Things!

I re-watch the britcoms that run on PBS whenever they’re on, which is every Tuesday night. I’ve seen every single episode of Are You Being Served, Keeping Up Appearances, and As Time Goes By several times, but I still keep watching them. I don’t really know why, I like them but it’s not like I think they’re the best thing ever or anything.

I love trains. Well, I love traveling by train, the trains themselves don’t really interest me.

I walk over a mile to Whole Foods every week to buy yogurt – they’re the closest place with Wallaby Yogurt, mmmmm….

I really like cereal. I could eat it for every meal. I don’t keep any in the apartment because I can’t resist it; seriously, it’s a problem.

I started yoga and I kind of love it, but I spend most of my time falling down and wondering how everyone else is standing on their head. I bought a bright pink yoga mat, with flowers.

Mom wants a black scarf for Christmas. I hate knitting scarves, but I’m doing it. I’m making something like the Foreign Correspondent's scarf; the pattern wouldn’t download right for me so I’m just kind of winging it.

Here's a picture of a gravestones, which is kind of morbid, but I like the flying sculls.

I only like knitting patterns that do not have english translations. It's pretty annoying.

The past 4 months

It's been a very long time since I've uploaded the photos on my camera. In celebration of my upload, I'm presenting a short pictorial history of the past 4 months:

Found this at work (well, my old work now).

This is now finished, and it fits way better than it did in this photo.

Bugs!!

My bench - I took this awhile ago, it looks way more awesome now.... And by awesome I mean lived in.... And my lived in I mean messy....

Repairing this funny little book.

More recently I celebrated Halloween by wondering how Paul Revere turned into the Headless Horseman

And sewing a curtain.

Boston

So, its been awhile. But it was time well spent – I transported myself to Boston, where I now live in a cute little apartment and go to a cute little school. No, they wouldn’t like me calling it that…. A very serious little school. Where we bind books all day, eat baked goods, and wonder what that noise is. The bookbinding program is on the same floor as the piano tuning program, over the carpentry program and under the violin making program, so we really do spend a significant part of our day trying to guess what that weird noise/rattling/humming/bone-shaking vibration might be.

So far so good, and I’ve been knitting – I’ll get to that later in the week, can’t share everything with you right away can I?

Seriously.

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

It's a grammatically correct, valid sentence. Surprise!

squash problems

Garden update. Again. Apparently this is a gardening blog now, who knew?

So, I’m confused. I believe that I have both pattypan squash plants and butternut squash plants in my garden (yeah, I think that’s right but at this point no one can be sure).

If you don’t know, pattypans look like this:

And butternuts look like this:

And my squash looks like this:

Could they be interbreeding? Is that possible? Or could my pattypans just be weird shaped? So, they’re white like a pattypan, kind of spikey like a pattypan, and taste like a pattypan, but they’re shaped like a butternut and grew off of what I thought was a butternut plant…. Interesting….

In other news, mini red bell peppers!!

garden update

I didn’t realize how big the butternut and pattypan squash plants were going to get. They’re pretty much invading the squash corner of the garden. But I have to say, I am impressed with myself. I started these from seeds – last year everything I started from seed was either destroyed by bugs or looked sad and sickly all summer. This year almost all the squash and cucumber plants I started from seed are still alive, and they all look surprisingly healthy. They even have flowers. I don’t understand it, but I’m not complaining.

Also, Turnips! I grew a turnip!

Also from seed. And a carrot. I have a lot more still in the garden, we decided these weren’t quite big enough yet so we would leave the rest in for awhile longer.

Mini red pepper plants (not from seed. I’m not that awesome).

Bush beans, pole beans, wax beans, purple string beans, and peas!

Peas! I was pretty excited about these.

Green peppers!

Way Better than Regular Yellow Rice

This weekend Paul moved apartments. In short, it was really hot and everything was really heavy. But that’s not what I want to talk to you about. I want to tell you about the dinner I made Monday night.

We had no real food in the apartment (due to the whole moving thing), and we were tired of leftover pizza, so I used what we had and I think it turned out pretty good. I call it “Way Better than Regular Yellow Rice.”

First, make some Goya Yellow Rice. I’m not going to tell you how to do that, it’s on the box.

When it’s finished get out a big ol’ frying pan and combine cooked rice

Olive Oil! (A tablespoon or two. Or more! More can't hurt!)

A can of Great Northern Beans (drained and rinsed)

A can of Chickpeas (my favorite food ever) (also drain and rise)

A can of petite diced tomatoes (drain)

One Yellow Onion (diced)

A liberal amount of garlic (we use this jar stuff, I have no idea what amount this translates into in real-garlic world. But I always use a LOT of garlic. So use whatever you consider a lot)

Ground pepper, cumin, and paprika (I don’t measure things, I can’t say how much. A lot, I use a lot of most everything)

Okay, so that’s all in the frying pan, right? Now heat it up.

Consume.

Feeds 4 as a main dish, or 2 and one Paul. As a side dish it probably feeds 100.

Balls and beans. And bobby pins.

Over Memorial Day I made this salad to go with our cookout.

Black Bean and Couscous Salad (or, as my 2 year old cousin calls it, “balls and beans”)

It was fantastic. And I don't like vinegar OR cilantro, but it was still good. We forgot to buy corn so I used tomatoes instead, and it was a good decision.

Bobby pins in the shop! These were so fun to make, I started making them and couldn't stop. I have about a ton already made sitting in a box, waiting for a home. I think the white ones would be great for a wedding.

not doing math homework

All I can say so that the Summerfest craft show was a complete FAIL. I sold one whole thing! But I can say that I did better than most of the tables around me – turnout was horrible. I think I saw about 40 people who were not other vendors or volunteers. So in a way that makes me feel better, I failed due to circumstances, not because people don’t like my things. But a good turn out would have been nice– then I would at least know if people liked my stuff and if I should try again! Maybe I’ll look for another show around Christmas, but I’m taking a break for now. I’ve moved back to knitting:

Hopefully, someday, this blob will turn into this sweater. (Slinky Ribs)

Also, it’s very hot. Quinn doesn’t like it one bit.

Community

My favorite scene from my favorite show

Good idea?

If only Quinn's hair was longer than 2 inches.... If only....

newspaper and glue

Decoupage may have taken over my life. Maybe. Picture frames, wine bottles, spaghetti sauce jars....

(in the shop)

I got a rejection letter yesterday that stated "We enjoyed meeting you and really appreciate you taking the time to interview for the position." Except I never interviewed with them.... Well, I didn't get the job but they did make me laugh. This morning I got a message from them telling me they had sent me the wrong message, and here's the REAL rejection letter - really, was that necessary?

Happy Easter everyone!

And if you don't do Easter, then happy Sunday!

Most of my family was busy this year, so instead of our normal Easter festivities my parents and I went to Longwood Gardens, which was full of flowers and sunshine and children filled with sugar and whatnot.

In other news, I made a book out of a seed packet (In the shop)

I really liked how it turned out so I went back to the store and bough a million more seed packets (or 30 or so). It's not like these are available all year long, I needed to stock up (or that's what I said to myself)! So, anyone want some extra seeds?

Title? I don't remember.

I’ve been having memory issues tonight. I’ve been sitting around meaning to say things to my mom or whoever, and then by the time I go to say it the thought is gone. And now I opened Word to write an update about something, but by the time the program opened I forgot what it was. This usually happens at the end of a semester during finals week or whatever, but this is actually the first day of the semester and last week was spring break (yeah, Drexel has weird semester times). This does not bode well for this quarter’s classes….

Oh well, here’s a photo of something:

Mont Saint Michel, France, 2009

Look what Quinn found in the backyard

Overly curious dog

Finds nest of baby snakes living in a stump

I saw five of them in there

By the time I came back with a bucket (I was going to put the bucket over the stump and wait for dad to come home to transport them somewhere more dog friendly), they had left the stump and were crawling all around the back yard. I hid inside.

Today the snakes are nowhere to be seen, good for me but Quinn is a bit disappointed.

bread

I attempted to make bread the other day. I was surprised at how successful it turned out! I’m usually a miserable baker. It’s not that my baked goods turn out miserable, but baking itself makes me miserable. It’s tedious. I get bored. I have to measure things. I need to wait for things to finish baking so I can put the next round in the oven (specifically I’m talking about cookies. Baking cookies generally makes me an angry person.) Bread isn't as tedious though. Probably because halfway through you get to punch the dough, so you're no longer angry.

Before

After

Looks like bread, doesn’t it?

I used these instructions.* That’s right, instructions, not recipe. You don’t really need to measure or use any specific ingredients beyond yeast, flour and water. The only thing you need to to make bread is to do general things at generally standard times and you’re set.

The first time I added oatmeal and applesauce to my bread (couldn’t taste the applesauce though….). Today I made bread with raisins, cinnamon and sugar, oatmeal, walnuts and flaxseed. Way good.

*PS, if you use these instructions to make bread, note that it keeps saying salt is optional. Salt is not optional! I didn’t use any salt my first round and it really tasted like it was missing something. Next time I added 1 teaspoon of salt and I was set. You don’t need a lot, but you do need it! Also, I did use bread flour, which I could find at the regular grocery store. I don't know if it made any difference, but I used it and it worked well.

Oh my!

I was on the front page of Etsy today. I was totally not expecting that. At all. Not even a little bit. What a surprise!

Thanks, whoever mystery person in charge thought my book was nice enough to post on the front page.

What’s on MY windowsill?

Rapini broccoli. Since yesterday it has turned into a sad leggy mess. I think it’s because it’s been cloudy for the past week and they’re only getting light from my bootleg artificial set up. So, we’ll see how they survive.

Various herb and veggies I started only last night! So basically just dirt. There’s patty pan (which I’m very excited about) and butternut squash in here, as well as some various beans. Yes, I start my beans inside. I’ve been told that’s weird. But you know what, I’ll get beans before anybody else, so there! Also some poppies, basil, and dill. And a luffa plant.

Did you know that luffas come from a plant? Really, they do! And I found some seeds at Target!

And this violet that really really loves it here. It’s pretty much always in bloom. It’s a happy plant.

Also, here’s some knitting, it will turn into Slinky Ribs (I hope)

And YES I’m knitting it in the yarn recommended by the pattern. This is the first time I’ve ever done that. And it’s really nice yarn. And I want it to fit exactly like it does in the photo (the second photo, just to be unnecessarily clear), so I’m actually following the directions to the letter – that’s a first.

This is also why I don’t post photos of knitting – see, this is boring! It looks like a blob! A blob that wouldn’t even fit me – but the ribbing stretches (as ribbing does….)