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Starting on the New Treadmill

I had a good first workout on the treadmill today, although I took it a bit easy since I was still getting accustomed to the new machine.  Oh yeah, and I'm sore from getting the massive thing into the house and assembling it yesterday.  It's all set up in the new work out room / sun room, which is quite a nice set up.

In other news, Winter has finally arrive -- on January 12th.  It's been such a strange and ridiculously warm winter so far (yesterday it was 50º here!), but today we have the beautiful snow I've been wanting.  And judging from the forecast, it should stay for at least a few days. 

Ah, global warming, I am not a fan.

A Little Needlework

A big thank you to Mrs. Douglas, who taught me to do cross-stitch back in grade school.  (I believe she was also the math teacher, and I distinctly remember her always complaining to the boys about their need to wear deodorant -- I believe math class may have been right after recess.)

Just doing a little stitching to ease my self back into creative work.  I'm following a pattern, but had to improvise on the colors, so there was a little room for thought.  And now that I've started this piece, I have plans for a year long sampler.  I love how working on one little project can get the cogs and wheels turning.

Selling Stuff -- a New Year's Resolution

So, one of my New Year's resolutions was to sell some of the stuff that is taking up space in our spare room (aka "the den").  To that end, I have started listing things here and there.  The first thing I came across was a package of these awesome Valentines from the 40's and 50's that I purchased a while back at an estate sale.  I have more than enough for my own collection, so I listed about half of them in my etsy shop.  Since I love my blog visitors, I wanted to give you a coupon good for free shipping on these lovelies.  Just enter FREESHIP during checkout.

I also listed some things at my Amazon.com bookstore -- Booga Books -- one item being the first issue of Lucky Peach magazine.  To my delight, this $10 magazine sold for a whopping $75!  And in only a couple of days.  Sure wish I had bought about 10 copies of that magazine when it was on the newsstand. 

How are your New Year's resolutions coming along?

Hypotrochoid -- remember Spirograph?

Well, school break has come to an end, but on the final day, Maddie and I had some fun with one of her holiday gifts -- the hypotrochoid art set.  I loved Spirograph as a kid (do they even make it anymore?) and have been on the look out for a set in decent shape at the yard sales, so when I saw this little set, I knew I had to get it for her.

I have to say -- it's just as much fun now as when I was a kid and Maddie couldn't stop playing with the it either.  Fun times.

Lime-Glazed Cookies from the Martha Stewart Cookies App

A while ago, I purchased the Martha Stewart Cookie App for my iPad.  Why?  Because I love her Cookies cookbook and I figured she'd do up this app the right way.  And it is super slick.  Just take a peek:

The recipes are easy to navigate, include lots of pretty photos and all kinds of extras like timers and technique videos.  (I know, this sounds like an advert, but I just really admire a beautiful app.)

So, I made the Lime-Glazed Cookies... and they were awesome!  So happy about this, because I would be super upset if the beautiful app didn't serve its purpose.

Yeah, Martha!  (Sorry your show got cancelled, btw, but really -- Hallmark Channel?  Who watches that?)

 

So Cliche

I bought a treadmill -- on New Year's Day.  Is there anything more cliche than that?  And my New Year's resolution?  To read blogs while walking on said treadmill. (Thus, hopefully, spending less time online and keeping fit.)  If I'm not on the treadmill -- I don't want to be surfing the net.  (I bought the NordicTrack C900, btw.)

As a result of some health issues, I haven't been able to fully participate in my usual workouts -- Pilates and yoga (acid reflux issues) and my elliptical machine (hip flexor pain and tightness).  I love to walk and did so in the Summer, but I'm not a fan of inclement weather.  I think the treadmill will be a perfect fit since I can use it while on the computer or while reading on my iPad.

On this first day of the New Year, I'm actually looking forward to making some changes in my life:  finding out what I want to do as career now that Maddie is getting older, working on getting the house organized, and selling some of the items I have sitting in bins in my spare room.  I plan to read a lot, continue my exploration of gluten free baking and cooking, and step away from the computer and toward some of the creative projects that have languished this past year.

Happy New Year!  May 2012 be a super year!

 

Kitchen Success!

Lots of baking and such in the kitchen yesterday.  First up we have Spiced Pecans from this wonderful recipe.

And homemade marshmallows -- or marshies, as we like to call them -- from Alton Brown's recipe. 

And finally, Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Pecan Blondies -- based on this recipe, but obviously modified.

Today I wrap!

Finishing up a year of reading...

Finished up Hornby's Juliet, Naked. It was pretty good. A super quick, super easy read. I kind of lost interest in the characters toward the end though. Probably not good in such a character driven novel. Ah well.

Then I picked up something a bit more dense -- Mieville's The Scar, which was excellent! I now am eager to read Perdido Street Station, but since I didn't have a copy on hand, I started reading Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle instead (which I've read a number of times, so I know what I'm getting here -- wonderful, wacky stuff full of thinking points.) Anyway, I think that makes 34 books so far this year -- which isn't all that much for me, but I've read some long ones (thank you, George R.R. Martin).  I'm already looking forward to some books that are on my 2012 reading list, but since I need to run, more on that later.

Donuts

I made donuts.  They were even the fried kind!

First of all, let me say that I was super scared to fry anything.  I tried frying once -- about 20 some years ago -- and burned myself pretty badly.  This time I made sure I had the right tools and lots of knowledge, and all went very well, indeed!  No accidents, no scary moments.  In fact, it wasn't even as messy as I thought it would be. 

I used this recipe and I'm sure it would have been awesome if I could have used regular flour, but I used my gluten free mix instead and they turned out too dense.  Don't get me wrong, we were chowing down on them -- especially when they were still hot!  Next time I need to cut back the flour, or increase the buttermilk, or something.  I think it would make a huge difference.

I see more frying in my future!

Reading

I recently finished David Mitchell's Number 9 Dream, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm a bit sad though because I have now finished reading all his novels and fear it may be a few years before his next book is published.

Here we have a book that blurs lines between dreams and reality nicely.  A young man is on a quest -- wanting to know the identity of his father.  Along the way he has some wild adventures, many involving the Yakuza. 

I have a feeling this book was inspired a bit my Haruki Murakami -- it had a bit of the feel of his writing, and Mitchell refers to Murakami and his book The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle within the book. 

I also read Paulo Coelho The Alchemist -- a quick little read that was enjoyable.  I don't know that I'll rush out to buy any of his other books, apparently he has written many, but it was a nice break from some of the longer, heavier stuff I've been reading. 

Basically it's a short fable, or fairy tale -- perhaps a take on a parable from the Bible.  A boy is on a quest to find treasure and along the way he encounters different people who help and hinder him on his journey.  Simple, straightforward, perhaps a little too focused on "God" but a thoughtful tale nonetheless.

Two very different quest novels.

Now I'm onto a guilty pleasure read -- Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby. 

Gluten Free Thanksgiving

I made gluten free Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday and I have to say, it went pretty well.  Of course we will all be going to my mom's on the actual Turkey day, but since there is a lot of gluten involved in the traditional meal, Maddie and I will be unable to truly stuff ourselves.

For our mini Thanksgiving I made a half turkey breast, stuffing (made with gluten free bread), mashed potatoes, gravy and fresh cranberry sauce.  The turkey cooked in about 1 1/2 hours and was quite moist for being just white meat, and the stuffing was reminiscent of my mom's stuffing, although not as good.

As for the cranberry sauce -- make your own if you have 10 minutes to spare.  Really, that's all it takes and I think it's quite a bit beter than that canned stuff.  Here's what you do... get a bag of cranberries, boil a cup of water + a cup of sugar.  Add the cranberries, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.  The cranberries will pop, so may I suggest one of those spatter screens.

One bag of cranberries resulted in this much sauce -- enough for our mini gluten free Thanksgiving, a small jar for the freezer and another jar to take to my mom's for Thanksgiving.

Oh, and remember that lemon curd I made?  I made some mini gluten free scones and we ate them this past weekend too.  Super yummy!

DIY Vanilla Extract (or Vanilla Vodka) & Some Homemade Lemon Curd

Did you know that vanilla extract is super easy to make?  Like, super easy.  And even with good vanilla beans and decent vodka, it's probably going to be way cheaper to make your own than to buy it at the grocery.

First get some vanilla beans, not those pathetic and ridiculously expensive ones from the grocery though.  Instead, may I suggest the internets.  I bought mine from Beanilla.com and they arrived quickly and were lovely, plump and fragrant.  And in case you are curious, I'm using the Bourbon variety.

Next, get yourself a bottle -- I just used a pint canning jar which I ran through the sanitize cycle in my dishwasher (probably not necessary because of all the alcohol).  Then cut your beans to fit.  I cut mine in half and sliced them open lengthwise.  Use three beans per cup of alcohol.  I used absolute vodka because I couldn't imagine using my pricey Ketel One, but I didn't want a half bottle of super cheap stuff getting dusty in the liquor cabinet. 

Now I wait.  I understand it takes about 6-8 weeks to mature.  But look at all those lovely vanilla bean seeds floating around int he vodka!  Oh, and if you want vanilla vodka for holiday beverages, just use sooner -- I'm guessing about 2 weeks will get you some lovely vanilla flavor.  Oh, and you need to keep it in a dark place -- especially if you are using a clear glass bottle.

Since I was sanitizing jars anyway and had a big bag of lemons in the fridge, I decided to make some lemon curd.   I used David Lebovitz's Lemon Curd recipe because it was easy, used one pan and had a lower sugar to lemon ratio -- and I like my curd lemony.  From what I have heard (via my Googling) lemon curd freezes well, so the two smaller jars will be saved for future lemon fixes in the deep darkness of winter when they will be much appreciated.

“Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Beanilla.”

 

Now Leaving Westeros

I've been spending a lot of time in Westeros, having read the first four books in George R.R. Martin's massive A Song of Fire and Ice series.  We're talking over 4000 pages since May.  Whew.  Before I read the fifth book, I thought I'd take a break and branch out.

Up first was Bohumil Hrabal's Too Loud a Solitude. A thought provoking but strange little book.  Absurd, dystopian, comedic -- a story about a book lover who's job it is to destroy books. 

Now I'm reading Mitchell's Number 9 Dream. He's one of my favorite authors, and I'm enjoying it quite a bit.

A little quilting...

I finally finished up piecing the top of this little log cabin quilt.  Now I need to find some backing fabric, and determine if the two fat quarters I have will be enough for the binding. 

Other things I've been doing:

Making granola -- I don't think I ever posted my new and improved granola recipe.  Maybe tomorrow.

Eating Chocolate -- specifically Vosges Holiday Truffles.  See my review at the Chocolate Blog.

Sprucing up the house.  Went to IKEA and got some new things like this Matisse print for the vacant dining room wall.

I've also been reading, baking and watching too much Battlestar Galactica.  Thank you Netflix.

Wool Sock Weather

I just finished knitting a pair of wool socks for Maddie, using Wendy's Toe-Up Sock pattern.  You know the one, right?  It was easy to follow and makes a nice fitting sock, plus the toe and heel are pretty much the same, so it's easy to remember what you're doing.

Next time I'll make the toe a tiny bit more pointy -- maybe one more wrap stitch on each side.  You can see they are a bit squared off here.

The yarn I used was Regia 6 fadig in the colorway 5265.  I purchased this yarn at the (very) local yarn store that shut down a few months ago.  It was run out of the basement of a local woman's home only a few blocks from where I live, right in the middle of a old neighborhood.  Sadly, she got lung cancer and moved out to the west coast to be with her son during treatment -- she has since passed away.  So, it is a bit sad to be knitting with this yarn.

Next up was a Super Simple Dish Scrubbie because my old ones are getting pretty faded.  And now I'm projectless, but itching to start something.  Time to pull out the stash!

Being Festive & Fall-ish

 

Maddie's pumpkin is on the far left, Pete's is in the foreground and mine is 5th from the left.

This was my pumpkin all lit up.

Friday night was our annual pumpkin carving contest at my mom's house.  I was super excited to win 2nd place!  I usually never get any votes (except for the occasional sympathy vote from Pete), so I was shocked to be in the running this year.

I also had some baking time this weekend, so I made some awesome peanut butter sandwich cookies.  I based them off some recipes that all led back to Thomas Keller's Nutter Butter Cookie recipe.  I used more peanut butter than butter (and salt -- which is not listed in the one recipe?!?) and had to make them GF, of course.  They are super yummy!

And last night I made Broccoli Cheddar soup -- the one that was on the cover of Food Network Magazine.  I have to say that the recipes from the Food Network Kitchen are usually a winner, so I'm guessing they are well tested.  I actually have better luck with these recipes than some from the network's "chef stars".  Be warned though, they say this soup can be made in 35 minutes, and that is just not true.  Even with Pete helping with potato peeling and clean up, it took about double that amount of time.  It was yummy though.

Today we have Kathmandu Aran -- 10 Balls + Pattern Book!

Kathmandu Aran Queensland Collection

$55.00 (plus $10 USPS Priority Mail)

10 Balls each 50g / 104 yrds

Color 134

Dye Lot 621

85% Merino Wool, 10% Silk, 5% Cashmere

MSRP $9.95 each ($99.50)

Includes the Queensland Collection book ($16 orig. price)

Beautiful pale green tweed with flecks of brown and cream.

I have a plan ...

Looking around the house, I realized that it is time to get rid of a few things.  There are all kinds of things I've been  setting aside to sell on Etsy, eBay, Amazon, etc.  So, in an attempt to kick start the sale, I'm going to be posting an item every day here on the blog.  But first a few questions... where do you prefer to purchase things?  Etsy, eBay, or maybe right here with a PayPal button and shopping cart.  let me know your thoughts.  For now I'll post about each item here with a PayPal button.

$6.00 (plus $3.50 S/H)

First item up for sale is The Yarn Girls' Guide to Simple Knits.  Lots of simple sweater patterns, plus hats, scarves and blankets.  Good basics and lots of info in the front to help you out.  My copy is like new with the dustjacket in near perfect condition. 

Stuff and Things

• This method of cooking chicken breasts really works and is so easy.  New favorite.
• I've knit a sock -- and actually a good part of a second one.  Plus I have a sock book to review when I get a chance.  It's called The Knitter's Book of Socks by Clara Parkes.
• My daughter turns 11 on Sunday and I have to make a bunch of Red Velvet cupcakes -- gluten free.  I need a recipe! 
• I also need to order food, buy decorations, wrap presents and clean the house.  Ugh.
• After watching Heroes on netflix, I'm wondering what TV show I should start next.  Suggestions?
• My allergies are awful this autumn -- or I have a cold/sinus infection and refuse to believe it.  Blah.
• After looking through Sugar Baby and Sweet Confections, I want to make some homemade candy.
• I'm obsessed with stitching something using glow-in-the-dark floss, but have a feeling I won't get to it before Halloween arrives.
• I'm loving Pinterest -- have I mentioned this before?   Check out my boards and let me know if you are on Pinterest too.
• I'm reading some super long books -- George R.R. Martin's Songs of Fire and Ice.  I finished the thrid book, A Storm of Swords, and recently started the fourth, A Feast for Crows. They are highly addictive.
• I like every post I write to have a photo, so that's why I included that "self portrait" of the back of my head.  I have really been into updos the past several months.  I like this side bun thing, but I need to learn some new styles.

Back from the Beach

Last week we took a road trip down to Hilton Head Island for what is becoming an annual getaway.  Nothing fancy, just beach walks, swimming, hanging out and relaxing.  The weather was beautiful this year -- although I'm told it was even hotter back here at home. 

That's okay -- there aren't oceans in Joliet.  We discovered that the sunset beach walks were our favorites.  As the tide went out we discovered all kinds of thing.  Including a little crab that made the most incredible pattern in the sand.

I already miss the beach, but I'm super glad to be home. 

Bad News

Mud this afternoon -- not too happy with Mama after the trip to the vet.

Mud is 18, so I expect health problems.  She is on prescription food and medicine for a thyroid condition, but she's been healthier and happier the last couple of years, since going on the meds, than she had been in probably a decade. 

Despite that, every yearly check-up is cause for alarm.  Last year I was scared to take her in, but this year I was pretty confident that things were going well.  Then the doctor told me that she had a tumor -- a somewhat large one -- in her belly.  Since Mud is 18 and is showing no symptoms (although she lost 1 lb in the past year), the doctor recommended just leaving things be.  We have no idea how long she has left, but every day for the past couple of years has seemed like an extra day with her to me.  I just hope there are many good days left for her and that she feels happy and comfortable through them all.

Mud has been with me longer than my daughter and husband.  When we do have to say goodbye to her, it's going to be terrible.  She was with me through some lonely, difficult years in my 20's and she is a wonderful companion.

Apple Cake & digital iPad Martha Stewart Magazine Editions

I didn't remember to mention that I made Martha's (or more likely, one of her many staff writer's) Apple Pecan Cake from the latest Everyday Food mag. 

It was tasty and worked beautifully with GF flour subbed. 

And btw, if you are a Everyday Food subscriber -- you can get the issues on your iPad for free now!  I always thought it was stupid to make people pay for the digital edition when they subscribed to the print edition, so I'm happy to see this change. 

Apparently you can get free access if you are a Living subscriber too.  When did this change?  I haven't heard about it before I stumbled upon it today, but it makes me happy!

Doin' Stuff

I do not like summer.  The heat leaves me pretty miserable and somewhat lethargic, so it seems that I get so much less done during those long hot months.  Now that it's cooling down, I'm getting back to the things I love -- baking, cooking, knitting, sewing and such things.

While watching Heroes on my iPad (I'm late to Netflix, but so digging it!), I finished my orange Herbivore.  Well, I should say that I finished the knitting.  This project desperately needs to be blocked and I don't have blocking wires.  Can anyone recommend some good, inexpensive ones?

I also started socks for Maddie (who loves handknit socks -- yeah!) using Wendy's generic toe-up pattern from her first ever knitting book -- Wendy Knits: My Never-Ending Adventures in Yarn which I have owned for ages. In fact, my copy is an arc.  I can't believe I hadn't tried it before -- her description of the short row toe was very easy to follow.  

Which brings me to another Wendy Knits book:

Wendy Knits Lace: Essential Techniques and Patterns for Irresistible Everyday Lace, which I have had sitting on my desk for a few weeks, right next to my computer because I have wanted to post a review.  Let me say that this book is all fancy-like with charts and illustrations and lots of pretty photos of great lace projects.  I especially like the Stacy Shawl and I think that if I get brave, I might attempt the Vortex Spiral Shawl.  There are also hats, mittens and gloves that would be nice smaller projects.

I leave you for now with a photo of Spike, my big orange fella -- sleeping in a bankers box.  As you can see, it's a tight fit. 

Grandpa Klotz

Love this photo of my grandpa in his pharmacy.  Thanks to my Aunt Gretchen for sending this, and many other wonderful photos, to me recently.

The Calm Before the Storm

The second half of September gives us a bit of a breather -- Summer is winding down, we're back to homeschooling and the craziness of October has not yet hit. 

I'm taking some time to get ahead of the game.  Heck, I even bought Maddie's Halloween costume already!  I'm also trying to take some time to do activities that I enjoy, but have neglected becasue of the summer heat.  I actually worked on my log cabin quilt yesterday and I'm hoping to pick up the knitting needles this evening. 

Ah autumn, how I love you!

Vacation Reading, Perhaps?

I think I may have found my vacation reading for this autumn -- Reamde by Neal Stephenson.  (Or ReaMdE -- get it?)  Although at a hefty 980 pages, I think I'll buy the iBooks version so I don't have to lug a book akin to a couple of bricks halfway across the country. 

My Favorite Time of the Year

I love the autumn -- cool days, chilly nights and yet, plenty of warm sunny days mixed in.  The strawberry plants must love this weather too, because they have started to produce berries again.

And after swaddling them in bird netting (to keep out the squirrels -- not birds), the tomato plants are finally giving us some sweet, juicy tomatoes!  The basil is getting a bit long in the tooth and slightly bitter, but this was still a nice lunch.

Baking Disaster

Can you tell what I made this weekend?  Maybe this will give you a hint...

I tried a new gluten free donut recipe and despite using non-stick pans and greasing said pans, the donuts stuck like nobody's business. 

 
This one looked almost donut-like after I glopped on the icing.  And here's the crazy thing -- they were delicious despite their ugliness.  I'm thinking next time I will grease and flour the pans and if that doesn't work, maybe I'll just bake them in cupcake liners.

The recipe came from the new online gluten free magazine -- Easy Eats. 

First Field Trip of the School Year -- Lincoln Park Zoo

The Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool

We started our homeschool year about a month ago, so we were ready to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather yesterday with a field trip up to Chicago and the Lincoln Park Zoo.  Because we have limited funds and want to take a few more field trips this fall, we opted for this zoo over the Brookfield zoo because it is free, and while parking is pretty pricey, it is simple enough to park several blocks away if you are willing to walk -- especially on a weekday. 

Parking and walking had the added benefit of allowing us to walk to a lovely coffee shop on the way to the zoo -- Noble Tree Coffee & Tree -- and to take a leisurely stroll past North Pond and the Lily Pool -- both of which have been renovated since my days living in Chicago.

I took no photos of animals, so I'll spare you that, but I will say that it is an absolutely lovely zoo -- even more so since they have done extensive renovations of the animal houses and landscaped the zoo beautifully over the past decade or so. 

Being able to take field trips like this is one of the reasons I love homeschooling!

More Vintage Pyrex

I thought Friday was going to be a total loss.  I was coming off a week of flu-like ick and I was pretty wiped out, but Maddie loves going to the garage sales, so we went.  After only a couple of hours, I had found pretty much nothing and was ready to head home.  On one of the last stops I found the pretty Town & Country Pyrex Casserole with lid.  Love it!  The mug is FireKing -- an Esso promo Tiger mug.

Over the weekend we didn't do a whole lot of anything as Pete came home after work with a nasty cold.  Jurrasic Park was on TV Friday night and Maddie hadn't seen it, so we watched that.  Then we rented Star Wars -- the original 1977 film -- since Maddie had never seen it either.  There was also a brief trip to the library and a short trip to the park on Sunday...

Pete wore himself out and ended up napping when we came home, but it was nice to get out and enjoy the beautiful end of summer (yeah!) weather. 

More vintage finds over at Thrift Share Monday!

Some Really Excellent Books

(27 books so far in 2011 -- one book every 8.8 days.)

I just finished a couple of wonderful books, the first of which was pretty much a sure thing seeing as it was written by David Mitchell. Black Swan Green is, I believe, Mitchell's fourth novel, which surprised me quite a bit.  Once again, his trademark style is employed here -- a series of interconnecting short stories which come together to tell the story.  However, to me it had the feeling of a first novel, having the feel of an autobiography and being somewhat more traditional than his amazing novel Cloud Atlas.

I have much to say about this book and the progression of his novels, but I fear it would be ridiculously boring to anyone who hasn't read these books.  (Ask my husband -- after finishing Black Swan Green I kept blathering on about it for days.)

The next book I read was by a newcomer -- Ernest Cline.  His debut novel, Ready Player One, was a ridiculously fun read.  If you were an 8-bit gamer, playing too much Atari and spending too many quarters at the arcade, you will love this book! After devouring it, I was left with that sad feeling of wanting more to read by this author, but as it's his first novel and was just published, I fear I have a while to wait.  While whining about this, Pete reminded me that Ernest Cline (like George R.R. Martin) is "not your bitch" which is true but unfortunate.  (Did you get that reference?  If so, I fear that you too are a geek.)

Anyway... I have to say that I am finding something peculiar, which has probably not occurred before due to my relative youth.  I suppose there are very few authors who are published before they hit their 40's because suddenly I am reading a bunch of novels by my contemporaries.  I was born in 1970 and here are the birthdays of several of the authors I have been reading (and enjoying):

Ernest Cline:  1972

David Mitchell:  1969

China Mieville:  1972

Jo Walton:  1964

I find I am particularly enjoying cultural references in these books which give me a personal connection to the story.  Quite interesting.

9 Years Flys by...

 

Oops, I missed my 9 year blogiversary.

Oh, that photo -- just there because I don't like making photo-less posts.  It's our resident wild rabbit.  It loves our "organic" yard which is filled with herbicide/pesticide free clover and crabgrass.  It's gotten so used to us that it doesn't even stop eating when we are around.  As long as it keeps eating the weeds -- and not my hostas -- we're all good.

Pink Gooseberry Pyrex!

I love pink Pyrex!  Finally, after a rather long summer with very few vintage finds, I had a great thrifting day.  First I found the two lovely, pink Gooseberry Pyrex bowls -- at only $3 for the set.  This was a steal.  I've seen a single bowl go for $20 and a set (of 4) go for $100, so I am very pleased.  Not long after that, I found the cute, pink Daisy baking dish (for only 25¢!)

After that, anything was going to be icing on the cake.  While I didn't find any more glass, I did grab these Tupperware trays in some amazing 70's colors.  Then, near the end of the day, I found a beautiful marble pastry board.  These can be pretty pricey so I was happy to find this one for $5 -- plus the lady I bought it from threw in a copy of Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin for free! 

The marble slab was a super find because I just checked a book out from the library called Sugar Baby: Confections, Candies, Cakes & Other Delicious Recipes for Cooking with Sugar which is so awesome, that I am going to buy a copy for my cookbook library.  In it, she recommends a marble board for use in making many of the candies in the book.  Great timing!

Join in sharing your finds at Her Library Adventure!

Generosity

I've been blogging for 9 years -- 9 years!  And I have to tell you that I've "met" a lot of people online -- some good and some bad.  (Over the years I've made my peace with the bad -- learning to ignore and delete their comments.  It took a while to grow a thick skin though.)  And I'm happy to say that things seems to be getting even more friendly around the internets in the last couple of years (or I've learned to avoid the trouble spots!)

Recently a fellow blogger sent me this cool book -- the Fire-King id and value guide.  How awesome is that?  She saw it at a library sale, thought of me and sent it to me!  I thought it was incredibly thoughtful and it re-affirmed my faith in this here blogging community.  Thank you, Annie!

And as an aside -- and also to demonstrate how perfect this book was for me -- I bought these vintage Anchor Hocking glass bowls over the weekend at Goodwill.  They need a bit more scrubbing, but I'm loving the 1970's colors.

Visit Apron Thrift Girl so see what everyone else found this past weekend!

Reading a Book Written by a Kindred Spirit

After reading a couple of books that were a bit disappointing, I was ready for something really good and Jo Walton did not disappoint. Among Others was a wonderfully engaging book that mixed the real with the magical seamlessly giving is a timeless yet modern feel.  The main character is a teen obsessed with reading -- specifically sci-fi and fantasy.  And since it was set in almost exactly the same time when I was a book obsessed teen, it was like reading a bit of my own biography.  Seeing Mor read the same books I devoured at her age was absolutely delightful.  I'll be reading more of Walton's books in the future.

Next up was China Mieville's Un Lun Dun which is actually as YA novel, but was shelved in the adult section of our library.  Personally I have no problem reading YA lit, so even after discovering this, I decided to read it anyway.  It was a pretty good book -- not exceptional, but rather engaging. 

I'm in a slump with Mieville right now, having been a bit disappointed by his novel Embassytown which I felt needed more editing.  He has great ideas, but needs someone to help him pare things down.  I understand that not all writers are great editors, but I think they need to know that about themselves and find someone who can do this very important task for them.

My Favorite Barista

Making her morning espresso while wearing her animal print hoodie.  Oy!  How'd she get so grown up?

And her cool, new Converse All Star hightops.  A girl after my own heart!

Coping with Magazines

I love magazines -- always have.  In fact, I remember getting Highlights as a child and saving every issue. 

At one point during my 30's, I was getting a ridiculous number of subscriptions, and over the past several years I have cut way back.  I still like to indulge in a magazine binge every once in a while though and today was a good day for such things.

It's the 12th anniversary of my dad's death -- he died suddenly when he was only 49.  I'm in my 40's now and it all freaks me out a bit.  Then there is the annual charity event we hold in his name -- which is today.  Sometimes I feel like it is just too much of a reminder that he is gone -- a constant reminder year after year.

Since I haven't really slept for the past two nights and I needed a little comfort, it was time for a magazine binge.  I'm looking forward to tomorrow when I can hunker down, have a good look at them and get back to thinking a little more about life and a little less about loss.

Danish Modern Magnus Olesen Children's Chairs

So, I was at this garage sale and saw these Mid-Century Modern style kid's chairs, flipped them over and saw they were made in Denmark.  While they are a bit beat up, I had to ask the price.  I just love the look of them.

The woman tending the sale said $2 each and I guess it looked like I wasn't willing to pay that much, because she quickly said she'd take $1 each.  At that price, I just couldn't leave them behind.  I came home and found very little info on them.  I believe they were designed by Rud Thygesen & Johnny Sorensen and are from a furniture collection called the 8000 series.  The only similar ones I could find that were up for sale were going for $125 each "as is" and $250 for a refinished chair.  Whoa. 

Now to figure out how to best sell them.

I've been...

... reading.

... making paletas

... joining a swap (& reliving my youth)

... watching movies

You?

 

Camp Report

Maddie wearing a bit of makeup from her camp lip sync performace.

Maddie is attending her last day of camp right now and after 8 weeks, she says that she is ready for it to be over.  She made new friends and got used to being away from me (although most days she would come home and say that she missed me).  She dealt with her first bully -- not fun at all, but I think she handled it well.  She played a lot of dodgeball, went swimming, performed for an audience, and got her first tan.  (Before her celiac disease diagnosis last fall, she could never go in the sun without breaking out in a terrible rash.)

As for me?  I picked berries twice, made jam and worked on a new quilt.  I also started taking walks by myself in the mornings -- until the crazy heat wave hit, that is.  I worked and did what I usually do for the most part.

I'm ready for her to be home with me again.  After the first week, I was able to sleep a bit better, but I never really got used to having her gone all day.  I am a worrier, and I worried a lot. 

Now it's time to think about school.  I'm giving her a week off after camp ends, but then we are getting back into the thick of it -- this year there will be calculus and perhaps a new language as she finishes up her third year of Spanish.  We are also planning some field trips -- the first being the Museum of Science and Industry at the end of August. 

I'm glad that Maddie tried camp this summer -- it was good for both of us -- but I'm equally glad that she'll be back with me again next week.

Summer Stuff

Traveled a great distance to go to a 'producer only' farmers' market in Bloomington, IL.  It was good, but I didn't find any berries -- at all.  Boo.  We did get some ground cherries, which were new to us and quite tasty.  (Plus cherry tomatoes, corn, cucumber, and some super tasty potatoes.)

Oh yeah, and they had balloon animals.

I did eventually get my berries -- at Target.  I know!  Crazy, right?  But at least Tar-jay had semi-local blueberries.  (From MI.)

So I did get to make the mixed berry jam I was dreaming of -- well, in my dream the berries were local and organic and all that, but anyway...

Now my pantry is full of jam -- seriously full!  Strawberry, raspberry, cherry, blueberry, and mixed berry.  And let's not forget the rose petal jam in the freezer.

Looking forward to filling up another shelf of the pantry with canned tomatoes!

Full Bloom

Despite the heat, the flower garden is looking beautiful.  The Black Eyed Susans and Cone Flowers (also known as Echinacea) seem to thrive in this weather.

If you are looking to attract butterflies and bees to your garden, Echinacea is the plant for you.  And as a bonus, it will attract goldfinches like mad as soon as it goes to seed.

Can you see all the pollen on this little bee's legs?  All the bees on these flowers were laden down with the stuff. 

Today even the weeds were looking pretty.  This lush little patch is hidden in a cool, damp spot and I couldn't resist taking a photo of the pretty little flowers.  Forget the grass -- which is brown right now -- I'll take weeds in the lawn any day!

HP Weekend

In anticipation of the last Harry Potter film -- which we won't see for another couple of weeks when the crowds die down -- we had a movie marathon this weekend.  (Although we only made it through 2 movies so far.)  There were wands -- handmade by Maddie -- and butterbeer...

Why yes, that is bourbon in the background.  The grownups had their butterbeers spiked. 

Did you see the latest HP movie this weekend?  I have heard a few people around the internets saying it was really good!

 

Progress on a couple fronts...

In the last 7 days, we have been without water and then power.  Things are back to normal now and I'm looking forward to a weekend of cooking, eating, relaxing and watching Harry Potter movies.  (It's hot here -- and I don't do heat well, so indoor activities are called for.)

Despite the troubles of the past week, I've made progress on my first log cabin quilt.  These 12 squares are just laid out together so I could get an idea of size.  I believe I have enough fabric to add another round to each block, which should get it to a more usable size.

And while it hasn't rained much here in the last several weeks, the garden is starting to show signs of activity.  Here is a little cuke that is starting to grow (thanks to my daily watering).  And this morning while picking strawberries, I saw a tiny green tomato.  Onions look like they need to be pulled up soon and I probably need to pull up a carrot to see if it's doing anything.  We can't seem to grow carrots very well here in our clay-ish soil, so my hopes are not high.  Oh, and also the baby bunny ate a bunch of the carrot tops when he/she was still small enough to get through the fencing around the garden. 

Time to go find a butterbeer recipe!

Why don't we grow people food in IL?

I guess I could call this the summer of jam, because I can't seem to stop making it -- rose petal, strawberry, cherry, raspberry and blueberry so far.  With the new kitchen I finally have some counter space -- and near the range, no less.  After being without this luxury for so many years, it seems the food making and preserving projects I had dreamed up are all being realized.

Now, if only I could easily find some local produce to play around with.  After driving for nearly an hour to find the blueberries at a semi-local farm (which claimed they had black raspberries, but didn't), I was discouraged.  It was especially frustrating to drive through miles and miles of nothing but corn (okay -- there may have been a few soybean fields too).  I mean, don't we grow people food in Illinois anymore?  Do I have to buy tasteless strawberries grown halfway across the country?  I know they can grow here.  I grow some in my own back yard.

Believe me, I've driven for miles, visited several local "farmers' markets" and searched high and low for farmstands.  It makes me crazy! 

Anyway.  That's my food rant.  I'm looking forward to the few local farms that set up stands around town (Glasscock's and Siegel's) -- although they mostly sell local sweet corn.  Sigh.

Oh, I've Been Reading

You may think that after my book binge at the beginning of this year, I grew tired of reading... nope!

 

I started reading the books in George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Fire and Ice" series a while back and have completed the first two books -- A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings. This is no small feat as the books are more than 800 and 1000 pages respectively. However, they are so engaging that I look forward to getting back to the series and jumping into book 3 in the near future.

As an aside, these are the books that made me fall in love with the iBooks app on my iPad.  Such large books are a bit much in their paperback form -- heavy, floppy and difficult on my aging eyes.  I sampled them on the Kindle app since I own a Kindle and thought it might be nice to switch among my devices, but the iBooks app was easier on the eyes and just worked for me.

Then things got a bit strange -- I started reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.  I did this not at the behest of Oprah, but rather of my husband.  He often reads classics in the summertime and thought it was time for some Dickens.  Remembering only vaguely that wacky Miss Havisham, I decided to join in so that we could discuss, but quickly grew tired of the book and raced ahead, finishing it as quickly as possible.  Don't get me wrong -- Dickens is a great writer and all, but the serialized nature of this book lead him to stray.  The sheer number of characters and side plots was exhausting.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, a steampunk/alternate history concerning the start of WWI, was my latest read.  While it took me a while to get into this one, it finished well.  I'll probably pick up the second book in this series at some point.

So that makes 21 books in 194 days for an average of a book every 9.2 days.  My average is really slipping, but it had to happen considering the length of 3 of these books. 

The Joys of Owning an Old House

Why yes, the inside of our garage is seafoam green.

"What's that?"  You say?  Well, it just happens to be the old mechanical something-or-other under the old, rotting boards on the floor of the garage.  We only know of this because Saturday our daughter heard weird sounds coming from the garage floor.  At first we thought she was trying to joke with us, but upon entering the garage there was no mistaking the sounds of rushing water.

Strange steampunk creations below the garage floorboards.

Pete pried up a few of the boards and we saw that a pipe was spewing water into the weird space under the garage.  As the water level rose, we all started to panic a bit.  Pete got into the nasty, mucky water and found a valve which -- thank goodness -- shut off the water, but... wait for it... it also shut off all the water to our house.  Argh!

Weird pressure gauge down in the garage pit.

So, an emergency plumber was called.  Said emergency plumber was fired upon not showing up and another emergency plumber was called, and now we once again have water.  Why there is a shut off for our water under the garage, I do not know.  The joys of living in an old house.

 

Weekend Finds

This weekend I found some pretty sweet items while out thrifting -- the first being this Fiesta Metrokane Juicer.  I knew nothing about it when I found it, but we juice a lot of lemons and limes in this house, and while my little vintage glass juicer works great, it is not very efficient.  So when I saw this seriously heavy duty juicer -- that said Fiesta on the handle, no less -- I knew I wanted it.  It was marked $5 and I asked if the price was firm.  It was, but I bought it anyway. 

When I got home and did a search, I found one this same color that sold on eBay for $130!  I also discovered that you can still buy a Metrokane juicer -- although not in Fieata Ware colors -- for about $60.

Best of all, this thing looked like it had never once been used.  I used it the same day I bought it and it worked like a charm, juicing a bunch of limes in no time at all. 

This amazing framed poster also came home with me (for only $10) and I've already found a place for it.  This is a poster issued by the Art Institute of Chicago which is a reproduction of the submission by Richard Yoshijiro Mine for the Chicago Tribune Tower competition in 1922. 

I was an Architectural History minor in college and studied the competition, so I was happy to find this poster which is huge!  (about 4 1/2" tall!)  It does need new glass -- which will cost a small fortune due to the size -- but for $10, I think it's a steal. 

As an aside -- Pete's cousin wrote a book on the Trib Tower Competition.  Very cool!

More thrifty finds at Thrift Share Monday.

Social Media Madness!

    

Ack!  I just decided to try figuring out and using Twitter this week and then Google+ comes along.  Who has time for all these sites and why can't everything just happen in one place. 

I'm thinking that if Google+ is successful, it will take the best of FB and the best of Twitter and merge them into one beautiful site.  I have high hopes after playing around with it a bit, but only time will tell if it is adopted by enough people to become successful.

(As an aside -- circles are awesome.  Don't you agree?)

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home

I am in serious love with this cookbook.  It's called Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home and although I've owned it for less than a week, I've already made three recipes from it.

 
First there was Homeyed Peanut Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Freckles.  So delicious!!  Rich, creamy and flavorful.

The next day I made Lemon Frozen Yogurt for my girl, who loves lemony things as much as me.  As an added bonus -- Pete loved it and said it tasted a lot like cheesecake.

Today I made Salty Caramel Ice Cream (actually darker than this photo -- more caramel colored) which I just tasted, and it's amazing.

While you will dirty quite a few dishes while making these recipes, the process is simple and pretty much fool proof.  I had no difficulties whatsoever, and will be trying more flavors form the book in the future. 

If you have a home ice cream maker, you really need to check out this book.  I've tried a lot of different recipes, and none have resulted in ice cream this good.  Heck, better than good -- awesome!