collections | cheese

For today's collections photo, I thought it would be interesting to reveal the current contents of our cheese drawer. (It's kind of like peeking in someone's medicine cabinet, right? Actually, I've never looked in anyone's medicine cabinet. Also, I find cheese way more interesting than dusty pills and toothpaste!)

Hello, cheese:

Needless to say, cheese is a staple in our diet. We typically have a mix of common grocery store cheeses such as cheddar/monterey jack/pepper jack (for egg sandwiches and tacos), fresh mozzarella (for pizza), and parmesan (for pasta), along with a couple of fancier cheeses from either Wegmans or Red White & Bleu. Once or twice a week, Larry and I will have a meal that consists entirely of olives, a hunk of cheese (typically a pungent bleu or something creamy and spreadable) on crackers or a baguette, and a couple glasses of wine.

The current line-up:

(Also unearthed were a chunk of brie, an almost-empty package of goat cheese, and a piece of mystery cheese - all of which were furry, so they went in the trashcan instead of in my photo.)

Not pictured: Banjo's tongue.

from when I was skinny and wore a leather jacket

I found this picture the other day. It was taken in 2003. I was 24 years old. I was skinny. I wore my beloved leather jacket everywhere, and evidently, boots with really high heels. I parted my hair in the middle. I did things like ride on the back of motorcycles.

I don't even recognize this girl anymore. WTF happened?!

stupid things said to me by various medical professionals

......................................................
Phlebotomist (after drawing my blood): "Don't pass out in the parking lot!"

......................................................

Symptom: Itchy feet.
Doctor: "Maybe you have new socks."
Actual Diagnosis: Penicillin Allergy.

......................................................

Symptom: An ice pick in my eye.
Doctor: "Maybe you have an allergy."
Actual Diagnosis: Cluster Headaches.
......................................................

Doctor: "It could be a pancreatic tumor."

Thanks for not freaking me out.
......................................................

Location: Operating Room, 10 seconds before general anesthesia kicked in.

Surgeon: "Well, it's too late to turn back now!"
......................................................

Doctor leaves exam room, comes back with medical textbook, hands it to me.
Neurologist: "Read this. Does this sound like your symptoms?"
Me: "Yes."
Neurologist: "You're a textbook case!"
......................................................
Doctor: "I'm 99% certain that swimming will cure you."
It didn't.
......................................................
Nurse: "Do you do any (illicit) drugs?"
Me: "No. Do most people admit if they do?"
Nurse: "No. But sometimes they're high when they come in here."
(I should clarify that I was in the office of a prestigious hand surgeon, not the type of establishment where junkies would seek medical care.)
......................................................
Nurse: "Are you married?"
Me: "No."
Nurse: "Well, the doctor is very good looking."
......................................................
Doctor: "I won't lie. This test is extremely uncomfortable."
You mean it hurts like a mofo. Thanks for your honesty, doc.
......................................................
Doctor: "I can't find anything wrong with you."
(Pause)
Doctor: "I'd like to operate."
......................................................
Radiologist: "I can't seem to get the needle into your joint."
(Repeat this comment for the next 45 minutes.)
......................................................
Doctor: "All radiologists are clowns."
......................................................
Doctor: "I'll take you down to Slade's (a bar) for a few drinks. After that, you won't be afraid to put anything in your eye!"
Say WHAT?

things I made in february

A few things I made in the past month:

LEATHER BRACELETS


I've always admired leather cuff bracelets. The problem is that I have scrawny little wrists and bracelets are always too big for me. In fact, one of Larry's nicknames for me is "T-Rex" (and not because I'm a beast in the mornings, though that, too, is appropriate) because I have such wimpy little arms. So I wanted a cuff bracelet, but knew that one sized for a normal adult would a) overwhelm my wrist and b) slide off. Enter my sewing machine, a thin piece of leather, some metallic silver thread, and grommet-style snaps, and in 10 minutes I had whipped up a couple of DIY leather cuffs. This isn't the most expensive-looking leather (probably because it wasn't expensive!), but I like that it's extra thin and soft because it makes the cuff a lot more comfortable to wear. Will they last forever? Probably not, but at $3 in materials each, I can always make another one!

Speaking of T-Rex, have you seen T-Rex Trying? Hilarious!

FELT BALL FLOWERS

Porcelain milk bottle vase by Alyssa Ettinger.

A few years ago, I bought a bag of multi-colored felt balls thinking that I would make them into a garland for our Christmas tree. I quickly realized that it was going to take a million balls and cost a fortune to make a garland long enough to wrap a tree. So I used the red balls to make a garland for our mantle and ended up making our Christmas tree garland out of felt circles.

This left me with a bunch of leftover felt balls that I had no use for...

Until I was going through my art supplies and found some green floral wire! Aha!

For the past few years I admired those yellow ball flowers that showed up on all the design blogs (which after googling "yellow ball flowers", I learned were called billy balls or craspedia). I even bought some dried ones last year for a vase in our library. But I wanted more, and while I'm not usually a fan of fake flowers, I think these guys may even be cuter than the real thing and they're easy to DIY. (Use a thick upholstery needle and some elbow grease to poke a hole in the felt ball, then insert the floral wire with a dab of glue.)

HAND-CARVED HAND-STAMPED VALENTINES

Several people asked for a tutorial for this project. The stamps are made using a block of rubber and block-carving tools that are easily found in the printmaking section of your local art store.

ABSTRACT WAX PAINTING


You might not know it from the art that's currently available in my shop, but abstract art is my first true love. I've been experimenting lately with mixed results (but the process sure is fun!). This one is wax, gouache, and seed beads on wood.

Also, my studio is now covered with bits of colored wax. D'oh!

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

There's a reason I keep blueberries in the freezer during the off-season - so I can tell winter to F off have a little bite of summer in February!

HEART GARLANDS

800 paper hearts for Valentine's Day! They're still up and I'm tempted to keep them up year round!

EMBELLISHED ROPE BOWL


I had some rope leftover from the first rope bowl I made in December and decided to make a second smaller bowl, embellished with metallic embroidery thread. (I also got smart this time and wrapped the mixing bowl I was using as a guide with aluminum foil to protect it from hot glue.) It's currently in my bathroom being used as nest for my Lush bath bombs - which now that I look at it, would make a pretty sweet alternative Easter basket.

BLUEBERRY MUFFIN BREAD FRENCH TOAST WITH BLUEBERRY-MAPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Chaps, a restaurant in Washington state makes something similar that was recently featured on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to recreate this recipe for myself. Just bake your favorite blueberry muffin recipe in a loaf pan (you will need to double or triple the baking time). Soak slices of the bread in an egg/milk/vanilla/cinnamon/sugar/salt mixture (I never measure) and pan fry. Top with cream cheese frosting (add some blueberries and a squirt of maple syrup, to taste).

YARN-WRAPPED BOTTLE VASE



As part of my Handmade Holiday, I became obsessed with making yarn-wrapped Christmas balls. I made nearly two dozen of these things and once Christmas was over, I had plans to wrap other things with yarn - like a yarn-wrapped vase. When I saw Elise's take on this, I knew I had to copy her black and white color-scheme.

I'm always planning projects that use beer bottles (we typically have a surplus of these...), but when it comes down to it, a beer bottle looks like a beer bottle no matter what you do with it, and beer bottle decor looks like something that belongs in a dorm to me. So I used a square-ish olive oil bottle for this project and I think it makes a nice shape for a vase. (It's from Safeway brand olive oil.)

A few tips if you want to start wrapping things with yarn: 
1. Use all cotton yarn, no synthetics or blends. Glue doesn't stick to synthetics and you will be very frustrated if you try to glue acrylic yarn to anything.
2. I used a really thin smooth mercerized cotton yarn for this project to give my bottle a sleek, modern, non-fuzzy look.
3. My favorite glue for just about everything is Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive. It dries super fast which is great for projects like this where you don't want the yarn slipping while the glue dries. And, I learned that it even works on glass!

I've got a lot of creative ideas lately, so hopefully I can keep up the momentum in March...

awaking the beast

I am not a morning person.

I never will be a morning person.

This is something about myself that I've accepted I cannot change. I'm a night owl through and through.

Even as a child, I was aghast when my friends told me they woke up at 6 am on weekends just so they could watch cartoons. First of all, cartoons suck. Seriously, I was never into them, even as a kid. Second of all, sleep is way more important. Third of all, why are you waking up WHEN IT'S STILL DARK OUT? That's not natural!

As a teenager and college student, I loved sleeping in. This is probably pretty normal behavior for adolescents.

People told me, "Oh, once you get a job, you'll never be able to sleep in. Your body will automatically wake up early, even on weekends." or "Oh, once you get older, you'll become a morning person."

Ha.

HAHAHAHA.

I'm 33. I still like to sleep in. I freaking HATE mornings.

Seriously, do NOT talk to me in the morning. Do not try to coax me out of bed. I will be mean to you. (I'm sorry about that, but I just can't help it.) Also, if you utter the phrase "Good morning, sunshine!" or "Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" within my earshot, I *will* punch you.

I've learned over time that my body's clock prefers for me to sleep between the hours of 4 am and noon. Yes, I realize that this schedule does not work with society's expectations, so I've spent much of my adult life trying to fight it. But I am most productive between midnight and 4 am. That is when I catch my second wind and my creative burst.

When I worked in an office, this was obviously a problem. I was always trying not to be late to work. I slept through my alarm quite a bit. I turned the alarm up so loud the neighbors complained, and I still slept through it when it was blaring away right next to my face. I got a second alarm clock. I slept through that, too. I had bosses and co-workers who were extreme-morning people. Why is it that morning people always turn their noses up at night owls as if we are slackers? Just because I get into work later does not mean I don't work just as hard once the sun starts to set.

(Oh, and hey, morning people? At least my bedtime is not equivalent to that of a baby's!)

Part of the problem may be that I don't drink coffee. I made it through five years of architecture school (and many many all-nighters including staying awake in the studio for 72 hours straight) without a single cup of coffee. I tried taking a no-doze once and it made me feel like a strung-out jittery crack addict. I never did that again. I stayed awake through sheer willpower and by chewing spearmint gum (and the occasional cookie).

I guess what I'm saying is that my sleep habits suck and they have for a long time. Even when I do get up "early" I don't know what to do with myself because my brain does not seem to fully function. I sit around and stare at the walls until it becomes a more appropriate hour for getting things done. Sometimes I allow myself the luxury of reading a book in the morning. But guess what happens? I end up falling asleep.

So, as my 30 Day Challenge for March, my goal is to set a regular sleep schedule, get up "early", and have a bedtime. This is going to be harder for me than it sounds...

Alright, morning people, here is my schedule, so please don't laugh at me (I apologize for that crack about a baby's bedtime. Also, I'm sorry if you like cartoons):

8:00 am Out of bed! Seriously, no snoozing!
11:00 pm In bed. Do something relaxing, like read a book. (Or drink wine.)
12:00 am Lights out.

I realize that a wake-up time of 8 am is much later than most people get up for their day jobs. I realize that some people get up early and do things like *run* and *work-out* and still get to work before 8 am. I am not those people. Also, baby steps...

Now here's my problem. Like I said, when I get up early I don't really function well and I don't know what to do with myself. I'd like to start working earlier in my studio, but I feel like I need an hour pre-work to get going. What should I do with myself during this time? Suggestions?

What do you morning people (or recovered night owls) do to start your day? How do you find momentum to keep going through the morning? HELP.

great falls

I don't want to be someone who goes on and on about the weather...but lately, it's been in the 60s. In February. In Virginia. This is not a normal winter. We usually get cold weather and snow here. (Not Syracuse cold - been there, done that. But cold enough.) I'm not complaining though. If it didn't mean that Earth was about to burn up, I'd be all for winter never existing at all.

The unseasonably warm weather calls for getting my butt outside. Nature, fresh air, and sunshine - I always underestimate how much my body needs these things to survive the winter months. Our whole family has had a bad case of spring/cabin fever lately, so we laced up a our hiking shoes, packed up the dogs, and headed to Great Falls for a romp in the woods. The ranger at the entry booth even had a stash of dog biscuits for the pups!

Great Falls Park has been one of my favorite places ever since childhood. Every time I visit, I'm blown away that something like this is a mere 12 miles from my house. And every time I visit, I take the exact same photo. I can't help myself. No matter how many times I've seen it, it's hard to tear my eyes away from this view:

The pups had a grand time inspecting holes:


And checking out the view:


The mighty Potomac:

Gravy wasn't so interested in having his picture taken. His expression in this picture kills me. He wanted to play with a little boy who was yelling "TEN NINE EIGHT SEVEN SIX FIVE FOUR THREE TWO ONE. ZERO! BLAST OFF!!!"

Happy boys:

Signs of climbers:

Gravy is not a fan of stopping for any reason or taking breaks. He becomes very impatient and starts making a very annoying sound:

"Hey Dad, stop trying to take pictures of Mom's boobs, and let's get moving!"

There were definite signs that spring is on its way: daffodils in bloom and frogs everywhere. (And mosquitos. Shit!) I've never seen so many frogs, but the remaining parts of the canal that still have a bit of water in them were full of frogs. We're talking dozens and dozens of them. I was fascinated watching them puff up their little cheeks and sing BUD WEIS ER ribbit ribbit ribbit!

It was a bit hard to photograph them (evidently, I didn't have an appropriate frog lens with me), but trust me, they were everywhere:

We had the place almost to ourselves, which was a nice change. We sadly often avoid Great Falls because it gets so crowded during the peak season.




A view across the river to the Maryland side:

I seem to always end my hiking stories with a photo of the dogs post-adventure. Once we got home, I busted them sleeping like this:

Awww.


Until next time...

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