beeline

Easter

2011-04-27T07:04:00.005-05:00

As a bunny-obsessed, little girl, Easter was one of my favorite holidays. I still have a special place in my heart for it and dream of the day when we get to host an egg hunt at our house.... and of the day when I will have chickens that lay their own colored eggs.... just have to convince husband that he will enjoy having chickens for pets.

I end up dying eggs about every other year or so, and I'm very interested in new ways of achieving unique colors, textures, and patterns. The last time, I experimented with using silk tie scraps for dying.

Last week a facebook friend posted an article about using natural things to dye eggs. So that's what we did.

I didn't want to get all crazy with it so I just chose a few items to experiment with - blueberries (frozen), spinach (frozen), turmeric, and paprika. The blueberries and spinach I boiled for a while. I only used the juice from the blueberries but there was still a lot of debris in the liquid. I left the leaves of spinach in the bowl to see what kind of texture effect they would have on the egg. The spinach barely worked at all on its own (maybe because it was frozen), but there were some unexpected things happening when an egg was first soaked in the spinach mixture then another color. Some of them were soaked for more than an hour.

1. Turmeric and Paprika
2. Spinach then Turmeric/Paprika
3. Blueberries then Turmeric/Paprika
4. half of the egg in Spinach then the whole egg in Blueberries
5. the whole egg in Spinach then Blueberries
6. just Blueberries

Another perk of the exercise was utilization of the egg cup collection from my Aunt Lori, and one I purchased in Chinatown on Easter. My mother-in-law was visiting and in addition to eggs and Chinatown shopping, our weekend included korean bbq, manhattans, movies, bathroom sink shopping, antiquing, Glen's Diner, yard work, and an Easter dinner of pork tenderloin (cooked to perfection by my dear husband) and this. I can't believe we did all that.

Now who wants some egg salad???

30 recap

2011-04-02T07:43:00.006-06:00

I had a great birthday weekend (last weekend). Probably the best in several years, mainly because it did not snow or rain or any combination of the two and I was not sick. The weather was cold, but it was bright and sunny and there were very few clouds in that big blue sky. It went a little something like this.

Friday:
- ordered take out from Pita Kabab for dinner with some dear friends.
- they brought me Taste of Heaven cupcakes *yum*

Saturday:
- had a dutch pancake breakfast with Jasmine.
- purchased Neil Young tickets for next month *yay*
- made this for lunch
- ate a cupcake
- snuggled with cats & hubby and watched a movie
- had a lovely candlelight dinner at Uncommon Ground with some wonderful people and drinks afterward at Cunneen's on Devon. had a great time but wasn't a completely wild party animal, which was fine.

Sunday (birthday)
- slept in.
- made myself 2 fried eggs AND oatmeal for breakfast.
- phone calls from my family.
- went shopping at Old Orchard and got some treats for myself at anthropologie and Aveda.
- took a 2 hour nap.
- bibim bap for dinner at Solga with hubby

I also received many unexpected gifts including jewelery, gardening supplies, a flowering cactus, more camping supplies, more cupcakes, and a beautiful copy of a rare book The Encyclopedia of Needlework by Th de Dillmont (see photo above). I haven't been able to look through the entire thing yet, but I did notice an unfamiliar cast-on method in the knitting section using 3 strands of yarn. The best card that came in the mail this year was from Aunt Kathy and Aunt Dar, along with some drawings I had made for Dar at age 6.

So far, 30 has been pretty nice.

A Cold Spring

2011-03-24T17:39:00.001-06:00

Today and over the next couple of days the temperature will hover around freezing. We awoke this morning to a faint dusting of snow on the ground. March 24th. How irritated I was with the weather. And then I thought of something.

A memory.

A tiny, urban, postage-stamp-size back yard that was a wild forest to a small girl.

The promise of a birthday, Easter bunnies, jelly beans, and fluffy, white coconut cake.

A delicate and deep amethyst colored crocus thrust up from the earth, surrounded by a mound of fluffy, white snow.

I'm looking forward to new beginnings this season. My garden. Spring at Francisco Nyktas. And turning 30 soon....

Surprises

2011-03-15T21:19:00.003-06:00

I just wanted to note all of the lovely things that have made this evening:

* Knitting with some of my favorite ladies at my new LYS Windy Knitty (check it out!) It was their first day of business. Afterward, pizza and tea with sweet Ms. McMillan.

* Husband bought me some early bday gifts - camping supplies for our upcoming camping trip.

* The weather is promising to be more spring-like this week. I loved the little tiny drops of rain that were falling on me as I walked up my street.

* When I arrived home there were more surprises! Erin sent me David Lebovitz's Ice Cream book!!! I can't wait to make more ice cream.

* I received my asparagus and strawberry roots from Kroehne Plant Farm in Michigan.

* My cousin sent me a photo of her baby wearing the booties I knitted. I love love love when I get to see people wearing things I made for them.

* One of my turnip seeds has sprouted.

Tonight I'll be counting my blessings instead of sheep.

Let's start at the beginning

2011-02-24T21:49:00.004-06:00

From a tiny seed I will grow some food for myself and my family. Ok - from many many many many seeds, we will begin making food from scratch! From real scratch. I am incredibly thrilled about my first vegetable garden, and today I received these lovely little packets of seeds. (from a website called EarthlySeed.com) I still can't believe that these tiny little specks of organic material can be nurtured and coaxed into succulent vegetables for my meals. There is so much wonder and excitement in planning a garden. I am using the methods discussed in a book called Square Foot Gardening.

So I'm going to start some of these seeds indoors asap. Never done this before. Do I need a grow lamp or will a sunny window suffice? I will appreciate any tips or tricks from the experienced gardeners out there.

Our Version of "A Christmas Carol"

2010-12-26T13:11:00.004-06:00

Monkey is very grumpy and does not like holidays - mostly the "holiday guests" part. The Francisco Nyktas Theatre Co. version of one of the best christmas stories stars Monkey as the old miserable Ebeneezer Scrooge. Elvis will play the part of happy-g0-lucky Bob Crachett, with Turtle as Tiny Tim. Merrlyn (my old cat that Monkey replaced, who was also very shy) will visit Monkey as the ghost of Jacob Marley. The Ghost of Christmas Past will be Yorkie, my first dog. Rosie, my sweet, recently passed, golden retriever is the second visitor, the Ghost of Christmas Present. And finally (the kicker) the Ghost of Christmas Future is not any particular animal that has been a pet of ours, but one of the skunks who is often seen foraging in the back yard.

Casting by Steve, Sarah, & Catherine.

Christmas Menu

2010-12-23T22:46:00.004-06:00

Well here it is December 23rd, or as my family likes to call it Christmas-Eve-Eve. It's our first Christmas in our new house and so it seemed appropriate that we would host an event here at Francisco Nyktas! We invited my mom, Ed, and Catherine for the 24th & 25th. (Steve gets brownie points here because it was HIS idea.) They will be arriving tomorrow afternoon.

In true Christmas fashion, I came down with a cold (which seems to have been hanging around for much of December) that bloomed into a wonderful sinus infection. I was pretty miserable last weekend at the Ohio Nyktas Christmas party. But the show must go on - antibiotics in tow. The decorations are up. The house is (generally) clean. And this evening has been devoted to prepping for some meals I'm really excited about.

I'm also very very very very very excited that my christmas cactus may indeed be blooming!!!! The idea of mentioning this makes me nervous, however, as last year this same plant produced many a "faker" bud for me to get frantic about.... but nothing came of these stupid little teasers. They dried up and withered away, forming a serious grudge in my heart toward all christmas cacti *hisssssss*. I was about ready to pitch the damn thing when my dear friend Brittany gave me a few hints. A north facing window (even one that is 3 feet from the brick wall next door) seems to have an effect. Watering also helps..... hhhmm.... watering - who knew? So now I have 3 swollen pink buds dangling, waiting to open... I hope. And several others that seem to be following suit. My fear is that they will crap out because i moved it to the dining room table for the centerpiece. We shalllllll seeeeeee.

Okay so back to the menu. Here is what we are having. Not much of it is new, I'm just really excited about cooking a holiday meal for my family.

Christmas Eve

hors d'oeuvres - spanikopita, shrimp cocktail, mom's snickerdoodles and peanut butter fingers

main course - scallops with basil sauce, mushroom risotto, roasted brussels sprouts, cheddar chive garlic scones

dessert - pumpkin pie

beverages - wine, milk punch

Christmas Morning

mimosas & bacon, tomato, cheddar breakfast bake w/eggs

Christmas Day snacks

parsnip bacon, tiki snack mix, candy & cookies, lemon stilton cheese

Christmas Dinner

pork loin roast with a pork reduction mushroom sauce

Stanley's kielbasa

potato and butternut gratin

cranberry salad (Granny's version)

green beans

& maple mousse pie with candied cranberries for dessert!!!

Wishlists

2010-12-02T06:05:00.002-06:00

First order of business in the new life of me blogging again - WISHLISTS. This is a very important matter. So lets get right down to it, shall we?

Just in case you're wondering what I want for Christmas (Moms and Dads, take note). Or you're a friend or family member who insists on purchasing a housewarming/belated wedding gift for us *batts eyelashes and smiles*. This post is for you.

Here are two want(er, wish)lists I've compiled containing mostly things that we need. Because everyone needs to go camping. And everyone needs to make ice cream. And everyone needs to listen to christmas music..... or at least I know I do.

Crate & Barrel List (essentially, this is the wedding registry updated)

Amazon List

As far as the camping equipment goes, I don't necessarily need the exact items on the list, so if you think you know what's more appropriate that's fine with me!

Public

2010-12-01T12:54:00.005-06:00

My blog is no longer private :) Going to start posting again....

The past year...

2010-09-24T18:27:00.000-05:00

It's been a very long time since my last blog entry. This year (actually, 2 years) have zoomed past me at lightening speed and I'm pretty sure I've figured out where they've gone. I can attribute this increased velocity to how busy I've been. So here's a list of what I've been doing over the last year and what's new.

- MARRIAGE: (I now have an official husband. His name is Steve.) This is probably one of the biggest things, even though it hasn't changed our day to day lives very much. But the wedding itself was lovely and fabulous and the best day of my life.... to be discussed in another entry.

- BOUGHT A HOUSE: Yes that's right. We are {finally!} homeowners. I never thought I'd be able to afford a condo in Chicago and here were are living in our own brick box with our own green square right behind it. And another wooden box we can park the Subes in :) HAPPINESS

- WENT TO VANCOUVER: This was the biggest trip I went on over the last 12 months. One of my CapeTown friends was studying there for a semester.

- TAUGHT A KIDS KNITTING CLASS: Five kids, ages 7-18 + knitting needles + yarn = lots of fun! Although I will admit that I've had to sacrifice my own knitting for all of these other real life projects.

- EXPERIENCED BURGLARY: Unfortunately our apartment was burgled halfway through our move. It was so much more terrifying, violating, and traumatic than I ever thought it would be. We lost some valuable things and some things that weren't so valuable to anyone but me. That was the saddest part. Luckily so many of our family and friends were there to support us during that time (shout out to Eli & Gabe!) That's all I'm gonna say because we've moved on and I'm so glad it's over.

- GOODBYE, ROSIE: The last "family" dog that belonged to all four members of my family passed away. It was the end of an era and we will never forget our Golden Rose.

- SOLVED MONKEY'S ISSUE: In other pet news we found a special food that has been working for Monkey for the past year. What a relief.

- BECAME A BIG: I am a Big Sister to a sweet girl named Jasmine.

- BUDDIES & BUTTERS: All of my friends are multiplying! So many cute lil babes being had right now. And they are all doing a fabulous job of being parents. In addition, Devin, one of my besties, married Mr. Right last month and I couldn't be more thrilled. And last but not least, my Chicago bestie ERIN picked up her whole life and moved it across the country to Seattle. I'll just have to plan a trip to the PNW one of these days....Well at least she taught me how to make risotto before she left.

Season's Greetings!

2009-12-24T13:45:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas

and Happy New Year!

from the newlyweds:
Steve & Sarah Nyktas

Marriage License Time and other news

2009-08-26T07:16:00.011-05:00

Today is one month till our wedding! 31 days to be exact. I am actually feeling less stressed and starting to get excited about everything. There are only a few loose ends to tie up. Today we are taking care of one of them - going to get our marriage license. I hope that it is not as painful as renewing a drivers license, but we shall see.

After that I want to make a trip to Super H Mart because it's on the way home and I have been wanting to go there for AGES!!! I guess it is a huge Korean grocery store but they have lots of other things too.... Maybe we will have to pick up dinner there as well.

Other than that, we have just been trying to enjoy our summer when we can. Haven't had as many trips as usual so that has been nice. At the end of May we went to Iowa for a big party for my cousin's graduation. Then in June I had a bridal shower in Cincinnati (but there are no photos of that b/c I am the family photographer so I am rarely in photographs....)

the DuVall clan - this probably isn't even half of us!

At the beginning of June we had some wonderful visitors staying with us. Joe and Andrea Valley and their new son, Sacha. I really enjoy being the mom/host for my friends and family that I love so much. Someday I hope to have a huge house so that everyone knows they always have a bed to sleep in if they are passing through town. I guess I am like my own mom in that aspect. She can never have too many people in her house - no matter how small it is. Okay so maybe sometimes our apartment is too small. But our hearts and our dreams are big.

Joe and Sacha Valley at 1mo

I also went to Michigan at the end of July to surprise my dad for his 50th birthday! Definitely a fun little trip. Catherine and I made the yummy chocolate peanut butter cake from Smitten Kitchen. Dad loved it and he was definitely surprised to see 20 of us waiting for him at his favorite steakhouse. Also see photos of the hummingbirds at Dad's house - feeding them is his summer hobby every year.

Dad blowing out his birthday candles

We never got that brown couch that i talked about. I measured and it wouldn't fit through the front door.... oh well... there are other couches in the sea, I guess. Our landlord managed to get rid of our pigeons so we are now able to use this little back porch area as a seating area if we ever want to sit outside. I have a hanging basket, and a little lantern, and some other plants. And it has provided us with a way to get to know our neighbors a little more.

Steve hanging out on our "deck"

Recently we had some friends over for dinner and I made this cake! I will admit it was a great excuse for me to use the new cake dome I received at my shower. It is a lemon pound cake, also from Smitten Kitchen, but i decided to make it in layers. And i did a couple of other things differently. I put the syrup on when it was cool. The frosting recipe is one that my mom has always used and taught me how to make when I first started baking. Except that I added lemon juice and a little food coloring to get a nice yellow color. The cake was so good cold out of the fridge on a hot weekend. I think I will have to make it again soon. I did not have a sprig of mint to adorn the top of the cake so i used basil. At one point i was using a tiny sprig of dill. It had a very interesting look and I even thought, what would dill be like in sweet baked goods. Has anyone ever done that???? Maybe it's a bad idea...

the lemon cake

On the Monkey forefront, the supplements from the specialist were not working. Now we are trying B12 injections. I am giving them to her myself at home and it really is a heckuvah lot easier than trying to give her a pill or make her eat something she does not like.

Monkey is still beautiful on the outside :)

Well this post was supposed to be about the marriage license but since I am not regularly blogging it ended up being about everything else, too!

Polymer Clay anyone?

2009-07-19T09:19:00.002-05:00

I bought some polymer clay (fimo, premo, sculpey) to sculpt my cake topper out of, or at least give the cake maker a rough draft of what I am going for. I have never used it before. Any tips or anything I should know about???

I also purchased a bottle of the glaze. Does it go on before or after I bake? If I want to paint it with acrylic or water based paint, should I do that on top of the glaze or under the glaze?

Thanks art/craft buddies if you have any info!

should we get a new couch???????

2009-06-05T06:46:00.002-05:00

My friend is selling her couch and I'm wondering if we should buy it... what do you think? It is a very nice and comfy Ikea couch. It's a cotton fabric couch that looks kind of leather-ish. She wants to sell it for a really great price. Here are some photos of it:

Will I be sad giving up the couch we currently have?
CON of current couch: It is ugly
PRO: but I "custom-made" this cover for it.... which took me FOREVER.

PRO: I really like the fabric that the cover is made out of,
CON: but the fit is not perfect by any means.
CON: it is light colored and could get stained easily... would not be good if we ever have children. Though it has yet to be stained over the past 1.5 years. (which is actually amazing since Steve eats chocolate on it all the time and has only gotten chocolate the pillow so far)

PRO: However it is also an EXTREMELY comfy couch!! SO CUSHY - i could prob sleep on it for a week or two if needed.

Here are some photos of current couch before the cover:

After the cover:

Will the new couch go well with our rug/other decor, or will it make the room look too heavy? I think it might be okay b/c our walls are cream colored.

I would like to sell or give away the current couch b/c it would be a waste to throw it away. Not sure if I would relinquish the cover i slaved over.... I know, i keep saying i SLAVED over it and it doesn't look fantastic, but I DID slave over it. I guess it depends on who I was giving it to....

The Rambler

2009-05-25T16:30:00.001-05:00

Oh the places I've been... Here's a quick list of all the things I've done since my vermicomposting post (which, consequently, does not involve vermicomposting):

Click on the picture to see more from that event!

February

1. Went to Michigan for Valentine's Day, to visit family, and all the folks at Albion.

March

2. Catherine stayed with me for a weekend while playing in the tour of her college symphonette.

3. Volunteered at Voice For Luca benefit at Mars Gallery.

4. Celebrated my 28th birthday.

5. Started biking to work again.

6. One of my bff's from HS came to Chicago and we had a girls night out.

April

7. Whirlwind trip to Colorado Springs to surprise another bff from HS for her baby shower (yay, Annie! she could go into labor any minute now...) and saw Elizabeth & Ben, and Joe & Andrea, who were all expecting as well.

8. Mom and Catherine came to visit for Easter and we saw Mary Poppins. (and we found her "mother-of-the-bride" dress)

9. Drove to Holland, MI for Elizabeth's baby shower.

10. Had one weekend at home to relax.

May

11. Helped my mom recover from surgery for a few days in Michigan. Trip also coincided with a Book Scanning Demo in Kalamazoo (for work) and hanging with Brenna (former roommate).

12. Flew to Tennessee to meet up with Dad and Catherine for a visit with Papa and Aunt Irene.

13. Drove to Cincinnati for my nephews' and niece's first birthday party.

14. We were whisked away, by Mom and Ed, to Iowa for Memorial Day Weekend and to celebrate Allison's high school graduation... more pics of that later...

The Flora and Fauna of Tennessee

2009-05-12T06:15:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness! I have been neglecting my blog! If it weren't for my tweets, I bet anyone visiting here would have thought the earth had swallowed me up into a big dark hole. (In fact, I think my wedding has swallowed me up into some kind of hole... I don't think I would call it dark.)

Anyway, here is my latest trip - a visit to Tennessee to spend time with some of the Clanton and Ellis relatives.

This is Magpie (Maji) meeting some of the cows on the farm. You can see the rest of my pictures here.

Enjoy!

Vermicomposting

2009-03-03T12:39:00.004-06:00

I think I might actually try to convince Steve that we should start doing this in our apartment. It will be like having our own worm farm.

Here is the Wikipedia for vermicomposting and here is a guide from the Chicago Recycling Coalition.

It's like a chain letter - except it's bread...

2009-02-27T07:14:00.000-06:00

... because we all know that the Amish frequently use instant vanilla pudding in some of their oldest recipes.

I just received my second batch of starter for Amish Friendship Bread. According the instructions, only the Amish know how to make the starter. Honestly it kind of creeps me out that hundreds of people have added milk, flour, and sugar to this bag and then let it sit out on their counter for a week. But the bread is GOOD. And no one has died from it yet.... that I know of.

Here's the low down: You get this bag of gloppy stuff from your friend. You let it sit, unrefrigerated, for a couple of days. Then you throw some milk, flour, and sugar into the bag and let it sit for several more days.

On the last day you add more of those ingredients, take some out for distribution among friends, and - after adding a slew of things including the pudding - bake the rest! Then you have TWO loaves of this yummy bread to eat and/or take to work. Well, it's more like cake or banana bread, really.

I'm going to be baking my bread on Friday the 6th, so if anyone would like a starter on Saturday the 7th let me know and I can bring it to you.

The Chandelier and the Rug

2009-02-26T12:34:00.005-06:00

I feel like a real adult now. Steve and I just purchased our first rug together. It all happened so fast and then BAM! a rug was delivered and we were the owners. We first started looking on overstock.com for styles and patterns that we liked. I was very afraid to commit to anything. I was very comfortable with my beige carpet remnant from college.... hey... i LIKE beige! But we've been gradually trying to distance ourselves from college furnishings, though we do have a lot of hand me down items that i love and I think still work in our home.

A couple of weeks later we were looking around at Crate n Barrel and noticed one of the rugs there was the same as our top picks from Overstock. AND it was double the price at Crate n Barrel. The nice thing is that we were able to see it in person and feel it. So we decided that night to place our Overstock order. It was here within a week.

can you find two cats in this photo?

It is a little bit wild for a beige girl, but I have become used to it. And especially after suffering a seizure after discovering chocolate smeared on one of my couch pillows, I think the bold pattern and brown color palette was a wise choice. (Hopefully there will be children using this rug in a few years!) I also love that it is wool and so soft and luxurious feeling. The cats love it, too. They lay on it all the time. It must feel very warm and cozy to them 'cause i know it feels great on my feet.

The main reason we went to Crate n Barrel was to use this gift card we had received from Steve's work for Christmas 2007. It needed to be used ASAP! It's not good to keep gift cards laying around. As of late, I have acquired a habit of breaking glasses - esp. tumblers. So it seemed a new set of tumblers were in order. We bought these. Also broke a ramekin so I got some fancy new ramekins with a different shape and I really like them. I don't mind have two different kinds of ramekins at the moment, but I imagine after we get the other sets of matching glasses we will get rid of our old Target glasses. I'm hoping we get them (and all the other things I registered for!) as wedding gifts later this year.

And the last, but certainly not the least important home improvement item checked off the list is the dining room chandelier. Here is a photo of it before:

Yes we have lived with this thing for a whole year. I don't mind the brass but combined with the fake oak reminded me of my grandparents trailer in Michigan..... aka not our style. We rent so we could not / didn't want to invest in the installation of a new chandelier. Instead, I managed to take some of the clunky parts off of the existing one, added fluorescent light bulbs (to save energy and so they would not get too hot), and Steve and I somehow squeezed this huge, $7 paper lantern over the entire thing. Now I feel as though we have the moon floating above our dinner conversation every night. How enchanting...

Paczki Day

2009-02-25T16:42:00.003-06:00

Paczki Day has come and gone. I had two! They were so yummy. Thank you to Maura in the office down the hall for bringing them in. Then I decided to do research on the calorie content..... according to this article they contain anywhere from 300 to 450 calories AND 22 to 27 grams of fat. And you would have to jog for a whole hour in order to neutralize that ball of yummy goodness. But they are well worth it, my friend. In my opinion they beat the socks off any old krispy kreme. Not a big fan of krispy kreme. Too sugary or something. I love how paczki's are so fluffy and yeasty..... mmmmm.

I found a recipe and I think I may try to make some next year.

Snow

2009-02-14T08:14:00.001-06:00

I woke up this morning in Chicago, to a fresh dusting of snow on the ground. The bitter cold temperatures and the layers of ice we endure in the midwest can drive me nuts, but I'm always in the mood for snow. Afterall, I do consider myself 75% Michigander and 25% Buckeye. I know some parts of Michigan are vacation destinations for Lincoln-Park-ers to go play rustic tourist. I'm not saying I don't like tourists or tourism, it's good for business and jobs! For me it's different - it's HOME. Today I'm leaving on a solo road trip to the home lands.

I am in love with the most recent ad campaign for Pure Michigan (michigan.org) that I've been hearing on the radio. I guess there are some on tv, but since I don't watch much tv I haven't seen any of those. The music and the man's voice and his words, like poetry, all tug at my heart strings, bringing back memories of my snow covered yard at my Dad's house on Lawrence Rd..... I know that sounds dumb, but that's what the ads are trying to do right?

Here's one called "Snow Days" made for televsion:
Remember Snow Days?
When the schools were closed
and the day was wide open.
The first step into fresh powder
was like stepping into a new world:
the crunch of the snow as it packed under our boots,
the drip of icicles melting in the sun.
So pull the hat down a little lower, and make sure
there's a cup of hot cocoa waiting.
Because this winter,
every day is Snow Day
in Pure Michigan.

This one makes makes me tear up every time I hear it on the radio:
Snow can keep us in
or snow can call us out.
Snow makes us shovel,
but snow can make us wonder again.
Snow will melt off our boots,
but the snowmen our kids make
will melt our hearts.
Snow makes everything new again,
falling across millions of acres of forests
blanketing more than 3,000 miles
of cross country ski trails
and waiting patiently at more than 40 downhil ski areas and resorts
Sure, snow is cold
but it stirs up amazing memories:
of snowball fights
of sledding with our friends
of waking up to a fresh canvas
and doing it all over again.
Snow can do so many things,
and right now it's rolling out the white carpet.
Come play in the snow
of Pure Michigan.

(I could do without the ski resort part, personally.) If you haven't heard the advertisements yourself, click here and play "Snow Days - TV" and "Snow - Radio". Oh and make sure you have some tissues handy... okay so I'm a sap.

Birthday Report

2009-02-09T21:28:00.002-06:00

This weekend we celebrated Steve's birthday!!! We had some buddies over, played video games, and ordered Candlelite pizza... had some beers, broke out the Stevie Nicks vinyl... and I made the chocolate peanut butter cake again. This time the cake was a little bit different. First of all, I made the mistake of buying expensive, organic powdered sugar. The back of the bag says "We add a bit of cornstarch to discourage clumping." And what was the bag full of???? CLUMPS! Rock hard clumps of powdered sugar that did not break up in the mixer. It was okay though. You couldn't tell by looking at the cake. For the top glaze, I used Dark Chocolate Chips. I'm not sure if I didn't heat it enough or if it's because I used Dark instead of Semi-sweet because it was more ganachey than glazey. But it ended up being REALLY GOOD. I think I liked it better than with the semi sweet glaze. I wish I had a photo of the cake... but I don't think anyone took one. It's in our bellies now :)

I gave Steve some movies AND I finished his sweater!! You know the one I started over a year ago??? Well it's DONE and it fits him perfectly and he loves it. I'm so proud. I made him model it a million times on Saturday. There are no photos perfectly showcasing the cardigan but it makes an appearance in some of these. I will post some better ones in a future blog entry, which will be entitled "Knitting Report".

The weather on Saturday was so nice, I bet it was probably the best weather anyone with a February birthday could hope for. It almost got up to 60 F. We've had a warm streak these past few days and I am NOT complaining!!!! I'm trying to convince Steve that we should ride our bikes to work tomorrow...

found a cake photo... "Happy Birthday, Steve!"

Holiday Report

2009-02-06T19:18:00.004-06:00

Bless me blog for I have sinned. It has been 37 days since my last posting.....

ok so it's been a while, right? Many of you know that is not like me, so it seems I have a bit of catching up to do.

First on the list is the Holiday Report!

Our holidays were lovely. You saw our very fake tree... well we liked it so much we didn't take it down till... um... this is kind of embarrassing..... Jan 26th! Yes, a whole month after Christmas Day. I wasn't ready to get rid of it right after Christmas or even New Years because we didn't put it up till Dec 12th. Plus, you know, we were busy. Hence the lack of blog posts.

Elvis and Monkey after little kitty fight on Christmas Day... siblings...

Anyway, we both had lots of time off work. We stayed at home by ourselves on the 24th and 25th. Exchanged gifts. Ate LOTS of food. Watched Movies. It was a White Christmas in Chicago. On the 26th we drove to Columbus, OH to have a gathering with the Nyktas's. There was about 2 feet of snow here, but the day we left it began to warm up. All down 65 South there was lots of post-holiday traffic and fog. At some points the visibility was only 1/16th of a mile! The drive took a bit longer than expected, but it was an adventure.

Visiting with Steve's family was great, as usual. The temperature there rose to almost 70 F that day begging us to go outside, follow the kids as they rode their bikes up and down the street, and play some catch and monkey-in-the-middle in the yard. They guys worked on Louis's car and most of the ladies stayed inside with the babies. All of our fun and games came to a grinding halt when it was discovered that Otis, the family black lab, had somehow found and devoured the pumpkin pies that I had brought for dessert.... And you probably already know that my pumpkin pies are not from a can. Some tears were shed and twenty minutes later everything was fine. It really was no one's fault and obviously Otis could not help himself. (I still love him.) We enjoyed some lamb that George cooked on the grill and we had plenty of sweets made by Lynn, so we were not deprived of our holiday sugar.

Isaias, 7 mos

Drew, Lydia, & Eric, 8 mos

Vee with Yiayia Helen

the whole Nyktas clan

warm enough for Carly & Vee to ride bikes

Otis

my favorite photo of Miss Carly

The rest of the trip was all fun 'n' games in Cincinnati seeing the rest of Steve's family and our friends Forest, Ann, and their two kids. Usually we do a weekend in MI and a weekend in Cinci, trying to cram everyone into a day or too. This was a much more low key, slower paced, several days with some time to relax in between. In 2009 we will do Thanksgiving with members of the Nyktas family, and Christmas in Michigan.

George is swimming in grandchildren. Here he is with Emma.

self portrait with my sweet fiance

Also worthy of mentioning: Just a week before Christmas my little sister turned 21! I took a snowy train to South Bend to have a lovely dinner with her and my mom at the Studebaker Mansion, now called Tippecanoe Place. The mansion is absolutely GORGEOUS! and so is my sister.

Catherine, my "shyvester"

Happy New Year and New Ottoman!

2009-01-01T21:39:00.006-06:00

Happy New Year everyone! I did not manage to stay up past midnight CST, however, I did watch the ball drop in NY on tv. Instead I was more focused on reupholstering our beloved ottoman. It is something we use everyday to put our feet up while we're sitting on the couch. It came from Steve's grandma and was originally a sea foamy green velvety material. The cats have gotten some good scratches out of that thing, though they were not encouraged to do so. (Click on the photo to see more.) It was time for a change.

Steve has been eyeballing some leather ottomans from Crate & Barrel for some time now. So I decided to go with some nice looking vinyl and that I found at Vogue Fabrics about a week or two ago. It is an espresso color with cocoa colored areas between the "scales".

I had expected this project to take a while, but I was armed with a staple gun and finished it within a couple of hours. I did use an upholstery needle to stitch the corner edges where the fabric overlaps. I might need to put a few more staples in as time goes by. I also removed the skirt around the bottom to make it look cleaner and more modern. This really feels like a new piece of furniture!!!

Hopefully the cats will not destroy it, but so far they have not shown any interest in it. I also started spraying it with Feliway every now and then to discourage them from marking it with their claws.

Before & After

And after all that I fell asleep watching Elf. We didn't even pop open our bottle of champagne.... oh well. I'm not a big New Years Eve person. I think I had trouble staying up last year, too. It's better to go to bed and then wake up early to start the year off fresh.

Tomorrow, my vacation ends. But then I still have the weekend!

Christmas Trees

2008-12-25T11:50:00.004-06:00

There was a bit of a discussion about what kind of tree to get this year. Last year's tree was nice and pretty when we bought it, but seemed to dry out too fast in our desert-like apartment. Every time I looked in the direction of the tree some needles would fall off of it. The cats were walking around with piles of needles on their backs from too many trips to the Christmas-Tree-Tea Oasis. By Christmas Eve we were looking at a stick with some ornaments on it.

I tried to do some research on what kind of conifer would do best in conditions similar to that of the Sahara with gray skies. I was also going for a specific shape. I really wanted a vintage style shrubby, scrubby, pear shaped tree. I found two helpful articles about what species are traditionally used for christmas trees: one on about.com and another on wikipedia.

Abies fraseri seems to be the most popular. I also considered Pinus sylvestris.

Other species include:
Abies balsamea
Abies concolor
Pinus strobus
Picea glauca
Picea pungens
Juniperus virginiana
and trees of the Pseudotsuga genus.

After much consideration, I decided on a specimen of the name Ebai searseventia (common name: 1970's Sears tree from Ebay). I love it! It will not dry out or drop needles, and if I'm going to go fake I want it to look really fake and kitschy. So I got what I wanted. At first Steve was really reluctant. He said that my tree looked like a broomstick with pipe cleaners. But after we put all of the decorations and lights on, it all turned out okay. Plus, it cost less than a nice, real tree purchased in Chicago would. Also I'm not sure how GREEN the act of using a real tree is... I guess if you recycle it, it's okay... but it seems like a big waste of energy. I wonder if there are fake trees made out of sustainable materials. Anyhow, I feel good about reusing this tree that someone purchased a long time ago.

Monkey & Elvis seem to approve, though they aren't getting their annual dose of tree-tea.

Mysterious Drunk Texting

2008-12-15T18:28:00.007-06:00

My mom likes to keep in touch with me via text messaging . It's a nice way for us to send little notes to each other whenever. For instance she will send me an "xoxo" every so often. Then other times, like New Years Eve, I will get the random "funky co medina".

Last night I was having some drinks with some friends and it was pretty late... about 11pm our time, which is midnight in Michigan, and my mom is not one who likes to stay up into the wee hours of the morning, especially on a work night. So I was surprised to receive an unsolicited text from her and this is how our conversation went:

Mom: ha ha ha ho ho ho!

Sarah: Lol r u drunk? (in fact *I* was the drunk one)

M: Are you? YOU'RE up late

S: No U are up late! And yes we're having drinks.

M: We were sleeping. the santa suit is cute. i'll look for it on your blog later. (now i'm really confused. i have no clue what "santa suit" she's referring to.)

S: what santa cute? (at this point i'm slurring my txt mssgs...)

A couple of minutes later I receive this picture text from an unknown number (see below). Turns out this was from my uncle's girlfriend and when my mom received it, half asleep, she thought it was Monkey dressed in a santa suit.

I mean, I can see how she could mistake this cat for Monkey... I guess... but if I ever tried to put any kind of suit on Monkey, I think would have to suffer the wrath of her claws. And boy do they hurt. Just ask Elvis.

Sesame Street

2008-12-11T06:50:00.004-06:00

As a youngster in the early 80's I was a big fan of Sesame Street (and I will admit that I watched it pretty much the entire decade because my sister was born in '87 and it was always on tv.) My family has several favorite cartoons that we STILL talk about. So I was happy to see that my friend Sally sent me a Sesame Street clip on youtube yesterday. I don't remember this one but it's very sweet, and I guess it reminded her of me - the greenhouse girl :)

Now here are some of my ALL TIME FAVES!!!! enjoy!

Plants Need Water, Man

Loaf of Bread

Ladybug's Picnic

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 pinball machine

Ten Turtles

No Cookies in the Library

I will admit, sometimes we DO have cookies in the library but we do not share them with patrons :)

Monkey Update

2008-12-10T06:39:00.006-06:00

Many of you are aware of what's been going on with Monkey lately. She has been having a upset stomach and has started licking off all of her fur on the back end. From the front she appears to be normal, but on the other side, it looks like she is not wearing pants. She used to have the softest, fluffiest butt in all the land, with these cute little brown speckles on her hips.... so sad to see her in this state.

We have seen the vet several times for this in the past 6 months. A couple of months ago when we went in for a visit, Steve had left the house before Monkey and I, and had accidentally taken the car key with him! And there was no way to get it back. So Monkey and I had to walk 2 miles to the vet's office. It was a lovely September day so the weather was not a problem - I was wondering how I was going to carry the hard, sturdy cat carrier all the way there.

At that point I was wishing I had one of these cat strollers. Even though I know it sounds CRAZY-cat-lady-like.... I still kind of want one.

Instead I had to put the carrier into one of those huge blue Ikea bags and try to peel part of it down so Monkey could see what was going on. I thought, "Oh well maybe this method of transportation will be easier on Monkey because she won't get motion sickness like she does in the car!" Boy was I wrong. She vomited twice and pooped once inside her cage before we made it there. I think it was just all the bouncing around from me walking... she probably felt like she was riding a camel! Maybe if i had the stroller it would be a smoother ride.

At that point Dr. Miller decided to try a hypoallergenic diet for Monkey. She and Elvis decided they liked the Venison, and we renamed their food "bambi cereal" (dry) and "bambi souffle" (wet). It was expen$$ive but we would do almost anything for Monkey. She is our princess. We were very strict with her diet and she did not receive treats or table scraps for two months.

Recently we visited Dr. Miller again for an assessment because there wasn't much improvement in Monkey's condition. This time Monkey made it all the way to just outside the clinic where we were looking for a parking spot before her bowels let loose. Then she vomited. But they are SOO nice there they cleaned out our carrier, threw out our towel (yet another old towel lost to a vet visit... soon we will be out of them!) and put a disposal pet pad in there. The Dr checked again for fleas and for any other evidence of a skin condition. And she decided that a food allergy wasn't causing all of these symptoms. Which means we can go back to our lamb cereal by Solid Gold (much cheaper!) and Monkey can have treats!!! She was so happy to have treats when we got home.

Our next strategy is to do some blood work to see if there are any underlying problems (like diabetes, etc) and we should get those results back on Thursday. If that comes back fine, then Monkey probably has some irritated, inflamed bowels and that may be why she is licking the fur off of that area of her body. So we will try some steriods to get that under control. And hopefully that will take care of it! I hope so because this has been going on for about 9 months... poor Monkey. :(

By the way I highly recommend our veterinary clinic Uptown Animal Hospital!!! They are located in Andersonville. Their office is very clean and inviting. The staff is so friendly and I truly feel that they care about the furry members of our family. Dr. Miller is the best :) Plus she is an Albion alumn.

And I'm still looking for a way to take the cats out in some sort of stroller. I'm thinking a double decker cart would be ideal but I haven't found one that will fit the cat carriers. Any idears???

Thanksgiving with the Family

2008-12-07T06:45:00.004-06:00

We spent this years Thanksgiving in Michigan at my mom's house. She likes to make this recipe for cranberry salad that my Granny (my dad's mom) always makes. You grind up cranberries, and few apples and oranges (one with the peel on) and then add a little sugar. Voila! However, there has been some controversy over how to process these ingredients. Granny always used a hand grinder and my mom prefers to use a Cuisinart. Granny says that the food processor chops everything too fine, and cuts open the seeds of the cranberries giving the salad a slightly bitter taste.

So we conducted an experiment! My mom found an old grinder in the basement and my sister and I made Granny's version while my mom made her version. We used exactly the same amounts of everything. It wasn't hard to tell which was which based on texture because the grinder version was much coarser. But we tried our hardest to do a blind taste test. The consensus seemed to be that the processor version WAS slightly more bitter but Mom said she still liked it the best anyway :)

I actually enjoyed using the hand grinder. It wasn't as laborious a chore as I had originally thought it would be.

I also made pumpkin pies from scratch. But I need to start foiling the edges of my crust so they don't get too brown. Lynn makes the best pie crust. She brought cranberry pie and apple pie. I need to get that recipe from her. I WILL make more pumpkin pies at christmas, even if it's just for Steve and I to enjoy. They really don't have much sugar in them. And I'm sure they are healthy for you. Especially since I don't use canned - no preservatives!! One little sugar pumpkin from Whole Foods was all it took. I think I may even skip the crust and just bake the filling in ramekins - lower carbs and less fat.

Steve and Lynn

On Friday we joined my dad and Cheryl at the UT Rockets game for some tailgating and cooking of wild animals. I ate something that was called "roadkill stew". It was sort of like chili with venison, moose, elk and the like. Very yummy. Also had my dad's famous duck wrapped in bacon. YUM! I'm not a huge football fan but there is something about sitting outside in the cold bleachers, snuggling under blankets, and drinking hot cocoa. Not to mention the marching bands! I LOVE marching bands!!!! And BGSU's band was fabulous.

Dad, me, Steve, & Cat at the football game

Afterward we used my sister's car (because we had taken the train to Michigan) to go visit my Granny and my Aunt Linette. My sister has a rickety old '97 Neon that I was afraid was just going to fall apart on the ride from the train station. You know that scene in Planes, Trains, & Automobiles when the car falls apart? This is what I'm imagining in my head. Lo and behold, the breaks were pretty much completely out at the time we decided to borrow the vehicle. So we were driving around 475 in Toledo with practically NO BREAKS. You push the pedal down and nothing happens.

Luckily my mom and Ed met us at Auntie's house and Ed knew exactly what was going on. So he drove the car back to my mom's for us and fixed it up the next day :) He's too nice. Hopefully the Neon won't just explode GTA style without warning, but I have my doubts.

Slinky Cat

2008-11-27T07:31:00.003-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Last night we made the journey from Chicago to my mom's countryside home in rural Michigan. A frosty layer of snow has coated the grass and the porch and we are cozy inside. Mom and Ed are preparing the bird! And Steve's mom is on her way up. Soon they will meet.... it should go well. I'm so thankful to have a great future mother-in-law. My mom is really excited to meet her.

I brought some bridesmaid dresses for Catherine to try on and she liked one of them! But that will remain a secret to all except the parties involved.

And now for a video of a silly slinky cat who looks just like Elvis! Thanks to Little Grey Bungalow for bringing this to my attention. Elvis is also one who loves to slide around on his side and back... he's very creative.

Prayers for my Dad and his Best Friend, Dave

2008-11-22T12:27:00.009-06:00

Hi Everyone. Some of you may already know this, but I just wanted to send out an email to all of you so you are informed and updated. *Scroll to the bottom of this entry for the latest updates.

On Wednesday my dad was involved in a hunting accident. Everyone is alive, but my dad's best friend Dave was badly injured. My dad's gun discharged while he was not touching it, hitting Dave in the thigh while they were duck hunting on a small lake in Michigan. It is hard to comprehend this accident happening to someone like my dad who has hunted his entire life and takes ALL precautions in hunting situations. My dad was able to call 911 and get him to the campground on the other side of the lake so the ambulance could take him to a helicopter, which then transported him to St Vincent's in Toledo. If you have any questions please contact me or my sister.

Please keep Dave and my dad (Bruce) in your thoughts and prayers. Let's hope that Dave can make a speedy recovery. Also, my dad is very upset and is having a hard time dealing with this, as you can imagine. Hunting is an important part of his life and I hope it will still be that way. Here is a photo I found of my dad and Catherine with their ducks and Rosie, their helper. I could not find a photo of Dave, but I will see if Catherine can find one at home.

*UPDATE 11-21-08 After another surgery it looks like they will have to amputate. There are many family and friends at the hospital spending time with Dave. I think everyone is just thankful that he is alive. Please keep the prayers coming.

*UPDATE 11-24-08 9:34am
Dave is going into surgery right now and they are going to take the leg. Not sure how long it will take.

*UPDATE 11-24-08 3:51pm
Dave's surgery went well this morning and the doctors didn't have to remove as much as they anticipated, which may allow him to have a prosthetic. Let's hope everything goes up from here.

*UPDATE 11-25-08 6:26pm
Our prayers and good thoughts are working! I spoke with my dad this evening and he said Dave is doing great. "Almost 100% better than yesterday", he said. The meds are making him feel a little ill so he hasn't been able to eat much yet, but he's started doing some physical activities.

Weekend Chat

2008-11-16T21:27:00.003-06:00

Let's talk about weekends.

When I was a kid it seemed like weekends were a time for staying home and helping Mom and Dad do chores around the house or in the yard, but with an ample amount of time for watching tv, playing with Barbie (or whatever it was at the time), sleeping in late, and eating lots of home cooked food.

Well I don't know what has gotten into me now that I am adult, but it seems like there have been major things going on every weekend. For a while there, we were having a little too much active-exhausting-fun time and not enough down time. Our friends asked us to come over for dinner and we had to schedule for a whole month later!!! And Hotel de la Ellis Nyktas was in full swing (they have great rates), but is now closed for renovations.

In September we took two trips: one to Cincinnati for Labor Day weekend, and one to Kentucky for a wedding, however I took a detour to Michigan for one night. Two weeks later we had family visiting.

Two weeks after THAT George and Mary drove into Chicago for a conference and they let us use their Subaru (b/c ours is old) the next day to drive Steve's art work all the way to freakin' Baltimore. And then drove back to Chicago the following day. (See photo above) Boy was that an adventure. George and Mary stayed with us for two more days and a mere twelve hours later we were visiting with Bryce and Christy who needed a place to stay in between trips.

These November weekends have been reclaimed by the original concept of the weekend and are devoted to lazing around the apartment, as well as being productive at home, and hanging out with local pals. Such as Myles and Jennifer! Myles is the first baby I've seen wearing one of the sweaters I've made! We walked around and went to the park and then we all went out for Indian food.

Myles Conrad wearing the BSJ in Noro. AND a hat knitted by his mom, Jennifer!

When Steve flew back to Baltimore for his show opening I stayed here and got some major cleaning and knitting done. (p.s. i really need to talk about my knitting, but I haven't been able to because everything I'm working on right now is a SURPRISE!!!) I've had the chance to catch up on some shut-eye, which I desperately needed. I started recycling, woot woot! Got some wedding stuff organized. And yesterday I went shopping by myself for my bridesmaids dresses to see what I liked.... I just hope my girls like what I've picked out....

Additionally, we've clocked in a decent number of tv hours. We recently started watching Lost and Pushing Daisies, and are getting up to speed with Dexter. Oh and MAD MEN! That show is great. Steve is into 24 and Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles, but I just "watch" them because it's good knitting time for me. I love the knit sightings in Pushing Daisies... both in the cute sweaters that the lead female wears as well as the detective's act of knitting as a hobby. Love it!

I can't believe the holidays are creeping up so quickly.

Join the Impact

2008-11-14T18:48:00.001-06:00

This blog is definitely a journal of sorts, and a way that I have been sharing my life with my friends and family who are hundreds of miles away from me. I have tried to keep this blog in neutral territory but there are certain issues that are important to me, so I feel they must be discussed, especially at this moment in time. Please keep reading...

Last week several states voted YES on a banning gay marriage - otherwise known as Prop 8 or Proposition Hate. I feel that this choice to eliminate the rights of many American citizens is a severe regression for our country. And it was a choice many people made based on fear and a lack of knowledge.

Now I was raised in the Catholic Church where we were taught that being gay was wrong and a pretty serious sin. I even had several friends in high school who were gay and lesbian, and even though I thought they were "wrong" I maintained close friendships with them. And let me tell you, Hudson, MI (population 2,500) is not as easy place to be openly homosexual. My feelings were not based on fear, I just believed everything the Catholic church had told me. But then my perception began to change and I saw this issue from a more logical point of view.

I don't care what the Bible says - it says A LOT of things that can be interpreted A LOT of different ways. Two people loving each other and making a commitment to each other cannot be wrong. Love is never wrong. Not one thing is hurt by this love. In fact it's quite the opposite. No one can explain exactly WHY they love someone. It's just something that you feel is natural. Every person should be able to experience that feeling. And build their lives around it. And nourish themselves and each other.

I am getting married next fall, and while I'm happy and excited for Steve and I to be make this commitment in front of our family and friends, and to be a legally married to one another (instead of playing house like we have been for the past 4 years) I'm heartbroken to think that other people are being denied the same right. I hope that some day soon, everyone will be free to love the way that they chose to be loved. And you can help our country and the world achieve this TOMORROW! There are many rallies going on around the US, just go here to find out how and where you can participate.

This man's story is just ONE reason why gay marriage should not be banned. Read here. (you'll need tissues for this one)

Here is another story of a straight man standing up for equal marriage rights that I was really touched by. (it's a podcast)

Gluten Free Pizza Crust

2008-11-06T08:16:00.000-06:00

Camille came to visit me last night!! It's always nice when she breezes through town and makes time to visit with me.

I made pizza for dinner (no photos available) using a crust mix that I picked up at Whole Foods - 365 Gluten Free Pizza Crust. I know a lot of people are gluten free and Camille is one of them.

Okay so this mix includes a packet of yeast. And there are instructions on the back... you also have to use additional ingredients such as eggs, water, cider vinegar, olive oil, sugar and salt. Sounds like a lot... and maybe it would be cheaper in the future to buy the flour or whatever is in the mix and yeast separately and make it yourself.

Anyway, when I was following the directions it was really weird. It told me to beat the eggs and then add the mix gradually. Well there was a lot of the dry mix to only a little bit of eggs... so it ended up being really crumbly and pieces were flying out of the bowl when I was using the mixer. So I switched to a whisk and just tried to mix it as best I could. Then you add the other ingredients and after I added the water it was more like dough, but not exactly like dough. I was scared that it was not going to end up right. But it did! It was really good. I usually like thin crust pizza but this was really thick and spongey like bread and soooo yummy!!! Topped it with sauce, zucchini, yellow pepper, kalamata olives and mozzerella. MMMMMmmmm.....

Best served with a bottle of wine and conversation with an old friend. Enjoy!

This Day

2008-11-05T11:44:00.004-06:00

Lots of things going on today! First off, I went to the dentist for the first time in 4 years and my teeth feel amazing. Secondly, the weather is absolutely beautiful. It is pleasantly warm and the colorful leaves dangle from the tree limbs to fall on the ground and dance around in the breeze.

Next noteworthy item: it's my one year anniversary of starting my job at NU!!! woot woot! I love it. Many things have happened since I started working here. I am happily enjoying the financial freedom that comes with being paid a livable wage. I have paid vacation days. And best of all - affordable healthcare!!! Also, Steve and I were able to become engaged and start planning our wedding.

On top of all of these wonderful things, Barack Obama is our president elect. The American people have spoken and I have never been more proud of any other decision we have made than this one. I truly trust him with all my heart to lead this country into peace and prosperity. I feel that he is more like the average American than any other politician in Washington and I have faith that he will always be thoughtful in his decision making and honest with us as citizens of this amazing country. I am so hopeful today.

Why Cats Don't Like Election Day

2008-11-04T09:07:00.004-06:00

These cats have seen rough times. The economy has hit them hard - in ways neither you nor I could ever imagine. Just look at their faces. They are ready for CHANGE. And they want it NOW.

However, they are yet to be impressed with Election Day. Because Election Day means Mom is too busy with baking cakes and voting to remember to give them their breakfast.

Mmmm.... cake....

2008-11-04T08:26:00.002-06:00

Who wouldn't want to wake up in the morning and see this in their fridge???!! Looks like the cake fairy was here last night :)

Here's the recipe.

Halloween memories

2008-10-31T15:49:00.003-06:00

My bike ride home from work today was perfect. It is so comfortable and warm outside. The best weather for trick-or-treaters, of whom I saw many along my way through Evanston and Rogers Park. (Even a black lab dressed in a larva costume.) It reminded me of Halloweens past and I tried to remember everything I had been dressed up as throughout the years.

My mom always made it fun for us, but I do remember a couple of times when she made me wear my coat OVER my costume... thanks mom. I also remember when I refused to go to preschool because I was terrified of my 3 year old vampire classmate. I mean, wouldn't you be, too? I love the creativity and drama that goes along with Halloween, but I've always been too jumpy for any of that really scary stuff (i.e. Haunted Houses and the like, unless I'm participating in them, which we DID at Dean Hall!)

This flower costume is a memorable one that my mom made for me. Another time she constructed a fairy godmother outfit from a thrifted prom dress. She managed to add many layers to that get-up, so I wouldn't get cold. And then there was the time my sister and I were bunnies with my friend Lindsay. See? Bunnies, flowers, and fairy god mothers.... not much horror or blood involved.

One of the best costumes (that I hated at the time, but I love now) is when I was dressed as a skunk at the age of 3! The only way my mom could get me to wear it was to tell me that it was a black cat costume. She tried to pull the old Pepe Le Pew on me but I soon figured her out and realized that I was actually masquerading as a furry little stink bomb!

I think my favorite collegiate Halloween memory is the time Crystal and I were (sexy) Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. We were cute as buttons. College Halloween is just an excuse to wear skanky outfits, of course.

But since then Steve and I haven't really been into celebrating October 31st very much. Either we're too busy or it's on a work day.... Plus Steve has this thing where he doesn't want to plan for a costume, which means he's either pulling something together last minute and complaining about how it isn't very good, or we don't do it at all. However, I have been to the Halsted parade a couple of years ago and it was amazing. I highly recommend it if you are in Chicago. Another year, we ended up driving our friend in labor to the hospital so she could have her baby. In 2007 I stitched with my stitch-n-bitch bitches. And this year we are completely pooped out from many things happening over the past two weeks (art shows, guests, etc). But hey - I carved a pumpkin! All the appetite I could muster up for Halloween has been sated.

I'll leave you with our official Halloween photo from 2004, the last time we wore costumes. Now I'm going to light my Obamampkin and relax with some Bourbon.

p.s we were dead people with our dead cat (see Monkey?)

Obamampkin

2008-10-30T22:08:00.003-06:00

Steve and I have been insanely busy over the past week with trips and visitors and going out, so tonight I decided I needed to have a little fun.

Bryce and Christy have been staying with us this week and being the best house guests ever, they bought us wine and bread to go with our crock-pot-pea-soup dinner AND a little chocolate cake. Afterall it IS halloween, which is a time for sweets, black cats, and pumpkins.

After dinner I threw on some John Denver vinyl and began carving away at my orange masterpiece, which took me several hours and I am very proud of!

Monkey helped, of course, by sniffing the pumpkin out and licking the bits that fell on the floor. She also critiqued my work as I went along.

It was fun to use printmaking tools again, to carve the relief part. And then TA DA!!! A little something I like to call Obamampkin!!! The best pumpkin for the job. Elvis approved from the windowsill.

Vote for Elvis!

2008-10-29T20:08:00.004-06:00

I'm not talking about the election - I'm talking about icanhascheezburger.com!!!! Elvis is officially a Lolz cat but to make it more official if you give him more votes, there is a possibility he will make it to the home page.

So please click on this photo and vote for Elvis! 5 cheezburgers pleez!

moar funny pictures

nit-twit

2008-10-24T18:45:00.000-05:00

okay so i'm twittering.... whooooaaaa!

155 Devon to Kedzie

2008-10-24T06:20:00.003-05:00

Announcing my new blog! 155 Devon to Kedzie

When I moved to Chicago 3 years ago, I really fell in love with this part of the city. First I lived in Rogers Park near Loyola University and the lake. That was a really great location to be in. Then we moved inland a mile or so and ended up on Devon, a little pocket overlapping Rogers Park, West Rogers Park, Edgewater, and West Ridge. This area is so vibrant and full of activity, yet it is adjacent to a peaceful park where families and children gather for activities that also includes a golf course, ice skating rink, sledding hill, and many areas designed for specific sports. So many different kinds of restaurants and tiny shops to find. People will actually travel in from the suburbs for the food. I wouldn't trade this place for the world.

I really enjoy walking around and taking photographs of things. It's a very fun and creative activity. So I decided to start a photo diary. And that was the inspiration for my new blog. Check it out. My goal is to post a new photo every day. No text just photos.

155 Devon to Kedzie is the name of the bus route that travels along Devon Ave.

GO SEE Kita y Fernanda!

2008-10-23T07:19:00.001-05:00

Only 4 performances left, folks!!!

Thurs (tonight!) @ 7:30pm
Fri @ 7:30pm
Sat @ 5pm & 8pm

16th St Theater in the Berwyn Cultural Center

Kita y Fernanda will blow you away with excellent performances by four talented female actors and content from playwright Tanya Saracho that touches on such complex subjects as race, language barriers, immigration, and socio-economic status. You will weep and laugh many times all within a matter of 90 minutes, as you watch the performance in an intimate 49 seat theatre. The play is in English and Spanish and follows the lives of two young Mexican girls living in the United States - one a legal immigrant and one undocumented. If you do not understand Spanish it is just as powerful (if not more-so) so don't let that stop you.

GO SEE THIS NOW!

Best of all, my very good friend Stephanie Diaz performs in this ensemble. She was recently interviewed for Chicago Magazine as one of the city's hottest actors! Also here is a little sound bite from her interview.

Butternut Soup

2008-10-20T07:24:00.004-05:00

It's that squash time of year again. And this weekend I made a butt load of butternut soup. Yum! Maybe this is weird, but the first time I had butternut soup was in South Africa. It's a very popular dish there.

This is one of my favorite things to eat but it is A LOT of work to make. Mostly because the squash is so hard to chop up. Then there is the peeling that is involved. And I'm such a kitchen nazi that when peels or seeds fall onto my freshly mopped floor I freak out. So I'm very careful as I'm doing this, and it's possible that it takes me longer than the average person.

My recipe involves LOTS of butternut squash peeled and chopped into cubes (for this batch I used one large and one small), chopped white onion, minced garlic, and some peeled and cut up Michigan apples (not sure what kind, ha ha). I sautee the onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil. Add the apple, salt n pepper, cayenne, and some white wine. Then put in the squash and let it simmer with the wine and spice for a few mins. Add enough water to cover and bring that to a boil, letting it simmer for 20 minutes or so. Let it cool for a bit. Then BLEND!

Martha Stewart recommends blending with the top of the lid off, using a towel to cover the hole and let out steam as you blend. You may need to add additional salt n pepper to taste. It's also really yummy if you can top it with sour cream and chives, parsley, or cilantro. OR you could make some spicy croutons to top it off. MMmmmmm! It will warm your heart and soul. And it's vegetarian freindly, too.

I've also seen recipes that use ginger, orange juice, and/or cream, or chicken stock. It just depends on how you like it.

October 26th panties

2008-10-19T11:06:00.000-05:00

A couple of days ago I received a package in the mail. It was from my mom and inside the box were these.

You're thinking, what the -

October 26th is not my birthday, or my wedding date, or any kind of significant date at all. (If you are reading this and you don't know when my birthday is here is a hint: I share it with Quentin Tarantino, Jennifer Grey, and Sarah Vaughan.)

Okay so there is a story behind this, I promise.

When my sister, Catherine, was in kindergarten she had a set of panties that had each day of the week printed on them. And she wore the appropriate pair for each day. Every night she would set out her clothes for the next morning, and ask my mother, "What day is tomorrow?" One night my mother was out with some friends and my father was responsible for getting us ready for bed. He was sitting in the living room watching television, when Catherine came up to him asking, "Dad, what day is tomorrow?" "Well, it's October 26th," he replied, not thinking about why she would want to know. She happily skipped off to her room to prepare for October 26th. About 15 minutes later, my father walked past my sister's bedroom door to find her sitting on her floor, crying. "What's the matter, honey?" he inquired. "I don't have October 26th panties," she sobbed.

So that is how the October 26th panties joke came to be.

Playing Tag

2008-10-18T13:07:00.003-05:00

I've been tagged by robertianish with the following rules:

1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog - some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.

4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

5. If you don’t have 7 blog friends, or if someone else already took dibs, then tag some unsuspecting strangers.

THE FACTS:

1. My favorite snack of all time is graham crackers with peanut butter in between dipped in milk. I think I love peanut butter even more than chocolate! I keep a jar of it at work and I literally have to replace it about every 2 weeks.

2. I'm getting married in 343 days!

3. Knitting is my number one obsession and I take my yarn and needles with me everywhere.

4. I have to have white noise when I sleep.

5. I am deathly afraid of spiders, ghosts, and getting shocked by metal doorknobs in winter time.

6. I love television shows about true murder stories. like 48 hours mystery :)

7. My biggest pet peeves are jetskis and snowmobiles. I just hate the idea that someone would frivolously waste all of that energy and pollute the water (or snow) for a thrill! Anytime I think of a jetski or a snowmobile I picture a jerk riding it. ha ha LOL

Now, 7 Bloggers Tagged:

1. josh & annie

2. Borderline Barbie Barb, i think you tagged me a long time ago and I never did it!

3. Layers Deep

4. the barbeque

5. Military Meanderings

6. The Wilson's World

7. The Aussome 7

backpack

2008-10-17T13:16:00.002-05:00

I found a backpack on my dining room floor this morning. Just your average, everyday backpack... maybe about 15 lbs heavier than normal. Does this belong to anyone?

Nyktas's in Chicago

2008-10-15T07:07:00.002-05:00

This past weekend we hosted Steve's brother and family in Chicago. The weather was absolutely perfect and unseasonably warm for October. But that was fine with me. It made toting the kids around a little bit easier for all of us.

We took them to Candlelite (my favorite pizza place), cooked bacon for breakfast, and went to the Garfield Park Conservatory. A large volume of peanut butter chocolate ice cream was consumed. I wish I could have treats like this on hand all of the time, but that would be dangerous, so I have to purchase them for special occasions only.

Vee had a great time taking a trip on the CTA train and there were plenty of cool things for the kids at the Conservatory. Best of all - it's free!!

Isaias and Vee beneath a canopy of flowers

We also witnessed (and documented) Zay's first time sitting up all by himself!

This was the first time they came to visit us in our home, and was the first time we've ever had children staying with us. It's really nice to be able to spend more time with the kids so that they will remember us the next time we visit them, and they will remember all of the nice things we did together. I also know that Steve cherishes the time he gets to spend with his brothers, plus I got to know my future sister-in-law more. On Saturday night Clara and I left the kids at home and went to see the new musical Dirty Dancing. We had a fabulous time.

The next day after everything was said and done, breakfast made, and guests out the door, Steve and I had some time to relax before starting the work week. We love our nephews but we definitely aren't used to having that level of patience or energy. Obviously we aren't ready for kids of our own yet.... someday....

However, I'm wondering if Clara was trying to curse me by leaving the baby bottle brush at our house. Don't worry. I've found that it makes a really good tool for cleaning the cat boxes! You can really scrub in the corners. :) just kidding.

'Tis Wonderfully Autumn

2008-10-09T12:15:00.006-05:00

This morning's bike ride to work was wonderful. It's the perfect autumn day. I love riding through the crisp, dew-filled air in the park with sun peeking from behind the green and yellow leaves on trees. It's like taking a bite out of a perfectly, firm apple in season. People were walking their dogs with their travel mugs of coffee. Moms were escorting their children to school. Others were out for their morning jog. I'm definitely a morning person.

In a few minutes, I'm going to knit outside and eat my lunch.

And soon, Tim and Clara and the boys will arrive for a fun-adventure-filled weekend. We are so excited but I'll admit I'm a bit nervous. We've never had children stay in our apartment before. NOTHING is baby or kid proof. Especially the cats. Monkey is terrified of miniature humans. Elvis is used to hanging out with his neighborhood kids, but even then I could tell he was getting annoyed from all of the attention. So we'll see how they do. I'm sure it won't be as hard for Monkey as the weekend that two dogs came to visit. I know that the humans will have a great time especially because on Saturday night Clara and I are going to see Dirty Dancing!!!!

*P.S. the aforementioned guests are a good excuse to purchase (and consume) chocolate milk, ice cream, and bacon :)

Last Weekend vs This Weekend

2008-10-06T12:51:00.004-05:00

I haven't blogged about last weekend or anything that happened this weekend yet, so here goes. Just a little example of how sleep deprived people post blog entries.

September 26 - 28
1. rental car
2. drove 207 miles
3. Dean Hall's 80th Anniversary dinner (Albion, MI)

4. drove 105 miles
5. spent the night at Granny's (Toledo, OH)
6. drove 285 miles
7. Zach and Jennifer's wedding (Lexington, KY)

8. the last hint of summer weather
9. time to catch up with old friends

10. fancy hors d'oeuvres
11. an excuse to wear fancy clothes

12. a live jazz trio
13. bourbon on ice
14. traveled 367 miles all the way home
15. asleep in my own bed at 8:30pm on Sunday (1,000 miles in one weekend can really wear you out)

October 3 - 5
1. television and couch potatoes
2. kitty snuggling
3. Yarn Con
4. crisp autumn afternoons
5. cleaning house
6. cat-sitting
7. laundry
8. Lacey Miller

9. large bowls of irish coffee
10. macaroni and cheese
11. knitting
12. more couch potato sessions

So why am I sleep deprived after this leisurely weekend? Because of #9! I had too much coffee yesterday and couldn't sleep!!!!!!!!

Weekend Knits

2008-10-03T07:04:00.002-05:00

I know it's been a long time since I've blogged about my knitting, but I've made concrete plans to do several knit-related things this weekend.

Tomorrow is Yarn Con! I didn't go last year. And actually I've been on a pretty strict low-fiber diet lately. My stash is so big that it's over growing it's allotted cabinet space. I'm planning on taking notes for projects that are coming up and ONLY buying yarn for those projects.

I also want to get there early so that way I might be able to snag one of Franklin's Guys with Yarn calendars!

I'm trying to drag Steve there with me, but I may end up going alone, which is fine. I feel like I can accomplish more on my own anyway. And after Yarn Con we may end up going for a motorcycle ride :) (It could be our last one, as we've pretty much decided we need to sell the motorcycle.)

On Sunday I will be picking up LL Miller from the airport! And we will knit all afternoon in my apartment. She will be passing through on her way to a conference. It should be rainy that day, which will help us get into mood. Some of the things I'm working on right now are secrets, so I cannot talk about them here. I didn't realize that people are actually reading this blog and I have spoiled a few presents in the past.

And now, for your enjoyment, here is a little ditty performed by Kay and Ann of Mason Dixon Knitting entitled Pardon Me (I Didn't Knit That For You). Thanks, LLM, for bringing this to my attention.

Let the countdown begin

2008-09-26T07:52:00.000-05:00

Today is our negative 1 year wedding anniversary!!! :)

Hot and Cold

2008-09-22T11:13:00.004-05:00

I'm blogging from the couch today with a hot toddy. I've been fighting this cold since last week. It seemed to trick me into thinking it was going away and then SIKE! or PSYCH! however you want to spell it. The first sign of students on campus and I'm already catching their diseases. But from what I hear, there's some sort of plague going around.

On Saturday I tried to enjoy my day with minimal stuffiness and headache. My mom was in town so we met her for breakfast in Oak Park. And then took her to see the conservatory where our wedding will be next year around this time. We also wanted to see what the weather could potentially be like and what the garden would look like this time of the year. It was so beautiful and natural with sort of an overgrown feeling, but not in a bad way at all. I loved it! And the indoor part of the venue was equally as lush and green. We also talked about some logistics of the event. I hope it's just like this next year on September 26th!

the Monet Garden

me and my mom

(click here for more photos of the wedding site!)

After that it was home for the normal weekend chores.

In the evening we tried a new restaurant on Devon with Julie and Rusty. Uru Swati, between Rockwell and Talman. It was really good. We had TONS of food, all vegetarian and it was only about $16 per person including tax and tip. The inside is really cute, with a handpainted city-scape lining the room. The samosas were delicious and so were the Malai Kofka??? I think that's what it's called. Some kind of dumplings. YUM! We were totally stuffed and had to roll ourselves home.

On Sunday I accompanied Steve to the Puma store, and the MCA, but soon fell ill due to over-exertion, most likely. It's too hard to stay home and rest with such beautiful weather outside.

Colds are JERKS! Time for naps.

White Peach

2008-09-20T08:10:00.003-05:00

Have you ever eaten a white peach?

I recently went to Whole Foods and grabbed a handful of peaches not realizing what kind they were. My new breakfast routine involves a smoothie before my bike ride to work, with fruit, plain non-fat yogurt, a splash of milk, and sometimes a tiny splash of vanilla. REAL vanilla. When I get to work I eat a hardboiled egg and a sprouted grain english muffin with natural peanut butter.

Anyway, I grabbed one of the peaches and cut it open, suprised to see the pale inner flesh of the fruit. I thought, "what is wrong with this peach?" so I looked at the label and realized that it was not your typical peach, and continued making my smoothie. IT WAS SO GOOD! These peaches are so sweet and the flavor is so smooth it should be called the Peaches-n-Cream-peach. Try it!

Labor Day Weekend 2008

2008-09-19T07:24:00.001-05:00

Yes it's fall and yes we celebrated Labor Day with a visit to the old Nyktas family.

In the grand scheme of things the Labor Day Weekend trip to Ohio seemed like an afterthought at first. I couldn't finish blogging about our trip to New Mexico before we went on another. But it turned out to be one of the best weekends we've had in a long time. And it made me really wish that we could be close enough to our families to see them more often.

We started to weekend off with Steve's 10 year High School Reunion on Saturday evening after the long drive down. George let us take the Z3 to the event..... I don't know why, he just likes it when we use his nice things. The though of attending your partner's high school reunion may sound frightening to some of you but I actually had a good time for the most part. Only a few boring parts. But I had already met three of his friends from that time in his life and I know them pretty well at this point. So it wasn't too bad.

The following day we had a gathering at George's house with all of the family members we never get to see. And some new ones we hadn't met before - Isaias and Emma. We also spent some time in Covington with Lynn, drinking pisco sours, the national beverage of Peru (just for fun.)

On Labor Day we decided that the drive up to Columbus was worth it to be able to see the triplets, so we did! Here you see Steve holding Eric and Drew. We sort of ended up crashing a friend of a friend of his brother's Labor Day party, but they didn't seem to mind. Plus they had a pool!!! So I was able to enjoy my second and last time swimming for the entire summer.

I know that Fall "officially" starts at the equinox on September 25th, so I guess technically summer should still be winding down. We've had great weather this week (after the weekend monsoon). But I'm already starting to think about christmas knitting projects..... hhhhmmm....

Class Chameleon

2008-09-16T20:14:00.000-05:00

There's been lots of buzzing about this website called www.yearbookyourself.com. So I decided to try it out and boy is it funny!..... so funny that I took the liberty of plugging in Steve's face as well. I've always wanted to experience living in other decades, so i guess this is as good as it gets. Also - more proof that you can't believe something just because someone shows you a photo of it.

Sarah circa 1952 (looks like my father disguised as a woman)
and Steve circa 1950 - such a dapper young fellow

Sarah circa 1954 and Steve circa 1956
I thought this was high school... why do I look like an old lady?

Sarah & Steve in 1960 - don't we look smart?

Sarah from 62' & Steve from '64. This is when we were clean, conservative folks.

another mannish look from Sarah in '68

whoa! is that Steve from 1970 or is that George Nyktas!

I guess hair started getting out of control in the 70's. The funny thing is, this is EXACTLY what I looked like in 1998. I guess I was a 70's-chick-wannabe

um... yeah 1982

How androgynous of you, Steve, in 1984.

mid 80's

and last but certainly not least 1990.

There is more, but I don't think I should show you.

sigh...

2008-09-15T21:46:00.005-05:00

I am so bad at blogging lately. I haven't been keeping up. We had an extremely fall-like weekend including over 48 hours of straight rain. You'd think that would be a great opportunity for staying inside and blogging, but NOOOOOOO...... instead I went thrifting and spent the majority of my time watching tv in my pajamas and organizing our collection of... you know... those things.... CD's! Yeah that's it, cd's. I mean who listens to cd's anymore? How lame is it to have a cd collection? It sort of feels like when I was 14 and I acquired my dad's record collection. But anyway, some other rainy day I may actually sit around and listen to some cds. compact discs. Maybe that annoying skipping sounds that cds make will become what the crackle has for vinyl. Okay maybe not.

Oh, AND I bought a fur coat!! It's GORGEOUS. Freaking gorgeous. It was $15 at VD. Village Discount. VD = Village Discount.

Someone, ask me to go some place where wearing fur is appropriate! STAT!

Also tried a new restaurant. Union Pizzeria in Evanston. Sort of a fancier pizzeria place. Wood fired. SO DELICIOUS! Not the best place for large groups (we had 13 and we had to wait till EVERYONE was there to be seated). But OMG the pizza was so good. I could not stop eating it. We had the goat cheese and potato pizza, which also had caramelized onions. And the lamb and eggplant pizza.

Yes gosh-dernit I ate lamb AND bought a fur coat all in 24 hours..... maybe that's why last night I had a night mare that I was being chased by a man wielding a shotgun. hmmmm...

I promise to be better at blogging in the very near future.

Western Vacation - Day 5: Back Home Again

2008-09-03T07:08:00.003-05:00

The next morning we awoke refreshed and ready to make our way to the Denver airport to return the Yaris and fly home. Unfortunately we forgot to take a photo while Lacey was there last night so here is Annie and I. They are two of my best friends from high school and it was great for the three of us to be together again. I hope to see them again before our wedding.... but you know how time flies.

At the airport there were no problems or pat downs to be had. Just a smooth ride into Chicago. We were so happy to see the cats and I know that they were glad we were home. I always have this pull between wanting to be a homebody and the curious desire to travel all over and see new things. I love puttering around the house, talking to Elvis and Monkey, and doing my daily chores. But there is so much excitement in putting yourself in a different environment, seeing unfamiliar landscapes, and visiting old friends.

Also, this was the first real vacation that Steve and I have ever been on. We both had a great time and want to explore other parts of the country that neither of us has seen before. Fortunately we will be going on a honeymoon next year and there are many many places to choose from.

Elvis making friends with the monkey finger puppet

Western Vacation - Day 4: More Wandering in Santa Fe, Then Off to Colorado Springs

2008-09-02T18:49:00.005-05:00

The fourth day of our vacation was just as full of things to do as all the rest of them. We started off with breakfast in the garden of the hotel where there is actually a tee pee that you can reserve for dinners of twelve or less. The hotel is owned by a local group of Native Americans and the inside of the tee pee is decorated with paintings by a man from the Picuris Pueblo.

After breakfast we took a dip in the hot tub and pool, and then it was on to more shopping and sightseeing. The first stop on our journey was the San Miguel Church, which is the oldest church structure in the U.S. The original adobe walls were built by the Tlaxcalan Indians from Mexico under the direction of Franciscan Padres ca 1610..... copied from the sign.

Then we shopped around for a bit and had lunch. I bought some local yarn from New Mexican alpacas. I hope to make a lace scarf out of it, for myself. Another knit-related item I purchased - a cute little bunch of finger puppets!!! They were irresistible! I'm being serious, I just had to buy them. In the plaza we perused the items at the Indian market, where people came from nearby pueblos to sell their wares.

Let's see... what else.... I kissed a buffalo... within hours of eating a buffalo burger. We wandered around a bit more, and then we headed out for Colorado Springs to make our way back home.

In Colorado we spent the evening with Lacey, Annie, and Josh. Annie prepared a lovely dinner and we all played a funny board game together. And most importantly, we got to meet Charlie, Josh and Annie's dog! Charlie is a one year old black lab who likes to play fetch with a basketball. She's adorable and loves to play. Annie put us up in their newly furnished guest room.

Charlie Sue Easterling

Western Vacation - Day 3: Ghost Ranch and an Evening in Santa Fe

2008-08-27T22:31:00.004-05:00

Day three of our trip was probably the best Monday I've had in a very long time. We started with a perfect breakfast at Cafe Abiquiu. I had poached eggs on top of corn cakes, topped with a creamy chile sauce, goat cheese, basil, and bacon. O.M.G. If you are into spicy breakfasts you would love this one. After photographing some of the local fauna at the Abiquiu Inn (grasshoppers and lizards) we headed off to Ghost Ranch. They have a great hiking trail there that is free and open to the public. It is not terribly difficult but I would not recommend this hike to grandma.

We started at the bottom (photo on the left, see Chimney Rock in the background?) and ended up at the top, right next to Chimney Rock (photo on the right). It was about 3 miles, roughly 2 hours, round trip. We saw quite a bit wildlife, though on a smaller scale that I had hoped (I really wanted to see a mountain goat :) and, as you can imagine, some beautiful scenery. Click here for the panorama. And then click through the photos.

a lizard on the trail

I had remembered to put sunscreen on all exposed parts of my body part except my feet. And I was not wearing traditional hiking footwear. My chacos helped me get to the top! Miraculously, the tops of my feet were not burned. Steve had somehow missed a small crescent shaped spot on his neck when applying sun screen. That is how he got his Native American name - Red Moon Neck. He wouldn't let me take photos of it.

the magnificent chaco sandals

After that I had the fabulous idea to visit Ojo Caliente, a local hot spring. My vision of a natural hot spring (a small dirt trail leading to a a cluster of rocky, warm pools surrounded by a wooded forest area) and what we actually encountered (a resort with a restaurant and a handful of kitschy, tourist-trap shops) were two totally different things. I might have paid to soak in the pool of diverted natural hot spring water had I packed my own beach towel. I should have done my research. Anyhow we had a nice lunch. I think I might want to go back there some time.

Then it was on to Santa Fe! We checked into our room at Hotel Santa Fe, a very nice place that was just a quick jaunt on foot to the plaza area. I wanted to go swimming right away, but Steve wanted to shop. So we started wandering around town. First we found Kowboyz, a vintage western wear place. It was somewhat pricey but the woman gave us a good deal on some things. I bought a pretty skirt and Steve picked out an elephant skin belt with a beautiful western belt buckle (photos to come) and a vintage shirt. There were tons and tons and TONS of other nice looking shops. Santa Fe is definitely a shopping town.

We eventually made our way over to the Plaza where there was a live concert taking place. A beer seemed in order so we decided to go into a place called the Ore House for some libations. It had a large veranda upstairs over looking the plaza that seemed like the best place to enjoy some drinks and the live music. Steve had one of the best margaritas I've ever tasted and I had a local beer. However the service was TERRIBLE. I'm definitely going to yelp about that place.

Finally we enjoyed a late dinner at Tomasita's, a recommendation from Kaitlyn (a native Santa Fe-an). It was really good. We consumed large quantities of margaritas, blue tamales, and various desserts, all served by an extremely entertaining native Chicagoan who had been waiting tables in Santa Fe since 1990. If you see Adrian at Tomasita's, tell him we said hello.

a view from Chimney Rock

Busy Bee

2008-08-27T21:38:00.006-05:00

Since I've been back from vacation, not only have I been catching up at work and trying to get back into my biking routine, I have also been visiting with several awesome friends this week. The weekend was spent doing chores and unpacking from vacation (and picking up lots of crap in the yard - will explain later.) We attended a going away party for our friends Troy (on the left) and Sara who are moving back to Michigan. (Good luck, you guys!) And also managed to cram in a long overdue dinner with Craig and Latha. Then Monday rolled around, and I had the opportunity to spend the evening having drinks at the top of the Hancock building with Rachel and Lisa who were in town from Albuquerque for a conference. I had originally wanted to visit them while we were in New Mexico but we did not make it as far as Albuquerque on that trip. We had a LOT to talk about since I had not seen Rachel in about eight years!..... pretty much since high school.

hanging out with Lisa and Rachel on Mich Ave

On Tuesday my friend and former neighbor, the marvelous Brittany, came to Northwestern for lunch and she brought me an entire picnic - sparkling water, tuna pasta salad with dill and grilled asparagus, and a homemade plum tart! It was a nice little surprise. And I could go ON and ON about the tart!!

a picnic with Britt

Other than that we are trying to get ready for yet ANOTHER trip this weekend to Cincinnati. And I've been helping Steve a lot with some art things that have been going on...

I promise to blog about the rest of the vacation soon, folks.

Stay Tuned...

2008-08-24T11:03:00.002-05:00

Days 3, 4, & 5 of the vacation coming soon! I promise!

A lot of stuff going on here... :)

Western Vacation - Day 2: from Denver to Abiquiu

2008-08-22T06:37:00.003-05:00

Sunday morning brought some sunny skies to Denver and breakfast at a wonderful vegetarian/vegan bakery (Watercourse) with Joe. I was too busy enjoying myself to take any photos of Joe, Andrea, or Putza the black kitty. But you should definitely check out the Watercourse menu and considering visiting there if you are in the Denver area. I recommend the Amsterdam Hash - awesome vegetarian gravy! Joe let us ride some of their spare bikes to breakfast, which was an experience all in itself. (I really wish I had a photo of Steve in the Dale Earnhardt bike helmet! ha ha ha ha)

Once our bellies were filled we were on the road. New Mexico welcomed us with not one, but two full strength hail storms - another aspect of the strange weather, I guess. We went off the main highway for a more scenic route along 64. At first the landscape was very woody with lots of evergreens. Not much different from places I've seen in Colorado. We passed through Cimarron near the Philmont National Boy Scout Ranch that my dad has often spoke of. He spent two weeks there as a kid with his boy scout troop, and there he celebrated his 14th birthday. In Cimarron we stopped for lunch in a leaky rural diner. I can't even remember the name of it but there was only one waiter, resembling the truck driver type. And when the rain started coming down again, he quickly began arranging buckets under holes where water was coming through the ceiling and dripping off the chandeliers. ha ha - adventure dining, eXtreme dining... I gues that's what you could call it. I think Anthony Bourdain would have been proud of us. Not because the food was good, because it wasn't - but because we took a chance.

We saw lots of elk crossing the road, and there were several places to pull over the Yaris and take photographs.

After passing through the Sangre de Christo Mountains, we found the landscape I had always imagined when I thought of New Mexico - dry, scrubby, rocky, and red. As the sun began setting we found our way to Abiquiu in Chama Valley near the San Juan Mountain Range. The Abiquiu Inn was a great place for us to stay. There is a wonderful gift shop and a little gallery inside. You can also book tours of Georgia O'Keeffe's home and studio nearby. This is what originally drew us to the area, but we decided to explore the landscape Georgia fell in love with instead of the studio tour. We took one of the economy rooms at the inn, which was very comfortable, except the tv did not work. Cafe Abiquiu turned out to be an excellent little restaurant, although we were initially disappointed in their lack of libations. It turned out that we were too exhausted for tv and alcohol. We were both asleep by 10pm in order to rest up for the hiking trip the next day.

Western Vacation - Day 1: Denver and Boulder

2008-08-21T21:03:00.004-05:00

Well we are back from our vacation so of course I have to blog about the whole darn thing. Last Saturday Steve and I woke up before dawn (or, as my Auntie would say "the crack of screech") to catch our cab to the airport. The initial reason for this trip to the Denver area was our friend Elizabeth and Ben's wedding in Boulder. In order to make the most of our vacation days we decided to fly in on the day of the wedding, but everything had to go just right in order for us to make it to the wedding on time - fly in, get luggage and rental car, drive to Joe and Andrea's (where we were staying), 30 mins to change our clothes, then drive to the wedding.

This created a challenge with how I would do my hair. I didn't want wear my every day hair to the wedding. Plus I'm getting tired of my hair cut at the moment. I knew I wouldn't have time for washing and blow drying and curling and setting and whatnot after we arrived in Denver. So I opted for the pin curl! I washed my hair before the flight and it only took about 20 mins to put up in about 30 bobby pins. Yes, it did look kind of crazy all day walking around airports and such, but I didn't care. The other option was to tie my leopard handkerchief around my head in 40's-housewife/aunt-jemima style, but that didn't seem like the best idea.

It also created another problem - my hair pins went off in the metal detector! So I had my first pat down at the airport. It was a little bit scary, but the female security officer was very nice and I was happy to comply if it meant that our airports were safer. Just a few moments of discomfort for me. Okay, enough about my hair. It ended up looking okay. See photo on the left.

For some reason our flight to Denver was not direct. We had a 2 hour lay over in Oklahoma City - a place neither of us had been before. First of all the official name of the airport is WILL ROGERS WORLD. I'm not kidding. It is a smallish airport. But the people working there were so nice. They told us to "Come back and see me again, hon!" when we ordered our lunch. So I guess I have to fly back there for lunch again, someday...

Our connecting flight was slightly delayed, giving us even less time to get ready for the wedding. We arrived and left Joe and Andrea's place in a tornado of suitcases and hairpins and pulled up to the wedding location about 5 minutes after it was supposed to start. Luckily for us, things like that don't go as smoothly as planned and the ceremony didn't start until about 30 mins later. (I'm sure we will experience this next year at our own wedding!)

The ceremony was very simple and beautiful. We've been to quite a few weddings in the past couple of years and it's so great to see my friends making these commitments using so many different customs and things. Elizabeth and Ben's wedding started with all of the guests tying up colorful ribbons as a symbol of our wishes to them starting their new life together. Above is Anne and Jeff (left) and Elizabeth's stepdad, Eli (right). There were no attendants - just Elizabeth and Ben - and they were married by a yoga instructor. It seems like there would be a better word than instructor... master? teacher? Anyway, it was very spiritual. It was very serious, and then at the part of the ceremony where the couple drank wine out of the same cup, Ben pulled some silly straws out of his jacket! It was the perfect touch for them. They are both such fun-loving people. And then Ben broke the glass, which is an old Jewish tradition.

The weather was unseasonably cold for Boulder this time of year - chilly and wet and in the mid 50's! But during the ceremony the sun broke through the clouds and the picturesque mountain scenery came alive just for Elizabeth and Ben. And the rushing river in the background added the perfect touch for a beautiful union of my two beloved friends.

Not to mention it was a great opportunity for me to break out my purple velvet blazer and wear it with my new red shoes. And Steve looked great in his new blazer and the shirt I picked out for him :)

After that we all wandered over to a couple of heated tents in the yard, where we enjoyed great food and old friends! I got to visit and hug and laugh with some of my favorite Dean Hall girls (Sally, Anne, and Holly) and even one that I had heard a lot about, but had never met before (Sabrina!). This was the first wedding that I attended where quinoa was served.... so yummy.

Following the reception was an after party at a place in downtown Boulder. An open bar and plenty of dancing with Anne and Jane (Ben's mom!) So fun. Unfortunately, Steve and I were pretty exhausted from our journey so we headed back to Joe and Andrea's place, where they graciously put us up for the night, and we slept like boulders :)

Morning Meltdown

2008-08-14T20:51:00.000-05:00

This morning I had a bit of a meltdown. Just one of those days, ya know? And no I do not have any pictures to document it.

It ranked right up there with that one evening in Ann Arbor, but wasn't quite as bad. The night I am referring to is the one in which we were two broke people living in a tiny, stuffy studio with our cat on Ann St, where Steve practiced his oil painting. My best friend came to visit for a few nights and we decided to go out to an Italian place for dinner, mostly because I had found this coupon for a buy-one-get-one-free meal! First one waitress splattered me with olive oil. Then when I went to the bathroom there was black water bubbling and spurting out of the drain in the floor. And after our meal, our waitress told us that we couldn't use the coupon even though we had shown it to her prior to ordering our entrees. The only thing that kept me going was knowing I had these great pasta leftovers to take home. But that was ruined by the sudden downpour that started on the walk home, causing me to slip and fall while running, spilling my leftovers across the sidewalk, and to break the handle of the purse I was using, which used to be my grandmother's. I ended up in our suffocating studio, wet and wrapped up in towels, crying because I had no creamy sauce with sun dried tomatoes.... only a broken purse.

I think of this night often when bad things happen to me.

So in retrospect and in light of reviewing these horrible events, I suppose this morning wasn't so terrible but it seemed enough to push me over the edge. After I was already pissed about my hair, as I was leaving for work, the zipper on my purse came right off, and then when I went to ride my bike, the chain somehow was dangling down and pedaling wasn't getting me anywhere. I threw my bike to ground and started crying. But Steve came to the rescue. We drove to work and then I went and bought a new purse. And, it turned out, my hair didn't look so bad after all :)

cat pee..... again

2008-08-13T08:42:00.003-05:00

Elvis peed on the other chair this morning..... grrrrrrr!@#$%^&*

He must be stressed about having a house guest for the week. Little does he know that after the house guest leaves, we will be leaving for vacation. He's going to be really upset..... :(

He needs some extra love.

Josh is HERE!

2008-08-13T06:05:00.003-05:00

My cousin Josh is here for the week on business. He is probably my favorite cousin :) When he isn't working, he and steve are drinking beer and playing Grand Theft Auto IV.

We've had lots of family visiting this summer...... I guess I must be the best hostess EVER.

Stitch n Pitch

2008-08-12T12:23:00.000-05:00

Last week I dragged a bunch of my mates to an annual event on the south side of Chicago called Stitch n Pitch. It is a fundraiser as well as a fun-raiser :) You go watch the White Sox play and you knit (get it - sox and socks) and drink beer and eat hot dogs. Though, you don't have to knit socks, you can knit anything you want. And you don't even really have to knit at all. Only 2/7 (that's two sevenths, a commonly used fraction) of my group was actually knitting at the game. This year we tailgated, which I thought would save us money, but I ended spending more somehow. Coincidentally, the Sox were playing the Tigers, so I was cheering Detroit, but they lost anyway. The project I was working was also very sports-related.... but that's on the DL for now because it's a surprise for someone! Though the photos reveal a sneak peek. If you click on the photo you will see more.

Animalistic

2008-08-11T21:15:00.002-05:00

A couple of weekends ago my dad decided he wanted to visit us in Chicago. He brought an entourage consisting of his girlfriend (Cheryl), his dog (Rosie), and my sister (Catherine). At the last minute they also decide to bring one of Cheryl's daughters. Initially I reacted the way that Monkey would to another cat being brought into the house, hissing at the thought of someone I didn't know invading my family's weekend. And on top of that they brought her dog! It seemed for a moment that we were headed for disaster, but I managed to remain calm on the outside and we actually ended up having a lot of fun! I thought I was a great hostess. I got to know Cheryl a little bit more, which was nice. And I really enjoyed spending time with Tasha, her daughter. And the dog (see Annie on the left) stole my heart the minute I petted her spotted back and looked into her blue eye and brown eye. She was very sweet, not incredibly barky, and did not harrass the cats, but had a healthy curiosity and fear of them.

I didn't get to take any pictures of us humans but I took some of Annie, since she was so darn cute. The weather was very humid and hot and it rained on Saturday morning, so we were stuck inside. It was a bit cramped in our place with six people, two dogs, two cats, and a turtle. After the rain quit we went up to Evanston to the Ethnic Arts Festival and it was great. The dogs loved it, too. They had such a great time that they slept for the rest of the evening. For dinner we all piled into the Subaru and drove down to Lincoln Park to go to the Kingston Mines blues club.

Elvis and Monkey did pretty well with all of this commotion. But they definitely were happy to see the dogs and the people go.

Speaking of le chats, I have been trying to get them on a better diet and have been doing all of this research into what nature intended for them to eat. Carbs are definitely bad. Most of the dry food on the market is full of carbs. That's why Monkey is so fat. My friend Erin is a big advocate of the raw diet for her cats and it makes sense. However, most vets do not really know much about it and therefore cannot give you any advice. You have to do your own research.

For now we are ixnaying the idea because Monkey's tummy has been really sensitive lately. Aside from litterbox issues she was not acting right, hiding under the bed, and not snuggling! But now she is feeling much better. We went to see Dr. Miller at the Uptown Animal Hospital (who, by the way, is an Albion alum) and she is having me give Monkey an antibiotic. All of you with cats know that this is not a fun process, but I think Monkey and I are both getting better at it, and it's almost over.

Monkey tries out for stuffonmycat.com

Elvis has issues of his own. He recently peed on one of the chairs again. The first time in months. And i have to spray the thing almost every day just to try to get rid of the smell.... grrrr....

About the only creature that is doing well in our household is turtle. His shell has molted producing a lovely new shiny shell underneath. He also enjoys noshing on some fancy krill snacks every other day or so. If you click here you can see more photos of him.

Headphone Tea

2008-08-08T16:27:00.001-05:00

I just dunked one of my headphones into mug of tea..... and they still work!

New Favorite Indian place

2008-08-06T12:52:00.003-05:00

I know a lot of people have said that the best Indian place in Chicago is some fancy place down town.... and even though I've never been there, I just don't see how the millions of places on Devon could not be at the top of the list.

Last night Steve and one of my vegetarian friends, SKM, and I visited Arya Bhavan on Devon near Campbell. It's all vegetarian. There was not a soul in the place except one waiter, but we had heard our friends rave about it so we thought we'd give it a try. We had taj mahal beer, spicy samosas filled with lentils and potatoes. For our entrees we shared a garlic nan (soooooo yummy), mutter paneer (peas and cheese in a rich spiced sauce), avial (vegetables in a coconut and chile sauce), and tadka dal (lentils with ginger and garlic). Everything was delicious. The service was on the slow side but it's what I expect from places in this area. We definitely did not receive poor service. The prices were comparable to other things in the neighborhood. Not expensive or cheap. The only things I would change about this place are the table clothes - trade out the circa 1989 pink and black paint splashes for crisp, clean white linens and maybe red napkins. And the music was down way to low to be a part of the experience. Crank it up, please! I heard they have a buffet on the weekends, so you will definitely see me here again.

Another notable place that we have discovered and liked is Chopal, on Devon near Bell. I believe it's Pakistani food. Lots of meats and sauces with several vegetarian options. The inside is really fun and it decorated very well. Don't count on drinking here though. Alcohol is prohibited for religious reasons. However the first two times we went it was really cheap. And the next time it was more expensive. It's kind of hard to figure out what is what on the bill. The service is really slow. So don't go if you are in a rush. In general I like this place - good food and atmosphere.

Hayfever

2008-07-29T12:31:00.003-05:00

Go See IT! NOW!

I did.

On Saturday night Kerry and I took a quick little jaunt out of the city and into Forest Park where we visited the Circle Theatre for a performance of Sir Noel Coward's Hayfever..... yes he is indeed a Sir. It was so hilarious!

Set in a 1920's home in the English countryside, the dysfunctional Bliss family will entertain you with the mayhem that ensues when each member invites a guest to stay for the weekend. And best of all, my amazing actor friend Erin plays the role of Sorel, the bratty daughter. Yay!

You can read all of the reviews of this show by clicking here... notice the volume of "highly recommended"s.

You will laugh, I promise.

Cat Photo Sesh

2008-07-13T17:20:00.004-05:00

Yesterday morning I woke up bright and early and drove over Erin's in my jammies. She made me a yummy-ful breakfast of blueberry pancakes and eggs in exchange for a photo session with her fur-kids Rocco and Mei. Rocco was very easy to photograph. He likes to be the center of attention and just hams it up for the camera. Mei, on the other hand, was a bit more of a challenge to capture. He's a little bashful, but after we whipped out the treats he appearred from the bedroom and nearly bit my fingers off. He quickly warmed up to me and I was able to shove the camera in his face just like I do to everyone else - be they human or animal.

On the left, Rocco lounges on a chair in the dining room while the humans discuss the beauty of his silky smooth fur, and below you will see Mei curling up with his toy on the living room rug, waiting for another chance to bite my finger.

July happenings

2008-07-12T08:34:00.002-05:00

There have been quite a few storms rolling through the north side of Chicago these days. Lightening, hail, humidity - the whole bit. After the succession of thunder clouds on Thursday night the sun slowly sank beyond the Western perimeter of the city into a bed of blazing orange hues that soon shifted... pink... violet... indigo... dark night sky.

In spite of this wet weather, Steve and I biked to work every single day this week! Yay! I'm so proud of us. We also went on a motorcycle ride last Saturday and we are planning another short trip for tomorrow. It's pretty fun after the bike gets hot enough to go without stalling.

The rain has been good for the flowers I planted out front last Sunday. Yes, my ghetto-fabulous yard now has been spruced up a little bit by some leftover impatiens from Home Depot! I've been removing the trash from the yard on a regular basis and even got rid of the 2 month old dead squirrel in the corner by the gate. It's a dirty job but someone has to do it. The impatiens seem like they are doing really well! Now my next project is cleaning up the back porch and trying to keep the pigeons from nesting up there. And pooping all over EVERYTHING!!!!!!

Adventures with Audubon

2008-07-10T13:22:00.003-05:00

Come see my Uncle Fox performing tonight at 6pm at the Rogers Park Library!!! Supposedly for ages 5 and up but younger kids are welcome if they are accompanied by an adult.

Adventures with Audubon Date: Thu. July 10, 2008 Time: 6:00 pm

Location: Rogers Park Library 6907 N. Clark Street 60626

Program: Children’s Summer Reading Program

About this event:
Spend an hour with one of America's greatest naturalists and wildlife artist. Listen to tales of his adventures. Storyteller, Brian'Fox' Ellis becomes Audubon to enchant you with stories of his travels in the wildest places on the planet. He will bring to life bird behavior, focusing on the birds you are mostly to see as you go bird watching in your area. With lessons on field ecology, the scientific method, art history, and bird migration, the audience is invited to imitate birds and discuss the life histories of their favorite feathered friends.

The Cobbler and the Fireworks

2008-07-05T10:20:00.004-05:00

Every summer (most likely on the 4th of July) I like to make this special cobbler and serve it with vanilla ice cream. It reminds me of quiet afternoons in the country, sitting around the pool or pond, and spending time with family. I haven't been baking a lot since we moved into our new apartment last year. Spare time is hard to find these days. But nothing can compare to that feeling you get when everyone is enjoying a dish put so much love into.... I know, it's corny but it's true. I like to use Martha Stewarts recipes, and this one can be found here. It can be expensive to make, especially these days when the cost of groceries is so high. But if you are lucky enough to get the berries from a friend's patch, that is the best way to go. I "one-and-a-half" the recipe in order to fill a 9 x 13 baking dish and then have a little left over for a tiny cobbler to keep as our secret stash at home. Here, you will see about $12 in berries. I'll pay $12 for berries once a year...

Blueberries and strawberries are fun for the 4th because they are blue and red, of course. After baking, the sauce is a rich burgundy color, so I like to place some fresh strawberry slices and blueberries on top of each biscuit so it's looks a little more festive. It's not the tidiest of desserts, but it's definitely the yummiest.

After attending a cookout at Kerry's in the afternoon we took a much needed nap and then met Craig and Latha for fireworks in Evanston. Two years ago we saw the fireworks from the north side of Evanston and the traffic was ridiculous on the way home. Last night I suggested we stay on the southern end of town. It took a few minutes to find parking but afterward we zipped right on home with no trouble. The air was quite chilly, especially by the lake so I brought extra blankets to keep warm. Next year it would be nice to be at the launch site of the display. I think there is a musical performance that accompanies the fireworks. I'm a big fan of revolutionary tunes and the like especially on America's birthday.

Latha and I trying to keep warm

Of course the boys have to climb the rocks.... trouble-makers!

My Favorite Holiday

2008-07-04T08:30:00.000-05:00

Today marks another passing of my favorite holiday - the 4th of July - reminding me to start really enjoying the summer days that seem to pass by so quickly. There are many reasons why I love this holiday so much:

1. Everyone (well, almost everyone) has the day off work. God bless those who DO work on the 4th.

2. I'm so thankful that I have all of the freedom that comes along with living in this country. I know it's not perfect but it's pretty damn good!

3. This day is all about being with family and friends, cooking out, swimming, relaxing, and enjoying yourself in the summer sunshine.

4. It's sort of a mini-anniversary for Steve and I. We've spent this special day together almost every year that we have been together.

5. I get to make the annual berry cobbler and serve it up ala mode!

6. Fireworks - in a controlled environment - are such a wonderful display. But I am somewhat scared of regular people lighting off fireworks in the street. I was burnt by a sparkler as a child and my family also caused a big fire once by doing that.

7. Most thrift stores have half off sales on the 4th.

8. When I adopted Monkey I proclaimed the 4th of July as her birthday. I brought her home on January 26th 2002. She was about 6 months old. So here's to you, Monkey. You are 7 years old today.

Alright kiddos. Have fun. Be safe. Don't drink and drive. I'm going to hit the Salvation Army shop, but I will post a picture of the cobbler later. Love ya!

Meeting Grayson

2008-07-01T19:39:00.005-05:00

I had such a great weekend. I can't remember when I've had a better one. It started off on Friday evening with my mom, Ed, and Alyssa in town. We went to Laura's plush show at Rotofugi. On Saturday morning I rode back to Michigan with my mom and immediately went to meet Grayson. He is about a month old now (born on May 27th) and is the cutest little bundle ever! Devin is so happy and is doing really well. She is so full of love and is so committed to this new little baby. Look at her face beaming with happiness. I'm so proud of her.

We spent the evening together, Devin and I. We went down to the festival in Morenci in hopes of seeing the battle of the bands. We missed it but were quickly distracted with elephant ears and pink lemonade. We ran into an old friend, chatted for a while, and then the two of us were off to Margaritas, where we ran into more old friends who bought us drinks! It was like old times between the two of us. Friendship really is something that ebbs and flows and sooner or later you find out that your true friends are the ones who remain by your side through good and bad (I've resorted to speaking in terms of cliche, people!) Anyway, it was so nice.

My sister and I had brunch with my dad and Cheryl. And then we went to a cookout at Ed's house including some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I forget how quiet it can be in the country and how much open space there is. In addition, I forgot how much manure you could smell at any given moment.... and how much it did not bother me... it just smelled like home. We picked wild flowers and ate strawberry shortcake. I knitted for four hours as I rode the train back to the city that I now call home. My Fitted Knits sweater is almost complete! after a few minor bumps in the road..... I should be secretly praying for a cold snap {evil grin}...

my cousin Nina making a bouquet for her Nani

Shelving

2008-06-27T06:24:00.004-05:00

How could this happen?

How is it possible that two people could purchase shelving parts and hardware in December and not put them up until June? Does it really take six months to decide exactly where to hang them?

Well for us it does.

In fact the tiny white shelves that you see to your left holding photos above my faux fire place were indeed purchased THREE YEARS AGO!!!! I bought them at Target when we first moved to Chicago for our old apartment on Wayne Ave. They were so cute and tiny, but I could never figure out WHERE to put them. They are like two floating pieces of crown molding who never had a home - until now! There were tons of photos and frames just sitting there on my mantel so I decided it was time.

The shelves you see below were specifically for the studio, to help Steve alleviate his working surfaces. These shelves take six months to install. It is a very long process. But let me tell you - it's worth the wait!

By the by, my tree has a flower! My tree has a flower! My tree has a flower! Last night when we came home I smelled something so lovely and lilac-y in my living room... and before I went to bed I realized it was the flower!!!! This flower has been there for a few weeks, but for some reason (possibly the intense tropical humidity) yesterday it bloomed even more little flowers along the raceme. I thought this plant was a Deiffenbachia??? But I don't know. I need to do some research. I acquired it from a friend who was moving... which is how I acquire most of my houseplants.

I took this photo of Elvis on Thursday night - all tuckered out and dirty from an adventure outside. See? Doesn't he look like a dirty old stray alley cat?

Well, I'm off to Michigan for the weekend to visit Devin and Grayson, and my cousins. Ta ta for now.

Pardon me!

2008-06-26T21:03:00.004-05:00

I need to make a post and the only thing I want to talk about now is PUZZLE FARTER! What is Puzzle Farter, you may ask? It is an online 2D computer game that will surely make you laugh AND leave you with finger cramps. Try it!

www.puzzlefarter.com

Thanks, Laura!

YouTube Faves

2008-06-22T08:18:00.003-05:00

Since I missed my Blogiversary on April 16th, I'm celebrating today as my 100th post! This post is devoted to all FUN STUFF! In case I haven't already told you about these, it's important for you to know exactly what my favorite YouTube videos are. You'll need to hear the sound for all of these except "Kitten Surprise"

Two cats talking (meowing)

Two cats talking (translation)

Kitten Surprise! How to break up a cat fight

Totally un-cat-related..... The Christmas Tree (John Roberts is awesome!)

Elvis has left the building...

2008-06-19T20:32:00.004-05:00

I took Elvis outside again this evening. There were some requests for an appearance from his posse of neighborhood kids and there were some other requests for pictures of Elvis in his paratrooper harness. Here he is! Since Steve is out for the evening, I thought we'd enjoy some outside time. Some of the kids are actually afraid of cats, but they were brave enough to pet him and he was very nice to them. What a good cat! He tried to chase a live squirrel and he also tried to sniff the dead squirrel that is in the corner of the yard.... I pulled him in the opposite direction... ick. In general he's pretty calm around the kids who are jumping and yelling and trying to touch him. I think he's a little nervous but on the other hand, I can tell he is just eating up all that attention.

I have another outrageous question to add to the list: "Does he poop?"

ha ha hahhahahahha

My response was: "um, yeah.... Everybody poops."

I guess that's why they titled the book Everyone Poops !!

After that I actually got about five kids to put on rubber gloves and help me pick up trash and litter in the yard. It was really fun. It's nice when they are willing to help. I met a new kid who lives down the street. Osa - he's from Nigeria. I told him that I used to live in Africa but I don't think he believed me. When we were finished I bought them ice cream sandwiches from 7-Eleven. So far I have not seen any girls playing in this group - just the main group of boys. David is the boy who lives next door to us. Yesterday was his 8th birthday and he received a pair of roller blades, which I saw him stumbling down the block on. He isn't the youngest of the group but it seems like most of the other kids pick on him all the time :( It was hard for me as an adult (who is not an authority figure) to discourage that type of behavior. But I hope some of the things I said will stick in their little brains... and maybe they'll think about it later.

My next project is to plant a few flowers out front to spruce up the yard. The lawn needs a lot of work though.

At the moment, Elvis is sleeping here on the desk as I type, while I sip my manhattan and listen to my Double Fantasy record...... aaahhhh.... I love summer evenings.

Baby Surprise Day

2008-06-18T07:29:00.000-05:00

Today is Baby Surprise day. NO that doesn't mean I have news to tell you... it means it's the day of the week where some of us at work get together for a Baby Surprise Jacket Knit-Along!

I'm sure I have knit so many of these things it's unhealthy. This is the most recent one made for Danielle who is having a girl some time soon. When she opened the gift at her baby shower a few weeks ago, everyone liked it so much they decided they wanted to learn how to make one. And I think they will all be amazed when they find out how easy it is.

All you have to know for this pattern is how to knit, decrease, increase, pick up stitches, and sew up a seam. And you can definitely learn these skills as you go if you do not already. The seam can be kind of tricky because you are matching up a cast on edge with a selvage edge. BUT as long as you are consistent with each stitch it will look fine.

For the increasing parts of the pattern, I prefer what I've seen referred to as a "blind increase". When you want to increase, using your right needle, you grab the stitch just below the next stitch on your left needle. Put that stitch on the left needle and knit it. I like the way this looks on the opposite side of the fabric.... so I try to put my blind increases on the WS.

Here is another BSJ I recently made for a new baby.

And I'm preparing to make THREE matching BSJ's for several.... you-know-who-s :)

Avon Walk 2008 Official Report

2008-06-17T06:42:00.000-05:00

I'm a little late on this... but I wanted to thank EVERYONE who donated, came to our yard sale, our bluegrass concert, bought a martini from me at Mars Gallery, or even if you just texted words of encouragement - THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Click on the picture at the left for more Nips Ahoy team pics.

This was a record breaking year for the Nips Ahoy! team, as every year should be. Together we raised $6333, and almost 1 G of that came from our fundraising events alone!!! We must have done something right.

During the actual walk, I took it a little easier than last time. I completed 30 of the 40 mile journey and I did not sleep in a tent at the wellness village. My bed, located only two blocks from camp, was all too tempting. But I was able to enjoy myself a lot more and with hardly any pain.

After the walk Steve, Mike, and Jack accompanied us to Dairy Star for some well deserved ice cream.

Here are the official stats for this year's Chicago Avon Walk:

- 4,000 walkers

-$9.1 million

Here is a list of the beneficiaries who received checks at closing ceremonies:

· Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University received $1,050,000 for research and access to care: To support access to breast care for medically underserved populations at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the Erie Family Health Center as well as research at the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Research Laboratories focused on identifying markers for breast cancer prevention and treatment response, and characterizing molecular mechanisms of breast cancer growth, survival and metastasis.

· Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force received $1,000,000 to help reduce the black: white disparity in breast health and breast cancer outcomes in Chicago. The funds support the formation of the Task Force as a new, non-partisan entity, which will lead the effort of translating the thirty-seven recommendations issued in October 2007 by its working group into action items. The Task Force will collect and analyze data, manage the city-wide efforts, and evaluate quality control measures and outcomes. The Avon Foundation also supported the 2007 efforts that created this effort.

· The Sinai Health System received a grant of $1,000,000 to continue support of their patient navigation program and the purchase of new digital mammography equipment. In addition, funds will support the implantation of Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force recommendations and the analysis of progress towards reducing black: white disparity.

· The City of Chicago, Department of Public Health received a grant of $500,000 to provide new mammography equipment to five neighborhood health centers that serve uninsured and low income clients. This grant is part of a larger City of Chicago initiative, which will renovate and upgrade each facility to accommodate the new equipment.

· Mercy Foundation received a grant of $500,000 to support the patient navigation program at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, enhance services with the addition of a state-of-the-art Breast Module Tracking System, and supports the purchase of a new digital mammography machine and ultrasound platform.

· Hektoen Institute for Medical Research received a grant of $400,000 for two initiatives: To continue a successful program that gives underserved populations access to breast cancer risk assessment, genetic counseling and testing, and access to clinical trials involving alternate methods of screening, chemoprevention and genetic testing. And also to support the more formal examination of prevention choices among minority high-risk women and the enrollment rates of this population into clinical trials.

· Rush-Copley Foundation received a grant of $150,000 to support the creation of a collaborative community based outreach and navigation program focused on the medically underserved Latina population in Aurora. Funds will support an increase in outreach and educational activities to reach more women with screening and diagnostic services and breast health literacy.

· Foundation for St. Francis Hospital received a grant of $150,000 to support upgrading existing x-ray mammogram technology with a CR cassette digital system, which will increase St. Francis Hospital’s capacity to perform biopsies while reducing wait times for results, allowing pathologists to provide immediate feedback during surgery and making images available immediately in the surgery suite.

Elvis on a Leash

2008-06-16T08:27:00.001-05:00

Elvis has been enjoying frequent trips out to the front yard in his army green paratrooper-style harness. We are often bombarded with funny inquiries from the local neighborhood kids. He is skittish of them but allows them to pet him if they are gentle. He's actually pretty good around them. Here are some of our favorite kid-questions. Many of them are asked repeatedly even if I've already answered that particular one a few minutes before.

kid: How old is that cat?
sbe: He's about 2 years old.
kid: He looks like he's 3!

kid: Is that cat pregnant?
sbe: No, HE just has a fat belly.

Other inquiries include:

"Does he like to take a shower?"

"Can that cat come to my house and catch some mice?"

"Do cats fart?"

"Does he have fleas?"

"What inspired you to get a cat?"

"Does he listen to you?"

"Can I walk him?"

Summer in the City

2008-06-15T19:34:00.003-05:00

I am having the best weekend. After several squelching hot days Saturday was pleasantly mild and warm with less humidity and a nice breeze off the lake. We started the day off with a motorcycle ride to the Evanston Farmer's Market, which at first wasn't so great because the bike kept stalling. It is old (as old as me, in fact) and takes a looooooooooooooong time to warm up - over 30 minutes. It stalled out at practically every intersection making the first leg of the 8 mile round-trip quite nerve racking and potentially dangerous. So we pulled off the road for about 10 minutes while Steve just sat there and revved the engine. When we finally reached our destination we took about 10 minutes to spend our $11 on produce - broccoli, asparagus, and snow peas. I really wanted to buy some peonies but I knew they would be crushed in the back pack.... maybe next time. The ride home was much easier. The bike finally got warmed up enough to a point where we could relax and actually enjoy the ride.

For lunch I made broccoli salad!

I spent the remainder of the afternoon trolling around Rogers Park and Edgewater on my bicycle, visiting the bench-painting festival at Loyola Park (see photo above) and hanging out with Becky. I stopped at Steph's and we took Miss Ripley for a walk.

Steve and I ended the day with an art gathering under the stars at Vega Estates in Pilsen.

Today I reorganized the kitchen cupboards and got some laundry done. chores.

Also, Nancy's surgery went really well and her lymph nodes look clean! Everything seems to be going well and Erin and her family are very relieved.

the double M

2008-06-13T10:38:00.002-05:00

Prayer Request: Erin's mom, Nancy, is having surgery today for her recurring breast cancer. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

An Avon Walk report is coming soon!

In a Biker Gang

2008-06-10T20:29:00.004-05:00

... actually just a biker two-some. This week is Bike-to-Work-Week in Chicago. I've been biking for a while and Steve decided he wanted to try it, too. So today was our first day. We had to go a little slow, and I imagine we will for a week or two until he gets used to it.

On a sad note, the beginning of the week was marked by a terrible event reminding us all to be extra cautious on the road - bikers AND drivers! A 22 year old biker was killed after being doored and then hit by another car. All of you should know that Steve and I are very safe. We wear helmets. We make eye contact with other people on the street. We signal. And we don't ride on heavy traffic streets. I don't ride on any street with a bus route, most of the time. Just side streets and bike paths. However, I know that some things are unavoidable.

DRIVERS: please look all around you for cyclists before you open your door (this goes for passenger doors too!), pull away from the curb, make a turn (Right OR Left), or before you start going at a four way stop.

Please watch this short video about awareness of cyclists on the road.

Priceless

2008-06-02T12:05:00.004-05:00

Nips Ahoy! team odometer = 94 miles

number of blisters = 7

amount of sunscreen slathered on = 8.5 oz

total funds raised = $6333

Making a difference for women across the nation = priceless

Day 1 - Walk v2.0

2008-05-31T19:21:00.002-05:00

I'm keeping this picture small because it ain't the prettiest one, but it IS of the fiercest Nips in action and let's be honest - fierce is not always pretty. I'd say Day 1 went pretty well. The weather was absolutely fantastic. We made REALLY good time and had a pretty good pace going until those pesky blisters came to haunt Kerry just like they've done before! She was such a trooper!!! They bandaged up her feet and she managed to go another 5 miles where we passed the 16 mile mark. At this point her feet were hurting so bad that she had to be swept off to camp and I (yes I wimped out) followed along with her. Kerry and I pitched the tent and made it all cozy back at the Wellness Village while Erin, though she was experiencing major acid reflux, carried the Nips flame along by herself for another 4 miles! WHAT AMAZING LADIES THESE ARE! I am so priviledged and honored to have these two in my company all along the way. Thanks girls. You're simply the BREAST! (I stole that line, by the way.)

We've had dinner and showers and massages and now I'm about to curl on the couch with Steve while my other two Nippers are safe and sound in the Wellness Village at the park.

Oh also, I have to say, I am not a baseball cap kind of girl. But I am so so so soooo happy that my mom's friend Chris was so sweet enough to send me this awesome hat with a pink ribbon on the side and I LOVE IT! I'm so glad I have it. I think it really keeped me from getting a headache in the bright sunlight. Thanks, Chris!!!

HOOOORAY!

2008-05-30T20:53:00.003-05:00

Just a few random thoughts and points I'd like to mention before I go get my beauty rest for the Avon Walk TOMORROW. Yes - tomorrow is the day we've been waiting for all these months of fundraising and er... training... yeah training!

Last weekend was amazing. During two different fundraisers we raised another $400 for the Nips Ahoy team. (There are still shirts left if you want one!!) I completed two training walks: Saturday, 6 miles; Monday, a whopping 10.4 miles on the hottest most humid day of this year to date. And I got a lot of cleaning done! Super hero... i'm tellin ya!

I know we will do well on this walk. I experienced instantaneous enthusiasm today at event registration after my 2 hour trek from Evanston to O'Hare (where registration is located). The weather looks like it will cooperate, too. Sunny and high 70's.

I spotted a baby opossum today outside of Kresge. Such a sweet little creature. I hope he was not harmed by the construction going on next door.

Well that's it for now. I need to be at Soldier Field at 5:30am tomorrow.......ttttthhhhhhhfffpppp!

A Tragic Story

2008-05-22T16:16:00.002-05:00

Today whilst I was riding along the North Channel Bike Path I noticed that one of my beloved hand warmers were missing. I turned around to retrace my route, riding slowly, scouring the lawn with my "botanical eye". But alas, my attempts only left myself and my other hand warmer devastated. (I think we deserve a cupcake! What do you think?) I will just have to make another matching hand warmer... I think I still have some of that yarn. On the bright side, at least I did not lose something more valuable like my wallet, my phone, or (God forbid) my engagement ring! Which, btw, has been resized and cleaned and is sitting here beautifully sparkling on my hand. :)

Success!

2008-05-20T21:43:00.004-05:00

The yard sale was a complete SUCCESS! We were extremely lucky with the weather. When I woke up that morning it felt so much like summer and continued to be perfectly sunny and breezy the entire day until the sale was over. Kerry decorated the porch with balloons and streamers. Erin made homemade chocolate chip cookies. Many people stopped by with their kids and dogs. And we even had a cat visit us! We sold lots of our junk (and other people's junk), pink lemonade, pink cupcakes, cookies, puppy chow, and our team tees. We also received many a donation. All together we raised over $400!!!! Click on the photo to see more.

We are now at 78% of our team goal!!! But there are still TWO more fundraising events that you can attend.

Friday May 23rd - Bluegrass Trio Show at THE ATLANTIC
5062 N Lincoln Ave (Lincoln and Foster)
Starts at 8pm
$10 cover
Featuring Kerry and Mike Semrad and special guests
(we will also be selling TEE SHIRTS at this event)

Saturday May 24th - Pink Martinis will be sold to benefit Nips Ahoy! at Mars Gallery
1139 W Fulton Mkt in the West Loop
6pm - 11pm
NO COVER!
in conjunction with a MARTIN SORRONDEGUY exhibit
photography images of the punk scene from the early 80's til now

get your Nips Ahoy! tees here!

2008-05-15T22:54:00.006-05:00

Get them soon before they sell out! The Nips Ahoy! team tees are finally available. I had them printed at a shop because I couldn't get the ink to work out right... I thought this would be the case but I wanted to try anyway.

About the shirts:
*Brown American Apparel 100% Cotton
*Unisex Sizes - Small, Medium, and Large
*pink Nips Ahoy! Chicago on the front
*small pink ribbon and the words Avon Walk for Breast Cancer on the back
*You can show your support for the Nips Ahoy! team by proudly sporting your shirt around town!

This tee is yours for a donation of $20 or more - in other words, each shirt is $20, but if you can give more that would be great!

ALL of the proceeds from these shirts go toward our fundraising goal of $6,700.

Here's how you can get yours:
*DO NOT DONATE ONLINE. You will have to purchase the shirt directly from me in order for our team to pay for the shirt cost and put the rest toward our goal.
*Just send an email to
nipsahoychicago AT gmail DOT com
and include your name, size, donation amount, and mailing address. If you need the shirt shipped to you we can do that too!

OR you can stop by our Yard Sale this Saturday May 17th and buy a shirt in person!
Again here's the info for the yard sale:

Garage Sale & Bake Sale Saturday 5/17 9am-4pm

2228 West Giddings Street (one block South of Lawrence and Oakley)

All Proceeds go to the Avon Breast Cancer Walk via team Nips Ahoy!!

We will have books, electronics, furniture, CD's, DVDs, clothes, antiques, baby stuff, official team T-shirts and tons of funny random things!

Sweets and lemonade will be available to buy. Or, just come by to donate, chat it up and wish us good luck in the walk! We will dedicate pink ribbons to your love ones to wear in the walk. Pink ribbons will be available for all who want one.

See you there!!

Super Hero

2008-05-15T12:42:00.000-05:00

Commuting to work on a bicycle is a little bit like being a super hero. During the rush hour periods of the day you are dressed in a costume of utilitarian gear and sun glasses. You rush into the office and inside of a small booth (aka bathroom stall) magically transform yourself into your professional persona.

"Smaller than an SUV!"

"More efficient than a Toyota Prius!"

"Faster than the CTA's so-called Rapid Transit!"

"Polar Bears near the arctic circle cheer her on as she zooms past sedans and minivans, running on the fuel of pizza and beer she consumed the previous evening (from Whole Foods of course) {belch!} she cycles on, fighting global warming AND terrorists with one swipe of her hand-knitted-arm-warmer-covered fist!"

"It's BIIIIIIKER GRRRRRL!"

By day, masquerading as a slide librarian.... well not even that.... just a digitizer in the slide library. Who knew?

Spring Chickens

2008-05-15T06:18:00.001-05:00

I've been terrible at blogging lately and you'll see why. This spring has been filled with lots of time with family and friends and attending many events. You have to expect that this entry is going to be very long with lots of photos.

First of all I had my 27th birthday at the end of March. It was low key with a few celebrations sprinkled here and there. The highlights were having Easter with my Mom and sister, my engagement (I count that as a birthday celebration, too, because it was kind of a birthday present), my big fat candy bar cake, having pizza at Candlelite with some of my buddies, and I received these AMAZING bamboo bowls from Vietnam - a gift from Lacey M. Thank you so much - I LOVE THEM!!!! I'll take a photo of them soon.

Other birth news - one of my bestest high school friends in the whole world, Devin, had her 27th birthday around the same time as me, AND is expecting her first baby any minute now!!! I'm literally waiting for the news, it could come at any time. She would probably kill me if she knew this photo was up on my blog so let's hope she doesn't read this :)

At the beginning of April I drove to Michigan to attend her baby shower and to document it for her and especially for Eberly (her sis) who could not be there. It was so wonderful. I love taking pics of grandmas and little kids, and there were plenty of them there! After the baby shower I met my cousins for Cousins Dinner at Garfield's in the mall. It was pretty funny to be back there again.... such a strange place, that mall. We let the girls ride all the little rides there outside of the restaurant. They are growing fast...

The next day I did some driving around. I went to Ann Arbor and had brunch at Cafe Zola - my favorite brunch place!.... mmmmm..... crepes..... here's a pic of the place I met my friends Liz and Ryan there. After that, I headed off down good ol' I-94 to Albion dear Albion, where I was just in time for the senior art show. It was short and sweet and I got to sneak a peek in the printmaking studio where the visiting artist was working on her book edition - beautiful stuff. I picked up a couple packs of Oberon on the way out of town.

There was another kind of Albion reunion in Chicago the following weekend, when Crystal and Marybeth came to visit me and we dragged ourselves to the Aquarium through the rain and sleet. But it was definitely worth it, and we only had to wait in line for 20 mins. Here is some lizard guy that we saw..... can't remember which kind he is but he's pretty cute!

On a sunny, warm Sunday morning, I drove out to Lake Zurich to visit my friend Jennifer and her baby, Myles James. She made me brunch and we ate out in the back yard basking in the peaceful, pure suburbia of the day. Wonderful. Myles is completely adorable and I can't wait to see him in the Baby Surprise Jacket that I made for him.

Steve's mom drove to visit us for a weekend. I didn't take any photos but I will tell you what we did.... We kicked off the weekend with a nice dinner at a brand new restaurant in Andersonville called Big Jones. Yummy! Manhattans, Oysters, and Red Velvet Cake - what more can I say? We also visited the Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute - a must see!

My most recent visitor this spring was an old roommate of mine - Camille! She was passing through Chicago and stopped to spend the night here. It was just like it used to be. Neither of us could stop talking we had so much to tell eachother because it had been almost 2 years. We cooked dinner together, went shopping, had some drinks, went for a walk... it was soooo nice. We visited Toguri Mercantile where we found so many interesting things. I bought Steve some saki cups, sushi dishes, and some cute chopsticks I found. I might have to go back there for some wedding decorations........

I have been knitting a lot even though I have not posted anything about it. A lot of my knitting has been gifts for people so I've been reluctant to talk about them here. But I'll do it anyway. I made this BSJ (my 5th) for Devin's baby, who will be named Grayson, and she absolutely loved it. The colors were perfect for her - bright and stripey. I am working on a matching hat.

There are so many baby things going on right now! We are expecting another nephew to arrive some time this month. I have finished a BSJ for him, and only have to seam the sleeves and find some buttons that will work.

AND THE TRIPLETS WERE BORN!!!! Which I have yet to mention :) Early on the morning on April 30th we became Aunt and Uncle again to three new beautiful babies in Columbus OH - Lydia, Eric, and Drew. They are all doing great considering they were over 2 months early. I know I have a while to make their sweaters. All three of them are about 3 to 4 lbs, and the sweater (in the gauge I am using) is meant to fit a 6-12 month old. So I'm thinking around christmastime.....

Someone else I know is having a little girl this summer and I need to start that BSJ ASAP! I've fallen in love with Bali by GGH. I think it is the perfect yarn for a baby sweater. It's cotton, so not too hot, but with enough acrylic in there to give it a nice stretch. Also it's pretty soft. I don't think I will be making any more cashmere baby sweaters.... Tavis, you should be happy that you got the only one.

Now for the adult sweaters..... no i'm not talking X-rated sweaters (though I'm sure there are plenty of those out there somewhere) - I'm talking about sweaters for Steve and I. Steve's sweater - the Avast cardigan - is sitting there on the shelf as I type this, looking at me, longing to be seamed. It has been in that spot for several months.... the only problem is, when I was finishing the last section of the sweater.... the band at the bottom... I picked up too many stitches. UGH. And I know how picky Steve is about his garments. I know he will not wear a sweater that has this little flared out part at the bottom. I think I knew when I was knitting it that I had picked up too many stitches but I kept going anyway. I was exhausted and lazy. But as we all know - Haste makes waste. I should have fixed it then because now I have even more to do. I have take out that entire portion (about 3 inches around the bottom of the whole cardigan) RE-pick up the stitches, and RE-knit it. Then RE-block it. So that's why I've put it on the shelf and moved on to many other projects.

Like MY SWEATER!!! I am so excited about this one. I'm knitting the puff sleeved feminine cardigan from Stephanie Japel's Fitted Knits. It is an exquisite pattern (that Steve actually picked out) and I am using the most beautiful beautiful beautiful beautiful beautiful yarn. It is 100% alpaca, given to me by my friend Becky from her trip to Peru, and it is such a great color - a light turquois-y green. Since the sweater is short sleeved I think it will be great for those chilly Spring and Fall days and of course for winter with some layers underneath. Alpaca is supposedly a really really warm fiber so I don't think I would like a long sleeved sweater made out of it. And it is super duper soft! So, I'm over half way done with the sweater and I can't wait to wear it. I may even wish for a June cold snap if you can believe it.

So that is my spring in a very large nutshell. Possibly a coconut shell... or maybe even a shea nut shell....

Record time!

2008-05-14T08:28:00.003-05:00

I made record time on my commute to work today! Biking from door to door in 22 mins!!!! Woo hoo!!!

In other news, the Nips Ahoy! tee shirts should be finished tomorrow and ready for me to pick them up. They will be for sale through ME and will also be available at our yard sale this Saturday. Please come visit us! Here are the details:

Garage Sale & Bake Sale Saturday 5/17 9am-4pm

2228 West Giddings Street (one block South of Lawrence and Oakley)

All Proceeds go to the Avon Breast Cancer Walk via team Nips Ahoy!!

We will have books, electronics, furniture, CD's, DVDs, clothes, antiques, baby stuff, official team T-shirts and tons of funny random things!

Sweets and lemonade will be available to buy. Or, just come by to donate, chat it up and wish us good luck in the walk! We will dedicate pink ribbons to your love ones to wear in the walk. Pink ribbons will be available for all who want one.

See you there!!

Screen burning

2008-05-05T22:23:00.003-05:00

I'm so happy i just had to announce this. I burned my first silk screen at home!!! I have done this many times at a couple of my previous jobs, but I was so unsure that I had the proper equipment etc. Actually when it came to the screen coating part I was very nervous but it seemed to go okay. It's a little blotchy but I think everything will work out alright.

Making shirts with our team logo to sell for Breast Cancer funds is such a great idea. But my original screen source fell through so I had to make my own. After dropping a hundred bucks at Dick Blick - I'm in business. Also I DID use inkjet transparencies to burn my screen and I doubled them up to make sure I got good enough coverage.

Now the next task will be printing these pesky shirts. I must have had a brain fart when I was choosing the colors because I forgot that it's very difficult to print light ink on a dark shirt. However I bought this "super opaque white" ink from versatex and I hope it does the trick. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!!

Avon Walk v2.0

2008-05-02T13:25:00.001-05:00

Just in case you didn't know.... I'm doing the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer again this year!! Fundraising is going well - I'm at 58% of my goal of $2500. So if you haven't donated yet, please click here to go to my fundraising page. It's so easy to donate with your credit card online. AND your contribution is tax deductible.

My team's name is Nips Ahoy! and we are working on some tee shirts with our logo to sell so be on the lookout for those real soon.

We are also having a yard/bake/lemonade sale on May 17th in Lincoln Square.

In the meantime I need to do some real training.... um... yeah...

Plastic Bag update

2008-04-28T09:43:00.003-05:00

Just giving myself a little pat on the back. I went into the grocery store this weekend with Steve and Lynn. I forgot to take my reusable bags into the store with me. So after we had picked out everything we needed, I went back out to the car to get the bags! My mom said that she just needs to make it a habit to take the bags to the store with her and i agree. I'm getting closer!

Also wondering what y'all use as a receptacle for kitty poop when scooping. I'd love to hear of some other ideas/tips so as not to be reliant on plastic grocery bags.