This year for a new year's resolution (which I don't really buy into, except that it really is the time of year that I need to make changes in my life) I decided that I really could benefit from classing it up a bit.
I turned 25 this January, and I am realizing that I derive a lot of my anxiety from what I think other people think of me. I realized that I could get a lot of confidence if I trusted my decisions, and felt good about myself.
I was also have been thinking about pairing down my belongings, especially in my closet. I feel like you don't need a lot of items, if the ones you have work together well, and you look good in them.
So the first thing I did was go through my closet and get rid of anything that I wasn't sure about: things that don't fit me the way they did in my imagination, or things that don't really match anything else I wear. A lot of brightly colored things went, too.
It's easier to put together outfits now, because there's not a lot of stuff that I shouldn't be wearing, tempting me. I receive more compliments now, and my self confidence is more steady, because I don't have so many doubts about myself.
Here's a few key things that help me look classier every day no matter what else is going on.
Red watch band: I always wear a wristwatch, but switching to a red band really makes it stand out, especially when I'm wearing all black, at work. I feel that a watch calls attention to the wrists, which are elegant and ladylike without the potential for sluttiness or silliness.
Pearl Earrings: Mark really wanted to get me some jewelry for christmas. I almost never wear any jewelry, although I do have one pair of mother-of pearl dangly earrings that I remember about once a year. They are too dressy for most outfits though, so I don't end up wearing them enough. Mark wanted to get me something more simple that I could be comfortable wearing even to work. We went to Claire's (I know, super classy), and found a simple pair like these, while they were having a sale.
Basic 3/4 sleeve ballet-neck tees: I often roll up my sleeves, which stretches them out, so I would probably wear 3/4 sleeves every day of my life, if I could. The wide scoop neck on this is comfortable and, since I have to wear an apron over whatever I wear at work, this lends the slight hint of class without being flashy or uncomfortable. I now own three of these in various colors. At work I wear them it with skinny black pants that are a little short, and black mary janes.
Accessories: Everybody needs a few things to keep them comfortable, but it is possible to chose these for fashion as well. I have a cream pashmina style scarf that looks good wrapped loosely around the neck of just about any outfit. it is thick enough to keep my neck warm on a cold day, but light enough to never make me sweat. I also have a pair of sunglasses, like these, but a light rosy pink. They would also be great in red or white.
The only thing I'm missing is a really classy everyday shoe. I have these to wear to work, but they get kind of gross, so I don't want to wear them outside of work. I'm thinking about getting a second pair for that, but it seems like kind of a waste of money.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Processing Wool for Moths
I was not careful after acquiring a moth-eaten sweater around christmas, and I'm afraid moths might've gotten into some of my stuff. I have so many woolens, that I can't put them all in ziplocks in the freezer, and I don't have my own washer, so although I have washed them all by hand, the solution I've finally come up with is this:
soak as many woolens as possible in hot water in a bucket, without any agitation. after some soaking, place on a plate or in a bowl in a clean microwave until steamy. If you have a thermometer, you could try to make sure the sweater gets up to a certain temp, but I'm not entirely certain what that temp is. 170 maybe?
I slide the heated sweater off the plate into my waiting canning pot. It's a Tamale steamer, so there's an insert with holes in it, perfect for draining wet sweaters.
Once the sweaters are cool (not just cool enough to touch, but room temp. hot wet wool can be ruined easily), squeeze the moisture out of them gently, and hang/lay flat to dry as you would normally.
Now the thing it, what to do with wool pants, shorts, with metal zippers? They can't be microwaved.I'm hoping I've gotten everything important, and I'm going to just wait and see.
soak as many woolens as possible in hot water in a bucket, without any agitation. after some soaking, place on a plate or in a bowl in a clean microwave until steamy. If you have a thermometer, you could try to make sure the sweater gets up to a certain temp, but I'm not entirely certain what that temp is. 170 maybe?
I slide the heated sweater off the plate into my waiting canning pot. It's a Tamale steamer, so there's an insert with holes in it, perfect for draining wet sweaters.
Once the sweaters are cool (not just cool enough to touch, but room temp. hot wet wool can be ruined easily), squeeze the moisture out of them gently, and hang/lay flat to dry as you would normally.
Now the thing it, what to do with wool pants, shorts, with metal zippers? They can't be microwaved.I'm hoping I've gotten everything important, and I'm going to just wait and see.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Bikes!
We have lived in Austin for almost a year, without riding our bikes almost at all. (admittedly part of that is that we hardly ever go out in the first place)
Last weekend, we had houseguests that we tried to show around the city, and since they had been driving ten hours a day, they wanted to walk it. And I was amazed at how walkable it was. In my mind it was a lot bigger, but in reality we covered a lot of ground quickly, no parking fees, no driving in circles looking for a spot. (and Mark and I are quick walkers, so when alone, we could probably cover a lot more distance)
Now I want to go out and walk/bike everywhere. Betsy finally got a bike, so we can bike places together. I pulled out our map and found a safe way to get to her house.
Now I need to get some better brakes/handlebars. What I have right now is neither safe nor comfortable.
Deciding/agreeing on what to get, though is tougher than it should be.
Last weekend, we had houseguests that we tried to show around the city, and since they had been driving ten hours a day, they wanted to walk it. And I was amazed at how walkable it was. In my mind it was a lot bigger, but in reality we covered a lot of ground quickly, no parking fees, no driving in circles looking for a spot. (and Mark and I are quick walkers, so when alone, we could probably cover a lot more distance)
Now I want to go out and walk/bike everywhere. Betsy finally got a bike, so we can bike places together. I pulled out our map and found a safe way to get to her house.
Now I need to get some better brakes/handlebars. What I have right now is neither safe nor comfortable.
Deciding/agreeing on what to get, though is tougher than it should be.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Holiday things are happening...
We've got our tree up (and finally probably straight), and I just put 21 cups of Turkey broth in the freezer. I can get sick any time now. It's fine. I have the broth to deal with it.
Presents are being picked out and slowly making their way into the house, and under the tree.
For some reason, this year, I've not got that many great ideas for gifts. Usually I get so excited, because I have so many wonderful ideas, and can't wait to implement them. This year, no. Just... no. I have a few lame ideas, but really, I'm just tired, and not ready for Christmas. It's not cold here at all, so Christmas snuck up on me before I was prepared. Now it's almost here, and I'm floundering.
Presents are being picked out and slowly making their way into the house, and under the tree.
For some reason, this year, I've not got that many great ideas for gifts. Usually I get so excited, because I have so many wonderful ideas, and can't wait to implement them. This year, no. Just... no. I have a few lame ideas, but really, I'm just tired, and not ready for Christmas. It's not cold here at all, so Christmas snuck up on me before I was prepared. Now it's almost here, and I'm floundering.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Stupid Bathroom
So Far, I've been fairly pleased with this new apartment. Everything that I don't really like has been minor things that don't really matter, like the placing of the air intake vent, or the fact that all the dirt on our upstairs neighbors balcony filters down onto ours, because the slats are really far apart.
And then comes the bathroom. Specifically the bathtub/shower stall. I noticed when we were beginning to unpack, that the bathtub really needed a good scrub. The whole bottom was just splotchy grey, because it's mildly textured and therefor catches all the foot dirt that comes it's way. I also noticed that the soap dish on the wall had a weird texture but figured it just needed a good scrubbing as well. when I took a closer look, I realized the soap dish seemed to have been painted over, and the paint was peeling on the part that holds the dish/collects water.
I decided that for the tub, not knowing the previous residents, I'd rather just bleach the whole thing, instead of getting on my knees and scrubbing. I left the bleach bath to sit for several hours, and when I rinsed it out, I realized that it hadn't done a thing. Did I dilute the bleach too much? I mean, the whole house reeked of bleach, so I would've thought it was enough. I mean, maybe that's why it was still so dirty after the last residents moved out, it was stained or something.
So I get down on my knees with a scrub brush, a sponge and some baking soda. It sort of seems to make a difference, but when I get up, it still looks just about the same. It seems as though this bathtub has some sort of inherent matte texture (which is great for picking up dirt!), so I will never be able to get it smooth and shiny, so I have no idea how to tell the difference between dirty and clean.
I go to work on the soap dish, and the I'm able to peel paint off in large chunks. Seems that they did a fairly uneven coat of paint, over a dirty dish, so it never really sealed well, and that's why it was coming up under the soap. I scrub off the old dirt underneath the paint too.
Mark points out that some of the tile is also really scummy, so I give that a go. Turns out that's been painted too, or at least, some of them have. Also tile grout scum smeared everywhere and anywhere.
Since everything is white, you can only sort of see the smears of tile grout everywhere here, but it's all over.
It's hard to tell there, because I'd already scrubbed off a lot, but pretty much that whole ledge there was just smeared with sealant.
There's about three different shades of white tiles in the bathroom, kind of in patches. The tiles underneath the paint are grayer, and kind of stained, so I'm wondering if I'm supposed to leave this stuff there as protective coating? But I mean, what was their plan? Paint the tiles, and then NEVER clean again? Disgusting. I'd rather ugly clean tiles than white ones that are covered in gross.
So after peeling and scrubbing paint off of several tiles, and parts of the bathtub, I take a shower, because I am covered in paint flecks and baking soda, and dirty water. And I get to stare at this the whole time:
Yeah. If this were my house, I could take that panel down, and clean it and repaint it, but since it's not, and they already passed on their chance to clean it up, I just get to stare at it whenever I rinse my hair out.
After my shower, I discover this:
Yes, that's right. Water got between the paint and the tile, making them sag like old skin. Now I have to clean them all. Ugh.
And then comes the bathroom. Specifically the bathtub/shower stall. I noticed when we were beginning to unpack, that the bathtub really needed a good scrub. The whole bottom was just splotchy grey, because it's mildly textured and therefor catches all the foot dirt that comes it's way. I also noticed that the soap dish on the wall had a weird texture but figured it just needed a good scrubbing as well. when I took a closer look, I realized the soap dish seemed to have been painted over, and the paint was peeling on the part that holds the dish/collects water.
I decided that for the tub, not knowing the previous residents, I'd rather just bleach the whole thing, instead of getting on my knees and scrubbing. I left the bleach bath to sit for several hours, and when I rinsed it out, I realized that it hadn't done a thing. Did I dilute the bleach too much? I mean, the whole house reeked of bleach, so I would've thought it was enough. I mean, maybe that's why it was still so dirty after the last residents moved out, it was stained or something.
So I get down on my knees with a scrub brush, a sponge and some baking soda. It sort of seems to make a difference, but when I get up, it still looks just about the same. It seems as though this bathtub has some sort of inherent matte texture (which is great for picking up dirt!), so I will never be able to get it smooth and shiny, so I have no idea how to tell the difference between dirty and clean.
I go to work on the soap dish, and the I'm able to peel paint off in large chunks. Seems that they did a fairly uneven coat of paint, over a dirty dish, so it never really sealed well, and that's why it was coming up under the soap. I scrub off the old dirt underneath the paint too.
Mark points out that some of the tile is also really scummy, so I give that a go. Turns out that's been painted too, or at least, some of them have. Also tile grout scum smeared everywhere and anywhere.
There's about three different shades of white tiles in the bathroom, kind of in patches. The tiles underneath the paint are grayer, and kind of stained, so I'm wondering if I'm supposed to leave this stuff there as protective coating? But I mean, what was their plan? Paint the tiles, and then NEVER clean again? Disgusting. I'd rather ugly clean tiles than white ones that are covered in gross.
So after peeling and scrubbing paint off of several tiles, and parts of the bathtub, I take a shower, because I am covered in paint flecks and baking soda, and dirty water. And I get to stare at this the whole time:
After my shower, I discover this:
Thursday, March 31, 2011
So much to update...
I guess I should've been keeping up with how we're decorating and organizing this new place, now that we've been here a few days, but honestly, it hasn't felt that inspired, we've just been shoving the contents of boxes onto shelves, and hoping it will all fit. MOving into this place has been a lot like a game of tetris. It's a smaller apartment, but not in every room. For instance, the bathroom has a lot more storage space, but the kitchen has less. Until we get a washer and dryer, we'll have the whole laundry room to use as storage, which feels like a lot, but if we want to not have to use the common facilities, we'll have to give that up soon. We have a bigger bedroom closet, but no hall closet, so we have to cram a whole bunch of other stuff in there.
We did try to really pare down several areas that we knew were getting out of hand. We both were able to donate quite a few clothes, and books, and I pared down my art supplies and tea.
We're not going to do much differently in this place, probably. We are closer to an ikea, so it's tempting to go buy lots of new stuff to go in our new place, but honestly, we should probably just try to make what we have work. We might try to get rid of one bookcase, because there's only so many places they can comfortably fit.
If Mark's desk faced a certain wall, I could get it fit in, but he'd rather set it against the other wall, and I can't tell him what to do, it's his desk, and he's the one who has to sit at it. It just messes up my Tetris. because of that, some of my wall space is split up into smaller separate wall spaces that can't get anything fit into them. Grrr. But we will be able to fit it all, hopefully. Just not the way I was hoping.
We've taken the shelf that sat in front of the window and held my gardening things, and put it in the dining room, where it holds cookbooks and extra kitchen paraphernalia. For now, the gardening things are outside on the porch. There's an outside closet there that can hold all our unimportant/messy stuff. Our DVD shelf is on the back porch holding the plants, waiting to get painted. It'll be going right in the entryway, so I want it to look good. I'm thinking we'll paint it blue, and maybe try and find some cute coordinating paper for the shelves maybe? Or put in a back covered in cute paper. Right now it's painted white, and is covered with brown weird spots, after living in my grandparent's garage for years.
We're also going to hang up the light weight curtains, instead of the heavy denim type ones we had in the last apartment. There, we needed to keep the heat out in the summer, here we need to keep out the eyes of the neighbors, but there will be no heat or light to keep out. We just can't find the hardware for the curtain rod.
Right now the biggest things I need to move are the boxes of DVDs, (I haven't decided what to do with them, but they are in the way, and need to go somewhere), and the books, because I want to really really know where the bookshelf is going before I fill it up. It will be impossible to move after that, and I'm too lazy to take all the books back off to move it. Ugh.
What is done:
The bedroom closet, pretty much, and the bathroom. The kitchen, except for hanging things on the wall.
We did try to really pare down several areas that we knew were getting out of hand. We both were able to donate quite a few clothes, and books, and I pared down my art supplies and tea.
We're not going to do much differently in this place, probably. We are closer to an ikea, so it's tempting to go buy lots of new stuff to go in our new place, but honestly, we should probably just try to make what we have work. We might try to get rid of one bookcase, because there's only so many places they can comfortably fit.
If Mark's desk faced a certain wall, I could get it fit in, but he'd rather set it against the other wall, and I can't tell him what to do, it's his desk, and he's the one who has to sit at it. It just messes up my Tetris. because of that, some of my wall space is split up into smaller separate wall spaces that can't get anything fit into them. Grrr. But we will be able to fit it all, hopefully. Just not the way I was hoping.
We've taken the shelf that sat in front of the window and held my gardening things, and put it in the dining room, where it holds cookbooks and extra kitchen paraphernalia. For now, the gardening things are outside on the porch. There's an outside closet there that can hold all our unimportant/messy stuff. Our DVD shelf is on the back porch holding the plants, waiting to get painted. It'll be going right in the entryway, so I want it to look good. I'm thinking we'll paint it blue, and maybe try and find some cute coordinating paper for the shelves maybe? Or put in a back covered in cute paper. Right now it's painted white, and is covered with brown weird spots, after living in my grandparent's garage for years.
We're also going to hang up the light weight curtains, instead of the heavy denim type ones we had in the last apartment. There, we needed to keep the heat out in the summer, here we need to keep out the eyes of the neighbors, but there will be no heat or light to keep out. We just can't find the hardware for the curtain rod.
Right now the biggest things I need to move are the boxes of DVDs, (I haven't decided what to do with them, but they are in the way, and need to go somewhere), and the books, because I want to really really know where the bookshelf is going before I fill it up. It will be impossible to move after that, and I'm too lazy to take all the books back off to move it. Ugh.
What is done:
The bedroom closet, pretty much, and the bathroom. The kitchen, except for hanging things on the wall.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
New Apartment
We'll be taking a trip to Austin on the 15th to sign the lease (yes, it is during SXSW, not they wouldn't let us do it by fax. Yes, it will suck).
Since we'll be getting our keys that day, I figure we might as well bring a load down in the truck while we're at it. I just haven't figured out what yet. There's the obvious: Christmas decorations and books and other things we won't be needing, but I'm also wondering about what would be helpful to have while we're there. We've got an extra mattress pad and some extra pillows, I think I could spare two towels and some shampoo and conditioner. I think we'll bring down two living room chairs, and maybe some cleaning supplies. Rags, sponges, hand soap. Maybe some paper plates and napkins. (I have a bunch that Mommy left at my house after Christmas) Maybe a lamp? And some toilet paper.
Since we'll be getting our keys that day, I figure we might as well bring a load down in the truck while we're at it. I just haven't figured out what yet. There's the obvious: Christmas decorations and books and other things we won't be needing, but I'm also wondering about what would be helpful to have while we're there. We've got an extra mattress pad and some extra pillows, I think I could spare two towels and some shampoo and conditioner. I think we'll bring down two living room chairs, and maybe some cleaning supplies. Rags, sponges, hand soap. Maybe some paper plates and napkins. (I have a bunch that Mommy left at my house after Christmas) Maybe a lamp? And some toilet paper.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Packing up
This will be a boring post, mostly just to get me motivated.
Today is the first day that I'm feeling better, that I've had a day off. So it's back to work on moving house. With both of us sick there for so long, nothing has really gotten done since before Valentine's day. Tonight we have a friend coming over, though, so I started to clean up a bit, and decided I might as well pack up a few things while I'm at it.
I think I'll start with books and DVDs, and maybe some of the frames and framed artwork. Maybe some legos and other knick knacks. I really need to take out the recycling and drop off some stuff at goodwill, but even though I have the truck now, I don't really want to take those trips by myself. I like the help.
I don't know where we're going to put all these boxes, because we barely have room for the empty boxes that are packed down.
We did get our bikes out of storage (Well, the bikes we use. We left the brown one for the time being, because I don't know if we'll have room for it in Austin yet.) They were both in okay shape, although the tires were all flat. I now realize that the red one is kind of a piece of junk, and the black one was a great find. It's got a nice glossy coat, and almost no nicks or scrapes, where there's not an inch on the red one that doesn't. The black one is lugged, and has some nice gold and red painted on details, where the red one just has decals, that are slowly peeling up and getting crisp, and no lugs. It's not a terrible bike, but it's not the prettiest, and we could do a lot better.
We're thinking to sell/give away the red one, and buy a new one. Mark wants a cream colored Fuji, with brightly colored brake cables. If we're getting a bike for me to use, I'd prefer a lady's style, so I can step through, but Mark thinks I should use the black one and he'll get a new one. I guess it depends on who finds a good deal first.
Update:
So far, I've packed up a few boxes of things (candles, frames, books, shoes), and threw away and put away quite a few other things. I hate that I don't have anywhere to put things that I've packed up! The empty boxes are also in the way of quite a few things that I'd like to pack up or clean up. When Mark gets home, I'll have him help me move the couch, and I'll see how many boxes I can just shove behind it.
I'm getting kind of sad about the fact that we spend SO much time this summer organizing and decorating, and as soon as we got everything the way we wanted it, we're packing it all up. Who knows how long it will take to get to that point in the new place.
I really need to get cracking on the job applications, but I'd rather pack.
Today is the first day that I'm feeling better, that I've had a day off. So it's back to work on moving house. With both of us sick there for so long, nothing has really gotten done since before Valentine's day. Tonight we have a friend coming over, though, so I started to clean up a bit, and decided I might as well pack up a few things while I'm at it.
I think I'll start with books and DVDs, and maybe some of the frames and framed artwork. Maybe some legos and other knick knacks. I really need to take out the recycling and drop off some stuff at goodwill, but even though I have the truck now, I don't really want to take those trips by myself. I like the help.
I don't know where we're going to put all these boxes, because we barely have room for the empty boxes that are packed down.
We did get our bikes out of storage (Well, the bikes we use. We left the brown one for the time being, because I don't know if we'll have room for it in Austin yet.) They were both in okay shape, although the tires were all flat. I now realize that the red one is kind of a piece of junk, and the black one was a great find. It's got a nice glossy coat, and almost no nicks or scrapes, where there's not an inch on the red one that doesn't. The black one is lugged, and has some nice gold and red painted on details, where the red one just has decals, that are slowly peeling up and getting crisp, and no lugs. It's not a terrible bike, but it's not the prettiest, and we could do a lot better.
We're thinking to sell/give away the red one, and buy a new one. Mark wants a cream colored Fuji, with brightly colored brake cables. If we're getting a bike for me to use, I'd prefer a lady's style, so I can step through, but Mark thinks I should use the black one and he'll get a new one. I guess it depends on who finds a good deal first.
Update:
So far, I've packed up a few boxes of things (candles, frames, books, shoes), and threw away and put away quite a few other things. I hate that I don't have anywhere to put things that I've packed up! The empty boxes are also in the way of quite a few things that I'd like to pack up or clean up. When Mark gets home, I'll have him help me move the couch, and I'll see how many boxes I can just shove behind it.
I'm getting kind of sad about the fact that we spend SO much time this summer organizing and decorating, and as soon as we got everything the way we wanted it, we're packing it all up. Who knows how long it will take to get to that point in the new place.
I really need to get cracking on the job applications, but I'd rather pack.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Macarons
When we visited Austin a few weeks ago, Betsy and Ashley and I sat and had some tea in the afternoon, and I had a lovely pistachio macarons to go with. Turns out Betsy wants macarons at her wedding, and although I'm sure there are those more qualified than I, it would still be fun to try!
I'm starting with this recipe, using almonds ground into flour with my blender. I used a little bit of imitation vanilla for flavor, but I think it would be fun to make some with green tea powder, or maybe some mint ones, and several kinds of fruit flavors. I still haven't decided what to fill the ones I'm making with. Maybe nutella, or jam. I don't really feel like whipping up something special for them.
Next time, or at least if I'm making them for the wedding, I'd like to have someone helping me, and a candy thermometer.
So far: first batch didn't really work. I think they were too dry. they looked great, but when I pryed them off the pan, the were hollow underneath, and they never got a 'foot' like they were supposed too. This was with added water, and a shorter baking time. Weird. I can still fill them, they taste fine, but they will just take a lot more filling, since they are concave instead of flat on the bottom.
With the remaining batter, I added some melted chocolate, and once piped out, I let them sit a bit longer than the first batch had. Once they baked, I opened the oven, and voila! they have perfect little feet, and smell amazing.
I turned off the oven, but left them in there, since they didn't bake as long as the recipe said to, but I don't want them to dry out like the first ones.
I'm going to have to buy some peanut butter to put in there, and maybe make some sort of minty ganache? hmm. I will probably do all this tomorrow.
I'm starting with this recipe, using almonds ground into flour with my blender. I used a little bit of imitation vanilla for flavor, but I think it would be fun to make some with green tea powder, or maybe some mint ones, and several kinds of fruit flavors. I still haven't decided what to fill the ones I'm making with. Maybe nutella, or jam. I don't really feel like whipping up something special for them.
Next time, or at least if I'm making them for the wedding, I'd like to have someone helping me, and a candy thermometer.
So far: first batch didn't really work. I think they were too dry. they looked great, but when I pryed them off the pan, the were hollow underneath, and they never got a 'foot' like they were supposed too. This was with added water, and a shorter baking time. Weird. I can still fill them, they taste fine, but they will just take a lot more filling, since they are concave instead of flat on the bottom.
With the remaining batter, I added some melted chocolate, and once piped out, I let them sit a bit longer than the first batch had. Once they baked, I opened the oven, and voila! they have perfect little feet, and smell amazing.
I turned off the oven, but left them in there, since they didn't bake as long as the recipe said to, but I don't want them to dry out like the first ones.
I'm going to have to buy some peanut butter to put in there, and maybe make some sort of minty ganache? hmm. I will probably do all this tomorrow.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Snow Day Activities
I wouldn't really say it's snow, but it's white, and it's cold, and it's keeping us all inside. And it's given me the chance to do a project that I've seen a lot of places, but never had the opportunity to try before: ice decorations.
The idea is that you put berries or branches or something pretty in a container, and fill it with water, and let it freeze, and then hang it from a tree or something, to decorate outside. You can use a bunt pan to make a wreath one, but I just had these little cake pans, and some red berries I picked up on our walk yesterday.
I hung another one over the side of the balcony, and I think it will last longer, because it's not being blown around by the wind. It is just hanging on a thumbtack though, whereas this on is hung on a nail. I'm curious to see whether they melt or break first!
The idea is that you put berries or branches or something pretty in a container, and fill it with water, and let it freeze, and then hang it from a tree or something, to decorate outside. You can use a bunt pan to make a wreath one, but I just had these little cake pans, and some red berries I picked up on our walk yesterday.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Trudging
I've been doing a bit better lately, although the house is a mess.
I made some soup last night, and some sort of blueberry cake for mark.
I'm working on some slippers for Christy. I wasn't able to find as nice of sweaters at Goodwill, so I'm hoping these look just as nice as the first ones.
I cleaned up most of the Legos this afternoon.
I hung up the laundry yesterday, and did a load of dishes yesterday and today. Took out a month's worth of recycling.
Tomorrow we'll finally be going to visit my parents.
I've been making myself smoothies, and they've been nice and refreshing, making me feel better. But I used up all the juice last night. Can you use milk instead? I guess I'm just going to have to find out.
I made some soup last night, and some sort of blueberry cake for mark.
I'm working on some slippers for Christy. I wasn't able to find as nice of sweaters at Goodwill, so I'm hoping these look just as nice as the first ones.
I cleaned up most of the Legos this afternoon.
I hung up the laundry yesterday, and did a load of dishes yesterday and today. Took out a month's worth of recycling.
Tomorrow we'll finally be going to visit my parents.
I've been making myself smoothies, and they've been nice and refreshing, making me feel better. But I used up all the juice last night. Can you use milk instead? I guess I'm just going to have to find out.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Later
So I got right up after writing that last post, and did a load of dishes, swept the kitchen and stairwell, put my coat on, and went to the grocery store. I feel much better now, than if I had stayed at home watching the waning light, and playing Little Big Planet 2.
Other good things that are making me feel better: text messages from good friends, emails with good news from Daddy, and on the way to Tom Thumb, I passed a girl who was singing to herself, and another who was getting into her car with a huge batch of pink cupcakes.
Next up: empty the dishwasher and run another load, make lentil stew, and then, maybe, sit and knit.
Other good things that are making me feel better: text messages from good friends, emails with good news from Daddy, and on the way to Tom Thumb, I passed a girl who was singing to herself, and another who was getting into her car with a huge batch of pink cupcakes.
Next up: empty the dishwasher and run another load, make lentil stew, and then, maybe, sit and knit.
January and February
This time of year is hard for me, especially lately. Because of our horrible work schedules, I usually only see the daytime sky for a few minutes on my way to work, and then by the time I get off work, it's dark. Spending months in darkness is really not good for my depression-prone nature. Spring is much better, but then in the summer, again, I can't go out til after dark, because of the heat. Blech.
I'm trying to get out of this slump, but it's hard to know what to do about it. Take vitamin D (does that work)? Just will my self to do more? (This Does Not work. but I always try it first, until things get out of control) Wait it out? (that's what usually happens)
So, the house has been a mess, the laundry was getting out of control, there were piles of christmas decorations that had been taken down, but not moved to the closet. Lots of dishes, but not much food. Not enough showering, or vacuuming, or plant watering.
Mark's been really understanding, and helpful, and last night I got home from work to see almost all the decorations put away, the odd project bits and pieces away, the pine needles all vacuumed up... it felt great. Now I feel like I can handle the last bits that need doing, and maybe then some.
I'd like to start knitting more, and selling on etsy again, if possible. I figure that it will always be nice to have some options out there for extra money, if I ever have the need.
I have also been wanting to knit myself a sweater, since I rarely knit for myself. I'm thinking this one:
But I have to make myself get to the yarn shop to buy supplies for it, which involves spending money, which starts up my anxiety-and-depression machine. (I do have some money saved up for it, but that doesn't make parting with it easier!)
I do feel proud of myself for selling so many pairs of handwarmers this year. I think I lost count, but it's something like six or seven! If I hadn't spent all the money from them on hot chocolate, I would be amazed at how much money I have in my pocket. (Okay, I still have money from them left. But not as much as I should)
Maybe today, instead of playing video games til mark comes home, I'll open wide the curtains to get as much sun as possible before it gets dark, and then put on some music, and do the dishes, knit something to sell, or maybe even walk to the grocery store to pick up stuff for lentil stew! Better start quick though, I can feel the sun setting as I type.
I'm trying to get out of this slump, but it's hard to know what to do about it. Take vitamin D (does that work)? Just will my self to do more? (This Does Not work. but I always try it first, until things get out of control) Wait it out? (that's what usually happens)
So, the house has been a mess, the laundry was getting out of control, there were piles of christmas decorations that had been taken down, but not moved to the closet. Lots of dishes, but not much food. Not enough showering, or vacuuming, or plant watering.
Mark's been really understanding, and helpful, and last night I got home from work to see almost all the decorations put away, the odd project bits and pieces away, the pine needles all vacuumed up... it felt great. Now I feel like I can handle the last bits that need doing, and maybe then some.
I'd like to start knitting more, and selling on etsy again, if possible. I figure that it will always be nice to have some options out there for extra money, if I ever have the need.
I have also been wanting to knit myself a sweater, since I rarely knit for myself. I'm thinking this one:
I do feel proud of myself for selling so many pairs of handwarmers this year. I think I lost count, but it's something like six or seven! If I hadn't spent all the money from them on hot chocolate, I would be amazed at how much money I have in my pocket. (Okay, I still have money from them left. But not as much as I should)
Maybe today, instead of playing video games til mark comes home, I'll open wide the curtains to get as much sun as possible before it gets dark, and then put on some music, and do the dishes, knit something to sell, or maybe even walk to the grocery store to pick up stuff for lentil stew! Better start quick though, I can feel the sun setting as I type.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Felt Slippers (now with pictures)
I was very tempted to try knitting slippers for christmas presents, but thought of it too late, and thought better of it. Instead, I'm making felted slippers from old sweaters. I haven't finished, so let's hope they work!
Here's how I'm doing it:
Step 1:
Buy sweaters. I went to Goodwill, and found two very nice cardigans, a red one from the gap, and a grey yoked one from old navy. Choose 100% wool sweaters, it's okay if they have holes in them, or whatever, as long as it's not in a place that you will be using. A cute fair isle pattern or something is nice. You could probably buy wool pants or a wool skirt as well, but they would be a thinner fabric most likely, and therefore you would need to buy soles or something to make them last longer.
Step 2:
Cut off anything that isn't wool: buttons, tags, zippers, etc. You could even deconstruct the sweater at this point, but I didn't bother.
Step 3:
Felt. I put them in a Hot/Cold permanent press cycle with some jeans first and detergent first, but they didn't felt much. Putting them in a hot dryer with jeans didn't do much either. I washed them again on hot/cold on the regular cycle with just a bit of detergent, and two old towels and my crocs. Felted up almost perfectly, so I put them in the dryer on a knits cycle. I had to empty the lint trap about three times though. Crazy piles of lint.
This is how they look after step 3:
Step 4:
Make a pattern. I traced my foot on a piece of paper, and cut it out. I'm not sure what people's feet sizes are, but I'm hoping that if I cut one a little big and one a bit small, it will work. Now I have to decide what I want the top of the slipper to look like: Do i want sides, or just a plain pocket style? how many thicknesses? do I want to incorporate any of the features of the sweater into the slipper?
Step 5: cut out. eek! You'll want several soles, and one or two tops for each slipper. how many depends on how cold the recipients house might be, or how thick the felt is. you don't want a super stiff upper, but you don't want the sole to wear through the first winter either.
I did deconstruct the sweaters at this point, so they would lay flat.
The felted sweaters will not ravel, but will be harder to cut through. I cut out three thicknesses of sole:
and one thickness of the top. I would've liked one more upper thickness, but there wasn't any extra. For the second pair, I was hoping to make use of the yoke design. being a raglan-type sweater, there are four shoulder seams, instead of two, so it will be impossible to cut an upper that doesn't have a seam. I've just had to center the upper between two seams. I think it will be fine.
Step 6: Sew together. I used some yarn to baste the sole layers together so they wouldn't stretch while I sewed them together. Then I used doubled thread and blanket stitch, to sew the slippers together. Then I sewed the upper to the sole, also using the blanket stitch. For the red slippers, I folded over the ribbed edge and sewed a button (taken from the original cardigan) on the outer edge of each slipper. For the grey ones, I folded over the edge as well, but no button.
Finished pictures:
And they loved them! and showed them off to everyone!
Here's how I'm doing it:
Step 1:
Buy sweaters. I went to Goodwill, and found two very nice cardigans, a red one from the gap, and a grey yoked one from old navy. Choose 100% wool sweaters, it's okay if they have holes in them, or whatever, as long as it's not in a place that you will be using. A cute fair isle pattern or something is nice. You could probably buy wool pants or a wool skirt as well, but they would be a thinner fabric most likely, and therefore you would need to buy soles or something to make them last longer.
Step 2:
Cut off anything that isn't wool: buttons, tags, zippers, etc. You could even deconstruct the sweater at this point, but I didn't bother.
Step 3:
Felt. I put them in a Hot/Cold permanent press cycle with some jeans first and detergent first, but they didn't felt much. Putting them in a hot dryer with jeans didn't do much either. I washed them again on hot/cold on the regular cycle with just a bit of detergent, and two old towels and my crocs. Felted up almost perfectly, so I put them in the dryer on a knits cycle. I had to empty the lint trap about three times though. Crazy piles of lint.
This is how they look after step 3:
Step 4:
Make a pattern. I traced my foot on a piece of paper, and cut it out. I'm not sure what people's feet sizes are, but I'm hoping that if I cut one a little big and one a bit small, it will work. Now I have to decide what I want the top of the slipper to look like: Do i want sides, or just a plain pocket style? how many thicknesses? do I want to incorporate any of the features of the sweater into the slipper?
Step 5: cut out. eek! You'll want several soles, and one or two tops for each slipper. how many depends on how cold the recipients house might be, or how thick the felt is. you don't want a super stiff upper, but you don't want the sole to wear through the first winter either.
I did deconstruct the sweaters at this point, so they would lay flat.
The felted sweaters will not ravel, but will be harder to cut through. I cut out three thicknesses of sole:
and one thickness of the top. I would've liked one more upper thickness, but there wasn't any extra. For the second pair, I was hoping to make use of the yoke design. being a raglan-type sweater, there are four shoulder seams, instead of two, so it will be impossible to cut an upper that doesn't have a seam. I've just had to center the upper between two seams. I think it will be fine.
Step 6: Sew together. I used some yarn to baste the sole layers together so they wouldn't stretch while I sewed them together. Then I used doubled thread and blanket stitch, to sew the slippers together. Then I sewed the upper to the sole, also using the blanket stitch. For the red slippers, I folded over the ribbed edge and sewed a button (taken from the original cardigan) on the outer edge of each slipper. For the grey ones, I folded over the edge as well, but no button.
Finished pictures:
Friday, December 3, 2010
Christmas Crafts Everywhere: or, what I did on my vacation
The cookies were okay. everybody told me they were good, but they didn't seem sweet and chewy enough to me. It doesn't help that I don't really like eating sweets, because even though I've got a good idea in my head of how I want those cookies to taste, it doesn't meant I want to make a whole bunch, or even necessarily taste them when they come out of the oven. I'm probably just going to use that AG recipe, but cut down on the baking time, because they were really hard. Maybe flavor the icing with orange. we'll see. They were cute, at the very least.
I'm taking my vacation this week, and I'm trying to get as much done as possible while I can, because this wedding is coming fast, and christmas is right after.
We bought our christmas tree yesterday. I can't tell if it's too early or not, but I was so excited I don't want to wait. We lit and decorated it too, and now it's smelling up the place like crazy. :) I can't find the tin of ornament hooks though, so we only hung the ones that still had in hooks from last year. It's still plenty decorated though! maybe we should stop buying ornaments for a while.
I also wrapped most of my christmas presents that I've bought so far. It's just so much easier than keeping them hidden away somewhere. (I keep a box of gift wrapping/mailing gear under the couch all year round. I've got bubble wrap, smaller pieces of wrapping paper, tape, scissors, tags and envelopes. The box of tissue, and the rolls of wrapping paper are kept elsewhere though)
I've of course put up our beloved advent calendar. So far, the manger, cow and chicken are up. I can never remember what order I put them in the pockets the year before, so it's always a fun surprise!
Things I need to work on now:
-finish buying christmas presents for mark.
-make a popcorn/cranberry garland to put on the porch.
-make the sashes for all us bridesmaids.
-finish already started ornaments
-start any ornaments I want to give as presents for Baker family gift swap
-eat more pie
-maybe start working on the programs for the wedding, if I get some info from deena on what she wants on there.
-keep knitting hand warmers for tony
-start knitting stuff for me
There's probably a whole bunch of other things, but that's a start!
I'm taking my vacation this week, and I'm trying to get as much done as possible while I can, because this wedding is coming fast, and christmas is right after.
We bought our christmas tree yesterday. I can't tell if it's too early or not, but I was so excited I don't want to wait. We lit and decorated it too, and now it's smelling up the place like crazy. :) I can't find the tin of ornament hooks though, so we only hung the ones that still had in hooks from last year. It's still plenty decorated though! maybe we should stop buying ornaments for a while.
I also wrapped most of my christmas presents that I've bought so far. It's just so much easier than keeping them hidden away somewhere. (I keep a box of gift wrapping/mailing gear under the couch all year round. I've got bubble wrap, smaller pieces of wrapping paper, tape, scissors, tags and envelopes. The box of tissue, and the rolls of wrapping paper are kept elsewhere though)
I've of course put up our beloved advent calendar. So far, the manger, cow and chicken are up. I can never remember what order I put them in the pockets the year before, so it's always a fun surprise!
Things I need to work on now:
-finish buying christmas presents for mark.
-make a popcorn/cranberry garland to put on the porch.
-make the sashes for all us bridesmaids.
-finish already started ornaments
-start any ornaments I want to give as presents for Baker family gift swap
-eat more pie
-maybe start working on the programs for the wedding, if I get some info from deena on what she wants on there.
-keep knitting hand warmers for tony
-start knitting stuff for me
There's probably a whole bunch of other things, but that's a start!
Monday, November 22, 2010
christmas cookies #1
For deena's wedding, we'll be farming out most of the food duties to people. A couple of people make some pots of soup, a couple of people each bring a batch of cookies, etc.
I'll be making the cakes, carrot soup, and some sort of spice cookies. Deena wanted Speculatius, which are crisp store-bought spicy cookies shaped like windmills. we can't find any here that aren't chocolate covered, or have almonds in them, or that just plain don't taste right. So, I'll be trying to find some sort of gingerbread-cookie type thing that will fill the gap. I know there are plenty of speculatius recipes out there, but I'd rather not pretend that I'm going for the real thing. I'm just going to look for something full of spices, and soft and molassesy, and then use these lovely cookie cutters that Mark's mother bought me. Maybe a little bit of white icing piped on in cute designs
I'm going to try a few recipes out before the big day, just to make sure I end up with the perfect taste. First up: Ginger Cookies, from Kirsten's Cookbook.
I probably haven't cracked open this book since 1997, and I know I only made these cookies once, because my parents had to import molasses from Egypt, and brown sugar was a thing of dreams. I'm kind of excited.
You'll notice the emblem on the back of the book that shows that this was published back when the American Girls were owned by a lovely little company called "Pleasant Company", started by a lady named Pleasant T. Rowling. There were only 4 dolls when I first got mine: Felicity, Kirsten, Samantha, and Molly, while Addy, and then Josephine were added a year or two later. They cost 82 dollars. A few years later it was sold to Mattel, and they changed the brand to the American Girl Company. I've never been sure how I feel about that.
I'll be making the cakes, carrot soup, and some sort of spice cookies. Deena wanted Speculatius, which are crisp store-bought spicy cookies shaped like windmills. we can't find any here that aren't chocolate covered, or have almonds in them, or that just plain don't taste right. So, I'll be trying to find some sort of gingerbread-cookie type thing that will fill the gap. I know there are plenty of speculatius recipes out there, but I'd rather not pretend that I'm going for the real thing. I'm just going to look for something full of spices, and soft and molassesy, and then use these lovely cookie cutters that Mark's mother bought me. Maybe a little bit of white icing piped on in cute designs
I probably haven't cracked open this book since 1997, and I know I only made these cookies once, because my parents had to import molasses from Egypt, and brown sugar was a thing of dreams. I'm kind of excited.
You'll notice the emblem on the back of the book that shows that this was published back when the American Girls were owned by a lovely little company called "Pleasant Company", started by a lady named Pleasant T. Rowling. There were only 4 dolls when I first got mine: Felicity, Kirsten, Samantha, and Molly, while Addy, and then Josephine were added a year or two later. They cost 82 dollars. A few years later it was sold to Mattel, and they changed the brand to the American Girl Company. I've never been sure how I feel about that.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Christmas Ornaments
A few years ago when I was home for Christmas, I was helping my mother pack up the ornaments, and she was letting me pick some ornaments to take with me, and I found that one of my favorite ornaments was really coming apart. It was made of a detergent scoop that had a bit of fake snow and a glitter lake glued on the bottom, as well as some pipe-cleaner trees. A tiny wooden skater and snowman enjoyed the space quite comfortably, but detergent scoops aren't meant to last twenty years, so I took the poor skater and snowman home with me to wait a new detergent scoop.
Well, it turns out American detergent is liquid, so I just tied a thread around each while I waited for something better. Well, they have lovely little paper-mache ornaments at Paper Source, for a dollar fifty, so I've picked one up, and by Christmas they should have a lovely new lake to skate on.
We'll see how it goes!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Good Idea # 37
My mom started a few basil plants this summer in her garden, and when I went to visit a few weeks ago, they had become giant bushes, and since there was a danger of frost that night, I took home a huge container of leaves.
I've already got lots of pesto made up in my ice-cube trays, but I didn't have room for more, so I reused my jelly jars. They're lined with sandwich baggies, so that once they freeze, I can take the jars back, and use the jars again for other things. It is important that they are jelly jars, because they have the wide mouths, otherwise you won't be able to remove the pesto easily.
I've already got lots of pesto made up in my ice-cube trays, but I didn't have room for more, so I reused my jelly jars. They're lined with sandwich baggies, so that once they freeze, I can take the jars back, and use the jars again for other things. It is important that they are jelly jars, because they have the wide mouths, otherwise you won't be able to remove the pesto easily.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
halloween projects
So if you hadn't guess it from the previous post, mark is thinking of doing something life-aquatic-ey for halloween, and so I've made up these shoes for him to wear. We haven't pinned down the rest of the outfit, but we'll see what we can do.
This is the finished product:
This is the finished product:
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