Third Times a Charm

So this is going to have to be quick because I just did 1 1/2 hours worth of extra work and now I want to go to bed (yeah I know, I'm 23 and its 9:20). A couple of exciting things happened today:
1) Got a haircut - Finally I can take my poor hair out of a ponytail!
2) Got the new work laptop - Currently writing on it. Useful for blogging, not useful for when I feel like I need to do extra work (note the first sentence!)

I don't know if any of my friends have noticed that not only do I write with lists all the time, but I also speak them. When I'm talking I'll say, "well a) blah blah blah and b) blah blah blah". I should really try to catch myself on that, because I'm sure most people don't care about these random points that I think I need to make! I think it is related to the fact that I don't normally think before I speak and as Nick (my fiancee for anyone who is just joining in) just pointed out, I organize my thoughts while I'm speaking them as opposed to ordering them in my head first. Ah well. It makes it interesting right?

I don't have a picture because my desktop computer is slowly breaking down and is a total pain to turn on and off - but check below for the new flickr account I opened. It has those flower pictures (with others) that I've posted for the last 2 days. Good night!

Grandma's Machine - The First Project

FINALLY! I have had a bunch of fabric, thread, sewing machine, and ideas...but not a lot of confidence. Before Christmas, I decided to stop being a big wuss - IT'S OK TO FAIL! Therefore, this beauty was born for a Christmas present for my mom. I got the tutorial from Sew, Mama, Sew! and it was super easy and relatively cheap.

My mom said she has been using it every night on her poor stressed out neck. My dad had surgery at the beginning of January and he wasn't allowed to drive or really move all that much for a long time. For my active, home-fixing dad- this was torture! Hopefully he won't be using this therapy pad, because he had surgery to get rid of the pain in his neck! By the way, I asked my mom to guess where I bought it and she said Bed, Bath and Beyond. When I told her I made it, she was shocked! I guess that means I did a good job!

Another thought about the change in the blog- I was worried about my title. It was perfect for a pure food blog, but now that this is a mixture I was concerned that it would sound weird. Then I thought about the way I think and act. Which is in a frenzy. At all times. So I think this will fit just fine!

I have a couple of crafting ideas on my plate (as well as getting up those food posts I owe).
1) 3/4 done with a cool scarf- I'll have a picture at some point!
2) 1/2 done with a hat- My first hat! I started this weekend after Bethro took me to knitting stores in SF. I really loved Noe Knits. It was cozy and the people were really friendly and helpful. I'll definitely go back there again! We tried to go to Greenwich Yarn but they were closed on Sundays! Boo! I'll try there again too because it is the closest one out of the three we visited.
3) 0% done with a bag- Just in the idea stage. I was planning on using the Quilters Complete Guide to make a patchwork type bag but after seeing the bags made by Artsy-Crafty Babe, I'm thinking of buying one of those patterns and trying my hand at that.
4) 0% done with Las Vegas scrapbook (or any scrapbook for that matter) - My mom bought me some great supplies for Christmas- a paper cutter, picture rounder, and double-sided adhesive tape. I have a decent amount of paper but somehow the pictures are still on the computer - not ordered. That's the first step and hopefully I'll be able to get somewhere next weekend!

I'll leave you with one of my favorite pictures that I've taken. I have a crazy Chinese parchment obsession!

The Change

For my few readers out there- I've made a big change in the blog!

1) Physical appearance - colors, template, banner, etc.
2) Content - Last weekend I had a blogger epiphany. I realized the reason I don't write on this blog everyday -- I don't only love food. Duh. I have lots of other interests and loves and I feel constricted to writing about food since that is what I set out to do. I read a lot of other talented women's blogs this weekend (sorry guys, you just can't represent!) and they inspired me to really use this as a jumping point. I've wanted to get reacquainted with my photography, start crafting (sewing, scrapbooking and knitting more) and I want to just write like myself, instead of feeling like I need to be someone I'm not.

So there it is. The beginning of the beginning, I guess...

Sick as a Dog

Well... starting Thursday evening, straight through to today, I've been in one position on my couch, going through 2 entire rolls of toilet paper (yeah I know, I should buy some tissues). My family uses the phrase- sick as a dog and I just realized that I have no idea where that would come from. So of course, I googled it! I got several doggie health websites but I managed to find an answer that I thought was interesting (whether it's right or not... that's a different story).

"The earliest known usage of "sick as a dog'' dates back to 1705. It has been suggested that the phrase originated from the fact that dogs, being domesticated, are the most common animal we've seen vomiting besides ourselves. Our intimate relationships with dogs have also allowed for many other "dog'' phrases like "every dog has his day'' and the straightforward "you can't teach an old dog new tricks.'' British English has sometimes employed similar phrases involving other animals - "sick as a horse'' and, yes, "sick as a cat'' - but "sick as a dog'' is the only choice in American English.

A surprising variant that has become popular in Britain in the past several decades is "sick as a parrot,'' which typically describes someone who is very disappointed or disgusted rather than physically sick. Parrots aren't especially known for being either sick or disappointed, and no one knows exactly how this phrase originated. (One theory traces it to a famous Monty Python sketch involving a dead parrot.) It was first recorded in 1979, and it has been popular in the years since, especially among British athletes describing their extreme disappointment over losing a match."

So I'm finally feeling good enough to sit up with a work loaner laptop in my lap. Unfortunately, all my pictures are still on my camera which would need to be plugged into my personal desktop, which requires me to sit up for more than 5 minutes at a time....just not going to happen today! I thought I would throw in a post about a) how sick I feel so you can feel sorry for me :) Is it working? b) what is to come in the next week or so...

1) Some left over posts from last year of various yummy meals
2) Dianna's request: what you need in your kitchen
3) Christmas
4) Some new meals that I've made this year

I hope you enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to my 3-4 faithful readers! This is literally the beginning of the new year. I have a new attitude towards food and several new books to help me along! You'll definitely be seeing a lot more posts (with the same terrible photography) soon. I figured I should get up one on the first day of the New Year. So Happy New Year!