Zealous Endeavors

Valentine's Candy

2012-01-29T18:02:00.002-05:00

Valentine's Day is coming!

I'm very excited.

But also distraught because of how busy I am.

I'd like to do some paper crafting/card making soon.

But I'm not sure when I'll get to it.

I indulged in some candy hearts at the grocery store yesterday.

I have a young kid.

And I'm crazy, madly, hopelessly in love.

These two factors are important in rationalizing my purchase of kiddie candy.

That and, I just like them.

I also like Ball jars.

So I got out the camera, and took some shots.

Maybe I overdid it a bit.

But that's ok. It's digital. And it makes me happy.

Slot Car Racer

2012-01-24T20:48:00.002-05:00

It's been a long week!

Classes started again at OWU, and after a week full of classes I needed to make a trip to Target.

Needed for a few things, wanted for some retail therapy, to be completely honest.

At Target, I found something unexpected for Aidan.

A Slot-Car Race Track.

He's two.

He doesn't need a slot-car race track.

But. It was on clearance.

For $12.

Ok, $11.98.

And it's from Cars 2. My child is obsessed with "Lightin' Queen".

I couldn't pass it up.

I was going to save it, but he saw me put it in the cart, and all bets were off.

Even Arlo likes chasing the cars.

This is definitely a toy to be used on a table, under adult supervision. But, he loves it, it was cheap, so why not?

Back to homework for now, I'll try to keep posting in between memorizing chemical equations and cloud types.

Watching. Waiting.

2012-01-15T17:08:00.003-05:00

Arlo likes to sit at the end of the back deck.

Watching.

Waiting.

Sometimes, he lays down. Most of the time, he sits. Even in the snow.

He's so adorably regal as he watches over his yard.

Until next time!

How to Entertain a Brittany

2012-01-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

Arlo, the Brittany, is full of energy.And he’s smart enough that if you don’t tell him what to do with it, he’ll find a way to get your attention. So that hopefully, you’ll tell him what to do with it.

I’ve come to find out it’s best to give him something to entertain himself with.

You know, for those of us who don’t have the time to devote all hours of the day playing with/doting over/petting/roughhousing with our Brittanies.

Many of my grocery trips now include retrieving a humongous bone for Arlo’s enjoyment.

It keeps him from eating the pillows.

And the child’s toys.

He smells it in the grocery bags and roots around until he either finds it or I catch him.

Then he takes to chewing…

...for about a day or two...

…until he’s chewed all but the knots…

…and needs a new one.

Winter Fun Feeding the Birds

2012-01-13T14:41:00.000-05:00

While making Blueberry Muffins this morning, I dropped one of the two pints of blueberries all over the floor.

Dang.

But, I have been meaning to take Aidan out to feed the birds in the woods behind our house, so I saw this as an opportunity. At least the berries wouldn't go to complete waste.

And the pup got some companionship out there in the snow.

He loves playing in it. I'm not such a big fan of the cold, but he doesn't seem to mind. He likes to test the "revolving door" and come in and out as he pleases.

Leaving a mess in his path, of course.

Watching a bird...

Can I eat this??

Now, what we came for.

What'ssat moving in the woods?! I saw something! Did you see it?! I saw it!

Our two-year-old dog has a longer attention span than the two-year-old kid.

Who also enjoys the snow:

These smiles are totally worth bundling up for.

And the adorable close-ups of this.

The doggie loves the snow. He roots around in it, searching for the smells covered in cold.

And then Aidan begins to realize he's cold.

Quite cold.

Time to go in! And enjoy those muffins!

The Rhoads Family

2012-01-12T14:12:00.001-05:00

Through all the ancestry research I've done, most of it has been with surnames other than my own. The name I write day by day has yet to come up on a gravestone in all of my searching; and my life. I had never previously visited a grave of a Rhoads ancestor. While in Frame Cemetery we not only saw many Rhoads' but a J. Rhoads. I believe his name was James, but it was somewhat startling to see what could have been my name on a gravestone.

We had made it about half way there when I realized that I'd forgotten my camera. Both of them. So, I relied on my BlackBerry to take the photos, they're not half bad, but I would have been more comfortable and more photo oriented if I would have had my DSLR. Or even a point and shoot. But, I made it work with what I had. There aren't many photos but these are what I have.

Back to the ancestry at hand...

My great-grandparents are Loy Rhoads (b. 28 Jan 1906, Meeker, Ohio - d. Jul 1975, Enon, Ohio) and Floreine Spain (b. 31 Mar 1904, Mingo, Ohio - d. 16 Dec 1993, Monroe, Michigan). They were married 19 Jun 1926 in Covington, Kentucky. The two of them are buried in Enon, Ohio. I have yet to visit their memorial, or those of the many other ancestors buried in the Dayton area.

Floreine's family is traced in my previous blog post on The Spain Family.

Loy's sister Lucy is buried in Frame Cemetery, Meeker, Ohio. She died in a tragic accident when her oven exploded, leaving three children.

She is buried next to her stepmother, Caddie Creviston Rhoads. Caddie married Homer Rhoads 18 Jun 1933, after the death of his first wife.

Loy's parents are Homer D Rhoads (b. 23 July 1884, Meeker, Ohio - d. 9 June 1967, Meeker, Ohio) and Della May Ducatt (b. 5 Dec 1886, Meeker, Ohio - d. 25 Nov 1931, Meeker, Ohio).

They were married 10 Jun 1905 in Marion, Ohio. A century later, on what would have been their 104th anniversary, my son was born, June 10. I find that interesting, though the dates are sure to repeat throughout all these lives and events I have tracked.

The two of them are buried together in Frame Cemetery, Meeker, Ohio.

Next to them are two matching grave stones for children Clay and Ruth. They are siblings of Homer's, children of Absalom Perry Rhoads and Eliza Cathrine Wood. Clay was born 28 Sept 1889 and died 14 Jan 1907. Ruth was born 9 Sept 1894 and died in 1895.

Della May's parents are Anthony J Ducatt (b. 30 Apr 1850, Ohio - d. 19 Sept 1934, Meeker, Ohio) and Minerva Jane Guthery (b. 5 Aug 1852, Marsailes, Ohio - d. 27 Sept 1934, Meeker, Ohio). The two of them were married 14 Oct 1871. They, too, are buried in Frame Cemetery.

Early on in my research I noticed that Homer had a rough 4 years. In 1931, he lost his mother, father, and wife. He remarried in 1933, then in 1934 he lost his first father and mother in-law, both in September of that year. The following year, his daughter Lucy died. When looking at dates it seems easy to skip over the timeline of the events, but I think you get a better idea of what life was like for your ancestors when you link the events to each other.

Anthony Ducatt's parents were Anthony Wayne Ducatt, born about 1853 in Michigan, and Margaret, born in Michigan. I don't have much on them.

Minerva's parents are William Guthery (b. 16 May 1817, Ohio - d. 20 Mar 1863, Ohio) and Lucinda Manville Cleveland (b. 15 Oct 1819, New York - d. 4 Aug 1879, Ohio). The two of them are buried in Guthery Cemetery, a bit south west of Meeker, near LaRue, Ohio.

William's side.

Lucinda's side.

Lucinda is said to be a direct descendant of Governor William Bradford of the Mayflower, whose son William (also her ancestor) was Major and Deputy-Governor of the Plymouth Colony.

Her family also includes a line to President Grover Cleveland, together they are related through Moses Cleveland, whose descendant founded Cleveland, Ohio.

Lucinda's parents are Silas Hall Cleveland (b. 22 Nov 1795 - d. 23 Apr 1875, Norton, Ohio) and Betsy Briggs (b. 2 May 1792). I attempted to find Silas' grave at Wyatt Cemetery, but it appears the cemetery isn't accessible. The plots are on what looks like private land, or an easement to the cemetery but I wasn't going to intrude.

William's parents are Joseph Guthery (b. 29 Mar 1790, USA - d. 5 Feb 1856, Ohio) and Hannah Dever (b. 18 Jan 1796, Kentucky - d. 7 Mar 1864, Ohio). They are also buried in Guthery Cemetery. They have two monuments, an original and what looks like a newer one for each.

Hannah's parents are John Dever (b. about 1766, Virginia - d. 10 Nov 1827, Ohio) and Hannah Cubberly (b. 25 June 1763 - d. 1834). They are buried in Dever Historical Cemetery in Lucasville, Ohio. This is on my list of places to get to.

Joseph's parents are John Guthery (b. 14 Apr 1744, Greene County Pennsylvania - d. 1 Jun 1823, Piketon, Ohio) and Lydia Baldwin (b. 16 Feb 1755, Greene County, Pennsylvania - d. 14 July 1816, Piketon, Ohio) They are buried together in Mound Cemetery, Piketon, Ohio. John's marker is at the top of a large burial mound. I have previously visited their memorial.

The Guthery line continues from there, but I will go back to where we left off in the Rhoads line, with Homer's parents; Absalom Perry Rhoads (b. 1843, Marion County, Ohio - d. 1931 Meeker, Ohio) and Eliza Catharine Wood (b. 21 June 1858, Ohio - d. 14 Jan 1931, Ohio) who were married 30 Nov 1877. They are buried behind Homer and Della May in Frame Cemetery.

Eliza Catharine's parents are Hampton Wood (b. 1814, New Jersey - d. 8 May 1889, Ohio) and Susannah Marsh (b. 25 Apr 1823 - d. 26 Apr 1878, Ohio).

Susannah's parents are Mahlon Marsh (d. 14 Mar 1852, Meeker, Ohio) and Mary A. Yeazell (b. 19 Jun 1796, Virginia - d. 7 Mar 1858, Meeker, Ohio).

Hampton's parents are Isaac Wood and Sarah.

Back in the Rhoads line again, Absalom Perry's parents are George P. Rhoads (b. 1 Feb 1810, Ohio - d. 20 Jan 1884, Ohio) and Drussilla Yoakum (b. 4 Jan 1819, Meeker, Ohio - d. 25 July 1896). They are buried together in Frame Cemetery.

Drusilla's parents are Absolum Yoakum (b. 1794, West Virginia - d. 1877) and Rachel Hall. They are buried in Yoakam Cemetery. This is a small family cemetery on the top of a hill next to Dry Lane Road. It is both small and old, with an old wooden fence surrounding it. The grounds aren't maintained, as there are lots of weeds growing up around the memorials. To get to it you have to climb up the small hill through the weeds, though it's not too hard to access.

This is Rachel's stone, what's left to be read.

And this is Absalom's.

The Yoakam line continues from there, Michael and Drussilla are Absalom's parents, and I don't know anything about Rachel's.

George's parents are James Rhoads (b. 17 Apr 1783 - d. 5 May 1845, Ohio) and Nancy Susannah McKelvy (b. 2 July 1781, Pennsylvania - d. 2 Apr 1850, Ohio). I don't have much information on them.

There are always missing links and data in the process of ancestry research. I hope to find the answers I'm looking for as I casually search the internet and cemeteries on my way to things I already expect to find.

Thanks for reading!

The Spain Family

2012-01-10T23:03:00.000-05:00

Last January, I made a trip to North Lewisburg, Ohio to (hopefully) discover more about my ancestors.
This area was home to the Spain line of my family, along with many other maiden names.

I'd done some ancestry research and found whom I was related to and their vitals, including their burial locations. Then, I started searching more linearly, rather than laterally, and found some interesting facts.

There is a creek that runs relatively west-east into and through Lewisburg, named Spain creek. Further research in The History of Champaign County the Spain family is credited with being some of the first inhabitants. They have a strong heritage here, hence the name of the creek.

There is a covered bridge here. I can imagine the horses and carriages now.

To read the inscription on the Historical Marker, click the photo. Use the back button when finished to return.

I love how the wooden floor is wearing through the blacktop, making its age more apparent.

The bridge is located on Inskeep-Cratty road. Mary Inskeep married Joshua Spain, so we are attached to that family line as well.

Maple Grove Cemetery holds many, many a Spain. As well as other large groups of family names; Inskeep, Townsend, Bishop, Holycross.

I have a land map showing ownership of Joshua and Sylvester Spain, the land surrounding the north-east boundaries of the cemetery. Thus, the following shots are looking out across what used to be family land:

A scan of the map, highlighted areas are land of family members I am aware of. Again, clicking will open a larger image.

In Maple Grove (also once referred to as Spain Cemetery) I had a hard time reading the older stones, especially because it was quite cold out and I grew impatient. However, I did find Thomas and wife Evea. There is a story about Thomas bringing the church bell from Urbana to North Lewisburg by wagon, ringing it as he came near. More can be read about this here, towards the bottom of the webpage. Thomas was the brother of my 6th great grandfather.

Anyhow, back to the direct lineage way of things that I've used for other ancestral lines in this blog.

The name Spain, and the origination in Champaign County, Ohio comes from my grandfather's mother, Floreine Spain (b. 31 Mar 1904, Mingo, Ohio - d. 16 Dec 1993, Monroe, Michigan). She and my great grandfather are buried in Enon, Ohio, where they made their last home together.

Floreine was a writer, our family has many works of hers stored away somewhere. I would like to someday see about publishing these either through a company or online, but that is an idea for another day. I haven't read them in full yet myself.

Floreine's parents are Frederick Josephus Spain (b. 24 July 1870 Mingo, Ohio - d. 10 Nov 1939 Marion, Ohio) and Manta Ann Medaris (b. 3 Sep 1882, Jamestown, Ohio - d. 16 Mar 1976, Enon, Ohio). I did not find their memorial in Maple Grove when I visited, though it is there, and another contributor at findagrave.com has uploaded photographs of their memorial. Manta was Fred's second wife, the first being Blanche Callahan. Their daughter was named Geneva Spain.

My grandfather remembers his grandmother Manta, as a very proper woman. When younger, he was helping her move when he discovered a very elaborate dress in a box. He asked her what it was and her reply was it was her burial gown and to box it back up. She was no where near expecting death at that point, but was prepared just the same.

Another story passed down about Manta relates to Floreine. My great grandmother had 4 children. The last of which was my grandfather. Floreine was 36 when she had my grandfather, and her mother told her she was too old to be having children and shouldn't even be sleeping with her husband at her age. She allegedly chastised my great grandmother throughout her life for much of what she did.

Manta's parents are Gideon Medaris (b. 14 Dec 1852 - d. 14 Mar 1927, Yakima, Washington) and Elona Hord (b. 14 Nov 1857, Addison, Ohio - d. 17 Oct 1920, Yakima, Washington). I will have more on the Medaris family later, I don't have photos of their graves yet.

Fred's parents are Sylvester Spain (b. 25 Aug 1837, Champaign County, Ohio - d. 18 June 1909) and Abigail Downs (b. 24 Feb 1838, Champaign County, Ohio - d. 9 Jan 1920 North Lewisburg, Ohio). They are buried together in Maple Grove Cemetery.

This is the backside of their memorial, I assume these are relatives as well but am unsure how they're related at this moment.

I don't know much about Abbie's parents, I have that her dad's name began with an A and he was born in either Ohio or Pennsylvania. For her mother I have a Jasmine A. Therus/Thomas born in Ohio...but I am not very clear on this.

Sylvester's parents are Joshua Spain (b. 16 Feb 1811, Virginia - d. 30 Sep 1877, Ohio) who was married 8 Jan 1835 to Sylvester's mother, Mary Inskeep (b. 24 Oct 1814 - d. 5 Apr 1865). The two of them are buried in Butcher Cemetery in North Lewisburg, Ohio.

Below is the sign for the cemetery:

Mary Inskeep's parents are Job Inskeep (b. 18 Dec 1778, Virginia - d. 29 May 1856, Ohio) and Patience Monroe Bishop (b. 29 Nov 1784, Virginia - d. 8 Mar 1864, Ohio). They are buried at Graham Farm Cemetery in Logan County, Ohio, near North Lewisburg. The cemetery is a small fenced in plot at the beginning of a driveway, near Township Highway 147. Most of the stones are very old, and there are only a few of them.

The cemetery:

And Job's stone:

Job's parents are James Inskeep and Hope Collins, though I have no dates or locations for the two of them as of now. James' father is John Inskeep, born 1701 in Stadeley Green, Staffordshire, England.

Patience Monroe Bishop's parents are Jonathan Bishop (b. 7 Sep 1739, New Jersey - d. between 1816 and 17 Jun 1817) and Patience Munrow (b. 9 Mar 1742, New Jersey - d. 29 Mar 1828, Virginia).

Back in the Spain line, Joshua's Parents are Stephen Spain (b. 1781, Virginia - d. 11 Apr 1847, Ohio) and Martha (no data on her). I have that Stephen is buried in Maple Grove, but don't recall a photo of his memorial.

Stephen's parents are Joshua Spain (b. 1759, Virginia - d. 9 Dec 1840, Ohio) and Elizabeth Eppes (b. 1764, Virginia - d. 3 Feb 1844, Ohio). Joshua is listed on findagrave.com at Maple Grove Cemetery, but I did not find his memorial while visiting last January. I will be making another trip in warmer weather to find those I missed.

Joshua Spain's father was John Spain (b. 1720, Virginia - d. 1798, Virginia) and I do not have a name for his mother. The line continues from there, in Virginia and eventually leads to Thomas Spain (b. 12 Aug 1620, Lincolnshire, England - d. Virginia).

I am missing quite a few memorials in the direct line of my ancestors, and hope to get that sorted out as I work through the data online and in visiting the cemeteries.

I very much enjoyed visiting North Lewisburg and will be returning. I feel a connection here, one I get when visiting ancestral land. There is always more research to do, so off I go...

Spain Creek Bridge, again, to leave you with.

4th of July Rice Krispie Treats

2011-07-09T17:34:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's already July! But it is, and the 4th has come and gone, and now it's the following weekend already!

I made these star Rice Krispie Treats for the holiday, and apparently my junk food junkie doesn't want to try Rice Krispie Treats. He doesn't know what he's missing.

There seems to be some kind of malfunction with my camera. Repeatedly I've uploaded photos only to find that several are missing. The scary part is that if it weren't for blogging and knowing that I took photos of certain steps, I wouldn't know the photos were missing. So what photos of the kids and life have gone missing that I don't know about? I'm thinking the malfunction has something to do with having a toddler in the house, but I'll have to pay closer attention to the button pressing and see.

Although Rice Krispie Treats are fairly simple and I've already posted about them before, I took photos of all the steps I took. The following is what remains of my photos, most are gone.

I melted the marshmallows and added the 6 cups of Rice Krispie Cereal.

Then stirred it together. I love this texture, but it is fleeting. The gooey marshmallow strings between the cereal. It's soft and pliable and delicious.

Here, for some extra patriotism I added red and blue sprinkles to the mix. I used what I had on hand which were the sugar frosting type ones, not the big ones which would have likely been more visible. Then, I greased a pan with butter and pressed the mixture into it, trying to make it level.

A regular ol' star shaped cookie cutter helped me with the stars. I ended up with weird left over shapes, perfect for "testing".

I hope you had a great 4th, we did! The summer is flying by!!

The Ricketts Family

2011-06-26T16:16:00.001-04:00

Friday I hit the road on a whim and went to visit the grave sites of the Ricketts/McGreevy side of the family.

Down OH-13 through Somerset to Junction City, I saw a few tar paper shacks, a few goats, and a few beautiful views of the hills of ohio.

I will try to organize this by generations, as I have before.

Grandma McGreevy's parents are Daniel W Ricketts (b. 16 Dec 1887 Monday Creek Township, Perry County, Ohio - d. July 1965) and Hazel G Starner (b. 5 Oct 1892 Perry County, Ohio - d. 1967)

Next to their plot is their son, Pearl, Grandma McGreevy's brother who died of disease (I believe Scarlet Fever) at age 7.

Most of Hazel's family is found here in New Lexington Cemetery, while the Ricketts line is mostly found in Friendship cemetery, so I will continue with the Starners.

Hazel's parents are Charles William Starner (b. 4 May 1870 Perry County, Ohio - d. 16 Mar 1947 Perry County, Ohio) and Malinda Thompson (b. 23 Sep 1869 Perry County, Ohio - d. 21 Feb 1951).

With them are their two sons, Morris (b. 1894 - d. 1894) and Cecil (b. 1895 - d. 1897).

I don't know much about Malinda's parents, so that line ends with her.

Charles' parents are Morris Starner (b. 24 May 1844 Perry County, Ohio - d. 30 Nov 1918 Perry County, Ohio) and Sarah Ann Burnside (b. 1844 Perry County, Ohio - d. 27 Aug 1923 Perry County, Ohio).

Their headstone has been broken, as you can see here, however a photo can be found on Find a Grave.com of the stone held in tact.

As far as I know, Sarah's parents are Abraham Burnside (b. 13 Oct 1813 Fairfield County, Ohio) and Harriett Griggs (b. 1 Oct 1817 Sussex, New Jersey - d. 2 Oct 1853 Jackson Township, Perry County, Ohio). I have noted that Harriett is buried in Griggs Farm Cemetery, however the location of this is on private land and the best photo I can find online shows the stones in very poor shape, so identifying hers would likely be a challenge. I have more research to do in this line with the Burnside and Griggs families.

Morris' parents were Charles Starner (b. 15 Nov 1809 Smithfield, Pennsylvania - d. 25 Apr 1894 New Lexington, Ohio) and Rachel LaBar (b. 28 Apr 1808 Northampton County, Pennsylvania - d. 15 Mar 1850 New Lexington, Ohio)

This is the memorial for Charles and his second wife, Elizabeth. Rachel is buried in another cemetery at the First Methodist Church in New Lexington. I didn't visit this cemetery on this trip.

Rachel's parents are George LaBar (b. 1763 - d. 1875) and Mary Magdalena Engle (b. 1769 Pennsylvania - d. 1835 Pennsylvania) They are buried together in central/eastern Pennsylvania at the Woodale United Methodist Church Cemetery. A book was written about George, because of his age of 112.

Charles' parents are Johan Geoge Starner (b. 7 Apr 1780 Northampton County, Pennsylvania - d. ) and Catharine M. VanVliet (b. 9 Jul 1787 Northampton County, Pennsylvania - d. 18 Aug 1823 Lower Smithfield, Pennsylvania). More information can be found on this line here. The only non-US born ancestor I can find here came from Germany.

This brings us back to the Ricketts family. Daniel W Ricketts' parents are Ignatious Wesley Ricketts (b. 21 Feb 1862 Perry County, Ohio - d. May 1951 Perry County, Ohio) and Margaret Cagretta Hill (b. 17 July 1866 Westmorland County, Pennsylvania - d. 19 Oct 1946 Perry County, Ohio). I found the memorial for Margaret in New Lexington Cemetery, however it seems I didn't find Ignatious.

I know little about Margaret's parents. Ignatious' parents are John Wesley Ricketts (b. 18 June 1835 - d. 1 June 1863 Triune, Tennissee) and Keziah Harrison (b. 18 Oct 1836 - d. 7 Apr 1904). John died serving in the Civil War. They are buried separately, John next to his parents in Friendship Cemetery, and Keziah in Shawnee Cemetery.

Keziah's parents are still unknown to me. John's parents are Reverend Daniel Ricketts (b. 28 Dec 1812 Old Randolph County, Virginia - d. 19 July 1892 Monday Creek Township, Perry County, Ohio) and Lucy Wickizer (b. 22 Dec 1813 Delaware County, Ohio - d. 2 Apr 1888). They are buried together in Friendship Cemetery.

Lucy's parents are Conrad Wickizer (b. About 1775 Berks County, Pennsylvania - d. Aug 1842 Delaware County, Ohio) and Lydia Weeks (b. 6 Oct 1781 - d. 28 May 1867 Perry County, Ohio).

Daniel's parents are Ignatious Wesley Ricketts (b. 18 Oct 1781 Old Frederick County, Maryland - d. 10 Dec 1855) and Margaret Poling (b. 29 June 1787 Allegheny County, Maryland - d. 3 Oct 1865). They are buried in Friendship Cemetery with matching gravestones.

I have limited knowledge of the ancestors beyond this. There is a great deal of information about the Ricketts and Ploing lines following the male lineage, however many of the wives' families information is lost to history (or more research).

I enjoyed my trip to Perry County. It's nice having roots and knowing where you come from. I'm also thankful, though, that Grandma and Grandpa McGreevy moved out of Perry County so that I know a life outside of that as well. I remember hearing Grandma reminisce about New Lex/Shawnee, but sadly the town of Shawnee is no longer what it used to be. It's declared a historical place, so the buildings have somewhat been preserved from demolition, however a lot of them have been condemned or sit either empty or full of junk. A furniture store and a few restaurants still operate in a few of them, but it's clear it's not the bustling small town that Grandma would remember.

Apple Kuchen

2011-06-03T17:32:00.000-04:00

Kuchen is German for cake. To us English speakers, apparently, it is something more along the lines of coffee cake/sweet bread. Under the guidance of Nigella Lawson, I decided to give this one a go. This Apple Kuchen recipe is found in her book How To Be A Domestic Goddess.

My copy is starting to get a little bit of kitchen wear on it. I will always keep a "secret" recipe bookmarked, of the following:

Molten Chocolate Babycakes. If you want to see me make those, you'll have to come and visit. ;)

Now then, back to what we're here for, Apple Kuchen:

A list of the ingredients (for the cake itself, topping later):

2 1/4 - 3 Cups white bread flour
1/2 Tsp salt
2 Tbs sugar
1/2 Package rapid-rise yeast (1 1/2 tsp) or equivalent fresh yeast
2 Large eggs
1/2 Tsp vanilla extract
Grated zest of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 Cup milk, lukewarm
1/4 Cup unsalted butter, softened

First, mix the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast.

Some vintage effects on the sugar for you, you've probably seen sugar mixed with flour before...

Now the yeast. I used the package and measured from it, to be sure of my amount.

Now for some eggs.

Beat 'em up before...

...adding the milk.

Wonderful vanilla.

Then mix that up too...

Here's the thing...(how very Monk of me, it's my new catch phrase, for some unknown reason) I don't have a lemon zester. At least, not one that I know of. Maybe it's hiding somewhere, but for this recipe, I used this strange peeler/Julianne tool. Yes, I know that lemon isn't looking so hot. You take the lemons you're given.

Give it a go...

It sort of worked...

Love them Penzey's Spices.

After adding the lemon zest I tossed in the nutmeg.

I just think this is beautiful. I love seeing ingredients like this. Don't know why I do, but I hope you feel the same.

Whip it up. (Ok, mix, stir, not necessarily whip...)

Stir the liquid into the dry ingredients, as Nigella instructs.

We're looking for a "medium-soft dough" with advise to add more flour as necessary.

Now we add the butter (don't forget!).

Then kneed. 10 Minutes by hand, 5 by machine, thereabouts.

You may remember a perfume campaign from a few years back that told viewers scent is the strongest sense tied to memory. Well, seeing these photos reminds me of the scent (not the same concept exactly, I know, but I'm getting there) and the scent is embedded in my brain. Delicious. A mixture of nutmeg, vanilla, and lemon, waiting to be consumed in cake form. It makes me want to go make some again...

Anyway, once you have something that is "smoother" and "springier" you will have to let it rise, until doubled. Either in a warm place for about 1- 1 1/4 hours or in a cool place overnight.

I chose the cool place overnight, and was a bit worried, it hadn't rose much, and it had a slight crustiness to the outside from the temperature. Don't worry, though, it all turned out ok.

Grease up a baking pan.

Press in the dough to the edges of the pan. Or at least try, and then let it rest for a few minutes, and give it another press.

Here we're supposed to let it rise again, about 15-20 minutes, so it's a good time to preheat the oven (400 degrees) and get the topping fixed up.

For the topping:

2 Granny Smith apples (or whatever you have on hand)
1 Large Egg
1 Tbs Cream
Grating Fresh Nutmeg
1 Tbs Demerara or Turbinado Sugar
1 Tbs Sugar
1/4 Tsp Allspice
2 Tbs Slivered Almonds

Two apples, peeled, cored, and chopped. I used one of those slicer/corer deals that slices the apples into 8 pieces and then diced them up from there. Quick. Easy. Lovely.

Next, the egg glaze.

One egg.

One tablespoon heavy cream. It looks...pretty gross so far, but we all know it will be delicious in the end.

Stir that up...

...

Now for a dash of nutmeg.

Brush that over the top of the dough.

Yum.

Top with the apples...

Now for some extra taste, sugar(s) and allspice. I didn't have the recommended Demerara or Turbinado sugar, so I substituted regular for that portion of the sugars.

Yummy. I rarely get to use allspice in my cooking (yet) but it smelled great here!!

Sprinkle over the top.

Almonds. You're supposed to use slivered almonds. I searched the cupbords and all I could find was whole. I resorted to chopping them as best I could, and wondered how they produce slivered almonds. I know machines are involved, but that seems very precise. Anyway....

Slivered almonds would likely be more attractive, but these tasted just fine. Send that to the oven (15 Minutes at the 400 degrees, then lower to 350 for another 15 minutes) and get started on the icing.

A simple confectioner's sugar icing, just add water.
For the icing:

1/2 Cup Confectioners' Sugar, sifted
1 Tbs Hot Water

Sifting may produce better results, but mine survived without it. This time.

Straight out of the oven:

And here, iced.

Yum. Writing/reading this has done its job. I want to go make some more. It's very good. Unique, I suppose, compared to typical American breakfast fare. It's more of a bread than a cake, but still has a sweetness to it.

Paper Doll

2011-05-16T11:44:00.000-04:00

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a paper laminator, but I hadn't opened it until this idea came to me.

We had just received the Paper Doll Dress-Up Cartridge (thanks to Grandma!) and Aidan's cousin's birthday was the following day {she's the one I made the Feliz Cumpleaños card for} so I decided to make her a little princess doll to decorate her gift. Laminating it made it so she could keep it as a decoration/toy.

I started out by making the doll, using the Paper Doll Dress-Up Cricut cartridge. I used glitter paper for her dress and then an even more glittery paper for her necklace and crown.

I believe I used the DCWV Neutrals Mat Stack for her base and hair. The shoes were made with some eyelet patterned paper.

Then it was time to laminate. I have to admit I was worried, I've never used a laminator myself.

This was one of those Christmas presents I'd picked out myself. It was a great deal at Costco. There are 100 laminating sheets to get you started.

I'd probably better read this...

The "Guide" wasn't all that helpful though. It explained the basics but...that's about it.

It's pretty simple though. You put your paper in the sleeve and then once the machine is warmed up you can slide it in, it pulls it through and you're done.

I had to cut her down to size, of course, which was a bit confusing because I didn't want to cut into it too closely and have the lamination be ruined, but I wanted it to be as close as I could get it....the "Guide" doesn't explain this at all.

Pretty!

I'll be using this laminator more and more, I think!

Tags Card Layout

2011-05-08T23:21:00.000-04:00

One of the first things I do while dreaming up a card is look for layout ideas. I search magazines and websites for a layout I like, to avoid constantly using the same default ones I naturally lean towards.

I hope to play around more with layout ideas and build upon the inspiration I find in published works.
Paper Crafts Magazine has a great section in each issue where they offer a layout design (such as the one below) and several cards based on the layout. These help me a lot! So, I hope to create some of my own.

The following is one I used just this week for a Mother's Day card. I was inspired by something I saw in a magazine...somewhere...if only I remembered where at this point, I'd tell you. However, the following graphic was constructed by myself, thank-you-very-much.

This card is created by attaching tags (either store-bought or done on the die cutting machine) to a wire/string/ribbon. On my first card of this design I used wire, attached by two brads. I tried to twist the wire around itself because it was fairly thin, but you could use ribbon, string, even yarn depending on your design.

The possibilities for what to do on the tags and embellishment area are huge. You could put your sentiment anywhere really, or use the tags for decorating with stamps/stickers/hiding messages under them. The embellishment area could either be blank, decorated with a strip of paper or ribbon, stamped, etc...

I think some variation in the tag size and or shape is nice, depending on the look of your card.

Here is the card I created following this design base:

As I continue to work with tags, I'll have some more layouts similar to this for you.

Feliz Cumpleanos Card

2011-04-29T15:51:00.001-04:00

A little girl I know is about to turn FIVE! She likes things proper and fancy, so I made her a more grown-up style card this year.

I don't know about anybody else who is into paper crafts, but I usually start my projects by going through either websites or magazines to get a layout in mind, and then go through my paper options to decide a color scheme or find some inspiration.

For this, I found these muted colors.

I cut my main card down to size to fit into the envelope I had. I find this easier than trying to make/find an envelope that fits after the fact.

To create the stripe the same width I cut it with the card along side for comparison.

I used the computer to type up Feliz Cumpleanos. I might be in trouble if I get started using the computer to make my cards. The possibilities are now endless. Man am I looking forward to summer time!!

Then I cut that down to size.

Perhaps I cut a little too small, so I found a corresponding color to shadow it with. Here they're thrown together for an idea:

I gave it some scalloped edging and used some 3-D stickers to make it stand up.

I had some pretty white flowers and pink brads to accent the card.

These flowers are cool because you can layer as many as you like and create the look you want.

And here is the finished product:

Not the prettiest card I've ever made, but it'll do.

Baby Cards

2011-04-24T21:22:00.001-04:00

I Found this post in my drafts from a few months ago and decided to finally get it published.

I only had the photos saved here and planned on giving lengthy descriptions later, but I'm really here for another purpose tonight, so I'll add details when wanted and leave the rest to the photographs.

These two smaller cards were actually made from left over material from the larger card below. I challenged myself to use the extra materials to make more cards. I'm very glad I did. Not only do I have less left behind but I also have two more cards for future uses.

The one above was very basic, but I just wanted something quick. I could have done more with it, with more time and thought.

The main card is below: I forget how I cut out the rounded edge, but I know it involved free-handing it with a tool/scissors.

All shapes are from the Stretch your Imagination cartridge on the Cricut.

I made this textured paper with the Martha Stewart scoring tool. I simply laid the paper on the scorer and scored every 1/4 inch. Easy way to brighten up the paper.

Then I folded it over to see how it would look cropped...

Trimmed it....

And used 3D stickers to raise it above the background. Done.

Hoping to get back to posting soon! I've been busy with school lately and by the time I get to baking/crafting/etc I don't think to get the camera and go through this blogging process.

Truck Quilt

2011-04-24T18:54:00.001-04:00

Like many things I do, I started this at least a month ago, but I'm finally done with part of it!

I was looking into making sheets for Aidan's bed, because I like having a flat sheet for him on top of his fitted one, but it needs to be at least half fitted because he'll pull it off if it's not. Anyhow, I was looking up patterns and came across this technique for making quilts, particularly crib/toddler size ones.

Here's the finished product:

The idea is if you take three different colored sheets of fabric the same size and fold and cut them a certain way, you have three quilt faces out of the same fabrics by rearranging the pieces. It's quick and pretty easy!!

I ruffled through the material we have in our collection and found a few similarly textured pieces that went together:

That's after cutting the pieces as directed in the pattern above.
I wanted the finished quilts to be 56 by 42 inches, so I decided to make the corner squares 9x9. The idea is to have your side panels be rectangles with the same length as your corner square lengths.

To achieve this, I first cut the fabrics each into 42x56 rectangles. Then I folded them first to divide the 56 inches in half and then that was folded to divide the 42 inch sides in half. From there, I cut the width and length each 9 inches from the edges (see link for better description) and separated the pieces into the piles seen above.

I rearranged them into suitable combinations for the three quilts. From there I sewed the pieces together first in vertical sections (the top, middle, and bottom strips were created by adjoining the sides to the center pieces) and then I sewed these three together on the bottom and top of the large middle section (again, better description in the pattern).

Then, I got distracted and let them sit for a month. The plan was to make patterns for the adornments on the quilts out of cardstock on the Cricut machine. So, when I finally picked this back up on Friday, that's what I did.

The large truck required the Cricut Expression's 12x24 inch mat and some giant cardstock. Otherwise, the smaller trucks were done on 8.5x11 cardstock. I made them as big as I could by using the "Set Paper Size" feature to let the machine know how much material there was to work with, then I used the "Fit to Page" button to let it decide how big it could make the trucks.

I used the Everyday Paper Dolls cartridge to cut out the truck shapes.

Looks pretty good with paper, now to cut out the patterns on the fabric. I used yellow because it was the closest matching in texture and hue that we had, if I had bought fabric for this I probably would have chosen something different. Still, looks decent to me.

I used a dot glue runner to attach the cardstock to the fabric. It made cutting things out a lot easier. I tried using pins and that failed pretty quickly.

I used a pencil to trace the details on the truck.

Cutting out the windows and tires wasn't so easy, but since it's hand made I feel like a little messiness adds to the rustic value. Maybe...? Works for me.

I've heard there is a possibility to be able to cut the fabric straight on the Cricut. I'll have to do more research and figure this out, because that would have made this a lot simpler.

Here are the three trucks, all cut out.

Now, I started pinning the trucks on to sew. I did them one at a time, when you're sewing them and turning the fabric a lot you'll have to move it back and forth through the sewing machine; pins in all that extra fabric is a bad idea.

Here's the first one, sewed on. I decided to sew the details as well, I was thinking of using fabric paint to draw them on permanently but wanted to finish this without a trip to the store. I like how it turned out.

The big truck.

Here's the machine I'm using. It's programed by that old school GameBoy Pocket. Remember those? Yeah. But, it's still way more high tech than anything else we have to sew with and it does some pretty awesome stuff. Like zig-zag stitch, and it lets me adjust the length and width of said zig-zags.

Next, a dump truck.

Then I attached the backing. I used the same sheet of yellow, luckily it was big enough to complete the project. I decided not to use batting on this quilt because 1. I didn't have any and 2. I thought it would be nice for summer to have a cover for Aidan's bed that wasn't too warm.

I attached the front/back wrong-side-out to sew them together.

I sewed everywhere but this last half of the corner block here. I triple stitched the edge of the opening to make it strong enough to work through, and then began to cut the extra fabric off the sides. Not totally necessary, but it makes the finished product here look a lot nicer I think.

Then I turned the work right-side out through that not-yet-sewn corner. I used the tip of the scissors to gently poke out the edges.

I ironed during all of these steps before cutting any fabric, you should do this to make sure things aren't out of sorts later. For the backing, I ironed again to get the edges lined up straight and then pinned through the front and back along the borders of each block/rectangle. This was to make sure the fabric was lined up right so I could sew along these borders to keep the back from twisting around later.

Don't forget to sew up your inside-out edge.

A clearer view of the pinning/stitching lines:

With this, the project is finished.

Fits pretty nicely in the crib/on the toddler mattress.

Now, I'll have to make him a set of sheets and pillow case to match. We'll see about that, I get distracted a lot.

Extra Chocolate Brownies

2011-03-30T14:46:00.000-04:00

These brownies are to die for. De-licious. Scrumptious. Heaven.

In my opinion, at least.

Make some for yourself, and let me know what you think!

I no longer remember exactly where I found this recipe at, but it was online somewhere. Definitely not my own, so if you know where it came from by any chance, let me know so I can pass on the credit.

I'll start with a condensed recipe for ease of access and then go through the de-licious motions with you.

For the Brownies:
1/2 C. Vegetable Oil
1 C. Sugar
1 Tsp. Vanilla
2 Eggs
1/2 C. Flour
1/3 C. Cocoa Powder
1/4 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp. Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix Oil, Sugar, and Vanilla. Add eggs.

In a separate bowl mix remaining ingredients.
Combine.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes.

That simple.

Ok, for me, I'm still baking them, a good while later. This oven is different than our old electric. But...you know the old toothpick trick, right?

For the Frosting:
3 Tbs. Butter
3 Tbs. Cocoa Powder
1 Tbs. Honey
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1 C. Powdered Sugar

Mix together, until desired texture is achieved.

Frost while still warm.

So, for the art of it...

The so obviously unhealthy parts...eggs, sugar, and oil.

I have to warn you that mixing these together creates a goopy, sticky, granulated unhealthy concoction. If you prefer not to witness this, maybe you should stick to the box mixes.

Just look at the viscosity...

Yum.
Ok, now for the vanilla:

That's that for the wet ingredients, now to mix up the dry ones.

Forgivable mess. Cocoa. Don't taste it, it's bitter!

I set that aside with my butter to soften for the frosting. Brownies with frosting? This might just be too much sugar. Coming from me that says something.

I love the old-school pattern on the Clabber Girl Baking Powder. I thought this Photoshop action suited it well.

I love the look of the ingredients together before they've been mixed up.

Some salt with that, too...

Have you ever had this happen to your salt container? It's tragic.

I've messed and messed with it but I can't get the spout to come out.

In case we needed another reminder that these are not healthy:

There is an "ah ha!" moment when the batter starts looking like that of the familiar box mixes.

To add to the heart healthiness I lined the pan with some crisco for easy removal. You're welcome.

Time to bake!

And on to the frosting...

Chocolate permeates this recipe.

Honey.

Vanilla.

Butter. I melted it just a little to help soften it.

Just before being attacked by the whisk attachment...

Believe it or not it will eventually take on a frosting consistency. It just takes a minute.

Brownies are done!

Time to apply the frosting. It's a bit messy, but works out ok. Do this while the brownies are still warm to help spread the frosting.

I added some chocolate sprinkles just for the fun of it.

Yum.

They're too rich to eat very many. And be sure you have some milk handy before beginning this recipe. It should be listed in the ingredients, but it's not 100% necessary.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2011-03-23T22:38:00.000-04:00

In preparation for an upcoming field trip in my Geology course, I've made some yummy cookies!

Unforunately for us, the yummy ones are the chocolate chip ones, not these particular oatmeal cookies tonight.

You see, I forgot my leavening agent. At least that's the best I can figure.

It happens to all of us sometimes.

More often here than it used to...I can't seem to get my head on straight when following a recipe anymore.

Anyway, a few months back I found this recipe, courtesy of Smitten Kitchen, and bookmarked it. I've just now gotten around to photographing (some of) the process.

Dry ingredients. Mix 'em up...

I used Penzeys Vietnamese Cinnamon. It has an intense scent to it. Delicious, more than just regular Cinnamon.

The following is why I decided not to double the recipe:

Butter. I doubled the chocolate chip recipe, which originally called for a stick of butter itself. I couldn't accept using 4 sticks of butter in one evening for cookies. (Now that I know I ended up with granola bars instead of cookies, I'm glad I didn't double!)

Then an egg. I'm skipping a few steps.

Mixin' mixin'.

Here's my little secret: extra sugar. I added about 1/6 of a cup of plain white sugar, always do and probably always will. It's a family tradition.

But the real stars of the show:

Another secret: I think oats are beautiful. Anyone else? They're gorgeous. I guess it's because of their life-giving abilities. Energy. Yum.

One-and-one-half cups.

Stir 'em in...but I only stirred a little bit here, saving energy for the raisins.

Aidan's favorite!

But, without baking soda, they're just chewy pancakes.

The last few times I've made these I've used self-rising flour and omitted the soda. They turned out beautifully. They also freeze well. According to SK the colder they are the thicker they are...haven't made them enough to test that yet though.

By the way, the intense photos, that's thanks to the Pioneer Woman's Photoshop Actions. I finally messed around with them enough to get things working. After learning a few useful Photoshop tricks myself.

Velvia Photoshop Effect

2011-03-22T17:03:00.000-04:00

I have (finally) picked up my DSLR again and started working with Photoshop to make them B-E-A-utiful!

I found this tutorial and it did wonders for this photo:

And I employed this effect for the following:

-and-

-plus-

Then, I looked elsewhere and found this tutorial to alter this:

Brotherly love!

And I have made...

2011-02-08T17:49:00.000-05:00

Remember my post about The Morgan House and how I was inspired to go make something? Well, I did. It took me two different days because I finished the apron and then had to add a pocket and let that wait for a second day (a good week later at least) but I MADE something, and plan to make many more somethings. I'm working on a crocheted afghan but it's quite big and I'm only about 1/2 done. School "gets in the way" of my creativity.

Today I sat looking out our sliding glass window and saw the (FATTEST) robin I think I've ever seen. It was beautiful. A light coating of snow on everything and this plump little bird came swooping through, landing on a branch much to skinny for its robust body.

This is one of those moments that many a photographer struggles with. Do I risk the chance to enjoy this beautiful thing at all by going to get my camera? Will I miss the moment for myself? Will I be able to get close enough to capture it on (digital) film or will it be spooked away?

This is something that we are all faced with: is it worth the risk of missing out on the beauty/joy ourselves for the sake of having it captured for good?

I happened to have a camera in my reach...but it still wasn't possible to get the shot I really wanted.

First of all, it wasn't my DSLR, it was my point-and-shoot, and while it generally does a decent job, it wouldn't be nearly the callibur that my Nikon would give me.

Then, there's this robin's personality to consider. We can consider a Darwin-ish thought for a second...this is a pretty fat robin, in the middle of winter, so likely he's pretty smart. He has survived well, in the competition for scarce food among the others. Can I possibly sneak up on him and get a good shot? Or is he just too smart?

Nope. He's just too smart. I added a circle and a red line to point him out for you, but it's still too far away!

I did a fair amount of enjoying the beauty for myself before trying to snap him up, but it did make me think of how often I'm faced with this dilemma. Do I miss out on the cute toddler smiles and dress up for the chance to capture a picture? The dog with prey in his mouth? The messy faced kid before he wipes it on his sleeve (or mine)? Today, I couldn't get the shot, but I didn't miss out on the moment to enjoy the robin and his visit, even if it was a short one.

Why I Love The Morgan House

2011-01-17T16:10:00.000-05:00

In celebration of my Aunt's birthday, she, my mother, their mother and father, and I visited The Morgan House for Sunday lunch.
I love The Morgan House. It's beautiful. It's never the same place twice. And, it's inspiring!

Every time I visit The Morgan House, I'm inspired to start making! I want to sew, knit, paint, scrapbook, and bake.

I could spend $6 on a lovely piece of wood with phrases I'd love for wall art, or I could go forest my own piece (or visit the hardware store, or the wood pile out back) and cut costs and build a truly home-made piece of art.

Employing my talents and making something that I will cherish a lot more than something I picked up somewhere. Though picking things up somewhere sometimes is the best you can do, no harm done.

I just wish I had more TIME!!! TIME! That's all. Is that too much to ask?? I guess so.
Live each day like it's your last I suppose. I'm going to go make something, I'm not sure what yet, but I'll let you know....

Creative Organization

2011-01-05T13:38:00.000-05:00

Throughout my schooling career, I've gone from one extreme (keeping every paper ever written on) to the other (throwing it all away on the last day of classes) and I've found that keeping them is a better idea.

Such a better idea in fact that if I had kept papers from a particular class I would have a degree requirement met that I now have to take another course to meet, since I'm a transfer student. I don't have the documentation to prove that class meets the requirement anymore, or proof of my work. Great.

So, what to do with all those papers?
For the first three weeks of my winter break they were dumped out of the dividers in my backpack onto my desk and the floor, making it impossible to use my computer or printer without first shifting the piles. Not a good system.

Never fear though, I knew I'd come up with something.

In light of my money saving kick and looking to the question "Is there anything I already have that can do the job of something I'd go buy?" I came up with this:
Cereal boxes.

The "Family Size" boxes are wide enough to fit letter size paper, and I also slid in my spiral notebooks and flash cards for each class. By the way, check out all those flash cards! Pshew!

I could have gotten more creative with re-labeling the boxes, but for now this will do.

I've gotta get to eatin' for a box for this class...

And the class I'm going to "try again". I really need to keep those papers.

I think I'm going to end up with a lot of cereal boxes full of paper...but I only have 3 semesters left to go (hopefully)!!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T11:53:00.000-05:00

With 2010 drawing to a close and 2011 here, time seems to be moving faster than ever!

Typically, I'm not one for new year's resolutions. This year, however, the new year has me thinking about what I want to do with my time here on Earth. I suppose it was just good timing, because I was thinking this way anyhow, but the new year makes it a trend.

At the risk of sounding cliche I have been pondering to myself "why are we here?". Not in an attempt to ask that question again, but because I'm thinking on a somewhat spiritual, goal-oriented level. If I died tomorrow, what could I do today to make myself proud of who I chose to be?

Personally, I feel our purpose as humans is to somehow enhance the world. To make it a better place, for either our human race or other living things, and to leave positive impacts in the geological record. What? Can that be done? I'm not sure, but that was just a good ending to my list. We humans are very egocentric, and while we certainly have negative impacts on the geological record, I don't know if we can have necessarily "positive" ones. Sounds like a good debate for this semester.

For myself, I hope to raise a strong family, and instill in my child(ren) values and skills that will allow him (them) to do the same. Though I don't believe procreating is our sole purpose. I do think that those who don't have children are just as valuable to the history of humanity and our purpose here on Earth. There are other ways to enhance the world than just procreating. Helping causes for the environment, human or animal rights, or simply by inventing things, innovating newer ways to do things, or building infrastructure are all ways that humans can take part in our purpose. If, that is, I am correct in our purpose.

So back to my thoughts on "who I choose to be"...I want to be a great cook, have a clean home, a strong career, and be an involved, devoted mother. In some ways, I already have achieved these things. But I can always do more.

I have this procrastination about me. In my classes I seem to think that "I'll learn that later" and put things aside. In my goals for cooking, I seem to think it will just come eventually. In the clean home aspect, I seem to be the same way...I'll do a little here and there but intermittently enough that it doesn't seem to make a difference.

To change this, I've started to "carpe diem" and do it. Now. I have to do these things NOW to be the person I want to be, NOW. I am creating meal plans, making myself DO IT and cook. Have dinner planned, so that at 6:30pm I'm not frustrated (again) with a hungry family and no idea what to make.
I want to volunteer at the elementary school-reliably. I have to DO IT. Like it's a job, that can't be missed. Not if I'm tired. Not if there's laundry to be done. Not if there's snow on the ground. DO IT.

Now, don't get me wrong. I do cut myself a break here and there. I'm trying not to stress over things too much, but I have to start somewhere with these goals and the image of myself. I have to make myself do these things now or I'll spend the rest of my life waiting, wondering where the time went. I do sit here on the computer some each day, but less than I used to. I'm out living my life that I want to write about on here, instead of looking at things I could be doing, I'm doing them. To some extent. There's always something else, always somewhere else to go, something else to make, etc. And that's ok. It's all about priorities.

So, this new year, I'm not so much making "resolutions" as envisioning a whole package of who I want to be, through what I choose to do with my time. I won't make it there by 2012, 2015, or 2020 I don't think, because I'll always be evolving. My goals will change. My interests will change. But no matter what happens, I hope to leave a positive impact, through my child(ren), through my career, through my friends. And ultimately this happens through my choices.

What will you choose to do today?

After Holiday Update

2010-12-30T11:31:00.000-05:00

As usual things have been a little crazy around here, especially with Christmas preparations. I have (as usual) been meaning to update.

I don't have any how-to's today, just thoughts to share.
After using the credit card for Christmas gifts and a hotel reservation, I'm determined to save money. First, obviously, I have to pay off that credit card bill (don't worry, it's not outrageous, but debt is debt).

Recent events in our lives have made me start looking at houses (again, don't worry, we're not moving, plans changed) but it helped me see how conceivable it would be to buy a house in the next few years, after I have a career started. To get there, I'm trying to save, save, save!!

Now, I'm not attempting my "week without spending" again, but I am looking at want vs. need and if there is anything I can do to substitute things that we already have for something I'd go buy ordinarily.

Today, I needed cold cream. I have been using good old Ponds to wash my face and I love it! I didn't want to spend the $5 for the little container, but I cleaned out my wallet and found an old prepaid Visa that expires tomorrow. It still had $11 on it, so there you go, cold cream bought! Without spending money unnecessarily.

While I was at Target for the cold cream, I found a shirt that Aidan didn't honestly need, but I knew he would love it.

It was on clearance, $4.88. He loves "Woody-Buzz". So much in fact that last night he threw a fit when I took off his other Woody shirt, so he slept with it on top of his pajamas. (I paid $2.50 for that one! Clearance again.)
I very, very rarely buy things full-price.

Another money (and sanity) saving plan of mine is to rotate Aidan's toys. He has more than he ever plays with but he hasn't really outgrown them intellectually yet, so I decided to put some away for a few months and then rotate them. His birthday is in June so he's got a great balance between gift times.

"I'll look in the ads for the best deal on tubs!" I thought. I love buying things, it's true. Then I realized, since we buy diapers at Costco, we have huge diaper boxes. I don't need to buy a tub. Sure a box isn't as pretty and isn't as water-proof, but there's at least $5-10 saved right there.

I have another purchase to make, while it's on sale: yarn. I promised Aidan's brother I'd make him an afghan. That may bet a little pricey, but if I buy it while it's on sale and use a coupon I may save a few bucks.

It is tempting to spend a few dollars here and there (lunch out anyone?) but having something big in mind (like buying a house or actually having savings built up) helps me stay on track.

Christmas Scavenger Hunt

2010-12-19T22:20:00.000-05:00

I'll trust you can keep a secret...we're giving someone special an 18 speed bike for his tenth Christmas!! I'm excited! I hope he will be.

I decided instead of trying to wrap the bike or just having it out in the open in the house I'd have him go through a scavenger hunt to find it. Hopefully this will make it more memorable for him, though I still remember when I got my first 18 speed bicycle, without a scavenger hunt involved then.

To give it a little more pizazz I decided I'd kind of decorate the clues a little, I went with a pirate/scroll theme.

Blackadder ITC is a great font for this kind of stuff, it screams pirate. I used a peach/tanned colored paper in 8.5/11 size to print my typed up clues.

In Microsoft Word you can create multiple columns for type on one sheet. I changed the page set-up to landscape and used the columns button to divide the page in two. I didn't want a huge sheet for each clue, so 1/2 sounded pretty good.

From there, I used scissors to trim the edges and give them a "scroll" type look. I considered burning the edges for a while....but that was risky and I wanted something that was (mostly) fail-safe.

Once I had all 14 clues cut out I noted where each one went and rolled them up. After tying them I made a little note of the clue number on the outside, so I could put them where they go without messing things up or undoing the scrolls.

He'll probably be disappointed at first when he sees this little box is all that's left...

...but it contains clue #1, leading to...

The big gift!! I kind of led on that it's too big for us to take out of town with us, but also said it wouldn't make sense to carry all of his gifts back and forth, on top of not having room for his brothers' things and his at the same time.

I'm getting excited!!!

Oh yeah, I made that bow. Pretty fancy, for what it started looking like.

I just took some ribbon with wires on the edges and folded it over on itself several times, back and forth, making the length a little smaller with each layer. Kind of like the old printer paper that was connected and had the holes on the edges....I'm too young to know what those machines were called off the top of my head. But like that, folding continuously to make layers.

Then I stapled the center of the folds together, underneath the top layer which was folded into a circle so there wouldn't be an end in the middle. I twisted the wrong-side-out layers right-side-out and twisted and shaped them into the circles seen above. Perhaps one day I'll take photos of this process, but my fingers were borderline frostbitten by the time I finished my work.
Oh and I tied on the tails afterwords. It seems to jazz it up a little.

Hopefully I'll get around to making more gingerbread cookies and sharing the recipe (and modifications) I've found with you, but I try to be a little flexible with Christmas. I have obvious goals like shopping and wrapping, but one batch of cookies (ok two, I've frozen some oatmeal ones ahead too, just in case) and store-bought rather than home-made cards just might have to do, in favor of sanity and sleep.

So far, wrapping a few more things tonight and making cookie dough tomorrow is the goal. We'll see how successful I am...

Unique Shopping

2010-12-04T14:04:00.000-05:00

Welcome, welcome to the holiday shopping season! Oh wait, that started a month ago according to retail decorations. I'm thankful right about now that I'm done shopping for Aidan and his brothers' Christmas gifts on my list, now just the adults and some home-spun gifts to finish off the rest of those I typically shop for. If you're on my list and reading this, I hope you won't be disappointed if your gift turns out to be cost-effectively home-made. Oh and here's a clue, if I do buy it retail it probably won't be featured here; I'm big on surprises.

I finally started catching up on my magazine reading (or skimming) and cracked open the December/January issue of Country Living. They have a wonderful section full of unique gift ideas titled "fresh picks". I checked a few of the sources out and found some really cool venues.

Sharing this here serves a few purposes:

I love to share and discuss
Creating this list allows me to recycle my magazine and not have stacks piling up (ok, I still have stacks, but less in them because of this).
It serves as another blog post to keep me updating!

The first site I checked out was the Curiosity Shoppe. Some of their items made me laugh out loud, literally. They have an octopus specimen in a jar! I wouldn't pay their price for him, but these kinds of anomalies are scattered around the site, varying from stocking stuffer prices to, well...not stocking prices at all.

Next, twine has interesting items, ranging from candles shaped like radios to trivets shaped like toast. Pretty nifty stuff.

Orange and Pear sells items for the home, to wear, for baby, personalized things, etc.

An old favorite for unique items (not featured in CL this month) is the Container Store. They can be a bit pricey but if you're looking for a gift that stands out they have a few cool ideas this year. I like the straw glasses and the re-usable sandwich and snack bags.

Fireworks has a category called "Indescribable"! How cool is that? They are a bit on the pricey side, though.

I hopped on over to Karma Kiss. Among other things, they feature 310 items for $15 or less. It's their largest category. Check them out for anything from toys to wine openers that evolve into trivets.

And last but never least, Mxyplyzyk has a unique site design itself, let alone their products. They sell cups with noses printed on them, so when party guests drink from them they put on a new appendage. Tee-hee. Among other crazy-cool things. They're just cool all over.

Inspired yet?

I am.