My Day "Off"

HORRAY KITCHEN TIME!

1) Clean kitchen
2) Mix pita dough -- rise 1 1/2 hours
3) While dough rises: Hummus and Goddess Salad Dressing
4) Homemade baked falafel?
5) Jump for Joy!

Links for yummies:
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/pitabread
http://www.recipezaar.com/Tahini-Goddess-Salad-Dressing-95888
http://mideastfood.about.com/od/maindishes/r/bakedfalafel.htm

Hummus is pretty straightforward:
2 cans chick peas
2-3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2-3 Tbsp Tahini
2 Cloves of Garlic
Water to counter thickness
Food Processor until yummy.

AND OMG the Goddess Salad Dressing--it's what they put on salads at Benevolence--YUM! I've been sneaking little tastes here and there of it with the cucumber I cut up for the salad...

Today is FANTASTIC.

More Seedlings

(in a whisper):
The first baby Lupine emerges from thr ground, still curled in its seedling-fetus position. Shh... Don't wake the baby. The other Lupines must require a longer incubation.


Life is springing in the tray of Cosmos and Holly Hock.

Look how delicate these little baby Cosmos are. One day they will be large bushes (and I will take more photos of them).

Of 5 flats of Holly Hock, I only have 3 little sprouts. I expected a quicker climb from these tall stalky plants (more like the morning glories).

Now--of all the seeds, can you believe NO Pansies will show themselves? Those little... pansies.

Good Morning Glories!

Look what I found this morning when I watered my seedlings!

It's been 3 days since I looked at my little dears and they sure have taken off!

Some of the others are showing signs of life, but are still too small for me to get overly excited about. These were quite the surprise! They're getting so big so quickly! I hope the others will be following suit in good time!

The people who know say that to start with, you should put 2-3 seeds in each little dish. Then if two plants begin to grow, it's best to kill one off so the other has a better chance to grow. I can't help but think in this situation, "Every life is precious" (kinda like one of the songs from The Life of Brian). I will hold off for now on killing any of my babies. :)

SO EXCITED!

Spring Gardening!

After realizing I bought more than 4,000 seeds, I decided to pick up a couple more 72 flat trays. I did all the necessary prep work of filling the trays about two weeks ago. Finally this week I planted the seeds!

While I was working at the kitchen table, Daisy was on the porch anxious to get inside. Meanwhile the cat is pleading to go outside. Here they are, my jealous pets:

Here's the finished product::)

Spring Special!

I bought seeds online! I have lots of flower seeds so I will share! Let me know if you want some! I can't wait to get them and start growing!

I got:

Lupines


Cosmos Sensation


Indian Spring Hollyhock


And Giant Pansies


TADA! Meijer had little greenhouse setups for < $4, so I got one of those. It has 72 little places for flowers. I hope this is successful. I figure for < $20 if it works, it will be WAY cheaper than buying the annuals at the store!

I just hope I have the Greenwood Green Thumb!

Childhood Dreams

I remember the family activity of making dinner, all of us crowded in the small kitchen at my dad's house. Italian was his specialty: super cheesy lasagna, pizza baked in olive oil, and, of course, spaghetti.

My job was usually to help with the salad. I would wash the romaine lettuce, spin it out in the salad spinner, and tear it up in a big wooden bowl.

Meanwhile, my dad would make the dressing: olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, garlic, spices, and sometimes some vinegar. It was a dressing to clear out the worst sinuses, and it was delicious. (This dressing probably explains my addiction to an insane amount of garlic.)

The rest of the meal is a blur to me because I usually did not do much with the main dish other than eat it. Still, I can't remember a single time the Italian meal wasn't delicious.

While I love making the traditional Italian dishes of my childhood, I also like to branch out from the other side of my family.

My mom and I are cold people, so hot dishes warmed us up through the winter months in Ohio. My mom was a fan of throw it together, let it simmer, eat it up, so the dish I best remember is her chili.

While some people acclaim their chili for the unbearable spicy taste, hers was not spicy. Her chili was mild, but, it was always delightful, served steaming with some sour cream and cheddar cheese melting into the soup.

As both my sisters were vegetarian, a special treat my mom and I would share between just the two of us was warm deli meat/cheese sandwiches.

The sandwiches were different every time. My favorite was the ham and cheese with a good mustard spread. We worked together to make the simple sandwiches, wrapped them in foil, and baked them in the oven.

The end result was always delicious: gooey cheese, blended with the sauce, with a tasty ham or turkey. Such a simple a recipe never went wrong.

Now I feel comfortable with cooking. I love the delicate process involved with making a dish from scratch. For so many meals, I don't even use a recipe and just make adjustments to fit my mood.

My favorite dishes to make are a reflection of my past: garlic powered Italian, creamy soups, and hot sandwiches: Creamy/cheesy broccoli or potato soups, sometimes spiced with a "fiesta" flare, Italian seasoned vegetable soup, home made Reubens toasted in the toaster oven, and, what has become my own invention: the Erin-Burger (hamburger topped with any tasty special cheese, mayo on the bottom of the bun, spicy brown (or specialty) mustard mixed with dill relish on the top.

My dad dreamed of opening a quaint little Italian restaurant. The food was good, and maybe it could have worked out if the circumstances would have been different.

Now that I have found such joy in cooking, I feel the same lofty dream while I am dancing, singing, and mixing up a great meal in the kitchen. Cooking is happiness, especially when the eating's so good.

I'm a Busy Body

Yesterday was my last day at GTC. Even though I felt like I hadn't made a lot of friends, leaving made me feel like I had made friends with everyone. I baked cupcakes on Wednesday and reminisced about all the good people I worked with, until my feet and my back ached and I was too tired to do a complete clean up. I think cupcakes did help the day go well. No tears. It's hard to say goodbye to good people. Maybe it's just hard to say goodbye. Eric and I celebrated the new beginnings by going to eat at a china buffet, and it was good.

The new plan is to give myself more time, working part time at a craft store stocking shelves and tutoring several evenings while taking classes. Money is probably my biggest concern with this idea. I don't feel like I really splurge all that often, yet my monetary output has gone up since college, when I lived on at least half as much as I've made in the last two years. Of course, I also have lofty ambitions of making it to the gym more regularly--if I'm paying the money, I'm going to go and I'm going to work myself out until I see the results I want. I'm turning it up--Look out!

Classes begin on Monday, and if I get the job at the tutoring center, I will start training hopefully on Tuesday. Oh yeah, and I have the ACT to take for that on Saturday. I really haven't left myself much of a break, so I really hope this works out as planned and I get a little more time from this new and improved version of living. Back to classes though. This semester I will be taking all of the instructional courses, which should be more exciting than the issues course that overwhelmed me with even more problems in our education system that have no answers. What is a girl to do? Well, this girl is going to tough it out and be the best teacher I can.

Speaking of teachers--I was so caught up in all the whirl of my own life changes that I missed my mom's big one. School started yesterday! I can't believe it! Such a short summer that's now over! I think of all the things she did this summer and it's amazing. Her latest thing, finished yesterday by Gretchen I think, was remodeling her bedroom. I can't wait to see it. They refinished all the wood and painted, and the next big thing will be repainting the old orange and green dressers. But she also made great headway with the garage, patio furniture, and... I'm not sure what else right now, but she had a very busy summer.

I still have to clean, finish Debbie work, and the the books I'll need for school. But right now I should eat so I am ready to work. :) Those other chores with just have to wait.

If only I were clean.

If I were a clean person, I'd have much more time to do the things I want to do. Every time I cook, I have to start by doing dishes and clearing off and wiping down every horizontal surface that's been loaded up with junk. Of course, every time I cook, I claim I am going to clean up as soon as I'm done. But then I sit down and eat, and maybe I put my dishes in the dishwasher. It's so frustrating. I feel like all I do is clean clean clean.

What is the solution to this constant headache? Usually when I decide to change my ways and get organized, I find places for all my crap, like shelves or containers. My things are put away for a day, maybe two if I'm lucky, but then everything is right back to where it started. Maybe if I get rid of some things, but all my hobbies make me a bigger pack rat than I would naturally be (and naturally, I'm a pretty big pack rat).

Hmm... What to do? Where to start? Ho hum. I'll put it off for a day or two and continue considering my options. :)

The New Year

Maybe hopeful dreams and plans of a fresh start happens every time the new year rolls in again, but I don't recall it ever really happening to me. Sure, I love to sit down and plan out how I can save more money so I can feel comfortable and not live month to month. That more typically occurs on a monthly basis. I have often believed that the "school" year was more like my new years with resolutions and bounding hopefulness.

So here I sit, investigating what to really do with my life. Do I want to just work my days away working on accounts payable while manning the front desk of a design/construction company? Truthfully, I feel a bit out of place and haven't really made friends with anyone beyond friendly acquaintances. (But then again, I have that moral dilemma with whether coworkers should be friends.) The glamor and glitz of being surrounded by artists has worn off a bit. I feel like even though I work hard I don't have much of anywhere to work towards. Yet again in my life, I feel like I'm swirling around, aimlessly living day to day.

For a minute, I was reconsidering the military. It's generally the first place I look when I'm feeling pointless, even though there's a whole lot about the military which screams NOT ERIN (and everyone I mentioned my little notion to also screamed NOT ERIN). I suppose it's just a place to start the thinking because I never follow through and know better than to allow myself to delve too deep into the idea. Still, part of me says, 'but wouldn't teaching military brats overseas be something!'

This morning I'm reconsidering education. It's kind of easier to enter a career with politics that don't quite add up to what I'd like when I'm in a career other than my dream job and there's still bs politics that bug me. I could plan on a larger time frame than I did originally (the one where I missed all the deadlines because I was feeling indecisive). Work on getting a substitute teaching gig established for next year, investigate licensure options, begin applications for grad school, and see about taking some evening classes. I'm not sure how that works time line now that I wrote it out--I did half of all that just this morning.

So, Happy New Years. I'm also going to work out so I can be physically fit for my trip to Europe at the end of June, take more pictures to document my existence and interesting things around me, and attempt to maintain friendships better. Oh, and I want to cook more complicated dishes. Soup cooking has really killed my enthusiasm for new dinner delights (even though I had a successful bout of making sushi rolls). I think I might try flossing on a regular basis as well. And I'm going to try to convince my birds to eat healthy fruits and veggies (all seed diets are bad and maybe then I'll stock the house with fruits and veggies). And I will take Daisy to the park and/or play with her everyday. And I will try to keep perspective when I get all huffy and burled up in a ball of rage. All in all, I think I will just attempt to be a perfect being.

Today I...

Today I let myself sleep in until 7:30, leaving only half an hour for a shower and pet caring. I left the house 10 minutes earlier than usual which means A) I didn't get up quite as late as I think I did or B) I should never have any problem getting out of the house on time if I wake up at the usual time of 7:00. Of course, this 20 minute spurting to get out of the house did not include giving Miss Daisy a walk.

Work was work as usual. I felt a bit on edge from dealing with a frustrating problem I've been trying to fix. I need to get a little more comfortable with the whole accounting mentality. I keep thinking the answer is to be ahead of the game, but that's just not an option. That's just not how business works. I try to keep up with the incoming and focus on one or two... sometimes three... problems at a time. Ho Hum.

Tis the season and apparently there is a sock exchange sneaking all around me. Somehow... word is spreading that I am crafty. I hope to get included and finally have good reason to finish socks. I just need to know how to knit the toe. I should try to get a pair ready for review with my mom for next weekend. Eh... gotta finish the sweater and some more hats though. I don't want to feel as overwhelmed as I did last Christmas week--especially since I don't have a whole week and a half this year.

I finally accomplished shopping after work. I rewarded myself by purchasing special bath suds and face wash, which I've had on my list to get for quite some time. I also got broccoli and alfredo sauce, which was great for my dinner with noodles and left over yummy meat. And icky portabell0 mushrooms for Eric. I made him the mushrooms sauted in an olive oil dipping sauce and then mixed in his noodles and topped it all off with mountains of mozzarella. He said it was delicious, and I have to take his word for it because I dared not taste the dreaded 'shrooms. :)

Finally, Daisy and I went for a longer than usual walk today: down and around and back and down and back again. She's the cutest, sweetest dear in the whole wide world. She played with the stuffed gorilla without shredding it to bits as one Bosco would do if he had the chance. She also licks her bones very diligently before she starts gnawing. I also love how she will follow me up and down the stairs, following just behind me. Oh, Daisy girl. :)

I can't decide if I want to finish the night off with a nice hot bath with my fall-time candles and bubble bath, work on my crochet projects, or try to get Eric to watch some more Angel. He seems to be getting into it--he was all ready to watch another episode after dinner, but I told him there was laundry to be done and dogs to be walked.

I like it when I'm productive. I think I also realize, I'm only happy when I make myself happy. I think I'm much more compatible with being active than sitting around, unless I'm sitting around being productive. But, oh well. Time for the relaxing part now.

Stranger than Fiction...

I believe Stranger than Fiction is officially my favorite movie.

I also believe this man is genius. I want to create the best piece of writing for him telling him how amazing he is as a teacher and how much I appreciated and continue to appreciate his class I took. And if he enjoyed Stranger than Fiction as much as I did as it references the author of my favorite book from his class, Italo Calvino.

It's just one of those good feeling days whenever I watch that movie. It's framing is amazing! (the class I took was "Framed Narratives")

Oh well. I must try to calm myself enough to go to bed now. :)

Roll with It...

It's a bit tiring and a whole lot frustrating to not know what's going to happen next in my life. The school year ends on Friday for me. I've got an interview with a temp agency on Friday as well. My students have been reviewing Ancient China in preparation for the test. I think it's a paragraph about Confucius that had a good point about how to live life: Be like water and just flow with everything around you. I think this is how I am some of the time, but often I just fight against some things because it'll feel like I went with the flow for too long and ignored things that just shouldn't have been ignored.

Lately I feel like I'm going against the flow getting frustrated about trying to find housing for fall and trying to dig into the job search process. In my mind I just want to start Monday. Teaching didn't exactly leave me living comfortable with more than a month saved up in revenue. My bank account seems lower than it's been in a long time (still it's a good amount higher than what I used to maintain).

I guess the main thing is I need to feel successful. I want an actual career where the things I do count towards the future of something larger. I guess that's kind of what I'm seeing as my definition of success. We'll see how it pans out.

Great Grandma Inspiration Blanket...

So I found this idea at this website about making little yo-yo's, as they're apparently called. I liked the look, but I didn't like the constant cutting and finishing off. I made my own style of joining the yo-yo's together (based on the website's general instructions for how to join). I joined three together and then join groups of three together. I haven't actually joined groups of three together yet, but here's a preview of what's to come!


The reason this could be a great grandma inspiration blanket is because she made a couple of grape decorations that followed a simmilar pattern...

So, What have I been Doing?

It's been months, but I haven't really been sitting idly by, well, not completely at least. Here's the most recent activities I've done.

First, I have gotten into bread making and it's a lot of fun. I had a goal to get baking every weekend, however that simply has not yet been realized. Mostly I'm just too much on the go these days.

Yummy!

Next, I've spent more time browsing online for new ideas with sewing than actually doing. One thing I found was how to modify jeans into a skirt. I thought it looked easy enough and I thought the pattern I found was so cute. I might be able to find the link sometime, we'll see. Here's my skirt made from jeans that were a bit too small.

I'm not sure if you can tell from the pictures cuz I had to take my own makeshift photos of my bottom half. It actually does look pretty cute I believe.

And finally. My friend Liz has been talking for several months now about growing her own dreads. It was many moons ago that I undertook that same adventure, and I knew what really helped. A cool hat that you can wear all the time. I did make a cool hat, but unfortunately I didn't leave a lot of extra room for her hair. I know how to make this awesome hat now, so from here, we'll just see if I can get it better.

I call the hat "no take backs" because I just kept on going. I'd decide how many to increase by and wouldn't look back. Whatever happened happened. The only adjustment I made was at the end after I had finished it off and everything, I decided the "brim" needed some more to it, so I added another row. I think that counts as having no take backs because I didn't take out anything, just added to it!

I also went to Chicago with Eric, but I'm waiting for Eric to get to it with updating that.

new scarf...

Here it is. It's warm and it's very finished looking. I'm even going to post the pattern I do believe!(I feel a little goofy... all the pictures I smiled in looked really dorky... Not sure if this is any better though... it's hard to be the solo photographer)

So, here's the pattern...

I used Softee Chunky by Bernat (It was less than 2.50 at walmart!) and an L hook

Chain 13, turn
ROW 1: Count first two ch as 1st DC. *Skip 1 ch, DC in next ch, DC in skipped ch* rep to last dc (the ch 2) finish row with DC in last ch, ch 2, turn.
ROW 2: *FDP st, BDP st* (corresponding front and back to the side the stitches are already at), DC in top ch at the end of the row, ch 2, turn.
ROW 3: *skip 1 DC, FDP in next DC, BDP in skipped DC* DC in last stitch as in ROW 2, ch 2, turn.

Rows 2 and 3 make the pattern. Repeat to desired length. I used just over 1 skein of the chunky yarn.

It crochets quickly and the pattern is easy. The finished product is excellent. One of my best patterns yet!

This is my first time writing out a pattern, so if anyone has suggestions, lemme know!

**Updated notes on my FDP and BDP... apparently this is more commonly known as simply FP and BP (Front Post and Back Post), but I differentiated Double because in my experimental crocheting, I also do single, half double and even triple post stitches.

Here's a link my mom found that explains exactly what a Post stitch is. It's easier to see it than try to weed through one of my explanations... POST STITCH EXPLAINED

Three Snow Days in a Row....

And this is the best I have to show for it:


I'm a little disappointed by how little detail you can see, but that's kind of just the kind of yarn it is. The heel to mid foot is done with plain old knitting. The toe is done in seed stitch (this and the fact that it's not double strand worsted weight) is my variation from the regular granny pattern. I think they should be called submarine slippers cuz that's what I think every time I look at them.

I'm still working on some other projects, but am more excited about getting my second slipper done with...

Oh, but another cool thing.... I got the birdies a little something something...

The Best Thing yet this Year! :)

So, Eric and I are packing lunches... So I made him a lunch sack... I just worry it's a little bit too girly for him.... But even so the overall project (no patterns, no planning) was a 100% success and I am really starting to feel like I really can sew!

PS... I love my sewing machine!

new hat...

So, I finally made a new hat for myself... it used an ENTIRE skein of the homespun yarn... It's pretty much all done in Double Post Stitches, so it's super warm. Eric thinks it makes my head look big, but I think when it keeps more of its shape, its not so bad. Here it is...

And another picture to show the color... :)

Using HTML

Notes on how to use HTML

Really, it's all pretty simple:

When beginning a format, you begin with your command in <>.

You end your formatting with your command in <> with a /.

---

Some Basic Line Formatting

To give titles of different sizes, begin with h1 and then work your way up the numbers to make your headings smaller.

Some Examples:

Heading 1

Heading 2

Heading 3

To center align your heading use align=center after your heading code

To enter a line across the screen use hr

To enter a break in the text use br

Spaces and breaks that show in your code don't show up, so you have to use br for breaks.

Another option is to tell the system your text is pre-formatted with the command pre

Here's an example:

This
Doesn't
Have
Breaks
at the
End of
Each
Line.

---

Formatting Text Styles

Formatting text is really basic:

Bold is b

Italic is i

Big is big

Quote is q

---

Knick Knacks

There are also some random maybe useful tools to use:

If you want to show an address, use address:

Erin Greenwood

111 Main Street

Hometown, USA

You still have to enter breaks, but the text style changes.


If you want to strike through text, use del

If you want to underline text, you can use ins

Abbr can be entered using the command abbr title=quote and ending with /abbr.

Longer quotes are made put into block format using the command blockquote.

For example, Henry David Thoreau said,

Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; Be good for something.

Pictures of Petey

My little bird sings happily to Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Blues Traveller, Sondre Lerche, The Pixies, and even some English Folk music (Anne Briggs et al). :) What can I say? Birds of a feather...