So many projects...do I really need a job?

I love to knit and bake!  I really love being able to take a ball of string or a mess of ingredients, play with it and have something useful, pretty, and delicious come out later.  I would be incredibly happy if I could knit, bake, and read all day, I think.

I don't even have to keep the fruits of my labors.  In fact, it really fulfills me to be able to make something for a friend's birthday or when they are feeling down.  My desire to give gifts, I believe, comes from my mother.  She has always been really good at picking out just the right thing for an occasion.  She loves to shop and scour the earth for that "one thing".  I, on the other hand, really didn't catch the shopping bug, but that doesn't stop me from finding that perfect thing.  I just take a different route.  There is nothing like a hand made gift: something that you put a bit of yourself into.  Please don't take this wrong, I don't make gifts to toot my horn and make it about me, but seeing someone wear or enjoy something that I have worked so hard on just for them gives me the best feeling inside. There aren't enough "thanks" in the world to compare with getting to see my friend being warmed by the hat I knitted for her or smiling after biting into one of my cookies after a rough day.

Because of this desire to make everyone in my life happy and comfy, I have found many, MANY ideas, patterns, and recipes that I am just dying to try.  The problem is, I don't have enough time to make all the things I have on my wishlist!  I am in the beginning stages of Project ADD, I think.  I hope it isn't serious, but I find myself wanting to start all of my wishlist at once.  I have been doing OK, keeping myself to only a couple knitting projects at a time, but it has been a difficult road.


As I have quite a bit of spare surfing time at work, I often find myself on pattern sites and recipe sites.  There are oodles of patterns and recipes that I have set aside for "next time".  I remember my dad saying that if my grandmother had a biography it would be called, "Recipes Clipped, But Never Made".  I can sympathize with that.  There are tons of recipes and patterns out there just waiting for my little hands to attempt.

Previous posts have touched upon John's scarf and PW's Christmas (which, with all the mentions between here and on facebook, is starting to tug at her to know what it is).  I told myself that I couldn't start anything else until I "caught up" on the scarf.  "Caught up" should really have a more concrete meaning to me.  Apparently, at the time, it meant, "Go to the yarn store, even though you are nowhere near finished with your current project. That way you can look at all that beautiful bamboo goodness and torture yourself until you start the project anyway."

And guess what I did. Yep, I started that project for PW four days later.  Hey, I did wait four days.  It is turning out beautifully, though.  The stitch pattern is lovely, simple and it isn't terribly hard, once you get the hang of it, and the yarn is gorgeous and there is a ton of love going into this thing.

BUT I guess, I am just not satisfied with working on those two projects.  I have a scarf in the works (at work, shhh) and a bag of yarn by my bed.  I keep thinking it is time to start hats for winter.  All my little nieces and nephews need to stay warm outside, right?!

The problem doesn't end with knitting though, I also have a cooking and baking problem.  That is something I have always enjoyed and have been pretty good at.  Unfortunately, my baking has suffered badly over the summer (which has made my zeal for recipes even stronger).  I just didn't have time or energy to cook much at all.  As I am rectifying that, John and I decided to get back on the more healthy track.  Meaning: cut back on the sweets!  To my dismay, a batch of cookies or a weekly cake is not quite in our diets.  Not like it used to be.  I am not complaining about the positive change in our lifestyle, but I do miss the act of baking and the excitement I see on the boys' faces when they come home and see what is on the counter waiting for them.  I need to realize that baking doesn't equal dessert.  Homemade breads, rolls, muffins... They are all yummy and BAKED.  It is just a matter of changing my perspective.

I have been looking at a recipe for black bean brownies for months.  Delicious, lower in fat and calories, and full of fiber.  It sits on my counter beckoning me to take the leap and just make them.  I vow to have a report on these within the next couple of weeks.  I have high hopes.  I will not be disappointed.

Making Up Dishes

So, this week has flown by, yet again. I have been pretty busy. I have been helping my husband out at the University (he works at the University of West Alabama), cleaning house (I have family coming this weekend), and finally I had been talking to the grad school at UWA, I am going to go back to school and get the my Master's in Library Sciences!!! But that's not what you are here for, you are here for the food!!! And today I have a doozy!!! Anthony loved it that he licked his plate cleaned.

EEK!!!! MY POWER JUST WENT OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS LOST HALF OF IT... GRRRRR.....

I call it Creamy Chicken and Rice. Super easy, cheap and yummy!!

Stuff you need:

• about a pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
• 1 small onion diced
• a carton of sliced fresh mushrooms (if desired)
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup (I prefer Campbell's)
• 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup of milk ( I put half in the cream of chick can and the other half in the cream of mushroom can)
• 1 1/2 cup of sour cream
• salt and pepper
• Rice (cooked)

How-to:

1. Brown chicken in skillet, add onions and mushrooms when chicken is almost done.
2. Add soups and milk, until warm, then add sour cream.
3. serve over rice, with your favorite veggies!!!

It's even great the next day!!!

Tastiness

So yesterday as I was cleaning out my freezer looking for some bagels, I found a turkey.  So I decided to cook it today.  It is killing me!  As I sit here writing, all I can smell is garlic and turkey goodness.  OH MY! There may not be enough left to give the boys after I carve into this things.  I am not real experienced in cooking turkeys.  In fact, this is my second ever.  It is so much easier than I thought it would be.

I made the mushroom meatballs that Tiff suggested the other day. It was so good!  I did end up cheating, though, I used pre-made meatballs that I had on hand.  They weren't nearly as good as homemade, but they worked on a busy weekday evening.  I will definitely make this dish again, but put more effort into it and make the meatballs myself.

Here is the recipe, for anyone out there needing to make dinner tonight.

Meatballs and Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 ounce can beef broth
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Make It1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a rack on a baking sheet and coat with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, garlic salt, 1/2 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper. Form into 40 meatballs, about 1 level tablespoon each. Place on prepared rack over baking sheet.
3. Bake meatballs at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms and cook 6 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally or until lightly browned. Sprinkle flour over the mixture, stir and cook 1 minute. Gradually stir in beef broth until the flour is completely incorporated into the liquid. Bring to a simmer. Stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and the nutmeg.
5. Add meatballs to the skillet and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with buttered egg noodles.  Enjoy!

Confession of an Addict

Hi! My name is Tiffany and I have a problem. I am addicted to the stupid games on Facebook. This is horrible. I enjoy Facebook for the connection I can keep with my family and friends, but where did these games come from? I started playing one, then a friend asks me to join another, and another, and another. All of sudden I am playing 15 different games. AHHHHHH!!!! What happened? I have downsized the games I play. Now I play Pioneer Trail, Fashion Designer, Mall World, and Gardens of Time. OMG!!! I spend a lot of time playing them, but I am slowly downsizing more and more. Shortly I hope to cut the list in half. I play the games with my mom and aunt mostly.

I starting playing hardcore when I was put on bed rest with Jasper, and continued after he was born because I could not move all that much. Now I almost cannot go a day without thinking or checking on them. I have put a time limit on game playing. So that one day I will overcome this addiction and will continue on with my life.

John's Scarf

So I started this project in January.  It was supposed to be for my husbot's Christmas present, but I "saved the best for last".  I knitted scarves for all my besties and his was the bestiest and the most difficult.  I have never tried intarsia before.  It is possible I bit off more than I could chew, but a little perseverance and a lot of making things up as I go, I eeked it out.  I may have been better starting with a smaller, less complicated project to learn on, but this is the one he picked out.

My goal is to finish the entire project before November.  I hope that I can do it.  I think I can...I think I can...

This is the hardest part. Hopefully *gulp!

The back!  Now I have to weave them all in.  Ugh!

Once I get further on this project, I have my sister's Christmas project all picked out.  I found the pattern on ravelry.com (love that place), and I think it is perfect for her.  I made the mistake of going yarn shopping for it and now I am so antsy to start.  Maybe that will help the progress of the previous.

The yarn.  Bamboo and cotton.  So soft and comfy!

Let's Get This Started!!!

Wow!!! Jess has said it all. She flatters so well, she can always make me blush. It's all true that she said, it's been 6 years and our friendship is stronger and better than ever! She has been there for EVERYTHING!!! She knew about my husband, Anthony proposing to me before I did, she was one of the first who knew about my lil baby before others. She's one of the people I turned to when I need someone.

I grew up in Idaho. When I was 21, I left Idaho for 8 months to work at my dream job, WALT DISNEY WORLD!!! Yep, this lil tater moved to Florida. This entailed me flying for the first time, all by myself (yep I just broke out in song), having roommates I had never met, and living on my own without my family around. It was a good time!!! Met great people (who I am still in contact with), got to go to Disney World EVERYDAY for free!, experienced the South's weather, and discovered the Waffle House and booze!!!! Which my butt did not enjoy!

I returned to Idaho and went back to college. I got my degree in Elementary Education and minors in Theatre Costume Designs, German, History, and English Literature. Yep, a lil bit of everything. The last two years, I worked at a great school as a 1st grade teacher! Then in March 2011, this tater's world changed.

My loving husband, who has been getting his MFA in Theatre Lighting Design as Utah State University, get a call from Alabama. They wanted to interview him for a position they had opened. And poof!!! two weeks later, Anthony got a call and found out we were moving to Alabama. So in August we moved to Alabama, two short months after our first baby, Jasper Tobias was born. (That was a difficult and scary story for some other time).

That's where my story begins for the stake of this. I am now in Livingston, Alabama. I am a stay at home mommy, hausfrau, and assistant to my hubby. I have gone in and volunteer to help with props and costuming.

Alright, I think that's gonna leave it there for the time. There will be more, but my lil man is hungry and it's kinda hard to nurse and type at the same time. So toodles for now.

My first post - Welcome!

I moved to Idaho from Casper, Wyoming in 2005 so that my husband and I could go back to school.  Him, to start his Masters program, me to finish a Bachelors Degree...any Bachelors Degree.

I began working in the costume shop at ISU my first semester in Idaho (2005).  I didn't have much experience with actual sewing.  I dabbled on occasion, but didn't really know much.  One day, at work, I was working on making a hat for the upcoming show, "The Importance of Being Earnest".  I had never made a hat before!  I was told the steps of the process, but who knew if I was doing it well or correctly.  Then this extraordinarily tall gal with amazing hair and a big presence came up to me, "Hey there, little girl" (even though I was four years older than she, I was about at lease foot shorter), "What's up?"  I must have looked incredibly confused and lost because she dropped her task to come over to me.  I should have, I really had no idea what I was doing.  I asked her for some guidance and she obliged.

We worked together for the next two and a half years collaborating on projects, designs, and tea parties.  When I decided to pursue photography, she helped me with shoots and ideas for my assignments.  She calmed me when I got stressed and she took me for drinks to celebrate the close of every semester.

This fabulous woman is Tiffany.

Since that time in the costume shop, she has married and had a bebe, we began our careers, and moved along with life, but we have stayed friends.  I am now part owner of Precision Jiu Jitsu along with my husband and our buddy, Heath.  I also have a little photography business, Photographique.  My husband and son are the lights of my life; I couldn't imagine what I would be without them.

Tiff and I have been there for each other for the good times and the not-so-hots and the absolutely yucky.  She is my dear friend.  When she moved away, I was incredibly sad to see her go, but I vowed to keep in touch and have her continue be an important part of my life.  As Tiff and I were chatting the other day, we had the simultaneous idea to keep up with each other's goings on in this blog.  It is for each other and whoever else decided to read.  This is our place to share stories, recipes and the projects that we are working on.  Essentially, we are writing letters to each other, minus the postage.