Happy Friday

:: I took this photo as I was leaving Salmon. I love it.

:: Our master bedroom (I call it that because it is our bedroom and not Z's bedroom but there's really nothing master about it) is so close to being complete that it is killing me. I really want to show you pictures. But you're really not seeing pictures until the curtains are hung.

:: Z-cakes is finally recovering from the crud and so am I. I started to get sick just as Z started showing signs of getting better. Lovely.

:: The sun is shining today and I hope it sticks around. I need some sunshine and our garden needs some sunshine. I don't think I've ever had a problem with my garden actually having too much moisture. However, our brussels sprouts look awesome and only two of our strawberry starts died. Also, I think one of our cucumber plants is alive. I have no idea how that happened because the rest of them are dead as doornails.

:: Thank you for the kind comments about the shower. It is always so fun to hear what your favorite parts were and it gives me the motivation to get started on plans for the next event.

:: Happy weekend friends! See you next week.

The Time, It Flies

{photo by truche}

Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit!

I had to pop in here this afternoon to wish all of you a happy June. Did you know that we have lived in Idaho for an entire year? How can that be? On May 26th last year we pulled away from our beloved duplex in Denver and headed to Idaho. On June 1st, N8tr0n started his new job. A few months later we bought our first house, and a few months after that N8tr0n started a new new job. And now? Right now all is right with the world.

There are definitely times when I still miss Denver and the many friends that we had there. But the gravitational pull that Denver had on my heart when we were driving away has loosened and Idaho is feeling more like home everyday. That's not to say that I couldn't still go for some Chipotle. Or Sweet Action. Or Good Times. Or Tokyo Joes. Anyway.

I am done with work for the day. My first order of business is to go outside. If I have learned anything from this spring it has to fill my nice weather canteen whenever I can because the clouds are probably rolling in in about an hour. Maybe this is what it feels like to live in the moment?

A chicken update is on the way. Thanks for the request. I'm also throwing a shower with my friend Jen this Saturday so be prepared for a picture heavy party post. Aaaaaand I'll be sure to share the mix I'm putting together for the drive to Jen's house! Yay!

Happy June Friends. Go enjoy the sunshine if you can.

Up to

Here's what I've been up to today:

Painting the accent wall in our bedroom. Rich, delicious, dark brown. Or a slate gray depending on the light and your eyesight. I hemmed and hawed (one of the things I despise doing most in the world) over whether or not to paint this wall so dark. I thought about an all over blue-gray. I thought about no accent wall. I thought about bright-freaking-green. Then I decided that rather than drive myself crazy I would go with my original idea and live with the consequences. The consequences being: I love it.

N8tr0n's parents helped us put in a bathroom fan, put a fresh coat of paint on the rest of the bedroom, and install a new light switch in the bedroom. This might not sound exciting to you but we're pretty jazzed about all of it. Plus, N8tr0n got to use the saw that he got for Christmas which is a pretty big deal. I didn't take a picture of the light switch because I think you've seen one. Basically N8tr0n switched out our old loud one that goes 'click' when the light turns on to the nice silent kind.

{Dude, that is a light AND a fan. I didn't even know those existed!}

Now with the accent wall painted and the curtains in hand. I think I can see the end of the bedroom decorating in sight. Well, the majority of it anyway.

And speaking of bedroom decorating, major thank you to all of you who commented and emailed with your opinions on the mood board. You guys are the raddest. For those of you who are not a fan of the striped bed-skirt idea, N8tr0n applauds you for being on his side. You all gave me such great ideas to think about and as Z-cakes would say, "you really saved the day." Thank you, thank you.

In more decorating news: I'm obsessed with this bedding (in white). Chances are I will either try to make it or pay full price for the sucker. N8tr0n is going to hang these blinds tonight (also white) and I think this idea may be the answer to my bedside table conundrum.

Here's what else I'm up to today:
:: Helping a toddler discover that cookies follow trips to the potty. Because remember months and months ago when I said we were working on potty training? Well we both gave up about as quickly as we started and decided to revisit the matter at a later date. And that date is now.

:: Answering some of your questions in the comments (because I always mean to be better about that) and on Formspring. Keep them coming, by the way.

:: Being inspired by my beautiful friend, Rachel. I can see why she loves where she lives.


Hope you're having a wonderful day!

This and That :: August

:: We enjoyed some cupcakes on the front steps after dinner last night. Now this is a tradition I could get used to. In fact, I'm already used to it. Too bad cupcakes are harder to make than ice cream.

Is it just me or are cupcakes a little tricky? I mean, assuming you refuse to use a box mix and still want that cute little domed top AND live at a higher altitude, they can be a bit tricky. This recipe (with the leavening cut in half) turned out beautifully today and was delicious to boot. Smooth rounded tops on every single one. Success. That recipe is going straight into the staples pile.

:: I feel like I've been crafting like a crazy person with nothing to show for it. No completely finished projects that I can stage for a picture and present to you on le blog. Instead I have four projects that are 98% finished. Curses on my sudden insistence that I have to block my knits. I keep wanting to promise that I will post some soon but, you know, promises promises.

:: Speaking of crafty, check this out.

:: We are potty-training in the Walker household y'all. Though I must admit that efforts of all parties involved is half hearted. Wish us luck.

:: I've been reading over a few blog posts from the past and pondering on my blogging experience thus far. I have realized that blogging has made me 1) a worse writer, and 2) less funny. Ahem. Troubling indeed. Though I suppose it really only sucks for you guys, since you're the ones reading. My apologies. I'll try to spruce things up a bit round here.

:: I went crazy a few days ago and started up a Tumblr account. You know, because I need another thing in my life that needs updated. Okay that's not entirely true--the Tumblr account doesn't have to be updated. It is basically my solution (and like, a million other bloggers' solution) for the insane amount of inspiration that comes pouring out of the internets each day. I wanted a place that I could collect all of the pictures that make my heart flutter--no narration needed. With the possiblity of a home purchase in our future, the focus is on home decor. Now if somebody who knows what they're talking about could take a look at it and let me know what the heck my "style" is, I'd appreciate it. I'm looking directly at you descendants of CJP.

:: Diedra left a comment on my post about the fair talking about how scary showing a steer was. Indeed, I have to agree. Even though I grew up on a cattle feedlot I was, am, and probably always will be, scared of cows. If you know me, you know that I'm scared of most things and you aren't the least bit surprised. I was describing to my dad the anxiety ridden 20-30 minutes spent in the show ring where, if your own calf was calm there was still bound to be somebody else's calf that was acting up. Then you had to lead your calf out of the ring which was the worst part because they would be eager to get back to their stall and sometimes fight you in the excitement. Then there was the relief of your father grabbing the halter. Then the sinking in your stomach if you placed in the top two because--you had to go do it again. Ahhh, childhood. The best part of these memories is that I would totally do it all over again.

:: It has been brought to my attention that not everyone knows the absolute best way to eat a cupcake. Allow me to demonstrate:

And if you're worried about getting your hands messy, just have somebody that loves you hold it for you.

Happy Wednesday. What's new with you?

This and That :: February

AKA: Talking Shop

I'm already having trouble naming this post, which is never a good sign.

:: Am sitting in my basement (the space in our house that fills me with fear of becoming a hoarder), space heater blasting on my ankles, a ramekin full of dark chocolate m&m's by my side. The setting feels very...bloggy.

:: Thank you, thank you, a million times thank you and merci for the kind comments about our play kitchen. It's so nice to reveal something to blogland and have it be received with so much enthusiasm. You are all so very very nice. I'm almost jazzed enough to make another, but I think we'll enjoy the open floorspace in our basement a bit longer.

:: I spent a little time this weekend doing what I call in my head "blog administrative tasks." Most of the tweaks are minor, and you may not even notice them. But every little change I make helps me feel more at home on my blog. I like making things a little more me, a little more my style. Whatever that may be. I've been tackling the tedious task of assigning appropriate labels to all of my posts since I foolishly didn't realize how much merit they had when I first started le blahg. Also, I want to point out the new formspring link on my sidebar. I heard about formspring a month ago from another blogger and considered adding it to my blog then, but for some reason I because inexplicably terrified of it. Then I forgot about it, or washed the haunting thought of it from my brain. Then this weekend, I saw that a couple of my fav bloggers Marta and Hannah had signed up for it. Hmmm....I'm in. I've already made it clear that I don't do well with peer pressure. Especially when it comes to blogland. No taking advantage now that you know my weakness. ANYWAY, formspring provides a space for anonymous q & a, and following if that suits your fancy. I decided this would be much easier than compiling that FAQ page that I've been thinking about. Who knows when that would have actually happened. So if there is something you'd like to ask me, and don't feel like trying to find my email address, this is your money link. Have at it. Ask away.

:: If you have clementines hanging out in your house you need to make this pie. No, seriously. Make it and then thank Rachel for posting the blessed recipe. Then come back and thank me for sending it to you.

:: I finally posted a page of favorite links/blogs. I think I said I would do that what, like, a month ago? It is over there in the sidebar. This ended up causing me a great deal of stress. I already read way to many blogs and there was no way I was going to list them all here but how to choose(!)? I finally put together a list of blogs that I seem to get most excited about when they have posted. The ones full of inspiration, beautiful writing, eye candy, and tutorials. Blessed tutorials. I also included a list of close friends who update their blogs regularly. I know I probably forgot people. Dangit I hate doing that. This list may or may not stick around depending on the amount of times I wake up in the night overcome with guilt.

:: I really love the new Vampire Weekend album. I know you've all already heard of them. Like, two years ago. But I still want to mention it for those just crawling out from under rocks (welcome back, by the way). Also for mom. You would like the song Run. It reminds me of Paul Simon in Graceland.

:: N8tr0n has taken to making dinner on Sundays to give me a break. Oh my lands, this is a ritual I can get behind. Tonight he made pork tenderloin with garlic mashed potatoes and edamame. Word.

:: Finally. I made myself one of the hair bows that I absolutely freaking adore whenever I see Elsie sporting one on her blog. Thanks for providing a catalyst, Emily. But now for some reason I'm not convinced I can pull off the look. Am timid. Please advise. (Don't worry, you won't hurt my feelings. :)

:: Happy Monday everyone.

This and That: January

:: Our families have all gone home. We're getting back into the swing of things. I'm dealing with the bummed out feeling that always follows when company leaves but also feeling a sign of relief coming on as I glance at my fairly open schedule.

:: Some of you may be wondering whether or not I will be going back to work full time. Alas, I applied for a job, interviewed for a job, and was turned down for said job. I have mixed emotions about this. Obviously I wasn't crazy about the idea of leaving Z-cakes to work full time, but on the other hand N8tr0n and I could really use some cash. Every time one of us has a job prospect pending we can't help but start dreaming about what it would be like to get a decent paycheck again. What it would feel like to start breathing again. Silver lining: I've picked up a few more contract clients and am looking into expanding even more. Also, N8tr0n has a couple of new leads for possible jobs which is just what we need to pull our spirits back up.

:: I haven't been feeling like eating meat lately. Which is odd for me (I grew up on a cattle farm for cryin' out loud). Since this occurrence is rare, I don't feel like I have a good arsenal of meat-less recipes. Last week we had falafel and pita (Sunflower sells this mix in bulk and we love it) with a side of chickpea curry. Tonight we had pasta with a kale/tomato/garlic saute. Do you have some fabulous meatless recipes? Any favorite sources? Do tell.

:: A long time ago my friend, Kim, asked me how exactly I keep up with all of the blogs that I'm always linking to. Sigh. The truth is Kim, that I do it using a little thing called neglect. I neglect my child, I neglect my housework, I neglect my personal hygiene. It's gotten way out of hand. In the event that you would like to know exactly what blogs I follow the most, I will be posting a link page later this week. You're welcome.

:: Speaking of following blogs, if you follow the blog ohdeedoh, you've heard about how DIY play kitchen are all the rage these days. I'm excited to say that I will be joining the masses in constructing a play kitchen for my own little baby-cakes. Actually, repurposing would be the correct word in this case:

Here is my before picture that I took, um, today. Z-cakes' birthday is right around the corner which means I'd better get crackin'. Like, yesterday.

:: Finally, I spent a good chunk of my Saturday neglecting life so that I could be inspired by all of the amazing thrifters on the internet. Take for example this girl, and also this girl. And I'm sure many of you know this girl, and of course there's this sweet mama. (See how I'm already helping you neglect more?) Am determined more than ever to become a thrifting aficionado. If you are a thrifting expert who lives in Denver, please take me under your wing.

That's it for me. Enjoy this fine Monday morning and have a happy day.

This and That: December

:: Ack! The time. It slips away from me. I believe in my last post I said I would be back "later on today," when in fact I must have meant "in two days." My bad.

:: Question: What do you do if you need to spend all of your time making Christmas presents in order to finish them by the time you hop on a plane to Seattle? If you answered "take a three hour time out to bake some bread" you're right!

I made some great bread at the beginning of the week, which is a big deal for me. Any time the mood strikes me to make something leavened I have to jump on it. The mood carries with it my courage and I definitely need courage for yeast. I've been allowing my house to slowly self destruct since Operation Handmade Holiday commenced, so all I could do was eek out a tiny section of counter space for the kneading and rolling. And honestly, I have no idea how our kitchen manages to get so messy. It's like it dirties the dishes without us! I took a picture of the kitchen as evidence for you.

We're finishing up the last of this Buttermilk bread today and it is still delicious warmed in the microwave with lots of butter and jam. I should really give you the recipe sometime. Also, if you answered the question correctly please send me your name and address to claim your prize. I wouldn't expect to get anything though...I'm too busy baking bread and making presents for other people.

:: Thank you, thank you for your kind comments on the post about knitting! A few of you mentioned that you were interesting in commissioning some knit items from me and I would be more than happy to oblige. Just send me an email (there's a link on the left sidebar) and we'll chat.

::N8tr0n and I made latkes benedict last week. First you take a latke, and then shove it off any Kosher path it may have been on by placing a piece of ham on top of it. Top that with an egg, and then smother it with a dairy-based sauce. Really, I felt like I should just be calling them round hasbrowns instead of latkes, the blasphemy was so blatant. Anyway, the point of telling you this is to tell you about the sauce. Gramma Jo's Hollandaise Sauce. The sauce that will make you madly search your fridge for things you can dip into it. Asparagus and cauliflower are nice, but all you really need is a vehicle to get this stuff to your mouth. You will eventually settle on a spoon. It's okay. I understand.

I shall now give you the recipe. (I really hope the California family doesn't disown me for this but I have a firm belief in no secret recipes, and also in spreading awareness that combining butter and lemon could probably bring world peace) Are you ready? Here goes:

Melt 1/2 Cup butter
Lightly beat 2 eggs and pour into butter stirring continuously
Add 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice (best if they are lemons straight from your grandma's tree in California but you know...whatever...you do what you gotta do)
Microwave the mixture for 1 minute. Remove from microwave every 15 seconds and stir until it is a creamy-saucy consistency. (sometimes it might take an extra 15 seconds...sometimes it might not take a full minute)

This little recipe is like magic. I love how easy it is and how cool it is to see the liquid suddenly turn into deliciousness. You're welcome.

:: Three of my friends and I had a toy exchange last week. We all brought toys from our homes that our kids didn't play with anymore and exchanged them for other toys that we wanted. It was a huge success! I feel like I made out like a bandit, and the best part is, I think everyone else did too!

:: Thanks for all of the encouraging words and excitement about Operation Handmade Holiday. I will most certainly be posting pictures and possibly tutorials of all of the things I made after the recipients have them in their hands.

:: In a few moments we're leavin' on a jet plane to N8tr0n's old stomping grounds. Bainbridge Island (and yes my yarn shop) awaits. N8tr0n just came downstairs to tell me that the forecast for Seattle is rain forever. He likes to prepare my psyche. I'm so looking forward to spending this Christmas with my husband's family, my super hip sister-in-law, and my adorable nephew. Am anticipating much sock-ed feet cousin races up and down the halls. I'm so fortunate to be blessed with great in-laws...they make going to an airport at Christmas time worth it. :)

:: Finally, I'm taking a little blog break. I hiatus, if you will. That also includes a hiatus from reading blogs, so I apologize in advance for missing all of the inspiring last minute holiday posts I know you are all dreaming up right now. I want to relish these last few days before Christmas without sticking my face in front of a computer screen. I'll be back after Christmas, and you won't even know I was gone. In the meantime, here is my Christmas card to you:

Mele Kalikimaka y'all. Thanks for reading.

This and That: November

:: This is possibly the best pumpkin pie I've ever made. Labor intensive (shocking since it's America's Test Kitchen right?) but so worth it. It is still the classic pumpkin pie taste which is exactly what I was after. Am a traditionalist when it comes to pumpkin pie. Am going to hold off on making another until Thanksgiving.

:: Last week I had a pie crust tutorial with my favorite baker, Charlotte. Very informative...just what I needed. Notice the crimped edges in the photo above? That means that I did not 1) buy the pie crust and 2) haphazardly roll it out until I was about to throw it across the kitchen and instead throw it into the pie tin sans crimped edges. Hooray! I even caught a little of Charlotte in action with my flip so that I can watch her masterful hands roll out crust after crust, over and over. Now all I need to do is make a million pie crusts until I can do it as easily as Charlotte can. As she always says, "(pie crust, bread, cakes, everything I could possibly want to do) is a skill born of experience."

:: So, you've all been watching Glee right? Oh good. Well while you're waiting for the new episode to air you should check out Rachel's new hugely popular blog: Emma Pillsbury's Box of Baubles. Here she chronicles all of the swoon-worthy adornments that the character Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays) wears on the show. Trust me...ultimate jewelry inspiration is just one click away.

:: As usual, November has me thinking of what I'm thankful for. Am glad that I have Marta's Project Thankful available for periodic posting of thankfulness. Marta has kindly offered her blog as a place for ongoing comments about being thankful. She describes it as her "version of twitter!" Be sure to check it out and include what you're thankful for!

:: This post from House on Hill Road from last month has been on my mind for a while. The Pyrex dish in the last picture is making me crave some thrift store shopping. Anyone care to join me?

:: Am planning on running the Turkey Trot this year on Thanksgiving day. So far, the only thought that comes to my mind when I think about running a race at 8:00 AM in Idaho in late November is...Burrr-zies.

:: Friends, I am sad, embarrassed, and very frustrated to say that I think my depression is back for real. Though this time is not as severe as previous bouts, it has certainly been difficult to pull myself out from under the blanket, put down the knitting, and quit being cranky. Am working on deciding on a favorite mantra to get me through my day (great advice my dad once gave me). Am also very thankful for N8tr0n whose patience and support never seems to cease. I don't plan on going into a lot of depth about it on this space...I just wanted to put it out there. For reasons I don't understand. Blogland seems to have that effect on me.

:: My red ruffly scarf is almost finished! I bought some Addi Turbo needles for the middle portion that is worked with a smaller sized needle. Oh my lands those are some glorious needles! I have to admit that I scoffed when I read the words "the perfect needle" on the package but I stand corrected. Those are some magical knitting needles. Now if only they were magically cheaper.

:: Week one of Project: Take control of household chores is complete, and I can soundly say that things are coming along. Am starting to feel like our house is more put together. I actually did all of the dishes before bed every night this week. I'm not sure that's happened (for so many consecutive days) in the five years that N8tr0n and I have been married. I KNOW. Am turning over a new leaf. Have learned that it is not fun to do dishes at 11:00 PM. I've had to get all 'mom' on myself and have to be all like, "well, I'm sorry that you're tired and that you have things to do tomorrow, but you're the one who chose to knit for two hours instead of doing the dishes and this is where it got you." Seriously, am such a mean mom. It's like sometimes I'm trying to ruin my life.

:: I'm pretty sure that I could go on like this for quite some time so I'm going to cut it off here. Happy Monday everyone.

This and That: October!

Happy October 1st everyone!

***I slept in today and it was glorious. N8tr0n brought Z-cakes in to bed for a little "family play time." AKA: bringing baby back to bed so that I can nab some of the warmth from my sheets for a little longer and put off those mundane parental duties such as oh, you know, keeping my child fed. As she gets older she wants to go play and eat instead of laying in bed with us. It's like she knows that we're slacking off. I let her wander around the house for a couple of minutes and when I finally got up I found her on the couch munching on Jalapeno Doritos. Perhaps the spicy food I ate during my entire pregnancy had more of an effect than I thought?

***It recently occurred to me that Z-cakes is big enough to play outside by herself for a while. The yard is fenced in, there is a window that I can watch her from, and I can leave the door open. For three days now Z-cakes has played outside for an hour at least in the afternoon. I almost didn't know what to do with myself. ALMOST. The first day I checked on her approximately every 30 seconds. But by today it was as if this was part of our routine. Z-cakes loves being outside so much and it makes my day so much more pleasant to NOT have a bored and crying toddler following me around the house. On a similar note, I only had to pull one piece of dog food out of her mouth yesterday.

***I'm so excited to get started on Fall crafts. I'm thinking a Halloween-ish garland from fabric that my mother "donated" to me. Maybe some napkins out of the same fabric? I'm also gearing up to make some of the fun projects that Blair Wise Craft thought up. Aren't people crazy creative? I'm so happy that I have the internet so that I can copy a wider array of people. I also dug out all of our Halloween decorations from the dusty corners of our basement. They are meager and few but I'm collecting more and more every year! (thanks mom) There are still a few Summer crafts that I absolutely REFUSE to store until next summer. I'll have to bear the dissonance of scrapbooking summer pictures while I snack on candy corn.

***The cool wind today made me want to knit immediately go to the yarn shop and buy gobs of yarn. I'm trying to hold off until I go to Bainbridge Island so that I can go to my favorite yarn shop in the whole big wide world. I really love knitting. We leave in two weeks. I think I can make it. Maybe. In the meantime, Z-cakes pulled all of the needles out of a Meathead hat that I was knitting for a friend (it was on hold from last winter...because I put crafts on hold when their season ends). She stood there handing me the needles and looked at me with that "problem solved" face that I think I give N8tr0n sometimes.

***Here's one of my favorite pictures that I took while staying at the cabin in Bear Lake. I was quite taken with the kitsch of the place.

***Finally pictures of our trips to Bear Lake and Idaho on Flickr. These are straight out of the camera dudes. Way too many pictures for little old me to edit. Enjoy

***

In case you need proof about the whole "only eats half the apples" thing.

***I hope you had a good October 1st too!