Too much socks & violets (Random Tuesday edition)

Because no good deed goes un-pun-nished. Yes, thank you for your groans. ;) I dedicate the title to Sherrie (Twenty-Two Pleasant) because she said one can never have too many puns!

I thought I'd write one longish post to share photos plus a few random thoughts before I take a leave of absence to spend quality time with my sister while she's visiting.

First up, photos. I hope my sister's friend, B, doesn't read my blog regularly because my sis commissioned me to knit B a pair of baby socks as a present for her baby shower. Cute, no?I also knitted a little hat but forgot to take photos today, so will show the socks that I'm making for me instead. Not as cute.This African violet (that I've posted a photo of previously) is still blooming like mad. The bottom of the plant is all wobbly and looks like it's about to die, but the top looks like this, as fresh as a daisy...or violet....
My numba one son is going to turn 14 in a week. Wow, where did the time go, and why does he look so much older when I look exactly the same as I did 14 years ago (ahem)? Here he is doing his biology lab.And what's he doing in his biology lab? Dissecting squids, among other things. I hope he'll go into medicine after all this stuff I have to put up with in my kitchen.We got the results back from his CAT-5 test for grade 10. He took the test for grade 7 back in June because he had just finished grade 7 (that was the grade he would have finished had he been in public school). Since he scored in the 90+ percentile in pretty much everything, I thought he should take the test for a few grades above his to see where he might be lacking. Weeeell, as it turn out, he's not lacking in a heckuva lot of areas. I think I'll have him take the grade 11 test this coming June. Surely, something in grade 11 or 12 may stump him. (No wonder he always acts like he's smarter than I am...)
Before I close up, here are a few random thoughts:

* There is such a thing as being too nice.

* I get a little tired of posting comments that disappear - either due to my own fault (because I turn off the computer without remembering that I was in the middle of commenting), the fault of cyber-gremlins that eat comments, or maybe the fault of the recipient.

* I think I would much rather be Patsy than Edina.

* Some people's friendship elevate me to a higher plane and make me a better person by association.

* Gretchen Rubin is right: do it for yourself; don't expect gold stars.

And finally:I may occasionally post something, and I will definitely continue to post regularly in my Project 365 blog, but for my own sanity, I need to feel like I don't have to blog regularly here.

By the way, I am loving my spec-fic writing course from the Gotham Writer's Workshop! I highly recommend them to anyone who wants a rigorous course in any writing genre.

Toodles, everyone, and stay warm...except for those of you lucky enough to live in CA! ;)

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams

Virtual award, etc.

Amy, over at Moving on From the Drama, which is always a fun read, very kindly bestowed the above Lemonade Stand Award to me. This award is given to those whose blogs show great attitude and demonstrate gratitude. I'm very flattered...thanks, Amy!

I'm supposed to choose ten recipients for this, but I'm not very good at picking people for awards, as I've mentioned before, because if I'm following you, it naturally means that I think your blog (and you) have great attitude. Also, I know some of you have done this already before, so please don't feel obligated to do it again. But here goes, in alphabetical order because that's just the kind of anal-retentive nut I am:

1. Amber's Ambry
2. Blog of the Soap Pixie
3. Chocolate and Marmalade Tea
4. Craft Knife
5. Much of a Muchness
6. Soap and the Finer Things in Life
7. Twenty-Two Pleasant
8. Under a Shady Tree
9. Under the Willow
10. Whistling Leaf Blower

I had a longer post in mind, but that doesn't play well with shortness of time. So, instead, I'll leave you with this:

Check out the giveaways at the Diary of a Mad Editor!

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams

Good food, good spaces

I wish I could say that watching Julie & Julia inspired me to cook more, but, really, why would I when I have an amazing hubby* who, like a culinary MacGyver, can whip up a meal fit for a queen with just some salt, herbs, and duct tape. Well, ok, maybe not duct tape.

Last night, he picked some mache and lettuce from our greenhouse, and cooked up fried potatoes in duck fat, made a salad with the greens, and also a cold green bean salad with the beans we had canned. Simple, yes, but my taste buds were more than amused.This is partly why we've not been eating out much lately. Even the really good restaurants don't have fresh enough, or organic enough, veggies to suit our tastes.

I'm reading this book right now that makes me want to totally revamp my art/craft/sewing space. It's an easy read: lots of photos and very few words. I recommend it to all my crafty blog friends!

What are you reading this week?

*Hubby may be a superb chef, but he does pick the worst movies to watch.

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams

I'm ready for spring!!!

Not that it's been a bad winter over all, but may I have spring now, please? :)

What about you? Are you still waiting for that big snowfall so you can sled or are you waiting for the first crocus to peek through the ground?

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams

A note about my last post

I think some people may be under the mistaken impression that the Doctors Without Borders site only accepts donations of $35 or higher. That is not the case. There is a blank line below all the suggested donation amounts that allows you fill in whatever amount you feel you can afford. I've noticed that many charities do that: suggest some mid to higher amounts but leave you a line where you can fill in any amount that you want.

Anyway, I suggested DWB because I know they are trustworthy; I've researched enough about charitable organizations to be suspicious of many of them.

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams

Help for Haiti

As you may have heard by now, Haiti has been hit with a devastating earthquake, and desperately need help. I have chosen to donate through Doctors Without Borders, and thought I'd share the link with you.

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams

A special kind of brain damage

I swear it's because I fell from my crib onto the hard, tiled floor one too many times as an infant, and have damaged my brain in a very unique way, that I construe "cutting back" to meaning "add more things to my to-do list".

This is how I would explain my signing up for the Project 365 idea right after I posted about cutting back on activities so I'd find time to write and edit my ms.

This project will, at least, be short and sweet and won't require too much work from me because I'm not expected to write a tome to go with each entry. :}My friend Grace suggested I call it Project 360 since I missed a few days already, but I foresee having to miss a few more during the year when we're traveling and I can't get to somewhere to download the photos, and Project 274 doesn't quite have the same ring, does it?

Happy Sunday to all! Hope you're having a pleasant a day as I am.

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams

Resolutions & other pretty things

Wow, have I ever gotten out of my blogging groove! I just haven't felt much like writing or reading blogs recently. I blame it on my lingering cold, and dh's bout of gastroenteritis. Nothing drains me more than having to think up meals for me and the kids. ;)

I started my previous post talking about resolutions, but then got side-tracked by trees and stollens, and, in the end, after dusting the flour off my hands, decided to cut the word 'resolutions' out of the title.

But here I am, back facing resolutions again. Michelle (Blog of the Soap Pixie) wrote a fun post about breaking resolutions, and Anne-Marie (Soap and the Finer Things in Life) had her usual thought-provoking post about making resolutions.

I have mixed feelings about resolutions. I hate being told what to do, even if it's me telling myself. This is why I will never join a book club. I'll read what I want to read when I want to read it thankyouverymuch. Goodness, I'm obnoxious sometimes.

That said, there are a couple of things I really, really want to accomplish this year, as I mentioned at Anne-Marie's blog. One is to whip myself into shape (that is, exercise more regularly), and the other is to whip into shape the manuscript I wrote for the 2009 NaNoWriMo. I think it has potential, and since it's been years since I had anything published, I'm looking at this ms with a gleam in my eyes. Incidentally, a gleam in dh's eyes was how ds#1 came about, so how much harder than that could birthing a novel be? HAH!

As anyone who's ever gotten something published will tell you: it's damned hard. This is why I've decided to enlist professional help (no, not the psychiatric kind, although that wouldn't hurt either) by the way of Gotham Writers' Workshop. I consulted with dh on this, and his response was, "so what will you give up in order to take this class?" He wasn't talking about money. He was referring to my 400 hobbies and other endeavors.

The 10-week course will require a commitment of at least 5 hours a week. What can I give up, indeed? Well, I can't give up making ceramics and soaps and paper and knitting because I've got orders for those that I have to fulfill (even though our sales at Artfire is pretty pathetic, and our sales at Etsy is pretty much nil, we've got orders from really great friends and relatives! I have to add, too, that if it weren't for the incomparably wonderful Ms. Carrie (Under the Willow Gift Shoppe), our Artfire site would have had nil sales too). I can't give up on sleep because I am not fit to live with if I get less than 9 hours of sleep per night. I can't give up on homeschooling because the darned kids refused to attend public school.

Sooo, I guess that leaves playing stupid games on Facebook (which I really should give up regardless) and blogging (writing and reading), both of which will have to take a back seat because I am determined to have an edited manuscript that is at least presentable to an agent (even if I don't present it) by the end of the year, if not sooner.

For those who are curious as to what this story is about, I'll just say it's "Two mathematicians, a physicist, and an criminologist walk into a spaceship...". Barump-bump.

Another thing I want to accomplish this year is to read this wonderful book:and follow Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project Happiness Challenge! By golly, I will be happy or I will die trying. ;D

Before I run off to accomplish *real* things, let me leave you with some eye-candy.

Firstly, take a look at these gorgeous bookmarks that I bought from Annie (Imagine and Create). I bought 3 and she gave me a couple of extras, lovely gal that she is!Next are the goodies I got from Julie (Craft Knife) for the Pay-It-Forward giveaway she had. Ok, I screamed like a girl, and I'll tell you why in a second.See the funky CD cover above? Inside is this:
Neat, eh? I need to listen to it and then really tell you how great it is, but the day was spent on bathrooms and things I can't even recall (except for the fruit crisp...gosh was that good). Tomorrow, though...tomorrow, I'm doing some listenin'.

Here's the reason for my scream:
Did anyone else yell "Valeris!" like I did? Did anyone else even think, "Star Trek VI: The Final Frontier"? Am I the only sci-fi nerd who hangs out at this blog? Well, anyway, I showed one side of the bookmark in that first photo and the other side above. Julie makes geeky-cool bookmarks from comic books. You can find them, and other super nifty stuff, in her Etsy store!

The third thing in the pile o' goodies I got were the really cute buttons (see first photo). I've already decided that the tree button belongs with my purse. The boys can fight over the other two.
I think I've wasted enough time on my butt tonight. I don't know why I don't just do some shorter posts instead of bottling it all up and throwing one huge post at you...but that seems to be my style, doesn't it?

Hope the new year has been a good one for all of you so far! Do any of you have an interesting resolution you care to share with me? :)

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams

Trees and Stollens

Or maybe stolen trees, but puns are the topic of another post. =)

Hope you have had a safe, happy, and enjoyable New Year's celebration with your loved ones!

Overall, our holidays were lovely. We had a nice, quiet Christmas Day lunch with my FIL at his assisted living home, and invited a friend/dh's colleague over for dinner the Saturday after Christmas, and that was about it.

I had hoped to take a photo of our tree in daylight, but that never happened. Here it is at night:And, more prettily, with the tree-lights on (and regular lights off):
But enough about me and my tree obsession.

Here's the thing you've all come here to check out: the Stollen recipe. I thought I had lost the Stollen recipe that I used last year, when in fact, it was merely tucked under a cushion of the space-time continuum. Many thanks to my dear friends J&G who tried to answer my distress calls, and who introduced me to the joys of candying my own citrus peels.

Just so that I won't ever lose the recipe again...unless Blogger shuts down suddenly and leaves me in a lurch before I get to my Blog2Print order (thanks, Sherrie, for telling us about the service!)...I've taken a photo of it and put it in here.Because I love to make things difficult for myself, I make my own almond paste (using organic almonds). And to top it off, I had to blanch the almonds first. Note to self to never do that in the winter because rubbing off the skins totally turns my fingertips into sandpaper when my skin is already prone to resembling the Gobi. Here are the almonds, blanched and in the processor, ready to be pulverized.
You can find tons of instructions on how to blanch almonds, as well as how to make almond paste, online, and most of them are fairly identical, but if you're curious, here are the ones I used:
Oh food processor, how I love thee! You turn tedious tasks into such a breeze.
The recipe above says to soak the currants in brandy, so I soaked my raisins in rum. I love following recipes to a T. snort.
The citrus peels being candied:
I used grapefruit and orange peels, but will try lemons and limes next year too. I enjoyed making candied peels so much that I made a second batch just to keep on hand, because one never knows when one might run into a candied peel emergency.

Here are the fruits and peels being tossed with flour.
Because I have sensory issues, I prefer not to knead dough by hand. This is why I love my KitchenAid mixer even more than I love my KitchenAid food processor. The dough hook is like a sister to me.
After dividing the dough into four sections (I didn't want 2 humongous loaves), I flattened each piece out and rolled a "tube" of almond paste to put in the flattened dough:
The almond paste should be slightly offset. Those of you who roll your own sushi will recognize a similar technique:
A proper stollen must be folded offset too, apparently. Maybe it stems from a tradition of bakers being drunk on the rum/brandy that they soak their currants/raisins in?
After the loaves have risen for an hour:
And hot out of the oven:
Stollens are usually served with icing/confectioners sugar sprinkled on top, but we don't like it that way. Instead, we prefer to slather it with way too much butter.

And if you think I'm going to do this again this month...you are absolutely right! I have exactly half the almond paste left and lots of candied peels, and we loooove stollen!

Have you ever baked Stollen? If you try it, please let me know!

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams