John-Jon Notebooks

I made some notebooks for my wonderful cousins recently.  I’ve made a few notebooks like this before, but only for myself. Ah! Notebook selfishness!  I learned this super cool notebook-decorating technique at a Women’s Retreat “craft time” a few years ago.  Craft Time!!!!!! Love it.

Steps:

1. Get notebook.
2. Decorate with paper-based materials of your choice. (In the past, I’ve done magazine cut outs.  This time, I got some cool scrapbooking paper and printed stuff on it for a more cohesive look, I suppose.  Then I painted a bird on it. I did the fronts and the backs, but only the the fronts are pictured)
3. Cover front and back with clear packing tape for awesome durability and optimal shininess.

Both cousins got a “John/Jon” themed notebook. 

For Erin I went with a John Wesley theme (it’s covered with his quotes (well, quotes attributed to him at least), hymns, and his sermons) Weird?  Not really, because John Wesley was awesome.  Also, she’s in divinity school. She is also an awesome knitter, and you can check out her sweet Christmas projects over on her blog.  Erin, like John Wesley, is very wise, has spent a considerable amount of time in Georgia, and enjoys travelling.  

For L.L I did a Jon Foreman theme.  Switchfoot happens to be her favorite band and she’s even met the guy, so I covered hers with Switchfoot and Jon Foreman lyrics.  Yes, of course Company Car made it on.  That’s a great song.  L.L, like Jon Foreman, is an excellent singer, often sports shoulder length hair, and can pull off the wearing of hip hats. 

Make Yourself A Christmas Doodad

My grandfather made up this song a long time ago called “Make Yourself a Christmas Doodad” and every once in a while my Dad will sing it too.  I have no idea what inspired the song, or why it has persisted in our memories all these years, but I sang “Make Yourself a Christmas Doodad” while I made these….Christmas Doodads.  (For those of you unfamiliar with the word “doodad” dictionary.com defines it as “a decorative embellishment.”

What crafty Christmas would be complete without making a few ornaments?  I had lots of fun making ornaments this year.  I think my favorite ones might be the teacup ornaments, and those were by far the easiest to make!  I bought a Kid’s tea set and glued the tiny cups to the tiny saucers. Add a ribbon and voila!  Super cute, super easy.  I’m also partial to the bird.  And the tree.  And the flower.  Okay, I like them all.

Close Up!

These next few didn't make it into the first pictures.

Merry Christmas, and I hope you have fun making yourself some Christmas doodads. 

Tea Wreath!

I love tea.  So does my friend Whitney, so she was the perfect person to make this Tea Wreath for! Now, this gift was not my own idea.  I saw this over at:

 http://kojodesigns.blogspot.com/2010/03/kojotutorial-tea-tea-tea-kitchen-wreath.html

The one I made was a little different: I painted the clothespins rather than cover them with paper and I used fabric for the background….and my wreath has no hole in the middle.  Again, many thanks for Sammy for the pictures.  My old camera bit the dust.

Yum! Tea!

Where Flowers Bloom So Does Hope

Yes, I borrowed the title of this post from Lady Bird Johnson and her highway beautification project.

“The Earth laughs in flowers” – Ralph Waldo Emerson (also, E.E. Cummings said this but Ralph was born first so I’m going to attribute it to him for the time being)  Wordsworth called them “the poet’s darling.”  Of course, you don’t have to be a poet to appreciate flowers.

I’ve been thinking about doing this project for a while now.  You see, I love the way a nice vase of fresh flowers look in a room, but it’s hard to consistently keep fresh flowers and fake silk flowers often look…..fake.  Well, I have found the fabled fountain of youth (That’s right, Juan Ponce de Leon!!!).  For flowers, that is.   It’s really fun to make flowers out of fabric, ribbon, and lace. This way, you get the look of flowers, but they are clearly NOT flowers so you avoid the phony flower look and achieve a more “ah, yes, this is my folksy, artsy, flower-inspired decoration” look.

Flowers that bloom all year long!

  For the lace ones, you just do a sort of basting stitch along the bottom, then pull it and gather, shaping the lace into a circle.  I used pearl beads and buttons for the centers.  For the ribbon flowers, I just folded the ribbon into pretty shapes and used hot glue to keep it that way.  Then, I painted some thin wooden dowels “antique white”  and cut them into different lengths.  I used hot glue to fix the stems to the flowers.  I picked up a glass vase in which to place the bouquet and used river rocks to fill it.  I made this for my friend Jessica, who very kindly gave me permission to post about it on here.  The lovely pictures were taken by my friend Sammy, who is a really excellent photographer.    

You know that stray thread in this picture is killing me. 

Manly Crafts, Gumby, and Wolverine: A Video Post

I don't say "like" this much in real life, I hope. I don't know what that weird noise is, either. I'm not sure if this was a good idea....but my none of my roommates were around to stop me.

Gumbo Gumbo Gumbo

My awesome roommates and I love themed parties.  This year our Christmas Party was Cajun themed (because we affectionately call our home “The Bayou”), which was basically an excuse to make GUMBO.  My friend Lauren and I also made some pretty awesome “Jumpin’ Jumbalaya” I’ll have to put on here sometime too…because it was jumpin.

This is a recipe I adapted from a recipe over at http://www.gumbocity.com/chiken_sausage2.html

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo!

About 2 lbs or so of chicken- cooked and de-boned.  Chicken breasts on the bone were 99 cents/lb when I made this so I used three of those!
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

¾ c AP flour
2 smoked sausages or polish kielbasa (polish? In Gumbo? Whatever!)
2 medium onions, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
32 oz chicken stock or broth
2 (14- to 16-oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon cayenne (or more if you like things really spicy!)

2 bay leaves
1 bunch green onions, chopped

Cut the sausage into slices about .5 inch thick.  Brown the sausage a little with 1 T vegetable oil.  Then, set the sausage aside but drain off the fat and put it back in the pan.  Add the garlic, bell pepper, onions, and celery and cook until the onions start to become clear.  Now you get to make a roux.  Add the rest of your oil to the pot and push the veggies over to one side.  Get your whisk ready, because you’re going to need it.  Whisk the flour into the oil/sausage fat (mmm, doesn’t that sound good lol)  Keep whisking so it doesn’t get lumpy.  You have to let it cook for a little bit so it doesn’t taste floury later on.  Once it’s nice and thick, slowly add the chicken stock, still whisking.   Then add the tomatoes, the cooked chicken, and the sausage.  Toss in 2 bay leaves and the cayenne.  Let it simmer for a little while (at least 20 minutes) and you’re ready to eat!  Serve with rice!

P.S-  I like my gumbo with OKRA and SHRIMP too, but I didn’t put any in here because I was afraid people would be afraid of it.  But you should add some if you are partial to those, like I am.

A Memo Board Not Intended for Alfred Hitchcock

A Memo Board Not Intended for Alfred Hitchcock

Here, as promised, is a little crafty tidbit I saved up to show you while I’m busy working away like one of those little mice in Cinderella on Christmas presents (Those mice make some NICE clothes. Can you imagine if Cinderella went to the Oscars or something? “Oh, Cindy, who are you wearing?”  “It’s an original Gus-Gus”)  This project would be easy to recreate in a variety of colors and patterns- it would be fun in a variety of sizes too!

This is actually my favorite fabric ever so far.  I love that bird.

Steps:

1)      Obtain frame of reasonable size. This one was for an 8 X 10 picture, I think. Maybe bigger.

2)      Paint frame desired color.

3)      Cut a piece of thin wood the size to fit inside the frame (or use the piece that comes with it)

4)      Cover that piece with batting.

5)      Cover the batting with the fabric of your choice. (I used hot glue to secure it)

6)      Use ribbon to create a nice holding place for cards, pictures, and the like (again, hot glue)

7)      Pop covered board back into frame.

8)      Voila! You’ve made a memo board!

I made this one for my Mom’s birthday last year.  I just love the cheery little birds on the fabric.  These are NICE birds, not mean ones like in Hitchcock’s The Birds.  This sweet little long-legged guy wouldn’t dream of pecking your eyes out, Tippi Hedren.  He just wants to hold your memos, and cheer you up on rainy days.

Keeping Secrets is HARD.

It's December.

Or at least, It will be tomorrow.....which means I am now fully immersed in Christmas present creation AND preparing for finals season of my first semester of grad school.  I know what you are thinking.
"Courtney, those things don't go well together at all!"  Oh yes they do, since sewing/crafting/cooking is my stress relieving activity of choice. I am getting so much done!! Unfortunately, I cannot tell you about what I am doing until after Christmas so that my friends and family don't get their Christmas surprises ruined by reading about them on internet.  All I can tell you so far is that I've sustained a minor glue gun burn and stabbed myself in the thigh with an embroidery needle (probably a direct result of watching a foreign film while working, which requires one to read subtitles)

Don't worry, though, faithful friends, because I have a few things tucked up my sleeve to share with you until December 25.

But first I've got to finish this paper.

Good Old Charlie Brown.  I should make some tree ornaments that look like that!

Crafts From The Past: Ending Cat Houselessness, Beginner Carpentry, and Miniature Anachronisms

This week is Thanksgiving, and I’m back at home. So, I thought it would be fun to recount some projects from my earlier days. 

Extreme Makeover: Cat Home Edition?

When I was 13 my family got two kittens.  They were sisters named Macy and Sedona.  After we’d had them for about a month I talked my Dad into helping me build a rather large house for them.  I even learned how to use a jigsaw and a table saw. I figured if dogs got houses, cats needed them too.  If this house was on the market, I think the ad would look something like this.

Macy surveys the view from her estate.  

HOUSE FOR SALE:  Two stories, with attic. Whimsical coloring.  Patio and deck. Small doorways.  Open floorplan. Hardwood floors.  2 bedrooms.  No bathroom. Litter box nearby.  Conveniently located 3 feet from restaurants “The Water Bowl” and “The Food Bowl”.  No stairs, just “openings”.  Not handicap accessible.  Good schools, friendly community. Great for a 2-cat family who loves to entertain.

Hey kid, get off my lawn!!

Don't look at me. Don't look me in the eyes.

I don't require stairs.

These days Macy lives in this big house alone because my poor little Sedona has gone on to her heavenly reward.   When we first built it, I called it The Cat House but I had to quickly change that to “The Feline Habitat” when my uncle kindly informed me of the negative connotations associated with the former.  Yikes.  This is a family-friendly establishment.

This Old House: Easy Roofing Solutions…for those who are afraid of heights.

One year for Christmas I got a completely wonderful Doll House.  Not a Barbie Beach House.  Not a Playschool Plastic Bowl Cut Family Doll House (you know what I’m talking about)…although I had one of those too. Not one of those “Loving Family” or whatever doll houses with the real working electrical fixtures and crib that sings songs.

No.

An honest-to-goodness, made of wood, built by my own mom and dad doll house.  It was probably the best Christmas present ever.  Materialistically speaking, of course.   Anyway.  I guess I was 9 or so.  My Dad built it, but I did ALL, and I mean ALL the painting myself.  My mom helped me with the roof.  You have to glue each shingle on by hand.  It’s pretty time-consuming.  So much so, in fact, that I never finished it.  Until yesterday, that is.  That’s right, dear readers.  For about 13 years the roof has been unfinished.  Way back when I was 9, for some reason I didn’t finish the very middle part of the roof, just a very little part.  Then the shingles got lost or something.   This week, I found them in the basement!  In the very stainless-steel mixing bowl I borrowed from the kitchen to hold them in 13 years ago!  So, I finished the roof, and repaired various pieces of furniture that had been broken over the years.  

You can see the maid through the front door.  That's right, they've got a maid!

Don't you wish your home overlooked a pool table? (and had no back?)

You may notice something strange about this house.  Something a little….not right.  No, it's not the creepy, glassy-eyed expressions of the non-bendable doll house people 10-year-old me choose from a doll house specialty store for the ridiculous price of 7.50 each (WHAT WAS I THINKING?) Maybe you would call them “glaring chronological errors” or “startling anachronisms”.  For example, the figurines appear to be dressed in some sort of Victorian fashion (1837-1901)….yet the kitchen floor is very 1950’s.  Also, it’s pretty amazing to have an electric stove…which was an exhibit at the World’s fair in 1893 so it seems pretty surprising for a family such as this to already have one. And that fridge?  Well, our little family here probably should have an “ice box” since refrigeration didn’t really catch on until the early 20^th century.   Please also notice that this family has ONE OIL LAMP for their entire home. Now THAT is just wishful thinking.  I won’t continue.  You get the idea.  Clearly, 9-year-old me was not that concerned with constructing a historically accurate house.  Of course, I’m still not that worried about it, so I guess it’s okay. 

Here are a few rooms for your perusal.

The Kitchen. 

The Living Room.  My, doesn't she look like she is having a good time?

Mr. Head of Household checks himself out in the mirror.

9 year old me painted this room too look almost exactly like my room at home, minus the blob-butterflies.

What Victorian home would be complete without an ocean themed  school room?

I think I’m going to give the whole thing a nice coat of polyurethane to preserve it for posterity.  I mean, I feel like this is an heirloom-quality toy, you know?  Handle with care J

Vera Bradley, Women’s Suffrage, and Pseudonyms

Vera Bradley, Women’s Suffrage, and Pseudonyms.

Pictures at the end!

Vera Bradley.

People seem to love it, or hate it.  I’m in the middle.  I like some.  I feel ambivalent towards some.  I feel very, very antagonistic towards the price tags of most.

Who/What is Vera Bradley, you ask? 

Well, here is what wikipedia has to say:

“ The company was founded in March 1982 by Patricia Polito Miller and Barbara Bradley Baekgaard, a 1962 graduate of Marymount College. Named after Baekgaard's mother the company got its start when both were inspired while awaiting a flight in Atlanta, where they noticed a "definite lack of feminine-looking luggage".^[3]”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vera_Bradley

The article also says that they are famous for “quilted cotton luggage, handbags, and accessories”.

Okay, Vera.  That’s a pretty good idea. Maybe not change-the-world good, but definitely make-it-easier-to-find-my-bag-at-the-airport good, and who knows what that could lead to?  I want my luggage to look feminine too.  Thank goodness I live in a time when I can vote and have feminine luggage. Imagine the super olden days, when I would have had to carry a “Portmanteau” or “valise” and blog ( I mean, write on parchment with a quill) under a man’s name, like Currer Bell.…except I would have had to pick a different name because Charlotte Bronte used that one. 

Yes, we are living in a very pleasant age. 

Anyway, I think I was talking about Vera Bradley.  I like some Vera Bradley things.  I have some friends that love this stuff and some that really, really don’t.  I have a several Vera Bradley bags, it’s true.  Somewhere in the neighborhood of 3.  Mostly thanks to my Aunt, who gave them to me. (Thanks!!!) I really do like them, they’re colorful and fun.  I actually had to retire one because I used it too much and it got a hole in it. However, the suggested retail prices of Vera Bradley products are CRAZY.  Like, get a student loan to pay for them CRAZY.  Okay, I’m exaggerating. I’m working on developing my own Vera Bradley inspired bag making method, and today I reveal to you my first attempt.

Ok so basically Vera Bradley bags, in general, are quilted cotton.  Machine quilted.  This is not difficult to do.  All you need is two pieces of fabric and some batting for in between. I’m betting there are several tutorials on how to do this out there on the net so I won’t go in to it that much.  My grandmother is an excellent quilter; I really need to improve my own skills a bit more.  The difficult part becomes making a bag pattern that will give you the desired shape.  Because this was my first attempt at a quilted bag, I chose something easy to replicate.

A paper sack.

Yes. That’s right.  I made a quilted-cotton version of a paper sack.

I chose a fun patterned fabric for my outside fabric and a weird scratchy, thick greenish fabric I picked up as a remnant at some fabric store a while back. I thought it would lend some structural support.  I used the paper sack as a pattern guide and cut out 1 bottom piece, 2 side pieces, and 2 front/back pieces from the 2 fabrics and the batting.  Then I made my “quilt sandwich” and pinned them together. I used my machine to quilt it, which I did a bit haphazardly, seeing as I didn’t measure or anything to make the lines even. Turned out pretty good! Then, using the trusty inside-out method, I sewed it all together to make the bag, taking care to fold over and hem the top.    Next time I’ll do it so the lining covers up the ugly inside parts, but this was a bit of a rush job because…..I was impatient. (The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem) 

Paper Sack as a pattern!

mmmm Quilt Sandwich!

All my pieces, pinned and ready to sew.  Why are there two bottoms, you ask? Because I forgot what I was doing.

Horizontal....

And vertical.  Next time I will try more interesting patterns.

I am totally pleased with this first attempt. You have to start small.  I think I will attempt a tote bag next time, with a pretty lining and handles.  Also, I might put some cardboard or plastic somewhere it the bottom part to make it sit flat. It’s going to be awesome.  Oh! By the way, this entire little bag project probably cost about…umm…3 dollars or so. I had all the materials hanging around in my craft lair, so I’m really not exactly sure. 

Close up! Check out that highly geometrical quilting action!

It is the perfect size to use as a Shoe Travel Bag (Is that a thing?).  Don’t you hate it when you have to toss your shoes in your bag on top of all your non-shoe clothes?  I mean, you have no idea where the bottoms of your shoes have been, really.  Especially if you sleepwalk.

Home Sweet Home for my yellow peep-toe pumps?

Or, to hold a book. You know, in case….um.. I really have no idea why you’d need to use it for this. But it fits. You could really put anything in it you might put in a regular paper sack……….

Book Holder?

I hope Vera Bradley doesn’t think I’m trying to horn in on their profits.  It’s just little ol’ me…..trying to empower the world, one stitch at a time.

Let There Be Light!

Let there be light!

It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.  - Eleanor Roosevelt

All lit up!

I feel like every new project I do is my favorite one.  This one is no different.  I’ve been hinting at this for a while.  This one really can hardly even count as “making” something, it’s more like “assembling”.  Candles and candle holders are really surprisingly expensive, especially the pretty long-stemmed glass candle holders.  Don’t fret though, I have a less costly and equally beautiful solution for you.  I won’t pretend this is a totally novel idea; after I did this I saw that Real Simple magazine had done almost the exact same thing…..but I digress.   I found these really lovely little glasses at a thrift store for 50 cents each- I picked three different ones. They seem oddly small for wine glasses. Honestly, I don't really know what they are for.  Then, I got some small votive candles to put inside them. (1.50)  In case you’re counting, that’s a grand total of 3 dollars.   Wouldn’t this make a cute gift?  I don’t know where I will put mine yet, but I find them very charming.  

Now aren't they cute?

C'mon little plant, LIVE!

The winds of winter have begun to blow, and I moved the aforementioned poor little plant inside. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be adjusting to his new climate very well.  This plant story may not have a happy ending!  However, I refuse to give up on it!  By the way, stay tuned for some rather excellent recipes.  In the meantime, check out my friend Mary's blog : http://mary-made.blogspot.com/

OctoberPostFest3: In which several things are painted, and compared to Regency-era literature.

OctoberPostFest3: In which several things are painted, and compared to Regency-era literature. 

By now, you are realizing that I rarely purchase something to which I do not make alterations or improvements on at some time.  If that thing is furniture, the alteration/improvement most often comes in the form of paint.    I like to paint.  I really like to paint furniture.  Because I am a student and therefore it is not feasible for me to order everything straight out of the pottery barn catalog (like I would do that anyway because I like to adventure-shop in antique stores), my strategy is often to find a study, economical, and quite possibly antique (read: probably just OLD) piece that I can spice up with a little help from my good friends Folk Art, Apple Barrel, and Anita (These are brands of acrylic craft paint, for those of you who are wondering).  I like Folk Art best because it is called Folk Art, which is clearly a superior name.

Read on, I say to you!

Today, I will tell you the story of three pieces of furniture.  Where they came from, what they were, and what they are now.  Unfortunately, I have only after pictures, and no before pictures.  Fortunately, I have…um….stylistically arranged these stories in the style of one of my favorite authors, Jane Austen.

Story One:   Sense and Sensibility

Sense will always have attractions for me.  Practicality must not be denied its importance in choosing a piece of functional furniture.  Yet, when the romantic refinements of a young mind are obliged to give way, how frequently they are succeeded by such opinions as are but too common and dangerous! Such was the case with me and my search for a desk.  I am sense AND sensibility, propriety AND impulsiveness.  I did not want a desk; I wanted a table; for will a table not serve the purposes of a desk, and then some? Truly, a multipurpose piece could be the only thing to satisfy my needs. Such a table I found, and procured, after successfully talking the seller down in price by no mean number.  I was satisfied. I esteemed my table and chairs. I liked my table and chairs. I was Elinor. And yet, the part of me that is Marianne cried out “Esteem them! Like them!? Cold-hearted Courtney, Oh! Worse than being cold-hearted! Ashamed of being otherwise!”  I knew that something must be done.  Who am I, to have a plain, wooden table, with not even the most simple design or decoration? Am I not young? Am I not vibrant? Why, then does my table look so industrial, so harsh, so cold, so unfeeling?  I gathered my paints, my paintbrushes, my stamps, and several cans of shellac around me, and commenced to paint.  I think if you look at this table you may understand my mind a little better.  It is order and chaos, whimsy and boundary, all mixed up together, with no subtle use of color, to be sure.  But I digress.  The chairs are a bit different, but they still “match”, in their way.  And my seat cushions, each in their own way, I find very pleasing and am sure you could find nothing more lovely in Combe Magna.  Not that I would ever live in Combe Magna, because Willoughby is a scoundrel and a libertine.

View from the top! I think this might be what the inside of my brain looks like.

I also made a cute seat cushion with RIBBON TIES!

Did I mention the leaves fold down? 

Story Two:  Persuasion

A few years before, this chest of drawers had been a very pretty piece of furniture, but its bloom had faded early, and even in its height even the bedroom set had ceased to admire it (so totally different were its delicate features and mild wooden knobs from the set’s own) there could be nothing in them now that it was faded and worn to excite the set’s esteem.  However, it happens sometimes that a chest of drawers is more handsome at 49 than it was 20 years before, and that is the case with this chest of drawers.  I found this chest of drawers at an antique shop that was not called Kellynch Hall, but for the sake of this story, let us pretend it was.  The poor chest of drawers had obviously been jilted before; and its indifferent but undoubtedly well meaning dealer had marked it with masking tape that read “chester drawers”.  Note the wheels on the bottom, which the good dealer assured me would be “real helpful” in moving my “chester drawers” from place to place, and were “added value” (I am in no way making fun of this good gentleman’s accent or word choice, I am simply making it known to you, good reader, that the correct terms  are “chest OF drawers: and “really, or very helpful”.  I am in no place to criticize anyone’s grammar, seeing as I have often committed transgressions against the Good Lady Grammar (who I believe resides in Devonshire in the summer).  So long had dear “chester” been neglected and unloved, it was quite persuaded to think itself a lost cause, good only to encourage and support the efforts of other, more beautiful pieces of furniture. A few coats of “leaf green” later, chester was beaming with happiness, from its “valuable” wheels to its “barn red” drawer pulls, just like Anne Elliot when she realized Captain Wentworth didn’t hate her anymore, but loved her enough to say “You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.  Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone forever”, which is a very dramatic and romantic thing to say, obviously, and no one would ever tell that to a chest of drawers.

Pay no attention to the stacks of journal articles in the corner.

Story Three: Mansfield Park

Give a shelf a coat of paint, and introduce it properly into the world, and ten to one but it has the means of settling well, without further expense to anybody.  There was a shelf in the basement which I plucked from obscurity and introduced into the fashionable world, much in the same way Fanny Price was lifted from the general squalor of her Portsmouth home and brought to the Bertrams at Mansfield Park.  The shelf, like Fanny, was pale and unpolished, but with a great depth of possibility.  I’m pretty sure it was a shelf my Dad made many years ago for the sole purpose of storing things in the back of the basement or garage, so it wasn’t that…pretty.  About 3 years ago I snatched it from its cold abode (of course, I asked first!) and began my improvements.  Pink? Indeed. More pink? Yes, lighter shade, if you will.  Painters tape? Oh my, but that will make some interesting designs. Done.  Shelf, you have now married Edmund Bertram.  Wait. That comparison doesn’t really make sense.  Well, shelf, you have at least bested Mary Crawford.  

Whimsical AND functional. The best of both worlds.

Well, Folks, That's all I've got for now.  

OctoberPostFest2: In Which a Plant is Snatched from the Jaws of Death

OctoberPostFest 2: In Which a Plant in Snatched from the Jaws of Death

Before I begin, allow me to introduce my dear friend Jessica's blog, which chronicles her life an an intern at the Wesley Foundation.  Go check it out at  www.jaytaylifetimes.blogspot.com

Those of you who know me perhaps will know that I am descended from a line of excellent gardeners.  My grandfather, in fact, is officially a “Master Gardener”.  My Great-grandfather (other side) actually owned a nursery (for plants, obviously) and invented (spliced? Grafted?) his own special kind of plant, if I’ve heard the stories correctly.

About a month and a half ago I was walking through the store when I spotted this sad little fellow.  The store was all but giving him away, he was marked down to a mere 99 cents.  99 cents, for a delightful miniature yellow rose plant.  Granted, this little plant had one foot (root?) in the grave.  Look at it.  So sad, so thirsty.  Abandoned by its fickle master (the store) and sold for a pittance.  I took one look at this plant and said “Come with me, Little Plant, and I will take care of you.” 

I didn’t say that out loud, of course.  That would be ridiculous.

I’m not claiming to be a master gardener here.  What I know about gardening wouldn’t fill a thimble. Well maybe a thimble, but not much else and there would be room at the top.  Basically all I did was prune off those dried up flowers that were sucking the life out of the little plant (this is called “deadheading”, I am told) and water it devotedly.  Now, several weeks later, it looks like this:

Yes, I attempted to paint the pot.  No, it doesn’t look very good, but it is sort of charming in special way.  You will all soon find out that painting straight lines is not my forte.  Look at how nice and green the plant is, though, and so much fuller!  I ought not to have taken this picture at night.  It’s not very good….

I can’t wait to see if it flowers again. I hope it does.  I’ll bring it inside for the winter.

A brief note on pumpkins

Hello All,
I'm afraid I haven't the time for a good post right now, but here's a teaser for what is to come: (yes, I realize I've already hinted at a few of these, but I've got to keep myself on track, right?)

This time of year always makes me think of the book Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder, specifically the part where Almanzo grows an enormous pumpkin by cutting a slit in the vine, and putting one end of a wick into a bowl of milk and the other into the vine.  He wins first prize at the fair.  Now, this book is based on real life, so I am assuming this is a viable method of pumpkin nourishment, but I really don't know.

Anyway, the point is, one of the posts to come will include a touching story in which a half-dead plant is nursed back to life.

Also, I'm still working on the thing with the tiny wine glasses. In my head, that is.  It's going to be very simple and wonderful, I just haven't had time to go to hobby lobby in a long time.

and finally, stay tuned for a very elementary school style Halloween costume.  (aka lots of GLUE is involved)

Hopefully these things will make it up here in October.  However, there is a 99.9% chance it will be November before I get to it.  I'm sorry blog, October is a very busy month this year!

Court Could LEARN That

This post is unrelated to the umbrella topic of this blog....but this is just so good, I had to share it.
Actually, it is a little related, as you will see at the bottom.

Learning is great, and it sure is a good thing I think so, since I have a significant amount of graduate education left to complete.  I have a increasingly large pool of interests and I am going to tell you how I keep up with some of these things.  You're going to read this and think I have a lot of spare time, which I assure you is not the case. The truth is, I have developed some excellent multitasking skills (I'm listening to an Audiobook RIGHT NOW. Granted, it is something I've read before, which is why I am able to split my concentration)

Reading.  I love, love, love reading.  School provides me excellent opportunities to read journal articles and textbooks, which, though they are important and necessary are not always great fun.  I'm also a fan of the less (much less) scientific genres. Right now I'm reading several things- The Kitchen God's Wife, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Look Unto Me (the devotions of Charles Spurgeon), and re-reading a book about the First Ladies by Margaret Truman, among other things.  I like to keep up with my reading through www.goodreads.com, which I highly recommend.  I don't get to update my goodreads page much, but it really does help me remember what I want to read next.

Podcasts.  Podcasts may be one of the most wonderful things I've discovered in the year 2010.  Prior to 2010, I was under the vague impression podcasts had something to with whales.  Nope.  It's like talk radio...well sort of...for your ipod.  You can get all kinds of great things (for FREE)  like sermons, lectures, hilarious people saying hilarious things, whatever you want. For a while this summer I tried learning French by podcast.  That was difficult, and didn't really pan out.  But I may try again.  Oh, and did I mention there are FREE AUDIOBOOKS you can get chapter by chapter in podcast form?  Yes. you can. most classics, at least.  Check out librivox.org or search librivox in the itunes store, I find them most reliable.

Online Music Lessons:
I used to be able to play the guitar....and when I say play, I mean "knew 7 to 10 beginner songs".  I took lessons for THREE YEARS and that was the extent of my skills. We all have our weak points. I hadn't touched my guitar in about 8 years until this summer, when I decided to relearn. (and hopefully, surpass my former glory)  I found free online lessons and so far I'm on lesson three, and I can play the chords for Johnny Cash's "ring of fire" very, very, slowly with a great deal of concentration.  I call that success! I'll keep you updated on how this goes.

iTunesU. I haven't used this yet. You would think that I would feel as though I have enough classes already, and I do, but I just can't stop myself.   I just downloaded an entire class' worth of lectures on CS Lewis from some seminary somewhere.  I don't know when I will get to listen to this, or if it will be good, but I am more than excited.  Perhaps I will listen to this in the car? (and now EVERYONE wants to carpool with me, right?)

Pandora-  This has very little to do with learning, and is fast turning this post into a list of websites I like.  This site is great for listening to music....it helps me know what I may actually want to purchase on itunes. www.pandora.com

Other people's blogs- This is a great way to learn....and be entertained. Here are a few I like:
 Favorite craft blog: http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/  (and NOW this post is related to crafts)
Favorite food/nutrition blog (right now, at least, I keep finding so many good ones): http://nutritiontokitchen.com/ (and NOW this post is related to cooking)
I could mention a few more but I've got to get back to work in a minute (this post is brought you by the letter B, as in "I am taking a BREAK from studying")  Friends, if you have a blog, I will find it. and I will read it. Especially if you tell me the url.

Other people in real life and not on the internet-  Listening to other people talk is one of the most interesting things in the whole world.  Provided, of course, they are saying interesting things.  I will tell you about several such people.  (if you are omitted, pray, do not be offended,  I know so many conversational geniuses I simply cannot include them all here).  My friend Jessica is like my History and English tutor.  She keeps me sharp on all that good stuff, and tells me awesome stories about people from days of yore, and reminds me to read things like poetry.  I, in return, use my inexplicable knowledge of trivial literature/history facts to quiz her. (Hey Jessica, What was Louisa May Alcott's father's name? No googling)  My dad is another such fountain of knowledge, albeit knowledge of a different sort.  Thanks to him, I have a vague understanding of words/concepts like "capital", "start-up costs", "mergers", "valuing", a good though somewhat undesired knowledge of how to kill rodents and check the air in my car tires, and much, much more.  From my friend Sammy, I have learned how to appreciate the complexity of hip-hop dancing. From listening to my dear friend Whitney, I have absorbed enough information about art to at least not completely sound foolish at a museum. Example: Before: "oh yes, the frame is lovely"  After:  "Yes, Monet is a lovely example of impressionism".
I could go on.  (Not about Monet, but about learning from other people)

Movies and Television:  I know that you can't stop hearing about how we're all getting too much screen time and TV is contributing to the obesity epidemic, and yes, I think that is true.  However, in the right dose, TV and movies can be an excellent channel for LEARNING!!! yay! I like tv as much as the next person (the 30 rock premier was NOT as funny as it should have been, I watched it on hulu this weekend) but I've come across some really interesting things in the past few months-  I saw Food Inc. a few months ago, and it was pretty interesting, a little shocking even. Now, I'm not ready to start raising my own chickens....but I like to challenge my own perceptions every once in a while.  Also, recently I watched a based-on-real-life movie called "A Man Called Peter", which is about Peter Marshall.  I knew about Peter Marshall because I'm sort of a huge fan of the inspirational novel "Christy" which is by his wife, Catherine Marshall.  He was  from Scotland and had a lot of really interesting things to say/do, which the movie portrays fairly well.

Okay, okay.  That's enough of that for now.  Back to work!!!

PS I wrote this REALLY quickly, please forgive any grammar/spelling/bizarre sentence construction errors.

It Takes Yogurt to Make Yogurt

It Takes Yogurt to Make Yogurt

This post has a lot of pictures of milk. That's not very exciting. oh well.

I really like yogurt. It tastes delightful and is a great way to get some Calcium and Vitamin D. It’s a probiotic too, which means it promotes the good “flora” of your gut. Wow.

I’ve recently gotten into making my own yogurt at home, and I really like the results.  This summer I bought a Euro Cuisine Automatic Yogurt Maker on the internet.  Basically, it’s an incubator.  And the “automatic” part? It shuts off when it is done…..but you need to put it in the fridge immediately after, so I feel like the automatic part isn’t entirely necessary. 

My little yogurt maker

Oh? What’s that? You’d like to know about homemade yogurt and food safety? Well, I’ve been eating it and I’m still alive and kicking.  In all seriousness, though, you should be careful.  I recommend perusing this webpage from The National Center for Home Food Preservation before you begin:

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/nchfp/factsheets/yogurt.html

They have a recipe similar to what I used on the site.  I didn’t use a double boiler, though. I can, however, totally see the advantages of using it, seeing as how I spent most of the time I was heating the milk anxiously checking for signs of scalding/scorching. (Made cheese for the first time the other day and scalded the milk.  That does not taste super delicious.  I need some copper-bottomed pots and pans :) )

Anyway, back to my yogurt.

So, I follow the manufacturer’s directions fairly closely since I’m somewhat of a yogurt making novice.  They tell you to use the glass jars the machine comes with to measure- so that is what I did.

So, I did 7 jars of milk (nonfat), and heated it very slowly while stirring (to avoid scalding it) to 180ºF.  Heating the milk first makes the yogurt firmer in the end.  The very first time I made yogurt, I didn’t do this, and my yogurt was very….drinkable. 

Then I popped the pot into my lazy-girl’s ice bath (aka I dumped a bunch of ice in the sink and added water) to cool down the milk, because if you put the starter culture in while it is hot, terrible things happen, like the whey separates out and you have yogurt-cheese.  (This happened to my mother and I. But our dog really enjoyed eating our mistake)

Once it was nice and cool, I poured in 1 jar of plain yogurt as a starter culture.  (It takes yogurt to make yogurt!)  Then, I whisked it until it was all nice and combined.

Then, I just poured it into my cute little yogurt jars and put it in my yogurt maker. (You have to leave the lids off, according to my machine’s manual)  Now, I was doing this in the early evening, so I set the machine for about 12 hours so that when I got up in the morning I could pop them in the fridge.  The longer you let it go, the tangier it gets. Or at least that is what the user’s manual indicates.

All done! And quite delicious with a little honey, fruit, and granola! 

Oh, and let’s have a little economy moment.

The average store-brand 6-8oz container of yogurt costs about 35 cents.

I bought ONE for my starter culture (it has to be plain).  Then I bought a half-gallon of milk which was on sale for 89 cents.

So, when all was said and fermented, I had seven 6 oz jars of yogurt for $1.24.

If I bought 7 containers at the store for 35 cents each, that’s $2.45

I saved $1.21.  Of course, that doesn’t consider my labor or opportunity cost.  Luckily, I enjoyed doing this, so maybe we can consider that added value? I think my enjoyment was at least worth 3 dollars.  So really, I almost made money doing this.  Except no one counts that way, especially not the bank, so I didn’t.

But isn’t that sort of great?