Archive for August, 2008
Tagged by a Penguin!
Surprisingly, I’ve been blogging for 7+ years and I’ve never been tagged. It was bound to happen sooner or later. In any case, I was tagged by my Penguin cohort over at Weddingbee who’s sassy, spunky, and she also lives in the condo of my dreams (you should see it; it’ll make your little heart melt, it’s that cute).
Here are the rules of this tag game:
1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Write 6 random things about yourself
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them
5. Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted
I don’t think I know six bloggers who haven’t already been tagged with these questions, so I’ll have to cheat on number 4. Hey, I never said I was popular. 
Six Random Things About Me:
- I’ve been arrested and taken down to the station in a paddywagon. Yup. When I was the ripe young age of 20, I went with my girlfriends to a Korean club in SF. Well, this K-club was notorious for allowing underage people (like me) to drink. On the night we visited the venue, it was raided by cops! Thankfully, I wasn’t drinking that night. The police officers grabbed up all the girls and asked for our IDs. Of course, we all conveniently “forgot” our IDs at home. Hah. I ended up in the back of a van stuffed with 10 crying girls (I wasn’t crying; I was way too pissed). When we got to the station the cops put us up in a little room for a minute, took our prints, and let us out. No charges were pressed, but boy does the experience make a good story now!
- I was a cheerleader in high school. That may not seem random if you don’t know me, but those who do know me understand how introverted I really am. I don’t like being the center of attention, so I have no idea what compelled me to try out for the cheerleading squad. There certainly weren’t any cute boys on our football team.
- I missed my junior prom because no one asked me. As an insecure high school teeny bopper, this was actually pretty traumatic for me. I spent prom night with my girlfriend, gorging on pizza and Coke. *sob*
- I put my makeup on in the car every morning. It’s not as bad as it sounds. Driving in SF city traffic allows for lots of wasted time at stoplights. These are precious minutes that can be utilized so that I can sleep in ten minutes longer in the mornings. I never apply my makeup if the car is moving, only at full stops of at least 30 seconds. But I’ve become a pro at applying eyeliner without a mirror.
- I want to be a homemaker. This might not seem random, but it’s definitely more uncommon here in the bay area. Most women I know want a powerful career and financial independence. For me, none of that is a priority. I would be completely satisfied as a stay-at-home mom. Of course, I’d still want to do something constructive with my time. Perhaps a small home business or a community service cause would fill that void and allow me some adult interaction.
- My first job was piercing ears at Claire’s. I cannot believe this store trusted a 16 year old girl to pierce the ears of 4 and 5 year old kids. Seriously, if you have children, don’t ever let Claire’s associates touch their earlobes. I barely had any training before a piercing gun and a purple marker were shoved in my hands. There are hundreds of poor, unfortunate souls out there with lopsided earrings because of me. Are you reading this, little Sarah? I’m sorry for the trauma I caused you. I hope you’ve forgiven me!
It’s about 5am right now and I’m off to catch my flight. I didn’t get a chance to tag anyone back, but I hope that my embarrassing facts plastered over the internet were entertaining for you to read. See you in two weeks! I shall leave you with a parting thank you for indulging me.
I Want One Just Like Him!
Yesterday, Hubs and I hosted dinner for six people we invited over. Yes, we want to kill ourselves with activities before our Euro trip on Saturday (I haven’t even packed or planned our itinerary yet), but it was really nice to have the company. I also finally got a chance to break out our wedding entertaining gifts.
Dinner was delicious. We (and by we, I mean I) cooked up a yummy meal of Italian sausage and fennel soup, milk braised pork, smashed potatoes, and warm apple crumble with vanilla ice cream. Everything came out quite well and I was able to prepare most of the dishes the night before. I found some great entertaining recipes and I will share them all with you very soon. Our guests contributed a tasty platter of buttery mashed potatoes, salad with amazing homemade dressing, and a decadent cheesecake. *burp* I’m still stuffed!
Our friend, Jo, brought her little boy, Nathanael, along. He has grown so big since last I saw him! Babies are so fun to photograph. I had a chance to test out the lens that Hubs brought home a few weeks ago, a Sigma 30mm f1.4. Poor Nathanael, I chased him around with a camera all night.
I am not quite in mommy mode yet, but after tonight, I might change my mind. I know Nathanael caused Hubs to want a kid even more than he already does (and he wanted a kid to pop out of me, like, yesterday). How could I blame him? Nathanael is one of the cutest babies ever. I mean, take a look at those deep almond eyes and that tiny button nose.
Jo and Brian don’t know it yet, but he’s going to be the cutest little rock star ever. Just look at him playing Guitar Hero already… He’s barely twelve months old!
Nathanael loves his Auntie Jen. I demonstrated my Cuttlebug last night for Jen, and I think I inadvertently convinced her to buy one. Sorry Jen! Hubs says I’m a bad influence because I get everyone addicted to stamping. I don’t do it intentionally, I swear!
The pictures with the Sigma lens came outsurprisingly sharp, especially with the aperture wide open. I didn’t test the lens against the Canon 50mm f/1.4, so I don’t know how it compares. But, I like that that the Sigma allowed me to be much closer to my photo subject. Now, I’m just debating which lens to bring with me to Europe.
One more day until Paris! It’s going to be a crazy, jam-packed, insanely busy day, but nevertheless, only one day left—yay!
A Quickie Post
Oh, boy am I tired.
I just finished preparing a meal for eight (we’re having company over on Thursday night). I’m pretty beat, so I don’t have much in the way of words to share with you guys. Instead, I’ll bribe you with a card I made a while ago. Also, some of you commented and asked what I’d recommend to get started in stamping. I’ll write a whole post on that soon and show you a peek into what my stamping collection looks like. I’ll also give you some tips on what to purchase.
I can’t believe it’s Thursday already. I’ll be off to Paris in two days! Time to celebrate!
Supplies: Stamps: PTI Piece of Cake, Ribbon: Michael’s, Cardstock & Ink: SU Pink Passion, Patterned Paper: K&Co
Card Logic
I’m very lucky to have a husband who actually enjoys the fact that I’m crafty (and I don’t mean sly). I’m sure it’s only because he has never totaled up the receipts for my rubber stamping supplies. Shhh, don’t tell him that I craftily hide the receipts in a box labeled “maxi pads” so that he stays far, far away. Well, at least he’ll never have to buy a birthday card ever again.
Speaking of birthday cards, I’ll show you one that I made over the weekend. Hubs liked the card and asked me how I came up with the card layout. I don’t really know, actually. I usually start off with an idea of what I want to make, and then I just work things out as I go along. I’ll try to illustrate the process.
The first thing I do is gather up all the supplies I want to use. I may not end up using all of them, but it helps to have everything out and ready to grab. The stamp set is picked first; then, I decide on my color palette. I chose a shade of baby blue and light yellow for this card.
Shown: Stamps - SU Birthday Whimsy and SU Polka Dot (didn’t use), Ink and Cardstock- PTI Lemon Tart and Aqua Mist, Die - Cuttlebug, Rhinestones - Jewelry Essentials
Not Shown: Ribbon - PTI Lemon Tart and Aqua Mist, Patterned Paper - PTI Everyday Blessings, Dies - Nestabilities rectangles and scalloped rectangles
After I pick my products, I do is cut a blank piece of cardstock in half and score it so that it folds nicely. The scoring is key. It really helps the cards have a finished quality. I use a Fiskar’s paper trimmer with a scoring blade. You can get this at Michael’s for a good price if you use a 40% off coupon.
Then, I ink my main image and stamp.
I like using dies to cut my images out. The one shown is the Nestabilities rectangle die. I love Nestabilities because they come in all shapes and sizes, so there is bound to be one that fits your stamped image. I use a tiny piece of tape so that the die stays in place while running it through my Cuttlebug.
What you see above is actually the second time I’m running the stamped image through the Cuttlebug. The first time cuts the image out. The second time, I use a tan embossing mat to emboss a frame around the image.
Here’s what it looks like when it’s finally finished and run through the machine twice. See the neat embossed frame? That’s what the embossing mat does.
Sometimes an image needs more pop. This is easily fixed by matting it. Here, I took two more dies of slightly larger sizes and ran them through the Bug with colored paper. Then, I just layer them on each other to make a nice, framed image.
Cards usually look better when there are multiple textures and patterns. These give the eye something to explore. Ribbon is an easy way to add some texture.
Above, I’m using my new Fiskars border punch to create a scalloped edge. This was for no logical reason at all, but merely because I wanted to play with it. Stamping isn’t always logical.
The punch makes a pretty lace border decorated with holes. My card already had a lot going on, so I decided that I wanted to hide the holes and only use the very top of the scalloped edge.
Here’s what it looks like from the front. The paper is the same color as the ink and the blue ribbon, so it coordinates, yet the pattern adds interest to the card. I used the yellow twill to hide the harsh line where the two papers meet.
Now, I’m making my final embellishments using Cuttlebug flower dies.
Here’s what they look like after they come out of the machine.
And finally, here’s the finished card. I hope you enjoyed the thought process behind it!
Lazy Eats for a Lazy Gal
I am all about simplicity. Well, more accurately, I am all about laziness. Take showering, for example. If being smelly wasn’t offensive to people, I probably wouldn’t shower as much. I only shower every day because Hubs makes me. If I were living on my own, I’m sure I’d only bathe half as much as I do now. Gross, I know. Hey, medieval people only bathed twice a year and they were just fine. Anyway, my point is, I’m lazy, and if there’s an easy way to do something, you can bet I’ll figure it out. That’s why I love the internet so darn much; it’s a lazy person’s paradise. Shopping, entertainment, and information, all within two square feet. Awesome! Poor Hubs. He married a very lazy woman.
Even a lazy wife has to feed her hungry husband once in a while. Because I’m lazy, I’m also resourceful. I like cooking, but I love eating even more. Hubs says I’m one of the pickiest eaters he knows. What does a picky, lazy girl do when she’s hungry? She makes quick and easy recipes that are satisfying to the taste buds. Below is my take on an ultimate gourmet chicken sandwich for the ultimate lazy cook. Hubs thinks I’m preparing him a meal fit for a king and I get to make the easiest recipe next to instant ramen. It’s a win-win!
Kel’s Lazy Chicken Sandwich
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman’s recipe for Marlboro Man’s 2nd Favorite Sandwich
Ingredients (for two sandwiches):
Two chicken breasts (or one large breast that can be split into two)
6-8 mushrooms
1/2 onion
Creole seasoning
2 wheat hamburger buns
2 pieces of lettuce
2 slices of cheese of your choice (I like provolone, but swiss or jack would also taste yummy)
Condiments
Wash and pat dry a chicken breast and remove the fat with a knife. Make sure you have your left pinky finger sticking up in the air just like I do. It makes the meat taste better. Then, using the flat side of a meat tenderizer, flatten the chicken to about 1/2 inch thickness. When I get really lazy, sometimes I just slice the chicken breast in half sideways to get a thin piece of chicken that cooks quickly.
Next season the chicken very well with creole seasoning. You should be able to find this stuff at your local grocery market. I use this in everything, from jambalaya to chicken marsala. Yup, you heard right—chicken marsala with creole seasoning. (I’ll post the recipe for that soon.) The creole stuff really adds a kick of flavor to your dishes. Once you’re done seasoning the chicken, set it aside to marinate for a bit.
Now, take about four slices of bacon and cut them in half (this is for two sandwiches, so double if you’re making more). Then, add the bacon to the unheated pan and turn your stove to medium low (about 4 on a scale of 10). Let your bacon cook all the way through.
While the bacon is heating, slice the mushrooms.
Slice up the onions. You can leave them in long slices. No need to chop them up into small pieces, unless you want too. I’ve already told you guys that I’m lazy, so the less chopping I need to do, the better.
Now, remove the cooked bacon from your pan and let the pieces drain on a paper towel. If there’s a lot of fat left in the pan, drain some of it off. Leave about a teaspoon or so in the pan and add the onions. Leave them to cook until they begin to caramelize.
Then, add the mushrooms and saute them until they are cooked through and the water has mostly evaporated. Remove the onion mushroom mixture and set it aside.
Take your hamburger buns and spread a small amount of softened butter on them.
Add the buns to a clean hot pan with the inside down. You can skip this part, but I like to have a nice yummy crust on the insides. If you want, you can flip them and heat the outside part of the buns too.
Now, heat one tablespoon of oil in the pan. When the pan is hot, add your marinated chicken breasts. Cook them for about 3-4 minutes per side. If you’re using a pan without a non stick coating, you’ll know your chicken breasts are finished when a crust forms on the bottom and they easily release when you try to turn them over.
When your chicken is almost done cooking on the second side, add the bacon strips on top.
Then, add your slices of provolone or jack or mozzarella (or whatever cheese you like) plus the mushroom, onion mixture. Heat until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese has melted. When everything has finished cooking, take your buns and add the condiments of your choice. Layer with the lettuce leaves to top off your yummy lazy chicken sandwich.
Yum-O. The ultimate definition of an easy, tasty chicken sandwich. And it only took about 20 minutes to make. Let’s name it a lazy-girl chicken-wich, shall we?
Coffee, How I Love Thee
Coffee is my nicotine.
I was caffeine free once. That was before I started working at a place that serves the really good stuff. I’m talking any bean of my choice, fresh roasted right downstairs. Unlimited drinks, including my favorite: sugar-free vanilla lattes with soy milk. Mmmm. My cup hath runneth over every day since. So hath my addiction.
Last week, I decided to quit coffee. Hubs and I are heading on a vacation to Paris, Madrid, and Barcelona this weekend. The US dollar is worth, like, one bazillionth of a Euro, and I didn’t want to spend the equivalent of a small farm in Kansas for a cup of coffee every morning. So, on Thursday, I survived the entire day without a single sip of the brown stuff.
Very bad idea.
I survived alright. But everyone around me felt the wrath of my decaffeination. You would think I hadn’t showered for a week, the way people were avoiding me. I’m sure they were just intimidated by the permanent scowl engraved on my face. By the end of the day, my head was throbbing louder than a Metallica concert. Poor Hubs. He bore the brunt of my barking when he got home.
The next morning, I got to work and made a beeline for the espresso machine to make myself a steaming hot latte. Just one more cup. Then I’ll quit. I ground three tablespoons of beans and pulled a perfect espresso shot. The crema in that glass was more beautiful than a Van Gogh painting. Closing my eyes, I took a sip. Mmmm, sooooo gooood. If I ever got stuck on a deserted island, I’d take coffee over food any day. Caffeine flowed through my veins and my headache subsided. Rich, brown, liquid nicotine.
Maybe I can postpone the coffee quittin’ for a bit until after our Europe trip…
I also made a coffee themed card this weekend, to celebrate my non-quitting.
Supplies: SU (Stampin’ Up) Close to Cocoa ink, PI (Papertrey Ink) Berry Sorbet and Sweet Blus inks, ribbon, and paper, MFT (My Favorite Things) Hot Stuff clear stamps, acrylic blocks. Not pictured: Nestabilities dies, Cuttlebug die cutting machine.
I know not everyone is a stamper, so I’ll introduce the products I use as I make my cards. This is an example of a clear stamp. It peels off of an acetate sheet and adheres to an acrylic block, the same way a repositionable decal sticks to your car window. Clear stamps are inexpensive to produce and don’t need wood blocks, therefore they are less expensive than red rubber stamps.
Here’s another stamp from the set. A tip for clear stamps: I keep mine in CD cases with the spines labeled. Stored this way, they barely take up any precious desk real estate.
You can see from this example that clear stamps don’t ink as well as red rubber stamps. The ink tends to pool on the clear stamps, so details don’t come out as nicely. However, as the clear stamps are broken in, less pooling will occur and the images will be smoother.
I decided to use a few Nestabilities dies to accent the stamp.
Here, the stamp is shown after it has been cute out and layered on colored paper.
Next, I cut this pretty pattered paper on a slant.
I added a touch of ribbon and adhered the layer onto my light pink card base.
And here’s the final product. Coffee + friends, my of my favorite things.
(Especially the coffee).
Thirty and Lost
At thirty years old, a woman should be confident. She should know what she wants in her life. Most of all, she should know where she’s going. At thirty years old, I am not this woman. I don’t really know what I want in life and I definitely don’t know where I’m going, in both the literal and figurative sense.
Yesterday, my lovely friend, Janet, invited me for dinner at her gorgeous new apartment in the city. I drove to her place after work and parked two blocks from her house. When I reached her flat, I could already smell the delicious roasted bell peppers and mushrooms in the oven. Also on the menu were pan seared orange roughy and homemade pesto pasta. For dessert, she split two very ripe figs and served them with Greek yogurt and honey. I sighed in content after devouring a fabulous meal and sharing delightful conversation. At 10:30pm, I left her apartment and headed back to my car to go home.
The night was beautiful and warm, by San Francisco standards. I inhaled the fresh air. A couple walking their dog stopped and smiled at me. San Francisco people are so friendly, I thought to myself. I walked two blocks to my car, keys in hand. Oops, no car. I must’ve walked the wrong direction. I turned around and trotted past the couple and their dog again. This time, they gave me a funny look, probably thinking I was following them. A few minutes later, where was my car? I turned around, passed the couple for a third time, who, I’m positive, were now whispering about me. Another few blocks, still, no car. Scratching my head, I thought, I don’t get it? How could I lose my car within a two block radius?
Hubs knows I have absolutely no sense of direction. I will find a way to get lost anywhere that’s not a mall. If I’m near a Nordstrom, I’m game. But outside of that, I couldn’t tell north from south if my life depended on it. Hubs bought me a Garmin GPS last Christmas because he was tired receiving calls from me whenever I got lost. After 10 months of living in SF, one would think I’d know my way around. It’s surprising the new and inventive ways I can get lost within a city that’s seven miles small.
After twenty-five minutes of cluelessly wandering the streets of San Francisco at 10pm, I decided I’d better call Hubs to come pick me up. I would’ve dialed Janet’s number first, but I was too embarrassed to explain why I was standing outside her house when I had left a half an hour go. Hubs made me call her anyway because he didn’t want me wandering like a sheep in New York City, which is basically what I looked like, leftover fruit tart in one hand, cell phone in the other, scratching my head at each stoplight.
Janet is a good friend. She’s the kind of friend that will make someone feel better after they’ve done something really stupid like lose their parked car. She’ll say nice things like, “don’t worry, everything looks the same in the dark” or “this neighborhood is really confusing.” I’m glad I have her as a friend. I feel like less of an idiot.
Anyway, Hubs came and picked me up. We drove around and found my car, where? You guessed it—two blocks from the apartment. (I swear it wasn’t there when I looked.) I mean, who does that kind of stuff at thirty years old? Who loses their freakin’ car?
I think the car situation is a metaphor for my life. I’ve been feeling rather blasé lately, mostly about my job and such. At thirty years old, it’s about time I stop and figure out what I want to do. Life is too short to mull along aimlessly. I should decide what I want to contribute to society and how I’m going to get there.
Now, if I could only remember where I parked…
Here’s a virtual hand stamped thank you card for Hubs (thanks for marrying me and saving me from my idiocy) and for Janet (thanks for making a delicous dinner and humoring my cluelessness. )
Supplies: PTI aqua mist ribbon, SU cardstock in river rock and groovy guava, SU stamps, VM ink, MM binder clip
