Renae's Adventures

Befores & Afters (and some in between)

2012-02-06T22:28:00.000-08:00

I've been making some progress on the frame wall! Yay! Have been doing alot of frame painting. Here's some befores...

Here are some "Afters" and "In Progress" shots. Still need to fill some of the frames.

This was being poorly used, so got moved to the frame wall and has the equivalent of "fridge pics" on it. Joe doesn't like the fridge all covered with stuff.

The old lady got replaced by a picture of Mal as a kitten.

Have had this "K" hanging around for awhile, was plain white. It's actually a dark teal color.

Painted frames that need to be filled. They are painted "Bleached Sand" and it actually looks pretty nice against the greenish wall in the hallway.

Having fun with my fabric pen! Any guesses which baby this is for? :)

Another before frame. This one got a new life in my room though.

And I finally figured out what to do with my old key from the Farm Chicks show!

And last, because I'm training for the Krazy Kat Lady description later in life, here is a picture of "our cats". Jackson is a neighborhood kitty that eats at our house frequently, he seems to be doing better these days. He's gaining weight and his fur is looking better. ...and of course Mal you already know. :)

Embellishment Storage Box

2012-02-06T22:01:00.000-08:00

This is a Making Memories storage piece I've had for awhile but am no longer using. The goal is to clear out and declutter so I am offering it to one of my regular readers for free before I donate it to charity. It is paper covered chipboard. The inside is a green plastic with a soft/fuzzy covering.

In a Nutshell

2012-02-02T21:52:00.003-08:00

I was dropping off 3 bags at the thrift store when I found this little frame. The lady at the desk let me have it for a dollar! Woot! I love the little flowery scroll detail at the top. Joe thinks the lady is creepy, so she has to go. I personally don't think so, but I have other plans for the frame anyhow. If anybody wants the old photo, let me know.
Otherwise, just having an average evening at home. Had chicken, rice and pot stickers for dinner. Played with the cat, went to the gym (that is actually unusual). Now having a cup of tea and muddling through the mess at my desk, while making a bigger mess by taking the frame apart. It drives Joe nuts that I usually have a half dozen or so projects going at once. Anyone else have that issue? The cat is taking a nap and Joe is playing video games. Our evening in a nutshell.

Mal has his own dedicated chair in the "studio", its the now not completely yellow bentwood chair that needs the cushion bettered secured (another project) :)

Vintage Retro Awesome... enough said

2012-02-01T21:32:00.001-08:00

Without further adieu, I present to you the totally awesome DogClock. This is a vintage masterpiece found by myself and Joe on one of our recent journeys. Now adorning our mantle!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Get 'er Done

2012-01-31T20:32:00.001-08:00

I'm on a "stay-cation" this week and don't just want to sit around like last time so I made a to do list, inspired by my friend Amy. Joe and I have also been like having lots of fun together! Last night we had a random date involving, froyo + walmart + value village.

- Do the Dishes. Done
- Get caught up with reading schedule. Done
- Cook/Bake for home meeting Friday. Done
- XC Ski Tuesday with Joe. Done
- Write weekly menu plan. Done
- Cover Clipboards. Done
- Finish cleaning/purging/organizing studio. Done.
- Go for a walk
- Write a couple blog posts. Done
- Hem curtains
- Make a double batch of laundry soap. Done
- Download CDs onto computer, then to Ipod.
- Check out livingtohim website. Done
*** Dog sweater found at Walmart. He hated it. ***

*** Blackberries for breakfast ***

And here is my "studio", really messy, this is to inspire me to finish cleaning!

*** Selkirk lodge at Mt. Spokane ***

Paper Projects

2012-01-30T13:15:00.001-08:00

Today, I thought I'd share a few little projects I've made recently. This first one, was inspired by my aunt reminding me to use the little verses already prepared at the back of my morning revival book. This one was super easy, probably took 20 to 30 minutes including doing the dishes while it dried. I just cut out the verses for this week, making them all the same size. Took a thin piece of cardboard (backing of a product packaging), decopaged on a scap piece of paper on front, added photo corners and more scrap paper for the back, waited for it to dry and then attached the verses with a mini clothespin.

Today's verses are Romans 8:16 - The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God.
and 1 Corinthians 6:17 - But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.

Last weekend, I was supposed to be cleaning up my craft area when I came across these beads and decided they would make excellent tassels for bookmarks and so ended up making bookmarks instead! I also used some of my "free bling" from my roadside chandelier find on the tassels. The hardest part was figured out how to thread the embroidery thread through. Ended up stiffening the ends of the thread with tacky glue which worked like a charm. I did sand the thin cardboard before gluing on the paper and then sanded the edges all the way around and applied a few generous coats of mod podge and they turned out great!

Last, is a scrapbook layout I made last night. I finally figured out a cheap and fairly easy way to print out the retro pictures from my phone's camera. These are all from our recent cross country ski trips!

And last a point from the meeting last night, "We must redeem the time to enjoy Christ as the supreme preciousness of God so that we can be constituted with Him to be men of preciousness as His personal treasure, in this way He builds Himself into us to make us His spiritual house and His holy and royal priesthood for the accomplishment of His heart's desire!"

Malcolm Up a Tree

2012-01-21T18:33:00.000-08:00

We finally went looking for our cat this afternoon, since he had been out early this morning and hadn't been home, which is very unusual for him. This is where we found him, two houses down, very high up in a tree. I think he was about 50 feet up. With all the snow on the ground, we could see that a large dog (or a dog with large paws) had been through our yard, and my deductive sleuthing says that the same dog chased him up the tree. The same dog prints were around the tree, plus some lovely yellow snow at the base of the tree. Needless to say, I am rather irritated with all dogs in general right now, and more so with dog owners who are irresponsible. We tried and tried to coax him out of the tree but he was up there fairly high and perched rather precariously. I don't doubt that he would have come down eventually but it's been so cold here and he sounded so pathetic meowing at us that it would have killed me to let him stay up there all night. But the story has a happy ending. My cousin Steven is a firefighter (and it's true, they will no longer come get cats out of trees) but he did know of a guy who rescues cats. We finally got in touch with him, and he came to the rescue with all his tree climbing gear and got Mal down safe!

Here is a closer view, so there is no doubt that the dot is my cat.

Before it melts...

2012-01-20T23:42:00.001-08:00

The freezing rain started up tonight, so I decided to get some photographic evidence of the snow before it's gone. Hopefully there will be enough left tomorrow to build a snowman! We had our home meeting over at Amy and Orlando's tonight, had some lovely chicken and lengue tacos - those two can cook! Amy and I also made snockerdoodles for the college meeting tomorrow. It's always fun hanging out at their place! Have a safe and happy weekend everyone!

ITS HERE!!

2012-01-18T21:40:00.002-08:00

I'm so happy it finally snowed! We got about 3 + inches today and supposed to have more tonight. Of course nurses never get snow days but I enjoyed it none the less. It was a crazy day at work, but I did enjoy a cup of cocoa while I zoomed through my charting. Tasted just like my grama used to make it!
And on another note, I've picked out a name for my Etsy shop - Leona Lane. Thats the dirt road my grama lives on, so many wonderful memories there, and she is where I got my love of old things and little treasures. But she also taught me that people are more important than things... wise words to live by. Love you Grams!

Kitchen Pictures... Finally

2012-01-16T19:01:00.001-08:00

I realize that it has taken me so long to post these pictures that most of you have probably already seen my kitchen in person. Oops. Well, here they are. To have both good lighting and have everything clean just wasn't happening, so finally just settled for some night shots. Anyways, I'm really happy with how the color turned out and I think Joe likes it too! We may try to make some sort of backsplash behind the stove but otherwise we're pretty much done with any changes in here.

Kitchen tour complete!

Thirty Before Thirty

2012-01-07T21:30:00.001-08:00

Today, Jenn and I decided it would be fun to write thirty before thirty lists. Here goes...

1. Try paddle boarding

2. Go to Europe

3. Learn to use manual mode on my camera

4. See the Eiffel Tower

5. Have pictures taken of us

6. Make my nurse III

7. Finish reading the Bible

8. Be able to run 3 miles

9. Make cake pops

10. Get a manicure

11. Have a kid (yikes...)

12. XC Skiing 4x or more

13. Get my CCRN

14. Make Pickles

15.Open an Etsy store

16. Go to Vermont in the fall

17. Grocery shop at a farmers market

18. Ride my bike to work

19. Read all the Tintin books

20. Read a classic novel

21. Get a set of scrubs I actually like

22. Sew something cool, maybe a quilt

23. Try a new haircut

24. Learn to play a song on the piano

25. Buy a pair of leather boots

26. Donate to a charity

27. Read a ministry book

28. Eat less processed food

29. Get another pet (open ended... could be a dog, chicken, cat...)

30. Make something with an old shutter

Melrose Market

2012-01-03T22:45:00.000-08:00

Melrose Market is one of my new Seattle favs. I'm sure I've raved about Sitka and Spruce before, they make the best food ever - hands down. We stopped by the market on the way out of Seattle and had lunch at Homegrown, a little cafe there. The sandwiches were delicious and they even had gluten free bread that Jenn tried. I had the roasted beet and goat cheese sandwich, which was amazing! Enough chatter, here's some pics. I've been messing around with manual mode, so sorry about all the wacky exposures :)

Welcome 2012

2012-01-02T00:12:00.000-08:00

Well 2012 is off to a fairly good start. For one, I got the weekend off, which is always nice. And, I got to spend it with good friends and family. This morning, Joe and I went on a coffee and crepe date, yummy! I also won our little bet today, so we're going to one of my favorite spots tomorrow. Practiced using my camera in manual mode today too. Some random pictures from today...

And yes, that is a clear sky above!

A couple new years resolutions:
- Go cross country skiing (at least 4 more times).
- Finish the chapter a day reading schedule of the New Testament.
- Get my CCRN certification, Finally. (this has been a resolution before that didn't go very far...)
- Make some things inspired by my multitude of pins on Pinterest.
- Work on my photography "skillz"

XC Skiing

2011-12-27T17:39:00.000-08:00

Joe and I went cross country skiing today up on Mount Spokane! It was really fun, plus its a good work out. Nice to get out and see the snow, and go for a nice drive in the country. Looking forward to more XC ski trips this winter! We both did way better this time than we did last year, I had properly sized equipment which made a huge difference and Joe is getting the hang of it. It's really different not having any edges while you're turning. For two days off we've packed alot in. Yesterday, we went and saw Adventures of Tintin in 3D which was really fun, they did a really nice job with it, felt just like the books. The Tintin books were some of my favorites growing up! Looking forward to re-reading some of them. It was snowing afterwards, it felt like a real life snowglobe outside, huge flakes coming down and all the lights on. We walked around downtown and then had dinner at Luigi's which was a whole different experience. Good tiramisu though!

New Finds!

2011-12-20T21:55:00.000-08:00

Have been doing lots of thrift store shopping, antiquing and well, just general shopping recently. I need to take a little break from it. Which shouldn't be too hard since I go back to work tomorrow, for five "12s" which equals no time to go shopping. And probably not much posting either, we'll see, just finished painting our kitchen today (YAY!) so maybe some pics of that soon. Absolutely love the new color, it's brighter and more cheerful than dark hunter green. With all that said, here are some pictures of my new finds! (Be warned, there's a bunch...)

Little end table from the Antique Mall in Edmonds, and my newish book on top, a birthday present from my mother in law. (Can you find the cute kitty in this one?)

Little two tray server I found at Value Village. This is after it got a nice bath. Trying to decide if I want to paint it or not... (also shows the old kitchen color)

Another Value Village find that is already mid-makeover, this is now a definite before. :)

New scale from the Antique Mall, I love it! My friend Jenn spotted it, she has such a good eye! Also, the white pitcher is a birthday present from her. (Thanks again!)

This is the whole corner, finally filling out a little. The little retro highchair I found at Northwest Christian Thriftstore for twenty bucks! I love the color and it is the perfect spot for my "stereo system". (and no, I'm not trying to send any messages by buying a highchair). The red cookbook stand on the bottom shelf is also new, found at the Seattle Value Village for a few bucks, super heavy, which is awesome, we use it all the time now.

This is also a before picture. A GIANT embroidery hoop. The after will have to wait until later...

And lastly, just a pretty sunset picture. Taken out at Fishtrap area off of I-90.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Posole Night

2011-12-18T20:35:00.000-08:00

Well, I took a mini-vacation from the computer the last couple days which was nice. Sometimes, it just seems like I need a break from the constant electronics everywhere. Anyways, we had a nice evening today. Made a huge pot of posole, a Hispanic soup (recipe was from the most recent Bon Appetit magazine). Probably not the most authentic but it was delicious, warm and filling. After, Joe made a fire, we got to relax and catch up with friends and have a nice cup of tea!

Found the Jarritos for 30 cents each at Safeway! I like mine mixed 1/2 and 1/2 with sparkling water. Such fun colors!

The last two pictures are of my clean kitchen and newly painted frame and Katie Daisy art! I've been admiring all her lovely art on pinterest for a while now. Last week, I found a box of her greeting cards at TJ Maxx and immediately knew I was going to frame one of the mini versions for my house! Love how it turned out!

It's CLEAN!! = super happy!! (and this is not just a picture of the clean part... the whole kitchen, dining room and living room are clean!)
P.S. A big thank you to Mark and Rachel for helping with the kitchen after dinner!

Conversation Between a Girl and Her Cat Malcolm

2011-12-15T22:03:00.000-08:00

This is how I imagine my conversation with my cat went this evening - that is if he could talk.

Malcolm: Hey you, hey you, hello? are you listening?

Girl: What?

Malcolm: I'm bored. Come play with me.

Narrator: Girl walks over to the carpet, and throws one of the cat's mice for him to play with. Cat looks

indifferently at the mouse...

Malcolm: Hey you, you're boring. I wanna go outside and play.

Narrator: Cat walks over to the door.

Malcolm: Hey, let me out. Hey. Come on, let me out already.

Girl: Alright, fine go outside. Be safe. Look both ways for cars. Don't stay out all night like you did

last night. Love you.

Narrator: Girl gives cat a hug and lets him outside.

Brief Intermission: It's cold outside and the ground is covered with snow. Girl is inside cleaning the kitchen. Eventually cat comes back to the window

Malcolm: Hey you! Hey you, will you let me in? It's COLD out here! Please!!

Girl: So you want back in huh?

Malcolm: Come play, come play!

Narrator: Cat walks back over to the rug, meowing annoyingly. Girl finally stops cleaning and walks over.

Girl: What do you want?

Malcolm: Obviously, I want to play! Duh... That's why I'm rolling around on the carpet and trying to attack your hand.

Girl: Alright, alright.

Narrator: Girl picks up the cat's new favorite toy, a fake fishing pole with sparkly fish on the end and waves it about, the cat goes crazy trying to catch it.

The End.

Work Space

2011-12-14T15:22:00.000-08:00

Yay for a newly organized work space! Since apparently I'm trying to kill time today, thought I would list all the updates to my work space! I'm finally making some progress in here... it's so much easier to get motivated when your stuff is all in place. This picture is of the organized side (still have a few more corners to tackle). I thought this might be more interesting to all you crafty ladies out there than my organized fridge :), hence two posts in one day.

1. My made over frame is now holding photos so the pictures aren't cluttering up my work area.
2. Metal bin I found for $2 at Value Village, holding paints, paint palette, glues, other crafting stuff I use regularly but not scrapbook specific. Love this one because the sides are straight.
3. New laminate board from Home Depot, cut to size, which gives me a little cubby in the middle to stash stuff, infrequently used stuff in the back and cute containers up front, plus my paper cutter.
4. All time favorite blue glass mason jars, storing twine, ribbon and bling from an old candelier.
5. Kitchen organizer from old apartment, fits my 2 photo boxes up top and my paper container below. Everything slides out easier without having to move everything else.
6. Wire hanger that used to hold ribbon (that didn't work out so well, the cat unraveled it all). Was about to pitch it yesterday, then decided it would look cute covered in scraps (inspired this lampshade made by Ashley here). Painted some mini clothespins and voila ~ a clip up organizer!
7. Garage sale basket, holding yarn, finished cards, and other bits and pieces.
8. Little laptop case I found on sale at Pottery Barn that I use to store my *Smash book stuff, so it's all ready to go when we travel.

Clean Fridge = Ridiculous Post

2011-12-14T09:33:00.000-08:00

It would not be an exaggeration to say that I'm super happy we finally cleaned out our fridge. ... and no, I'm not going to gross you out with any before pictures. Just some proof that it's done! We cleaned, we organized and then labeled the shelves and pockets on the doors! For labels, I just used green masking tape, a sharpie and some deco scissors, may do something better when we figure out which categories work well for us. We also designated a shelf just for leftovers, since we've been trying to cook more in bulk so there is food for lunch the next day at least.

Here it is all clean and organized...

And the funny find of the day, apparently we have enough hot sauces for their own dedicated bin... is that crazy or what? Like father, like daughter. Maybe we should start a 'Bring Your Own Hot Sauce' rule for family dinners...

Mission Gallery Wall

2011-12-13T16:14:00.000-08:00

I love all the gallery walls you see everywhere these days. I got permission to make a gallery wall in our mini-hallway. Right now, I'm in the "collecting stuff for the wall" phase. The only thing I had so far was framed picture of the VW van under a tree, originally posted here. After seeing various versions of state art on Pinterest, I decided to try making a painting of Washington state. I didn't want a solid color though, more of a blended, watercolor look. A trip to Joann's later, I had acrylic paint in 3 different colors of blue and 1 green, a 99 cent artist palette, a 50% off canvas and a little brush. A little down time one afternoon this weekend and I got it finished. Nice to have fast projects! I really like how it turned out, exactly what I had in mind! The photo doesn't look quite the same, but you get the idea.

When we were done at Joann's, we stopped by the Antique Mall in Edmonds. What a neat place! Packed full of cool stuff! I found some fun vintage postcards, one of Southeast Boulevard in Spokane and one of Madrona Park in Seattle. Will be repainting some frames for these, but thought I'd share pics of the postcards, they're kind of interesting! (You can tell my desk is kind of a mess too... started reorganizing last night, hoping to finish up today, or tomorrow)

Cafe Vivace

2011-12-12T20:54:00.000-08:00

Just back from Seattle, had a wonderful weekend. Saw a bunch of Joe's family, our friends. Celebrated two birthdays, went antiquing and shopping with the girls, fit in some scrapbooking and got to sleep in and relax! Today on our way out of town, we hit up Cafe Vivace, initially introduced to me by my friend Jenn a few trips back. Probably my all time favorite coffee! So smooth, and not bitter at all. Anyways, hope to be back with more pictures soon, hopefully will have some decent light tomorrow.

Love madelines, should make some soon!

Pretty foam art!

Featuring - Kimberly Taylor

2011-12-10T19:11:00.000-08:00

Kimberly is a fellow Washingtonian with an amazing photography blog. She is also hosting an amazing giveaway today! If you love gray or ruffles, you will love the purse she is giving away. Head over to her blog "Around the Table on Blackberry Farm" and check it out!

Be Back Soon...

2011-12-08T21:37:00.000-08:00

... so I've been busy working on projects and busy with my real job too. It's been fun working in the ER the last two days, but a new kind of stress is always more tiring. Makes you have to think a littler harder when you're working a different floor than usual. Totally different pace. But a nice change of pace for a few days. I became a nurse because I loved the ER (way back in the day), ended up getting sucked into the world of ICU nursing. Anyways, got a couple days of R&R now, should be nice!! Hopefully, this weekend, I'll get around to some pictures... who knows, might just sleep for a few days though. :)

Legal Notepad for My Fridge

2011-11-26T17:59:00.000-08:00

I'm sure that someone else has dreamed this up already... but today I realized while looking for a new notepad for my fridge that I could easily make one myself. And I could make something that I like for less than what I could buy at the store anyways. I whipped these two up in five minutes or less with decorative tape and sticky magnet strips for the back. I'm thinking maybe cute scrapbook paper leftovers for the next one. Not bad for 50 cents each huh? ...cheaper than the dollar store.

Day of Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T12:57:00.000-08:00

I love everything about Thanksgiving, it's always been my favorite holiday. This year I was so grateful

to celebrate it out at Grandma's house with everyone again. Everyone made it except for my brother

who is down in California. My sister and cousins and I grew up going out to Grandma's house the night

before Thanksgiving. We would help make the rolls, decorate and set the table and watch (and try to

help) Grandma get the turkey in the oven. These last few years things have been changing. We still go

out to Grandma's house, and we still spend the night but now Grandma gets to relax and watch us work.

We make sure she still has her apron on, she's always helping out with something. Things have changed

a little, but it's still a wonderful day spent with family. Of all the things I'm thankful for this year I'm

most grateful for the time we get to spend together!

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Fake Lake

2011-11-14T16:11:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a quick trip to Southern California visiting some friends and family. I stayed with Jen, we were both feeling a little under the weather but had a good time anyway! Before I left, she took me to a park that she calls "Fake Lake", we walked around the lake and looked at the birds, geese, etc. Was nice to get a chance to stretch my legs before flying home.

Refried Black Beans and Spanish Rice

2011-11-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

Refried Black Beans

This is a recipe I found online today and adapted. I've been craving Mexican rice and beans recently and figured it couldn't be too hard to make. I like that there is no added fat or lard in this recipe besides what is naturally in the beans.

Ingredients:

- 15 oz black beans (1 can)

- 1/4 cup water

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp pepper

- 1/2 tsp cumin

- 2 cloves garlic crushed

- 1/4 onion diced

Rinse and drain 1 can black beans. Put 1/3 beans and water in medium pot on medium heat. While it is heating up mash the rest of the beans in a small bowl. (I used the back of fork). When the water is heated add the garlic, spices, onion and bean paste and mix all together. Let cook 15 minutes (helps mellow out the onion and garlic).

Spanish Rice

This is a recipe my mom has been making for years, she got it from a Mexican lady who stayed with us once many, many years ago. Today, I decided to use brown rice, so I also used 1.5 cups of pureed tomatoes from our garden. After the stock/tomato water had evaporated, the rice wasn't fully cooked so I added another cup of water and cooked another 45 minutes or so, stirring every 15-20 minutes so it didn't burn on the bottom. White rice cooks significantly faster, so this isn't an issue with white rice.

- 2 T olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 cups med or long grain rice
- 3 cups chicken stock*
- 2 T tomato paste OR 1 cup diced fresh OR cooked tomatoes, strained.
- Pinch oregano
- 1 tsp salt

In large skillet brown rice in olive oil, med/high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook mixture, stirring frequently about 4 minutes or until onions softened.
In separate sauce pan bring stock to simmer. Add tomato, oregano, and salt. Add rice to broth. Bring to simmer. Cover. Lower heat and cook 15-25 minutes depending on type of rice and instructions on rice package. Turn off heat and let sit 5 minutes.

*Check instructions on rice package for proportions of rice to liquid. Can range from 1:1 to 2:1. If rice calls for 2 cups water for each cup rice, use 4 cups stock for 2 cups rice.

Some Scrapbooking Layouts

2011-11-08T21:09:00.000-08:00

Thought I would share some recent scrapbook pages using my new favorite paper, Sassafrass Lass, which somewhat ironically is going out of business. Rumor has it, they don't enjoy producing things, but they may be designing products for other companies? ... I sure hope so, they have some talented folks.

*** "Cover page" for our recent road trip to Oregon ***

*** A page with some mini-pics from last fall ***

*** Some gardening pictures from last fall ***

*** Another page about our Oregon Coast trip ***

Back to work the next two days, then taking off for a quick trip to Cali to visit a friend. I'm going solo, Joe and Mal are staying behind to guard the fort. Side Note: Mal is becoming quite the little hunter, has been bringing in more "presents".

Joe and I are trying "No Fast Food November". We got started a little late, but better late than never. We're interested to see what it does to the food bill... I do get one exemption to go to In-and-Out while I'm in California though. We usually do one freebie to Dicks Hamburgers or something like that if we know we will be in Seattle.

Weekend in Seattle

2011-11-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

A few pictures from our weekend in Seattle! We had a really nice trip, got to visit with a lot of friends and Joe's family. Just thought I'd share a few pictures. Haven't gotten used to busting out the new camera as much as I'd like but getting there. Got some thrifting in too! :)

My friend Jenn with her DSLR practicing with a manual focus lens.

One of Jenn's cats. Flash likes to pose for the camera :)

Wouldn't be a real Seattle experience without slow traffic on 520.

The view while creeping along - not bad! Nice fall colors :)

Kiko Sushi in Bellevue. Joe's favorite Japanese restaurant.

Carne asada tacos from our favorite Mexican joint in Shoreline! Did not disappoint!

Fall Flowers

2011-10-31T23:52:00.000-07:00

Simple flowers in simple vases. I love flower displays like this, so easy for us florally challenged folks. Most of the bottles I found in the recycling bin, then just add a few simple flowers, nothing fancy or expensive!

TJ's

2011-10-28T13:34:00.001-07:00

Trader Joe's is opening its new store in Spokane today! Yay!

INDABA Coffee

2011-10-25T15:04:00.000-07:00

Went to a new coffee shop with Joe today on our way back from REI. It's close to the Spokane Courthouse. Neat little place, we both got a London Fog but next time we stop by I'll try one of their lattes. It's attached to a bookstore and appears to have wi-fi also. Looks like a nice place to study, wasn't overrun with screaming kiddos. Closes at six on weekdays and at five on the weekend. Still haven't found a late night coffee spot here in town yet.

Manito Park

2011-10-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

Tiff and I went for a walk up at Manito Park and Manito Boulevard yesterday. The leaves are starting to change around here. It would be fun to go back in a week or two when the fall color is in full swing!

***Old cobblestone streets and giant trees***

*** Funny signs ***

*** Sun starting to set behind the trees***

*** ...and of coarse the random kitty picture ;) ***

Free Fall Decorations - Pine Cone Garland

2011-10-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

On my walk yesterday, I gathered a bunch of pine cones to make a pine cone garland. I like bringing the outside in, so it feels like fall even when its too dark or too cold to be outside. Which for me is almost every day I work. It's dark when I leave in the morning, and dark when I get home in the evening.

Here is my original inspiration picture from Twig & Thistle. She used what I call "question mark hooks" to hang the pine cones but I only had one of those on hand, obviously not enough. I ended up using pushpins instead and then punched a whole smaller than the top in my ribbon so that it would stay in place.

With the way I hung them it kind of looks like the pine cones are floating from far away. But I'm ok with that.

One of these days, I'll develop the patience to wait and take pictures when it's lighter inside :)

Fun Projects

2011-10-11T17:55:00.000-07:00

Today has been kind of a "work" day. Finally picked up the wallpaper pieces all over the kitchen and the ones that gotten tracked around the rest of the house. Joe finished installing all the new kitchen hardware. Went through the mall, took out the trash. You know, the usual. Cleaned up the living room and dining room. There is more to go but I decided to take a little break. I painted my nails (I found the best orangey-red color today), finished up this banner I started last week and tried out this T-to-Tank Tutorial I found on Pinterest recently. Oh, I also got myself a copy of Grace Bonney's new book Design*Sponge at Home with one of my birthday gift cards! Thanks Sonyong!

I think this bunting would be perfect for a little boy's room.

This is a t-shirt I've had for years. It didn't really fit that well anymore but I've been feeling too nostalgic to get rid of it. It was the first "cool" shirt I ever bought (it's vintage now). Anyways, I followed this tutorial from CrafterHours blog. I like how it turned out, it actually made the shirt a little longer than it was before. The only thing it did different was I only cut one strip off the bottom, right above the seam and used that for the drawstring. The weather is all cold now, but its been sitting on a shelf for so long that a few more months isn't going to make a difference.

Well, off to go on a walk and then more cleaning!

Birthday Present from Mr. Kitty

2011-10-11T06:35:00.000-07:00

So Mr. Kitty is now bringing his "presents" for us inside. He brought us this dragonfly the other day. Thankfully, this present wasn't alive. I was really surprised how intact it was. The dragonfly was kind of cool but I'm dreading the day he brings something furry inside. I remember oh-so-clearly the day I learned that cats like to show off by bringing in their presents. I had spent the night at my grandma's and was going out to pick up the paper. I slipped my foot into her slipper and screamed bloody murder as my foot touched something cold and furry. Boots had left a mouse in her slipper... I was not pleased. But I'm sure he was.

Steam Plant Grill

2011-10-10T21:15:00.000-07:00

friend Amy took me to the Steam Plant Grill for lunch today. It was really fun! The inside of the building is really interesting so I busted out my new camera!

... and a picture of desert!

Embrace Autumn

2011-10-04T22:43:00.000-07:00

Well, it's back to work for five days tomorrow. So today I decided to enjoy fall by making some pumpkin pie. It makes the house smell so delicious! Now, I need to find someone to help me eat the rest... Also hit up yoga class today, had dinner with Sarah and Nathan and cleaned up part of the house :)

*Two regular size pumpkin pies, plus a mini pie*

Also, doodled some pumpkins and a squirrel on the to-do list window today. On that note, anyone have suggestions for photographing glass without getting all the glare and reflections?

Happy fall everyone!

Picture Frame Makeover

2011-10-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

I found this picture frame awhile back and could see a some potential in the detailing on the edges. Obviously, it needed a makeover. I decided it would be perfect for a friend of mine expecting a little girl.

Before:

After:

I painted it with "Ballet Pink" acrylic paint and the frilly part with "Bleached Sand" acrylic paint. Removed the weird picture and strange mat. Instead I covered the backing with some pink polka dot fabric. I added a footprint picture and the name they had picked out to personalize it a little. My friend loved it! ...even though I spelled the name wrong. (I've always been terrible at spelling, really should use spell check more often.)

A close up of the details.

More Greenbluff Photos

2011-10-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

*Sheep at Hidden Acres*

*Log cabin & Tepee at Hidden Acres*

*Pumpkins* *Inside the Tepee*

*Old wagon with Scarecrow Couple*

Greenbluff

2011-10-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

I love going to Greenbluff! It's one of my favorite things to do in Spokane, especially in the fall. Joe and I went up there this afternoon. Enjoyed some pumpkin doughnuts from Harvest House and then we picked out a pumpkin over at Siemer's. Mister Pumpkin Head is pretty round with a nice sized scar on the side of his face. Lol. The merits of pumpkin picking. Who knows, I might end up carving him an actual face, but we will definitely be roasting the pumpkin seeds! Yumm! Had some fun messing with my pictures with Picnic (free online photo editing website). I'm putting off cleaning my house... and exciting news for me, I'm getting a new camera soon! Yay!

Mister Pumpkin Head protecting the house. Mal's been letting down his guard recently, too distracted with bugs, birds and naps, as rumor has it.

DIY Magnet Tutorial

2011-09-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

This is a quick easy tutorial on making cute magnets using washi tape or other decorative tape you have on hand. These would be fun to send out with save-the-dates, invitations or just for your own fridge at home. (If you like the save the date, you can find it in the download section on the Love and Lavender wedding blog!)

Supplies you will need:

- Flat magnets (free ones are good for this)

- White paper

- Tape

- Small piece of sandpaper

- Sharp Scissors

- Glue: I used Arlene's Tacky glue

Directions:

1. Lightly sand the top of your magnet, (helps the paper adhere better). Wipe surface with damp paper towel to remove dust and dry.

2. Apply small amount of glue to sanded side of magnet.

3. Spread thin layer of glue over the entire surface of the magnet. I just used my finger. You can see a light film over the magnet in the lower photo on the right. You don't want it to be super wet.

4. Flip magnet over and adhere to white paper. (This is to prevent original magnet color from showing through tape). Cut out around magnet edge.

5 & 6. Start applying tape in strips that are the length you want the magnet to be. I chose to cover the magnet more or less. Trim off any tape hanging over the edge.

7 & 8. Cut the magnet along the edges of your tape, to separate into individual magnets. You should end up with a pile of magnets looking like this.

9. Last step is to make jagged cuts on the ends to make it look like the torn end of a piece of tape. ...and you're done!

Autumn Spiced Coffee

2011-09-27T21:15:00.000-07:00

When I saw Bonnie's recipe for Autumn Spice Latte over on "Going Home to Roost" I knew I would have to try it out this fall. It sounded similar to a pumpkin spice latte. I've been a little over budget in the coffee department recently and figured it would be a good idea to avoid going to Starbucks again. Since we recently gave up our latte machine (it wasn't seeing any action around here), I made a spin off of the origonal with drip coffee and half and half. And I switched the spice ratio a little, since I don't have whole cloves at the moment. This is really easy to make, took about 7 minutes and it does make the place smell delicious!

In small sauce pan combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Add 1 tsp vanilla and let boil 1 minute, allowing the alcohol to boil off. Turn down to a simmer and add your spices. I used 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground ginger and 1/4 tsp ground cloves. Simmer for about 5 minutes, add to your preferred form of coffee and enjoy!

Bridal Shower

2011-09-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

Little late, but I thought I post a few pictures of my sister's bridal shower. While showers can be a little stressful, they're also a good excuse to do some creative projects and bake some goodies! My friend Amy and I came up with a bunch of fun ideas for the shower!

My mom, sister and I by the "Ice Tea Bar". Amy found the oversize mason jars at Wal-Marche, they were perfect for this! I picked up three bunches of flowers at Safeway, and my mom did all the flower arrangements. I just picked out different shaped bottles I had around and some vintage blue canning jars.

This is an idea for an easy game I came up with, I loosely based it off the game Apples to Apples if you've ever played that. Make up a couple of categories (and label containers as such). Have slips for the guests write their answer on. The bride reads all the entries and picks the one she likes best.

For the food, we had chips & hummus, and some veggies and dip - need some healthy food to balance out the sugar :) I threw together the "Menu" below with an old window I had in the garage (I think it was an original to our house). I wrote up the menu on craft paper and taped it to the back of the window.

Instead of cake, we decided to go with fruit desserts. Amy made apple crisps, I made peach kuchen and berry cobbler. The mixed berry cobbler is a recipe from Bon Appetite, found here. The peach kuchen recipe was handed down from my great grandmother. We also had madelines and pie-crust cookies. (To make pie crust cookies, just cut out pie crust dough with a cookie cutter, sprinkle with sugar and bake! They're really tasty over fresh fruit with ice cream!)

Lastly a group picture of all the girl's in the family!

Fall Happenings

2011-09-26T16:49:00.000-07:00

I always look forward to the change in seasons, it's kind of like a new beginning. New smells, the change in weather, seasonal foods and all the different festivities. With fall, I look forward to warm drinks, pulling out cozy sweaters and coats, the crisp cool air after hot summer days, crunching leaves on walks, all the vibrant fall colors and the smell of autumn. Plus, there is Thanksgiving, gathering with family, and trips to Greenbluff to pick pumpkins and apples. This fall, I'm thankful to be living in a place with four distinct seasons, thankful for having my family nearby, and for having so many wonderful supportive people in our lives. Right now, I'm sitting out on my porch drinking a pumpkin spice latte and listening to the rain pattering on the patio and the X-Country race going on across the street.

Enough of the mushy stuff... I've had some time off work and it's been nice getting stuff done around our place. Of coarse the to do list is never completely finished and things always seem to take longer than expected. But none the less, it's nice to be crossing some things off! Did a goodwill run today and dropped off eight bags of no longer needed stuff, we've been trying to trim down around here, which also means exercising restraint in what I "find" and take home from thrift stores... Today, we mowed the lawn, weeded some of the backyard beds and got some new shrubs, on a side note Joe actually told the guy at Judy's we were looking for "a shrubbery" just like the guy says it in Monte Python. Epic. We rode the Hiawatha Trail on Saturday, then came home and had a lovely barbecue with friends, Joe made ribs! They were delicious! Yesterday, we had a family get together at my aunt's house, my great uncle was in town from California. We ended up having an "indoor picnic" instead of going to Arbor Crest since the weather was threatening to rain. Anyways, hoping to get a few more things scratched off before I go back to work in the next few days.

Some pictures from our ride on the Hiawatha Trail. The ride is on the route of an old train track near the Montana/Idaho border. It takes you through ten tunnels and over seven high trestles. The longest tunnel is 1.7 miles, and is absolutely pitch black inside so you need either a head lamp or a lamp on your bike. Its a gradual downhill grade so is a fairly easy ride, about ten miles long I think. Definitely far from hard core biking, but was a fun experience!

Some Progress in the Office

2011-09-21T21:05:00.000-07:00

Yay! Making some progress in the "Office". Since the days of less light are fast approaching, I decided since I was going to organize I might as well rearrange while I was at it to make it fit our needs better. I wanted a reading area and a more comfortable chair. So I ended up rearranging the entire room. (Sound familiar anyone who knows me?) Half the room, well a third of the room is clean, so I decided to post some pictures to keep me motivated to finish the other half. Kinda hard to get decent pics when it's this dark but here goes...

I really wanted to paint the back of the bookcase but couldn't settle on a color. So I cut some burlap-ish fabric to cover the back instead. Doesn't show up well in the picture. Brought in the rocking chair that was needing a good home. I love it, have the rocker from one grandma right next to my sewing machine from my other grandma.

DIY'd myself some free art. Found the picture in a magazine and threw it in a frame that was repainted after a second thought about what needed to go to Goodwill. Makes me smile :)

Kitty in his personal chair overseeing the progress.

I finally "de-blinged" the free chandelier I found on the side of the road. My gray candlestick got some free jewelry!

Quick Projects

2011-09-21T14:06:00.000-07:00

The dust is finally settling around here. Its been a whirlwind of a month with my sister's shower, then the wedding, our trip to Oregon, two trips to Seattle, then getting sick. Whew... I've got a few more days off before getting back into the full time work routine and hoping to get a bunch of cleaning done around the house and hopefully finish up some projects before the nice weather goes. Thought I'd share a couple quick projects though.

For Rachel's "bachelorette" party we went to Polka Dot Pottery downtown, I know, we're a pretty cRaZy bunch. I finally went and picked up my mug yesterday, just in time to sit down and enjoy a cup of my favorite tea, Egyptian Licorice. Yumm.

During some down time, I ran across a picture on pinterest using clothespins to organize embroidery thread. And since today's mission is to organize/rearrange "the office" figured I'd try it out. I picked up 33 new jars yesterday at my local thrift stores, 5 blue ones and 28 regular canning jars. (Yes, I know I have a problem...) I decided they need to start being useful before someone starts getting cranky about me collecting more "stuff" that sits around and collects dust. That's it for now!

Finished Pinterest Project

2011-09-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

When I first saw this on Design*Sponge, I thought it would be perfect for a monthly to do list of sorts. I pinned it to my "Crafty Inspiration" board and it sat there for awhile. I've been trying to think of a good way to organize monthly tasks that always get forgotten. For example, when to fertilize the lawn, when car tabs expire, when the fridge was last vacuumed under, when to change the oil, etc. So when I found this at Anthro, I knew it was perfect for this project. I hadn't found a disposable one yet, and I love ceramic things that look disposable.

Here's my version. I didn't have any vintage postcards on hand, so I dug through my scraps of paper, I picked ones that loosely coordinated with each month. Then cut out some little tabs for the tops, since my I don't have a notecard for each day like the example above.

I did label the cards with the month using a date stamp, so if it gets pulled out, I will know where to put it back. Then I will just fill them out as I think of things that need to be done on a yearly, bi-yearly, quarterly basis, etc.

Happy Labor Day weekend everyone! Enjoy your extra day off (or extra holiday pay if you're working)!

P.S. Kitty is still on "house arrest" while his paws heal up. He's turned into quite the little helper, now that he can't be outside terrorizing bugs all day. His favorite art tool is the paintbrush, he likes carrying mine all over the house.

Hanging out with my kitty

2011-09-02T12:14:00.001-07:00

We're Back

2011-08-30T01:06:00.000-07:00

We're back from a vacation on the coast, and it feels good to be home! Here's pictures from start to finish - watch out, there's a BUNCH!

At Sitka and Spruce - favoritest restaurant ever! Absolutely the best!!

Westhaven Beach - Near Westport, WA

Our yurt in Grayland State Park! Really fun to stay in, everything stays nice and dry!

Drove down the Oregon coast and stopped at a bunch of things on the way. This is in Seaside, statue of Lewis and Clark in the background. This is supposedly where they came to the Pacific Ocean.

Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock. Pretty overcast.... but we got to walk all the way out to the rock and see all the tide pools around it.

Little sea things on the side of Haystack Rock.

Roseanna's Cafe in Ocean City, Oregon. Romantic little spot. Below is the view from Ocean City.

Fairly certain this is Beverly Beach, right next to the "Devil's Punchbowl" and Otter Rock. Was fun watching people try to surf! ...looks difficult. Then took a nap in the sand.

Next stop was Yaquina Lighthouse, very interesting.

The last city we stopped in was Newport, Oregon. Decided to lay off on the driving and relax a few days. Was nice being able to adjust our plans as we went though. Below: Crabbing equipment on the sidewalk.

Rogue Brewery - took a free tour.

The last night we had a blast staying at the Sylvia Beach Hotel. Really awesome bed and breakfast. Each room is themed after an author - I'll give you one guess which author our room was themed after. There's a library on the forth floor, plus an attic full of more books, puzzles and reading nooks! There's a "Coffee room" with coffee and tea all the time and spiced wine in the evenings. There's also a cat named Shelly that lives there. Highly recommend it if you're ever in the area.

Lovely little garden area out front - the Tolkien room is right off the garden, would love to go back and stay there again some time.

Good night and enjoy the last few days of summer!!

Culinary Lavender

2011-08-16T22:39:00.000-07:00

Culinary lavender seems to be all the rage right now within the foodie community. My first discovery was about a month back. We were up visiting Nelson, BC and one of our favorite restaurants when we had some honey lavender creme brulee that was amazing! Then on a recent trip to Seattle, I had honey lavender ice cream at Molly Moon's which was delicious - lets just say it's a good thing I live four hours from Molly's...

Anyways, while there, I noticed they sold culinary lavender, but ouch, pretty steep price $7.00 for half an ounce. Yesterday, we were running some errands and stopped by the Kitchen Engine, a local kitchen store, I found lavender for $3.00 for half ounce. Yay!

The first thing I made was lavender lemonade! It's my new favorite summer time drink :) Recipe was from Apartment Therapy here. I don't have any awesome pictures but if you need some further inspiration, here's a few from Pinterest that inspired me!

(photo originally from Sunday-supper.com)

(photo originally from designsponge.com)

Blast from the Past (& the winner)

2011-08-06T11:55:00.000-07:00

Snapshot from the weekend! Kickin' it old school with the tent trailer, although the vibe is a little different now with everyone busting out their smart phones :) The retro camera app makes it look like an old family photo though. I guess Joe's new barefoot shoes and the Pilot kind of give it away though...

Anyways, the winner is Debbie, with the 3rd comment! ...and to answer her question on where to find it - I have found Mrs. Meyer's locally at Rosauers, Huckleberrys, Main Street Market and online at Soap.com.
(P.s. Joe and Random.org both picked the number 3, so that's how we picked the winner)

Mrs. Meyer's Giveaway

2011-08-02T08:22:00.000-07:00

Since my house is a diaster (with a capital D) and I'm throwing a bridal shower here in a few weeks, I'm seeing a lot of cleaning in my future. I've been pondering a give away for awhile and thought sharing my favorite cleaning product with a lucky reader would be perfect. I've already professed my love for Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products back in the winter when I first discovered them. It all started with Lavender Hand soap seen above, who knew soap could smell so delicious! The winner gets the "3 pack" above - hand soap, dish soap and countertop spray. To enter - leave a comment with your favorite cleaning tip or trick. Then check back here on Saturday and I'll post the winner!

Rocket Bakery

2011-08-01T23:20:00.000-07:00

I've decided summer is flying by so fast, and I hardly had my camera out. I'm not diligent enough to do photo of the day for a whole year but I'm going to try for the month of August to "document" some of these nice summer days before they're gone. Joe and I went down to Rocket Bakery for bagels and coffee before he went to work today! Another nice coffee shop to check out if you're local Spokanite :)
Check back tomorrow for my first ever give away!

Bon Appetite

2011-07-24T13:18:00.000-07:00

In Nelson, we picked up a copy of Bon Appetite, just like we did last summer! We had fun cooking up some of the recipes for the Friday night home meeting. We decided to "test" at least 3 recipes and if they were as tasty as they looked in the photos to try a subscription for a year. Its finally nice enough to eat outside, so we pulled out the folding table! The top photo is mixed berry cobbler (recipe here).

Joe made some shishkabobs with a chimichurri sauce and marinade from the magazine (recipe here).

Joe also mixed up this Lemon Balm Honeysuckle drink from the website without the alcohol (recipe here). It was really refreshing, and a nice way to use up some of the mint we have running rampant out back.

Greek Pasta Salad

2011-07-22T15:15:00.000-07:00

This pasta salad is really easy to make, all you need to know is how to cook noodles and chop veggies! I pulled out the recipe today thinking of Amy's post on what to do with radishes.

- 1 bag pasta, cook according to directions on package
- 1 bottle Girard's Greek Feta Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1 package Crumbled Feta Cheese
- 1 jar pitted Kalamata Olives
- 2 small jars Artichoke Hearts, chopped
- 1 Yellow Pepper, chopped
- 3 Tomatoes, chopped
- 1 Cucumber, chopped
- Bunch of Radishes, sliced into thin pieces

The binder above is how I organize all my recipes. I decided to get rid of the journal, type everything in Google Docs and then print and put it in plastic sleeves. It works better because 1) the pages are easy to wipe down if you spill, 2) if friends want the recipe you can just print it or email it to them, 3) I can access the recipes from anywhere with internet service (that has come in handy many times) and 4) if I find a recipe I like in a magazine, just tear it out and added it, no copying involved :)

Local Spots

2011-07-12T12:32:00.001-07:00

Looking for a good coffee shop or cool place to hang out around Spokane? Here are some of my favs...

The Scoop (on the South Hill). They serve amazing ice cream and coffee as well, the outdoor seating with the string lights is fun in the evening.

Rockwood Bakery (also on the South Hill). Coffee is delicious, neat atmosphere and yummy treats!

Little Garden Cafe (Downriver area) - Eclectic little place with coffee, lots of loose leaf tea, some treats and now serving ice cream!

Atticus (located downtown) - Coffee, very cool interior and attached shop - vintage items meets giftshop sorta place.

Passion Tea Lemonade

2011-07-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry its been so long! This is my all time favorite summer
time drink. It's so easy to make too. Just brew up some Tazo
Passion tea, then add lemonade mix and ice. So delicious and
refreshing on a hot summer day. Bonus - you skip the S*Bucks
price tag! I'm so glad summer is finally here!

Garden Journal

2011-06-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

... I promise this is not going to turn into a garden blog. It just happens to be what we've been doing a lot of around here. Browsing through the depths of the internet one day, I ran across the idea of a garden journal that is put together in a 3 ring binder with different sorts of sleeves. I had some baseball card holders I found at the dollar store that would be perfect to hold little plant tags. This way when something works, or doesn't work (like my basil

Source: sunset.com via Renae on Pinterest

starts), I have a place to put all that information. You could include garden layouts, seed packets, whatever you want. Since I'm new to all this gardening stuff, I need a little help remembering all the details. For example, I had a couple plants out front in the window boxes last year that did great but this spring I couldn't remember what they were called and wasted a bunch of time wandering around plant stores looking for it.
This is what I've put together so far. Today I'm going to add another baseball card holder to keep track of all my failed plants.

I taped the little plant tags to note cards, when you remove it from the sleeve you can still read all the help directions on the back. On the cards, I've tried to include information on where I've planted it, what time of year and how many we got. So far it's been fun! Kind of like making a really useful scrapbook :) I also drew up a (not to scale) map of our garden, to remember what is where and later in the summer we could add notes if certain plants should be moved next year or given more space, to plant more/less.

Sunset Over Eastern Washington

2011-06-22T21:19:00.001-07:00

Black Beans & Rice with a Twist

2011-06-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

In honor of "Meatless Mondays" I'm going to share a really easy recipe with you. Joe and I end up eating rice and beans about once a week purely due to convenience. It's quick, easy, cheap and fairly healthy too. By the way, I'm not a good cook (Joe wears that hat at our house), so if I can make this, then anyone can.

The usual -
1 can of black beans - we use Trader Joe's Cuban Style black beans
Cooked brown rice
Salsa Fresco - we get the giant tub at Costco, but you could make it by hand or whatever

The twist -
2 ears of corn on the cob - grilled and cut off the cob
Chili Lime sauce: to make whisk together
- 3 T mayo
- juice of 1/2 of small lime
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- dash black pepper

Mix it all together and eat up! Sorry, no pictures, it was gone too quick!

Garden Update Part 2

2011-06-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

New porch organizer from Pottery Barn, on clearence for $39.99. Its perfect for our little porch. Enough space for a few shoes on bottom and all my cute gardening stuff on top, even a few little gnomes! We don't have space for one of those awesome potting benches you see online everywhere, so this works great, plus it doesn't block the cat window.

Old tomato planters from last year, just got the lavender plant at Costco last week. The other one has yet another mint plant, this one is called mint julep. The one up front is apple mint.

Two more mint plants in the planter out back, I'll have to ask Joe, this one might be Spanish mint I can't remember.

Lastly, a little tepee we set up for our tomatillo plants out back. We got cages for the tomatoes but those are kinda pricey. Probably won't do that again if they fall apart, will just try making some by hand next time and see how that goes.

Well, Jackson's whining, off to feed our adopted cat.

Upcycling

2011-06-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

Upcycling is a new and improved version of recycling, its the bigger, cooler, older brother. According to wikipedia, upcycling "is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value." Those of you who know me well, know that I'm not a die-hard environmentalist or tree hugging hippee. However, my time in Seattle has changed me (hopefully for the better). What I used to throw into the garbage, I now sometimes give a 2nd look and think, hey, I could make something cool with that. Don't worry, I'm not making modern art with banana peels and eggshells, those go into the composter.
Enough chit chat, a few weeks ago, I spied some wood grain contact paper at Freddie's, and while I think it would look pretty dated and hideous in a drawer, it definitely looked like it would have some potential in other areas, I just wasn't sure what. Then I realized (a few weeks later), it would be perfect for making this empty cookie tin I have sitting around avoiding the garbage, into a s'mores fixin' box.
Before:
All full of yumminess!!

(photo credit)

Then sitting empty, waiting for me to decide its fate ;)

(photo credit)

After:
All ready for summer and some mallow roasts!

Last, a quote from "Sandlot" to explain exactly what a s'more is.

Ham: Hey, Smalls, you wanna s'more?

Smalls: Some more of what?

Ham: No, do you wanna s'more?

Smalls: I haven't had anything yet, so how can I have some more of nothing?

Ham: You're killing me Smalls! These are s'more's stuff! Alright now pay attention. First you take the graham, you stick the chocolate on the graham. Then you roast the 'mallow. When the 'mallows flaming... you stick it on the chocolate. Then cover with the other end. Then you scarf. Kind of messy, but good!

Golden Gardens

2011-06-13T23:58:00.001-07:00

We just got back from a quick trip to Seattle. Despite being short, it was a fun trip. Saturday evening we hung out with Joe's folks. Also, got to see Peter, Hannah and a bunch of friends at Pete's little graduation get-together at their place. On Sunday, we picked up my new bike! Joe found me a Trek Fuel EX8 on PinkBike.com, I'm pretty excited about it! I've never had a full suspension bike before and it fits way better than my last bike. Anyways, enough about that. Sunday, I also got to hang out with Jenn, we got some coffee and squeezed in a walk around Greenlake. Picked up a pina colada cupcake, some new scrapbooking paper and baker's twine at U-Village - I got six different colors!! I love that stuff, I actually love all kinds of twine. (Someday, when I'm rich (lol), I'm going to have a whole spool of every color and it will be awesome!) After getting stuffed with Indian food at the Bengal Tiger, we decided to go for another walk. We went to Golden Gardens and walked on the beach. Davidde and Joe taught me how to skip rocks! It was so fun! Then today before taking off, we went to Trader Joes's to stock up ;) It will be awesome when the Spokane location finally opens up, I miss that place!

Garden updates and crafty stuff later this week!

Garden Update

2011-06-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Watch out... this might get a little long! Several weeks ago, we rented a rototiller for an hour, its so nice having a hardware store right down the block. We tilled up that area in the back that has been empty since the major yard makeover last summer. Lets start from the beginning... It initially looked like this before we got the backhoe out last year - the weed mountain!

Then as you may remember, Joe and my dad took the skidster to the backyard (and parts of the front) and leveled everything. We had already removed the existing brick patio and flagstone walkway that was sunk into the ground and covered with grass. Joe and my parents had also spent an entire day riping out 20+ gangly arborvitaes that were overgrown and blocking out all light. And the old chain link fence that was kind of in the middle of the yard, also came out (seriously, why not around the edge of the yard?)

Back to the present, this is what it has been looking like for the last few months.

Joe manhandling the rototiller. While he did that, I loosened the dirt around the edges with a shovel, we didn't want to tear up the sprinkler system Joe just finished fixing last summer. I also put up the little fence that goes around the edge (which was free, left in a pile of garbage by the last owners). I'm hoping that will prevent me knocking over one of the sprinkler heads again with the car (oops). Then I also picked out the big rocks and roots that were everywhere.

Lastly, we moved the old window boxes out back, we're using to those to grow herbs. This way, we can grow tons of mint but it won't overthrow the entire garden. Bonus - the old boxes don't have to go to the landfill. :)

Next up... new planters, veggies and porch organization.

Laundry Soap Update

2011-06-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

After making that huge batch of laundry soap, and figuring out the difference in cost per load of laundry, I started wondering how much money I would actually save per month or per year. So for the month of May I counted how many loads of laundry we actually did. (I know, I'm a nerd). Anyways.... total of 12 loads x .20 cents = $2.40 in savings per month or $28.80 per year. So not a huge amount but all the little stuff does add up. Anyone else have interesting ways they like to save their hard earned cash?

Outdoor Lanterns

2011-06-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

It seems like months ago since I first started making these lanterns... it probably was. I decided that I need lids on them if they were going to stay outside during the summer and not fill up with water and grow mosquitoes. Ick. I finally found enough lids, but the mismatched pickle jar lids and gold canning rings were kinda uggo. It finally stopped raining long enough spray paint those babies. I used a color I had on hand, light aquaish. And they happily match my shell back chair perfectly! Love it when that happens!

Now, back to garage sale organizing...

New Tricks

2011-06-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

They say old dogs can't learn new tricks... I can't really speak to that. Malcolm on the other hand, is finally figuring out a few things around here. He has finally learned how to use his kitty window, which is great since he no longer whines incessantly when he wants to go out. It took him awhile to understand he could open it by himself.

The other thing he has learned recently is how to climb the hawthorne tree,which is kind of cute and funny (because it's short and would be easy to get him down if he got stuck). Hopefully, this doesn't translate into climbing bigger, taller trees soon (fingers crossed)!

In other news, summer is finally trying to get started here, we've been getting lots of yard work done, garden post coming soon. We're gearing up for a garage sale at my folk's this weekend. Yesterday, I got "fitted" for a bike and Joe's been looking for a good deal for me, hoping to get a lot of single track riding in this summer.

Farm Chicks Show

2011-06-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

I finally got to check out the Farm Chicks Show this year! It was down at the Interstate Fairgrounds, going on today and tomorrow. It was really cool, I got some great stuff and there is so much inspiration there it's almost overwhelming! Serena even signed my book "The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen"!

A few pictures of some of the booths there

And a few pictures of some of the loot I brought home :)

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!!

5th Annual Memorial Day Camping Trip

2011-05-31T10:25:00.000-07:00

We went to Alta Lake this year which is near Pateros, Washington which is between Winthrop and Wenatchee. We decided to go for east of the Cascades again this year. We expected to get rained out but aside from a few scattered showers and one short storm the weather was actually really nice. Nice enough to lay on a beach towel and enjoy some sunshine on Saturday afternoon!

Alta Lake - Beach/Picnic Area

Matt and Jenn enjoying kabobs, the "co-hosts" of the camping trip. Jenn and Joe do 90% of the cooking. Thanks guys!

Boys enjoying the fire and baked potatoes. The guys put up a tarp shelter to keep us dry.

Mark and Rachel - the newbies to the group this year.

On Sunday we took a little side trip to Winthrop, has an old west feel to it. The boardwalks are pretty cool and all the hand-painted signs. Pretty cool little tourist trap, fun to visit for the first time.

Sheri's had some killer homemade ice cream - I had the lemon custard with a homemade waffle cone, which was surprisingly only $2.75. Winthrop would definitely be a fun place to stop overnight on a road trip if you happened to be up in northern Washington.

Scenic detour to the Grand Coulee Dam on the way home - pretty impressive sight! My dad grew up in a house here that is now gone. It used to be where the new section of the dam is.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

Playing with Picasa ... and lady bugs

2011-05-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

Caught Malcolm mezmerized by a lady bug this morning. He has been chasing a ton of bugs outside recently, its pretty funny to watch. From a distance you can't tell why he's doing all these crazy little antics. I decided to play around with the picture in Picasa and try out a couple different effects.

Original

The "Tint" effect with partial color preservation. Left the tint unchanged.

This is the "Focal Black & White" option, I put the focus over the ladybug.

Any favorites?

Happy Monday!

2011-05-23T22:01:00.001-07:00

I'm so happy spring is finally here! The lilacs are almost out, the cherry tree has a few flowers and the hawthorne is about ready to color the front yard magenta. We've got half of our veggie garden in and just filled the new window boxes out front. Moved the bird bath out front today and planning to fill the hummingbird feeder tomorrow! Hope everyone else had a happy Monday!

Yummy Cookie Bars

2011-05-18T22:30:00.000-07:00

Peach Melba Shortbread Bars adapted from recipe printed in Southern Living magazine. My father-in-law sent this recipe to me. They're pretty tasty! (I still need to make him a batch)

Makes: 1.5 to 2 dozen bars

Hands on time: 20 minutes

Total Time : 2 hr, 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup cold butter

1 cup peach preserves

6 tsp raspberry preserves

1. Preheat over to 350 '. Combine 1st three ingredients in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until crumbly. Reserve 1 cup flour mixture.

2. Lightly grease an 11 x 7 inch pan. Press remaining flour mixture onto bottom of prepared pan.

3. Bake at 350' for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

4. Spread peach preserves over crust in pan. Dollop raspberry preserves by 1/2 teaspoon fulls over peach preserves. Sprinkle reserved 1 cup flour mixture over preserves.

5. Bake at 350' for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool 1 hour on wire rack. Cut into bars. Garnish if desired with almonds or powdered sugar.

Green Thumb?

2011-05-17T23:09:00.000-07:00

Will be finding out shortly if I have a green thumb or black thumb this spring :)

Part 2

2011-05-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

Joey trying it out. Seeing what it's all about. Seriously, if it was warmer I might try sleeping out there :)

Dreams Do Come True... occasionally

2011-05-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

I've been dreaming of a porch swing for years, but we haven't had a porch, not even a little one. Now, we have a porch but its not big enough for a porch swing. So I started dreaming about a hammock, one of the neighbors a couple blocks down has one and it looks like the perfect way to spend a lazy day! So I pondered that for a while but don't really a good spot for one. Needless to say, one day as I was wasting time looking at stuff online, I learned of the hammock swing. Pure genius! Only has to be hung by one spot, so no perfect tree spacing required or awkward looking hammock stands. Also won't get blown over like a stand alone swing has the potential too. I found one on hammock.com for a reasonable price, it even ended up being on sale, score! When it got here, we tried to give it a test drive in the living room, but it's just not quite the same with people trying to hold you up :) (Picture courtesy of Jenn's blog.) Joe hung it up for me yesterday and its super comfy and great for relaxing after a long day at work. So long .....ZZzzzzzz

Hello Spring!!

2011-05-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

Its so nice to have a day off with nice weather! Sunny, few puffy clouds and 63 degrees! I actually mowed the lawn with a tanktop on. After 5 days in "the cave" it's nice to be outside soaking up some sunshine. Joe and I went over to Rockwood Bakery this morning for a coffee and sat out on the patio. We stopped at Northtown to get his phone fixed and I hit up AE for some "summer clothes". Other than that, I been trying to get caught up with some yardwork while he's at work this afternoon. Taking a little break... Some pictures of things making me happy today!

See all that blue sky! Trimmed all the burning bush shoots today.

Cut some daffodils to bring inside, they're so cheerful! You can almost see little smiley faces on each one :)

Bringing the leftover trimmings inside of tossing all in the compost, so much better with some color up there!

This mint somehow survived the winter, just replanted it in a bigger container and put it out front to catch some sunshine. Now just need some limes :)

~~Me and Mal~~, I mean, Mal and I. (I can still my dad correcting my grammar in my head.) He's such a cute little monster. He can be held directly responsible for me not getting as much sleep as I'd like these days. He used to be "six-o-clock kitty" which was great, recently he's a "four-thirty-in-the-morning-kitty".

Get out enjoy some sunshine!!

Easy Peasy Strawberry Tart

2011-05-05T22:32:00.000-07:00

Easy strawberry tart recipe! I made the tart shell the night before, any easy recipe will do, it just needs to be prebaked. If you don't have a tart pan you could use a pyrex or pie dish, etc and just make a very low rim around the base, to mimic the shape of a tart pan.

Mix the the filling: 8 oz of cream cheese, 1/2 cup of sour cream, 3 tablespoons sugar (more/less depending on how sweet you want the filling), 1 teaspoon vanilla. Spread over the bottom of the tart. Then layer cut strawberries on top or if you're really hungry and can't wait, pile them on top.

Last step, cut yourself a piece and enjoy a little bite of summer!!

P.S. If I can whip this together after work... well after two days of work, it really can't be that hard.

P.P.S. If the colors are wonky, its because I've been messing around too much in Picasa :)

Happy Friday everyone!

The Vintage Rabbit

2011-05-03T10:28:00.000-07:00

Picture credit

This last weekend, we had some friends were in town for Bloomsday - all the way from Seattle. We had some down time Saturday so Ellen and I went over to the Vintage Rabbit on Monroe Street. Its one of those places I've driven by a million times while living in Spokane but have never been into. I thought they had pretty good selection, better than other shops I've been to on Monroe. Read another review with hours, address, etc here. I found an ornate receipt holder, a little letter K stamp and an old pastry cutter with a chippy green handle.

We also went to the Doughnut Parade in the GU District Saturday morning. Some friends of mine have been bugging me to check it out for over a year now. I forgot the SD card for my camera, so no pictures but Jenn did got some fun pictures of us. The doughnuts were pretty tasty and 75 cents each. They're not the next Top Pot, but they're the best doughnuts I've had so far since moving here. However, the inside is not sparkling, so if that's the kind of thing that bothers you, this is probably not your next favorite doughnut joint. One of the scenes from "Wrong Turn to Tahoe" was filmed here (which I've never heard of) but it looked just like this shot. Photo from donutparade.com.

Chippy green pastry cutter. I love these things, so much better than trying to use two knifes to cut in shortening or butter into pie dough, for pastries or peach kuchen. You can find new ones for a few bucks at most grocery stores.

I was really excited to find this, it's an old receipt holder. I'm sure I could find several uses but for now we're using it for its intended purpose. We just decided to starting hanging onto our grocery receipts for a few months. I keep track of all our spending each month. The food bill always seems high, so I'm going to dig a little further and look back at the receipts to see what we're spending the most on and try and find some ways to improve.

Make Your Own Laundry Soap

2011-04-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

After seeing several posts on the blogosphere recently about DIY laundry soap, I decided to give it a whirl for 2 reasons. Namely I'd read that it was much cheaper and second the smell of our current detergent makes me slightly nauseated. The Mrs. Meyers soap recently that I bought smells great but was pretty spendy. As far as the actual process, it wasn't very time consuming and the end product seems to work well.

The Ingredients

I used a recipe I found on several different sites.
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
2 cups grated soap (~1 bar)

There were several different soaps that people had used. The most popular seemed to be Fels-Naptha and Zote. I was unable to find zote at any of my local stores. I found Fels-Naptha at Fred Meyers (in laundry aisle) for $0.99 and at Rosauers for $1.49 (with other bar soaps). The washing soda and borax were on the laundry aisle.

The Process

First you grate the soap, I found one bar was equal to approximately 2 cups. Then I added the powders and mixed it in as well as I could. Then I ran it through my food processor in batches (I have a tiny one) until it was a sand like powder. Then give it a test run! The soap has a kind of strong smell but we both like it. Since you only use 2 tablespoons per load, it doesn't come out with a very strong smell. Also it doesn't make a lot of suds.

Cost breakdown per load of laundry

5 cents - My Soap. With the more "expenisve" bars it would be 7 cents a load.
12 cents - Ecos Liquid. This is the cheapest "green" soap I found
20 cents - Tide Original Powder soap
22 cents - 7th Generation Liquid soap
25 cents - Mrs. Meyers. Liquid soap
25 cents - Tide Original Liquid soap
28 cents - 7th Generation Powdered soap
30 cents - Method Liquid Soap
** Prices based on largest bottle available (ie cheapest) from Soap.com

The Backyard Homestead

2011-04-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

A new book I've been reading recently. Anyone else out there read it? Or any good suggestions for beginning gardeners (emphasis on beginning). So far this one seems pretty good, seems to hit the basics about a bunch of different areas and since I know nothing about this sort of thing, its a pretty good place to start. Gardening is one my "to do" list, having chickens is on my "bucket list" and having goats is on my "pipe dream" list. Anyways, I'm excited to try out gardening this year and see how that goes! Home grown tomatoes just taste so much better!! I also really want to grow cucumbers this year and make home made pickles!

Baby Nigerian Dwarf goats are super, SUPER cute!! (call me crazy all you want....) In case you don't believe me, here's some proof from the interweb.

Click here to getImages &
Baby Goats Pictures - Pictures

So whats the verdict? Cute or what?

Hurry Up Spring

2011-04-26T23:03:00.000-07:00

In anticipation of warmer weather, I made one of my favorite summer recipes and a pina colada smoothie today. It just keeps raining here, maybe by Friday we'll have some nice weather! We have one daffodil open now! Woot!! Need to get going on those garden plans...

Couscous Black Bean Salad

2 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
In a large bowl, marinate beans with the ingredients above.

1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup couscous
Bring broth to a boil, add couscous, cover and let sit 5 minutes. Add couscous to bean mixture.

2 bell peppers, chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
Add to above.

Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 bottle Greek vinaigrette w/ feta
Stir into the salad.

I love Mondays!

2011-04-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

I love Mondays, they're my Saturday! Its raining outside, so yard work is waiting until tomorrow! I love rainy days like this with some Frank in the background, sleeping kitties, a couple candles, a nice cup of tea and lots of creative energy. For all you *regular* readers out there, sorry for the lack of posts recently. Its been super busy around here, we went to Joe's bike race in Ephrata, had my in-laws and my best friend from Seattle over last weekend, I just finished up a five day stretch (of work), we picked up a new reel mower, and have been doing lots of little repairs and tons of cleaning. When Jenn was over she helped me clean, organize and rearrange my "office", I love it now and its still clean 10 days later!! When I saw the before and after pictures of Amy's scrapbook room, I was inspired to finish cleaning up and take some pics!

I recently picked up some pinking sheers, so today I finally made a banner with some scrap fabric I had, thats been on my "want-to-do" list for a looong time. When Jenn was over we moved the table in front of the window, stacked the storage boxes and moved the old sewing table in for some more storage. I hung up my "clothes-pin frame" in here too.

Value Village tray with a new coat of green paint, dollar store basket, little blue egg holder and canning jars, keeping all my "junk" contained :) All my string is kept in enclosed storage so Mal can't eat it.

Picture with my sewing machine out, this used to be my Grandma Lolita's. I love it, it's a little beat up but it gets the job done. When you're done, it just folds back up inside the table - really handy! I use all the suitcases to keep my material in. The old Samsonite in the back was my dad's when he was a kid, he got me the suitcase boxes recently. ... and in case you're starting to think I'm an expert sewer, errr, seamtress, don't worry I'm not. The skirt on the bottom is to cover up the computer server, cable box and all those associated wires.

Drab to Fab

2011-04-03T20:26:00.000-07:00

Little 50 cent tray from the dollar store that got a quick makeover to corral some stuff in my bedroom. I'm trying to get things a little more organized in there, would be nice to be able to find things in the morning while I'm rushing around trying to get to work :)

Came with two in the set - before and after. Just found a fabric scrap that I liked, cut to size and glued it on. Took all of 15 minutes.

Mason Jar Lanterns

2011-04-01T23:53:00.000-07:00

Pottery Barn was selling similar mason jar lanterns last year and I thought they would be perfect to add some "ambiance" if you will to the finally completed patio out back. But of course, I figured I could make them for cheap .... so I picked up the jars at Value Village, I wanted some with wide mouths which I didn't have at home. Then threw them together one night after work. I found a tutorial here that I roughly followed. I was planning to hang them outside today and get better pictures but spent most of the day sleeping trying to avoid getting sick. Hopefully I'll get some stuff done this weekend!!

Pottery Barn Knockoff...

2011-03-30T23:05:00.000-07:00

...coming soon to a blog near you. Err, I mean here. Hint, it has something to do with $1.40 worth of glass jars from afore mentioned thrift store! See you Friday :)

Value Village

2011-03-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

As a kid I hated thrift stores, to me it just meant getting hand-me-down clothes that always seemed to smell funny at first. But now I understand the appeal, its like looking for diamonds in the rough, finding cool stuff that sometimes needs a little love. After going to the gym today, I felt like going shopping, so I hit up Value Village on the way home and found a few things. Here's a few pics...

Two hardback books, I remember reading "By the Sea" as a kid at my grandma's house and the other one "The Green Bough" I got because it has a cool cover. I'll read it though just for fun :) I finally read a Jane Austin book today -thats been on my "Want To Do List" since last summer. It was called "Lady Susan", it was pretty different than Pride and Prejudice - the leading lady was kind of a villainous sort of character.

Decent sized wooden try for $2.99 that is going to get a paint job, planning on the same green color as the little wood box, then I might try decoupaging some patterned paper or maybe doilies on it. Should be fun to serving things this summer - maybe some mojitos or passion iced tea lemonade...

This candlestick is also getting a makeover - I really want to paint it gray but haven't decided yet. Then I'm thinking about adding some bling as well... we'll see. Oh, and in the background, you can see the Yogi Bear Picinik Basket I picked up recently! I'm really excited about that, can't wait for warmer weather :)

Its Finally Spring!!

2011-03-22T22:44:00.000-07:00

Spring has finally reached our neck of the woods and I am so glad, winter was getting old. That is why I love having four seasons though, its always changing.
Proof of spring - the 1st crocus (hopefully many more will be popping up soon)

I love these, they might be my favorites!

Some more proof - finally have the sun roof open again.

On a totally unrelated note - I cooked 3 meals today (I know, I know... shocking). Anyways, we're trying to be more healthy around here, hence the brown rice and oatmeal on the counter. Hope everyone has a good week, heading underground, I mean to work for the next five days.

Chinese Breakfast

2011-03-20T13:44:00.000-07:00

Joe's family and I went out for dim sum at Noble Court. Technically it was breakfast for us, since we hadn't eaten yet. (Sorry, kind of an inside joke.) Anyways, Joe has been trying to convince me to try Chinese food again for awhile. All the little ponds and waving kitties were a kick. The hum bao was pretty good, the outside was really nice and fluffy. We'll have to try and make some again, the dough was a complete flop last time but the barbeque pork he made was amazing.

Welcome Fernie

2011-03-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

While browsing through the spring magazines that arrived recently, I decided that I needed to take down all the winter decorations and start getting ready for spring. While I have yet to take down said decorations, I did go shopping - I found Fernie the Fern and brought him home with me. He adds some spring greenery nicely, helps clear the air and so far is getting along swimmingly with Malcolm. Hopefully Mal won't get jealous of our new house guest and try to eat him (he's tried that before on some of our less fortunate green friends). In honor of spring and Fernie's arrival, I decided a little photo shoot was in order.

Malcolm, this is Fernie. Fernie, this is Malcolm.

Fernie posing with Jane Austin, Mary Lennox and Lollia.

Family Photo

2011-03-12T21:51:00.000-08:00

Picture from my birthday taken by Jenn.

Cheese Danish

2011-03-08T19:45:00.000-08:00

Cheese danish are so yummy! Thank goodness for frozen puff pastries, otherwise these would be a lot of work. Recipe found in Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook or online here.

If you don't like scrapbooking ignore the following...

I'm always trying to figure out new ways to use up thickers, especially the numbers, its really frustrating throwing away perfectly good stuff that you spent perfectly good money on. Anways, the foam numbers bend really easily to make interesting shapes. I cut a bunch of 9s and 6s up and used the 3s sideways, all stretched out.

Trash to Treasure

2011-03-05T19:17:00.000-08:00

I got this little box for free. Not the best picture but generally looking not so hot. I have been needing a new home for some of my garden gloves and other things that collect on the back porch. So I pried off the cracked little pot and plastic foliage, removed the handle and sanded the whole thing down. Then just repainted with some fun green paint, whitewashed a little over the top to give it some depth and put the handle back on with some new twine. Tada! First paint project complete!

On another note, I got a new laptop that is compatible with my SD card for my camera so you may be seeing more posts with pictures! Happy weekend everyone!

Finally Some Powder....

2011-03-05T18:42:00.000-08:00

Joe and I made it up to Silver Mountain recently. ...finally a powder day!! There is nothing quite like snowboarding in fresh powder. I was unfortunately babying my back, but we still got a bunch of good runs in. I had a patient recently who is a huge ski buff and he says March should be good for a few more powder days. So hopefully won't have to put away the board quite yet :)

Great Day Off

2011-02-15T23:11:00.000-08:00

Today ended up being a great day off... which I was not expecting since I spent all day yesterday in bed asleep fighting a head cold. I've been stressing recently that I forgot to renew my tabs on time, but today Joe found them in a stack of unsorted papers, so that saved me a trip to the DMV! Yay!! I went to BodyFlow this evening, part yoga, tai-chi and pilates. And I realized I can touch my toes without having to stretch for 15 minutes, which means this whole going to the gym thing is working. (Seeing as I used to have trouble touching my knees in the morning). Also had an impromptu visit with some friends which cheered me up. Made a quick stop at Huckleberry's and picked up so goat yogurt which I'm really excited to try, some half and half in the cutest little milk bottle and some yummy juices! This evening, I made a new recipe in an effort to save some produce from the compost pile, and in a desperate attempt to avoid eating VA cafeteria food for lunch tomorrow.

Lentil and Couscous Salad (adapted from a Country Living Recipe)
Whisk together
- 6 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
- 4 Tablespoons of whole grain mustard
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Then cook, drain and add french lentils (1 cup uncooked), and couscous (1 cup uncooked).
Chop up a bunch of green onions and some cherry tomatoes. Mix together and you're done.
(P.s. the original recipe calls for 3/4 cup chopped mint but it tastes great w/o it)

Overall, it seems fairly healthy, it has lentils, that has to up the good-for-you factor right? and if I can whip it up the night before work that proves its not to difficult or time intensive either.

Inspired

2011-02-15T15:43:00.000-08:00

I found an interesting blog today while looking for tips to reduce food waste - I know, sounds boring but I'm sick of throwing away wilted, slimy bags of produce and those "science experiments" from the back of the fridge. So I'm starting a more concerted effort to use things up before they go bad. One interesting tip she had was to start a "waste list", write down everything that you throw away over the course of a month or so. Then you can edit your shopping or think of creative uses for those things before they go bad. So I'll see how that goes. The other thing I was inspired to do was "Toss 50 Things", it's based off some book. So in addition to the huge yard sale ~~pile~~ mountain I have in my basement, I'm going to try and find another 50 things to donate, sell, give away, etc. Maybe a few truly un-reusable things I'll actually trash. Apparently, you're only allowed to count repeat items once, i.e. 5 dead batteries only count as 1 thing. ....we'll see how it goes!

Early V Day

2011-02-10T22:09:00.000-08:00

Not much is better than some hot lemur tea and a Belgium waffle in the morning for breakfast. The mug was an early Valentines day present. We're not really big into that holiday around here, but a little present is always nice. I guess Joe is using up his presents with new bike parts though, so that makes shopping easy. Tonight we went out to Vin Rouge here in Spokane and used our first "Groupon". Seems like the company is doing fairly well, well enough to pay for a Super Bowl commercial anyways. Nice to save a few bucks and try out a local place. The food was pretty good, would go back again for a special occasion. I had the crab cakes which were actually quite delicious, best I've had so far since moving back to the "east side". This evening we watched the 1962 version of Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates. The acting was pretty terrible but I kind of got a kick out of watching one of my favorite childhood books on the silver screen. It's never quite the same, the book is always better. Joe suffered through the entire thing only to find the money hidden under a loose board at the end (not buried in the backyard next to a tree that was no longer there). Sorry to be the spoiler, but I doubt anyone else will be watching that any time soon.

Annual Gingerbread Party

2011-01-27T21:38:00.000-08:00

First off there is never any "real" gingerbread involved... only grahm crackers. This year we decided to all make places that would be in a town, and as you can clearly see, I made a bakery. Not so clearly perhaps, is the skittles "flower" cart outside on the corner. Made in honor of my all time favorite bakery, Le Fournil. A wonderful French bakery in Seattle, it is right next to a flower shop which always has the most beautiful cart of flowers on display outside!

Coffee and a doughnut...

2011-01-15T19:40:00.001-08:00

The breakfast of champions! Back in the ICU for the day. Hadn't entirely realized how much I missed it.

Top Ten Favorites from 2010

2010-12-31T23:13:00.000-08:00

...after all, its not quite 2011 yet. These are in no particular order, except for numero uno.
1. Adopting Malcom from the Humane Society and having him become #3 in our wolf pack...
2. Whistler trip with the whole gang reunited + Hans
3. Discovering All Seasons and camping with Rachel
4. Joe's fish tacos
5. Passion ice tea lemonade, quickly became a summer staple
6. Working bathroom
7. REAL dining room chairs
8. Quotes from Jim Gaffagan and The Hangover
9. Jenn introducing me to Red Mango
10. Seattle Foodie Trip and riding cruisers on Alki Beach.

Peace out 2010. Happy New Year everyone!