I'm okay

One of my regular readers, Gina, emailed me to ask why I hadn't posted in awhile.
She asked if everything was okay.
It is.

What have I been doing?
I guess I've been distracted by Facebook lately.

Too, I worked non-stop on a group project (well, it was supposed to be a group project, but I got stuck with 90% of the work) for my Japanese Gardening class.
It was insanely time consuming and difficult, but it was really an accomplishment to finish.
We had to present a drafted backyard in front of the class, to a professional Landscape Architect.
There were also three professionals in my class, though I'm a new student.

What else have I been doing?
I've been eating cornbread with honey butter.

And, ta da...I finally bought a digital camera!

On the advice of a guy I work with (who is also a professional photographer), I bought the Panasonic FS15.
This is huge news--I've wanted a camera for so long.
Hopefully I'll be posting more now that I can capture moments.

Oh, btw, I have had to add moderation to comments because of repeated spam.
It's annoying to have to continually delete spam, so moderation makes it so much easier.

OMG corn pudding

My local paper just published this recipe for corn pudding from the chef of a popular downtown restaurant in the Little Italy district of San Diego


This corn pudding is just about the most amazing thing on the planet.
My friend Jen calls it orgasmic.

Don't turn your nose up at the fat content or whatever.
This taste is not to be missed. Seriously.
Add it to your Thanksgiving menu, and your guests will be appreciative.

An evening at the theatre

My mom and I love seeing live theatre.
Tonight we went to the Old Globe in Balboa Park, and saw "Sammy", about the life of Sammy Davis, Jr.
We both thoroughly enjoyed it.

Coincidentally, of all the people in San Diego, my seat happened to be next to Liz--the main reference librarian at the La Mesa Library (where my knitting club meets).
She's such a nice woman, and it was a fun small world moment.

I feel like bringing out all my Rat Pack cd's, and dancing.
I can hear my dad's beautiful voice singing, "What kind of fool am I..."
Time passes so quickly, but every once in awhile there are pockets of magic.

What I'm working on...

My first knitted project!

I recently learned to knit, and made a swatch in garter stitch.
I ended up not having enough yarn to continue, so I switched to a bulky multi-colored yarn, and started to garter stitch a length of that.
The yarn ended up being too stiff for a scarf (and my needles too small), so I decided to re-use that yarn for a future project (probably a hat).

Then I learned how to purl, and followed the advice from Stitch 'n Bitch, and am making a ribbed scarf.
I love the yarn at Tuesday morning, but quantities are limited, so I chose three muted colors that I thought worked well together and am doing a simple stripe.

The effect is somewhat masculine, so I intend to finish with an edge stitch all around in burgundy, and embroider some flowers (also with the burgundy yarn) on the taupe.
It's fun!

The yarn is a wool/acrylic blend, so the scarf should be nice and warm.
I'm about to the half way point right now.
Then the pattern will reverse so it matches.

Quilting Inspiration

My mom and I drove up to the north county (inland) of San Diego today, to California State University San Marcos, and attended the El Camino Quilters (guild) Fall Festival of Quilts show.
The theme of the show was "Journeys", where quilters were introspective about their designs.
Some quilts were tributes to their mothers, while others represented their passage through empty nest syndrome, or having a loved one stationed in Iraq.
One lady did an applique quilt of shoes--representing all the years of her life, from baby shoes, to saddle shoes, to platforms.

I was intrigued by quilts made by copying old newspaper articles onto fabric, book excerpts, postcards, and things like the lined cursive writing samples in elementary schools.
Perfect items to describe one's journey, and influences, and struggles.
Personalized art, and memorabilia in art are my favorite things.

It killed me that my camera was recently stolen and I couldn't take photos.

I did buy a few goodies though :)
Redwork embroidery pattern of a Maypole (the shop's example was actually stitched in multi-colors of floss).
Pattern by Quilting Bee Designs

I love Maypoles.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, a design is brewing for either a multi-media Maypole, or a quilted one.
This vintage purse design by Enid Collins inspires also, and therefore fits into the puzzle somehow
I'm too broke to buy much, but did come away with a fat quater of fairytale fabric


and a yard of this luscious pig fabric


I was intrigued by a scrap quilt in which the scraps were arranged crazy-quilt-style in circular shapes atop a white background.
Hmmmm...would be a great way to use scraps.
Maybe even necktie scraps.

Speaking of circular shapes, I've always wanted to make this denim quilt using the lid of a large coffee can as the template (I have tons of jeans saved).
It looks simple to do, but comes out looking like a mock Cathedral Window pattern (a design so complicated that my mom and I both call it "that dreaded pattern" after attempting a class and neither of us ever finishing even one block)
Today I learned about a guild in Orange County called Camp Watch-a-Patcher that holds quilting retreats in Costa Mesa.

But what I'm most excited about is finally having met
Karen Cunagin--a name I have seen over and over again as inspiration behind the quilts I've seen in recent shows.
Karen, of Millefleur Fiber Arts, teaches classes, most often at Palomar College.
I am SO going to attend one of her classes or workshops!
How fun is that idea?!
Note she also has patterns for sale, and a blog, all accessible via the link above.

My horoscope

Considering I'm a pet sitter, my horoscope for today is right on target

Waffle/Pancake Recipe

You probably make waffles or pancakes with Bisquick or a boxed pancake mix.
But taking a little extra time to make a batter with yeast yields a really tasty treat.
It's super easy if you make the batter the night before, then just take it out of the refrigerator and make up the waffles or pancakes in the morning.
I highly recommend you try these.
I'm not a syrup fan, so I eat mine with butter and raw sugar, or I use the pancakes like bread with a fried egg sandwiched between.
Yum!

Weekend Waffles

2+1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 envelope FLEISCHMANN’S RapidRise Yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups warm milk (120 to 130 degrees F)
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons butter, melted, or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine flour, undissolved yeast, sugar, and salt.
Add warm milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla, stirring just until blended.
Cover and let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes (or leave in refrigerator overnight).

Bake batter in heated waffle iron according to manufacturer’s directions.
Serve immediately with your favorite toppings such as butter, syrup, preserves, fresh fruit, whipped or sour cream.
Makes 16 (4-inch) waffles

Note: if you prefer using Active Dry Yeast, dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F), then reduce milk in recipe to 1+3/4 cups.
Prepare batter as directed above, adding dissolved yeast along with milk.

Note: to make pancakes instead of waffles, prepare batter with only one egg, and only 1+3/4 warm milk.
Let rise as for waffle batter, then cook pancakes on buttered griddle over medium heat.
If desired, as pancakes cook on first side, add fresh blueberries to top side while it is still wet, then flip to cook.
Makes 20 (4-inch) pancakes.


Nutritional Information:

Per Serving:
Serving size: 1 waffle
Serving weight: 2.3 ounces (64 grams)
Calories 120; Total fat 4 g; Saturated fat 2 g;
Cholesterol 50 mg; Sodium 190 mg; Carbohydrates 18 g; Dietary fiber less than 1 g; Sugars 4 g; Protein 4 g

Recipe from Fleishmann's Yeast

Regrettable Goodness

I love you Etsy, I do.
I support handmade and crafters.
But even you have some, um, questionable offerings.

Sorry Etsy, but my new favorite website, Regretsy, brought this to my attention.
I'm so glad someone thought of this (uh, the site, not the stuff. You know what I mean).

So true

"Things were different fifty odd years ago, when the general public had a good knowledge of cooking...
It always amazes me how these days people can be totally up-to-speed and knowledgeable about so many different things--computers, music, fashion--but they don't give a toss about what they put in their mouths every day. If it's meat, they don't care where the animal has come from, how it's been reared or what it's been fed on. If you walk round your average supermarket, even though big efforts have been made, there are still lots of products riddled with additives, hydrogenated fats, and a whole catalogue of fillers--fake food."

~Jamie Oliver
from "Cooking with Jamie: My guide to Making You a Better Cook"

My Own Worst Enemy

Something interesting happened to me last night that I need to remember.

I'm taking a drafting class this semester--a subject notoriously my enemy.
Drafting has resulted in many tears and frustrations over the years, and was a subject I just couldn't master.
Rather than continue in frustration in the past, I dropped the class.
The question was whether my inability to do well was some kind of inherent obstacle (not everyone can do certain things, and perhaps drafting was just over my head somehow), or just a mental one.
Perhaps drafting was like drawing for me--I just THINK I can't do it.

I tend to have a little devil on my shoulder, grown fat and strong over time, who starts berating me in my head.
I will listen to a loop of reminders of failures, of my inability to find a niche, of "you can't", blah, blah, blah.
More often than not, and far too many times to count, that devil has been convincing.
That devil has been believable.

This semester I have the advantage of an amazing teacher who shares her shortcuts (lettering with ease when graph paper is underneath? No guide lines to draw. Who knew?!).
She uses excellent visual examples, and positive reinforcement.
She takes us through baby steps, versus teachers in the past who expected professional construction documents completed, even before students understood how to make a concept drawing.
In retrospect, of COURSE I was overwhelmed.

I knew that if I was going to conquer this beast known as drafting, she was my last opportunity.
Then, as things go, I missed a class. Then another.
I figured there was no way to catch up, and yet again I had better drop (cue negative devil on my shoulder to tell me I suck).
Then I found out it was too late to drop without a 'W' for withdrawal appearing on my record (may as well be an 'F').
Hmmm. What to do?

I decided to take my creased and smudged piece of vellum and throw a design together so I could at least get some kind of grade.
I just wanted to turn in SOMETHING.
I didn't have the right kind of circle templates or colored pencils, but I made do with a compass and some pencils my mom used to use in stamping classes.
I managed to put something onto paper.
I packed up my supply box, rolled up my now completed project, and took a trepidacious step into class last night.

What? I had to present the project to the class?
Groan...dread...embarrassment.
Would I be a laughing stock?

Imagine my surprise, then, when I unrolled my paper to show the teacher, and she stood there mesmerized.
In fact, when I presented, she told the class "don't be intimidated" by my coloring.
Huh?
She said my coloring technique looked like oil paint, it showed dimension, and it was excellent, she said.
Huh?
She asked me to give the class a tutorial on my technique.
The devil on my shoulder was in a tizzy.

My gosh...go figure.
I guess I can draft after all.
What an accomplishment. What a feeling!
Now just to starve that damned devil.