Craving: Sentimentality

I am a picky eater.  Not by choice.  I'd like to think I have refined taste buds.  If I try something once or twice and I don't like it, I can't see the point in forcing myself to eat it.  I also have a sensitive gag reflex.  I can't think of a prettier way to say that, so, pardon me.  There are some dishes that I cannot even hope keep down (calamari bad, takoyaki -fried balls of octopus- good).  So, the next time I politely decline food, don't take it personally... it would be far more rude to lose my lunch all over yours (first grade, wild rice, and my mom made me write an apology note).  Why am I randomly writing about this now?  Well, because I was thinking about the foods that I am fiercely fond of earlier today.  I wanted to write about it, and even though it doesn't have a whole lot to do with my Miami life, I figured I would put it on this blog.

I was eating a tomato a few moments ago.  I love tomatoes.  I crave tomatoes.  I despise those mealy, shiny, red spheres the average grocery store passes off as tomatoes.  The uglier the tomato, the better it is.  Red, orange, yellow, brownish purple, and green... I want them all.  Down here in Miami, I usually go for heirloom tomatoes.  They are very good, but they are nothing compared to a homegrown tomato that has warmed in the afternoon sun, so ripe it comes off the vine with the lightest tug.  One of the first treats that I can remember was sharing a tomato from my grandpa's garden with my grandma and my little brother.  We picked it right off the plant: a big, fat, juicy tomato and we took turns taking bites out of it like it was an apple, sprinkling it with a bit of salt... I think of that happy time whenever I eat a fresh tomato.  Now I usually cut it up and garnish it with sea salt and pepper.  If my husband is lucky, he'll get a slice or two.  Every time I see one of those ugly, glorious tomatoes in the store I buy a couple, but I know I'll never recreate that moment in the sun, when I was very young.

Mushrooms are another food I adore.  I should be disgusted by them, like I said, my preferences are irrational.  They are fungi and I am a neat freak, but that is fungus I can get behind.  I love sauteed mushrooms.  I have good memories of meeting up with a friend in high school and we would just fry up an entire carton of them: butter, salt, mushrooms.  Delicious.  And the first time I had morels?!  My mouth waters just thinking about those hideous, spongy things.  They remind me of being in Southwestern Wisconsin with good, honest people, sharing a meal of fish (I skipped that- reasons later) and foraged morels.  They remind me of a time when I used to be outdoorsy and the teensiest bit wild.  These days, when I come across a dish in a magazine that has mushrooms as the star ingredient the page gets ripped out and thrust into my husband's hands.  "Make this for me, please?"  He's an excellent cook, even if we disagree on how long to cook them (he likes them on the raw side).

I have so many memories tied to food that are both good and bad.  The time I choked an a fish bone from a fish fry: bad.  The time I did it again: worse.  I keep a wary eye on lake-caught fish fry to this day.  The first time I had sushi with friends: so much fun.  I already disliked fish and I couldn't imagine eating it raw, but I was hooked (pun intended), and the plum wine didn't hurt, either.  My first oyster, purchased for me by my brother-in-law: a risk.  I loved it.  Sliding an oyster down is like taking a tiny gulp of fresh ocean.  Now, the fried oysters I had in San Fransico's Chinatown: I didn't like so much.  Duck tongue during the same meal?  I tried it.  It is off the bucket-list.  Never to be repeated.  Especially since I accidentally swallowed the tiny bone inside.  

... Spicy Cheesy Bread from Madison's farmer's market?  I dream of that and have never been able to find anything remotely like it here.  Oregon strawberries?  They are red all the way through and taste like no other strawberry I ever had in my life.  My grandma's dumplings?  Such a simple recipe, but I love it because it reminds me of my 13th birthday, when she came to my house and spent the day showing me how to make them.  My other grandma makes -THE BEST- chocolate chip cookies.  In our family she's famous for her fudge, but her chocolate chip cookies are my favorite.  How does she get them like that?  So soft.  So perfect.  Not too sweet.  She tells me it is the Tollhouse recipe, but I'm not sure.  It's probably grandma magic.  Another sweet I am fond of: Kopp's Red Raspberry frozen custard.

... And then there are my auntie's fruit pizza and veggie pizza.  Oh, it is not a party in my family unless my auntie brings something.  I loved coming home from college and enjoying a slow morning breakfast made for me by my dad.  I've tried to replicate his french toast and bacon- alas, I cannot.  Or what about my brother's scrambled eggs?  His are the simply the best.  He's  ruined scrambled eggs for me, though.  I stopped liking them after I was spoiled by his.  My poor husband- I won't eat them when he makes them.  Brunch with my future sister-in-law at the local Greek diner is always better with her than any I've had down here (even if it is just toast, an over-easy egg, and greasy hash browns).  My mom always knows to stockpile the Diet Coke and string cheese when I come for a visit.  And I like sharing a meal with her after a day of card making at Archiver's in Middleton.  I usually talk her into getting pretzel rolls from Sendik's because my youngest brother and I both love them.

... In my family, on both sides, Easter and Christmas are time for Adamczyk's Polish sausage.  When I was little my brother and I frequently requested pork chops, peas, and mashed potatoes from my grandma.  Interestingly enough, I only liked her pork chops.  I didn't eat pork (bacon aside) otherwise growing up.  Her peas were from a can, cooked in a rue that turned green.  They were only loved by me and my brothers because they make my parents gag (I told you I have odd tastes). General Tsao's Tofu and an egg roll from Asian Kitchen in college were almost as good of a reward as the grades that came from late night studying with buddies in the library.  Bluephie's, Dottie Dumpling's Dowry, Ian's Pizza, Harvest, Mickey's Dairy Bar... high brow, low brow, it didn't matter what the price point was, I miss those places equally.

... In Miami I found joy in tapas and bubble tea and Ms. Cheezious and red grapefruit frozen yogurt that is as sour as the sour gummi worms I top it with.  Those are new food traditions I share with my husband.  We discovered we like home-made risotto and spring rolls.  I will have some of these foods when I leave Miami, but there will be some I leave behind.  We will find new ones in our new place, wherever that may be.  There are just so many foods and dishes that I miss from home, but looking back at this post, it is the people who make the food, provide the food, and the ones I share the food with that bring it to life.

So I didn't like the duck tongue, but I shared that with friends in a great city and it made us laugh.  So I don't like lake-caught fish, but it was always caught by my grandpa or my dad and that made it special.  I may not be the best cook, but there are some recipes I'm good at.  I married a man who grew up with a rich family food history (his mom regularly wins blue ribbons at the State Fair, I could do an entire post on her amazing food alone).  My food history may be different, but just as rich as his.  I had grandparents who wanted to show me they loved me with food, but the thing I remember and admire about them the most was how they respected food by growing it, preparing it, and preserving it themselves.  I have a grandma who always took the time to put out her signature fudge and cookies at nearly every gathering: fudge on a heavy plate covered in saran wrap and cookies in that iconic tin.  I grew up with aunties (related by blood and not) who came to parties bearing Polish sausage and perfect dishes.  I have a dad who can cook and grill really well, even if he doesn't do it that often.  His respect for nature and hunting gave me a unique perspective on how I want to eat (a challenge here in Miami).  I remember not wanting to try the duck and the rabbit that he caught, but those are some of the most memorable meals he made for us and I liked them.  I have a mom who produces events that Martha Stewart would approve of.  She makes her home the perfect backdrop for family gatherings and she brought my wedding plans to life.  I'm sure good food would be good food eaten at a card table, but good food eaten in a warm and beautiful environment enhances the experience.

I have to clean the dishes now.  My husband made a very good vegetarian lasagna... lasagna reminds me of my brother, he always asked for my mom to make it on his birthday.

2013

2012 has been a full year.  In March I had my 1 year anniversary at work.  I feel like I just started yesterday, then again, there are other days that make me feel like I've been there forever.  In August, just after starting our second year in Miami, J and I added little Lily to our family.  She has been absolutely wonderful.  Ruby and Lily fight like sisters, but snuggle like best buds when they are worn out.  They care for each other and we are so lucky to have such wonderful creatures in our lives.  Joe's family came to visit us in the spring and a college friend of mine came to visit in the summer.  This year I created my Etsy store and made a couple of sales (thank you to all of you who supported me in that endeavor!).  I continued volunteering and taking classes at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens.  I clocked over 100 hours of volunteering in the last year.  I also took an online writing class.  I have been struggling the entire year with sinus problems and I have been in and out of the ENT's office with no results.  I did find out that I am allergy-free, go figure.  I challenged myself to watch classic movies, something I had never really done before.  I am also proud to say that I have completed my goal of reading 75 books in a year.  We hosted our first (small) Thanksgiving and in December we traveled to San Fransisco.  I also started doing free-lance work for a local start-up.  Our holidays were very low-key, which is fine by me.  For Christmas we went out for Chinese food and for New Year's Eve we stayed home and I finished my 75th book.  We celebrated 12:00 am New Year's Day with some sparkling white wine cuddled up with our puppies.  Today J is watching the Rose Bowl (Go Badgers!) and I am trying to tick things off of my to-do list.  Today is also a special day because it marks our seven year anniversary of being a couple.  We went on our first date (mini-golf) on January 1st, 2006.  We're going out to dinner tomorrow.

2013 should be a year of change for us.  We've been taking steps to challenge ourselves in our careers.  J is applying to jobs and Ph.D. programs.  I have been applying to Master's programs in Library and Information Sciences.  We'll see where the year takes us.  We won't be adding another animal to our menagerie.  We have our hands and arms (lovingly) full with our four fur-balls.  But we inevitably end up hosting creatures of all kinds (to babysit for friends, to foster until permanent homes are found).  A move should be in our future, but we don't know where to.  It is hard for life to be so up in the air, but it is, so we just truck on with the daily stuff until then.  I have challenged myself to read 85 books in 2013.  I might have to adjust that number if I get into graduate school.  I'm going to take a short break from Etsy to continue my free-lance work.  Hopefully I can also fit in some volunteer work at a library in addition to Fairchild.  I want to learn how to drive stick-shift.  I've been meaning to learn since we got here and I just need to buckle down and do it.  J's car is stick-shift and it is silly that I don't know how to drive it.  One of my biggest goals is to finish one of the various stories that I have started in 2012.  If it is short enough, I will try publishing it as a Kindle single.

I have been meaning to write about San Fransisco, but I need to edit pictures to go with the post and I was busy with commissions, free-lancing, and finishing my own holiday gifts.  I've been able to recharge my batteries the last two weeks by taking a step back.  In the meantime, here are just a couple of pictures from our trip.

On our first day of the trip, J and I woke up early and walked around Fisherman's Warf.  That is the Golden Gate Bridge in the background, you can't really tell though.

Who parked my truck here?  This is my dream vehicle (okay, aside from a sweet blue Prius).

Everyone who reads this blog knows what a soft spot I have for The Addams Family.  I was really happy to see this game when we went to the penny arcade.  I spent my best $5 of the trip there.

Me in front of Lombard Street, the world's crookedist street.  What a beast to walk up.  This is only two thirds of the way up the hill.  We had walked another horrible hill the previous day and the day after this will always be remembered as the day I almost died on a hike up a hill in Muir Woods.  Brutal.

The worst $0.25 I spent on my trip.  This thing was creepy.  It just belly laughed in the most horrible way possible.

This one is for my mom.  She kept texting, "Did you go to the bridge yet?"  I went to the bridge.  But it was after the horrible hike, so I decided not to walk across the whole thing.

Guest Post: Joe's Miami P.O.V.

It has been a very busy month since Thanksgiving!  We've been to San Fransisco and back.  I've been swamped at work with helping students register and scheduling for Summer and Fall of 2013.  I also had two friends purchase from my Etsy store (thanks E and A!) so I was working on their orders and shipping those out.  I was able to do a little freelance work  to help out a local woman start up a very cool business (which I will tell you more about later).  On top of all of that, I was scrambling to make/buy/send gifts for our families back home.  J and I have also been taking some very serious steps to get ourselves out of Miami and on to our new adventure.  I will write more about San Fransisco when I get a chance, but for now, I asked J to write a guest post to give you his take on life in Miami:

This is Joe, Becca's husband (I think I am referred to as "J" in this blog even though I don't care if she uses my name). Becca asked me to do a blog post about Miami from my perspective, hopefully I don't repeat anything:

My view of Miami is different than Becca's because I came down here with a distinct purpose: my grad school appointment was already set and I literally began classes the day that we arrived. It's much different arriving at a new place with a built-in network of people sharing similar interests (i.e. grad students who can bond by telling stories of long hours of studying and research). In addition, our grad school (like any other) is made up of people form all over the place, so most of us share the same general beliefs about Miami (that is, we don't really like it). There is of course a stronger Florida and Caribbean influence than other places, but even most of the Floridians are from other places (often Ft. Lauderdale) which are entirely different than Miami. As they say, "The best part about Miami is how close it is to the United States!"

Now, saying we don't really like Miami might seem wrong to you, especially since I am writing this with the windows open on Christmas day and nice 75 degree breeze blowing in and you are probably freezing your butt off somewhere up north for the next 4 months. So I might say to you, come down and visit us, and I'll prove to you what this place is really like. However, you will probably end up liking it because Miami knows how to treat its tourists and you will have a great time seeing all the cool things that Becca has posted pictures of in this blog. It can be a little awkward to be a local going to some of these tourist traps, but our pale white skin and (still persistent) northern accents blend right in. For instance, we went to Fairchild botanic garden yesterday and didn't hear a single word of Spanish for like 3 hours. That is probably a record. Although sometimes the Spanish speakers are tourists also, usually from South America, so they probably feel right at home here. Miami Beach is very culturally diverse, it is popular with both European and South American tourists, and of course also as a spot for wandering 20-somethings to live for a few years.

The day to day experience is much different outside of the beach area. First of all, we have to deal with the traffic, which is definitely the #1 complaint that I hear about Miami. The traffic volume isn't necessarily that bad here, many other big cities are worse and they have made an effort to improve the highways in Florida. The issue is that people drive very poorly. I think there are a number of causes for that--too many BMWs and Mercedes on the road, people chatting with abuela in Cuba on the way to work, and maybe just that Miami tends to wake up late (service economy) and everyone rushes to work around 9:00. Rush hour peaks about 60-90 minutes later here than the Midwest, if you are on the road at 7:30-8 you will have no problems. Other people we have talked to don't like how much Spanish is used here, but it isn't really a big deal to me. I'm a blonde boy so I don't look like I can speak Spanish and almost everyone can speak English even if they don't want to at first.  (Becca is often mistaken for Cuban, go figure.)  Rudeness is definitely a major problem, again that is something that you will rarely see in tourist heavy areas we encounter it all the time in places like Target. Running errands is never a pleasant experience here. At the beginning it was especially bad, now we generally know which places to go to and which to avoid (voicing our opinion with the almighty dollar). It seems like the average person doesn't care, otherwise some of the notoriously bad places wouldn't be in business. Much of the reason they are in business comes down to perspective, if we grew up in Cuba instead of squeaky-clean Milwaukee suburbs, we probably would just be happy to be here too.

As for other interesting observations, I can give you this:

1. In Florida, the farther north you go, the more "Southern" it gets.

2. Florida might be full of old people, but most of them don't live in Miami. This is a very young city, there are lots of people in their 20s and 30s with kids. You have to go west to Naples or north to Palm Beach to find the retirees. Fun fact: Sunrise, FL used to be named "Sunset" but the chamber of commerce must have decided they didn't like the connotation.

3. When the temperature drops below 60 degrees, people dress like there is a blizzard coming. We've lost some of our acclimation to the cold, but not nearly as badly as some people. Usually I wear my sweaters not because I'm cold, but because it's the only time that I can.

4. As a culture, people are very obsessed with image and material things, especially plastic surgery and Mercedes-Benz. The people driving these cars live in the Miami equivalent of West Allis. We have spent way too much time trying to figure out what goes through the mind of some of these people. It clearly does not make them happy if you are wondering, Miami is often ranked as one of the unhappiest cities in the US (and also the least-educated).

So that's a quick review of Miami for you. I hope you don't get a bad impression of the place or think that I can't stand it. I just wanted to give an honest opinion. I do many fun things here in my spare time which Becca has asked me to share in future posts.

Thanksgiving Weekend Picture Post

I am really overwhelmed with work, personal projects, and the holidays right now...  So here is another picture post instead of a lengthy description of my holiday weekend.

We had J's friend over for a semi-traditional American Thanksgiving.  She has treated us to traditional Chinese food on more than one occasion and this was the least we could do to return the favor.  Ever since J and I started going to one another's family functions I have been in love with his Grandmother's Sage Stuffing.  I asked him to ask his mom how to make it - and for his first attempt at stuffing, he did an excellent job!  He also wanted to do most of the food on a grill, so we grilled potatoes instead of mashing them.

Our table for three.  We skipped the turkey (see the last post) and aside from stuffing and potatoes we had steak, vegetarian squash tart, salad, and grilled corn.  I was the only one who wanted the pumpkin pie, though... More for me!

A better view of our feast.  We sent our friend home with a ton of food and we still have leftovers.  I guess that's the American tradition- overkill.  (She liked the sparkling cider.  Personally, that is always one of my favorite family traditions.)

J and I went on a day-date on Saturday.  We decided to go to South Beach.  We hit up Bolivar again (we went their on a food tour with my in-laws).  We've both been craving their fried plantains and we decided to give tapas a try.  I've never had tapas before, but I think that it will be how J and I dine from now on.  We had a lot of fun, got to try a lot of different things- all wonderful, and it was reasonable ($40, tip included, for two people).  By the way- we did not touch the ketchup, the sauces (in the background) were amazing!

The purpose of our SoBe trip was to visit the Wolfsonian Museum.  We've been wanting to go to more art museums, but sometimes it is hard to justify the price.  This one was free for us.  It was a pretty small museum and had more of a "design" aspect than a straight-up "art" aspect.  It was neat, but we don't have to go back.  Me with the Wolfsonian Museum's famous "Wrestler" statue. 

J in front of the "Lo and Behold" or "Miro y Ve" fountain.  This picture doesn't do it justice.

It wouldn't be a blog post by me if I didn't include my babies.  This is an older picture that J took when walking the dogs.  Now Lily is as big as Ruby.  They are a funny duo. 

What a doll.  I like the way she crosses her paws.  You can tell how much bulkier she is than Ruby just by her paws alone.  This was after a particularly trying day at work a couple of weeks ago.  (You can tell because my hair is frazzled.  It likes to do that when I'm stressed.)  I love coming home to a full house.

Lily loves everyone.  Equally.  And she doesn't take the hint.  Tashi is an opportunist though, so if she thinks she'll get some nice cuddles out of it, she'll stay.  Lily is in her new sweater that we bought her last week.  Ruby has the same one in red.  I don't know WHAT we will do with them when we move to a colder climate.  They are wusses.

Saturday was a good day.  We had our day-date, went to the dog park, and then I came home to my Etsy package.  I had been spying on this little creature for several weeks and I decided that because I've made two sales (plus the ones to my mom) that I would treat myself to an Etsy item.  She's custom made and all the way from Australia.  You can't really tell, but she is sitting on a half-shell.  (You should check out the artist's work- she's great: http://www.etsy.com/shop/scarletsbones?ref=search_shop_redirect)  It has been a long time since I have ordered something online, so I was anxiously waiting for her arrival

 

 

So, that's my holiday weekend in a nutshell.  (Minus the top-secret holiday preparations for work and family/friends... and the two loads of laundry... and the massive cleaning on Thursday... and the grocery shopping... you get the picture- I just gave you the highlights.)

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with your loved ones.  I am glad that J and I were able to host our first successful psuedo-Thanksgiving.  We had fun.  I don't know what we'll do for Christmas, but honestly, I'm not even ready to think about that.  Now, I'm off to pull my laundry out of the dryer.  Fun stuff!

Picture Post

I have been busy with work and preparing for the holidays.  J and I will be hosting a guest for Thanksgiving and we want to show her a semi-traditional dinner (sans turkey because -hey- we're not the best of chefs and what is the chance of finding a heritage, free-range, ethically treated bird down here for less than $25 and how the heck can three people eat something that big anyways...).  I'm a bit nervous because she has had us over for traditional Chinese food twice now and she is an AMAZING cook. 

I have also been working on Christmas gifts.  I submitted some stuff to Ramble Art Festival down here again this year, and some sold.  I'm not sure how much because I haven't picked my things up yet, but it did take me awhile to pull everything together.

Instead of writing a long missive on what has (or hasn't) been happening in our lives, I figured I'd do a picture post.  I'm not the best photographer and I'm using J's camera (some of these are from his iPhone).  So please, disregard the quality.  I make no claims to be an artful blogger.  Just an honest, and hopefully sometimes funny, one. 

My Halloween costume inspiration.  Every year J and I watch something for Halloween.  The last two years we watched Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas.  This year, in honor of my Classic Movie Challenge, we watched the first season of The Addams Family television show (circa 1964).  They are a loving family through and through.  Gomez and Morticia are sickeningly romantic (they'd take that as a compliment).  John Astin is my favorite incarnation of Gomez, but Christina Ricci is my favorite version of Wednesday.  I loved Wednesday as soon as I saw the movie as a kid (circa 1991).  I have always had a soft spot for Cousin Itt, though.  In college I had The Addams Family comic day planner.  I wish I would have kept it.  That dark humor oddly brightens my dull Miami life.

 

 

 

 

This isn't my best costume ever, but it was just for work.  People kept saying I looked cute.  They didn't realize I was in costume.  All I could think was, "Wednesday would be mortified."  The only thing I had to do for this costume was braid my hair.  I guess I have a dark wardrobe if no one noticed the difference.  :)

What do you see in this picture?  I see three sunbathing cats.  Sassy puppies.  For the record, their mommy doesn't let them lay on top of the couch cushions like that.

My lovely Lily.  I wish a camera could do justice for her beautiful hazel eyes.  I adore her so.

I took these pictures a couple of nights ago when Trini and I were lounging in bed, wasting too much time on the Internet.  I have had her since I was seven.  This is what 18 years of friendship looks like: love, slight annoyance, and complete understanding of one another.  She is experiencing some difficulties lately due to age.  Her one eye is completely covered in a cataract (and the other one is going too).  She used to keep it closed all of the time, but after a couple of visits to the vet we seemed to ease the irritation for her.  Now her legs are giving out to arthritis and she doesn't move much.  She tries hard to make it to the litter box, but sometimes she doesn't realize she's in it and she misses.  My mornings are messy, but I would do just about anything for this cranky old broad.

Happiness is warm puppies.  My lap, and my heart, are always full thanks to a house full of animals.

Have a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving Weekend!

Since September...

I haven't posted since September... yeesh.  In my defense, J has been working diligently on his thesis and I have been trying to help around the apartment in little ways (planning meals, cooking dinners, cleaning, keeping a watchful eye on animals). He's finally done with writing and he'll be defending his thesis in the beginning of November.  I'm incredibly proud of him.  Aside from working like crazy for school, he is an excellent puppy parent, an avid runner, and he's been working on side projects like his blog: http://www.wxnotes.com/blog/

Our animals have been keeping us busy.  We've been taking the dogs to a new dog park that was recommended to us by a fellow UW-Madison graduate.  Sometimes we meet up with her there on the weekends.  We've started Lily in Puppy Classes with the same trainer that worked with Ruby.  We keep them busy because happy dogs are tired dogs... but that also makes for tired dog owners who'd rather relax than blog.  Guilty. 

I haven't been lazy though!  I have been working hard on my goal of reading 75 books in 2012.  I am currently reading two books (60 and 61).  If you want to keep up with what I am reading, you can check out my Shelfari account.  (http://www.shelfari.com/beccaf)  There is no doubt in my mind that I will meet my goal, but despite my fast reading pace, it still takes a lot of time to read that much.

I also was able to go home for a week in late October.  My mom and dad paid for my ticket to come home so that I could celebrate my second cousin's wedding.  It was really beautiful.  She and her mom did some cool things for me when I was planning my wedding so I would have been disappointed to miss hers.  Aside from the wedding, I was able to spend good time with my family.  My mom and I hit up a Wisconsin farm-stand and I bought goodies for the girls at work.  I also indulged in New Glarus Raspberry Ale and cheese curds.  I was able to get all of my favorite food stops in: Kopp's for Red Raspberry frozen custard, Bluephie's for Ooey Gooey Pasta (with two of my best buds), Noodles, and The Comet Cafe.  It was a really good trip.  I was dying to get as far away from Miami as possible for the last couple of months.  I needed a reality check: somewhere where people are nice and there are a few of them who care about me.  Sometimes it is hard living so far from family and friends- even if it is an adventure.

Going back to Wisconsin helped also get me back into my creative groove.  One day my mom and I made a pumpkin still life that was inspired by some of her home decorating magazines.  I miss having a crafting buddy.  I always did my scrap-booking and card-making with her.  I hate doing those things alone- so I haven't done them in years.  We made a lot of elements for my wedding together and making those pumpkins was a fun activity.  When I came back to Miami (after I was sicker than a dog for two days) I pulled out my crafting supplies and started on some new projects.  I'll add some pictures below.  You can see more at my Etsy site.  And speaking of Etsy- I made my first "outside" (as in someone I don't know) sale two days before my trip!!  Someone in Nova Scotia bought some magnets.  I jumped for joy!

Current projects I've been working on:

The first altered Moleskine journal I made.

Another altered journal.

Another.  I'm sort of addicted.  I have to wait and see if these sell before I buy more journals to alter.  I don't want to end up with too many sitting around like some of my other crafts. *See footnote*

A Fairy Ornament that I decided to try.  The idea came to me when I was trying to sleep and after I thought of it I couldn't actually fall asleep because I was so excited to try it out.  It finally gave me an idea of what to do with all of the bits I've collected/found over the years.  This one is sea-themed.

This one is Halloween-themed.  I wanted to do one in colors that reminded me of the holiday.  Please don't judge my photo styling.  I'm not a photographer and I was trying to get the pictures taken while there was still some natural light outside.

Where my ornaments are currently residing: on the wine bottles that we don't drink. :)

On Monday I go back to work.  I know I'll have a lot on my desk.  I was supposed to go in to work the two days after I got back, but I was sick on Thursday and worse on Friday.  I got up and took a shower at 7:00 AM both days.  On Thursday I was exhausted from traveling and had a headache/sore throat, so I didn't even bother getting dressed.  On Friday I woke up feeling even worse, but I figured I really had to go in since it would only be me and one other office member.  I pulled on my clothes, told Joe that I might be home early, drove about a mile, and then pulled into a gas station so I could get sick all over myself.  I called my co-workers and explained that I would not be in, I needed a shower and different clothes, and then I went home and got sick three more times.  It was, by far, one of the worst days of being sick/having a migraine in my life.  I couldn't keep anything down: water, saltines, Sprite, or medicine.  I just iced my head in bed until 1 AM when I finally fell asleep.  On Saturday I still had a bit of a headache, so I took it slow in the morning, but by Saturday night I finally felt better.

I should go get ready for my first day back at work since the 17th.  Besides the work I have to get a campus parking pass and schedule an allergy test- a tale for another day- so I'm sure tomorrow will be crazy.  But I kind of don't want to get up to make my lunch right now.  I have two tuckered puppies cuddling my feet and I don't want to disturb them.  They look so angelic... then they wake up.  :)

 - - -

* I went a little crazy with the magnets I was making.  I liked repurposing magazine pages and it was so easy to put the magnets together that I made more than I needed.  I personally like the painted ones best, but I can't make too many at a time without getting a headache from the fumes.  When I was meeting with another Etsy crafter (http://artzazzle.blogspot.com/) she mentioned that it would be cool to leave crafts like geo-caches.   I used to geo-cache with my mom and I loved the idea.  I'll save the geo-cache idea for when I live in another city, but I decided to leave some gift bags around town of some surplus magnets, my business card, and a note that reads, "Surprise!  A gift for you or someone you love.  Just a little way to brighten your day."  I hope people find them and enjoy the fun that is finding a little secret. Who knows?  Someone will probably find it, hate it, send me an e-mail telling me what a jerk I am for some inane reason, and then instead of making their day better they'll ruin mine.  (I've been living in Miami too long; I expect the worst of people.) *

5 Things: Songs to Write To

I once could not do any homework, reading, or writing unless it was dead silent.  Then I went to college and I learned quickly if I didn't make the most of every moment because I was bothered by noise, I would never get anything done.  Still, I do not like to read with music in the background- moderate ambient noise is okay.  When writing for this blog or for fun I have to listen to low-key music.  Anything too bouncy and my mind focuses on the beat (probably because I'm daydreaming about being the best drummer that ever lived!).  Here are five songs from my iTunes Music for Writing To playlist.


My Only Swerving by El Ten Eleven

So Long by Guster

North by North by Faded Paper Figures

Maps by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Easier to Lie by Aqualung



Let me know of any music you like to work to.  I'm always looking to expand my playlist.  :)