Hyperventilating

I really should be doing more important work-type stuff but instead I'm hyperventilating over this:


After making almost every single recipe out of the first book that Matt and Renato published, you can imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon this on accident.

I haven't even flipped through this book yet but I'm going to go out on a limb and recommend you put it on your holiday wish list. And then buy a copy for me.

Enough work. I'm going to go bake something.

It's very....quiet

:: Grandma N came to pick up Z-cakes this evening. N8tr0n and I are taking a little weekend trip and thought Z-cakes would have more fun at grandma and grandpa's. We don't leave until this evening so I have big plans for my child-less day. House cleaning, maybe a run, a little sewing...I figure that will get me to about 11:00 AM. After that, I have no idea what I'll do. I am well aware that my life would be very boring without Z-cakes.

:: I spent yesterday making this loaf cake. Mercy. It was the perfect end to our end-of-Summer dinner. It comes out of the oven the most gorgeous brown-almost-black color. Paired with my grandma's bread pan, the sight almost got me teary. Jen, I am positive you will love this. I thought of you the entire time I was making it.

:: I also made the best bread of my life. Not exaggerating. It was quite a domestic day.

:: N8tr0n helped me make pizza the other night. It was simple and delicious topped with garden tomatoes hand crushed by my man, garlic + oregano + fresh thyme + fresh mozzarella + fresh basil. Fresh being the key words in that sentence. I couldn't quit telling N8tr0n how nice it was to have him in the kitchen with me. We need to do that more often. I really really like him.

:: I haven't stopped listening to this playlist since Alicia posted it. Isn't it nice when someone does all the work for you? I do love these brothers. I breifly considered scrapping the whole handmade holiday idea and just buying everyone on my Christmas list their new album. We'll see. If by chance you're new to the Avett Brothers (which I kind of doubt) I recommend starting with I and Love and You and then jumping to Pretty Girl from Cedar Lane....then just listen to the whole playlist. Okay. Moving on.

:: The ACTUAL reason I started this post was to tell you about my guest post over at Sherbet Blossom! Hannah has started a new series called "May I Suggest." She has gathered a few bloggers to share some of their favorite things each Friday. Rad right? I'll be there sharing during the month of September. Today: the deep dark secrets of my beauty routine. (quit laughing, I kind of have one!) Go check it out!

Happy Weekend friends!

Guess who I met!

That's right friends. The Pioneer Woman came to Denver to sign her new cookbook and I WAS THERE! I can't believe I actually made it to be perfectly honest. It's the kind of thing that I think about going to, don't plan well enough for, and don't go to. Then I'm all pouty when everybody is posting pictures on their blogs detailing the fabulousness that I missed out on. But not this time!

I love this picture. It looks like I'm totally swooning over her; because, let's be honest here, I totally was.

I have N8tr0n to thank for my presence at this event. I was washing dishes feeling sorry for myself because I wasn't going to see PW. N8tr0n came into the kitchen and was all, "just go." Actually, he was all: You never go to these things. You think about them, and then you don't plan for them, and then you don't go. And you need to just go. Go down to the basement, print out directions, and go. Don't worry about parking. Don't worry about going alone, just go.

It's like he anticipated all of my excuses. Like he knows me. Like he's married to me. (!)

Thankfully, I didn't have to go alone. My sweet friend April decided to come with me -get this- just to hang out with me! What a great friend right? (I should note that I'm convinced she had no concept for the amount of time she was about to commit to this outing.) She also decided to buy me the cookbook for my birthday so that I didn't have to feel silly getting Ree to sign the recipe of hers that I had printed out on the computer. Because April is that kind of friend.

The story of how I procured said cookbook is somewhat miraculous. April and I did not arrive at 4:00 for the 7:30 signing like some of the more devout/responsible/crazy? fans so, by the time we got to the bookstore all the cookbooks appeared to be spoken for. April spotted what looked like a "hidden stash" behind Ree and she was determined that she would get her hands on one of those books. I had no doubt in April's ability to follow through with this plan. I pretty much had no doubt in April's ability to rip one out of some lady's hands if she needed to...that's the kind of faith I have in April. But while I was upstairs talking to Rachel (who stopped by after work and fled the insanity [plus she was hungry]) I noticed a lone book on top of a stack of newspapers. It was just sitting there. No receipt. No owner in sight. I snatched it like mom grabbing a Vtech on Black Friday...and then looked around confused. This lone book was very puzzling indeed. Why would anyone just leave it sitting there? Did it belong to that lady looking at the magazine? Did somebody already buy it and now I was stealing it? I think Rachel finally got annoyed at myconfusion and said "it looks like you found yourself a book."

Yes. Yes I had.

Tattered Cover was in no way, shape, or form prepared for the amount of people that would show up for this book signing. Check out this craziness:

This is just the small section I could capture with my camera. There were LONG lines going up both staircases and around the store. I was totally disappointed in the lack of planning on the part of Tattered Cover.

Apparently when they have larger book signings, they hold them at their larger location. The women that were trying to organize this enormous (dare I say, sometimes catty, and crowdy) group of women kept saying that they "just didn't anticipate this big of a crowd." I'm quite surprised that at some point during the planning stages of this event somebody didn't click on over to PW's site and say "Wow. This last giveaway PW did got 36,000 comments. Do you think we should maybe put out a few more chairs?" It's like that time that Oprah gave out free meals at KFC and KFC TOTALLY RAN OUT OF FOOD. Like they thought nobody watched Oprah? Or that nobody's mom/neighboor/high school friend who still has you on the forward email list watches Oprah and wouldn't be sending the coupon to every person in the country? Seriously. Disappointed in the lack of planning you guys.

Okay but this post has nothing to do with KFC. Their chicken is gross. Yuck.

Pioneer Woman, on the other hand, has a recipe for fried chicken that looks delicious and that I will someday be making.

Aaaanywaaaay...After a brief Q & A, it was time to wait. And wait. And wait. For like, a really long time. Fortunately, April found a little Twilight porn to pass the time...

(It wasn't really porn. Just like...not...literature. April doesn't read porn. Or smoke as you may recall)

And I took out my knitting. Isn't my red scarf coming along nicely?

After almost THREE HOURS of waiting, it was almost my turn!

And then it WAS my turn!

Look how interesting PW thinks I am!

I knelt down next to her to talk. Is that weird? It was just awkward standing there and leaning over her. I didn't really think about it at the time...but now the picture looks weird to me. Oh well.

In case there is any question in your mind...she is just as sweet as you can imagine. Her voice is beautiful and sincere. And she has great hair. And beautiful skin. And couldn't you just die over those earrings? And she had been signing books and making small-talk with complete strangers for over three hours (and had AT LEAST an hour to go) and was showing no signs of fatigue or annoyance. Amazing.

Amazing. Wonderful. Fantastic. Thanks for coming April (your PW inspired thank-you is on its way). Thanks for convincing me to go N8tr0n. Thanks for the inspiration Ree. I can't wait to spread the cowboy cookin' love!

From the chair by the window...

We have a giant recliner/rocker that sits next to the window in our living room. It belonged to N8tr0n's parents. Then his brother and sister-in-law. Now us. I believe the color could be described as gold. It was once gold. Like, 70s gold, you know? It is really comfortable. When Z-cakes went down for her nap, I practically ran to it. I felt like I needed to escape and for some reason that chair + a blanket felt as far away as anywhere else. Here's what I saw from my chair:

It feels so good to be knitting again. For some reason knitting is a very seasonal thing for me and last fall/winter I hardly did any at all. I started craving it much earlier this year and have had the urge to carry it with me everywhere. Last Friday I spent Z-cakes' entire nap browsing Ravelry (a must for all of you knitters out there) when what I really wanted to do was take a nap, so I counted my time spent marking favorites as productivity. The project you see in my lap is this scarf. I bought the pattern from Churchmouse while we were on Bainbridge. I think it will be the perfect ruffly accent. Stylish and not too overpowering. I'm taking my time with this one, and trying to enjoy every minute of it. The yarn feels so soft in my fingers and the stitches are easy and repetitive. I think I'm subconsciously using knitting to ward off the weepies that I fear are creeping into my system again.

These are the books that my sister-in-law got me for my birthday. Yes...I have a very sweet sister-in-law indeed. How did she choose the exact books that I would be the most excited to receive off of my wish list? First of all, I pretty much want to be Amanda Soule. Second of all...just look at the cover of The Joy of Jams and Jellies, I mean...come on. Am going to have to start brainstorming Christmas gifts for her with more vigor. She is one of my favorite people to shop for.

I picked up these two books at the library yesterday. I just love the library. I can't begin to guess how much money I've saved checking out books instead of buying them. And I've told you about how I like to check out cookbooks from the library right? I try to make as many recipes from them as I can so that I can decide whether or not I want to buy them. Sometimes I like to take said cookbooks and place them on hot burners on my stove...but that is rare. Of course I love to purchase the occasional new book...new page smell and blah blah blah...but saving money is pretty crucial for us right now. Like, we need to save money so that we can buy our pumpkins from patches.

I checked out Eat This Not That! mostly because all the cool kids were reading it. I'm enjoying it so far...it's like a giant magazine. The Martha Stewart book is one that I've had my eye on at Costco for quite some time. This is one mammoth book about taking care of your house in prose that only our dear Martha could stamp her name upon. Am looking for some help with my home cleaning routine crazy mess of a house. I'm having a hard time actually carrying out weekly chores like laundry, daily chores like dishes, and hourly chores like picking up whatever it was I just put down. Am hoping to get back into a routine. Wishing that when I returned home from vacation it wouldn't take me the same amount of days I spent on vacation to get back to living. That can't be normal.

N8tr0n got me these shoes for my birthday. They're TOMS. I love them.

That's what I saw today from my chair by the window. It's snowing outside right now so chances are that I'll be seeing many of the same things tomorrow. It's highly likely that I'll be adding a cup of this to the mix...and wishing I owned one of these so my arms could stay warm while I knit. Feel free to join me.

My Great-Aunt used to yell at the T.V. too...

So...you watch So You Think You Can Dance right? You don't, really? Have you really watched it? Do you have a friend who has it on DVR so you can give it another try? Because it's great. Loads of fun. Best thing to do on a summer Wednesday/Thursday night. Well, I guess if you don't watch it you can be done reading this post because it will make no sense...okay quit reading now.

Anyway.

I watch this show called So You Think You Can Dance (cool people refer to it as SYTYCD). I usually watch it with my good friend Rachel and her sister Amanda. We have a great time validating each others' opinions, scoffing at the judges, and complaining about costumes and Tyce Diorio. However, for the last couple of weeks I have been unable to watch the show with these two great girls and I have missed them. I try to keep my commentary in my head because N8tr0n only gives me blank stares when I try to talk to him about what is going on, but sometimes it's just too much. I end up yelling things at the TV (and then pretend that I'm just trying to "speak loudly" to N8tr0n, though he knows that I'm actually crazy, I mean, only old people yell at the TV right). Here's the short list of what may or may not have been blurted at my TV while watching the show tonight...

A. Brandon and Jeanette are my favorite couple. That was the best non-professional Argentine Tango I've ever seen. Dude! The judges agree with me! Yeah, Jeanette is like, way sexy when she dances (thinking of the disco, cha cha...)

B. Of course Mary says "EXpecially." Why wouldn't she?

C. Dude, what is it with Broadway? Why are none of the dancers getting it? Have we seen a Broadway number yet this season that the dancers have connected with?

D. Okay I know I'm not Tyce's #1 fan so I'm trying not to be bias...BUT...he acted like he was giving all of the couples "constructive criticism" but he never actually completed a coherent thought. I think he told at least one dancer from every couple to "find more," "get there," "find IT." What does that mean exactly? "Take the floor on your journey"...wha?

E. Crap, I think teddy bear face dude and gymnast girl might be going home.

F. Awww! Pasha and Ania!

G. Aww crap. I think Evan and Randi might be going home.

H. Aww crap. Why did Phillip and girl whose NAME I CAN'T REMEMBER BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE HER pull a sexy number that she got to dance with her boobs practically falling out? Now everyone is going to vote for them and they'll be in the top ten when they should have been gone a long time ago. (except guys don't actually vote on this show so maybe the boobs don't make a difference...still).

I. Yep, Brandon and Jeanette are my favorite.

J. Did she just...no...yep...Mary said "stoled." come on.

Okay, so now you know that I'm a little bit crazy when it comes to the one show that I make a point of watching during the summer. (I suppose Burn Notice counts too although I probably wouldn't be as loyal if all of my friends weren't watching it). What did you yell at your TV tonight while you were watching SYTYCD?

Trust Me On This One

If you ever find yourself in Olympia, Washington, I would recommend staying there until you have gone to the Mud Bay Coffee Company. Yes, I can already hear what you’re saying… “umm, Miranda? You don’t drink coffee. What business do you have recommending a coffee shop?” Well you’re right, I don’t drink coffee. But Mud Bay has something that I do drink…CHOCOLATE.



The fine people at Trop’s Gourmet Chocolates sell their delicious real (as in, no separated cocoa and cocoa butter for them) chocolate to Mud Bay for use in hot chocolate, mochas, and whatever other coffee based drinks include chocolate. But that is not the only thing you’re going to Mud Bay for…you’re going there for the brownies. And believe me, if you’re going to buy one brownie, you might as well buy them all. If you do not, then you’ll spend the rest of your day in a panic that you may never get to eat another one of those delicious brownies as long as you live. Then you’ll obsess about the fact that other (less-deserving) people are buying up your precious brownies perhaps without even appreciating what they’re about to bite into! Are the brownies still there? What if you go back and they’re gone? How will you know unless you BUY THEM ALL?! So trust me, just buy them.

After you’ve devoured the brownies, you might wonder how you can get your hands on a bottle of this stuff. I can't help you with that one. The one in the picture was a promotional item that I got from my brother-in-law (see below). However, if Mud Bay has decided to sell the chocolate separate from their concoctions, obviously I would recommend taking a bottle (or six) home. What did I do with my chocolate? Well, what I didn’t eat out of the bottle with a spoon I shared with my husband in the form of hot chocolate, ice cream topping, and graham cracker dip….but mostly I just ate it with a spoon.

As for the coffee, I’m sure that is fantastic also. How can I be so sure? Well, my brother-in-law is a roaster there and I’m guessing he does a pretty bang up job of it. He even knows how to roast coffee beans in the comfort of his own home…while his dad runs the shop vac to clean up the chaff.

Feeding a New Addiction

Do you remember that old Corn Flakes commercial where they tell you to "taste them again...for the first time." ? I probably only remember it because my dad used to quote it all the time. Anyway, that's what I feel like I'm doing with my New Year's resolution..."Reading again...for the first time."

Last Fall, I heard a story on NPR about how the typical person only read about four books in a year. "WHAT!" I exclaimed. Then I tried to remember how many books I had read in the last year. Huh. Apparently I was below average.

This had not always been the case. I was a much more avid reader when I was younger. I remember my first set of "real books" the kind that had more than 10 pages and small pictures. (Ramona Quimby in case you're wondering). As far as I can tell, my downfall was graduate school. By the time I graduated it seemed that I had done so much reading that my mind just lacked the mental capacity and attention span for it. I distinctly remembered only reading magazines around that time because it was the only reading I could handle. I don't think that was necessarily a bad thing, the problem was I didn't get back in to the habit...until now.

Because I am a therapist, I believe that everyone should set goals...and those goals should set you up for success. When I made a new year's resolution to "read more" I knew that about two months into my new year, I would have a new baby...maybe I needed to set my aspirations low. I decided to try to read one book a month.

Little did I know that my desire to read would come back with a vengeance. I seriously can't get enough of it. I get mad when I start falling asleep at night because I've been reading so late; and, my baby gets frustrated because I try to read while I'm nursing her. And now that I have a goodreads account and can make a list of books that I want to read without forgetting them, I think I'm getting in over my head. Apparently it's time for me to set a new goal.