The dogs got me up. So I ate breakfast and now I feel awake. I'm going to go with it because it'll make getting up early tomorrow easier. I'm making some Orange Pekoe tea. I really like the orange pekoe. I guess I have expensive tea tastes! Well, maybe I have versatile tea tastes. I like Lipton and Bigelow just as well! I also really like my orange teapot. I got it in North Carolina when we went to visit BIL and his wife. There's a store called A Southern Season. It has all sorts of neat things and I got my teapot there. It is orange and I love orange but the best thing about it is that the holes from the body to the spout are small enough that the tea leaves won't go through it. I hate picking tea leaves out of my cup. I still prefer the convenience of bagged tea but when I have time, the looseleaf with the teapot is nice.
I got my first seed catalog for 2010. It's from Vermont Bean Seed Company. I have a thing for dried beans. I'll go to the store and get a bag of all the different dry beans (except garbanzo. I hate garbanzo.) and dump them into this big glass thing I have. Then we have mixed bean soup. It is yummy. I would love to grow my mixed bean soup at home with all the heirloom and traditional beans. The only problem is that I can't grow them all together and also save seed because they'll cross pollinate. I will have to grow a whole bunch of one kind each year and just rotate I guess.
Guess what just happened; I poured my tea and got a couple of leaves in it! Gotta love the law of irony.
I was just looking at the Seed Savers Exchange Catalog and it says I need to separate my bean varieties by at least 25' but preferably 100' to keep them from cross pollinating. I could grow one variety in the front yard and one in back! Ooh! And maybe a crop of one in the beginning of the season and one at the end. Bush beans have a shorter life span than pole beans so I could theoretically have two crops. That makes 4 kinds of dry bush beans each year. Cool!
I've been trying to plan my garden. This year I have a ton more seeds than ever before thanks to the seed swap I did. It's hard to pick what to grow in my limited space. In the spring I'm going to grow lettuce, cabbage, peas, and radishes. I didn't like radishes growing up but tastes change and I'm willing to try them again. Also, DH has never had one and I think he might like the spicy hot flavor of them. Besides, they're really good as companion plants. I have a book called Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise Riotte. She was from southern OK and was an amazing gardener and she put all her knowledge about companion planting veggies in this book. It is very useful.
Sometime this winter when it's warmish I'm going to put up a fence of sorts around my garden. Tuvok really likes to be in the garden and I can't have him in there smushing all my plants. So I've got some 1x1s and some garden twine. I have some cotton thread and thin metal wire when the twine runs out. I'm going to make a fence with that and grow the vining plants up the fence. In the spring I'm going to sucession plant peas all around the fence. When the first side of peas is done, I can start in with my summer vines. The big issue for me right now is how to make a gate. Theoretically, I can stick a 4x4 in the ground and hang something on it with hinges. But how deep of a hole do I need? Can I get away without concrete in the hole? I need to do more research.
Another issue is how many tomatoes to I want to make room for? I'd like to leave at least 3 feet between each plant because they need lots of breathing room to do well. You can put shorter plants between them but hardly anything I want to grow is short enough. Oh wait. The watermelon is short enough. Ok, so now space is the only issue. The corn and okra are going to take up most of the room between them. Then there's the bell peppers and eggplants. They like to grow with okra. I need a bigger garden. Next year maybe. I wish I had lots of energy so I could do all this right away.
I think I'm done thinking for a while! My brain hurts. :^)
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
I'm drinking some looseleaf Yunnan tea that I made in my teapot. Erik made some coffee in his new french press and is listening to the kindle read the newspaper. It is a nice morning! I feel happy and content.
If the roads are ok, I might go to the Gourmet Yarn Company and peruse their sale. Froggi (BFF) and her mom want to go. SIL (Sister in law) might want to go too. I wish Mom could be here to come along but the roads are too bad. I miss her and want to share the yarn store with her. Soon.
I'd like to find my snow pants. If I do, I'll take my fancy new camera and a broken down box to the park. The camera is for taking snow pictures. The box is for sledding down the giant hill in the park. :^)
I would take Tuvok too but I'm not comfortable with him being out in the cold snow that long. He has very thin fur. He needs boots and a coat to handle these temperatures.
Along with the camera, yarn, and cookie scoops, I got some Estee Lauder Pleasures Intense perfume. I lost my perfume in the move 3 years ago and haven't gotten any since then. But now I have more and that is nice! I got an amazon gift card and a visa debit gift card. That's a relatively small amount of items compared to the rest of the family but the camera is like 4 big items put together! DH actually told FIL to use part of the money they would normally spend on him to get me the camera. He's the best husband in the whole world! I love him so much!!
In the past, the inlaws have asked for wish lists and then deliberately not gotten anything on the list. Don't get me wrong, I am not materialistic and I am thankful that they want to get us gifts. But why ask for a list only to ignore it? That can be very disappointing on Christmas day. This year I didn't put the camera on the list on purpose and had a very small list with inexpensive items. I was expecting at least a couple of things not on my list but they got all the things I really wanted! And really, I don't want to sound like a spoiled kid. I am very thankful for their generosity each year. But there's something awesome about opening up so many things that you've been wanting for so long!
Anyway, what to do today.... I think I'll spend some time on amazon.com. I need screen protectors for my camera. I'm not sure what else I'll get with the gift card. We'll see.
If the roads are ok, I might go to the Gourmet Yarn Company and peruse their sale. Froggi (BFF) and her mom want to go. SIL (Sister in law) might want to go too. I wish Mom could be here to come along but the roads are too bad. I miss her and want to share the yarn store with her. Soon.
I'd like to find my snow pants. If I do, I'll take my fancy new camera and a broken down box to the park. The camera is for taking snow pictures. The box is for sledding down the giant hill in the park. :^)
I would take Tuvok too but I'm not comfortable with him being out in the cold snow that long. He has very thin fur. He needs boots and a coat to handle these temperatures.
Along with the camera, yarn, and cookie scoops, I got some Estee Lauder Pleasures Intense perfume. I lost my perfume in the move 3 years ago and haven't gotten any since then. But now I have more and that is nice! I got an amazon gift card and a visa debit gift card. That's a relatively small amount of items compared to the rest of the family but the camera is like 4 big items put together! DH actually told FIL to use part of the money they would normally spend on him to get me the camera. He's the best husband in the whole world! I love him so much!!
In the past, the inlaws have asked for wish lists and then deliberately not gotten anything on the list. Don't get me wrong, I am not materialistic and I am thankful that they want to get us gifts. But why ask for a list only to ignore it? That can be very disappointing on Christmas day. This year I didn't put the camera on the list on purpose and had a very small list with inexpensive items. I was expecting at least a couple of things not on my list but they got all the things I really wanted! And really, I don't want to sound like a spoiled kid. I am very thankful for their generosity each year. But there's something awesome about opening up so many things that you've been wanting for so long!
Anyway, what to do today.... I think I'll spend some time on amazon.com. I need screen protectors for my camera. I'm not sure what else I'll get with the gift card. We'll see.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Christmas
Today was an adventuresome and ultimately awesome Christmas.
As this last week progressed, the weather predictions kept getting scarier. As we approached Christmas Eve the weathermen predicted more and more snow each hour. In Oklahoma, you don't know whether to believe the forecasters. Sometimes they're right on. Sometimes it's worse than they think. Sometimes it doesn't do anything. So, we prepare for the worst of the weather models and then just wait and see what Nature decides to do. This time she gave us a blizzard! Here's a timeline of my experience.
Dec 23: I ask about the work policies on snow days before holidays. Normally, you have to work at least 4 hours the day before and the day after a holiday in order to recieve holiday pay. This policy prevents people getting "sick" around the holidays. I get two answers. 1. I'll have to ask. 2. It isn't going to snow; don't worry. Not helpful.
Dec 24, 7:30am: It's raining outside and the temps are above freezing. I go to work.
7:45am: I get to work just as the rain changes to sleet.
10:30am: The bosses let me go home since I have to drive across I-40 (one big giant bridge/overpass). I'll get paid for Christmas because I showed up and they're the ones that let me go home.
11:00am: I get home just as the sleet changes to snow.
Dec 24th, afternoon: DH and I sit and watch the continuing news coverage of the blizzard, white out conditions, cars piling up by the dozens, cars being abandoned in the hundreds, wreckers and emergency vehicles getting stuck in the snow, interstates closing, airports being snowed in, and the like. I measure our front yard snow at 3.75" and still falling. Tuvok won't go out without being pulled and dragged. He won't do any business at all and stares at me like I'm the most horrible human being ever (while the wind blows snow into his eyes and nose).
Dec 24th, evening: the news stays on and the newscasters are stuck at the station and at the airport. Transit buses are being sent to pick up stranded motorists, the National Guard is dispatched to help as well. The snow moves out, leaving a completely unprepared and paniking state in its wake. The news dubbs it the worst blizzard in OK since we started keeping records. The most snow in 24 hours ever. The most snow in December ever. The governer declares a state of emergency. I'm sure Minnesota is laughing.
Dec 25th, 8:30am: We awaken to a beautiful, sunny, glistening white Christmas! The backyard is 6.5" deep and there are 4 foot drifts. Tuvok thinks snow without wind is the coolest thing ever.
The airport opens back up... sort of. There aren't any planes. There's one runway open and one gate open but a plane is blocking it and they have to dig it out of the snow.
10:30am: Father in law shows up to take us to their house for Christmas. We're supposed to go to the airport and pick up Brother in law and wife on the way.
11:15am: we get to the airport and the plane is scheduled to arrive at 12:20. We get food and wait.
12:15pm: we get word that the plane just landed... in Fayetteville, Arkansas. They still haven't gotten the gate at OKC opened up. New estimate is 1:45. We go to the in laws' house to wait and hang out in more comfortable surroundings.
3:00pm: The plane lands and FIL (Father in law) goes to pick them up.
3:45pm: LUNCH!!
Afternoon and evening: DH gets a kindle! I get nifty dishers and cool yarn and a new digital Rebel XSi!!!!!!! I hyperventilate. Not badly, but I was lightheaded for a while. :-)
Everyone liked the family pictures we took and the scarves I made. I wish we could have done more but the great thing about family is they don't care about that stuff.
So now we're back home. We moved tomorrow's celebration with my family to next Saturday. Too many people have too far to drive on these roads. I am much less stressed about everything.
DH is upstairs reading the newspaper for the very first time. Well, he would read it online I guess but now the Kindle is reading it to him and he'll get it automatically each day. He's so excited he's speechless. If you know my husband, you'll know how significant this is.
I'm tired and I'm going to go to bed. Merry Christmas!!
As this last week progressed, the weather predictions kept getting scarier. As we approached Christmas Eve the weathermen predicted more and more snow each hour. In Oklahoma, you don't know whether to believe the forecasters. Sometimes they're right on. Sometimes it's worse than they think. Sometimes it doesn't do anything. So, we prepare for the worst of the weather models and then just wait and see what Nature decides to do. This time she gave us a blizzard! Here's a timeline of my experience.
Dec 23: I ask about the work policies on snow days before holidays. Normally, you have to work at least 4 hours the day before and the day after a holiday in order to recieve holiday pay. This policy prevents people getting "sick" around the holidays. I get two answers. 1. I'll have to ask. 2. It isn't going to snow; don't worry. Not helpful.
Dec 24, 7:30am: It's raining outside and the temps are above freezing. I go to work.
7:45am: I get to work just as the rain changes to sleet.
10:30am: The bosses let me go home since I have to drive across I-40 (one big giant bridge/overpass). I'll get paid for Christmas because I showed up and they're the ones that let me go home.
11:00am: I get home just as the sleet changes to snow.
Dec 24th, afternoon: DH and I sit and watch the continuing news coverage of the blizzard, white out conditions, cars piling up by the dozens, cars being abandoned in the hundreds, wreckers and emergency vehicles getting stuck in the snow, interstates closing, airports being snowed in, and the like. I measure our front yard snow at 3.75" and still falling. Tuvok won't go out without being pulled and dragged. He won't do any business at all and stares at me like I'm the most horrible human being ever (while the wind blows snow into his eyes and nose).
Dec 24th, evening: the news stays on and the newscasters are stuck at the station and at the airport. Transit buses are being sent to pick up stranded motorists, the National Guard is dispatched to help as well. The snow moves out, leaving a completely unprepared and paniking state in its wake. The news dubbs it the worst blizzard in OK since we started keeping records. The most snow in 24 hours ever. The most snow in December ever. The governer declares a state of emergency. I'm sure Minnesota is laughing.
Dec 25th, 8:30am: We awaken to a beautiful, sunny, glistening white Christmas! The backyard is 6.5" deep and there are 4 foot drifts. Tuvok thinks snow without wind is the coolest thing ever.
The airport opens back up... sort of. There aren't any planes. There's one runway open and one gate open but a plane is blocking it and they have to dig it out of the snow.
10:30am: Father in law shows up to take us to their house for Christmas. We're supposed to go to the airport and pick up Brother in law and wife on the way.
11:15am: we get to the airport and the plane is scheduled to arrive at 12:20. We get food and wait.
12:15pm: we get word that the plane just landed... in Fayetteville, Arkansas. They still haven't gotten the gate at OKC opened up. New estimate is 1:45. We go to the in laws' house to wait and hang out in more comfortable surroundings.
3:00pm: The plane lands and FIL (Father in law) goes to pick them up.
3:45pm: LUNCH!!
Afternoon and evening: DH gets a kindle! I get nifty dishers and cool yarn and a new digital Rebel XSi!!!!!!! I hyperventilate. Not badly, but I was lightheaded for a while. :-)
Everyone liked the family pictures we took and the scarves I made. I wish we could have done more but the great thing about family is they don't care about that stuff.
So now we're back home. We moved tomorrow's celebration with my family to next Saturday. Too many people have too far to drive on these roads. I am much less stressed about everything.
DH is upstairs reading the newspaper for the very first time. Well, he would read it online I guess but now the Kindle is reading it to him and he'll get it automatically each day. He's so excited he's speechless. If you know my husband, you'll know how significant this is.
I'm tired and I'm going to go to bed. Merry Christmas!!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
The sun is out today and consequently I feel much happier. Yesterday I got practically nothing done. Today I'm working on several things. Those truffles I was supposed to do yesterday, wrapping gifts, and playing with the seeds for my 2010 garden. I'm not supposed to be doing that last one but I'm so excited I can't help it! There are so many veggies I want to grow that I'm going to have to put a lot of them in the front beds.
But I need to concentrate on baking and wrapping. I've got some white chocolate and mocha truffles in the fridge. I ran out of chocolate and so I'm debating on whether I should go to the store now or make some other stuff. I want everything to be as fresh as possible. The truffles are good for 2 weeks in the fridge. I guess I could make the molasses crinkle dough since it has to chill before baking. The apple pies can last for several days in the fridge too.
I need to call the family that's coming over for the 26th and get a menu going.
I guess at this point the best use of my time is to wrap gifts. I wish DH was awake so I could put on some Christmas music. That would help get me motivated.
But I need to concentrate on baking and wrapping. I've got some white chocolate and mocha truffles in the fridge. I ran out of chocolate and so I'm debating on whether I should go to the store now or make some other stuff. I want everything to be as fresh as possible. The truffles are good for 2 weeks in the fridge. I guess I could make the molasses crinkle dough since it has to chill before baking. The apple pies can last for several days in the fridge too.
I need to call the family that's coming over for the 26th and get a menu going.
I guess at this point the best use of my time is to wrap gifts. I wish DH was awake so I could put on some Christmas music. That would help get me motivated.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Today starts the weekend of baking and wrapping. Today I'm going to concentrate on truffles and wrapping things. But first I'm sitting here enjoying the fact that I'm not at work. There's nothing wrong with work but I've been feeling the need for a break. I get 3 short weeks in a row though and that should help a lot!!
In the greenhouse my peas and thyme and oregano have sprouted! I know it's the dead of winter but that's exactly the reason why I need to have things sprouting. It reminds me that winter is temporary. I got out my grow light and heat mat yesterday. I'm not sure what I'll grow with them yet but I have lots of options. Maybe some pansies! That would be nice- to have some pansies in the spring.
It is dreary outside. Another cold front is supposed to come through on Monday. It has been a pretty cold season so far. I wonder if it will continue? A cold winter is good for killing off bugs and things. But it is bad for us mammals who like to be warm. I've been thinking of the zoo lately and how hard it was for us keepers on days that the water never thawed. I would spend literally from twilight to after dark breaking ice and refilling water buckets. I didn't have time to clean and barely had time to feed everyone. On top of that, the animals needed fresh hay and the cold loving lynxes wanted to play and needed toys and enrichment. Winter is hard for the keepers. If anyone has a free day when it's cold, go to the Little River Zoo and help them out for the day. Even a couple of hours breaking ice in water buckets would be awesome. I think when I'm a housewife I'll do that on days where the water doesn't thaw.
I need motivation to start working. Meh. Maybe I'll do some of that internet research I'd been needing to do.
In the greenhouse my peas and thyme and oregano have sprouted! I know it's the dead of winter but that's exactly the reason why I need to have things sprouting. It reminds me that winter is temporary. I got out my grow light and heat mat yesterday. I'm not sure what I'll grow with them yet but I have lots of options. Maybe some pansies! That would be nice- to have some pansies in the spring.
It is dreary outside. Another cold front is supposed to come through on Monday. It has been a pretty cold season so far. I wonder if it will continue? A cold winter is good for killing off bugs and things. But it is bad for us mammals who like to be warm. I've been thinking of the zoo lately and how hard it was for us keepers on days that the water never thawed. I would spend literally from twilight to after dark breaking ice and refilling water buckets. I didn't have time to clean and barely had time to feed everyone. On top of that, the animals needed fresh hay and the cold loving lynxes wanted to play and needed toys and enrichment. Winter is hard for the keepers. If anyone has a free day when it's cold, go to the Little River Zoo and help them out for the day. Even a couple of hours breaking ice in water buckets would be awesome. I think when I'm a housewife I'll do that on days where the water doesn't thaw.
I need motivation to start working. Meh. Maybe I'll do some of that internet research I'd been needing to do.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
The Jewelry party is done. Now I can concentrate on making and wrapping gifts. The making part is pretty easy: 2 more scarves and lots of baking. The wrapping might be more involved but we'll see. I discovered the wonders of double sided tape and now I can wrap lidded boxes waaaay easier.
Allergies are bothering the whole family. Even Tuvok and Lillibutt. I don't know what came down from the Arctic but us Okies are allergic to it!!
Allergies are bothering the whole family. Even Tuvok and Lillibutt. I don't know what came down from the Arctic but us Okies are allergic to it!!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Busy!!!
Busy busy busy busy busy!!!! Don't expect any worthwile posts until after Christmas! Things are going fine, there's just a lot to do.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
A nasty cold has been circulating at work. I can tell my immune system is valiantly battling the virus. I'm run down and I have some very very slight cold symptoms occasionally. But I've been taking a bunch of vitamin C and I'm doing ok. DH on the other hand... poor guy. Chemo really kills the immune system and the effects last the rest of your life.
Incidentally, I didn't get as much done this weekend as I wanted. Sleep has been very important. The kitchen exploded. I tried cleaning it a little but it still is messy. I got the big kitchen hole cleaned out and I'm about ready to wallpaper it. I got some textured paintable wallpaper that looks like wainscoating. Then I'll reinstall the floor of the shelf area (and the ceiling of the cabinet area) and wallpaper that (I think) or maybe just paint it. Then I have to install the framing for the shelves and paint all that and then I can put in the rope lighting and the glass shelves and it'll be done. Of course, that's a lot of work and I don't know if I'll get it all done by next weekend. I'd like to have it finished by the jewelry party.
I need to make a list. Lists are comforting to me. My brain isn't good at holding a lot of information and the list helps me keep my brain calmed down and organized and I can make sure I don't forget anything.
This week I need to finish the shelves and clean the house. I need to finish decorating too. There are some gifts I want to make and I'd like to get started on them. I feel overwhelmed. I don't have enough energy to get this done.
Ok. Enough pouting. Back to work!!
Incidentally, I didn't get as much done this weekend as I wanted. Sleep has been very important. The kitchen exploded. I tried cleaning it a little but it still is messy. I got the big kitchen hole cleaned out and I'm about ready to wallpaper it. I got some textured paintable wallpaper that looks like wainscoating. Then I'll reinstall the floor of the shelf area (and the ceiling of the cabinet area) and wallpaper that (I think) or maybe just paint it. Then I have to install the framing for the shelves and paint all that and then I can put in the rope lighting and the glass shelves and it'll be done. Of course, that's a lot of work and I don't know if I'll get it all done by next weekend. I'd like to have it finished by the jewelry party.
I need to make a list. Lists are comforting to me. My brain isn't good at holding a lot of information and the list helps me keep my brain calmed down and organized and I can make sure I don't forget anything.
This week I need to finish the shelves and clean the house. I need to finish decorating too. There are some gifts I want to make and I'd like to get started on them. I feel overwhelmed. I don't have enough energy to get this done.
Ok. Enough pouting. Back to work!!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Each year I tell myself I'm not going to be over-busy this Christmas. And then each year I'm over-busy again. This year is no exception. This week I'm mostly shopping online for gifts and planning the projects I want to do before my jewelry party next Saturday. Monday we had a family photo session with all three animals. It was a riot! One of my friends from the zoo and her husband just opened up a photo studio place and they came up did the session at our house. The cat was angry, the dog was trying to stay as far away from the cat as possible, and the bunny just wished he could go back to his house. But we have a sequence of hilarious photos and a couple of pretty good ones. :^) Tuesday I participated in a focus group for a market research company and I got $75 for it. And is was fun. Win Win. Wednesday we sat on the couch and watched TV and then today I regretted it because I had to go run errands and bake a bunch. But it's all done now and I'm going to bed. More tomorrow...if I have time.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
The Long Awaited Conclusion...
Ok, so I finally have a little time so write down the recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I've started calling this batter "Traditional" because you can put pretty much anything you want in it and it becomes that kind of cookie. Want MnM cookies? Use traditional. Want white chocolate macadamia nut cookies? This is your dough. Want coconut craisin? Well, here ya go:
BTW, you're going to need a scale. A digital scale that reads in ounces and grams. I weigh almost all my ingredients in grams because it's more accurate. So my recipes are going to be in grams. Here's a picture of my scale.
I found it on amazon.com and it's made by Salter. I've had no issues with it whatsoever besides it being a little hard to clean sometimes.
Anyway, here we go.
Preheat your oven to 375F. Use an oven thermometer because I can almost guarantee your oven isn't that accurate. Mine is but that's because I paid $1000 for it. And it was worth every penny. :^) ...and I still use an oven thermometer.
200g Butter Flavored Crisco
150g granulated sugar
170g brown sugar
Cream these ingredients together until light and fluffy. Use a mixer if desired.
Add-
1t vanilla
2 eggs
Mix them in. It helps to slightly beat the eggs before mixing them in but it isn't essential.
Add all at once-
315g flour
1t baking soda
1t kosher salt
Fold these in WITH A SPOON until the dry ingredients are about halfway incorporated. Do not use a mixer. You will almost certainly overmix. Refer to the earlier post for a picture to compare to.
Add the mixins. Use 350g total of chips (have fun with combos!) plus no more than 1 cup (weights vary) of nuts or fruit.
Finish mixing, leaving some of the flour showing. Again, look at the earlier pictures for reference.
Here's another reason I should've done the supplies post first. You're going to need good cookie sheets. Many people like half sheet pans that you get at the restaraunt supply store or Williams Sonoma but I swear by AirBakes. They rock. I don't ever have a brown bottom on my cookies unless I overbake them.
You also need parchment paper. It's with the aluminum foil and stuff at Walmart. Don't use wax paper or anything. It won't work.
Then you need some cooling racks. Two, to be exact.
Finally, you need a disher. I used to make mine with the two spoon method but every cookie was a different size and therefore a different done-ness. That's not ok. A disher/cookie scoop/ice cream scoop is the easiest way to get uniform cookie sizes. The ones at Target work well... for about 5 batches. Then they break. The ones from Williams Sonoma are crazy expensive ($26) but they haven't broken yet. I'm asking for some cool Zeroll dishers for Christmas. I hope they work as well as advertised. I'll keep you updated. If you're left handed, like me, you're going to be restricted to universal dishers. The ones with the little thumb lever aren't going to work for you. Everyone else, I have no idea if the thumb lever ones work or not because I can't use them.
Ok, now you can put parchment paper on your cookie sheets. You'll need two cookie sheets. The parchment will want to roll back up when you tear it off so just flip it over and viola! It doesn't cause you any more problems. You'll need 3 sheets of parchment (yes, that's one more than you have cookie sheets. It'll work out.
Now, you can dish out your cookies. In my opinion, the #40 disher is perfect for cookies but they don't sell a #40 at the stores. So I use a #50 (the littler of your two choices) and overfill it. If I'm using a #50, I can get 5 rows of 4 on each cookie sheet or 20 cookies. When I get my #40, I'll start doing 4 rows of 3 or 12 cookies per sheet. You don't want the cookies to run together when they bake. They look funny that way.
Put one pan of cookies in the oven at a time. The more cold stuff you put in the oven, the longer it takes to heat back up to the right temperature. Also, try very hard not to open the door during baking. Lots of heat escapes. Now, if your oven likes to make wide temperature cycles or it gets hotter the longer it's on, you can use the open door thing to your advantage. But be careful. Lots of heat escapes really quickly. I just turn my oven light on with the first pan and don't turn it off again until all the cookies are done.
I have no idea how long they'll bake. (?!) They'll get done when they get done. You just have to watch them. If you feel they get too flat when they bake, try chilling the dough for a little bit before baking.
Here's a before and after.
These cookies are just a little too done. They'll be kind of crunchy. I need to get more pictures to show exactly what they should look like but this'll have to do for now.
Ok, when you take out a pan of cookies, slide the parchment and cookies off onto the cooling rack. Then put the other pan with more cookies into the oven. When you have two cooling racks with cookies on them and a third pan in the oven, take the cooler cookies off the parchment and put them in their storage/transport container. Then use that sheet of parchment again to put more cookies on. You can rotate out pans and cooling racks in this fashion until you're done. If that's too confusing, let me know and I'll try to explain it differently. It's late and my brain isn't running at full capacity.
You can expect the cookies to taste good for about 3 or 4 days. But I doubt they'll last that long unless you made waaaay too many for whatever you're doing.
BTW, you're going to need a scale. A digital scale that reads in ounces and grams. I weigh almost all my ingredients in grams because it's more accurate. So my recipes are going to be in grams. Here's a picture of my scale.
I found it on amazon.com and it's made by Salter. I've had no issues with it whatsoever besides it being a little hard to clean sometimes.
Anyway, here we go.
Preheat your oven to 375F. Use an oven thermometer because I can almost guarantee your oven isn't that accurate. Mine is but that's because I paid $1000 for it. And it was worth every penny. :^) ...and I still use an oven thermometer.
200g Butter Flavored Crisco
150g granulated sugar
170g brown sugar
Cream these ingredients together until light and fluffy. Use a mixer if desired.
Add-
1t vanilla
2 eggs
Mix them in. It helps to slightly beat the eggs before mixing them in but it isn't essential.
Add all at once-
315g flour
1t baking soda
1t kosher salt
Fold these in WITH A SPOON until the dry ingredients are about halfway incorporated. Do not use a mixer. You will almost certainly overmix. Refer to the earlier post for a picture to compare to.
Add the mixins. Use 350g total of chips (have fun with combos!) plus no more than 1 cup (weights vary) of nuts or fruit.
Finish mixing, leaving some of the flour showing. Again, look at the earlier pictures for reference.
Here's another reason I should've done the supplies post first. You're going to need good cookie sheets. Many people like half sheet pans that you get at the restaraunt supply store or Williams Sonoma but I swear by AirBakes. They rock. I don't ever have a brown bottom on my cookies unless I overbake them.
You also need parchment paper. It's with the aluminum foil and stuff at Walmart. Don't use wax paper or anything. It won't work.
Then you need some cooling racks. Two, to be exact.
Finally, you need a disher. I used to make mine with the two spoon method but every cookie was a different size and therefore a different done-ness. That's not ok. A disher/cookie scoop/ice cream scoop is the easiest way to get uniform cookie sizes. The ones at Target work well... for about 5 batches. Then they break. The ones from Williams Sonoma are crazy expensive ($26) but they haven't broken yet. I'm asking for some cool Zeroll dishers for Christmas. I hope they work as well as advertised. I'll keep you updated. If you're left handed, like me, you're going to be restricted to universal dishers. The ones with the little thumb lever aren't going to work for you. Everyone else, I have no idea if the thumb lever ones work or not because I can't use them.
Ok, now you can put parchment paper on your cookie sheets. You'll need two cookie sheets. The parchment will want to roll back up when you tear it off so just flip it over and viola! It doesn't cause you any more problems. You'll need 3 sheets of parchment (yes, that's one more than you have cookie sheets. It'll work out.
Now, you can dish out your cookies. In my opinion, the #40 disher is perfect for cookies but they don't sell a #40 at the stores. So I use a #50 (the littler of your two choices) and overfill it. If I'm using a #50, I can get 5 rows of 4 on each cookie sheet or 20 cookies. When I get my #40, I'll start doing 4 rows of 3 or 12 cookies per sheet. You don't want the cookies to run together when they bake. They look funny that way.
Put one pan of cookies in the oven at a time. The more cold stuff you put in the oven, the longer it takes to heat back up to the right temperature. Also, try very hard not to open the door during baking. Lots of heat escapes. Now, if your oven likes to make wide temperature cycles or it gets hotter the longer it's on, you can use the open door thing to your advantage. But be careful. Lots of heat escapes really quickly. I just turn my oven light on with the first pan and don't turn it off again until all the cookies are done.
I have no idea how long they'll bake. (?!) They'll get done when they get done. You just have to watch them. If you feel they get too flat when they bake, try chilling the dough for a little bit before baking.
Here's a before and after.
These cookies are just a little too done. They'll be kind of crunchy. I need to get more pictures to show exactly what they should look like but this'll have to do for now.
Ok, when you take out a pan of cookies, slide the parchment and cookies off onto the cooling rack. Then put the other pan with more cookies into the oven. When you have two cooling racks with cookies on them and a third pan in the oven, take the cooler cookies off the parchment and put them in their storage/transport container. Then use that sheet of parchment again to put more cookies on. You can rotate out pans and cooling racks in this fashion until you're done. If that's too confusing, let me know and I'll try to explain it differently. It's late and my brain isn't running at full capacity.
You can expect the cookies to taste good for about 3 or 4 days. But I doubt they'll last that long unless you made waaaay too many for whatever you're doing.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
I know, I know. You're waiting for the rest of the chocolate chip cookie post. I'm sorry. Life has been crazy. My house is a disaster. I need to get it cleaned up and get the Christmas stuff up so we have background options for our family photo on Monday. I want to have plenty of time when I sit down and write the rest of that so I make sure not to forget anything and it all comes across right. Is that enough excuses? Lol!
This morning Jersey managed to find a way to the neighbor's yard. I think she got up on the cedar stump and went over the fence. So I had to go get her. But she made friends with the lost dog that's been in our neighborhood for 2 weeks. I called animal control last week and the dog's still here. I wish I could take him in but there's no way. Anybody need a sweet but skittish brindle and white mixed breed?
I do NOT want to get started on the house. It seems like every possible thing that could be dirty is dirty. Should I clean first and then decorate or decorate and then clean? I'll sit here some more and think about it.
Tuvok and Jersey have figured out how to play tug with each other. It's cute. Right now they each want to play tug with a different toy and it isn't working out so well. Oh, now they have the same toy. They are having so much fun together! Tuvok's going to be sad when Jersey has to go home.
I've decided to do a milk fast for a couple of weeks between now and Christmas. I'm lactose intolerant but I take pills and drink milk anyway cause I love it so much. But every once in a while I have to take a break and let my body do some cleansing. This morning I had oatmeal. I tried to make it in the crock pot overnight but the timer didn't work. I had to use a wall timer thing and I guess I didn't set it up right because the oatmeal was still cold this morning. So I drained off the extra water and put it in the microwave for 2 minutes and it was yummy. Apparently you're supposed to use steel cut oats for the crock pot but I decided to try the old fashioned rolled oats and just cook them for less time. Oh well. I'll just make them in the microwave or on the stove until I can get to a store that actually sells steel cut oats. I need to finish up my box of cereal before I start in earnest anyway.
All this talk about oatmeal made me hungry for some more. I like it with a little brown sugar and cinnamon. One of these days I want to try it with molasses or honey.
I think I'll decorate first and then use the energy I create from that to clean afterwards. Besides, I'll have glitter and stuff all over the place and just have to clean again anyway. I wish everything didn't have to have glitter on it. Oh well.
This morning Jersey managed to find a way to the neighbor's yard. I think she got up on the cedar stump and went over the fence. So I had to go get her. But she made friends with the lost dog that's been in our neighborhood for 2 weeks. I called animal control last week and the dog's still here. I wish I could take him in but there's no way. Anybody need a sweet but skittish brindle and white mixed breed?
I do NOT want to get started on the house. It seems like every possible thing that could be dirty is dirty. Should I clean first and then decorate or decorate and then clean? I'll sit here some more and think about it.
Tuvok and Jersey have figured out how to play tug with each other. It's cute. Right now they each want to play tug with a different toy and it isn't working out so well. Oh, now they have the same toy. They are having so much fun together! Tuvok's going to be sad when Jersey has to go home.
I've decided to do a milk fast for a couple of weeks between now and Christmas. I'm lactose intolerant but I take pills and drink milk anyway cause I love it so much. But every once in a while I have to take a break and let my body do some cleansing. This morning I had oatmeal. I tried to make it in the crock pot overnight but the timer didn't work. I had to use a wall timer thing and I guess I didn't set it up right because the oatmeal was still cold this morning. So I drained off the extra water and put it in the microwave for 2 minutes and it was yummy. Apparently you're supposed to use steel cut oats for the crock pot but I decided to try the old fashioned rolled oats and just cook them for less time. Oh well. I'll just make them in the microwave or on the stove until I can get to a store that actually sells steel cut oats. I need to finish up my box of cereal before I start in earnest anyway.
All this talk about oatmeal made me hungry for some more. I like it with a little brown sugar and cinnamon. One of these days I want to try it with molasses or honey.
I think I'll decorate first and then use the energy I create from that to clean afterwards. Besides, I'll have glitter and stuff all over the place and just have to clean again anyway. I wish everything didn't have to have glitter on it. Oh well.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thanksgiving
Today is probably the least commercialized holiday of the year and therefore my favorite. It is odd that no one has come up with a chocolate turkey or whatever but I'm not complaining. This holiday is still about being with family and giving thanks for what you have.
I am thankful for a lot of things. Too many to write down. Especially since as soon as I'm done with my tea I need to make Molasses Crinkles, shower, and chop up a ton of sweet potatoes. I should have done the first two last night but I was so exhausted from work that I plopped my butt down on the couch and didn't get up until midnight. I should have gone to bed way earlier but the TV was on and you know how that goes.
So now I get to suffer the consequences. But first, blackberry sage tea from Republic of Tea.
I got all the baking done for the people who ordered stuff. It was a lot of work but it was fun too. I really enjoy baking for people. Heather even came over Tuesday night and helped me and let me vent about work.
The tea is gone and my brain is defogging so I need to get going.
I am thankful for a lot of things. Too many to write down. Especially since as soon as I'm done with my tea I need to make Molasses Crinkles, shower, and chop up a ton of sweet potatoes. I should have done the first two last night but I was so exhausted from work that I plopped my butt down on the couch and didn't get up until midnight. I should have gone to bed way earlier but the TV was on and you know how that goes.
So now I get to suffer the consequences. But first, blackberry sage tea from Republic of Tea.
I got all the baking done for the people who ordered stuff. It was a lot of work but it was fun too. I really enjoy baking for people. Heather even came over Tuesday night and helped me and let me vent about work.
The tea is gone and my brain is defogging so I need to get going.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
I Like Weekends
Today DH had a migraine. Even if he didn't, for some reason I was very asleep this morning. Like I could not get up. It was wierd. So we missed church and I'm sad about that. Fortunately, our services get posted online so I can watch it later. Yay.
I finally got around enough to leave the house sometime after noon. Tuvok and Jersey and I went to the dog park. People always assume that it's hard to keep Tuvok under control because he's so big. He's actually very well behaved. But walking with Jersey is a workout! First, she's a country dog and not used to being on a leash. Second, she has a harness. Harnesses are like the worst thing ever if you don't want your animal to pull. I imagine they were invented for sled dogs. To pull the sled. Harnesses distribute the load over the strongest part of the dog's body making pulling easier and probably more fun. Anyway, Jersey needs a gentle leader!! But we all had fun at the park and the dogs played and played until they were worn out and then they played some more. The walk home was much easier. After that we all crashed on the couch for a few hours and I watched some TV. Then I had to go to WalMart. I normally don't mind going to WalMart but it's the Holidays. Oh. My. Goodness. And this isn't going to be as bad as when I have to go on Wednesday. I'm going to have to get like a spa treatment or something after Wednesday's WalMart trip.
All I need to get done tonight is a batch of snickerdoodles and finish packing up the seeds for the seed swap. Monday and Tuesday are going to be crammed. I have to make 3 pies, 2 half batches of muffins and 3 batches of cookies. It's a good thing I like to bake.
Oh, and then Wednesday after WalMart I need to make molasses crinkles for our family get together. Oy.
I finally got around enough to leave the house sometime after noon. Tuvok and Jersey and I went to the dog park. People always assume that it's hard to keep Tuvok under control because he's so big. He's actually very well behaved. But walking with Jersey is a workout! First, she's a country dog and not used to being on a leash. Second, she has a harness. Harnesses are like the worst thing ever if you don't want your animal to pull. I imagine they were invented for sled dogs. To pull the sled. Harnesses distribute the load over the strongest part of the dog's body making pulling easier and probably more fun. Anyway, Jersey needs a gentle leader!! But we all had fun at the park and the dogs played and played until they were worn out and then they played some more. The walk home was much easier. After that we all crashed on the couch for a few hours and I watched some TV. Then I had to go to WalMart. I normally don't mind going to WalMart but it's the Holidays. Oh. My. Goodness. And this isn't going to be as bad as when I have to go on Wednesday. I'm going to have to get like a spa treatment or something after Wednesday's WalMart trip.
All I need to get done tonight is a batch of snickerdoodles and finish packing up the seeds for the seed swap. Monday and Tuesday are going to be crammed. I have to make 3 pies, 2 half batches of muffins and 3 batches of cookies. It's a good thing I like to bake.
Oh, and then Wednesday after WalMart I need to make molasses crinkles for our family get together. Oy.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Baking Lesson #1: Knowing When To Stop Mixing
In my experience, the single most frequent mistake people make in baking is stirring too much. So that's why I made it the first lesson in "Baking Like Me". Remember, this is only my way of doing things. There are many ways to a good cookie.
There are many different terms used that mean "mix it together" in one way or another. Mix, fold, cream, beat, whip, combine- to many people, these all mean the same thing: take a spoon or a beater to it. But each of these terms mean totally different things.
Fold and Combine require the least amount of stirring. The only difference between the two is the technique. To fold measns to reach to the bottom with your spoon and bring the bottom ingredients to the top. It is a very gentle and loose method. Combine is similar but it isn't as specific on how you combine the ingredients. The most important thing to remember is in both folding and combining, you have to STOP STIRRING as soon as possible. This means in most cases that there will still be flour or clumps of dry ingredients in the dough/batter. It'll be ok. I promise. Over mixing causes the dough to become tough. And who wants tough cookies?
Mixing is a general purpose term which basically means you want everything to be consistent but don't go crazy.
Beating, whipping, and creaming are at the upper end of the scale. Generally you beat eggs and batter to create a smooth, airy consistency. The quick strokes force lots of little air bubbles into the batter/eggs and make it fluffy. Whipping is generally for cream or creamy type things. Once again, you are adding air to the substance to make it fluffy. In the case of cream, you are also changing the texture to make it more firm- hence Whipped Cream.
Creaming is the mixing method that I didn't understand for the longest time. It usually applies to a sugar and a fat being mixed together. I used to think once they were combined, that was it. But when I learned to REALLY cream, that's when my cookies really improved. I learned to cream from Alton Brown. He's got some great things to say about all the mixing techniques in his second book, I'm Just Here For More Food. Basically, you want the sugar to cut holes in the butter. On a tiny scale, sugar is very sharp and butter is kind of globular. The sugar smushes and pokes holes in the butter globs and for some reason, it's a good thing. How do you tell when you've creamed? Well! I took pictures. As you cream, the mixture will become lighter in color and in appearance. It'll look, well, creamy. Basically, if I were the type to use a mixer, which I'm not, I would use a mixer for this because it really wears out my stirring arm. The fat and sugar will combine and then as you stir, you'll see the change in texture and color. It's almost impossible to over cream something so when in doubt, cream some more.
Here's what the batter looks like after stirring in the eggs and vanilla.
Here comes the really hard part. The part where you have to have the self control to STOP stirring. Before you add flour to a mixture, you can pretty much stir until the end of time and it won't hurt anything. But after you add the flour it's all different. Flour contains stuff called gluten. As far as baking is concerned, gluten holds the world together. That's why gluten free products are so difficult. If you want a yeast bread, you want the gluten to form a dense, elastic network. but for quick breads and cookies, that's bad. Tender baked goods do not have elastic gluten strands in them. Most people add the flour while their mixers are whirring away and don't stop the mixer until they can't see any more flour. By that time, you're halfway to a yeast dough. Here's what my chocolate chip cookie dough looks like before I add the chocolate chips. Keep in mind I'm going to have to stir more to integrate the chips. I try to get the flour about halfway integrated into the dough at this point. I have folded the flour in, by the way, being very gentle.
Then I fold in the chips, again, being very gentle. There's still flour showing when I'm done. I'm ok with that. You should be too. You'll see that the flour goes away during baking.
This post has already taken two days to write. So I'm going to stop here and put the actual recipe in another post. I also just realized I was planning to make a list of tools before I started recipes. Oops. Well, maybe I'll do that after the chocolate chip cookie lesson.
There are many different terms used that mean "mix it together" in one way or another. Mix, fold, cream, beat, whip, combine- to many people, these all mean the same thing: take a spoon or a beater to it. But each of these terms mean totally different things.
Fold and Combine require the least amount of stirring. The only difference between the two is the technique. To fold measns to reach to the bottom with your spoon and bring the bottom ingredients to the top. It is a very gentle and loose method. Combine is similar but it isn't as specific on how you combine the ingredients. The most important thing to remember is in both folding and combining, you have to STOP STIRRING as soon as possible. This means in most cases that there will still be flour or clumps of dry ingredients in the dough/batter. It'll be ok. I promise. Over mixing causes the dough to become tough. And who wants tough cookies?
Mixing is a general purpose term which basically means you want everything to be consistent but don't go crazy.
Beating, whipping, and creaming are at the upper end of the scale. Generally you beat eggs and batter to create a smooth, airy consistency. The quick strokes force lots of little air bubbles into the batter/eggs and make it fluffy. Whipping is generally for cream or creamy type things. Once again, you are adding air to the substance to make it fluffy. In the case of cream, you are also changing the texture to make it more firm- hence Whipped Cream.
Creaming is the mixing method that I didn't understand for the longest time. It usually applies to a sugar and a fat being mixed together. I used to think once they were combined, that was it. But when I learned to REALLY cream, that's when my cookies really improved. I learned to cream from Alton Brown. He's got some great things to say about all the mixing techniques in his second book, I'm Just Here For More Food. Basically, you want the sugar to cut holes in the butter. On a tiny scale, sugar is very sharp and butter is kind of globular. The sugar smushes and pokes holes in the butter globs and for some reason, it's a good thing. How do you tell when you've creamed? Well! I took pictures. As you cream, the mixture will become lighter in color and in appearance. It'll look, well, creamy. Basically, if I were the type to use a mixer, which I'm not, I would use a mixer for this because it really wears out my stirring arm. The fat and sugar will combine and then as you stir, you'll see the change in texture and color. It's almost impossible to over cream something so when in doubt, cream some more.
Here's what the batter looks like after stirring in the eggs and vanilla.
Here comes the really hard part. The part where you have to have the self control to STOP stirring. Before you add flour to a mixture, you can pretty much stir until the end of time and it won't hurt anything. But after you add the flour it's all different. Flour contains stuff called gluten. As far as baking is concerned, gluten holds the world together. That's why gluten free products are so difficult. If you want a yeast bread, you want the gluten to form a dense, elastic network. but for quick breads and cookies, that's bad. Tender baked goods do not have elastic gluten strands in them. Most people add the flour while their mixers are whirring away and don't stop the mixer until they can't see any more flour. By that time, you're halfway to a yeast dough. Here's what my chocolate chip cookie dough looks like before I add the chocolate chips. Keep in mind I'm going to have to stir more to integrate the chips. I try to get the flour about halfway integrated into the dough at this point. I have folded the flour in, by the way, being very gentle.
Then I fold in the chips, again, being very gentle. There's still flour showing when I'm done. I'm ok with that. You should be too. You'll see that the flour goes away during baking.
This post has already taken two days to write. So I'm going to stop here and put the actual recipe in another post. I also just realized I was planning to make a list of tools before I started recipes. Oops. Well, maybe I'll do that after the chocolate chip cookie lesson.
God Must Like Me
So yesterday wasn't as bad as it could've been. The cutter was fixed when I got there and the Pres was cutting stuff. I got to focus on little jobs and handwork most of the day. I was pseudo in charge even though Kieth is the supervisor. I kept getting all the phone calls that would normally go to Matt. That was kind of funny. They technically would go to Kieth but I guess they thought I had a better chance of knowing the anwsers to the questions. It was true because poor Kieth was either cutting stock or die cutting time cards on the Miehle all day and had no idea what else was in the shop. I even made a good political move. The owner of the company walked in and looked like he was about to start nitpicking stuff and being a pain so I said, "hey, I have something for you!" So he followed me and I gave him a nobake cookie. His face lit up and he smiled and said Ooh! and walked out of bindery. Score!!
I'm drinking Oolong tea this morning. I like it. The pets are being annoying this today. It started at 6:00 when everyone was hungry but normally they all go back to sleep after breakfast. Today they stayed awake and were bothersome. I tried putting Tuvok in his crate and he whined and groaned until I let him back out again. He kept trying to play with Lilly which caused all sorts of hissing and moaning and general racket. So I finally got up at 9:00. But it's ok. I feel rested and ready for the day.
Today on the agenda:
Pack up okra seeds for the seed exchange at GardenWeb
Mulch Beds 1 & 2
Purchase a pair of nice jeans
Set up the dog line outside for Jersey
We're dog sitting for my aunt and uncle while they go to Denver next week. Jersey is a sweet and beautiful German Shepherd/ Golden Retriever mix. She and Tuvok will have a blast!
Right now, we're going to go to WalMart. Bleh.
I'm drinking Oolong tea this morning. I like it. The pets are being annoying this today. It started at 6:00 when everyone was hungry but normally they all go back to sleep after breakfast. Today they stayed awake and were bothersome. I tried putting Tuvok in his crate and he whined and groaned until I let him back out again. He kept trying to play with Lilly which caused all sorts of hissing and moaning and general racket. So I finally got up at 9:00. But it's ok. I feel rested and ready for the day.
Today on the agenda:
Pack up okra seeds for the seed exchange at GardenWeb
Mulch Beds 1 & 2
Purchase a pair of nice jeans
Set up the dog line outside for Jersey
We're dog sitting for my aunt and uncle while they go to Denver next week. Jersey is a sweet and beautiful German Shepherd/ Golden Retriever mix. She and Tuvok will have a blast!
Right now, we're going to go to WalMart. Bleh.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Bad Time At Work
So today was a crappy day. We have 3.5 people in bindery. The .5 is because the mailer dude helps out when he's not busy, which he was today. But Perry has been out sick for two days and so we have 2 people in bindery. And it's busy. So first there's the OSU Foundation mailer (17,000) and then there's some ambiguous 100,000 piece job coming over and due tomorrow but it wasn't approved yet so it couldn't be printed but they still want it tomorrow. And then the Graphic Whizard is having trouble with its numbering head and that's what I was working on during all this and they only printed me like 15 extras and I used up too many because of the stupid machine being stupid and I asked Matt to get me 30 more and he had them print 20 more but I also made a math error and I actually needed 60 more and RRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!! And then the cutter broke. While the big boss was using it. Which of course means he has to take the whole machine apart and pretend he knows what he's looking at while he's staring at the guts of the machine. And then they call in this guy, who turns out to be the general manager's dad and he takes like 4 hours to take the cutter apart more and finally Matt finds a burnt connection in the back. So now they know what the problem is. But literally EVERYTHING that comes into bindery has to be cut. Ok, 95%. But ALMOST EVERYTHING that comes into bindery has to be cut. So we're at a standstill with a million and one things to do. Plus, the General Manager, President, and Owner of the company are all hanging out in bindery getting more frustrated all the time, which means that we have to be DOING something in order to not get yelled at but there's nothing to do. Fortunately, for a couple of hours I got to go up front and run the inserter. But that's also not good cause I found out more crap that we have to do tomorrow. We've got this 5000 mail merge for Salvation Army and I was doing the first part where the brochure and return envelope get put in the big envelope. But then tomorrow we get to double parallel fold the letters and HAND INSERT all 5000 of them into the matching envelope and hand seal the envelopes. And then there's another big mail merge for DLO after that. Mail merge sucks because the name on the envelope has to match the name on the letter inside the envelope. They don't use a window envelope so we get to look through the envelope with our x-ray vision and make sure each name matches. oh, and at like 4:30 the giant job finally got approved and they made plates for it and Larry had to stay and run it even though he was already there when I showed up this morning at 8:00 and his plates were messing up after only 10,000 impressions and changing plates is a long annoying process and it wastes a lot of time and ink and paper to get everything back where it should be so he can continue running the job. And of course it's a 4 color press so each plate change is actually 4 plate changes. So he's probably STILL there fighting with that and we're going to be expected to cut that down tomorrow with a broken cutter and get it out even though no one has any idea if there's any more bindery on it other than cutting. For all we know, it could fold and tab and mail and who knows what. And then Matt, our production manager and general Savior is off tomorrow and Monday. He's the one who fixes all the problems and keeps the minions from experiencing the wrath of grumpy upper management. But tomorrow we'll have all the upper management hanging around (helping) and being grumpy because of the machines breaking and we'll be super duper busy and he won't be there. And Perry will probably also be sick again because it's his MO to be out for the whole week.
So there were these posters. 9 of them. That foam cored. They wanted them at the end of the day today. I finally got to them at 4:30 and of course I couldn't cut them on the cutter so I had to use the poster cutter thing in the hallway and then I decided to call the store and see if they could wait until tomorrow for them because it is SO much easier and faster to foam core a poster with the cutter. They were fine with that so I was about to not worry about it but then the President saw the work order and wouldn't listen to me when I told him they didn't need it tonight. So he made me do all 9 posters by hand which is really really horrible. But then we remembered that the clamp on the cutter was still usable so I didn't have to foam core them by hand, just cut them by hand which is way less horrible. But then they sent Keith to help. I don't need help with posters even in normal conditions and I REALLY don't handle help well when I'm grumpy and stressed out. So Keith is "helping" me by getting in the way and pulling when he needs to push and so forth and I'm about to explode and then he won't listen when I politely say I don't need help and could he go get the other posters to cut. He just looks at me until I smile and look sweet. This is why I don't work in/with the public. When I'm stressed out, I can't smile and be sweet. I'm not that good. It's not Keith's fault but he didn't know what I was doing and he was being slow and clumsy and he was going to mess things up. The last thing I needed was to have to redo a poster at 5:15 in the evening. Especially since the President won't let me leave until they're all finished even though I know they won't be picked up tonight and RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Deep breath....
I made nobake cookies tonight. With extra dark cocoa.
And I hugged my kitty and she purred. So I'm doing good.
I think I'm going to try and finish the kitchen nook this weekend. There used to be a wall oven there but it was a tiny pathetic one so we took it out and now there's a hole. I'm going to turn it into a pretty little nook with glass shelves and it'll display my polish pottery baking dishes. All I need to buy are the brackets for the shelves and the textured wallpaper. And I've got a $25 home depot gift card!! WootWoot!
Hmm... where am I going to put all the junk that's currently there? Oh well. It'll be worth it.
It's only 8:00 but I'm worn out and I have a big day tomorrow. Good night.
So there were these posters. 9 of them. That foam cored. They wanted them at the end of the day today. I finally got to them at 4:30 and of course I couldn't cut them on the cutter so I had to use the poster cutter thing in the hallway and then I decided to call the store and see if they could wait until tomorrow for them because it is SO much easier and faster to foam core a poster with the cutter. They were fine with that so I was about to not worry about it but then the President saw the work order and wouldn't listen to me when I told him they didn't need it tonight. So he made me do all 9 posters by hand which is really really horrible. But then we remembered that the clamp on the cutter was still usable so I didn't have to foam core them by hand, just cut them by hand which is way less horrible. But then they sent Keith to help. I don't need help with posters even in normal conditions and I REALLY don't handle help well when I'm grumpy and stressed out. So Keith is "helping" me by getting in the way and pulling when he needs to push and so forth and I'm about to explode and then he won't listen when I politely say I don't need help and could he go get the other posters to cut. He just looks at me until I smile and look sweet. This is why I don't work in/with the public. When I'm stressed out, I can't smile and be sweet. I'm not that good. It's not Keith's fault but he didn't know what I was doing and he was being slow and clumsy and he was going to mess things up. The last thing I needed was to have to redo a poster at 5:15 in the evening. Especially since the President won't let me leave until they're all finished even though I know they won't be picked up tonight and RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Deep breath....
I made nobake cookies tonight. With extra dark cocoa.
And I hugged my kitty and she purred. So I'm doing good.
I think I'm going to try and finish the kitchen nook this weekend. There used to be a wall oven there but it was a tiny pathetic one so we took it out and now there's a hole. I'm going to turn it into a pretty little nook with glass shelves and it'll display my polish pottery baking dishes. All I need to buy are the brackets for the shelves and the textured wallpaper. And I've got a $25 home depot gift card!! WootWoot!
Hmm... where am I going to put all the junk that's currently there? Oh well. It'll be worth it.
It's only 8:00 but I'm worn out and I have a big day tomorrow. Good night.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
I took some pictures of some of the tools I use in my kitchen. I need to work on that more. The baking blog thing may be a weekend only project. Just letting you know I haven't forgotten.
I decided to sell baked goods during the holiday season. The typesetters at work made me an awesome brochure with the options and everything in it. I sent one to each of the stores and a couple of people have already told me they want to make an order. Yay! Now I need to make an invoice form.
That's about all that's interesting. I hope to get some TV watching done tonight.
Oh! I made a corn bag out of a bandanna and it covers my whole back!!! It takes 5 minutes to warm up but OH IT FEELS SO GOOD!!!!! I fell asleep with it on my back last night and I think I'll do the same tonight. :-)
I decided to sell baked goods during the holiday season. The typesetters at work made me an awesome brochure with the options and everything in it. I sent one to each of the stores and a couple of people have already told me they want to make an order. Yay! Now I need to make an invoice form.
That's about all that's interesting. I hope to get some TV watching done tonight.
Oh! I made a corn bag out of a bandanna and it covers my whole back!!! It takes 5 minutes to warm up but OH IT FEELS SO GOOD!!!!! I fell asleep with it on my back last night and I think I'll do the same tonight. :-)
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Weekend Review
This weekend I did the following:
Friday evening-
Made butternut squash, biscuits, and nobake cookies and had dinner with D&H and H's mom.
Saturday-
Woke up at 9:45 but layed in bed enjoying the softness for another hour
had tea
played on the interweb
weed eated (weed ate?)
Watched TV
Showered
Made pumpkin chip muffins and banana muffins
went to a corn maze. DH and I made a mutual agreement that we hate corn mazes. The bonfire and smores were cool though.
Sunday-
Woke up at 7:00 and couldn't go back to sleep so I made tea and played on the computer
Went to church
Went to Sunday School
Had BLT-L's for lunch (don't do lettuce on sandwiches. Yuck)
Worked on my Christmas list
Worked on the flyer
Watched some TV
Made lentils and cornbread for D&H
Made cookies for Keith's b-day tomorrow
Made a blog
Hm. Pretty productive. I still smell like fire even though I showered. Of course, I put on the same pants from before so... Hey! They were cleaner than the pants I weed eated (ate) in!
Anyway, this week looks pretty good. Keith's b-day is tomorrow and that's it. The most interesting thing is that we are trying to make it to Saturday with $30. We have more money than that but we'd like to put it in savings instead of WalMart. So we'll see. It's a challenge!
That's all I think. Bedtime.
Friday evening-
Made butternut squash, biscuits, and nobake cookies and had dinner with D&H and H's mom.
Saturday-
Woke up at 9:45 but layed in bed enjoying the softness for another hour
had tea
played on the interweb
weed eated (weed ate?)
Watched TV
Showered
Made pumpkin chip muffins and banana muffins
went to a corn maze. DH and I made a mutual agreement that we hate corn mazes. The bonfire and smores were cool though.
Sunday-
Woke up at 7:00 and couldn't go back to sleep so I made tea and played on the computer
Went to church
Went to Sunday School
Had BLT-L's for lunch (don't do lettuce on sandwiches. Yuck)
Worked on my Christmas list
Worked on the flyer
Watched some TV
Made lentils and cornbread for D&H
Made cookies for Keith's b-day tomorrow
Made a blog
Hm. Pretty productive. I still smell like fire even though I showered. Of course, I put on the same pants from before so... Hey! They were cleaner than the pants I weed eated (ate) in!
Anyway, this week looks pretty good. Keith's b-day is tomorrow and that's it. The most interesting thing is that we are trying to make it to Saturday with $30. We have more money than that but we'd like to put it in savings instead of WalMart. So we'll see. It's a challenge!
That's all I think. Bedtime.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Baking
Lots of people bake well. I have been told I also bake well. In fact, many people ask for my "secrets". They want a recipe or something. But I've found that my "secret" isn't an ingredient so much as a technique. Knowing how much to stir at what point; knowing when to take things out of the oven. I learned that stuff mostly from watching my mom and partly from practice. Most people nowadays didn't get that baking time with their mom or whoever cooked in the family. In some cases, the youngest relative that actually knows all that stuff is the grandparent and they may not still be around. This saddens me. I get so much joy from baking and sharing my baked goods with others. I want others to have the opportunity to get joy from baking. So, I think I'm going to blog about baking occasionally. I'll try to get pictures of how things are supposed to look and I'll be very detailed about techniques.
First, there are some resources I have found very helpful. I'll be referencing these so if you want to follow closely with the intent of replicating my baking, you might want to pay attention.
The Better Homes and Gardens Heritage Cookbook, (c)1975
If you only have one cookbook, it should be this one. Everything I have tried or that Mom has tried from this book has been good. Also, it gives a very interesting history of food and cooking in American life. You may find yourself reading this like a regular book.
Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook 12th Edition (c) 2002
I got this one for a wedding present. It has been just about as awesome as the Heritage Cookbook. It is chock full of handy charts and tables and the recipes are pretty good too. Some are even copied from the Heritage Cookbook.
If you want to know about the science behind food and cooking, watch Good Eats on the Food Network. Alton Brown is really entertaining and brilliant. He makes the dullest subjects fun and memorable. He's made (at least) 3 books. They are really interesting and helpful. They aren't recipe books, although they do contain some recipes. These are books you should read through and then reference back when you need a reminder on something.
I don't agree with everything he says but I also acknowledge that there's more than one way to make a good cookie. His method appeals to mass audiences. He uses food processors and stuff like that. I don't. I'm a purist. A bowl and wooden spoon are my tools. But, I have learned a lot from him and I have adopted many of his suggestions and practices and I know they have improved my cooking. I went from "these are good cookies" to "this is the best cookie I have ever eaten!". That's from watching Good Eats and reading these books.
The next time I blog about baking I'll make a list of the tools I use for baking most often. I may list my most frequently used ingredients. We'll see how long it takes to do the tools list. :-)
First, there are some resources I have found very helpful. I'll be referencing these so if you want to follow closely with the intent of replicating my baking, you might want to pay attention.
The Better Homes and Gardens Heritage Cookbook, (c)1975
If you only have one cookbook, it should be this one. Everything I have tried or that Mom has tried from this book has been good. Also, it gives a very interesting history of food and cooking in American life. You may find yourself reading this like a regular book.
Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook 12th Edition (c) 2002
I got this one for a wedding present. It has been just about as awesome as the Heritage Cookbook. It is chock full of handy charts and tables and the recipes are pretty good too. Some are even copied from the Heritage Cookbook.
If you want to know about the science behind food and cooking, watch Good Eats on the Food Network. Alton Brown is really entertaining and brilliant. He makes the dullest subjects fun and memorable. He's made (at least) 3 books. They are really interesting and helpful. They aren't recipe books, although they do contain some recipes. These are books you should read through and then reference back when you need a reminder on something.
I don't agree with everything he says but I also acknowledge that there's more than one way to make a good cookie. His method appeals to mass audiences. He uses food processors and stuff like that. I don't. I'm a purist. A bowl and wooden spoon are my tools. But, I have learned a lot from him and I have adopted many of his suggestions and practices and I know they have improved my cooking. I went from "these are good cookies" to "this is the best cookie I have ever eaten!". That's from watching Good Eats and reading these books.
The next time I blog about baking I'll make a list of the tools I use for baking most often. I may list my most frequently used ingredients. We'll see how long it takes to do the tools list. :-)
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Stream of Consiousness
Howdy.
This has been a pretty lazy week at home. Mostly because work picked up after Tuesday and my back has been killing me. But this evening DH popped my back and I feel much better. It went "cracklkealkalkap!" and now I can lean backwards again! I literally was unable to bend back past straight before. I'm not even sure why it happened. I don't remember doing anything to cause my back to be "out". Perhaps I should research what actually happens to cause a back to be "out" and then maybe I can prevent it in the future. Like I need more things to do.
I need to organize my thoughts. This is probably going to be boring. Tonight I need to put the socks away and that's all. Tomorrow is Friday. Keith and Shawn are both off. Friday night is free. Between now and Monday I need to weed eat, plant the mums, call/email Tillanie, call Sprite, get whatever I decide to bring for the Sunday School Party, go to the party, make banana and pumpkin muffins for Sunday School, go to church, water the plants as needed, move the big Amaryllis to the garage, make notepads for Tonya, print the pictures for Wayne, see about planting some lettuce and peas, make the flyer for selling my baked goods, get food for lunches, make cookies for Keith's birthday, get further on the 2010 calender projects, work on the afghan, and I don't think this is all going to get done. Hmm.
Ummm... I can do the computer things tonight. But do I want to or do I want to watch TV? Maybe I can split the difference. Computer things include the picture, the notepads, the flyer, and the calenders.
Here's a random picture of some hailstones we got last summer.
This has been a pretty lazy week at home. Mostly because work picked up after Tuesday and my back has been killing me. But this evening DH popped my back and I feel much better. It went "cracklkealkalkap!" and now I can lean backwards again! I literally was unable to bend back past straight before. I'm not even sure why it happened. I don't remember doing anything to cause my back to be "out". Perhaps I should research what actually happens to cause a back to be "out" and then maybe I can prevent it in the future. Like I need more things to do.
I need to organize my thoughts. This is probably going to be boring. Tonight I need to put the socks away and that's all. Tomorrow is Friday. Keith and Shawn are both off. Friday night is free. Between now and Monday I need to weed eat, plant the mums, call/email Tillanie, call Sprite, get whatever I decide to bring for the Sunday School Party, go to the party, make banana and pumpkin muffins for Sunday School, go to church, water the plants as needed, move the big Amaryllis to the garage, make notepads for Tonya, print the pictures for Wayne, see about planting some lettuce and peas, make the flyer for selling my baked goods, get food for lunches, make cookies for Keith's birthday, get further on the 2010 calender projects, work on the afghan, and I don't think this is all going to get done. Hmm.
Ummm... I can do the computer things tonight. But do I want to or do I want to watch TV? Maybe I can split the difference. Computer things include the picture, the notepads, the flyer, and the calenders.
Here's a random picture of some hailstones we got last summer.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Yesterday after work I pretty much planted my butt in front of the TV and didn't move until I went to bed. It rocked. I felt much better today.
Today at work we were really slow so the bindery department (all 4 of us) went to see how the new building is coming along. Work just bought this gigantic building a couple of blocks away. Somehow they managed to make it seem smaller... But it's still huge and it'll be a great improvement on our current situation. Right now when we're busy we'd like to bring in some help but we can't because we don't have a place to put them. There's just not enough space. Machines have to be rolled out of the way to use other machines and stuff like that. The only real thing I don't like is that there are no windows. AT ALL. It's like it was built by Jehovah's Witnesses or something. (you know, cause their churches don't have windows...) I would love some natural light but it isn't to be. I thought a could convince them to make a window, especially because thete isn't a door big enough to get our big paper cutter inside. I said they could knock a hole in the back wall for the cutter and then just have a 9 foot picture window there. They weren't quite as enthused about my idea as I was. They told me I could hang pictures of the outside on the walls. I can't make a plant grow with a picture of the sun. >:-(
Fall made it. It was late but it's here now. It's chicken & dumplings weather. Makes me want to hibernate. Makes me wish we had a fireplace or a wood stove. I'll settle for a giant warm cuddly puppy dog. :-)
It's 9:00 and I'm tired. I wish I could say that was abnormal but I'm an "early to bed, late to rise" kind of person.
Today at work we were really slow so the bindery department (all 4 of us) went to see how the new building is coming along. Work just bought this gigantic building a couple of blocks away. Somehow they managed to make it seem smaller... But it's still huge and it'll be a great improvement on our current situation. Right now when we're busy we'd like to bring in some help but we can't because we don't have a place to put them. There's just not enough space. Machines have to be rolled out of the way to use other machines and stuff like that. The only real thing I don't like is that there are no windows. AT ALL. It's like it was built by Jehovah's Witnesses or something. (you know, cause their churches don't have windows...) I would love some natural light but it isn't to be. I thought a could convince them to make a window, especially because thete isn't a door big enough to get our big paper cutter inside. I said they could knock a hole in the back wall for the cutter and then just have a 9 foot picture window there. They weren't quite as enthused about my idea as I was. They told me I could hang pictures of the outside on the walls. I can't make a plant grow with a picture of the sun. >:-(
Fall made it. It was late but it's here now. It's chicken & dumplings weather. Makes me want to hibernate. Makes me wish we had a fireplace or a wood stove. I'll settle for a giant warm cuddly puppy dog. :-)
It's 9:00 and I'm tired. I wish I could say that was abnormal but I'm an "early to bed, late to rise" kind of person.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Ok, so I've gotten the following things done:
Mow
Greenhouse door finished
Greenhouse set up and running
Plants spent the weekend outside and are back in
Tuvok taken to PetsMart and Dog Park
Plant temp preferences researched
Clean back porch
Make rolling plant carts
Things I didn't get to:
Weed Eat
Plant mums
Calculate cookie prices
All in all, I'd say I did pretty well. I even managed to watch some TV. Tonight D&H (best friends) are coming over for beans and cornbread with pumpkin chocolate chip muffins for dessert. I miss them being down the street but their new house is really nice.
Anyway, I'm tired! Here are some pictures.
These are the plant carts I made.
Here's Lillibut relaxing in her heated kitty bed with her fuzzy kitty blanket. Not spoiled AT ALL. Nope.
Here's Tuvok after the dog park.
I think the only stuff next week is at the end of it so I'm not even going to worry about it yet. I really wish weekends were three days long. I need two days to work on the house and one day to rest. Oh well.
Mow
Greenhouse door finished
Greenhouse set up and running
Plants spent the weekend outside and are back in
Tuvok taken to PetsMart and Dog Park
Plant temp preferences researched
Clean back porch
Make rolling plant carts
Things I didn't get to:
Weed Eat
Plant mums
Calculate cookie prices
All in all, I'd say I did pretty well. I even managed to watch some TV. Tonight D&H (best friends) are coming over for beans and cornbread with pumpkin chocolate chip muffins for dessert. I miss them being down the street but their new house is really nice.
Anyway, I'm tired! Here are some pictures.
These are the plant carts I made.
Here's Lillibut relaxing in her heated kitty bed with her fuzzy kitty blanket. Not spoiled AT ALL. Nope.
Here's Tuvok after the dog park.
I think the only stuff next week is at the end of it so I'm not even going to worry about it yet. I really wish weekends were three days long. I need two days to work on the house and one day to rest. Oh well.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
This week has been crazy! But it's over now. Today I just need to weed eat, mow, plant some mums, take the dog to PetsMart and the dog park, put the metal protector on the greenhouse door, water the plants, and get DH to and from John School. He's teaching the legal ramifications of engaging prostitutes.
...Maybe I can do some of that stuff tomorrow.
Cinnamon was being cute this morning. I gave him a box with paper and hay and dried fruit in it. He is having a blast!
Come to think of it, I don't know if there's ever been a time that Cinnamon wasn't cute. Hmmm... Nope.
Oh, and since it's such a gorgeous day I need to put a bunch of my houseplants outside. But right now I'm drinking my tea and blogging. So there.
Other minor things for the weekend: finish researching acceptable plant temps for my collection and figure out how much it costs to make different kinds of cookies. I'm looking into selling baked goods this holiday season to make some extra money. I want a sentsy candle and I want to buy Christmas presents.
Cinnamon has worn himself out. Still cute!
Other things on my mind... *cue tumbleweed* well, I guess it's time to move some plants outside then!
...Maybe I can do some of that stuff tomorrow.
Cinnamon was being cute this morning. I gave him a box with paper and hay and dried fruit in it. He is having a blast!
Come to think of it, I don't know if there's ever been a time that Cinnamon wasn't cute. Hmmm... Nope.
Oh, and since it's such a gorgeous day I need to put a bunch of my houseplants outside. But right now I'm drinking my tea and blogging. So there.
Other minor things for the weekend: finish researching acceptable plant temps for my collection and figure out how much it costs to make different kinds of cookies. I'm looking into selling baked goods this holiday season to make some extra money. I want a sentsy candle and I want to buy Christmas presents.
Cinnamon has worn himself out. Still cute!
Other things on my mind... *cue tumbleweed* well, I guess it's time to move some plants outside then!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
There's something wrong when you have to take a pill to make it through your evening. That sounds worse than it really is. The pill in question is a B vitamin complex. It gives me a boost of energy to make it through all the stuff that I do in the evenings. Last night it was making peanut butter cookies and cleaning the kitchen and installing weatherstrip stuff on my greenhouse. Tonight it is the cleaners, Sam's, Home Depot, WalMart and washing the dog. Even though I'm healthy my job still wears me out. I stand all day and move heavy boxes and big handfulls of paper. I really like my job but when I'm done I'm plumb wore out! But then there's the house and the husband and the animals and the plants to take care of.
Tomorrow evening I'm making a chocolate chip cookie cake for a coworker who's getting married and Lawn Mower Cleaners for a party on Thursday night. Lawn Mower Cleaners are just tortillas rolled up with a cream cheese concoction inside. I wrote down the recipe of the unnamed tortilla rollup things underneath my list of things to do that day. I had to pick up the lawn mower from the shop and go to the cleaners. When I showed the recipe to my aunt she thought that was the name. So it became the name.
Ugh. I need to wash the dog before I run out of energy.
Tomorrow evening I'm making a chocolate chip cookie cake for a coworker who's getting married and Lawn Mower Cleaners for a party on Thursday night. Lawn Mower Cleaners are just tortillas rolled up with a cream cheese concoction inside. I wrote down the recipe of the unnamed tortilla rollup things underneath my list of things to do that day. I had to pick up the lawn mower from the shop and go to the cleaners. When I showed the recipe to my aunt she thought that was the name. So it became the name.
Ugh. I need to wash the dog before I run out of energy.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Plants
I've just finished watering my houseplants. That's recently become quite the ordeal. First, I started collecting Hoyas in earnest. I had been a casual collector until recently. I inherited a bunch of plants from a friend of mine a few weeks ago and then I got my grandmother's Hoya and her Sansevieria (Snake Plant). This has sparked a renewed interest in horticulture and all that. I've been on GardenWeb.com and have learned a TON and I discovered a really neat blog: Plants Are The Strangest People. He's got a list of other fun plant related blogs that I haven't checked out yet but I'm sure they're cool too. My lesson for this week was, "Soil matters". Lots of plants are particular about the kind of soil they like to live in and more often than not, it isn't sold in a bag. You have to mix it yourself. I used to think people who did this were crazy but now I'm not sure. Are they not actually crazy or have I become one of the crazies? Hmmm...
Saturday, October 31, 2009
My Guilty Pleasure
For a couple of years now I've been watching So You Think You Can Dance. It is basically American Idol for dancers. Which is why I feel guilty for watching it. As a general rule, I hate reality/competition shows. But WOW it's awesome. So last night I got the opportunity to go see the live tour in Tulsa. On the floor. In the front row. Oh yeah. (woop woop)
Here's me not paying attention to Jewel, who was holding my camera.
I must say, I wasn't aware of how awesome HDTV was until last night. In the past when you went to see someone live after seeing them on TV it was a totally new experience. But all the dancers and dances looked just like they did on TV. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that our plasma TV is 50". But it was neat to see things so much the same as on TV. HD has great detail.
Also, some of us dressed up for Halloween on Friday. I was Heidi the Tool Girl from Home Improvement.
And I won the pumpkin contest!! $25 at Home Depot!!
I told myself I was going to take advantage of Daylight Savings and actually sleep for the extra hour. So since it's 9:36 already, I'm going to bed.
Here's me not paying attention to Jewel, who was holding my camera.
I must say, I wasn't aware of how awesome HDTV was until last night. In the past when you went to see someone live after seeing them on TV it was a totally new experience. But all the dancers and dances looked just like they did on TV. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that our plasma TV is 50". But it was neat to see things so much the same as on TV. HD has great detail.
Also, some of us dressed up for Halloween on Friday. I was Heidi the Tool Girl from Home Improvement.
And I won the pumpkin contest!! $25 at Home Depot!!
I told myself I was going to take advantage of Daylight Savings and actually sleep for the extra hour. So since it's 9:36 already, I'm going to bed.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
I'm glad posts don't require titles.
This week is looking really busy. Tomorrow I'm running errands. Cleaners, Target, CVS, and WalMart. Then when I get home the kitchen and floors need cleaned. Well, 2 pots need to be hand washed and some stuff needs to go in the dishwasher. And the floors need to be vacuumed. Or vaccumed. Or vaccuummed. Or whatever.
Sometime this week I need to carve my pumpkin. I have a white pumpkin that is going to turn into a mummy before Thursday. And then I have baking to do. I like baking. I'm sure there's more but right now the most important thing is sleep. So good night.
Sometime this week I need to carve my pumpkin. I have a white pumpkin that is going to turn into a mummy before Thursday. And then I have baking to do. I like baking. I'm sure there's more but right now the most important thing is sleep. So good night.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Today my Father-in-law, hereafter known as FIL, is helping us get my greenhouse back in working order. If anyone is considering a personal greenhouse, it would be helpful to note that aluminum frames and doors with fabric hinges are not recommended for windy areas. So if you live somewhere other than the Great Plains, it'll be fine. Unfortunately for my greenhouse, I live in the great plains. So the door's fabric hinges broke last year. Then we tried to fix it by putting the door back on with real hinges. Then the aluminum frame broke. Also, it would've helped if I didn't insist on leaving the door open on warm days. But then the greenhouse would overheat and that would also be bad. So here we are. FIL and DH are currently at Home Depot buying materials for a new door. They're already on "plan C". Plan A was the thick plastic strips that they use in cold warehouses and stuff. FIL didn't think that would work so well so then Plan B was plexiglass. I'm not sure why Plan B failed but I got a call about what color I wanted my plywood door to be.
The other thing we're going to do is install a weed barrier mat underneath the gravel on the floor of the greenhouse. The best way to accomplish this is to go back in time and put the mat in first before the gravel and also before the bermuda grass took hold. But we're going to have to make do with our corporeality and shovel/scoot the gravel to one side, install half the mat, then move it all to the other side to finish the install. Which reminds me: I need to take some ibuprofin since my back is already grumpy. Hold on...
Ok. Also, it's cold. I don't much like the cold. I suppose once I get my blood pumping it'll be better but I'm not looking forward to the part before that.
I think the boys may be back now so I'll go help them unload. Ciao.
The other thing we're going to do is install a weed barrier mat underneath the gravel on the floor of the greenhouse. The best way to accomplish this is to go back in time and put the mat in first before the gravel and also before the bermuda grass took hold. But we're going to have to make do with our corporeality and shovel/scoot the gravel to one side, install half the mat, then move it all to the other side to finish the install. Which reminds me: I need to take some ibuprofin since my back is already grumpy. Hold on...
Ok. Also, it's cold. I don't much like the cold. I suppose once I get my blood pumping it'll be better but I'm not looking forward to the part before that.
I think the boys may be back now so I'll go help them unload. Ciao.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Talk To Me After My Tea
10-22-09
If you knew me growing up, you knew to not even try to talk to me in the morning until I ate my cereal. All three bowls of it. I think my eyes opened about halfway through the second bowl and any "good mornings" were only said after the milk was gone and the bowl was in the sink. One time DH thought it would be nice to have breakfast together. It didn't last very long. We got into a fight each morning because of my grumpitude. It makes me laugh to think back on it. So now, I have my peace through breakfast. DH and I exchange necessary conversation ("could you get my socks out of the dryer please") until I drop him off at work. I go to work and immediately make a cup of hot tea. I have the most wonderful thing- a Hot Shot hot water maker. I pour water in, press the button, and in a minute I have hot water for my tea. My coworkers have learned the hard way- Talk to me AFTER my tea. Otherwise you'll get a scowl and a grunt. Maybe a one word answer if you're lucky. Usually I'm ready to be friendly by about 9:00.
~~~~~~
I've been feeling the need to blog. I've blogged before, but it was on a content-specific site with restricted access. My friends and family really couldn't access my blog... and then life happened and I stopped going there. So now I'm here.
I'm a 27 year old female in central Oklahoma. I work at a print shop. I'm married and have a cat, a dog, and a rabbit. I'm a Christian, Nazarene specifically. I'm not your typical female. Sure, I do female things like wear makeup to go out to dinner and eat lots of chocolate. I squeal when I see a baby animal. I like to cuddle. But I don't like the color pink or cut flowers. I don't get my nails done. I don't wear ruffles or cutesy things. I don't want to be a mother.
This blog is for my benefit. It is a creative outlet and serves my need to document things that happen in my life for future reference. I'll probably say things that make you mad, or at least, that you don't agree with. I don't much care. I'm not here for you. But, if you find my ramblings interesting, feel free to follow along and even comment.
Here's some background. I was born and raised in the country just south of a small town in central-ish Oklahoma. My dad worked at a print shop and my mom stayed home with my brother and I until I was in middle-high school and then she was our church secretary. We were poor and I never really was bothered by it. We always had plenty to eat and clothes to wear and we had lots of friends and loved ones. My parents are some of the most wonderful giving people you'll ever meet. My little brother is just like them. I have no idea what happened to me. I got all the attitude. I prefer "spunk" but attitude is more accurate. Anyway, we lived in a trailer house in 40 acres of woods. I spent most of the time outside playing by myself. Oh, to be back there again!! My parents tried very hard to shelter me from all the difficult things in life. It has been a mixed blessing. Innocence gets teased.
I was never a rebellious kid. I knew my parents loved me and made decisions in my best interest. I never felt the need to learn things the hard way. If an adult said, "Don't start smoking because it's really hard to quit and you'll regret it", I took them at their word. As a result, I never smoked, drank, tried drugs, had sex, snuck out, went to a party, snuck into an R movie, or any of the other things kids usually do. I didn't see the point. The other kids that did that weren't happy. They usually got in trouble. Oh. That's another thing about me. Being in trouble is one of THE WORST things that can happen to me. It's an irrational fear. Literally, I have a phobia of being in trouble. It actually ranks second, right under the fear of suffocation. I've been in trouble plenty of times, however. It was awful each time.
I graduated as one of 8 valedictorians in my class of 82. I went to OSU and majored in Wildlife and Fisheries Ecology with an emphasis in Wildlife Management and Research. Or just Wildlife Management for short. I loved my major and my classes. I spent most of my free time at the Nazarene Student Center where I made many lifelong (so far at least) friends and met my husband. He was a PoliSci major and went to OU law after graduation. When I graduated in '04 we got married and I moved down to Norman while he finished his law degree. He's now an Assistant District Attorney for Oklahoma County. (Side note: if you do anything bad to me, he'll get you.) I worked as a zookeeper at the Little River Zoo in Norman for a couple of years, spent a year at the OK county Court Clerk's office, and now I'm at the print shop. (I worked at the OSU print shop in college with my dad.)
So now... now we own a house, we both work full time, and struggle to keep our priorities in line. I guess we're pretty normal. :-) Except we're not. But who is, really?
If you knew me growing up, you knew to not even try to talk to me in the morning until I ate my cereal. All three bowls of it. I think my eyes opened about halfway through the second bowl and any "good mornings" were only said after the milk was gone and the bowl was in the sink. One time DH thought it would be nice to have breakfast together. It didn't last very long. We got into a fight each morning because of my grumpitude. It makes me laugh to think back on it. So now, I have my peace through breakfast. DH and I exchange necessary conversation ("could you get my socks out of the dryer please") until I drop him off at work. I go to work and immediately make a cup of hot tea. I have the most wonderful thing- a Hot Shot hot water maker. I pour water in, press the button, and in a minute I have hot water for my tea. My coworkers have learned the hard way- Talk to me AFTER my tea. Otherwise you'll get a scowl and a grunt. Maybe a one word answer if you're lucky. Usually I'm ready to be friendly by about 9:00.
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I've been feeling the need to blog. I've blogged before, but it was on a content-specific site with restricted access. My friends and family really couldn't access my blog... and then life happened and I stopped going there. So now I'm here.
I'm a 27 year old female in central Oklahoma. I work at a print shop. I'm married and have a cat, a dog, and a rabbit. I'm a Christian, Nazarene specifically. I'm not your typical female. Sure, I do female things like wear makeup to go out to dinner and eat lots of chocolate. I squeal when I see a baby animal. I like to cuddle. But I don't like the color pink or cut flowers. I don't get my nails done. I don't wear ruffles or cutesy things. I don't want to be a mother.
This blog is for my benefit. It is a creative outlet and serves my need to document things that happen in my life for future reference. I'll probably say things that make you mad, or at least, that you don't agree with. I don't much care. I'm not here for you. But, if you find my ramblings interesting, feel free to follow along and even comment.
Here's some background. I was born and raised in the country just south of a small town in central-ish Oklahoma. My dad worked at a print shop and my mom stayed home with my brother and I until I was in middle-high school and then she was our church secretary. We were poor and I never really was bothered by it. We always had plenty to eat and clothes to wear and we had lots of friends and loved ones. My parents are some of the most wonderful giving people you'll ever meet. My little brother is just like them. I have no idea what happened to me. I got all the attitude. I prefer "spunk" but attitude is more accurate. Anyway, we lived in a trailer house in 40 acres of woods. I spent most of the time outside playing by myself. Oh, to be back there again!! My parents tried very hard to shelter me from all the difficult things in life. It has been a mixed blessing. Innocence gets teased.
I was never a rebellious kid. I knew my parents loved me and made decisions in my best interest. I never felt the need to learn things the hard way. If an adult said, "Don't start smoking because it's really hard to quit and you'll regret it", I took them at their word. As a result, I never smoked, drank, tried drugs, had sex, snuck out, went to a party, snuck into an R movie, or any of the other things kids usually do. I didn't see the point. The other kids that did that weren't happy. They usually got in trouble. Oh. That's another thing about me. Being in trouble is one of THE WORST things that can happen to me. It's an irrational fear. Literally, I have a phobia of being in trouble. It actually ranks second, right under the fear of suffocation. I've been in trouble plenty of times, however. It was awful each time.
I graduated as one of 8 valedictorians in my class of 82. I went to OSU and majored in Wildlife and Fisheries Ecology with an emphasis in Wildlife Management and Research. Or just Wildlife Management for short. I loved my major and my classes. I spent most of my free time at the Nazarene Student Center where I made many lifelong (so far at least) friends and met my husband. He was a PoliSci major and went to OU law after graduation. When I graduated in '04 we got married and I moved down to Norman while he finished his law degree. He's now an Assistant District Attorney for Oklahoma County. (Side note: if you do anything bad to me, he'll get you.) I worked as a zookeeper at the Little River Zoo in Norman for a couple of years, spent a year at the OK county Court Clerk's office, and now I'm at the print shop. (I worked at the OSU print shop in college with my dad.)
So now... now we own a house, we both work full time, and struggle to keep our priorities in line. I guess we're pretty normal. :-) Except we're not. But who is, really?
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