Happy New Year!

Hope your celebration was safe and happy!

It seems appropriate to post a picture of these adorable Olive Penguins today since I feel like we're living in the arctic. The temperature outside is a lovely 10 degrees, with a wind-chill of 6 below zero. Lovely! At this rate, the snow will never melt!

DD made this set of Olive Penguins for one of our Christmas gatherings. Thanks to the Paper Capers blog for a great tutorial! Next time, I'll buy smaller olives for the heads, and we'll work a bit harder on smoothing their little white bellies. And somehow, we ended up with several penguins with no heads at all. But in the end, these were only minor technical difficulties which did not significantly diminish the overall Cute Factor.

Thank you to everyone who has visited my blog this year. I am just amazed that anyone at all stops by, and I truly appreciate each and every visit! Here's wishing you the best for 2008!

New Year, New Me

I'm not a fan of New Year's Eve.

Being an introspective person, I have a tendency to get a bit morose at this time of year. Bogged down in the guilt of what I didn't do, didn't say over the past few months.

Going through some papers today, however, I found a piece I wrote a couple of years ago which offers a better alternative than focusing on what might have been. So I'll repeat it here because I think it bears repeating. To myself, at least.

It's a new year. Where are the party pictures?

The short answer is: I don't have any. Because for me, this is not what the new year is about. Rather, it is about taking some time to think about who I am, what I like about myself, and what I want to do differently.

It's a chance to turn the page, to start fresh. To be a better person. To take time to listen. To stop being so serious and learn to play.

To be present and experience life.

It's a new year. A chance to become a new me.

Serious backlog

I have my photos stored in boxes, in chronological order. A few weeks ago, I peeked into the 2007 box and noticed that is completely EMPTY. If I were truthful with myself, I'd admit that part of the 2006 box is empty, too.

This year, I have taken thousands of pictures. THOUSANDS. But I haven't printed a single one. The one thing I have going for myself is that we back up the files to an external hard drive occasionally. But even that is not fool-proof. (Lest you think I never scrapbook, that's not the case...I'm just working on past years now.)

So now I have a huge backlog of unprinted photos stored on the computer. Since I use Picasa, they are in some semblance of order, but they are only loosely categorized.

Yesterday, I asked for suggestions from the Peas on how to approach this daunting task and received some good ideas. I am going to start on it this weekend, and here is what I'm planning to do:

* Start with December photos and work my way backwards.

* Identify all of the "events" and "moments" that need to be captured for each month and create sub files.

* Move printable photos to those sub files. December's photos are now in one big file, labeled descriptively "December, 2007". In the new and improved system, I would have multiple files for December, 2007, labeled with the name of the event or subject. I'll also put the word "print" in the file name so I can easily sort those out. Radical, huh? :-)

* Now here's the hard part for me: Actually take the photos on the memory card to my local developer and have them printed. I get bogged down at this step since I have to stand at one of those machines and load them all, and sometimes people build up in line behind me. I'm kind of slow at that part, and I always feel bad about people having to wait, so I stop and let everyone behind me go ahead of me. You can imagine how long it takes me. (I use a local place to print my photos because the quality is amazing for the price and the guy gives great service. It's only somewhat creepy that he calls me "hon".)

* Going forward, do this on a monthly basis so I won't create the same mess for myself in 2008.

Since we're having teenagers over for New Year's Eve, I'm thinking I can plow through several months while keeping an eye on the revelry. :-) It'll be my "Year in Review" kind of experience.

If you've had a similar photo backlog, I'd appreciate hearing how you've handled it. Is there a better way to approach this daunting task? How can I prevent this from happening again?

Feline Friday: Santa Came!

Even though we've had some feline naughtiness at our house this year, Santa still stopped by with a couple of goodies for the kitties:

* A can of ocean whitefish food. They never have canned food, so this is a big deal. YUM!

* A bag of their favorite Friskies chewable treats, also in ocean whitefish flavor. More YUM!

* New Starbucks straws for Lily, as requested in her letter to Santa. YAY!

In addition to these goodies, Tinsel received a book and Lily got a portable fan from Grandma. You see, back in August when Lily entered the state fair cat competition, we discovered that all of the cats had fans in their decorated cages. We were unprepared for this aspect of the competition, so we had to keep Lily cool with a couple of those dinky little fans you hang around your neck. It was, as you can imagine, completely inadequate. So Grandma decided that if Lily is going to compete with those fancy cats, she needs the proper equipment. Lily has already been practicing for the fair by sitting in front of her new fan.

All in all, a lovely Christmas was had by all. Thank you, Santa and Grandma!

Christmas Culinary Adventures

I'm the first to admit that I'm not at all handy in the kitchen. But while I'm not terribly skilled, I tend to enjoy making complicated, impractical gourmet types of dishes (this makes for some interesting scenarios). In fact, I actually took cooking classes when I lived in Paris as a student.

Around holiday time each year, I fantasize that I'll re-create the first Thanksgiving dinner and make my family come dressed in character. Each year, I have to give up that dream, knowing I'd be laughed out of town. Then I start thinking about how I'd like to prepare a traditional Christmas dinner like the one the Cratchit family shared in A Christmas Carol. Just what is figgy pudding, I've wondered, and why is it so celebrated?

Well, a few days ago, NPR ran a story which seemed to be directed precisely at me: It was all about figgy pudding. It didn't sound complicated at all, and with ingredients similar to a fruitcake, how could it be bad? So I borrowed my mom's bundt cake pan and purchased all of the ingredients without telling anyone what I planned to make. The only part I was concerned about was lighting the figs and raisins as they simmered in brandy (remember, I'm not that handy). For safety reasons, I summoned Spouse to the kitchen.

"You're making WHAT?"

In reality, the figgy pudding was very fun and simple (even festive!) to make. The instructions were clear, and even spouse enjoyed flaming the brandy. Figgy pudding is not what Americans would think of as a pudding: It is actually a fruit-studded spice cake, prepared by steaming it in a bath of boiling water. I had never done anything like this before, yet I was delighted with how well the process worked. And while Spouse and Daughter would have no part of it, I served my beloved figgy pudding to my parents and my in-laws, and they all loved it.

In addition to the figgy pudding, I also tried another new recipe: cinnamon spritz. This recipe (from Martha Stewart Living, December, 2007) called for scraping the seeds from a whole vanilla bean, something I'd never tried. Again, the recipe was simple to follow and the cookies turned out extremely well. Following the spritz, I made a batch of my favorite gingerbread cookies. The best part about gingerbread cookies (other than the taste, of course) is the wonderful smell that permeates the house as they bake.

All told, my Christmas baking (all done in one evening) went surprisingly well this year...that is, until my dipped pretzels stuck like glue to their drying plates and had to be chiseled off and my peppermint bark nearly overflowed its tray. I managed to mangle two simple recipes which could easily be made by young children.

But my figgy pudding worked, and I think that it is a sign that I need to make it again next Christmas. Spouse has a full year to prepare for his role as Bob Cratchit.

Photo Calendar

Whew! I just finished up a calendar to give to my parents. I'm an only child, and DD is also an only child and grandchild, so they love calendars with photos of her.

Last year, I used a 6x6 pre-made calendar base by Boxer Productions. I liked the size, but I didn't like having to fill in all the numbers with microscopic stickers, so this year I made my own. I set up a table in Word for each month and just cut/pasted the numbers. Much faster!

My finished calendar pages are 6x6 and the photos are 4x6, so there was very little trimming involved. I chose photos that were taken in each month of the year. Thank goodness for digital photography! I'm thankful to be able to easily select and print out the photos for these kinds of projects.

And the best part is that I had plenty of cardstock and even leftover Karen Foster calendar paper from last year's project, so I actually didn't have to purchase a thing to create it. AND I used up supplies in the process.

(And we all know what that means: Room - and reason - to buy more!)

Cat Record-Keeper

Today I made a last-minute gift for my
aunt's cat, Sam. (Yes, our cats exchange gifts -- Lily and Tinsel get gifts for Sam and he gets gifts for them. Nothing elaborate, mind you! They are on limited budgets. Last year, they got feathers. :-) And yes, sometimes I have to help Lily and Tinsel with the shopping!)

Anyway, Sam is adorable (and HUGE), as you can see, but he is hard to buy gifts for! He suffers from a few health conditions, which means that he is on a special diet and medication, so we can't buy him treats. He already has every toy known to cat, so that isn't an option either. My aunt doesn't scrapbook or take many photos, but she does write in journals, so Lily and Tinsel decided we should make a little 4x6 book for her to keep track of all of Sam's information.

I used 4x6 index cards as the pages for the book so that my aunt can easily add to it if necessary. I cut front and back covers, as well as three dividers, from cardstock. The first tab is labeled "My Story". On the index cards that follow, my aunt can write about Sam's daily activities. The second tab is labeled "Food". She has to keep track of the type and quantity of food he eats, so this will give her a place to record that information. The final tab is labeled "Health" and provides space to record information about Sam's frequent visits to the vet.

This weekend I hope to pick up some side-opening envelopes to place at the back of the album.

Incidentally, I made this record-keeper completely with scraps...leftover odds and ends. I even had a package of index cards. I love using up stuff!

This was a fast and easy project. We really hope Sam likes it!

Feline Friday: Hai Santa

hai santa

i wz wundering if u cud pssbly breng me sum nu strawz frm starbukz

i eated myne

and cud i pls haz my own crnbery blis bar

and cud u pls mak tinsel b my mommy

i sorry i haz ben notty

kthxbye
lily

Cool thing of the day

I've been spending a fair amount of time at Target lately. This week, I picked up a package of toilet paper (I guess I usually don't buy it there) and upon checking out, I was thrilled to see this: Instead of putting it in a bag, they just taped a handle to it! How cool is that? Maybe this is not new, but it was new to me and I think it is great. One less plastic bag used is a good thing.

One small problem: I love the handle so much that I have yet to open the toilet paper. I'm just carrying it around.

Now I'm going to have to go buy another package of toilet paper that I CAN open.

Ode to My Sock Monkey Jammies

Disclaimer: This is not me. But these ARE my new jammies!

Ode to My Sock Monkey Jammies

Made from a sock and a bit of red thread,
A sock monkey sat on my wee childhood bed

With large ears of brown and pointy cream feet,
And a cheerful red mouth which was ever so sweet.

But time came and went and I grew up fast,
My days of sock monkeys -- they all too soon passed.

Life filled with stresses, obligations galore,
Sock monkey, sock monkey -- he was no more.

Until December '07 -- at Target I shopped,
Looking for jammies when, "Wow!" My eyes popped!

Sock monkey jammies! Could it be real?
But at $24, they weren't a steal.

"They look a bit odd," my mother did say.
"I think so, too," and went on my way.

But dreams of those jammies flooded my mind.
How could I leave them? What else could I find

That could possibly bring back those feelings of old
And be toasty and warm in the winter so cold?

So back to the Target I drove at great speed.
I tried on two sizes to see what I'd need.

I looked at their faces...their eyes were so bright.
They would cheerfully keep me quite warm through the night!

Now I'll find my old monkey and display him for all!
He'll be happy to see me! He'll sit proud and tall!

No penguins or plaid prints or snowmen, you see...
My sock monkey jammies are perfect for me!

Lots-o-Cards

I teach Christmas card classes, but up until a couple of years ago, I hadn't made my own Christmas cards. Call it "I Gave at the Office Syndrome" or whatever you want, but I have just never had the desire to make cards in bulk. Last year, however, I decided I'd make cards from scraps, which appeals to my somewhat frugal "save the earth" nature and allows me to make just one or two of a card and then move on to a new design.

So this year, I made 46 Christmas cards from leftover bits of this and that. The only thing I have had to purchase is adhesive. The scary thing is that I could make at least that many more with the materials I have on hand. I even found that I had a stack of white, pre-made card bases, so I used them all up in making these cards. I love using up the last little bit of this and that. (Unless, of course, it is product that I am hoarding...such as those American Crafts felt snowflakes and mittens. In that case, I will not use them all. I shall keep some just to touch lovingly now and then.*sigh*)

Last night, Spouse suggested that I stop making cards and actually put them in the mail now, so that's what I'm doing today, along with the dreaded holiday letter.

Note to self: Before beginning a project like this, be sure to check your list to see how many cards you actually need. I ran 20 short, and while materials are still abundant, time is not.

Thank goodness for Hallmark.

More random musings on a Monday

Today is yet another Monday and, like last Monday, it seems appropriate to make a list of random stuff on my mind. In no particular order, and with no point whatsoever, here we go:

I'm in a transitional hair period. I need the proper equipment and products to handle my new spiral perm. Imagine my alarm when yesterday, my turbo curling iron completely shelled out. Because I can never throw away something that could possibly be fixed, I dug around in my drawer of deceased curling irons and tried to find one that would heat. Only one crusty old iron heated enough to curl the ends of my spirals, so off to the store I went to purchase a new one. Although I hated to do it, I actually threw away four curling irons yesterday.

Do not test whether or not a curling iron is hot by placing it on your arm. That is not even smart. Not sayin' that anything like that actually happened...

Along the same lines, it is generally not a good idea to iron an item of clothing while you are actually wearing it. I can only imagine that it might be be kind of hard to explain to people why you have the pointy tip of an iron branded on your chest. Purely hypothetical situation, you understand.

Today, my ionic hair dryer with the diffuser shelled out. You may recall (actually, I'm sure you won't) that I waxed poetic about the dryer last year. I am completely bummed out about this, and I'm actually in a real pickle. In order for my spiral curls to look "just so", I MUST have a dryer with a diffuser. If Spouse can't fix it, off to the store I'll go again. Curse you, Mr. Conair, or whoever you are.

I love ColdPlay. Right now, I especially love the title track to A Rush of Blood to the Head and another song from that same CD, Amsterdam. Listen to the way it builds at the end. Both of these are amazing songs.

Always put the lid on your Diet Coke, preferably tightly. Otherwise, when you drop it, it will squirt all over your newly painted laundry room. Not sayin' anything like that actually happened...

I really should start my Christmas shopping. Any day now. On the other hand, there is still plenty of time left, according to my Starbucks Advent Calendar.

I was saddened to hear on NPR this morning that Dan Fogelberg passed away. His album, Netherlands, was (and still is) one of my absolute favorites. Beautiful music. I especially love the lyrics to the title track. Simple truths.

My friend, Connie, sent me a video about Glow in the Dark Cats. Pretty amazing. I really wish that Tinsel and Lily would glow in the dark, or maybe just stop sleeping on the steps.

Peppermint Mochas from Starbucks are pretty darn good. Not a good as triple caramel lattes with whip and drizzle, heated to 170 degrees, but they are close. If you pair a Cranberry Bliss Bar with a Peppermint Mocha, however, there's some serious synergy for ya.

Do not put small objects, such as the tiny, removable end of a ball-point pen, up your nose. Just don't. This is good advice for anybody, and I don't think I've shared this previously on my blog. Not sayin' anything like this ever happened...