwdriver, and non-skid caster cups) I was able to fix my problem.

I screwed the casters into the wall and the ends of the shower curtain rods fit perfectly into the cups!

When Brian first told me that he was getting a Ford Mustang, I had this idea to make a mixed CD of songs about Mustangs. That was several months ago... But I finally got around to downloading iTunes and doing it last week.

I found an image that almost matches his car for the cover work...

Then spent a few hours searching for various songs. The "Crank it up!" track is actually the sound of a Mustang starting up and pulling away, which I thought was a fun way to start the list. The other songs range from 60's surf bands to country to White Zombie. The only thing I couldn't bring myself to include was Vanilla Ice's "Rolling in my 5.0." And, of course, no Mustang album would be complete without the Wilson Pickett classic "Mustang Sally" to wrap it all up.

A New Goal

2010-10-29T08:59:00.001-07:00

If you didn't already know, Brian is home from Iraq!! It is very comforting to know that he is not only in the same time zone but just a mere 40 minutes away. The past 13 months went by faster than I could have imagined... most of the time. Of course there were moments when it felt like he'd been gone forever, or that there was still an eternity left to the deployment. But that's all behind us now and, if I do say so myself, I think I held up outstandingly well. He's doing great and is happy to be back and driving his new 2011 Mustang convertible.

As Brian was approaching his departure date, and I could no longer send packages because they'd arrive after he left, I began to wonder: what am I going to do with all this time that I used to spend baking and writing to Brian? Well, of course the simple answer now is to actually spend that time with Brian. And believe me, we will be spending a good deal of time together! But you know me, I'm a goal oriented person. And having just accomplished a fairly impressive goal (namely, sending 43 care packaged over the course of a year) I was feeling the need to set my sights on something new.

Just as I was pondering what I should strive for next, an email popped up in my inbox announcing that registration for the 2011 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure has started. Now, I've participated in several 5K races before, but I've always done a mix of walking and jogging. An interesting idea occurred to me: If I started now, I would have five and a half months to train. And if I were really dedicated, motivated and focused, then I could set my goal to run the whole 5K.

So that's what I'm going to do! Starting on Monday, November 1, I will begin a training plan that will end with me running for a full 3.1 miles. I am really excited about this, and will be logging lots of miles on my treadmill over the winter. Dad even said that he'd participate in the race with me, so we'll be training buddies. And I'm telling YOU this so that you can help me stay focused and on track. I am not a great runner, so I'm sure there will be times that I could use a pep-talk, or just some loving folks to help me be accountable to myself. Thanks in advance!

PYIW!

2010-10-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week at work, preparing and supporting our Protect Your Identity Week events. My new friend Fran did an awesome job helping to plan the shred events and coordinate the locations and providers. This year we had over 200 people drop off personal documents to be shredded, as well as old computers and cell phones for recycling!

Care Package #43: The Last Box

2010-10-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

Brian had suggested that I stop sending boxes the first week of October, since he would be away from his base for a good part of the month and then heading home. But we all know that I don't listen so well sometimes! I figured that even if this last box took 10 to 12 days to arrive, it should still be there a few days before he had to leave. And the 42nd care package, though it did have some yummy graham crackers, did not seem to have the sense of finality that I really needed. It felt as incomplete as ending a sentence with a preposition (you English majors out there can relate, right?).

I've thoroughly enjoyed baking and sending these boxes, and I wanted the last box to really feel like it was an end to this process. But there were a few logistics to consider. First, the box may be sitting around base for a few days before Brian received it, so I didn't think that a home baked treat would fare well. Also, if it arrived very close to his departure, I didn't want it to be go to waste if he couldn't pack it up and bring it with him.

As I was pondering all this, I remembered that there was a distinct possibility for delays during the flight. Being a traveler myself, I have an idea of how tedious this can be (though, in all fairness, I have never been stuck in a foreign airport for 7 days straight). So I decided to put together a little travel pack of snacks and candies that he (hopefully) could fit in his bags and nibble on during the trip home.

Of course, being the kind of person who tends to go overboard, I didn't just make one travel bag. Nope, I made six. I figured that he'll be traveling with a bunch of other soldiers and someone (or five someones to be exact) would probably enjoy the goodies as well.

It's so exciting to think that in just about a week Brian will really be back in Georgia! After nearly 13 months of care packages, letters, emails and chats, it will be so wonderful to spoil him in person.

A Very Crafty Weekend

2010-10-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you have four whole days off from work, a huge stash of fabric, and a somewhat silly need for some fun new clothes? Well, if you're me, you bust out the pattern box, heat up the iron, thread up the sewing machine, and get to it!

A few weeks ago I picked up some leggings at Target for a steal. I don't think I've worn leggings since I was about 8 years old. But I like the look of leggings with a long shirt/short dress, so I bought them. Problem is, I only had one long shirt/short dress! So when I got hit with the sewing bug this weekend, and actually had the time to focus, I decided I wanted to make a few jumpers for the cooler months.

I had some denim that I bought forever ago, but also picked up some corduroy on sale. The denim pattern was a newer purchase and I'm not 100% satisfied. I will have to make some adjustments the next time I use it, but I won't bore you with all those little details.
As I was skimming through my patterns I found this one that I had kept of Mom's. The pattern was printed in 1974! It is amazing to me how some styles really can withstand the test of time (not so much for the fabric choices, though).
I had to make some adjustments to the actual pattern, but I'm really happy with the finished product. Instead of lining the arms and neck holes, I just used double fold bias tape, which was much faster and easier and made the jumper less bulky.

I've been told that red is a good color for me, so I picked up this rich red corduroy. I liked the jumper so much that I decided to use the same fabric to make a cute little matching newsboy-style hat!

Sorry for the quality on this photo, but I took it with my phone. I feel the hat looks cute either with my hair down or up, which makes me think I might actually wear this hat a lot! As cute as it looks on me, my favorite part of the whole hat can only be seen when I take it off: the adorable lining fabric! I think I may have finally found a use for some of Mom's calico stash!!

A Taste of Charleston, SC!

2010-10-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

The chilly weather of a few weeks ago (48 degrees when I walked Harley one morning!) has given way to a bit of Indian Summer. It's only getting into the 60s at night and still reaching the mid-80s during the day. But the humidity has broken and there is no mistaking the Autumn is in season. If I were in Connecticut, I would be out picking apples, hiking on Cliff Walk with Julie, visiting Salem with the Girls, and strolling around Bluff Point watching the leaves change.

But, I'm not in Connecticut. I'm in Savannah, and I am having to find new Autumn activities. I stumbled on one just the other morning when I won 4 tickets to go to the Taste of Charleston! Several of my new friends have said how awesome Charleston is, but I hadn't made it up for a visit yet. The 2 hour drive isn't so bad, but I never had a good enough reason to stop sewing/knitting/baking long enough to make the drive. Now I had a good reason! And what Autumn road trip would be complete without a few of my girls to stir up some trouble?

I recruited Amanda and Robyn and we rolled out of town Sunday morning.

I didn't really know what exactly to expect, having never been to a "Taste of..." event before. There were about 40 different vendors offering a wide variety of foods to sample. Of course, the bulk of the dishes were meat or seafood, but I did manage to find a booming Butternut Squash ravioli, some poppy seed coleslaw, two yummy brownies and a strawberry shortcake.

There was a live band playing some decent covers, and also a Waiter's Wine Race through an obstacle course. The weather was beautiful, the company fun, the food tasty.

After the Taste of Charleston, we decided to head downtown and check the city out a bit. Amanda was the only one of us to have been here before, so she served as tour guide.

We visited the large outdoor market, with an interesting variety of goods (jewelry, trading cards, baked goods, and clothes).

We strolled along the battery walk and enjoyed the refreshing breeze coming off the water.

In the battery park was this very odd tree. It appeared to have been filled in partially with concrete... Perhaps to stabilize it? Hmmm...

I had exactly the kind of fun, relaxing and exciting day that I was longing for. I forget sometimes (though never for long) just how important it is to have good, quality time with amazing women. It's very refreshing. And now I know that Charleston really is as neat and pretty as everyone has been telling me! And, given the right weather and company, it would be a great day trip on a motorcycle (wink wink).

Care Package #42: Graham Crackers and a few randoms

2010-10-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

Several months ago the Savannah Morning News had some neat looking recipes for Road Trip snacks, such as the Cowgirl Bars. One recipe was for homemade graham crackers. It looked a bit time intensive for such a simple snack, so I was subconsciously avoiding trying it out. But I finally decided to give it a whirl and see if it would be worth the trouble. The finished cracker is okay, but I'm afraid I was right: it's not worth all the work! Also, I froze it a wee bit too long and wasn't able to roll it out as thin as it should be, so the crackers were a bit thicker than I would have liked. However, I think this would be a great recipe for making homemade ice cream sandwiches!

Cinnamon Sugar Graham Crackers

1 C wheat flour

1.5 C plus 2 TBS flour

1C brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

.75 tsp sea salt

7 TBS butter (cut into .5inch cubes and frozen)

.3 C honey

5 TBS milk

2 TBS vanilla

3 TBS sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

In a food processor, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles course meal. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk and vanilla. Add this to the flour mixture until the dough comes together. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and put the dough on top, shaping it into a large rectangle about 1 inch thick. Put in the fridge for 2 hours or the freezer for an hour (really, just an hour!).

Divide the dough in half and keep one half in the fridge to stay cold while you roll out the other. Roll the dough out into a large, thin rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick, and use a knife to cut into 4 inch squares. Place the crackers on a parchment lined cookie sheet and put back in the fridge for half an hour, or the freezer for 15 minutes.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Preheat oven to 350. Using a fork, make dotted lines, being careful not to poke all the way through the dough. Dust with the cinnamon-sugar mixture and bake for 30 - 40 minutes, rotating halfway through so they bake evenly. Let cool and store in an airtight container.

I participated in the Combined Federal Campaign's annual event for work and got to meet Mrs. Adams, an amazing volunteer for the USO. She's been working with the USO since the 1950's and it was a pleasure to talk with her. She kindly gave me a bunch of things to send over to Brian, the most useful of which was travel TP! I included these donations in the box with the graham crackers. Even if Brian can't use them before he comes home, I'm sure someone there will be happy for them.

While the Fabers were visiting, we were all lamenting one of the major downsides to living in Georgia, namely the ROUS (Roaches of Unusual Size). As we were complaining about the unwelcome critters, I had an amazing idea! I recently purchased some screen material to cover my bedroom windows and had a bunch left over. I grabbed the duct tape and screens and proceeded to cover over the bottom of all my air conditioner vents. The screens will still allow ample air flow, but hopefully thwart a good number of roaches from entering through that portal. We'll see...

We've had some pretty heavy rains over the past week, and this lovely lady decided to come in out of the storm. I've seen dozens of widows, both black and brown, outside. But this is only the second one I've actually found inside the house. The timing seemed a little ironic, as I had just told Xander about 3 days earlier that I haven't had a Black Widow in the house in almost a year. I captured her and relocated her to the far side of the back fence.

The Fabertids Come To Town!

2010-09-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

A pictorial summary of a wonderful visit from the Fabertids (and the Faber-adults, too)!

Care Package #41: M&M Cookies

2010-09-27T17:37:00.000-07:00

Knowing that the care packaging is winding down, I decided to make something super yummy and only passingly healthy. I used my trusty Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, but substituted M&Ms for chocolate chips (mainly because they would survive the heat better and because I didn't have any chocolate chips in the house).

Basic Cookie Recipe
1.3 C butter, softened
.75 C white sugar
.75 C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 C wheat flour
2 - 2.5 C white flour
2 C M&Ms

In a large bowl, blend together the butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla and baking soda. Slowly stir in the flours until well blended. Add M&Ms and, if you have the time, refrigerate for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 and drop teaspoon size balls of dough onto a low-rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes and allow to cool before storing in an air tight container.

Ok, fine, it wasn't really healthy at all. But I did cut back on the amount of sugar, cut out the margarine completely and add whole wheat flour, so there were some minor improvements. I had intended to take a picture of the leftovers that I brought to work. However, they were eaten too quickly!

The Autumnal Equinox (belated)

2010-09-27T17:20:00.001-07:00

Last week was the Autumnal Equinox, the point where the number of daylight and nighttime hours are exactly equal. It just so happened that the Harvest Moon also occurred on the same day (a fairly rare thing). If I were still living in Connecticut I would have gone for a walk out at Bluff Point or Barn Island. But since I live in Savannah, I decided to take a leisurely stroll around Forsyth Park and see what autumn looked like. As I walked, this little haiku bounced around in my head:

Today the daylight

is just as long as the dark

A change of season

I loved the soft, feathery look of this dune grass bloom against the linear blades.

Prep work was in progress for the weekend's 29th Annual Savannah Jazz Festival.

I have no idea what kind of tree this is, but the lantern-like seed pods were so pretty.

The setting sun cast this lovely pink glow in the Spanish Moss.

And, of course, there was the moon. The full, swollen, glorious, bright and full moon. I know the photo doesn't show the same clarity I had when I was viewing it, but you still get the idea. The smaller, bright dot just below the moon was Jupiter, the second brightest heavenly body that night.

Care Package #40: More Oasis Bars!

2010-09-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

I really just can't get enough of these Oasis fruit bars! The nuts provide a good crunch, the batter is simple and yummy, and the fruit makes it sweet without being sugary. And I've yet to find a bad combination of fruits and nuts. You just can't go wrong with these!

*photo enlarged to show yummy.

This time I used slivered almonds and crushed walnuts with just cranberries and chopped dried apricots. So. Good.

I only have 3, maybe 4, more care packages to send. I'd like to say that they will be spectacularly outstandingly creative. But the next month is fairly hectic, so I doubt that will be the case. But don't count me out yet, I just may surprise myself!

A little mental candy for a Monday morning...

2010-09-13T06:25:00.000-07:00

If you're having a tough time this morning, take a moment to flash back to the good ole Pac-Man days!

Students create amazing 'Pac-Man' stop motion video

Care Packages #38 & 39: The best laid plans...

2010-09-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

Apologies for falling a bit behind on posting about the care packages, but the past two haven't really been much to write home about.

For care package #38, I was visiting Dad to clean out his garage. I knew that whatever goody I baked at his house he would end up nibbling on, so it had to be low or no-sugar. In the interest of protecting Dad's sugar count and not making something with lots of sugar substitute for Brian, I whipped up a batch of my go-to granola! See, nothing too exciting there.

Last week I was feeling rather adventurous after all my house guests headed home. I decided to try to create a brand new granola bar recipe. It smelled good as I was mixing it up, and even better as I was baking it. Unfortunately, I must have left out some key type of bonding ingredient because it tasted delicious but was mushy and totally unable to hold itself together. So Brian got a box of Nature Valley granola bars and I'll stick to a real tried-and-true recipe for this week.

Enough about disappointing boxes. The real highlight of the past week came in the form of an estimated departure date for Brian! Ever since he told me that his unit was getting extended, I was bracing to expect him home in early to mid November. But this week I found out that he should be back sometime in mid to late October! Sure, it's only a few weeks difference... But still, it's a few weeks EARLIER! Which means that in just a little over a month he will be back home. I still break out in a huge, goofy grin every time I think about it. I'm also a bit amazed at how fast this year has gone by. I mean, tomorrow I will be mailing out the 40th care package. That's a lot of baking...

Labor Day: my new favorite holiday

2010-09-06T09:54:00.000-07:00

In the line-up of widely celebrated and much anticipated holidays, Labor Day usually is not at the top of the list. The biggies like Thanksgiving and Christmas and Groundhog Day are really the heavy hitters. Okay, I'm kidding about Groundhog Day, but you get the point.

However, I really have to say that my last two Labor Days have been, well, outstanding! Last year Joy and Dad and I had a great time exploring the area and catching up. I was visited by my dear friend Eric and his beautiful family and, though I wasn't really at the point of writing about it at the time, it was also the first week that Brian and I started dating.

This year, Dad came up for the long weekend again and, as already mentioned, we had fun visiting with the folks at his church, playing on the rail trail and making yummy frozen yogurt treats. We were planning a lazy Sunday evening of watching movies and lounging around when I got a surprise phone call from another very dear friend from my college days.

Fairlight's husband, Jonathon, had ridden his bike from Toccoa to Tybee while Fairlight and the kids followed him down in the car. Their planned accommodations hadn't panned out and they were wondering if I had room for them to spend the night. Anyone who has seen my apartment knows that space is one thing I have plenty of, so I was excited to have them all over!

The kids enjoyed my library, craft supplies and the dogs. The adults enjoyed a chance to chat and catch up. And the dogs enjoyed cleaning the floors after meals. So a great time was had by all!!

Skye and Dad's Weekend of Fun!

2010-09-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful weekend Dad and I have been enjoying! Friday night we went out to dinner with Jessie and had some great Indian food at Pakwan in the Oglethorpe Mall.

Saturday was a very busy day, but in a good way. Last week my dryer decided to break and being an avid do-it-yourself-er I decided to take the dryer apart and fix it. Luckily the Sears parts store was open so I was able to pick up a new belt for $20. Dad helped and we were able to get the dryer up and running in just about an hour.

Several months back Dad and I had some very yummy gelato at Mr. Koolz. He was really excited because they had sugar-free gelato, so he didn't even have to cheat. The vanilla tasted a bit like marshmallow, and that got him craving Rocky Road. So this weekend we picked up some sugar-free chocolate (which, surprisingly, actually does taste like chocolate!), mini-marshmallows and walnuts.

I whipped out the Cuisinart Ice Cream machine and blended up a batch of sugar-free Rocky Road frozen yogurt. It was delicious!

I even used a little of the extra frozen yogurt to blend with some mixed berries for a fruity frozen yogurt treat. What a way to celebrate the end of summer!

This morning the weather was so nice, fairly cool (for Georgia) and lowish humidity (again, for Georgia). So we laced up our walking shoes, slathered on some sunscreen, pulled on our hats and headed out to the McQueen's Island Historic rail trail! It was beautiful! Friends have been telling me about this place since I moved here, but I've never made the time to go until now. Altogether it is six miles from one end to the other. Dad and I parked at the mid-point and walked a mile and a half down the trail.

Along the way we saw a few really neat sights: herons, pelicans, butterflies, dragonflies, marshes and mudflats full of baby crabs. These cheerful morning glory-like flowers were teeming with yellow butterflies having brunch.

All this, and we still have the rest of today and tomorrow morning! Dad's been talking about getting a new car soon, so we may go out for a few test drives after lunch. All in all, it's been a pretty great weekend.

Care Package #37: Cowgirl Bars

2010-09-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

I'm not really sure how these bars got their name. But rest assured, I have not purchased leather boots, a hat that is measured by gallons, or a horse. However, I did make a pretty mean batch of super crunchy snack bars! I found this recipe in the Savannah Morning News under a section about up scaling your road trip fare. Not too shabby, but they could possibly remove fillings if bitten the wrong way... consider yourself warned!

Cowgirl Granola Bars

.3 C sunflower seeds
.3 C flax seeds
2 C old fashioned oats
.5 C chopped figs
4 TBS vegetable oil
.5 C honey
.5 C brown sugar
.5 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
.25 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 and line a 13.5" x 10" baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toast the flax and sunflower seeds, for no more than 10 minutes. In a large bowl mix together the oats, seeds and dried figs.

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk together the vegetable oil, honey, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook this only until the brown sugar melts and the ingredients come together (about 2-3 minutes).

Pour the spice-sugar mix over the oats and stir with a wooden spoon until evenly coated. Press the mix into the cookie sheet using a spatula to apply pressure and get an even thickness. Bake for about 30 minutes or until it begins to brown. Let cool slightly, then cut with a very sharp knife.

Care Package #36: First Date

2010-09-01T05:13:00.000-07:00

On August 29, 2009 I was lucky enough to go on an outstanding first date (with Brian, in case you didn't make the connection). We met for dinner at Carrabas and ended up sitting there talking for over 2 hours. After the waitress cleared the table and wiped it down we got the hint that she was encouraging us to move along. But I didn't want the date to end yet, so I broke one of my cardinal rules of dating: no movies on a first date. If you're trying to get to know someone and see if you click, what good is it to sit in the dark and not talk for 2 hours? Not to mention that you never know what kind of awkward or charged issue could come up in a movie storyline. Still, I wasn't ready to say goodnight just yet, so I suggested catching a movie. We both agreed on "Funny People" and, awkward sexual humor aside, it was pretty funny.

Fast forward one year, and I was racking my brain to come up with a "First Date" themed care package. Since we ate at an Italian restaurant, I decided to bake an Italian snack: chocolate almond biscotti (recipe below). Biscotti is one of my favorite snacks and it took every ounce of will power not to eat the whole batch by myself!

But just sending biscotti was not enough. I decided to recreate as best I could our actual first date. Of course, real Italian food would never survive the trip to Iraq. But Chef Boyardee could! I also picked up a copy of "Funny People" and some movie candy to round out the package. Everything seemed to arrive in good condition, except the Milk Duds melted into one big Dud.

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

1.75 C flour

.3 C unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

.5 tsp salt

6 TBS butter, room temperature

1 C sugar

3 large eggs

1.5 tsp vanilla

1 C chocolate chips

1 C slivered almonds

Line two cookie sheets with heavy duty tin foil.

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

Mix the butter and sugar with a hand mixer. Add eggs one at a time then add vanilla. Add flour mixture just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips and almonds.

Put half the dough on each cookie sheet and, with wet fingertips, shape into logs about 3" by 12". Refrigerate for half hour.

Heat oven to 350. Bake logs for 25 to 35 minutes or until top begins to crack and toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes then cut into 1" thick slices and place flat on cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes, remove from oven and turn slices over. Return to oven and bake for another 8 minutes. Let them cool completely then store in an airtight container.

You know you're a neat freak when...

2010-08-31T10:15:00.000-07:00

...your idea of a fun weekend is helping your Dad clean out the garage.

This past weekend I went down to Dad's and we tackled the garage. He had done a good bit of prep work on it, but I'm not sure he was really ready to take the ultimate cleaning mantra seriously: Less is more.

I've become a real fan of the Zen organizing method of eliminate, simplify, organize. This works well for me in so many areas of my life, but I know it can be kinda harsh for people who aren't as fastidious. We went through boxes, bins and bags, piles and heaps, drawers and shelves. Everything was evaluated, then only what was useful was dusted off and given a new home. I'm pretty sure there were a few times when even my mild-mannered Dad wanted to shout "No, I haven't used it in the past year, I don't know when I'll use it in the future. I want to keep it just because, okay?"

But when all was said and done, he now has a very tidy and spacious garage where he, wonder of wonders, can actually park his car!

The Craigslist Curb Alert heap-o-stuff that lined the driveway was pretty impressive. What was even more impressive was how much of that stuff was picked up by the next day! This picture is actually just the stuff that could be reused. There ended up being a whole other pile of garbage to haul out to the curb Sunday night.

Warning: Politcally Charged Issue Below

2010-08-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I have not closely followed this hub-bub about the "Mosque" at Ground Zero. I've heard snippets about it on the radio and read blurbs in the newspaper. But I just don't see what the big deal is. I can't make the jump from a few extremist using planes as weapons of mass destruction to all Muslims being the monsters under our country's bed. Olbermann put it way better than I could, but even before I saw this clip, I thought to myself "In trying to block this cultural center, aren't we becoming exactly the enemy that we are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan?"

(Oh, and in case Dad is reading this, you know I don't have TV, so I'm not even sure who this Olbermann guy is: Right or Left, Republican or Democrat I have no idea. I don't pick teams, I pick logic, and his argument makes sense to me)

P.S. Thanks to Alana for bringing this clip.

Housekeeping, Hats and Hugs

2010-08-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I decided to revive a habit that I developed when I was living in Pawcatuck: comb through all my belongings and cull out things that I don't want, need or enjoy. I don't shop much, but it seems like Stuff just makes its way into my house. I'm not exactly sure where this attitude came from, but I find that having a lot of Stuff brings me a lot of stress. I see the books sitting unread on the shelf and feel anxious. I see the kitchen supplies that I literally have not touched since I unpacked them and feel anxious. In just a quick sweep of the apartment I found 6 canvas tote bags worth of Stuff to donate! Stuff is denoted with a capital "S" and italics because in my mind it takes on its own personality and becomes almost like a presence in my life... an unwelcome, annoying presence. Like someone microwaving fish in the kitchen at work. As opposed to just regular stuff that sits around and minds its own business.

I toyed with the idea of purging the craft room, but decided that I should wait until after I finished all my holiday crafting. Whatever is left after December is fair game for the chopping block...

A few more hats have found their way off my needles. The red hat came out a bit larger than expected, mainly because I didn't knit a swatch and just guessed about how many stitches to cast on. I'm thinking I may try to felt it a bit, just to resize it.

In an attempt to be spontaneous, I made this striped hat with random bits of pink yarn. The biggest challenge for me was not falling into the habit of changing colors every third row. When it comes to crafting, and various other parts of my life, randomness is a forced behavior for me. I tend to lean towards structure and organization (shocker, I know).

The blue rolled-brim hat was super quick to knit since there was no carrying over of multiple colors. But I didn't read the directions very carefully (I was supposed to use a smaller needle for the rolled part) so the brim is a bit looser than it should be. Still, I think if I iron it a little it should keep its form alright.

On Tuesday my super-hero of a friend, John, stopped by on his way to his new post in Hawaii. He rocked Navy dive school and is now off to work with the Navy Seals. When I first met John, 15 years ago at Camden County High School, he was a scrawny theatre freak with long hair. I never would have pegged him as going into the military, but it seems to suit him well. Harley was excited to have a guy in the house, but showed amazing restraint. I've worked with her to train her to keep her paws on the floor and off of humans, so John had to really coax her into giving him some sugar.

Care Package #35: Crunchy Bars

2010-08-18T06:28:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to find a crunchy granola bar recipe. Something with the texture of a Nature Valley granola bar. This one comes the closest so far, but I think if I make it a wee bit thinner (spread it out in a larger baking sheet) than it might just fit the bill...

Kinda Crunchy Bars

3.5 TBS peanut butter
6 TBS honey
1 TBS vanilla
1 TBS brown sugar
3.5 C old fashioned oats
.3 C dried cranberries
.3 C slivered almonds
cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 and line a 9" x 13" baking pan with parchment paper, leaving two ends long. Warm the peanut butter, honey, vanilla and brown sugar in a pan until the peanut butter has thinned. Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Slowly pour the melted mixture over the dry ingredients, stirring well to make sure everything gets coated. Press the mixture into the pan, using the long ends of the parchment paper. Bake for about 25 minutes, remove from oven and let cool, then cut into bars.

Brian has been super busy with the next round of medical training classes. Hopefully being busy will make the last part of the deployment fly by for him!

Care Package #34: Chocolate Almond Oaty Bars

2010-08-15T10:18:00.001-07:00

I decided to get a little creative this week, and sorta wing it on a new bar recipe. They turned out okay, but a little dense.

Chocolate Almond Oaty Bars

4 C old fashioned oats

1 C wheat germ

1 C wheat flour

1 C white flour

1 C brown sugar

.5 C cocoa

2 eggs

.5 C applesauce

.5 C vegetable oil

4 tsp vanilla

.25 C water

1.5 C slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 and line a 9" x 13" pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients (except almonds). Mix the wet ingredients together in a small bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in wet mixture. Mix well, add almonds and spread into the pan, patting well.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Remove from oven, cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars before they cool completely.

I realized that I have several of the larger APO boxes that I hadn't used yet. So on top of the bars, I also sent along Pop-Tarts, Nature Valley Granola Bars, and Pudding Packs. I mean, who wouldn't want puddin'?

Emotions

2010-08-12T08:07:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while since I've written about anything besides crafting and baking. What can I say, I've been really busy crafting and baking!

I had an awesome visit with sister last weekend. We totally vegged out and watched hours of NCIS. I knit the whole time and managed to finish two hats and start a third (but since this post is not about crafting, you're just going to have to wait for pictures). As all relationships are wont to do over time, Joy and I have had our share of highs and lows. I would like to think that we're starting to recover from the latest rocky patch and are now feeling more like sisters again. This makes me really happy and really really grateful. My sister is my oldest friend: I've known her all my life. When we're on the outs, I feel deep down inside like I'm missing something. Most of my earliest memories are of things that we did together (like sledding, summer vacations, swimming at Hopeville Pond) or to each other (playing Fireworks (seriously, don't ask), giving each other hair cuts, and other more embarrassing things that I'll hold on to until I need some serious blackmail). So the fact that we were able to spend almost two whole days laughing, talking, teasing, joking and, most importantly, not fighting or instigating, is awesome.

So that was last weekend. This weekend, one of my dearest and closest friends is coming to visit before he gets shipped off to his new station in Hawaii. John and I met at Camden County High School in 1995, but didn't really get close until we both went to Piedmont College. College was a great time in general, but specifically because of all the wonderful friendships that I made there. I didn't know it at the time, but these are people who have loved and supported me in so many different ways over the years. John is the kind of guy who will give you the shirt off his back without you even having to ask, or drop everything to be by your side when you lose a loved one. I'm not the least bit surprise that he's succeeding so well in the Navy. He went into the very challenging Dive Program and kept up with guys 10+ years younger than himself. I'm so proud of him and know that he is going to do outstanding in this new career. But I'm also really sad because he's going to be so far away. Luckily, I know that distance alone would never be enough for him to fall out of my life. Plus, now I have a really great excuse to go visit Hawaii!

Last week I auditioned for the Cultural Affairs Department's production of "Steel Magnolias." It has been years since I've done theatre and I thought it would be a fun distraction for the remainder of Brian's deployment. I've been trying really hard not to start counting the days until Brian comes home. Really, it's easy to not count the days, because I still don't have an expected DATE, but I have started estimating the weeks! Sometimes the Universe has a very gentle hand when it reminds us of our limits. I was only slightly surprised to feel relief when I got the email that I was not cast in this show. I mean, really, what was I thinking?! I am already non-stop busy from 6AM to 10PM almost every day of the week! How did I think I'd be able to fit in 12 hours/week of rehearsal on top of everything else without having at least a minor breakdown? Still, it was fun to audition again...

Dad is doing outstanding on his Seminary classes. He just wrapped up another session and will be coming to visit over Labor Day weekend before he jumps back into another series of classes. I am so proud of the work that he's doing to reach his goal! It really goes to show that it's never too late to chase a dream.

On a final note, I've been thinking a lot about the stuff that I have in my apartment. Anyone who has visited knows that I'm far from being a pack rat. But as I was dusting last week I realized that I have several books that I either have not read or have no plans of reading again. That got me to looking around and I saw in various places, things that I just don't use. I did a lot of purging before this move, so I guess I assumed that whatever I brought with me was stuff that I really wanted/needed. I'm starting to realize that may not be true. This weekend I plan on doing my semi-annual Goodwill scavenger hunt: trolling through all the shelves, closets, boxes and bins to pull out things that I don't want to maintain anymore. I think that I may even look at donating some of my craft supplies. But we'll see... baby steps.

The Mad Hatter strikes again!

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

There is something so rewarding about being able to start and finish a knitting project within just a few days. I think that's why I'm hooked on hats at the moment.

I really love this simple, striped pattern. Switching colors every two rows keeps it from getting too boring and shows progress quickly. I'm sure there will be more color combinations coming soon...

This hat was a pattern I found on Ravelry and thought "That's really cute. I could totally make that!" So I did!
I think I'll play around with a few more brimmed hats. They just add a little extra umph to what would be an otherwise rather boring hat. And I just love the way cables look. Not that I think I'm ready to make a cable knit sweater or anything. Like I said, I'll stick with hats for a while!

I have another hat in the works, but I don't want to spoil it by giving you a peek. Trust me, it will be done very soon!

Care Package #33: Berry Tropical Fruity Bars

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

I decided to try another variation on the totally awesome Oasis Fruit Bar recipe. This snack is so good that I have to wrap it up as soon as it cools so that I don't keep nibbling and end up eating the whole thing!

Batter Mixture:
1/2 C brown sugar
3 TBS butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix all ingredients together well with a hand mixer.

In a separate bowl, add a total of 3 C dried fruit and 2.5 C chopped nuts with 1 TBS whole wheat flour (the flour keeps the fruits from sticking together). For this batch, I went with a tropical-berry flavor: mango, pineapple, papaya, cranberry, blueberry and fig. For nuts I used slivered almonds and chopped walnuts.

Mix the batter with the fruits and nuts, press into a 9" x 13" pan lined with parchment paper and bake at 325 for 35 minutes. Allow to cool, cut into bars and wrap for shipping.

Care Package #32: Whole Food Bars

2010-08-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to try this recipe for months, but I kept forgetting to soak the almonds the night before. Well, I finally remembered and I love the way these bars turn out! The other nice thing, especially considering the heat wave we've been having, is that they are made in the food dehydrator instead of the oven.

Whole Food Granola Bars

2 C raw almonds
1 C applesauce
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1.5 C water
1.5 C dried figs
.5 C dried cranberries
.5 C chopped prunes
.5 C raisins
.5 C chopped walnuts
.5 C whole wheat flour
5 C old fashioned oats
honey or molasses for sweetener

Soak almonds in water for at least 6 hours. Remove almonds skins and drain water. In a blender combine almonds, applesauce, cinnamon and water. Thoroughly process the mixture then pour into a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix. Plop 1/4C of dough onto parchment-lined dehydrator trays. Flatten to about 1/2inch thick and shape into bars. Dry until bars are hard, allow to cool, then package.

You can use any combination of dried fruits or nuts that you'd prefer. I'm going to try this one again, but replace the applesauce with mashed bananas (and maybe even another batch with peanut butter!). Enjoy!

Knitting, knitting, knitting

2010-07-25T09:26:00.000-07:00

After making the cute Cable Cap, I decided to try a few of the other patterns in my "Hats Gloves Scarves" book.

I was a little wary of this ribbed hat. Would I like making a whole hat in ribbing? Would I be able to focus on the rib pattern and not get frustrated? Would I even like the end product? Ends up the answer to all those questions is "Yes!"

The next hat I tried was a simple cap with small stripes. I love this pattern because it's letting me use up some of my stash of yarn scraps and it has such a nice, rich tone to it.

In fact, I like the striped pattern so much that I just started another one in greens!

For something a little different, check out my recent backyard visitor! It reminded me of the worm at the beginning of Labyrinth, without the charming accent.

Care Package #31: Birthday!

2010-07-25T09:15:00.000-07:00

Today is Brian's birthday! I sent his birthday package early just to make sure it got to him on time (not being a better fan of the "better late than never" mentality). Since I knew Brian would be getting this package after his PT test, I decided that a not-so-healthy goody was in order. So, as requested, I sent a batch of brownies that had Brian's name all over it (the M&M's were easier to read before the batter was baked, but it still has his name on it).

Months ago, back before Brian ever left for Iraq, we were talking about things we liked as kids. He mentioned enjoying the old Popeye cartoons and the Popeye movie starring Robin Williams. I didn't even know there was a Popeye movie, but I started looking for it last year. My hope was to find a used copy on eBay or Amazon or something, so you could imagine my surprise when I found it for $5 at Target! I also found a great set of really old cartoons on DVD for a $1 at Michael's craft store. I wanted to add something else fun to tie in with the Popeye theme, but thought it would just be mean to send a can of spinach. So I bought two cans of fruit cocktail with pop-top lids and made my own Popeye-themed spinach labels for them.

So proud!

2010-07-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

That's my boy!

So much for relaxing summers...

2010-07-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

You may be thinking to yourself "Hmmm, Skye has been quite the slacker at blogging lately. She must be just lazing around on the beach enjoying that sweet Savannah summer."

Oh, how wrong you would be! Here is a quick summary of the last few weeks (not necessarily in chronological order).

Last weekend was the annual Thrivent St. Mary's to Fernandina cruise.

Joy and I rode along on Kevin's motorboat since the sailboat was out of commission this year.

We got to see the ponies on Cumberland Island and Fort Clinch, both from a distance. Lunch was fun, but being in the direct sun for 2 hours was a bit much for me and I rode home with Dad in the car.

When I got to Dad's that Friday after work, I had just enough time to get in a quick workout on his treadmill. I forgot how much I enjoy jogging when it's not on hard pavement or 98degrees outside. When I came home I decided that I would start trolling CraigsList and FreeCycle to see if I could eventually get lucky. And lucky I was! I managed to score this sweet tready for a bargain.

I had to make an exception to my July spending-freeze (once a quarter I implement a spending -freeze and don't buy anything except gas and groceries), but I didn't know when another deal like this would come along and it seemed like adding cardio was the next rational step in my exercise program.

On the crafting front, I have continued experimenting with the little zippered pouches. I think I might be on to something with the striped pouch below...

In addition to the zipper and exterior pocket like the others, I have added a flap that has a few card slots. It still needs some fine-tuning, but I really like it!

Jessie has a great book of cute, quick patchwork projects, where I found the pattern for this adorable little bird ornament. It looks very different in the book, where they used floral and patterned fabric. But with the solid colors, it just feels like it's lacking something. Eyes? Wings? I'm not sure yet...

In the knitting world, I FINALLY finished the lacework shrug that I started last May! Because I improvised the pattern, it ended up not being exactly the right size to make the type of shrug I intended. But in true crafter form, I winged it again and am really happy with how it came out. Of course, it's a bit too warm to wear anything wool right now, but come Fall this will be perfect.

To celebrate the completion of a ridiculously long knitting project, I decided to whip up a really quick one! This charming little cabled cap came out much smaller than I expected, but looks to be just the right size for some folks!

Yesterday was my 8-hour home buyer class, which really means a 10+ hour work day on a Saturday. Blah. If you think that means that I took today off completely, you would be wrong again! This was my to-do list for today:

I also made my lunches for the week and finally updated my blog (as you have just witnessed). The yogurt will go in the oven tonight and since I'll be taking a comp day tomorrow, hopefully I will get to those last three items!

Care Package #30: Red, White and Blueberry Bars

2010-07-18T15:55:00.001-07:00

Even though I have a handy little spreadsheet to help me plan out the care packages to coordinate shipping dates with special days, I occasionally get a little off track. The S'mores package was all shelf stable goods and hence was shipped out as soon as I knew that Brian himself had shipped back out. So they arrived in Iraq in time for the Fourth of July, while my actual Independence Day themed goodies were mailed out the day after the holiday. I know that I'm probably the only one who would notice, or even care, but it still irked me.

Especially since I had what I believe was a really neat idea. I took Oats and Honey Nature Valley Granola bars (I'm still trying to find a recipe that bakes up as crunchy as these), frosted them with melted white chocolate chips, then sprinkled dried blueberries and cranberries on top. Ta-dah! Red, White and Blueberry Bars!

Okay, so the picture isn't the greatest. But they sure tasted good!

...and may all their wishes come true.

2010-07-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

My very dear friends, Alana and Xander, have recently adopted two of the most precious little ones that I have ever seen (and will soon get to meet!).

Earlier in the adoption process, Alana had talked about wanting to make a "Wish Quilt" for their kids. I was immediately taken with the idea: friends, family, etc all submit a wish or favorite quote which is then compiled into a quilt. The thought of all those loving wishes swaddling their babies just gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

When Alana decided that she just wasn't up to coordinating and making the Wish Quilts, I knew I couldn't let this great idea slip away. I reached out to any friends/family of theirs that I knew or could track down and asked them to secretly pass along their wishes to me. I know this was many months ago, but it takes a while to weave together all those lovely thoughts!

Below are the finished quilts, along with close-up shots of all the wonderful wishes that were sent to Henry and Yona. I would like to thank everyone that contributed to this project, and especially to Alana and Xander for letting me be a small part of the huge process of starting their family!

Care Package #29: Gimme S'mores!

2010-07-08T10:30:00.000-07:00

Brian got to spend most of May home with friends and family, and I got to take a few weeks off from baking (which was a treat considering how hot it has been). But, now he's back in the big sand box and I'm getting back into the swing of things. But boy oh boy, a month off sure got me out of the care package-habit!

I knew that there was a chance Brian could end up getting delayed on his way back to base, so I wanted to send some very sturdy goodies that could survive sitting around waiting for him if necessary. I'm hoping to go camping with some girlfriends at the end of July and I thought that S'mores would be a fun treat. However, with average temperatures well over 100, I didn't think that Hershey Bars would qualify as "sturdy" and that he probably wouldn't have access to a campfire to melt the marshmallows. So I got a little creative with the S'mores ingredients. Of course, graham crackers are a must, and those would ship without any issues. In place of big, puffy marshmallows, I sent a jar of Fluff. And to fill in for Hershey Bars, I sent a jar of Nutella. I felt pretty clever about these substitutions, if I do say so myself. However, my cleverness did not extend so far as remembering to take a picture... I told you I was out of practice!

It looks like we have about 4 more months, or 15 more care packages, left to this deployment, and hopefully (seriously, cross your fingers on this one) Brian will be home in plenty of time for us to get down to Ft. Lauderdale to catch our Thanksgiving cruise. I have a few new recipes that I've been wanting to try, so keep an eye out for those in the coming weeks.

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

Today is a day to celebrate our great country, the freedoms that so many of us take for granted, the democracy that may not be perfect but is a work-in-progress, and sacrifices that make the whole thing possible.

So what did I do with myself over this long holiday weekend?

Well, for starters, I put the finishing touches on this Cracker Box quilt. I have more photos coming soon...

I tried out a new dress pattern. I really like the pattern (especially since I made a few adjustments that allowed it to have a fitted appearance without actually having to put in a zipper), but the fabric is so not me! I feel like I'm wearing an Easter dress. I'll have to try it again with some fabric that's a little more "Skye" and a little less... whatever this is...

I finally got around to blocking my lacy shawl. Once the shawl dries, I'll be able to pick up a few stitches for the sleeves and it will be done! I'm a wee bit concerned though, because it came out a tad larger than I planned. There's not much to be done about it now, but if I ever try it again (HA!) I will have to make adjustments to the number of stitches and rows. The sleeves should knit up pretty quick, so I hope to have some finished pictures before too long.

I found yet another cool wallet pattern on CraftGawker! This one is so easy it's almost a joke. I made these three pouches in less than 2 hours!

The neatest part is that the fabric is up-cycled from some home decor samples that my friend Claire gave me. This makes the pouches very sturdy and forces me to be a little more creative with my fabric combinations. It also gives me a chance to use up some of the zippers that Grammy Ida and Mom had saved up from before I was born.

And what did Harley the Wonder Dog do this weekend? Pretty much the same thing she does every day: try to take over the world! I know it looks like she's just napping with her tongue poking out, but she is really plotting world domination.

In case you were wondering, no, I did not go out and enjoy the drunken revelry downtown. Nor did I brave the masses to view any fireworks. Not my cup of tea, thank you.

When "being in the red" is a good thing...

2010-07-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

I have a great friend that's I've known since middle school, Kimberly. A few years ago I ran into Kimberly's mother when I moved back to CT. We were both shopping in Old Navy and kinda recognized each other, but it took a few passes before we stopped and did the "Are you Kimberly's mom?" thing. She said she thought she hardly recognized me because I wasn't wearing all black (did I mention that high school was a dark phase for me?). Since college and after graduation I have made a concerted effort to expand my wardrobe beyond the monochromatic spectrum.

Now that I'm on a clothes-sewing kick, I decided that I should make a colorful infinity dress. And really, what has more zip than red? I've been told it's a good color on me, so what the heck!

Target had some great, lightweight tanks on sale for a whopping $5, so I picked a few up. Of course, old habits die hard and I had to force myself to but the black one back on the shelf. But I did succeed in picking up this cheery red one. I don't usually take and post pictures of boring, store bought clothes. But I have to admit, this picture wasn't really for the tank. It was for the fact that I actually have a waistline again! Pilates, cardio, and weights, oh my!

Somebody stop me!

2010-06-23T15:55:00.001-07:00

These wallets are addictive! Seriously, I can't stop making them. They are just so cute, and simple, and fun! Quick, pop over to Etsy and grab one now :)

Today I debuted my twirly, gray linen skirt at work and got rave reviews. I was feeling especially sassy yesterday and whipped up this headband to wear with the skirt.

Originally I had planned on using some of the red fabric from the skirt to applique a heart or flower, but I figured that might limit the outfits I could wear it with (and just might have been a bit more "coordinated" than I could stand). So I rooted through my multi-generational button stash and challenged my Type-A personality to pick a random design for these mismatched buttons. It's not something I would have thought I would like, but I love how it keeps my hair out of my face (which is key to preventing me shaving my hair off again) and several folks said they thought it was great. So I guess it's a winner!

Help! I've fallen in love with making wallets!

2010-06-20T17:11:00.000-07:00

Being a Gemini, I know that I have a tendency to go to extremes: I don't just tidy the house, I wage all out war on dirt and disorder; I don't just plant a few pretty flowers, I spend whole weekends conquering entire tracts of land; I don't just tell my boyfriend I miss him, I send him baked good every week for a year (granted not all my extremes are negative things).

When I found that great pattern for super-cute wallets, and had a blast whipping up a few last weekend, I should have known there would be trouble. Because, of course, I didn't stop at just a few. Oh no.

I made more this weekend.

Then I had to whip up a new purse to carry my fun new wallet...

But, alas, since I fell pray to the "oh this is a really simple bag so I don't need to use a pattern and let's just estimate sizes instead of actually measuring" mentality, the new wallet doesn't even fit in the new purse.

Guess I'll just scrap the purse idea for a while and stick to the addictive wallets...

P.S. Crock pot granola is perfectly lovely, as long as you remember to stir it every 45 minutes or so. Without adequate stirring, you could end up with Cajun Granola (i.e. blackened nuts and charred oats). Bon Appetite!

Just working? Or working it?

2010-06-18T14:31:00.001-07:00

I totally kicked it on an enormous grant this week, so I took most of today off from work to recover and reward myself.

When I first attempted the Infinity Dress, I intended to use some gray linen that I had picked up a few months ago. I trimmed and shaped the skirt and waist band, but then realized that once I assembled the rest of the dress it would be way shorter than I feel comfortable wearing. I knew I'd get around to doing something with the linen eventually (or I should say, I hoped I would get around to it...).

When I got home from work this morning I put in some quality time on a project that has drawn out way longer than necessary (photos to follow shortly) then needed a brain-break. So I pulled out the gray linen and played around with it. For not having a pattern, or even a really clear idea of what I wanted to do, I'm really excited with the end result! It's just a big circle (however wide your fabric is, the drape will be half that length) with a smaller cirlce cut for the waist). I cut a 3 inch bias strip for the waist band, then added the red on the bottom just to make it a bit longer and add some color. The waist was cut exactly to size, and I put it on over my head so I don't have to be bothered with zippers!

There's something strange going on here. Me. Skirts. Smiles. It's very strange, but I like it.

Oh, I'm also attempting to make granola in the crock pot, since firing up the oven for an hour when it's 1000 degrees didn't seem so fun. I'll let you know the results when the verdict comes in.

Sewing!

2010-06-17T11:50:00.000-07:00

Not much time to write, so here are a few photos to keep you occupied!

A few additional options for ways to wear my new infinity dress. The photos are kinda crappy as I was snapping them quickly in poor light, but you get the idea...

I spent all most all day Saturday sewing these awesome tri-fold fabric wallets. I absolutely LOVE them! As a matter of fact, I liked it so much that I actually kept one for myself, a rare occurrence for me.

I made 8 with the cherry blossom fabric and one really sweet Batik (but forgot to snap a picture of that one!). I have one of the cherry blossom wallets posted on Etsy already, if you are so inclined... :)

The Infinity Dress!

2010-06-11T07:45:00.000-07:00

I knew that the Craft Gawker website was going to be trouble the first time I saw it! And sure enough, right when I had every intention of going home last night and finishing up a quilt project, I stumbled across a new project that just HAD to be started last night!

I had heard about the Infinity Dress before. My friend Amanda told me she bought one from the Earthbound Trading Company down on Broughton Street. But we all know I'm cheap and wouldn't buy something that I could make (and the fact that I rarely buy new clothes regardless of the price). I think I may have even seen her wear it once and thought, that's pretty cool, but not my style.

Well, I saw a snapshot of an Infinity Dress on CraftGawker that took me to this very well explained how-to link. The pull was irresistable. It looked so easy. And it looked like something I would/could actually wear. And just that very morning I was wishing that I had a summery, stretchy dress to wear.

So I swung by Jo-Ann's and picked up some stretch-knit fabric and skipped home, envisioning that in about an hour I would have a fun new dress. And it almost happened that way. However, since I didn't really have a pattern, and I was basically winging it, there were a few little stumbles along the way. The most frustrating part is that the stumbles were caused more from me rushing than the fact that I didn't really know what I was doing.

Long story short: I have an awesome new dress!

Supposedly you can wear this thing a thousand different ways. But for a tom-boy like me, I will probably not experiement that much. As it is, I'm still getting used to having that much of my back exposed!

Now that I have done it once, I'm sure I will be make a few more. I found some very pleasing mossy-green fabric that would look cheerful and spring-like paired with the blue. And the next one really should only take me an hour!

Yes, it was a Happy Birthday!

2010-06-07T07:45:00.001-07:00

I'm not really a big fan of birthdays. It's not that I have a problem with getting older, I just don't particularly like all the attention that goes along with my birthday. Ironically, I LOVE making a big deal out of other people's birthdays...but that's because the focus is not on me!

This weekend I turned 31 and had a nice, relaxing, low-key time of it. Joy came to spend the weekend with me and we had a great visit! She went with me to my workshop for the awesome folks from the Statesboro Habitat for Humanity, we had yummy food, went to see the new Sex and the City movie, laughed and cut up as sisters should, and even went for a stroll on the beach. I think the walk on Tybee was my favorite part of the whole weekend (until it got too hot to think and I nearly melted into the sand).

The last time that Joy and I took a leisurely stroll on the beach like this was probably our trip to Block Island (which I think was back in 2006). We've been to the beach since then, of course, but not solely for beach walking. I prefer walking, while she's happy to roast in the sand...

Two very nice ladies offered to take a picture of us together, and asked if we were twins! It seems like Joy and I are the only ones who don't see the family resemblance (we must be in denial).

So, there are several things that I loved about this little beach trip:
1. I love to honor special moments by spending time in nature (my last stroll on the beach was on New Year's Day).
2. I loved spending time with Joy, just walking and talking and being outside on a beautiful day.
3. I love the way my new tankini top from Land's End fits (and I really love the fact that I got it on clearance!).
4. I loved to see what 8 months of Pilates has done for my health! Seriously, not to brag or anything, but I feel great!
When Joy and I got back from the beach, my new roomie had left these beautiful roses on the counter for me! Jessie is going to be my roommate for the summer and I'm so excited to have a crafter around to keep me motivated!

Oh the temptations...

2010-05-27T10:20:00.000-07:00

Having found myself with a wee bit of free* time, I poked around on a very VERY dangerous website: Craft Gawker! But wait! Don't click that link just yet... If you have any inclination towards crafting, be it knitting, photography, quilting, printmaking, painting, jewelry making, sewing, paper crafts, etc consider yourself warned. This site will suck you and and swell your crafty soul with so many ideas for wonderful projects that you will be tempted to quit your job, bid your friends and family goodbye and lock yourself in your craft room for days at a time! If you think you're strong enough to resist this temptation, or at the very least manage your impulses, then by all means grab a cup of tea and gawk away at some beautiful crafts. I, for one, pretend to believe that I can manage my entirely unreasonable number of projects-to-be, and have now added yet another to the ever-expanding list: quilted wallets!

I've also stumbled across a few other fun crafty blogs and sites, and added them to my "Craft Related Links" in case you're interested.

*by "free" time, what I really mean is: time that is not spent on 1. one of the several projects that I have started but not yet completed 2. contemplating the many projects that I have considered but not yet started or 3. all those other things that I could/should be doing to maintain some sort of normal life (such as laundry, sleeping, playing with Harley... oh, and working).

Care Package 27 & 28: Slacker....

2010-05-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

I have to say, I'm somewhat disappointed in my performance for the last two care packages. They lacked my usual creativity and flare. However, in my defense, I do have fairly reasonable excuses.

On Saturday, May 8 my sister came up to visit me. We had a great time hanging out and catching up Saturday night. On Sunday my back was feeling much better after two chiropractic adjustments and I decided that Harley was in need of her usual Sunday morning bath. Unfortunately, lifting a 65 pound reluctant dog into a bathtub and spending 20 minutes hunched over bathing said dog effectively killed my back.

Now, I have a fairly high tolerance for pain, but I have never felt pain like this. Ripping all the soft muscle tissue in my foot while jumping off a 50 foot bridge and cannon-balling into nearly-freezing water was a mild discomfort compared to this (hey, it was college, what can I say?). Having a wisdom tooth cracked out of my skull before the Novocaine kicked in was nothing compared to this. Spending over an hour with a tattoo gun grinding on my spine would be considered tickling next to this.

My wonderful, awesome and totally amazing chiropractor actually came into his office on Mother's Day for an emergency adjustment that knocked the pain down from "excruciating" to "just about bearable" and I was able to spend the rest of the night flat on my back without crying constantly. As such, putting around the kitchen to whip up some goodies was out of the question. Not to be discouraged, I did manage to pack up a handful of Nature Valley granola bars into a box and get it in the mail on Monday after another round of chiropractic care. As they say, it's the thought that counts, right?

As for this weeks care package, I was in Connecticut this weekend and didn't have access to my kitchen until late Monday evening. I did have lofty plans to try a new oatmeal cookie recipe, but was short a few key ingredients. So another trusty package of Trail Mix is on its way to Brian as I type. This batch of trail mix, however, has a very special addition: chocolate covered sunflower seeds!! These are one of my all-time FAVORITE snacks and it took an amazing amount of self control not to eat every last one of them. Seriously, I would make myself sick on these things if I had just a wee bit less self-control.

So there you have it: my somewhat reasonable excuses for being a slacker in the creative care package department. Brian will be heading home soon for two weeks R&R, so I may be taking a bit of a hiatus in the baking arena. But stay tuned, I have a really great idea for what to send him when he ships back out!

Connecticut Revisited

2010-05-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

I didn't think that I would be able to get back to Connecticut to visit my friends anytime this year. Scheduling and money were the big barriers, certainly not a lack of desire. However, fortune smiled on me and I was invited at the last moment to participate in a Cities for Financial Empowerment meeting in Providence, RI. These people do amazing work and I was very excited to join them. And, since I was going to be in the area anyway, I decided to spend a few days trying to catch up with some of my friends!

I had breakfast with the Chominski clan. Nolan is the latest addition and at 4 months he's a handful!

Do these three look like trouble or what? I describe Jenny and Karen as two of my oldest friends: the kind of friends you'll never let go...because they have too much dirt on you! We spent hours talking and laughing and picking on each other. It was like I never left.

Reagan, Sammy and Hannah kept each other occupied while the girls and I caught up. It never ceases to amaze me how fast kids grow...

Julie and I got to catch up over dinner and enjoyed a stroll through Wilcox Park. I dearly miss living just a short walk away from her and all the fun times we shared. Thankfully, Julie is great at keeping in touch and, again, it's as if I never left.

I also got to visit with Diana and Carolyn, two of my former co-workers. These ladies always make me smile, and hearing about all the changes around the old office made me so glad that I took this job in GA! And there's no way I could come to CT and not go home to the Saporita's. A part of me feared the visit would be bitter sweet, scratching the scab off of our losses. But I should have known better. Though it will always stir up the memory of Jen and mom, I can never feel anything less then joy and love when visiting my adoptive family. On the way out of town I got to check in with my friends at the Inn at Stonington, which I'm happy to say has not changed a bit! There were far too many people that I didn't get to see this trip. Hopefully next time I'll have more than two days...

I couldn't have asked for better weather for my weekend getaway. Spring was in full bloom and I got to sample a taste of one of my favorite New England seasons.

What trip to Connecticut would be complete without a visit to Bluff Point? I've spent so many hours here over the years: whether walking, biking, journaling, bird watching, meditating or laughing with friends, Bluff Point is a touchstone in my life. When I needed to clear my head, lift my spirits, or struggle with my demons, Bluff Point was my refuge. Since my back was still very sore and time was tight, I could only manage a quick stroll. But it was still enough to refresh and recharge me.

Care Package 26: Belated Cinco de Mayo and a new quilt project

2010-05-11T09:36:00.001-07:00

Cinco de Mayo is one of those semi-holidays in my book. Not to detract at all from the historical significance that this day holds for many people. I was just at a bit of a loss as when trying to come up with an adequate Cinco de Mayo themed care package. Salsa and chips was the easy choice...except that the salsa jar might break and the chips almost certainly would. I even thought about sending all the fixings to make burritos (wraps, salsa, refried beans) but again with the jar breaking. And something told me that tequila and limes wouldn't be such a great idea either. My problem was solved when I stumbled across these Jalapeno flavored peanuts from the Carolina Nut Company! I was too wimpy to try them myself, but thought Brian would probably enjoy them.

I've also been making some progress on an really cool quilt pattern! I am using a bunch of the batik fabrics from Mom's stash to make a cracker box patterned quilt. Below is a picture of the work in progress. I absolutely LOVE strip-piecing quilts! Not only does it seem to go together so much quicker, but it also allows for an almost mindless meditative repetition. Plus, it helps me stay focused by working on just one step at a time. When it comes to me and projects, focus means less room for mistakes!

Savannah Scavenger Hunt!

2010-05-02T12:39:00.001-07:00

So, I have had this great craft project idea in mind for months: take pictures of things around Savannah in the shape of letters, then use those pictures to spell things out. For example, this dragonfly door knocker would make a great capital letter T.

The only problem is I have never found the time to take enough pictures to make this project happen! In a rare moment of genius, I figured out an excellent solution: have my very fun and creative friends do the bulk of the work for me!

Today was a gloriously beautiful Savannah Sunday, and 8 of my awesome friends showed up for a light brunch and a Savannah scavenger hunt. Armed with cold water (did I mention that it was nearing 90 degrees today?) and digital cameras, they had an hour to try to find as many letter-shaped plants, buildings, fences, etc. I'll still need to do some editing and PhotoShopping to cobble the projects together, but here are a few of their finds:

See, it's never too early for a crafter to start thinking about Christmas presents!

Care Package 24 and 25: Fruit Bars and Granola Cookies

2010-05-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

I think I've been doing pretty well at sending healthy snacks the past few weeks. It helps that I've been cutting back on sugar myself. I'm not craving sweets, so I don't need to use Brian as an excuse to bake sugary things!

For the 24th care package, I whipped up another batch of Oasis Fruit Bars using pineapple, mango, cranberries, plums, apricots, pumpkin seeds and walnuts. This recipe is awesome and can easily be adapted depending on what type of fruits/nuts you have around the kitchen. I hope everyone enjoyed this batch as much as they did the last one!

The base is super simple:

1/2 C brown sugar
2 TBS butter
2 Eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

Blend these ingredients together then add in a total of 3 Cups of any fruit/nut combo that strikes your fancy. Press the dough into a 9x13" baking pan and bake at 325 for 35 minutes.

Last week I branched out and used a different cookbook to whip up a batch of Granola Cookies. I'm pretty happy with this recipe, though the cookies came out a lot more chewy than I imagined.

Granola Cookies
1/2 C butter
1/2 C brown sugar
1/3 C peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 C wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
2 C granola cereal
1/3 C raisins
1/2 C chopped walnuts

Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and egg. Stir in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and mix well. Add the granola, raisins and chopped walnuts. Drop rounded tablespoons of batter onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

The Outsiders

2010-04-28T06:39:00.000-07:00

For some odd reason, I was thinking about the movie "The Outsiders" based on the book we had to read in middle school. I don't remember what got me on this train of thought, but what really stuck in my mind was the line "Nothing gold can stay, Pony Boy." As I was poking around on some of the blogs I follow, I found that this poem was also on another crafter's mind!

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leafs a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Doing Fun Stuff in Savannah

2010-04-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

It's been a fun and busy weekend here in Savannah! On Thursday night SCAD presented "Back to the Future" in Forsyth Park and on Friday night they showed "Up." They put a huge inflatable screen inside the bandshell and set up speakers around the green. Overall it was well done, but I certainly missed the orderly aisles that Wilcox Park arranged. Maybe next time they'll make an effort to leave walking areas open so you don't have to climb over people.

Saturday was the Annual Sidewalk Festival. I don't remember why, but I missed it last year. So this year I was sure to walk around and enjoy the awesome drawings. I brought Harley and she was surprisingly well behaved considering how many other dogs were around. Below are some of my favorite entries for your viewing pleasure (I would have taken more pictures, but my batteries have a habit of dying at inopportune times...).

Care Package 23: Howling good Crispies

2010-04-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

I have a couple of very interesting cookbooks on my shelf. Of course, there is the wonderful "Lipsmackin' Vegetarian Backpackin'" and the trusty "Joy of Cooking." I have a Winnie the Pooh cookbook, and even a Roald Dahl cookbook. Back around Thanksgiving I came across the Bubba Rose Biscuit Company's "Organic Dog Biscuit Cookbook." It's a neat little book (there are only about 25 recipes) for making tasty, healthy treats for pups. I made Harley a batch of the fake-chocolate chip cookies and she LOVED them! (unfortunately, that cookie started the whole eating-anything-left-on-the-counter problem...)

Well, I was wondering what to make for Brian the other week and felt a bit stumped. To clear my mind, I started flipping through the Bubba Rose book. As I was looking at some of the recipes, I thought "These sound good enough to eat!" So I decided to try another recipe, but for people instead of dogs.

They turned out delicious! In the book, the cookie is called Peanut Brittle, but I replaced the crushed peanuts that were supposed to be pressed into the top of the dough with M&M's (clearly not for dog consumption), so I call them Peanut Butter Crispies. Brian said they were good, and the guys in his unit seemed to agree. He was a good sport when I told him I made him dog biscuits, and I left it up to him as to whether to tell the other guys. I also made a few without the M&Ms, and Harley loves them, too!

Peanut Butter Crispies

3 C brown rice flour (I don't really like the result with rice flour, and will probably just use whole wheat next time)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 C honey
1/4 C molasses
1/2 C peanut butter
1/4 C canola oil
1 C M&Ms

Preheat oven to 325. Combine all ingredients except M&Ms in a food processor until completely mixed. It should form a stiff dough. Press the dough onto a rimmed cookie sheet (if you line the cookie sheet with parchment paper, it makes clean-up easier). Cover dough with parchment paper and roll until smooth and about 1/4 inch thick. Press the M&Ms gently into the dough, and score into squares with a sharp knife. Bake 30 - 40 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack, then break apart at the scored lines.

Hopping into Spring!

2010-04-20T13:32:00.001-07:00

I am just having way too much fun knitting cute toys! I mean, it's not like I NEED an adorable stuffed toy frog... They're just so much FUN to make!

Now that I've finished Mr. Frog, I decided to re-visit an old project that I started last year but haven't touched in... um, I have no idea when I last worked on it! I think I started it around Memorial Day of last year. Yikes, better get cracking! There's no good reason a shrug should be stuck as a "Work In Progress" status for over a year. I told myself that I can not make another knitted toy until I finish this shrug. Stay tuned to see if my willpower lasts...

P.S. Don't you just love my little stitch markers? I made them from jewelry supplies and they are working like a charm!

Gratuitously cheerful spring photos!

2010-04-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

Harley and I took a late morning stroll around the park last week and I was actually awake enough to remember my camera! Enjoy!

Care Packages 21 and 22: Trail Mix and Making a Scene

2010-04-11T11:07:00.001-07:00

The last few weekends have been even busier than normal, so I had to take it kinda easy on the care packages. Two weeks ago I didn't have any time to bake at all, so I sent yet another batch of Trail Mix. The granola that forms the base of the trail mix is so incredibly good that I have been known to just stand over the sink and shovel it into my mouth straight from the container. I hope that doesn't ruin any one's opinion of me...

Last week I got a bit more creative. I had found some fun movie-themed goodies and a couple of campy DVDs, so I made a Movie Date package!

This box included: Twizzlers, Sno-Caps, fun-size Twix/Snickers/M&Ms, gummi worms, chocolate covered nuts and Reese's Peanut Butter cups, movie snack box and napkins, two old-school John Wayne movies, two super-silly Sci-Fi flicks and two early Hitchcock films.

I know it's not in the least bit healthy, but it sure was fun to put together! I wish someone had sent me something like this in college so I could have had friends over for a fun movie night.

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

2010-04-08T11:43:00.001-07:00

Anyone who has known me for more than about 10 minutes knows that I am a fairly frugal individual. If you've known me longer than that, you'll probably just call me flat-out cheap!

When I first got out into the "real world" I managed to get by on a series of minimum wage jobs. Then I experienced something that I know others have also experienced: as my wages increased, so did my cost of living. Every time I got a raise or moved to a higher paying position, I took on more expenses: newer (and more reliable) cars, larger apartments, trips overseas, etc.

Then, several years ago, my good friend Angela gave me the book "Women and Money" by Suze Orman. Though I don't enjoy listening to Suze in person, the content of the book really smacked me upside the wallet. While I had managed to pay off my student loan and keep a few hundred dollars in the savings account, I couldn't help but thinking that I could, and should, be doing better. So began my critical thinking about money, budgeting and consumer lifestyle choices in general.

I began tracking all my spending in an Excel spreadsheet. I opened money market savings accounts for Emergency Savings, Periodic Expenses and Travel. I taught myself about retirement options and set up a plan to save more each year (raises get automatically added to my pre-tax contributions). I chose not to pay for cable, Internet, gym memberships, and many of the forms of entertainment that others consider necessities (think books, music CDs or downloads, DVDs, going out to drink/eat/watch shows regularly). Later, I began to make my own yogurt because it saves me about $10 a month over buying mass-produced yogurt. I even volunteered to help with the Savannah Music Festival so that I could see some of the amazing shows but not have to pay and seek out other free activities around town. Maybe the most drastic action of all is the fact that each quarter I take a "spending vacation" where the only thing I buy is gas for the car and groceries. That's right, I don't spend money on ANYTHING except gas or groceries.

A lot of folks think that I live this way because of my job: if I'm teaching others how to live below their means, pay off debt and save money then I have to practice what I preach. In fact, I was doing most of these things before I took this job, and have just kept building on my previous experiences. Living below my income actually allowed me to take a pretty drastic pay cut to take this position (my gross adjusted income dropped by about 25% on my taxes this year!) but maintain a comfortable standard of living.

Last night I sat down and reviewed my finances for the first quarter of 2010. Whereas I used to just track my spending, this year I wanted to stick to a pre-planned budget to take my money management to the next level. My monthly budget for all expenses is $2000 (which includes a double car payment to have my car paid off within 3 years), with another $200 assigned each month for savings. For the first quarter I managed to spend less than my budgeted amount and save more than projected!

You may be wondering why I am posting such detailed information about my personal finances. I mean, people aren't supposed to talk about their money, right? Well, I'm writing about my budget exactly to GET people talking about money. There is a social taboo, a code of silence, about money matters, and it does little more than make us feel more isolated and insecure about how we deal with money. I encourage you to talk to your friends and family (especially children!) about money, buying habits, costly consumer choices, use of credit, debt levels and retirement goals. One of the best ways to break the mentality of keeping-up-with-the-Jones is to realize that the Jones are up to their eyeballs in debt and can't keep up with themselves! No one is perfect, but if you talk to others I can almost guarantee that you can learn, or even teach, something new.

Did someone order an Ark?

2010-04-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

While I've been enjoying beautiful Spring weather and 80 degree days, my friends in New England have gotten hammered by heavy rain storms. Basements flooded, streets flooded, rivers overran their banks, schools and businesses closed and people have lost power. Here are a few pictures of the Westerly area and their water woes.

Care Package #20: Cabin Fever Cookies and North Georgia

2010-04-02T06:18:00.000-07:00

I should have posted this before now, but it has been a busy few weeks (really, is anyone surprised by that?). Last week I tried yet another awesome recipe from the best snack cookbook in the world! I give you Cabin Fever Cookie Bars:
1/2 C brown rice flour
1/2 C old fashioned oats
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4C chopped walnuts
1/3 C canola oil
1 C brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 C M&M candies

Pre-heat oven to 350. Combine flour, oats, salt, baking powder, walnuts and M&Ms. In a separate bowl, beat together the oil, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased 9x9" pan and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool then cut into bars.

Since this was the box that Brian would get right before Easter, I had to add some candy as well. It was a terrible temptation to have that many Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Eggs around the house, but they all made it into the box.

Last Friday Piedmont College had their first Career Day, and I volunteered some time to talk to folks about budgeting and credit. The turn out was a little lower than expected, but I was glad to help out.

Seeing Piedmont again was fun, but the best part of the weekend was getting to visit with my friends and staying at Timbrook, the Dover's farm. I'm sure that I am not the only person who feels this way, but staying on the farm is my idea of a perfect, relaxing get-away.

Suzanne's home cooking is yet another reason to look forward to visiting. My last trip to the farm back in May 2009 was the first time that I used her wood stove to cook an egg for breakfast. Food just tastes better when it's cooked on a fire.

Two of the grandchildren spent some time riding horses (and even the mule, Molly) on a beautiful spring day.

On Saturday we took a nice little road trip up to North Carolina and stopped at an overlook for this stunning view. I can't decide which I love more: a mountain view or living near the beach.

A helpful and entertaining post.

2010-03-31T06:58:00.000-07:00

April is Financial Literacy Month! Check out a great article that offers some easy steps to do some financial spring cleaning: It's time to spring clean your money savannahnow.com

Now for the entertaining part (not that I don't find money topics entertaining, because I do even if most other people don't...). Have you heard about the Peeps Diorama Contest? No? I tend to lose track and miss it each year too. But you can check out the top finalists here. Some very clever Peepers out there!

Care Package #19: Half Domes Cookies and misc.

2010-03-24T08:37:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had a great group of University of Florida students volunteering at the CCCS office. They were part of the Florida Alternative Break program, and spent their Spring Break working with us. They were a wonderful help and seemed to enjoy their time in Savannah. As a "thank you" I had the group over for dinner their last night in town. As much as they enjoyed the food and snacks, Harley was the real hit of the evening and I was afraid they would try to dog-nap her!

Miriam has been curious about the kinds of goodies that I've been sending Brian, so she came over last week to help me make the Half Domes Cookies. It came as no surprise that they are delicious, and she brought a big bag home.

Half Domes
1C butter
1C brown sugar
1C white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2C wheat flour
2.25C old fashioned oats
1tsp baking powder
1tsp salt
1C chocolate chips
1C dried cranberries (I used coconut instead of cranberries)

Pre-heat oven to 350. Combine all dry ingredients. Beat together the butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and blend well. Drop teaspoon-sized scoops onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Canetha and I made an excellent batch of the granola and she was looking forward to using it as an ice cream topping. Baking is always fun, but baking with friends is even better!

Spring has officially sprung here in Savannah. The flowering trees are in full bloom, forsythia and daffodils are spreading their cheery yellow petals, and the birds are a rucus chorus even before the sun rises. I have to say, I think this is the most beautiful time of the year in Savannah. Don't believe me? Come on down and check it out for yourself!

CCCS in the news

2010-03-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

Here is a nice little piece in the local news about couponing. I'm getting better at it (meaning I'm saving money, but have also stopped buying things that I don't use just because I have a coupon and it's on sale!).

I've been doing a lot of reading about all the credit card and overdraft changes. My boss, John, and one of our clients was just on WSAV talking about the same topic.

Credit Card Reform?

2010-03-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

Just a little something to tickle the brain...