A Mercurial Nature

List of 8s

2009-04-26T21:20:00.000-04:00

So, apparently my alphabet post didn't inspire much of anything blog-wise. Just the same, Kim tagged me for this and I figured... why not?

8 Things I Am Looking Forward To

1) Ocean City's Spring Block Party next weekend.
2) My week off of work in June.
3) First Phillies game of the season!
4) Starting Piper's obedience classes.
5) My next scone at Fourth and First.
6) Returning to healthy eating and exercise. (Really, I'm looking forward to this.)
7) Florida.
8) Going to Culinary School (Someday...)

8 Things I Did Yesterday

1) Purchased over 100 WWE action figures and accessories for $15 at a yard sale.
2) Purchased a food processor for $3 at a yard sale.
3) Ate lunch at Kessel's Korner with Stef and Shawnda.
4) Ate dinner at Brio with John and company.
5) Spilled my coffee all over the place at Fourth and First.
6) Walked Piper with my dad.
7) Crafted some mini clay cupcakes.
8) Took photos at Bayfest with Pam and Anthony.

8 Things I Wish I Could Do

1) Go to Culinary School.
2) Get Piper to stop barking.
3) See John more often.
4) Win the lottery.
5) Live on the west coast.
6) Lose weight.
7) Open an Etsy shop.
8) Blog more consistently again :)

8 Shows I Watch
This is a stretch - some shows are via DVD and few I watch regularly

1) Grey's Anatomy
2) Friends
3) Top Chef
4) Gilmore Girls
5) Wheel of Fortune
6) Food Network Challenge
7) It's Me or the Dog
8) King of Queens

8 People I Tag

I don't have eight people to tag, and I don't think anyone I tag will probably do this anyway... maybe Ryan. So I'll tag Ryan, Felicia and Eric via blogs, and John, Jess, Ian, and Stef via Facebook. (Seven is better than none!) Have fun, guys.

Me - A to Z

2009-04-14T22:15:00.001-04:00

My blog's been suffering as of late. While I was cruising around the internet tonight reading various sites and blogs I enjoy, I came across this meme on Roaring Through My Twenties... (great blog - I highly recommend it). Now, I don't do very many of these, but I was partial to this one. Maybe it will jump start a series of entertaining posts!

Anyway, here it is. My life in an A to Z fashion.

A - Age: 25

B - Bed size: Full... I wish it were a king.

C - Chore You Hate: Folding and putting away laundry.

D – Dad’s Name: Let's ask John, shall we?

E - Essential Start Your Day Item: Cuddling with the Pipester. (I'm serious. Sad, right?)

F - Favorite Actor: Hm. I don't know that I have one.

G - Gold or Silver: Silver, although I've started throwing in the odd gold piece more recently. But most definitely silver.

H - Height: I'm 5'7 3/4" and yes, those three quarters are very important to me

I - Instrument (s) you play: The piano, rather poorly.

J - Job Title: I have many. I guess you could just go with Editor.

K - Kid(s): Desperately want one. My clock is ticking, isn't that what they say?

L - Like: Right now, I'd really like a vacation.

M - Mom’s Name: Mary Frances

N - Nickname: Kris ... KR ... Grumpy Button ... Hun

O - Overnight Hospital Stay Other Than Birth: Nada

P - Pet Peeves: Loud, open-mouth eating. Ugh. Dishonesty, laziness and superiority complexes top the list, too.

Q - Quote that you like: "We do not know the true value of our moments until they have undergone the test of memory." - G. Duhamel

R - Righty or Lefty: Just a righty. I've always been sad about that. Both of my siblings are lefties.

S - Siblings: Two brothers, one older and one younger.

T - Time You Wake Up: I should get up at 7. I generally wake up at 8 - and then I rush, rush, rush!

U - Useful tool: Scissors?

V - Vegetable that you dislike: I thought I disliked cauliflower, but Pam disproved that. Maybe beets, unless they are in cake form.

W - Why you run late: Well, because I oversleep.

X - X-rays You’ve Had: Plenty of my teeth. Then there were some for a broken ankle, broken hand, broken finger and busted knees (left and right). I think that's it.

Y - Yummy Foods You Make: I love to bake and cook, so I imagine (and hope) there are many. I'll go with my chocolate chip banana nut muffins, though.

Z - Zodiac: Libra, which seems to suit me.

P.S. Happy 26th Birthday, Pam!

Starbucks + Crafting = Happy Me :)

2009-04-05T21:51:00.000-04:00

I found two of my worlds colliding today - it was the inaugural monthly craft day at my local Starbucks. Now, we all know how I love my coffee, and if you check out my craftster account you can find the threads I started to try to get a crafting group together in South Jersey (to no avail). So, today was quite perfect!

I worked all weekend (our extra huge, important spring edition of the newspaper comes out this Thursday), so I didn't feel guilty about a little two-hour break this afternoon. Felicia and Ryan came with, and we all painted two planters and filled them with soil and marigold seeds. We got to bring one home, and the other we left there to be distributed on Earth Day to local nursing homes. The "planter" was actually a Starbucks cup, and I love how the logo can be seen through the paint. It added another dimension to the whole project.

This was definitely a more kid-oriented craft (we were, in fact, the only adults painting), but the Starbucks manager organizing the events, Jeanette, said that the monthly craft-a-long is going to tend to be more for adults. It's going to be the first Sunday of the month at the Somers Point Starbucks, so if anyone is near there, they should stop in! Every craft is going to be a community outreach project, too.

I guess that makes three of my worlds colliding - crafting, Starbucks and charity work! It doesn't get better than that. (Well, maybe if there were some puppies and kittens running around, but that wouldn't be sanitary in an eatery.)

Easter Egging

2009-04-03T11:55:00.001-04:00

I went over to Stef and Bill's tonight to dye Easter eggs. I haven't dyed eggs in a few years, so it was a lot of fun. Even though Salem is only 2, he did a great job and we only suffered one egg casualty (turns out no matter how tiny the hands, the squeezing of eggs is always a bad idea).

As long as we reminded him pretty incessantly to be careful and move slowly, Sam concentrated really hard and took his time, without too many splashes of dyes and messes. Here he is finishing up a blue egg (with some help from Stef, of course).

By next year Sam's going to be a little pro, and we'll be able to get Finn in on the action - with lots of guidance from his parents and me, of course. And hey, who knows - maybe he'll get some help from his big brother, too.

Happy early Easter!

Too busy for blogging...

2009-04-02T23:27:00.001-04:00

...I also haven't had much to say.

There's been a handful of posts I've started, but then decided not to publish because they were a little too full of doom and gloom. Things have been... mediocre, as of late, and while I'm powering through just fine, it makes it a little hard to write about happy things at day's end.

I haven't crafted much, but I did manage to finish two more button coasters over the past week. I'm really pleased with them and have already picked up the embroidery floss for another set. I just need to get some more buttons - I want to find some off-white, pearly ones for this next set. It's for someone in particular.

After next week, work will be a bit calmer (although I don't expect life to follow suit). I hope the weather starts warming up and the flowers start blooming. It's been dreary and foggy here and, while I'm not necessarily against grey weather, it certainly hasn't been helping my mindset right now. I need some sun.

I think if I asked my 15-year-old self where I would be at 25, it wouldn't be where I am. It seems most all aspects of my life are rather muddled, and I'm having a lot of trouble sifting through the bad to concentrate on the good. I know I'm just a bit down right now, but some major spring life cleaning seems to be in order.

You only live once. (Unless reincarnation turns out to be real, in which case I hope I come back as a dolphin.)

Tuesday breakfast

2009-03-24T09:30:00.000-04:00

Skim latte and raspberry scone from Fourth on First... a very good start to my morning.

Button Coaster

2009-03-23T22:57:00.002-04:00

I thought this looked like the cutest craft when I saw it posted at craftstylish earlier this month. I was totally amped and envisioning dozens of beautiful, rainbow colored button coasters. I get like this with new crafty ideas and projects, only to be brought back down to earth by the sheer frustration of it all once I get started.

That's what happened with this coaster.

It took me over a week to finish, partly because I've been very busy and partly because I needed to take many breaks from the stitching. It wasn't terribly difficult, just tedious. One too-tight thread would throw an entire row of buttons off. And - being a perfectionist - it was killing me when I finished a row and there was an extra loose button or one stitch that looped too large. I plugged away, though, and finally finished tonight while watching the season four finale of "Jon and Kate Plus 8." (Will there be a season five? We don't know!)

All the griping aside, I'm actually really pleased with how it turned out. It's far from perfect, but I learned along the way and now can start and end my rows much sharper and neater than from following the tutorial alone. I guess I would say it was worth the effort. I'll at least be making three more of them, because I want a full set of four. (That's what I had in mind before I began.) They will probably be a gift for a very special friend, since I don't use coasters much myself.

Of course, there are still a few other color combinations I'd like to see come to fruition. There may be plenty more button coasters in my future ... or at least two or three more sets.

That also depends if I can find some cheaper buttons somewhere. Any suggestions?

Glasses

2009-03-16T20:36:00.001-04:00

When I was in the third grade, I wanted glasses. My two best friends wore glasses, and for some reason I thought it would be cool to wear them. I remember thinking I would look grown up and sophisticated. Of course, there was a problem.

I had perfect vision - better than perfect, in fact. It was 20/10, meaning I could read a letter from 20 feet away, whereas a person with the perfect 20/20 vision would need to be 10 feet away. This caused a snag in my getting-glasses plan. So I did what any 9-year-old would do.

I lied.

When I went to the nurse's office that year for my annual physical, I remember making up my mind just as I was sitting on the short green stool in front of the eye exam machine. I was going to throw the test. I was going to just make everything up. The nurse was alarmed and at first asked me to repeat a few things. I read off the lines of letters with about 50 percent accuracy. I saw the red ball above, on and below the table with about the same success.

The problems with this plan didn't occur to me - that if I was prescribed glasses with this eyesight, I wouldn't be able to see a thing. I just wanted glasses, plain and simple. This was before it was trendy to sell non-prescription glasses just for this purpose, so I saw this as my only alternative.

I went to the eye doctor that afternoon. The nurse was alarmed and called my mom, and she brought me right after school. At this point, I panicked. I was a good kid - I didn't lie about anything - and now I thought I was going to get caught and, consequently, get into huge trouble.

By the time I was sitting in my eye doctor's office, I totally chickened out. I flew through the eye exam without a single mistake, right back to my 20/10 vision. He told my mom there were no problems. I told her I had no idea what happened and that my eyes were just fine. (I think she thought my nurse was a moron for the rest of elementary school.)

Fast forward 16 years.

Aside from the third grade misstep, I always loved having perfect eyesight. With such good vision, I also stopped going to the eye doctor. I honestly didn't realize I should make a trip at least every few years. Until recently, I felt like there was no need. My vision was perfect - until it wasn't. When I noticed the decline, I decided it was time to go to the eye doctor. I had an appointment two Saturdays ago after my 10-year hiatus.

And guess what?

Yep. I got my glasses.

Me & John

2009-03-03T21:55:00.003-05:00

This is a photo Felicia took of John and me on New Year's Eve. I really like it, although we look a little pasty, don't we? The summer can't come soon enough. Sometimes it's sad living at the beach when it's snowing.

Winter Wonderland...

2009-03-02T12:15:00.000-05:00

Snow... and peanut butter pie!

2009-03-01T21:49:00.001-05:00

They said it was supposed to snow. A lot.

Guess what? It's actually snowing. A lot.

I'm excited, I guess, because I love snow, but I was pretty set on not having any more for the winter. I will still have work tomorrow (the news doesn't sleep!). Actually, Pam and I are trying to figure out how we'll be able to get our cars out of the alley in the morning. There's only one exit and we're pretty sure the city isn't going to plow a pathway for us. Oh, and yes. I said Pam and I. Ryan just got the phone call that her district is closed tomorrow. I knew I should have stayed an education major...

So, yesterday I made a peanut butter pie to bring to Jess and Matt's for game night. It was delicious, and fortunately the recipe makes two pies and we kept the second one. Tonight Ryan, Felicia and I indulged in another piece.

Doesn't it look great? I never made one before, but it was insanely easy. I followed the recipe I found on The Swell Life. Thanks, Alexa! (And by the way her blog is great, you should check it out.)

Be nice to reporters.

2009-03-01T19:30:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I interviewed a man attending an event I had to cover for work. When I'm at events, I'm pretty super-pleasant to deal with. You sort of need to be in this line of work - at least, it gets you better interviews when you are. Who wants to talk to a rude, grumpy reporter?

Which kind of brings me to my point. I'm not being rude, so how about the people I interview not be rude, either?

So, I talk to this guy - he's a senior citizen, real nice, a bit hard of hearing - and then I ask if I can take his photo with his friends. This really pleases him, so he and his friends get together and I snap a couple shots. Then I say that I'm with my newspaper, and they say that's great, they will pick up copies this week.

I walk away (about 10 feet?) to get my bag and belongings together, and I hear the guy loudly proclaim, "I wish it was (the other local weekly newspaper), because that one is free!"

Now, come on. I'm standing right there - couldn't he have at least waited until I was out of the room? Plus the fact that my newspaper costs 50 cents. I know the economy is rough right now, but why not splurge a little if you're going to get your picture in the paper and have some fleeting fame?

Things like this happen more often than I'd like to admit, and it's just as disheartening every time. So, if you ever need to deal with a newspaper, for whatever reason - you're interviewed, you need to place an ad, you want to run a birth announcement - be courteous and act like you care about the publication.

If you care about me, I'll care about you. It's that simple.

Etsy Love

2009-02-28T16:19:00.002-05:00

If you haven't visited Etsy before, stop reading and go there immediately. Peruse, enjoy and take it all in, and then come back and check out some of my favorite sellers and latest finds. Agreed? Good.

I joined Etsy (as a buyer) a couple of years ago, and I've gotten plenty of quality gifts (some for myself!) from independent crafters all over the country. There are plenty of international sellers, too. Unless you're living in some dream town, you'd be hard pressed to find the specialty, one-of-a-kind items that people create and put up for sale on Etsy. I have a few favorite stores locally that I frequent for this same reason (The Flying Carp and The Maple Tree are two of my favorites), but I've come to buy more and more from Etsy, too, especially if it means I can forgo the big chain stores and mall trips for something more unique.

I decided to throw together a list of some of my favorite Etsy sellers and a look at items I'd love to buy, but really don't have the money for right now. There are thousands of sellers on Etsy, so even if the following don't tickle your fancy, I'm willing to bet you can find someone who does.

Untamed Menagerie

This mother daughter duo from Tennessee creates wonderous, whimsical acrylic jewelry. Their work is absolutely inspiring, and I think everyone should sport their creations. I myself have had my eye on these little numbers for months and months now:

Does it get any better than a strand of pearls with a tight-rope walking elephant? And look at the bows! Absolutely charming. And, come on, the earrings? They are chandelier earrings that look like chandeliers.

It's only a matter of time before I break down and order one. Untamed Menagerie also has fabulous prices (which the majority of Etsy world does). The elephant necklace is $22 and the chandelier earrings are $18. I think I can spare that much of my next paycheck...

picapicadesign

I have a soft spot for all things recycled, and picapicadesign is the perfect place to shop for those who love your three R's. Liz Grotyohann is a graphic designer in New Jersey who is also a self-proclaimed "crafter/collage artist by night." Her Etsy shop is full of beautiful jewelry, repurposed object art, vases and bowls out of recycled papers and maps (!), and tons more.

I'm buying these earrings for my friend, Amy, at some point. It's not a question of if I will, but more so when I will.

The world is Amy's home, and what better way to express that than with earrings depicting teeny maps of two of her most-loved places? This is something lots of Etsy sellers feature - custom made crafts. You're not going to find that at most stores, for sure. These earrings run $18.

I also adore Liz's map bowls:

These ones are made out of Boston metro maps, and I love the black and white quality. The bowl is $18, too.

shaNickers

I never painted the walls of my bedroom, and at this point I'm not going to. What that means is I need some very cool, decorative art to take up the vast whiteness. My problem is solved with shaNickers!

Shanon is an interior designer in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and her shop is full of her unique wall decals and self-adhesive wall murals. They don't damage the surface and are easy to apply, but then take down and take with you if you're a renter (like myself).

Here's my favorites:

The birdie perched is $46. The stylized flowers is $57. I want to cover my room in Shanon's artwork, but I have a feeling, as cool as it is, it wouldn't look so good all mashed together on four tiny walls. ;)

Paloma's Nest

Caroline Colom Vasquez, an Austin, Texas, based artist, creates with all natural materials including fine clays, wood, paper and cloth. She says her pieces are "for the heart," and once you look through her shop it's impossible not to agree with her. What initially caught my eye at Caroline's shop were her snowy white ceramic pieces. She hand stamps words and phrases onto a myriad of things, including tiny textured dishes and bowls, and I love the simplicity of it all.

It's hard to pick a favorite, and if I order anything I may go with a custom pick, but I do love this:

The 3.5 inch in diameter bowl is $18. It would be perfect just sitting on a desk or dresser, whether to look at or to catch life's tiniest treasures that you need a quick temporary home for.

And I love the quirkiness of this:

Caroline has these in her shop to mark spring, a season of "regeneration, rebirth, prosperity and hope." An egg is a pretty perfect symbol for all that, no? Plus, imagine the conversation a little ceramic egg would spark.

***

A few other sellers I could never pass up would be:
The Black Apple
Ashley G and Drew
OhKayK
KirstenLovesDinner

And there's about a hundred more. I love Etsy.

Post Valentine's Day Post

2009-02-23T22:13:00.001-05:00

I had a lovely, low key Valentine's Day this year.

The highlight? Aside from just getting to spend it with John, I'd say the top honors would have to go with the necklace John gave me. The pink sapphire and diamond white gold pendant is pictured above. I love it because it's unusual without looking over-the-top. Pretty, no? I'm a very basic jewelry kind of person, and John always does a great job in getting me beautiful, thoughtful things that I will definitely enjoy wearing.

The ball was dropped a bit on reservations. (Did anyone guess how quickly fine dining establishments would book up on a Valentine's Day that fell on Saturday? Well, obviously we didn't.) However, we got a reprieve with an unused reservation of my brother's, so we found ourselves at the Tuckahoe Inn for dinner. (If you're not from here and haven't heard of this restaurant before, I can assure you - those jokes are not new to me.)

It was a nice dinner, and we followed it up with some gambling in Atlantic City - not romantic, at all, really, but it was okay. (Our original plan was to eat dinner in A.C. and gamble anyway, so we decided to still go.) What was not okay, however, was us both losing money. John lost $20. I lost ... more than $20.

Our reservation for dinner was early, so even after our quick jaunt to A.C., we were home by 9:30. So what did we do?

Well, played Scrabble, of course!

Happy Birthday, Finn!

2009-02-20T14:19:00.000-05:00

Cake for Finn's first birthday party was finished at 11 a.m. and left on the kitchen counter.

Now fast forward to 12:45 p.m. I am in the bathroom blowdrying my hair. My roommates are upstairs. My dog walks into the kitchen, no doubt pulled forward by the overwhelmingly sweet smell of sugar. (A pound of powdered sugar in the icing alone, to be exact.)

You can guess what happened, right?

In all fairness to myself, though, Piper knows not to do things like that. Has she done similar things before? Well, yes. But in general, I can leave plates of food in front of her black little nose with a stern warning as I go pour a glass of water in the kitchen, and while she'll soak the carpet at her feet from salivating, she won't even take a lick.

And since we were leaving momentarily - and since Piper hadn't touched the cake in the hour and a half it sat taunting her from a couple of feet above her head - I wasn't paying much attention. But then I noticed Piper wasn't staked out on the sixth stair on the staircase by the bathroom, which is where she always sits sentry while I am blowdrying my hair. (What can I say? She's a strange dog.)

That's when I turned off the blowdryer and called her name. Then I peeked around the corner into the kitchen to find a very happy dog licking the icing off of what was a very cute cake in record time. Her little tongue was going a mile a minute, and she didn't jump down until I was a foot from her, screaming like a banshee. And what did Piper do?

She slowly wagged her tail, licking orange frosting from her whiskers and staring at me in a stupor. I think the sugar coma was already setting in, and my yelling had no effect whatsoever.

Did I cry? Surprisingly, no. I almost did, especially when I called Stef and Bill to relay the news of their son's first birthday cake, and the response I got from both of them was laughter. It was not funny. At least not at that time. Fortunately, Stef just told me to cut off the Piper-piece and bring the cake anyway. (That's the photo above, actually - Piper certainly isn't that neat in her cake thievery.)

Oh, and then the jokes kept coming. I know of at least two who posed like this with the cake (this one is Stef):

And while everyone kept telling me how great the cake was, I couldn't help but inject dripping sarcasm into all of their compliments. I mean, seriously - when a cake is supposed to read "Happy 1st Birthday, Finn. Have a ball!" and it ends up reading "Happy 1st Birthday, Finn. Have a rall!" ... well, "rall" isn't even a word! How great could the cake be?

But when it was time for cake, we all sang, and Finn smiled and blew the candle out with Stef. He eyed up his piece of orange-iced cake and took a hesitant nibble before realizing that, yes, this tasted mighty good, and trying to shove the entire thing into his mouth at once.

It was Finn who changed my mind about the whole disaster. I mean, look at him.

Piper eating the cake? It really didn't matter, after all.

Grande skim latte, hold the coffee.

2009-02-16T15:01:00.000-05:00

I haven't been to Starbucks in a while, so I treated myself today and ordered my usual - a grande skim latte.

I typically wait to start drinking for a few minutes because I can't take scalding hot coffee, so by the time I was back in my car and pulling away I took a sip and thought, "Hm. Tastes... wrong."

I took a bigger gulp at the red light around the corner and decided that, yes, they definitely forgot to put the espresso in my drink. What I had was a nice medium-sized cup of steamed milk with a packet of Sweet 'n Low mixed in. At this point, I wasn't turning around, but what a bummer.

It snowed tonight.

2009-02-03T23:51:00.000-05:00

The flakes were so fine, they sparkled through the air. It didn't look like the snow was just falling from the sky. It looked like it was coming from all directions - from above, below, in front, behind... it looked like the air was full of a hundred million glittering specks. It looked like magic.

I stopped and stared for a few moments before I kept walking.

I could use a little magic.

So long, Mr. Mouse.

2009-01-29T11:56:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, when my roommates and I cleaned out the kitchen closet, we discovered an unwanted little visitor was keeping house among our canned goods and cereals. A mouse. Lovely.

On Monday, I set two no-kill traps with crackers and peanut butter.

On Tuesday morning, the cracker was gone, but there was no mouse. I reloaded the trap.

On Tuesday evening, the cracker was gone again, but once more, no mouse. I realized the trap door wasn't shutting correctly, so I swapped it out with the other trap. I also told Piper I was going to swap her for a cat.

On Wednesday morning, the trap was shut, moved more than a foot across the floor, on its side, chewed and ... no mouse. At this point I'm wondering if it could be a super mouse, or maybe a rat. I set the trap again.

On Wednesday afternoon, trap was shut, chewed, with no mouse. I set it once more, resigning myself to the fact that my roommate was going to get to set killing traps since this, obviously, wasn't working, and the mouse was still eating our food and pooping everywhere. I reminded Piper that she was being rather useless with the mouse-catching.

On Wednesday night, around midnight, while John and I were watching "Top Chef" and Piper was sleeping on the couch beside me, she suddenly jumped up and ran into the kitchen. She whined at the closet door and looking at me alarmingly. Suddenly, I realized, the mouse! I ran over, opened the door, and - tah dah! - before he could escape, we caught him. The sneaky thing.

John cleaned out the bucket we had been using for our leaking shower (our house isn't falling apart, I swear), and we plopped the mouse inside with a few crackers. (He was huge for a mouse.) I closed the lid, but was going to open it so John could take a photo. He said the mouse would jump. I said no way. For the next 10 minutes we watched him slam his head into the lid of the bucket trying to escape.

Piper was quite displeased with this little creature, so we couldn't watch the rest of "Top Chef" and instead drove the mouse to the beach and let it out near the pavilion, so it would have a little shelter in the cold. I barely saw him scamper away when I tilted the bucket. A police officer drove by very slowly (of course), but surprisingly didn't stop. I guess a girl in snowflake pajamas, pink slippers and a big blue bucket isn't very suspicious.

When we got home, we finished watching "Top Chef" and I, of course, gave Piper a lot of treats and a lot of praise. She did a great job. I didn't need a cat after all.

It's melting! It's melting!

2009-01-28T07:55:00.002-05:00

The snow is melting.

Right now it's turning into a sad, slushy mess. Some very cold, fat raindrops are falling from the sky and ruining the pristine white that covered the ground just a few short hours ago. I bet we had over an inch of snow last night. An inch!

Can't it stay around just a little longer? Maybe next time.

Charity for charity's sake

2009-01-27T23:23:00.000-05:00

In the newspaper business - or any media outlet, I imagine - you come across a lot of attention hogs.

There's quite a variety. There's the "pusher" parents of star athletes or students, letting you know of every little teeny tiny accomplishment of their kid. Then there are the town know-it-alls, who, as you might have guessed, think they know everything and should therefore be included in every article ever written. You've also got the ones who had their five minutes of fame for whatever reason (maybe was an extra in a movie or wrote a book) and are still trying to stretch that out 10 years later.

The attention hogs I hate the most, though, are the charity ones.

I think the things that really gets me is the slight irony of it all - the selfless goodwill of volunteering or running a non-profit venture, mirrored with the insatiable need to have your actions broadcasted for all the community to see every step of the way. Is it still selfless? Not really. Is it still helpful volunteerism? Well, sure. But it doesn't hold the same weight for me, personally, if someone volunteering so desperately needs credit for doing so.

I volunteer with the local animal shelter. I wish I could do more - I want to do more - but my schedule really keeps me from it. But from volunteering for different venues since middle school, it never occurred to me to get media attention for it. I volunteer because I want to help make a difference in my community. I want to help people (and animals) who need it. If people know I do it, that's great. If they don't, still fine.

This is not to say there shouldn't be coverage of non-profits or volunteer efforts - that's far from what I'm saying. Non-profits definitely need coverage. It spreads awareness for their cause and, hopefully, will spur others to donate time, money or items. I love covering non-profits, whether it's the cookie drive for troops by the local American Legion or the programming at the local cancer support network, Gilda's Club. These are awesome things that deserve attention.

So are people who volunteer. If a local brownie troop cleans up Kennedy Park, they should get the perk of seeing their smiling faces in the newspaper or on television. If the high schoolers bake dog treats during their study halls to hand out to local animal organizations, it's right to highlight their efforts. This is good news. It's happy news. It's news that will get others thinking they can do something like this, too.

The people I'm talking about - the charity attention hogs - are the ones who seem to be conducting the charity work just as much for the publicity as they're doing it for the charity, or perhaps even more so. They must have their names/company's name tied prominently with the organization. They must get credit for what they're doing first and foremost, as opposed to wanting to spread the word of how the charity venture works and how others can help. It's all about them-them-them - and oh yeah, the charity, too.

It's sort of hard to explain, and unless you've come across these types of people, you might not understand what I'm saying. But while I've only been in the business full time for a few years, I've seen this happen countless times. As a huge advocate of volunteerism, it boggles my mind. It's such a skewed motive.

This is definitely the minority, but it goes along with that idea of just a few spoiling it for the whole bunch. When I get five pleasant phone calls in a day, it's that one screamer that leaves the biggest impression. So when you have a ton of amazing people working with non-profits, it's the couple doing it for the wrong reasons that stick out, unfortunately.

Wrong reasons or not, if they're volunteering and helping out others, I guess they can do what they need to do. Of course, I'm going to do what I need to do, too.

And that's not write about them - at least not until they get their priorities in order.

For my convenience.

2009-01-25T09:34:00.000-05:00

I stopped at the grocery store yesterday to find that Acme was rearranging the store "for my convenience," which made me laugh, because really, do you know a single person who appreciates it when the grocery store moves the bread from aisle three to one and the granola bars are no where to be found?

My trip should have been quick, but i ended up taking about 15 or 20 minutes longer than it should have. The best part is while I had no idea where to look for things, the store was not totally rearranged yet - it was in the process of - so some items were not even in their new home. Therefore, asking employees for help was sometimes futile.

There is an entertaining part about the grocery store reorg - watching everyone meander about and become more and more disgruntled every time you pass them (because you're bound to pass everyone at least three times during the course of your trip, unless you're one of the lucky ones who just has to pick up milk or eggs, because those things can never be moved far due to the refrigeration). I was slightly annoyed last night, but not enough to really care all that much because it was 7 p.m. and I was a little tired, but there were plenty of funny characters cruising through the aisles.

I heard one woman's adult son ask her several times, "Ya find it yet?!" She huffed in response each time and loudly declared how she didn't have time to wander the grocery store. (Where she needed to get to after 7 on a Saturday, I don't know. Then again, I don't have a social life and maybe she does?)

Another woman kept excitedly calling her teenaged daughter over every time she saw a section of sale items (that's another thing with the reorg - tons of random stuff goes on sale because they need to clear it out). The daughter would stare indifferently twirling her hair as her mom enthusiastically pointed out nacho cheese dips and fiber bars.

Then there's the sad-smile-and-eye-rollers. These are the people you've passed so many times that they feel a reorg-hate intimacy with you, and start to add a little smile, eye roll or quick comment to your passing. It's like this: Pass in new bread aisle... fives minutes later pass in new soda aisle... three minutes later pass in new paper goods aisle... four minutes later pass in bread aisle again, where passing is accompanied with, "Hello again!" and an eye roll. Once the first eye roll is initiated, any more passings with this person will be accompanied by some type of exchange.

There are also the very, very angry shoppers - these are the ones who are cursing and talking to themselves under their breath when you pass. Often their words don't match the aisle. They may be staring blankly at a wall of canned soups cursing under their breath about fruit snacks. (These people, I imagine, abort the shopping trip before long.)

I know why the grocery stores do the reorg. I get the whole concept of making your customers walk the aisles in search of what they need so, hopefully, they'll end up tossing a bunch of items they don't need but happened to come across into their carts. It's probably a good tactic. I guess it must be, since the reorgs continue to happen and I imagine they're just as annoying to the employees who have to first carry them out and then listen to the customers complain to them about it for a solid three weeks.

Anything to stimulate the economy, right?

4 photo folder tag

2009-01-24T23:32:00.000-05:00

For the first time, I was tagged for something on my blog! Kim, of LadyGypsy fame, tagged my for the 4 photo folder tag.

This is what you do:

1. Go to the the 4th folder where you keep your pictures on your computer.
2. Post the 4th picture in the folder.
3. Explain the photo.
4. Tag 4 fellow bloggers to join in the fun!

Fourth and fourth is this for me:

This photo is from a story I wrote a couple of years ago at work. There was this old Italian man who lived in my town and had the typical Ocean City yard - meaning none. He had a bit of space along the perimeter of the house, and then some random tiny plots of ground around the parking area and alleyway out back.

He took advantage of every inch and grew the most amazing, flourishing garden. He leaned lattice against his house over the sidewalk and grew grapes. He had fig trees tucked into corners. And in this old bathtub out back, he had all of this lush, wonderful basil.

That's what the photo is. I'm not sure if he is still living at this house, but he was a pretty amazing guy and it was a great story to write.

I'm tagging Ryan, Eric, Felicia and Ian. Have fun, guys!

Thanks, Kim. :)

A dusting of snow

2009-01-22T15:32:00.000-05:00

It (finally) snowed a little bit on Sunday into Monday, and the flurries fell pretty steadily through Monday afternoon.

Piper was in her element when we went for a walk, in complete and total play mode the whole time trying to jump around and convince me to let her off her leash. Because of the traffic I couldn't, of course, and I felt pretty bad about it. She loves snow. I think we're going to need to live somewhere with more of it.

I miss having snowstorms, too. We actually used to get our fair share when I was a little kid, but now (global warming?) we barely get a decent snowfall.

I hope it snows again before winter's through, although I've also been looking forward to spring and summer. (I think that's only because it's been SO insanely cold lately, which I don't mind as much if there's snow with it, but otherwise it gets tiring.) I love going to the local farmer's market to pick up produce every week and being able to take Piper on longer walks. I'm not looking forward to the busy tourist season, though... I guess everything has its ups and downs.

I've been thinking more and more about getting out of this area lately. I don't know if it's just because it's winter and things are so dead and slow, or if I really do need to leave Jersey behind for a little while. I know it's not something that would happen real soon - not for a year or two, probably - but it's a thought. Maybe I just need a vacation.

Speaking of, John and I are taking a weekend away soon! We're thinking the first weekend in April will be best. He gave me a weekend getaway of my choosing for Christmas, and while I'm anxious to take a trip, I have no idea where to go. I want something relaxing, so that counts out NYC. It's great, of course, but a weekend trip there is always so fast-paced. I think going north would be nice, maybe some New England-ish location. I'm thinking some cool, artsy little town with a theater and downtown and nice restaurants, and staying maybe in a bed and breakfast.

Any suggestions? Because really that's a made up town in my head - I have no idea how to find something like that.

Happy Birthday to some four-legged, furry friends...

2009-01-16T21:26:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday I helped out with a birthday party for all of the shelter animals (residents and adoptables) at the Humane Society of Ocean City. We don't know any of their real birthdays, so it seemed appropriate to celebrate everyone's right at the beginning of the new year. This was an inaugural event and thought up pretty much all by Nancy.

I made cupcakes (107 of them), made pawprints to hang on the wall with all of the animals' names, made a bunch of dog treats and helped with arranging and decorating the room. The public was invited and it really turned into a smashing success. There were guests of all ages, and most everyone brought presents for the animals (which we hoped would happen, but hadn't asked - we wanted it to stay a free event).

Although, to give credit where credit is due, it wouldn't have been nearly as successful without the efforts of Elwood, the 2007 World's Ugliest Dog winner and teeny ambassador for homeless animals.

Elwood's owner, Karen Quigley, brings the pampered pooch around to schools and events to promote pet adoption (Elwood was set to be put down because of his looks before he was rescued), promote spay and neutering your pets and to be kind to all animals. He's a funny looking thing, for certain, but when you meet him he's just so adorable. (That might be hard to believe... but trust me on this one.) Everyone loved him, and for $4 tons of people were getting their photos taken with Elwood. Karen then donated the money to the HSOC.

This was a lot of fun, plus a great promotion for the shelter. Plenty of people who stopped by the party visited the shelter residents before they left. (For obvious reasons, the shelter residents couldn't attend the party, but don't worry - they'll reap the benefits with all those donated treats and toys!)

The best part? Three cats found new homes the day of the party.

That made it all worth it. One hundred percent.

Triathlon, here I come!

2009-01-08T22:59:00.000-05:00

I never thought I'd be the type to attempt a triathlon, but a local non-profit here hosts a month-long triathlon challenge every January/February to raise money for its programs. From Jan. 19 to Feb. 19, participants have to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26 miles.

That's totally doable.

It's even more manageable once you factor in substituting exercises, like walking counts for running, rowing for biking and such. The goal is for it to be an attainable triathlon for the average person. I'd say I'm pretty well average, especially when it comes to working out (seeing as I barely do it), so I think this is a good challenge for me.

In order to not have my butt totally kicked come kick-off, I joined the gym last week and have been trying to exercise a bit to prepare. I've biked a bit, used the elliptical a bit (that counts for running) and started taking swimming classes with Stef. I've got to say, even though I'm not a swimmer, I kinda love these classes. It's no lie that being surrounded by water has a very calming effect. And as long as you work at it, it's a great work out with low impact (perfect for me and my pathetic knees).

The hardest part (I'm predicting) is going to be the biking. That is a lot of miles. I don't have an actual bike, so I'm only going to be able to bike at the gym. I'm going to finish, though. I'm determined, especially since I have the swimming part down. (That's the only reason I didn't do it last year - didn't feel the whole swimming leg of it.)

It's funny. I started exercising last Saturday. I started eating healthier Sunday. I've been taking vitamins every day since Monday. And man, do I feel 110% better all around than I did last week. I even donated blood yesterday and it didn't drain me of all energy like when I donated a few months ago - I stayed up really late with John last night and buzzed through today no problem, finishing up tonight with a swimming class. I don't even get why I fall back into bad-eating, no-exercising, forgetting-vitamin funks. I just feel so much better. I'm sleeping better, too.

Anyway, back to the triathlon. It starts a week from Monday. I'm sending in my registration tomorrow (kept forgetting to do that all week) and should have my chart and everything by mid-week next week, I'm hoping.

My tentative plan is to knock out the running with Piper (that will be a cinch) and to take swimming twice a week with Stef. That kills 2 miles of the swimming (one class equals a quarter mile swim), so I'll just have to go one or two other times to finish the laps. The days I don't swim, I'll stop by the gym to knock off at least 10 miles a pop. That means I should be able to finish the biking in 12 days over the course of the month, which isn't so bad as long as I can commit an hour of exercise for those portions. (I'm guessing it will take me about an hour to bike 10 miles, but I could be wrong.)

We'll see how it all goes.

Survey time!

2009-01-06T22:35:00.000-05:00

Kim posted this meme on her blog last week, and I've been wanting to do it since.

Things you’ve already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to - leave in plain font

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band
4. visited hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower Well, "shower" being the operative word, right Ryan?
6. given more than you can afford to charity
7. been to disneyland/world
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis Many times. They get in the house.
10. sang a solo
11. bungee jumped
12. visited paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the statue of liberty
18. grown your own vegetables My garden this year was hearty!
19. seen the mona lisa in france
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping
27. run a marathon
28. ridden a gondola in venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run
32. been on a cruise Ohhh, I miss my cruises.
33. seen niagara falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. seen an amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. seen the leaning tower of pisa in person I hate Pisa.
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen michelangelo’s david in person
41. sung karaoke
42. seen old faithful geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. visited africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight Well, I live at the beach.
46. been transported in an ambulance
47. had your portrait painted
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the sistene chapel in person
50. been to the top of the eiffel tower in paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkelling At the Great Barrier Reef, nonetheless.
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theatre
55. been in a movie
56. visited the great wall of china
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold girl scout cookies
62. gone whale watching
63. gotten flowers for no reason I love tulips... (hint, hint)
64. donated blood
65. gone sky diving
66. visited a nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a cheque
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the lincoln memorial
71. eaten caviar Quite by accident.
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in times square
74. toured the everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guard in london
77. broken a bone A couple.
78. been on a speeding motorcycle
79. seen the grand canyon in person
80. published a book
81. visited the vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper More than needed, bleh.
85. read the entire bible
86. visited the white house
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating I used to go fishing.
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone’s life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous
92. joined a book club
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby
95. seen the alamo in person. I was born in San Antonio.
96. swum in the great salt lake.
97. been involved in a law suit Haha... right now, actually.
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee I thought it was a fly and smacked it.

Etsy

2009-01-06T15:10:00.001-05:00

One of my resolutions this year is to have a little Etsy shop up and running by Sept. 1. Until then, I'll be crafting up a storm to get ready. I think this will help give my crafting some focus, and it would be nice to make a little extra cash because people like my stuff. It's a win-win.

Right now, I'm trying to come up with what I should be crafting and, later, selling. It's going to be a mishmash of crafts, not like the shops that focus on one type of things, like plushies or jewelry. I know I'll be making Sculpey charms and simple jewelry, like my post here. Ryan's given me some cool new ideas, too. Other than that... I'm really not sure yet.

I make all sorts of things, but I don't know what's very marketable. Since I'm launching it Sept. 1, I think I'll be focusing on fall and winter items. Then again, I could craft any type of thing that could be a nice gift for the holidays. It's all a little overwhelming.

I also need to study up on packaging, postage, insurance... I guess I'll need to get a scale so I know how much to charge for these things. I know I'll be "going green" with my packaging, i.e. reusing boxes and stuffing. It's better for the environment and also better for my wallet.

So, any thoughts on all of this? It's already the second week of January, and I've yet to do a thing except think on it. I better get moving!

Edited to add: I do have a name for my shop already, but I think I'm going to keep it under wraps for a little while. Well... except for those people who I already told.

1,200 miles

2009-01-05T23:18:00.001-05:00

My brother is coming home for a couple of days next month.

Five months ago Friday, I took him to a concert in Camden. It was his birthday. I bought him a T-shirt and a beer, and I watched as he grinned while I bopped around to the Counting Crows, Maroon 5 and Sara Bareilles. He was so unsure of himself, so uncomfortable in his own skin... He's never been an outgoing person and he's always been so cautious in public, around strangers.

I wonder if that's different now.

I imagine he's changed in a lot of ways, but part of me knows he's just the same, too. I like to think he's overcome, grown, moved forward. I worry, though, from how he sounds when I talk to him. Sometimes, it sounds exactly like before. Other times, it sounds just like after.

You don't realize how much you can miss a person until they're gone. I've drifted from him in the past few years - maybe since I've gone to college - and although I tried, we haven't gotten along terribly well in the recent past. Maybe I should have tried harder. In any case, I hardly spoke to him and saw him even less.

Now that he's more than 1,200 miles away, there's an emptiness that just hangs there, this little void that was full of a vibrant person not so long ago. It doesn't matter that we've drifted now. He's done stupid, stupid things. He's had a rough go of it. For better or worse, though, he's my little brother.

He's the same kid who waited for my bus in middle school, and then early high school, so we could watch the Disney Channel together every afternoon. The same little guy I'd have footsie wars on the couch with. He's the one I'd build extravagant blanket forts with. The one I'd teach crafts to.

When he was very small - probably about three years old - he loved the ladybug ride at Wonderland Pier. I remember the last time I rode with him. I was just too tall, and I had to cram myself in, folding my knees up to my chin to get into that little red polka-dotted cart. I had a hell of a time getting out, too, and I refused after that to ride it again.

If I could do it over, I'd keep shoving myself in that little car until I was asked to stop.

Even before that, maybe when he was about two, Mema and Poppy had this radio they'd play in the kitchen. At Christmas time, Mema took to playing "Up on the Housetop" for him. He would hop up and down through that entire song with this huge smile on his face singing along. When it would get to the line, "Up on the housetop, click, click, click," right at the end, I can still see him hop - one, two, three - with those clicks, his diaper rustling and his feet smacking the linoleum floor.

When he was in the third or fourth grade, he had to make a diorama for history class, and he wanted to do his on Eskimos. We sat and went over his textbook and he told me about how they lived, and I sculpted little figures for him out of clay - eskimos and sled dogs and bears. He wanted to try, and I showed him how to make simple little birds, which he proudly pinned to the sky of his project.

He played sports since he could walk, and he was a standout in baseball in particular. I used to go to his games sometimes and watch him pitch. I went to some of his soccer, basketball and hockey games, too.

Now, though, I wish I had gone to more of them.

He's coming to visit for a couple of days next month, but he's not coming home. I worry how he's going to make it on his own.

December Charity: Heifer International

2008-12-30T15:52:00.003-05:00

I'm trying something new. Each month, I will highlight a charity (it could be local, national or worldwide) and feature it on my blog. I will be making a $25 donation to that charity. It doesn't seem like much, however that is part of the point of why I'm doing this - to show that every little bit helps. I'm also doing this because charities have been hard hit by the recent economic crisis, and I'm hoping by highlighting a charity a month it will spark others to donate, too - donate money, items, time - anything to help. Choose your favorite charity and help make a difference.

Heifer International is a charity that aims to end world hunger and poverty while caring for the earth at the same time. The organization has several global initiatives, from educating on sound agricultural techniques to providing small monetary or livestock loans.

One of the most interesting aspects of Heifer International, and probably the reason the group is well known, are these loans of livestock around the world. Through donations from people like us, this non-profit is able to provide children and families with animal gifts that teach them self reliance and provide them with resources they desperately need.

A gift of a flock of ducks ($20) is good for both people and the environment. This gift will add protein to a diet from eating eggs. Recipients can sell eggs and ducks to make money. Ducks will also improve crops, because they eat weeds and bugs and add fertilizer. A gift of a pig ($120 and/or share of $10) is considered the most interest-bearing of the Heifer animals. Pigs don't need much land and can eat garden scraps. They can provide up to 16 piglets a year, too.

What's even better than the animal gift giving is that the recipient is not the only one to benefit from this gift. In accepting a Heifer International animal, recipients are required to donate the first offspring, spreading this goodwill that much farther. It's also a chain reaction - once the first offspring is donated, that family will donate the first offspring of their gift, too. For instance, if a heifer is donated (Cost $500 and/or $50 share), that cow can give birth to a calf every year. That first calf is given to another family in the community. Once their calf matures and gives birth, that calf, too, is donated. In this way, an entire community can eventually transition out of poverty.

Heifer International doesn't just find a community and dump off a bunch of animals. Recipients receive education in animal management, helping to insure that the animal will be treated well and families will benefit as much as they can from the gift. The livestock is kept in environments where it could be found naturally, as to not disturb the ecology of the area.

Since its founding in 1944, Heifer International has seen success in Africa, Asia, the South Pacific, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, North America, and other parts of the world. It continues to grow and have an impact, and is certainly on the right track to ending world hunger and poverty, all the while sustaining the earth, too. I've thought this was an amazing charity since I learned about it several years ago, and that's why I chose it to highlight this month and to receive my little monthly donation.

Visit the website and choose a gift - they range in price from $10 shares to $1,500. With a few clicks of your mouse and a bit of money from your pocket, you can help end world hunger from your family room. Now, that's powerful.

Piper's Christmas

2008-12-29T16:25:00.000-05:00

For Christmas, I baked Piper some peanut butter dog treats. She also received a bag of treats she likes from Animal House, a beef bone and a stuffed green and white striped candy cane. She loved everything.

The peanut butter treats are really a hit. It's a recipe from the Three Dog Bakery Cookbook. I made a double batch and gave some to plenty of pampered pooches - Chipper, Seven, Mackie, Murphy and the Waddell clan. Joan bought four tins from me to give out. I forgot to send Ferris's home with Ryan, so I'm going to have to bake another batch and mail some up to Poughkeepsie. (I know, I know, Ryan, he doesn't need treats, but what dog really needs treats, anyway?)

Another year gone by

2008-12-28T23:50:00.000-05:00

The holidays were strange this year.

Christmas came and went with very little fanfare. While the day after Christmas is often a bit of a let down, it was less so this year because I felt like there wasn't as much build up to the big day. It couldn't be a let down if the holiday itself was, well, not as bright.

Don't get me wrong - it was all very nice. I had a great time at my parents' on Christmas Eve. It was lovely to visit with John's family Christmas day. I received some awesome gifts, too, and I think everyone was equally happy with what I gave them.

All the same, there's been a kind of shadow obscuring some parts of my life as of late, and that couldn't be ignored on Christmas. I missed my brother, mostly, and that removed presence left a mark on all things holiday-related. It made Christmas arrive more quietly, and slip away even more so. Honestly, the day after Christmas I woke up without the usual sadness that accompanies my favorite holiday's end for another 364 days.

I woke up and it was just another day.

I wonder if things were just different because of that shadow, or if maybe Christmas has lost even more of its magic. Every year it seems less of a big deal, weeks of holding your breath only to end up letting it all go in a little sigh at the end. Maybe it's just me. Maybe you have to work to keep that magic, and I haven't done a very good job of it.

Looking back, the year as a whole was okay. I wouldn't call 2008 stellar (by far), but it also wasn't as bad as they've come. (Perhaps closer to bad than great, though.) There were plenty of challenges this year. There were also tons of problems that I couldn't even come close to fixing. I'd like to say that 2009 is going to be much, much better, but who knows? It's not like I planned for 2008 to turn out how it did.

I don't mean to sound like a martyr. I'm totally aware that, considering the lives of many people, my 2008 was far from disastrous. However, I've realized in the past that it's futile to measure your own trials and tribulations against those of others; true, it can give you moments of clarity and perspective, but if you have reason to be upset, it's not healthy to constantly push those feelings aside by reasoning that you don't have it as bad as it can be.

You can't drown in self pity, but it's okay to acknowledge when life has dealt you a rough hand. Yes, there is always going to be someone with a worse hand. Along the same vein, there will always be someone with one better.

I guess I'll hope for a happier, healthier, all-around-better 2009. What's done is done, and in three days, 2008 is totally in that category.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T10:47:00.003-05:00

Boy does she hate that hat.

Merry Christmas! I hope you have a happy, healthy and wonderful day spent with family, friends and loved ones.

Coworker Christmas Gifts

2008-12-23T14:43:00.001-05:00

Cookies are my staple coworker holiday gift, but I like to add a little something else to the giving every year. Two years ago I did cookies and mini beaded lampshades with electric candles for the ladies and cookies and fudge for the guys. Last year I did cookies and chex mix in little tins. This year I gave bags of cookies and mugs filled with homemade candies. Oh, and a candy cane reindeer, too.

I collected the mugs throughout the year, keeping an eye out for when places like Starbucks and Pier I had sales. That way, they're really nice mugs, but not for a huge bill. I liked how the mismatched mugs all looked together before I wrapped them up. I filled the mugs with peppermint bark and chocolate covered pretzels, wrapped it up with cellophane and tied a candy cane reindeer and handmade tag on with ribbon.

The cookies were put into crimson-stripped cellophane bags and tied with pretty red ribbon, both items my mom's friend found on the internet for a fraction of the cost they would have been if ordered from Williams-Sonoma. We didn't bake nearly as many cookies this year, but between my mom, Ryan and I, we had a nice little variety. I think I should have made some normal gingerbread men, though - the sad ones missing limbs looked like they were in candy cane jail in the cellophane bags, as Ryan pointed out. Haha.

Here's how everything looked all wrapped up.

And everyone seemed pleased to receive them! Happy holidays, coworkers!

Oh, and I received some very nice gifts, too! Joan gave me eggnog truffles from Starbucks (mmm...) and Mary gave me a very cute, sparkly wicker basket full of awesome baking supplies - actually, all supplies I either didn't have or needed to replace! Plus a cookbook. Dave gave me spices from Penzeys, which I haven't used yet but am anxious to try out. I think with all my new baking stuff (the Godfreys gave me a three-tiered square cake pan set!), I'm going to have to try out some new recipes and decorating ideas.

Can't wait!

A survey.

2008-12-23T00:43:00.000-05:00

I snagged this from Ryan's blog. There are quite a few numbers missing. I don't know why.

In 2008 did you. . .

1) Did you kiss anyone?
Yes. John. And my parents and brothers and Piper, but not like that.

2) Did you date anyone?
Yes. John.

3) Are you going to kiss someone when the ball drops?
I hope so.

4) Did you lose any friends?
Sort of.

5) Did you gain any friends?
Yes, I think I did.

6) Did you do something new?
I climbed a waterfall. That was new.

8) Did you change?
I'm sure I did.

9) Are you happy with the year over all?
Hm. Yeah, 2008 wasn't so bad.

11) Did you fall in or out of love?
Kept falling, I suppose.

12) Are you happy the year is almost over?
Doesn't really make a difference to me.

13) Are you going to change something about yourself this year?
Yes. I want to be healthier and in better shape.

19) Did you get in trouble with the law?
Well... no. Except that time my headlight was out.

20) Did you go on a summer vacation?
Yes. On a cruise with John. And a short trip to Cali to see Shanon and Tim.

22) Did you get into a fight?
Of course.

24) Did u have a good birthday?
Why yes. It was lovely.

27) Did you dye your hair?
Yep.

31) Did anyone tell you they loved you?
Many people.

32) Did you go to the hospital?
Yes, this one time when I thought I was dying. I wasn't, as it turned out.

Moved :
Nope.

New school:
No more school for me, sadly.

Have you changed:
Wasn't this already asked?

New look:
For the new year? I'll probably stay about the same.

Okay. Your turn. Fill it out and leave me a comment to let me know you posted to your own blog.

O, Christmas Tree.

2008-12-19T15:27:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago, Ryan, Felicia, Michael and I went to a local church to pick out a Christmas tree from the youth group's sale. All money raised from the sale went to local charities, so we figured this would be a win-win situation.

To give a little background, I don't remember having a real tree. From photos, I know my parents would get them when I was very small, but I only ever remember decorating a fake tree. Ryan's had real trees all through her childhood, so she was totally into the idea of us picking up a live one this year.

When we got to the tree lot, we parked and walked over to the sale, where a bunch of 12-year-old boys were running around being, well, 12-year-old boys. One kid asked if we needed help, and he showed us the smaller trees on the lot and told us some tips about picking out a tree. Then he told us if we put our tree into boiling water, it would make the whole house smell nice.

Put the tree into boiling water? Having no experience in this area, I figured he must mean pour boiling water into the tree stand. It didn't sound like a good idea to me, but what did I know?

We chose a tree, and the kid helped carry it to the car. Or, I should say, he tried to carry it by himself to the car. About halfway there (after we tried to offer help), a youth group leader took the tree from the kid so he didn't fall over. He stuck it on my car, but then asked if we wanted the stump cut.

"Well, I don't know. Do we?" I asked.

"You need to cut at least some stump off," stressed the leader, hauling the tree back off of the car and using a saw to trim the stump. The kid then trimmed off some of the stray branches at the bottom.

Wondering about liability issues, I asked if we should tie the tree onto the car ourselves.

"Ah, no, he'll do it," the leader motioned at our kid, who ran off to grab string.

While the kid was out of ear shot, I questioned the leader about the whole tree-in-boiling-water bit. He shook his head.

"Sometimes I don't think these kids listen to the words that come out of my mouth," he said. "You don't put the tree in boiling water, you take the piece of stump that was cut off and put that into boiling water. Yesterday they told some lady to put her tree into a pot on the stove."

And this was the kid about to tie the tree to my car roof. Comforting.

When he returned with the string, the leader walked away and the kid got to work. The whole while, he was quietly talking himself through the process. I kept looking at Ryan with raised eyebrows, but we tried not to laugh for the kid's sake. He was trying so hard.

I told him to make sure he was tying the tree really tight, and we could help if he needed us to.

"I think that's as tight as it will go," he said. As an afterthought, he added, "You know, this is the first time I've done this."

Awesome.

When he was finished, I asked him if he wanted to round up some youth group members and I'd take a photo for the newspaper of their tree sale. This was a huge selling point for him, so he ran off to get everyone together. Ryan, Felicia and Michael were able to better secure the tree at this point without hurting the kid's pride.

Obviously, we got the tree home. It was a little precarious, particularly driving over the bridges onto the island, but it made it safely and we were able to set everything up. Ryan and I decorated the tree that night, and I must say there's so much more charm in having a real tree than a fake one.

I love our tree... I may love the whole experience of picking it up even more.

Sweet success!

2008-12-18T23:50:00.000-05:00

Tonight's Holiday Cooke Swap was a smashing success - without the smashing of any cookies, of course. There were 14 of us there and 16 types of cookies (Ryan and Stef made two types each), and it was mighty tough not eating everything while you were taking your share.

It was such an awesome variety, too - no one tried to go the boring chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin route. Some of the cookie types were chocolate caramel thumbprints (by Megan), rocky road bar cookies (by Jen), cream cheese cookies (by Pat) and peppermint hershey kiss blossoms (by Karen). Mrs. Laughlin made scrumptious cherry cookies, my mom created a delicious chocolate coconut bar cookie, and Nancy made wonderful little coconut numbers. Stef's cookies were lemon spritz and shortbread animals; Ryan did chocolate chip shortbread dipped in red chocolate and Nutella cookies. Pam brought a cranberry, white chocolate cookie. Her friend, Fern, did a spiral-like spritz; Shawnda had spritz cookies that were little green trees with jimmies and sprinkles.

I made my merry little gingerbread men:

Haha. Or maybe not so merry, as it were.

These are Tanya's jammy flowers:

I think everyone had a great time, too - at least, I really hope they did. I had a lovely time and hope I can make this a new tradition. It's a fun way to get a nice variety of cookies. If anyone reading this came to the swap, thanks so much for coming!

You brightened my holidays - and made them much sweeter!

Leave a message at the...

2008-12-16T23:52:00.000-05:00

I've been up for a new phone since May, so sooner or later I'm going to persuade my dad to head over to Verizon with me to pick up our free little upgrades. I can't wait. I have the pink Razr, and it's a piece, all right.

For instance, yesterday it started to beep maniacally to let me know that its battery was going to die (again). I plugged it in to charge, but as soon as I put it down my brother called. I unplugged for a quick hello and quickly returned the phone to charging (as to avoid the maniacal beeping), and it pleasantly blinked "fully charged." It was dead again after one short phone conversation.

It's also missing a button - the center button, the one that you press about 10 times more often than any other button on your phone. I have to push my hand into a little empty divot now.

It just goes to show that paying extra for the fancier phone isn't at all worth it. The free upgrade phone will do just fine this go round, thanks.

There is one reason I will be sad to give my little pink phone the heave-ho. My saved voice messages.

When you get a new cell, you can transfer your phone book, and sometimes little details like ring tones. You can't, to my knowledge, transfer your saved voice mails. I have about ten that stay saved consistently.

The first one is of my parents singing me happy birthday. One is a birthday greeting from my Uncle Gordie. Another is Bill wishing my Happy Birthday as Mickey Mouse. There's one that is just a cute hello left by John (the boyfriend), and a quick hi-love you-bye from John (the brother). In one of the messages, my dad is explaining how he wore the mathematics tie I gave him to work and was complimented. Ryan left a message - just some simple, probably a call back - that I saved. Then there are two from Stef - the first is when she was in labor with Salem, the second one when she was in labor with Finn. (I was number one on the call list because I was on Seven watching duty, and then Seven-and-Salem watching duty.)

I don't know why I save all of these messages. Part of it might be this irrational fear of losing someone, but being able to remember their voice. It's also because they all make me smile - they're all happy messages from people I love. Whatever the case, I'll be sad when I switch phones and I have to lose those messages.

But who knows - maybe they will transfer over. It is just the voice mailbox, after all - not something that's actually inside your phone on the memory card or anything, right?

Whatever the case, I will miss the messages, but I'm certainly not going to miss the phone.

Gingerbread Houses: Part II

2008-12-15T11:18:00.000-05:00

The houses from Saturday's class turned out great!

I was supposed to have five kids in my class, but only two showed up. That was a big disappointment (and frustrating, considering the six hours I spent on making the houses the night before), however the two little girls who did come had such a great time it was hard to stay upset about the turnout. One of their moms decorated a house, Ryan came and decorated a house (and helped me out a lot), and the other two houses went home with my mom and to my parents' neighbors.

At least nothing was wasted.

Here are a few more shots from the whole shebang. These are the houses Saturday morning, before I left:

This is another decorated house - don't you love the door made of licorice rope and icing?

And here are the backs of the houses shown above:

I love the candy cane hearts and ice cream cone trees. The kids were so creative!

I wish I had the chance to decorate a house. One thing I know for certain is that there's going to be a lot of gingerbread houses in my future.

Gingerbread Houses: Part I

2008-12-13T00:43:00.000-05:00

Whew.

I spent the last six hours making six little gingerbread houses. (Hey, that's easy math!) I did it all from scratch. I created a pattern out of cardstock, made the dough (four batches), and rolled and cut and trimmed and baked and trimmed some more.

By the time I was getting toward the end of the baking, I was able to start assembling the first houses. They are very, very simple - a little shorter in length and taller in height than the pre-made houses you get in those kits at the craft store. They are quite tasty and super cute. I'm making these for a class I am teaching tomorrow. After the kids get to them, I'm sure they will be a million times cuter.

It's a lot of work, making a little town of gingerbread houses.

I had to make the dough and chill it. I rolled the dough directly onto cookie sheets, traced my templates, cut everything out, and then had to put the cookie sheet in the fridge again for 10 minutes before putting it into the oven. (Helps prevent spreading.) And between each cookie sheet use, I had to cool them down with cold water, because I couldn't roll dough onto a warm sheet - too sticky.

I could only bake one sheet at a time, because when I tried two it was too uneven (yes, I rotated - didn't matter). It took two sheets per house, and baking time was 12 minutes. That's nearly two and a half hours of solid baking time, so factoring in the dough making, cleaning, cookie sheet cooling, dough chilling... the six hours makes sense. It just made for a very long night.

Tomorrow is going to be busy, busy. I'm still trying to figure out how to transport all of the houses to the class. There should be at least one gingerbread house update - with plenty of pictures. Here's to hoping, anyway!

Now, however, it's time for some sleep.

'Let's escape this town for a little while'

2008-12-11T15:21:00.000-05:00

I'm in the mood for a vacation. I know, I know - when would a person NOT be in the mood for a vacation? I usually take my vacation time in the summer months, but I'm starting to think that having a week off in the dead of winter would be nice. Especially before Christmas - there are just endless things to do.

I still have tons (and tons) of baking to do. I have to make dog treats, an army of candy cane reindeer, and many other gifts that shall remain unnamed because I don't want to spoil anyone's surprise. I have to assemble my coworker's little gifts. And I have classes to teach this weekend and on Monday night - and I still have to do practically all the prepping for them, because I haven't had time to yet.

There are things I have accomplished, though, believe it or not. I have 90% of my shopping finished, and everything but two gifts that arrived on Tuesday are already wrapped and under the tree. My and Ryan's place is decorated, pretty much as far as it's going to get. I'm on top of cleaning, except for mopping the kitchen floor and the upstairs bathroom. So... there is some stuff done.

I have to keep reminding myself of that or I'm going to go crazy.

But can you imagine if I had an entire week off what I could get done? Baking and baking... and cleaning and crafting. I'd be so set, and I'd have time to relax to boot. Unfortunately, I didn't plan for that this year.

Maybe next year. We'll see.

(The above photo is during a sunset last week just up the street of our house. Too pretty not to post.)

Hello? Is this thing on?

2008-12-10T15:41:00.001-05:00

I would ask if anyone has noticed that I barely ever receive comments on my blog (except pity comments from Ryan), but it would be a mute point, wouldn't it? Because if no one is commenting, there's a good chance no one is reading, either.

No matter - look at these cool cookies my mom made!

They are soft, chewy chocolate blossoms with peppermint hershey kisses on top. It's the perfect amount of peppermint and they're totally delish. I'm not too sure if she semi-made up this recipe or if she found it somewhere, but either way it's a definite keeper. And aren't they pretty?

Ryan and I made chocolate chip cookies the other night, but with swirled red and green chips instead of plain ol' brown. They were pretty flat when they baked (don't know why - there were four eggs), but definitely tasty. They were those soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies, which are second best next to the soft, non-flat variety, in my opinion.

Next on the cookie agenda are peanut butter blossoms for Ry and I. I'm sure we'll be baking a lot of others. I am going to be baking with my mom, too.

Next Thursday Ryan and I are hosting a Holiday Cookie Swap at our place - I'm super, super excited. I know we have at least five people coming for sure, so that's at least seven types of cookies! (Even though Ryan and I agreed we'll both make two types, being the hosts and all.) I'll certainly post about this after the fiesta next week, with lots and lots of photos.

Mmm... I love cookies. And Christmas. And Christmas cookies!

I won a raffle!

2008-12-08T15:19:00.000-05:00

My local Starbucks held a raffle for a basket filled with relaxation goodies (tea, soaps, lotions, etc.) on Black Friday. To enter, you had to bring in a receipt from a purchase you made during the day. The whole idea was after spending a day shopping for everyone else, you could win something to pamper yourself.

And look!

I won.

As you can see, it's full of really great stuff. I haven't broken into yet - really, it's been too busy - but I'm going to scrub out the tub upstairs and take a nice bubble bath and such later this week. I think I could use the relaxation. I've been stressed to the breaking point over a lot of things lately.

I have this strategy with raffles - I always tweak my raffle ticket before I put it in with the others. I crumple up the corner or twist it a bit. When a hand goes in to pick the winner, this makes it stick out from the rest of the straight edges. And you know what?

I win raffles a lot.

Sometimes...

2008-12-07T02:51:00.004-05:00

...you wish it was your own secret.

(This and more at PostSecret.)

Happy Birthday, John!

2008-12-05T11:47:00.001-05:00

Monday was John's 29th birthday, and we celebrated a couple of times, once with friends and the other with family.

Saturday night Chris made reservations for all of us at Coyote Crossing, a great little Mexican restaurant in Conshohocken, Pa. The food was great - the company was better. And I think John had a great time, with a candle in his chocolate mousse dessert and all.

Afterward we ended up at John's (and the guys') 10th high school reunion at a bar in his hometown. It was fun to meet some of John's old classmates and even better to see John and his friends having so much fun catching up. I was a bit out of the loop (naturally), but I talked for a while with Dibya's girlfriend, Joyce, who is also an out-of-towner. So - fun all around!

Monday, being John's actual birthday, we went out to eat at Filomena, an Italian restaurant in Berlin, with John's mom, sister and her boyfriend. It was a delicious dinner, but the best part was probably our waiter, Frankie, who was not just attentive but thoroughly entertaining to boot. He even played guitar when they sang John "Happy Birthday."

So, this is just a little recap of John's celebration for the big 2-9. I think he had a good time - I certainly did. Happy birthday, John!

I choose pie heaven.

2008-11-26T13:37:00.002-05:00

Two weeks ago I took a class on pie making at the Academy of Culinary Arts. My mom was supposed to go but couldn't because of a last minute meeting, so Ryan said she'd go with me. (This was more out of being nice than pure interest on her part.) It was a fun class, anyhow, and Ryan decided she was going to use her new knowledge to make the pies for her family's Thanksgiving dinner.

The pictures below are all of the pies made so far. The pecan and key lime were made by Ryan (yes - she made the pie dough from scratch!) and the pumpkin and chocolate pies were team efforts. The apple pie is mine, and I'm going to make my own pecan pies tonight. (I made a batch last night and fell asleep, so they burned up pretty well.)

Without further ado...

Pumpkin

Pecan

Apple

Chocolate

Key Lime

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving! And eat lots of pie.

Shiny, happy cookies.

2008-11-24T18:06:00.000-05:00

My latest culinary endeavor was buttery sugar cookies with a simple icing for The Maple Tree's holiday open house. I was excited to try blending the icings on the snowflakes, and the above light blue one came out best. Isn't that swirl in the center great? I drizzled icings together, too, like on the stars above. It was all neat effects, and the icing dried just as I hoped - hard, shiny and sweet.

Apparently people at the open house were asking what bakery they came from. And if I do say so myself, they tasted just as delicious as they looked... which was probably the best part.

November Charity: Community FoodBank

2008-11-23T23:41:00.000-05:00

I'm trying something new. Each month, I will highlight a charity (it could be local, national or worldwide) and feature it on my blog. I will be making a $25 donation to that charity. It doesn't seem like much, however that is part of the point of why I'm doing this - to show that every little bit helps. I'm also doing this because charities have been hard hit by the recent economic crisis, and I'm hoping by highlighting a charity a month it will spark others to donate, too - donate money, items, time - anything to help. Choose your favorite charity and help make a difference.

This month's charity is the Community FoodBank of New Jersey Southern Branch. The FoodBank is located in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, and supplies food (and some non-food) items to charities across three counties - Cape May, Atlantic and Cumberland. It also houses its own emergency food pantry. This non-profit is run almost entirely by volunteers, with just a few paid employees, and it relies on the kindness of the communities it supports to keep its shelves stocked.

Unfortunately, an influx of people in need (because of mass layoffs in the area) has been wiping out the FoodBank, and it has been hard to keep its own pantry stocked let alone give supplies to the hundreds of others it works with (these include food pantries, food kitchens, homeless shelters, etc.). Items that are especially needed include turkeys, protein of any type (canned beef stew, canned hams, tuna fish, etc.) and coats.

On Friday I dropped off two turkeys, eight packages of instant mashed potatoes, four cans of green beans, four cans of corn and three cans of gravy to the FoodBank. One of the turkeys I bought for $30. The other was free from Acme's Thanksgiving promotion (spend enough money, get a free turkey). The groceries I bought all on sale and that cost me $20. So for $50*, I supplied enough food for two modest holiday dinners for a family of six.

When I spoke to the FoodBank's director earlier this month, she said, "If everybody could donate, would donate, we'd be in much better shape." She said she understood times being tough - it was tough for her, too - but if she could pay her mortgage, put gas in her car and pay her bills, she could afford $5 or $1 or just one can of food a week to donate to a local food pantry.

That one can of food - to you, it may not seem like a big difference. But to that person it feeds for one meal, it's huge.

*I know I said I'd be donating $25 a month to the charity of choice, however if I am able to, I will certainly try to donate a little bit more than that.

Where's the snow?

2008-11-21T08:59:00.001-05:00

They've already started.

The snow predictions.

Every year, the meteorologists go snow-crazy, with a light dusting overnight here and snow showers through the afternoon there. And then...

Nothing.

This year is following suit nicely. This week we've already had a few snowy forecasts, and save for a handful of flurries yesterday, there hasn't been much white falling from the sky. It's okay - it's still early in this season. Sometimes I just wish the weather forecasts would ease up, though. It's disappointing, the promise of some snow and then the delivery of barely cloudy skies.

I'm still a kid at heart when it comes to snow, waking up in the morning and quietly peering outside, the disappointment all over my face when I'm not gazing out at a world of white. There's a prediction of light snow showers today, enough to cast a snowy blanket over the area for at least an hour or two.

Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Everything is okay.

2008-11-20T01:46:00.000-05:00

As I walked across the Starbucks parking lot this morning sipping my Peppermint Mocha Twist with the first flurries of the year floating to the ground, I knew everything was okay. It sounds trite, but in that simple little moment, I was reminded that I am happy and life is not perfect, but good.

I started to crash yesterday in early afternoon. My worries and stresses caught up with me, and I was suddenly feeling incredibly overwhelmed and anxious. Some rough things happened at work this week. We powered through and things pulled together just fine, however trying to remain calm, cool and collected through the whole ordeal ultimately took its toll. Yesterday was deadline day for one of our editions, and I continued to finish everything like I needed to, but my mind was whirring. I felt like I was in a fog. How were the next few weeks - the next few months - going to shape up?

I stayed almost an hour late at work trying to map out the next two weeks. I figured out what there was to cover for stories and how I could juggle my schedule to get to it all. I saw my free time - my crafting and baking and shopping time for the holidays - slowly slipping away. I realized one event I wanted to get into the paper was on John's birthday night, and it just simply wasn't going to get covered now. (Because I certainly wouldn't be skipping my boyfriend's birthday dinner.) That unnerved me, though. How many things would conflict? How much more would we miss?

When I got home, I tried to unwind, only to realize I had cupcakes to make for the high school's scholarship dinner Thursday night. Ryan was awesome, though - after making a great dinner, she stopped at the grocery store for me while she was running an errand and picked up a couple things I needed. I ended up making pale pink mini cupcakes with bright pink frosting (pictured above), since the theme of the dinner is "Pink Panther" because it is being held the same night as the school play's opener. The baking helped me relax (as usual) and I took Piper for a nice long walk. It was freezing, but the cold night air calmed me down, too.

Which brings us to this morning. I delivered my cupcakes, and they loved them. I went to cover a story but was told the wrong day, and that's how I ended up grabbing a quick Starbucks. With the Christmas music playing, the flurries falling, holiday decorations going up all around... it pulled the rest of the worry out of me.

Work will be okay. I won't really let it not be okay. And life is okay. I have bills, I don't much money, but I have a great family, a wonderful boyfriend, some close friends and my entertaining (albeit exhausting) dog. And I have a job - right now it's not exactly the best job, there are a lot of concerns, but I'm lucky to know I'll still have this job tomorrow and next week and next month.

It's all going to be okay.

Want a tree?

2008-11-18T16:55:00.000-05:00

The Atlantic County Women's Center is hosting its annual "Trees of Hope Festival" from now until Dec. 18. Visitors to Cornerstone Commerce Center (New Road in Linwood) can stop in the atrium, check out the trees, and participate in a silent auction by using the bid sheets posted near each tree. There are all types, too - a tree full of stuffed bears, a little retro silver tree, a white tree popping with vibrant balls and bangles.

All of the trees are donated by area businesses and organizations. My office sponsored a tree for the second year. I spearheaded the efforts again. Last year we had a silver and blue snowflake themed tree. This year it's a cream and cranberry seashell theme. The only thing I wish is that I had some larger shells on it, too. Otherwise, doesn't it look beautiful?

My mom helped my make the seashell ornaments - I glued, she glittered. Above are just a sampling. They sparkle when the lights are turned on. There are also cream and cranberry colored Christmas balls, cranberry beads, cranberry and cream ribbon and a glittery starfish topper.

You know you want to bring this gorgeous tree home for the holidays. Go bid. All proceeds benefit the women's center, which is a safe haven for women and children throughout Atlantic County. Find out more about ACWC.

First cookies of the season

2008-11-09T21:29:00.003-05:00

My mom and I started baking for our holiday gift giving today. You may be thinking, "Really? Today? On November 9th?" We're actually behind where we were last year. My mom started in October and I started the first week of November. If you bake the right types of cookies that have long freezer-times, you're safe to start baking early. And with as many cookie gifts as we give out and the thousand of cookies we end up pulling off, we simply have to start early.

Today we made four cookies - crackles, peppermint pinwheels, cappuccino cookies and coconut bars. It was a rather discouraging baking day. First, my mom's crackles didn't turn out, well, very crackle-y. They're pictured above. They tasted great, though, and still looked very pretty. After the dough cooled down she was able to make the whole crackle-effect better, or at least that's what she reported to me after I returned home.

Second, my peppermint pinwheels didn't turn out nearly as nice the photo in the cookbook. I'm really bummed, too, because this was a very long, involved recipe. I added crushed peppermint to the white swirls, and I shouldn't have done that because it melted and made the cookies all blotchy. I'll leave that out next time - or make sure I crush it extra fine. The white swirls also browned in the oven, and they weren't supposed to, but when I pulled the cookies out early they weren't finished baking yet. They do taste mighty yummy, though.

Here's a couple of the best cookies:

I haven't done the cappuccino cookies yet - I was so upset about the stupid pinwheels that I decided I'd hold off on that dough until tomorrow. (All I have left is to bake the dough - it's a slice and bake recipe.) The bar cookies my mom made earlier turned out really well, although I didn't taste them.

When we bake, the most important thing for my mom is that the cookies look pretty. The most important thing for me is that they taste good. And even though our cookies today didn't go as planned, they still meet both of our requirements. We're now about 25 dozen cookies closer to Christmas.

Rain, rain go away...

2008-11-08T16:49:00.000-05:00

It's been raining for forever. Or at least for four days, which is far from forever, I suppose... but you know how when it's damp and dreary and gray, it seeps into your psyche and you just forget what the sunshine is like? That's how I'm feeling right about now.

I have another headache and I am driving up to John's in a little while to spend the evening with him. We were going to go to Second Saturday in Collingswood, but walking around in the pouring rain on a chilly night isn't really my cup of tea - or John's. Instead we're just going to grab dinner and (I hope) rent a movie and stay in. Rainy nights are nice for snuggling and movie watching, no?

Oh, and I hope we can grab some hot chocolate at Starbucks.

So, I know I just blogged about Starbucks, but I forgot to talk about a couple of exciting things going on with the company. And just to get it out of the way - I do, I love love love Starbucks. (As though you couldn't tell.) They serve consistent, quality fare at all times, and what more can you ask for? It's nice to be able to rely on something, even if it's as simple as a cup o' coffee. I frequent the local, independent coffee place in my town, too, but it's actually pricier than Starbucks. Anyway...

Starbucks is starting a new philanthropic effort. (Starbucks) Red launches on Nov. 27, and when you buy certain (Starbucks) Red products, a portion of the proceeds is donated to the Global Fund, to help save lives in Africa. Read about it right here. It's mainly just a countdown, though - no hint at what (Starbucks) Red is really about.

It gets me to wondering - what will these products be? A special coffee blend or flavored beverage? Classy mugs or tumblers? Totally different items made specifically for the cause, like apparel or accessories? I'm definitely thinking the company will stick to what it does and what it does well, so its graphic design and idea teams must have been pretty busy as of late. I'm envisioning mugs and tumblers, yes, and probably journals and pens, too. Maybe a sampling of cards, a cool new Starbucks gift card design, and some special coffee blends. I can't see them bringing in new stuff that's been foreign to the store in the past.

Starbucks also just started its Starbucks Gold Card. As the website says, it's the card for "people who really love Starbucks." There's a $25 membership fee. The Starbucks Gold Card will afford you 10% discount on most purchases, a free drink in-store if that's where you purchase your membership, a free birthday beverage, discounts throughout the year, special offers and free WiFi access in-store for up to two hours every day.

Inarguably, this is a good deal for those who frequent Starbucks. I'm tempted to get it myself, however I recently promised myself I'd stop going to Starbucks so often - it's down to once or twice a week. It's a very expensive habit, and I don't have money to be squandering, even on something as quality and delicious as Peppermint Mocha Twists or Pumpkin Spice Lattes. So I don't know if I'm going to become a Gold Card member yet. But it's sure tempting.

That wraps up my nice little free advertising for Starbucks! I'm going to go get ready to leave for John's now and try to enjoy this lovely rainy weather.

Peppermint Mocha Twist

2008-11-06T16:06:00.001-05:00

John and I had our first Peppermint Mocha Twists of the holiday season today at Starbucks. I don't remember the Christmas drinks coming out this early last year. The store isn't decorated yet, though - that happens the day before Thanksgiving. Or the day after? Something like that.

I like the holiday cups. I think last year's might have been slightly cuter, but these are pretty neat, too. Nothing can be worse than those weird cone wreaths from a few years ago. I don't know what Starbucks was thinking.

Vote!

2008-11-04T07:24:00.000-05:00

Get out to the polls and vote today. You'll be making history.

Happy Haunting

2008-11-03T19:40:00.000-05:00

Ryan and I threw a lovely little post-Halloween bash Saturday night.

It was a small gathering, but of all quality people, so it made for a fun time. There were friends from across the board - John and his crew, a sprinkling of college folk and my coworker Eric. Plenty couldn't make it for various reasons (work-related, apartment moving-related, hung over from Phillies celebrating and/or Halloween night related). Nevertheless, I think everyone had a pretty good time.

We did, however, have a slew of leftover alcohol, most of which wasn't even tapped into. I guess another party is in order.

Thanks to Joe for the photos!

My little one turned two.

2008-10-31T00:42:00.000-04:00

My little one being Piper, of course, because I don't actually have any human littles ones yet. All the same, today was Piper's birthday! (Well, yesterday, really - Oct. 30.) She turned two, and I've been told over these past couple years that a dog is in "puppy" mode until they hit two, so I'm looking forward to waking up tomorrow with a very well mannered, friendly little pooch. Don't worry, though - I'm not holding my breath.

All the same, I don't know what I would do without the crazy canine. She causes me great headaches and sometimes drains me of all energy and patience, but I love her dearly. She's always thrilled to see me - even if I've just gone to take the trash out. She's super quirky and makes me laugh all the time. I love how Piper's tail wags in windmill mode when she's over-the-top excited. I also love how she starts to prance with her nose high in the air when she sniffs something passing by in the wind on one of our walks.

Piper's my first pet since living on my own, and I really wouldn't have it any other way. But hey, if she feels like calming down even just a tad bit tomorrow - say, not act like she's going to rip the mailman's throat out every time she sees him? I'll just consider that a little bonus.

World Champs 2008!

2008-10-29T23:18:00.000-04:00

I'm far from a Phillies aficionado, so I'm hoping to have a special guest blogger post a more comprehensive celebratory entry tomorrow. Let's hope he agrees to it.

It took five days to play this one game of baseball, and boy, what a game. Our Philadelphia Phillies have done us proud, bringing home their second World Series Championship in the franchise's 125-year history.

Fans poured out of bars, restaurants and homes in Philadelphia to flood the streets, and my parent's block at the Jersey shore was a cacophony of car horns, fireworks and banging pots and pans. After a 28-year wait (and a 25-year drought of no sports championships at all), the Phillies have broken the curse of William Penn.

And the wait was well worth it. Go Phillies!

Caffeine blitz

2008-10-27T02:35:00.001-04:00

Turns out, coffee really does do the trick when you're tired.*

I was dragging by the time I got to John's tonight to tool around in his awesome new car and watch the Phils game (10-2 victory!), so Mrs. Dowd was sweet enough to make me some coffee. I don't usually drink straight up coffee - it's normally some fancy latte or specially blended beverage from Starbucks and the like. I think straight up coffee, however, gives you more of a buzz. At least, that's my guess as to why I'm still wide awake at 2 a.m.

This was a great weekend, and not as speedy as last. Stef and I made out like bandits at the Holiday Faire/Rummage Sale at a nearby church Saturday morning. (This is the same church I baked cupcakes for.) I spent $10.75 for:
• One raffle ticket for a quilt (didn't win)
• One game of chance (won a bottle of grape juice - yes, weird, I know)
• Five colorful glass bottles from the '70s (Ryan later discovered these were a series of Seasons Greetings bottles put out by WheatonArts - formerly Wheaton Village - depicting images of the "12 Days of Christmas")
• Eight holiday tins
• A little plant (they have a plant room, with live plants and dried flowers)
• A Christmas ornament (that's where the 25 cents came in)
• Green material for a Christmas tree skirt
• A 6-foot-tall Martha Stewart brand Christmas tree

The tree was definitely my best bargain. And the price tag?

"$2.00 or best offer!"

No kidding, that's what it said. Best offer? Would someone have really argued paying two bucks for a near-$200 tree? True, it's used. I still need to get it out of the box to make sure all the pieces are in order. But, let's face it. This is Ocean City. People are wealthy here. Chances are this was just a tree someone tired of and donated to the church for the rummage sale. In other words, I doubt anything is wrong with it.

I'm going to use the tree for my office's donation to the Atlantic County Women's Center's Tree of Lights Festival. The trees are all donated by area groups and businesses and set up in the atrium of the Cornerstone Commerce Center in Linwood. Visitors can then bid on the trees for a few weeks leading up to the holidays, and winners get to bring the trees home. All proceeds benefit the ACWC, which advocates for women's welfare issues.

Last year we could only get a fairly small tree, although I think it looked very nice dressed up in the silver and blue theme I came up with. This year I'm so excited we'll have not only a big tree, but a high quality one at that! I'm already trying to think of a unique way to decorate it. I think a "Christmas at the Shore" theme would be nice, with homemade seashell ornaments. And then maybe with a silver and crimson color scheme. Oh - and a big starfish at the top, with ribbons cascading down the sides! I'm going to have to get rolling with this...

I also set up a few classes to teach at The Maple Tree over the next couple of months. They're all a couple hours on weekends (so it doesn't conflict with work) and for kids. There's gingerbread house decorating, no-bake holiday cookies, a class to make an apron and holiday ornaments... should be fun. I certainly could use the extra cash, too.

And although the tree was a major highlight, the best part of the weekend? Our Phillies are now 3-1 in the World Series against Tampa Bay. It's going to be our year.

*I can't take responsibility for the flow of this post - it's very late, and I'm on this caffeine buzz that's leaving my thoughts scattered. I hope it wasn't too terribly difficult to get through. :)

The great pumpkin (cupcakes)

2008-10-25T14:09:00.000-04:00

If you like to bake and you haven't had the pleasure of checking out "Hello, Cupcake!" by Alan Richardson and Karen Tack, I highly suggest you stop reading now and head straight to your local library or book store to procure a copy. Actually, why not check out what I was inspired to make first? Trust me - then you'll be even more motivated.

I made these pumpkin cupcakes for a bake sale at a nearby church. The cupcakes themselves were pumpkin cinnamon flavored - I used the recipe from "Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor." (That's another must-have if you bake cupcakes or cakes... Anne Byrn's books rock. Each recipe uses a boxed cake mix, but other fun ingredients to make it semi-homemade and simple.) I filled the liners so the cupcakes would dome nicely at the top, and then I made a homemade buttercream icing tinted orange for decorating. Each cupcake was covered in icing, rolled in orange decorating sugar, piped lines, and accented with Twizzlers rainbow (green) for the stem and Twizzlers pull-apart (sour apple) for the vines.

It was so easy. And that's the best part of "Hello, Cupcake!" - anyone can do the recipes. It may take a bit of patience and a lot of time for the more intricate designs, but they're not super difficult. And there are tons of tips in the book's introduction to explain the best methods to use, from icing the cupcake to piping designs.

They tasted as good as they looked, too. The pumpkin cinnamon cupcake was scrumptious, and of course you can never go wrong with homemade buttercream.

Plethora of polymer!

2008-10-24T23:53:00.001-04:00

I've been making tons of little polymer charms and such lately. I'm using sculpey, which as far as I've heard is not the best brand, but it is the cheapest so therefore I went with it. I found that if I use the translucent sculpey as a base glue before baking, and then glaze the whole thing afterward, it holds together perfectly and is quite durable.

Anyway, I made lots of little charms that I turned into earrings, and then a handful of little pumpkins to sit on my desk at work. These are the pumpkins:

And a few more shots of the earrings:

The little orange pumpkin earrings are my favorite.

I want to learn how to texture better with polymer. For instance, the dollop of whipped cream on the pumpkin pie could look much more realistic, as well as the pie filling itself. The little bats were a pain and I only made one set of them, but I think they turned out so well with the beads that I'm going to have to make more.

I think I'll start making some Thanksgiving and Christmas charms now.

Pumpkins, cider and hayrides...

2008-10-22T15:28:00.001-04:00

This weekend flew by! Friday night I stayed in, crafted, and seemingly got very little accomplished except for a heap of teeny pumpkin earrings. On Saturday I got my new driver's license (the DMV took a whole 5 minutes - I swear, it was amazingly fast) and had to work for part of the day covering some events. Saturday night I went up to John's and we had dinner with his friends.

And Sunday - Sunday was a fine fall day. Ryan, Felicia, and I met up with Stef and co. for a maize maze, pumpkin picking and hot apple cider. We went to Butterhof Farms, and it was a lot of fun, although a bit disappointing when it came to the pumpkin picking. It was more pumpkin picking-up, with already loose pumpkins. It's okay, though... still a good time.

Here's a shot of Sam running through the corn maze. We didn't make it through (it was a bit much for the little guys). Ryan found a maize maze that you go through with flashlights at night time - I'm psyched to try that.

Little Finn guarded the loot. He also tried to eat the pumpkins, but we quickly squashed (ha!) that plan.

The hayride was a bit silly, what with the fake turkeys and deer along the pathway. We enjoyed it, although perhaps not as much as Salem did.

My model

2008-10-17T14:28:00.000-04:00

John once again modeled in the bridal show my office hosts every fall and spring. I have to work the show (interview the vendors, take photos, etc.). This is a shot of John and I before he modeled his tuxedos. The other two he wore I wasn't a fan of, but I really love the linen tuxedos. Perfect for a beach wedding.

Isn't he handsome? Someone whistled at him when he was on stage, too. ;)

Two strange things.

2008-10-16T22:59:00.000-04:00

Two strange things happened in the same amount of days.

First, yesterday morning Piper and I found a slug in the kitchen. It was probably about three to four inches long, and a good nickel-sized thick in the middle. Surprisingly, Piper didn't try to eat it, and it was slugging around right by her water bowl. I think she encounters them enough outside for it to not be much of a novelty, though she was a bit whiney and distressed by it. She lost interest when I gave her breakfast.

Now, you may think, slug, big deal. But I don't kill bugs, even spiders which I really really hate. Okay, that's a little lie. I do kill mosquitos, but only when they're sucking my blood. The other day I even opened a window to shoo a mosquito outside.

Anyway, Piper and I found this slug and I didn't really have any idea how to get rid of it. Slugs are wet and slimy, and they suction to the ground, especially linoleum, as it turns out. First I grabbed a paper towel, but I quickly realized that wasn't a good plan, because the poor little guy was already a bit less slimy than usual. The paper towel kind of stuck to it and dried it out, and I couldn't pull it off the ground. I ended up surrounding the slug with saran wrap, waiting for it to crawl onto a piece, and then let it go in the bushes outside.

So, that was weird thing number one. I mean, how did a huge slug get into the kitchen? The doors are all sealed, the windows have screens... assuming it did get in through a door, it would have had to crawl all across the carpet to get to the kitchen. Shouldn't he have been all covered in lint and stuff? Strange.

Second, this morning I woke up and walked into the upstairs bathroom to hear this incessant buzzing... the sink and walls were even vibrating, and I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I turned the water on and off, checked the medicine cabinet, and walked into the hallway to hear the buzzing through the walls.

I walked back into the bedroom and told John about it, and he was pretty much still asleep, but still managed to ask me if it was a bug buzzing or an electric buzzing. I told him electric, and apparently this was the lesser of two evils, because he didn't respond.

I decided I couldn't do anything until I figured this out, because what if a pipe was going to burst in the wall or something? I went to move everything from around the sink, and when I moved the toothbrush holder I paused, and then pulled out Ryan's new, electric, vibrating toothbrush.

Which was left on. Who knew those things were so powerful?

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2008-10-15T09:44:00.000-04:00

I bought bananas last week and never got around to eating them, so what's one to do with rotting bananas? Well, make banana muffins, of course.

I have this recipe from a cookbook my Uncle Gordie got me when I was very young - it's a "Friends" cookbook (as in the television show) and it has random recipes that it attributes to the characters in the show... However, as far as I can tell, they're mostly not in any episode. Regardless, "Marcel's Banana Bread" is the best banana bread recipe I've ever come across. I nixed the nuts and added chocolate chips this time around.

And boy, are they delicious.

Celia and her cupcake

2008-10-14T17:06:00.000-04:00

Ryan gave me a beautiful print for my birthday from The Black Apple. This is the Celia Cupcake Print, and I adore it. How fitting, too, with the cupcake. I may have to invest in a cupcake headband for myself.

I love The Black Apple, and equally so Emily Martin's blog, Inside a Black Apple. It's totally worth an add to your blogroll.

And, while it's very much deserving of its very own post, in my opinion, I'm going to share the wonderous bag John gave me for my birthday right here. I don't know how many people would be entertained by a post based solely on me gushing about my new bag. Because I am truly, dearly in love with this bag to the point where I may have to cast John to the side and marry it. And how sad would that be for John, as well as ironic, seeing as he gave me the bag?

This, my friends, is the Lucky Brand Abbey Road Foldover Bag. (Abbey Road - can we say fate?) It is the most beautiful bag I have ever come to acquire in my short 25 years, but arguably one of the best I most likely will ever call my own.

My boyfriend is simply the best for giving it to me. And I will feel badly about the whole casting aside of John, but what did he expect? Maybe I'll give him something equally as amazing to remember me by. Like a WWE Championship Spinner Engraved Title Belt.

Happy birthday to me!

2008-10-10T12:53:00.001-04:00

I celebrated my big quarter century birthday on Oct. 6. Sunday night, I had my annual birthday dinner with the folks and my brothers. My mom made a delicious beef stew, which I don't think she's made since my grandmother passed away. Her parents used to make stew often in the winter, and my mom did a top notch job of duplicating it. For dessert, I had a birthday pumpkin bread/cake with lemon custard. Mmm.

My parents also so incredibly overdid the gift giving this year, although that's often the case with them during holidays. They gave me this amazing antique ivory table and four mismatched renovated chairs. My grandparents old oak table has served me well at my little house, however I can't say I'm too sorry to see them go and make room for the new set. The ivory was painted at some point (who would paint ivory? no idea) but I actually love how the cream paint is chipping a little to reveal the shiny black underneath. At some point I may need to rub it all off, if the chipping gets to be too much, but for now it looks great. The chairs are amazing, too.

This all came from The Maple Tree (link at right), my mom's friend's store, and the artisans she works with do fantastic work. Each chair is different, found in disrepair, fixed up and then painted and redone with unique fabric seats and matching little pillows. The designs are: blue with polka dots; pink with sunflowers; yellow with stripes; cream with flip flops. I can't decide if the flip flops or polka dots are my fav.

Isn't it all beautiful? And here's a kinda' bad shot of the legs, because I had to use my flash since it was evening and there wasn't enough natural light going on. But it will give you an idea with how awesome this table is.

The top is also embossed with this type of floral design... It's just so cool, I can't even explain it. So shabby chic. So great.

California... and other things.

2008-10-09T11:49:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've had time to post. After getting home from California, things have been insanely busy, mostly due to work. But, for a quick update, John and I had a fantastic time visiting Shannon and Tim, and the trip actually seemed longer to me than it was, which never ever happens so it was an especially relaxing break from work. My birthday was Oct. 6, and I had a great time celebrating with a few friends. I received some amazing gifts, but that's all going to have to be reserved for my next post. This one is for California.

The top picture is John and I on a beach near Shannon's college, University of California, Irvine. The beaches there are so much better than the beaches out here - there's beach and mountains right next to each other, and there are rocks and tide pools and so much more going on. I'd love to live on the west coast. I'm bored of things out here.

Here are a couple more shots at UCI:

We went to the Huntington Library and Gardens near Caltech, where Tim goes. I took tons of photos. Here are just a few of my favorites:

Huntington is broken up into more than a dozen areas devoted to different parts of the world. It's spread over 120 acres with more than 15,000 different species of plants. There were also a couple of turtles, but most of the turtles seemed to congregate at Caltech.

I love turtles, and the ponds at Caltech were chock full of them. I took tons of great pictures, but John and I agreed the Piper head cock this little turtle has going on was the best.

Shanon and Tim live in Long Beach, and nearby are these canals that you can walk along, putting you practically in people's backyards. It's funny, because most of these homes have incredibly large windows overlooking the canal, also giving passersby a clear view into the family room. It's a beautiful area, though, and John really liked it. Shanon and I walked there last year when I visited, too.

We kayaked along some different canals and in a bay. I saw a seal (!) surface for like a second. We then went to this little area where all these jellyfish live. They don't sting, so we were able to pick them up...

...and pretend to eat them. I really loved the kayaking and it made me want to get a membership back home to kayak whenever I want. John, however, said he'd rather be watching TV. It was too much work for him to have fun, but I think once he got to see some ducks it was a little more enjoyable. Shanon and Tim were speedsters on their kayak. It was a little sad how slow John and I were.

All in all, terrific trip. This is a semi lame post, because I'm apparently not in the best writing frame of mind right now. It's due time I get a post up, though. The only bad part was the long layover in Houston on the way, and the plane rides in general. I hate flying for so many reasons. Of course, when the reason is to visit good friends in a better part of the country, you learn to deal.

Oh, possibly the best part?

That's right. Jamba Juice. How jealous are you?

California here I come...

2008-09-24T14:25:00.000-04:00

John and I are off to California, and just in time, too, as far as I can tell. It's supposed to start raining overnight here and not end until through the weekend. Of course, L.A. always has beautiful weather, so excuse me if I gloat a little. ;)

No idea what our plans are for the weekend, but it doesn't really matter. I'm just excited to see Shanon and Tim, so whatever we do is fine by me. I won't be posting over the trip, but come Tuesday expect a nice picture-filled California trip post.

See you then.

Fall is here!

2008-09-22T22:42:00.002-04:00

The first day of autumn was a beautiful, cool day here in South Jersey, full of promise for a wonderful season. I wasn't able to do anything fall-ish today, but fall sugar cookies, pumpkin cookies and the like are in the works for the coming weeks. I'm still waiting for the leaves to change.

Happy fall!

New hair

2008-09-21T11:28:00.000-04:00

I got a new haircut! I've been doing the part-in-the-middle, straight hair thing since I was 14, so I decided it was time for a change. It didn't turn out exactly as I imagined, mainly because I don't have the type of hair that would work best with the cut I was thinking about, but I think it's alright. I should have taken a photo yesterday after I left the salon, because today it doesn't look as good. How is it that you can never blow dry your hair as good as your stylist, no matter how slow and meticulous you are?

Anyway, my webcam can't seem to get a very good image because my hair is so dark, but it's parted towards the side now, I have long choppy bangs that are brushed to the side, and there are some subtle layers. I also had it died a couple shades darker than normal.

The best part of this haircut is that I can't just tie it back in a pony tail as easily, because of the bangs and layers. That was an objective, because I want to start having my hair look a little nicer than tied back all the time. Plus, I think it makes me look a little more my age. (Which is 25 in two weeks and one day!)

Pandowdy, buckle, crisp and crumble...

2008-09-19T10:54:00.000-04:00

Mmm, New England desserts. They're full of berries and apples, peaches and plums, topped with streusel and oatmeal and homemade tea biscuits. There's plenty of maple flavoring, and a touch of molasses and generous dollops of creamy butter. And, of course, New England baking is full of silly words.

My mom and I took a "New England Baking" workshop at the Academy of Culinary Arts Wednesday evening. It was a delicious class packed full of tips and tidbits of the best from up north. We made many desserts: Apple Pandowdy, Peach and Plum Crisp, Indian Pudding, Very Cherry Berry Cobbler, Blueberry Buckle, Irish Tea Biscuits, Wet Streusel, Maple Pecan Scones... It certainly wasn't the best class to take on a diet, but I did a good job not gorging myself on all of the tempting treats.

The top photo is of the Very Cherry Berry Cobbler topped with Irish Tea Biscuits. I'm not a huge cranberry fan, but as you can imagine there are plenty of cranberries in New England baking. The cobbler was still delicious, though, and the biscuits were crisp, yet buttery and fluffy, too.

Below is the Peach and Plum Crisp, although we left out the plum. The difference between a cobbler and a crisp is that the cobbler has the thick, biscuit topping, and a crisp is topped with a crunchy coat, in this case butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, walnuts, lemon zest, cinnamon and nutmeg. I'm in love with peach desserts, so this was especially delicious for me.

Next is the Maple Pecan Scone, which, yes, is in the shape of a maple leaf! This is actually the only dessert I tasted at the class - I split one with my mom. It had a subtle, sweet maple taste and was so, so smooth and buttery. I loved it. I'll definitely be making these at some point.

I brought home most everything for John to taste test (and I did a bit of taste testing with him myself), and last night he tried the Apple Pandowdy, Indian Pudding, Peach Crisp and Very Cherry Berry Cobbler. We both vetoed the Indian Pudding, but I think if it was served with vanilla ice cream I'd sing a different tune. He liked the other three, but when I asked him to pick a favorite he deliberated and then decided on the Apple Pandowdy.

"Because it's named after me," he said. And from there on out it became the Apple Pan-Dowd, in tribute to John's last name.

A bit of down time...

2008-09-15T13:41:00.000-04:00

Not that there's ever actual down time at work, but I'm eating my lunch so I decided to take a teeny break.

I played with my Sculpey this weekend (pictures are forthcoming - I still need to glaze) and I'm so happy with how everything turned out, save for one or two items. I made mini pumpkin earrings, and they are too cute. Ever notice how if you make anything tiny, it's just cuter than normal? Like baby shoes - what's cuter than miniature high tops? Anyway. I also tried mini bats, which the charms by themselves I wasn't absolutely crazy over, but I love how I put them together with beads for earrings. I did mini pine trees (for Christmas), little Rudolphs (not thrilled with these) and - also too cute - little slices of pumpkin pie with dollops of whipped cream. Those are for earrings, too, and I think I'll make charms for necklaces to go with. Mmm... I love pumpkin pie.

I made some pumpkin pins and sets of mini pumpkins, which I think I'll bring to sit on my desk. I love how everything looks without glaze, so I think I'll shine up about half of the pieces, and leave the others natural.

If I have time, I'm going to do some more tonight. I think I want to try some other mini desserts (all the posts on Craftster with little pies, doughnuts, cookies, cupcakes, etc. are so sweet) and some more pumpkins, of course. I think some candy corn earrings could be very cute, too... We'll have to try that out.

Some of my Halloween decorations are MIA. My parents are nice enough to let me keep (lots of) my stuff packed away at their house, since my space is limited, but now we're missing a box. Plenty of time to find it, but I'm thinking about what's missing and I'm very sad - my witch lantern is a favorite, as well as my gourd jack-o-lantern.

Speaking of jack-o-lanterns, I had my glass fusion class yesterday and we made jack-o-lantern platters. The instructor took them all to fire up in her kiln, and we'll have them back in a week. I'll take a picture of the final product. Unfortunately, I was in a depressed kind of funk all weekend and therefore forgot to take pictures at the class. I'm going to try more glass fusion, though, so I'll remember to take pictures when I do.

And the sadness? It's lifting. I'm still a little down today - I can't even figure out why - but I can feel myself getting better. Oh, and I had a Pumpkin Spice Latte today, so no doubt that perked me up. Aside from feeling down, it was a very nice, relaxing, craft-filled weekend.

Hole in one... sorta.

2008-09-13T15:46:00.001-04:00

Today was the humane society's golf tournament. As I previously posted, I was in charge of the boards for Putting for Paws, where kids got a chance to take a swing for a $1 and win prizes. I made the boards out of that poster board/foam board stuff, paint and wooden sticks on the back to prop them up with. I didn't factor in the wind, so I had to prop the boards against the little flags on the putting green. That was the only disappointment. Otherwise, I'm very happy with how they came out.

Here's an action shot:

And this one was modeled after Chipper:

I don't know how much they made off of it. By the time I left we only had $10 - no one really brought their kids for the putting. I mean, how do you play golf and have little kids with you, anyway? It was still fun to do, though.

Tonight's agenda? Sculpey pumpkins and Obama T-shirts.

Clip clopping away

2008-09-10T13:22:00.000-04:00

The Budweiser Clydesdales clip clopped their way through Somers Point earlier this week. They were beautiful, however they would have been more majestic if they were running through a snowy field pulling a sled like in all those commercials.

Putting for Paws... for kids!

2008-09-09T23:49:00.006-04:00

So, this Saturday is the Humane Society's Golf Tournament. (Seriously - that's what it's called. It used to be Mulligans for Mutts, which is too cute, isn't it? But apparently the Board of Directors didn't think it was "appropriate.") Um, anyway, I am in charge of designing the boards for Putting for Paws, where little kids get to take a shot for a $1 and win prizes if they can get their golf ball through a hole.

Now, it's not that I don't want to make the boards. I do. I just have so many craft projects in the works that it's hard to stay focused! But I promised myself this week that no other crafting will be done until I finish the boards. Aside from cutting the holes out, one is completely painted, a second is 75% finished, and the third is not yet started. So... I should be able to finish tomorrow, Thursday at the latest. I think they're very cute so far. I'll post pictures after Saturday - I want to take them "in action" at the putting.

What's that? You're dying to know what craft projects are in the works? Alright, then. I'll tell you.

I'm itching to make some charms and pins out of my Sculpey (after all my crafty research). There are all these ideas spinning through my head for teeny clay pumpkins. I got some advice from Kim today on how to make earring charms. I think I'm going to make some owls, leaves and other autumn inspired things, too. I still need to buy glaze for the charms... I'm going to have to research that next. Unless someone has a suggestion?

Another project I want to get to are election T-shirts I'm making. The front will say: Barack the vote. And the back: Vote Obama Biden. I'm making one for me, Ryan and Felicia. Any other takers? John agreed to wear one, but his is going to say "Do you smell what Barack is cookin'?" on the front. (He likes wrestling, didn't you know?)

I need to paint some more styrofoam pumpkins, seeing as I have 10 left. I dropped off my first sets at Rosie's store (The Maple Tree) ) but I don't know if any sold yet. That's okay, though. I have plenty of friends I can give them to otherwise.

Now, since I've spent the last couple hours painting dogs and cats onto boards, I should probably get some actual work done for my job. You know, so I can make some money. Although, I saw a post on Craftster today from a girl who has been crafting into the wee hours of the morning because she's unemployed and has nothing better to do. And that got me to thinking... maybe I should become unemployed and craft all day. But then I figured I won't be able to buy much in the way of supplies if I'm not making any money.

So nix that idea. Time to do work.

Be thankful.

2008-09-08T22:51:00.000-04:00

Today I interviewed:

• A man who is alive because he received an organ transplant five years ago. Until his new lung, he was living on oxygen for four years, 24 hours a day. When he was being wheeled into the operating room the first time, the transplant was canceled because the organ was damaged. He waited a year and a half more before he got a second phone call that there was a lung waiting for him. It came from a 19-year-old girl who died in a car crash.

• A 23-year-old woman who is in her second week of a five-week treatment of radiation. She found the mass in her chest in February. She was diagnosed with cancer in March. She finished her chemotherapy in July. After her radiation, she'll find out if she's cancer-free.

• A mother who lost her 25-year-old son in an accident one year ago. She and her family decided to donate his organs. His kidneys saved the lives of a 2-year-old and 12-year-old. His heart went to a 30-year-old. His liver went to a 51-year-old. Just this week the liver recipient's wife wrote a letter thanking this mother for choosing to donate her son's organs. It gave her husband another chance at life.

Be thankful. Be thankful for every day, every moment and every breath.

Chipper's photo shoot

2008-09-07T23:45:00.006-04:00

I had a little photo shoot with Chipper this afternoon. Turns out he's not a very cooperative subject. I did get a few cute shots, though. It was so beautiful outside today... really hinting at the coming season. I can't wait for the leaves to change. I kept meaning to take shots in John's neighborhood last year (he has the MOST gorgeous trees around there - vibrant, unreal shades of reds and oranges and yellows) but of course I never got around to it. This year is a must.

So, here are a few more Chipper shots. Isn't he cute?

I need to practice my in-motion photography. I thought I had my shutter speed set right, but I must have had to adjust something. Most of them were a bit blurry.

I'll leave you with a thoughtful Chipper. I think he was debating whether to continue eating the big branch, to pick his ball back up or to keep running around the back yard like a maniac. He opted for the branch.

Hurricane Hanna

2008-09-06T22:58:00.000-04:00

...was such a disappointment.

Don't get me wrong - I didn't want anything too major. But, after all this hype and preparation, a little bit of flooding or a brief power outage would have been nice. I hate when the weather forecasters predict this huge major catastrophe, and it's but a blip on the radar. We had a bunch of rain and some wind, and that was it.

And I live on an island. It wouldn't have taken much.

Well, as can be assumed, I guess, Ryan, Felicia, Piper and I were stuck in the house all day. I fielded frequent calls from my mom (which were much less frantic than last night) and assured her we'd head right over if the city suggested an evacuation. We watched a lot of television (way, way too much). I finished "What Was Lost" by Catherine O'Flynn (excellent!), read a bit more of Harry Potter, worked on some dream catchers and did a puzzle (yes... the entire thing). I realized late tonight I should have been working on the boards I have to paint for next week's Humane Society fundraiser, but I sort of forgot about that. I'll work on them tomorrow.

I wanted to work on some sculpey pins, but after much research I figured I need to use translucent liquid sculpey for bonding the clay. I had made pins last year and had some trouble with some of them, as far as antlers falling off of reindeer and snowmen losing their carrot noses. I, of course, couldn't go by any TLS today so I had to save the sculpey for another time. Shame.

Trick or Treat!

2008-09-04T23:38:00.001-04:00

A local shop is interested in selling my "boo" pumpkins, so I made a few sets tonight to bring over. I decided to do a solo design on a larger pumpkin, too, and this is what I came up with:

I'm so, so happy with it. It's pretty much what I envisioned in my head, but usually those things don't ever quite come out to expectation. I was going to have a little ghost in the mix, but I was afraid it would come out too blobby as a silhouette. I have one more large pumpkin, and I might do another one of these with different costumes, or a creepy silhouette of a haunted house and decrepit fence. We'll see.

Here are a couple details, so you can get the full effect:

All I have left to do is paint lettering onto one set of "boo" pumpkins and then spray all of them to seal in the paint. I have three more sets I can do this weekend, along with that other large pumpkin.

I'm also making and canning pickles and salsas with my mom this weekend. We're a bit behind with our Christmas gift canning. But if we do this, and then some apple and pumpkin products in a month or so, we should be in good shape. I'm generally behind in Christmas stuff right now, though. I finished half of Stef and Bill's gift, part of one of Ryan's, and part of one of Felicia's. I'm set to make one of John's next week.

Otherwise... yeah. I have a lot of crafting to do!

Happy Birthday, Eric!

2008-09-04T15:16:00.000-04:00

Eric's birthday was last Sunday, and I brought a cake in for him on Tuesday. He specially requested the symbol (from the cover his book which comes out widely in November - awesome, right?). It was vanilla cake with buttercream frosting.

The hardest part, aside from getting the symbol circular enough, was blending the yellow and orange icings so there was that gradient in the middle. I think it turned out really well, though. And Eric liked it, which is pretty much all that matters when it comes to birthday cakes.

It's baaaack!

2008-09-03T22:47:00.000-04:00

Pumkpin Spice Latte is back at Starbucks. Enough said.

Pumpkins that go boo in the night...

2008-08-31T19:03:00.003-04:00

Cute, right?

Last year I saw a set of cream painted pumpkins downtown (I think they said "Halloween" or something) and I was so sad to see they were more than $60. (I love the downtown, but some stuff is so overpriced.) I decided to make my own, but didn't get around to it until this year.

This was the before:

They were pretty ugly, but dirt cheap and that was my only requirement. I love love love how they turned out. And the best part? It cost me less than $8 total.

I love being crafty. :)

Here's a riddle.

2008-08-29T22:31:00.000-04:00

Q) When is the worst time for medical waste to wash up on the shore of a resort town?

A) Well, maybe Memorial Day weekend. But second would be Labor Day weekend. Which is what happened.

Isn't that disgusting, dangerous and disappointing all rolled into one? Who would dump syringes, dirty latex, etc. into the ocean? People really suck sometimes. Luckily, no one was injured by any of this nonsense. Or, I suppose I should say directly injured by stepping on said medical waste.

But, really, the effects will be far reaching.

Already, beaches have been closed. Reopened (half of them) late today, however who knows what kind of damage that did to the economy. Half of the beaches remain closed through at least tomorrow. How many people ditched weekend plans here because of the medical waste situation plastered all over the news? I certainly wouldn't want to bring my kids here and let them go into the ocean.

The businesses in this town rely on a successful summer season to profit enough to get them through the rest of the year. Holiday weekends - especially Labor Day, the last big hurrah of summer - are especially important. It's enough of an issue having to gamble on the weather, let alone needing to worry about something like the careless, selfish nature of someone who would dump medical waste into the ocean.

Then, there's the ocean itself. Doesn't it see enough pollutants, trash and the like? The animals and plant life have enough to battle with boaters and fishermen. Dumping something as disgusting as medical waste into the water is so beyond disrespectful to the environment.

It's also completely unbelievable. Maybe I have too much faith in people, but something that could have easily seriously harmed countless people shouldn't be happening here. Am I overreacting to this? Maybe. Are there much, much bigger problems? Sure there are.

But there will always be bigger problems. And, really, you have to care even about the smaller ones. There are tons of consequences, no matter how trivial it may seem.

Cake Tutorial

2008-08-26T17:08:00.013-04:00

Well, no one asked for it, but here it goes anyway. A tutorial to Ryan and Felicia's (slightly inappropriate) anniversary cake. It was time consuming, and the fondant was a bit tricky, but overall it's not a very complicated cake. Anyone can do it!

1. Make your cakes. I had to bake mine in metal bowls, but it would probably fare better if you made them in actual cake pans shaped accordingly. I just used a box cake of chocolate fudge. As you can see, the one cake broke, but after icing it held together fine.

While the cakes were baking, I made my fondant by using this recipe here. I can't explain the process any better, and I referenced this throughout. I didn't use the same powdered sugar she recommends (I used Domino) and I went for the corn starch method over the Crisco. It worked really well, but don't be afraid to add a bit of water if needed when you're ready to apply the fondant to your cake. I had to, and it didn't mess anything up.

2. Ice your cakes. This helped the fondant stick and made everything tastier. On the fondant site, it says to use buttercream. Because of a lack of time, I used canned chocolate fudge icing, which worked great. I put a generous layer all over both cakes.

3. Add the accent, if you want to. I used peanut M&Ms, which worked nicely. The one sunk into the cake a little bit, or maybe it turned, I don't know. (Sorry, no picture here.)

4. Roll out your fondant. You'll have to knead it again (since it was in the fridge) and may need to add a bit of water (see above). I literally wet my fingertips and worked water in this way - it was a very miniscule amount. If you want to add color, do it here. I made half pink and half peach. I'd recommend using plastic gloves, because my hands are still a little red as I type this a day later. Reference the fondant recipe instructions above on how to roll out your fondant. Use corn starch or Crisco. I'd also roll it pretty thin - I think mine ended up being too thick. (No picture here, either.)

5. Apply the "skin" first. I rolled it out to the approximate size and laid the peach fondant over the cakes. I then smoothed everything down, but didn't push too hard. If anything looks crackly, wet your finger tip with water and try to smooth it out. Trim the excess fondant.

6. Now it's time for the bra. I wanted mine red and was going to pipe on lace, but again because of the lack of time I opted to just go with pink. (It's hard to work in the color.) I trimmed my fondant and rolled the edge under that was going to be diagonally across each cake. I then cut little strips for the bra straps and just laid them on the cake board. As before, tuck, trim and smooth.

7. Now, you're done! I piped on a message with my leftover chocolate icing. You could add detail to the bra, add a tattoo - go crazy. :)

Here's the happy couple with their gift.

And after it was cut into.

And poor little Piper. I think she thought the cake might have just randomly rolled off the table or something.

Final critique? It was tasty. The fondant is better than other types I've tried, although I have to say I'm still not crazy about it. I think if I rolled it thinner it would have gone over better. It tastes pretty much like condensed sugar. I really liked working with the fondant and I'm excited to try some other cakes.

This opens up a whole new cake-world for me. Stay tuned!

A whole lotta' awesome

2008-08-25T22:26:00.001-04:00

For Ryan and Felicia, on their first anniversary.

Happy anniversary, you two.

(More detailed cake post later, promise!)

Hoot!

2008-08-24T19:53:00.000-04:00

A friend was holding the fall open house at her store this weekend, and I made some sugar cookies for her. I didn't know how I was going to decorate the owls, but I was actually very pleased with how they came out. The pumpkins were super cute, too. The rest of the cookies (cats, brooms and bats) were okay, but I could have done a better job. I just didn't have a ton of time to ice them.

After decorating these cookies and seeing all the fun Halloween items at the store, I really can't wait for fall to get here. It's by far my favorite season. I'm simply obsessed with pumpkins (I don't try to hide it!), there are tons of fall festivals and, of course, it's my birthday!

Only 29 days to go (officially), but I always feel September brings fall with it in the beginning.

So close, yet so far.

2008-08-20T16:22:00.000-04:00

I'm on my own this week at work. Well, I suppose that's a bit of an exaggeration. There are plenty of people in the office to help with the writing and proofing and such, but I'm on my own in the realm of layout. My boss took the week off, and since he and I cover layout on our own, that leaves just little ol' me.

Yesterday was a breeze. I finished the paper around, say, 3 p.m. or so and got a good bit of today's issue finished before leaving at 5 p.m. I came back at 8 p.m. and worked for three hours. That left considerably less to do today, and for once my overtime paid off because I actually finished the paper early! At 3:40 p.m. Way ahead of schedule.

Or so I thought.

Why, you may ask, am I still sitting in my office at 4:20 p.m. writing a blog post? Why am I not, for instance, at home, eating chocolate, playing with Piper and reading Harry Potter?

See, there's this full page ad to go in B section. It's coming directly from a client, camera-ready. Problem is, it's not here yet. Theoretically, it should have been here this morning, since that's when B finishes up. The guy needed till 4 p.m. - no big, we just let the printer know that this morning. At 3:50 p.m., our ad rep called and he said it wasn't finished, but certainly he'd have it by 5 p.m.

Sure. We'll just see about that.

Now, you might be asking why I'm not doing work in preparation for the paper that deadlines on Friday. I should be, I know. However, when I've already worked about five extra hours this week - and it's only Wednesday - my brain needs a little break. So here I am, waiting. Of course, this brain break would be a lot nicer with chocolate. And Harry Potter.

Cookie duo

2008-08-18T09:56:00.000-04:00

I needed to send a gift to Amy, and what's a package without some cookies, really? So last night I set out to bake a couple of different types to ship off to North Carolina.

My mom called mid-baking to let me know a friend is hosting a barbecue get-together at a local park on Sunday in memory of her son who passed away last year, and we're on dessert duty. The extra cookies were packaged up and stuck into the fridge for next week - pretty perfect timing, if I do say so myself.

First, I started with a basic chocolate chip cookie dough recipe, slightly adjusted, and used white chips instead of semi-sweet. After the cookies were half baked, I topped each with a sliver of caramel and sprinkle of coconut (which toasted nicely for the remaining 7 minutes of baking). I'm not actually a huge white chocolate or caramel fan myself, but these cookies were scrumptious and pretty to boot.

Second, I made a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. The recipe was just on the back of the chocolate chip bag, and I had to adjust it because I ran out of some ingredients. (A little less brown sugar, a little more granulated sugar, extra flour and extra milk.) These were delicious and didn't even totally flatten out, which seems to be my usual luck with oatmeal cookies, for some reason.

I'm trying to figure out what else to bake this week in preparation for Sunday. I have a lot of chocolate chips left over, so maybe some type of chocolate chip bar is in order. On Saturday I'm going to bake mini cupcakes - they take a while, but I think they'd be perfect for a huge barbecue.

Hilarious!

2008-08-17T12:32:00.000-04:00

Okay, so Ryan introduced me to this website that Idroma showed her the other day. Cake Wrecks is probably one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. It's pictures (and wonderful commentary) on cakes that are, well, wrecks. Whether it's the spelling, grammar, decor - oh, you just have to go look for yourself. It's worth your time.

Now, I came across a link on Cake Wrecks for The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks and I was sitting here on the couch, minding my own business, and pretty much dissolving in laughter.

When I showed Ryan the site, she said, "And that's your inner editor coming out."

Whatever. It's still funny.

Oy, my head...

2008-08-16T11:09:00.000-04:00

I woke up with this throbbing headache around 8 a.m. I took Piper outside, popped a few Tylenol, and (since I don't have to work today!) went back to bed for a couple more hours.

I woke up at 10:15 a.m. with that same headache. And now it's been almost an hour and it hasn't subsided. Maybe a migraine? I'm not sure.

But I was planning on a nice day of working on some artwork, crafting and coffee. Now I think I may just take Piper for her walk and lay down in the dark with something cool on my head.

This is really killing me. I'm re-reading the Harry Potter series, and I can't even keep on with book two right now. It makes my head feel like it's going to explode. Speaking of which, typing on the computer isn't all that much better.

So off I go.

...just about as happy as can be.

2008-08-10T23:59:00.000-04:00

Counting Crows, Maroon 5 and Sara Bareilles put on such a phenomenal show Friday night in Atlantic City, I honestly couldn't see how they would be able to top it Saturday night in Camden. And while they didn't necessary top it the next night, the show was just as amazing and high energy.

I took the photo above of Adam Duritz Friday night, and let me tell you having photo clearance at the concert of one of your favorite bands is just about as cool as it can get. I was literally standing a mere foot away from Duritz while he rocked out "Mr. Jones." It was hard to concentrate on taking the photos - I wanted to just stand and stare and sing. However, since I was the most inexperienced one at the show, I kept clicking away and ended up taking over 700 shots. I think this one is my favorite and really captures the intensity of the Counting Crows performance.

I'm not a huge Maroon 5 fan, mostly because I'm not all that familiar with their music aside from singles. But even if you're like me and aren't total Maroon 5 diehards, you have to see the band in concert if you like their radio hits. Adam Levine and crew are absolutely awesome. The A.C. show was marred by some technical problems and - more importantly - the band leaving the stage because of their disgust over fighting fans, but they still pulled off a great set. Saturday night Levine was totally more in tune with the crowd and had us all on our feet for well over an hour.

And Sara. She played the exact same set both nights, which I thought was kinda' odd, especially considering how close the shows were. Regardless, I loved it both times. She is definitely one of my favorite artists at this point (I listen to her CD constantly - all thanks to the wonderful boyfriend who got it for me!) and I wish she played more than a half an hour. She's also beautiful and charming and I really hope she makes it in the music business. You could tell Duritz thought the world of her, too.

This was such a great weekend. Not only did I get to see two out-of-this-world concerts with some of my favorite people (John, Ryan, Felicia and my little bro) and get the chance to take photos of these wonderful musicians, but it was also my brother's birthday (Happy birthday, Johnny!) and I got to see one of my other favorite people today, Miss Amy B., and meet her terrific dog, Djudju, albeit for a very brief amount of time.

Ah, happiness. Let's hope this lasts deep into the coming week.

Farmers Market

2008-08-06T14:07:00.008-04:00

Every Wednesday, I go to the Farmers Market with Stef and her little guys. Afterwards, we usually indulge in a scone and coffee at Fourth Street Cafe on First Street. (You'd understand if you lived here.) Here are just a few of the gorgeous fruits and vegetables available this week. It's such a great way to start a stressful deadline day.

Mmm... 104 mini cupcakes!

2008-08-06T10:15:00.000-04:00

So, I bought these super cute mini cupcake wrappers at the craft store and I discovered Ryan had purchased adorable mini muffin tins last spring. What's a girl to do? Make mini cupcakes, of course!

I promised Sean some birthday cupcakes (no, it's not his bday - it's a recipe from the Cupcake Doctor cookbook) because I needed to use my leftover icing from Sunday. Well, several hours after I began this process, I had 104 mini cupcakes in too cute wrappers sprinkled with blue, purple and pink.

They are delicious, however it turns out mini cupcakes are not a mini workload.

Happy Baptism, Finn!

2008-08-04T16:42:00.005-04:00

I made Stef and Bill's gorgeous little one's baptism cake over the weekend. He was baptized at the beach and there was a festive party afterward. Finn opted to spend the majority of the party sleeping, but who could blame him? He had a very busy morning, getting splashed with ocean water and all. :)

Here is the cake:

And a few details:

Everyone seemed to love it and it tasted pretty much as good as it looked! It was vanilla cake with a buttercream frosting and, of course, some cake glitter and sprinkles. I'm going to make some cupcakes tonight to go with my leftover frosting. I felt too bad throwing it all away!

Cupcake Pops!

2008-07-25T16:38:00.007-04:00

I made cupcake pops!

I was inspired by Jiv5932's post on craftster and, in extension, her inspiration at Bakerella.blogspot.com. It was a very long process, but I'm pretty happy with the results. And all I've gotten are rave reviews, which must be a good thing, right? I'm still torn on whether or not all of the time and effort is really worth it for thirty-some pops, but in any case it was a lot of fun and they turned out nearly as expected!

Here are a few more pictures. I'm not going to copy down the directions, as to not copy from Bakerella, but you should really check out her site whether you want to make cupcake pops or not. She makes awesome and tasty-looking things.

*Special thanks to my boss, Dave, for taking these cool pictures!

Amish Friendship Bread

2008-07-22T17:24:00.001-04:00

My good friend and college roomie, Jess, passed on some Amish Friendship Bread to me last week. The bread - which can only be started by the Amish - is passed on in small bags of the dough. You have the dough for 10 days, doing something to the bag each day before dividing it into five. You use one batch to bake your bread, and the rest are then passed on to other friends.

It was fun, and I was interested to see that my bread turned out very differently then Jess' had. I guess it all depends on what you add and the accuracy of measuring. It was pretty tasty - I made mine chocolate - and now Ryan, Joan, Mrs. Lovett and my mom will have their turn to spread the Amish bread love.

Piperoni

2008-07-21T15:54:00.000-04:00

Isn't she cute?

Weighing in...

2008-07-20T23:56:00.002-04:00

I've lost about 22 pounds since January.

The past few weeks have been hard to keep on track with things... I don't know why, exactly, because every time I eat poorly I end up feeling just as bad as what I ate. Like right now, for instance, dinner was delicious, but greasy and fatty, and I'm laying in bed with an upset - and very overly full - stomach.

Was it worth it? No, not really. Not at all.

So, back to the healthy choices tomorrow. It tastes better and I feel better and, really, how can I go wrong with that?

Cruisin'

2008-06-15T01:06:00.012-04:00

And finally, a post on my vacation.

John pestered me a bit to post while we were actually out at sea, but I didn't really want to take time out to blog. Plus, what would a vacation post be without the photos? Seriously, I couldn't have described the Aztec dog enough to do it justice. You have to see for yourself.

Anyway, the cruise was wonderful. Carnival is fantastic and I don't think we'll ever try a different cruise line. We had very little rain (a few passing showers), mostly calm seas (one rocky night) and no sunburn! (Okay... John had just a bit on his face for a day or two, but who's counting?) We visited Cozumel in Mexico, Grand Cayman of the Cayman Islands, and Jamaica. I enjoyed each port, but Jamaica was probably my favorite followed closely by Mexico and Grand Cayman.

The main reason I loved Jamaica was the waterfall. We climbed Dunne's River Falls and it was totally awesome. Fortunately, we didn't break our necks in the process. Due to all of the rushing water, we don't have any photos of this part. Here's us just afterward:

In the Cayman Islands we went to a turtle farm, which was half cool and half sad. I couldn't quite understand why they had so many turtles that were crammed into little pools and not released into the wild. Grand Cayman was beautiful and John was into the history of it all. We did a Mayan ruins tour of Tulum in Mexico. We took a ferry from Cozumel to the mainland. It was pretty interesting. Oh, and also interesting? A Spanish tourist went to jail last year when he decided to take a stone from one of the temple walls and in turn collapsed the whole thing. Can you imagine?

We cruised on the Carnival Triumph this trip. It was a beautiful ship and, although smaller than the Valor, we didn't really notice. Carnival also sets up all their ships pretty much the same, so it was cool how quickly we became familiar with the layout.

There were two formal nights. On night one, we matched. On the second, we were a little edgier. :)

It's hard to really blog about an entire week of great stuff. So that combined with the fact that this post is way, way (way) overdue, I'm just going to go ahead and post it as is. If blogger decides to stop being stupid and let me upload some more pictures, you can check those out later.

Happy Memorial Day

2008-05-26T21:10:00.000-04:00

There are a lot of things I don't enjoy covering for work, among them council meetings, the Halloween parade and the events of certain unnamed organizations. Today, though, I didn't mind covering events at all. Sure, there was a part of me that wished I could have a break. (I worked Saturday and Sunday, too.) But while I don't consider myself intensely patriotic and would quickly change the radio if "God Bless the USA" came on the air, covering ceremonies on holidays like Memorial Day is a truly enjoyable, satisfying experience.

First thing this morning I went to a brief, yet poignant, beach patrol ceremony. The lifeguards line the beach, the chief talks and the mayor, rowed out to sea by two members of the patrol, tosses a wreath into the waves. The ceremony has been going on for over a century, and this year there was a break from the norm when most of the talking was done be a returning beach patrol member who just finished three tours (and four years) serving in Iraq. It's a simple, brief event that I've covered for the past three years now.

Over the bridge, I shot a parade and attended a ceremony at the Veterans memorial. Personally, I feel this city outdoes all others when it comes to honoring the military and veterans. The organizations over there are incredibly active and the passion and love is so evident at every event. The parade was huge and took the time to honor each group of veterans from wars and conflicts. The cheering was constant, but when the Iraq and Afghanistan vets marched by the applause and cheering rose a few octaves. It's interesting, because you know everyone lining that street does not agree with our President. You know they don't all support the current war. But there was no question that they all support our troops.

I don't think I'll be a writer forever, and I know there will come a time when I'm no longer running around covering events on holidays. But I'm going to always make it a point to attend these types of events on Memorial Day. I'll always take the time to pause and remember. Our soldiers gave their lives fighting for us, and there is no way to ever even begin to repay that sacrifice. The least I can do is think of them, thank them and continue to live my life. They died so I could.