Wednesday, June 2, 2010

No water + South Florida summer = dead garden

I was really excited about planting and tending to my very own garden. I had a run of bad luck in the past keeping plants alive, but was making it a priority and really enjoying it.

But then life happened. And by life I mean a family trip to Disney World, another surgery for Mom and spending an extra week and a half at Mom's playing nurse. Add it all up and I got one very sad, very dead garden.

My garden (from left): strawberries, sweet peppers, basil, cilantro, oregano, cornflowers, sunflowers and baby's breath.

There were definitely tears when I saw what was left of my plants. There is hope for the baby's breath and the only herb that made it was never an herb at all and just a random weed. Thankfully my tomato plant survived the drought. It hasn't fruited, but it definitely smells like tomatoes. 

The plan is to salvage what I can and replant the rest in a couple of weeks. Next week I have to house/dog sit while my mother is on a business trip, but then it's back to being Mary, Mary, quite contrary and making something out of all the seeds I bought. 

To boot, this has put me in a rather foul mood that not even retail therapy was able to change. 

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Zack Morris Saved by the Bell time out ... OK, time in!

A weak wrap up of the past two weeks:

  • Job: Holy, I've been so busy, Batman. That's not even bemoaning the situation, just stating the facts. Since starting, I've been putting in major hours, but it hasn't been an issue. I enjoy my assignments and don't mind the work. It's less of an issue, too, when I can work in my yoga pants and take breaks to go grocery shopping or walk the dog.
  • Garden: Deep, deep down, it turns out I have a green-ish thumb. Who knew? The tomato plant is blooming, I have fresh basil that's good for the kitchen and sunflowers ready to be transplanted in my mom's yard. The oregano is the only herb not growing well. I'm considering a do-over on that one.
  • Etsy: To be completely honest, it's been a complete failure. I'm probably going to close the shop. If I didn't have a job, I'd be feeling a bit more embarrassed and dire about the situation. So it's not ideal, and now I have these extra embroidered goodies hanging around, but it's not the end of the world. Thankfully, people will continue to have babies.
  • Other crafting: See job entry. Not much has gone on. However, I do plan on making Mom an embroidered card for Mother's Day. And maybe I'll get back to my knitting and start on those scarves.

For Mother's Day, my brother and I will be grilling. Here's what I'm thinking:

  • Grilled pancetta-wrapped peaches with aged balsamic vinegar
  • Ina Garten "Real" hamburgers
  • Chicken salad
  • Fruit salad
  • Warm potato salad with pancetta and brown butter dressing
  • Margarita cake

It's a work in progress and I still have to run it through the powers that be, but I think it sounds pretty damn tasty.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Phase 1 complete

In the past five days the following happened:
  • I had an interview
  • I was offered a job
Seriously.

Yeah, my head is still spinning. I'll be working for a local firm. That's all sorts of vague and abstract, but alas, that's what I am. Stoked doesn't even begin to cover it. 

The ultimate test will be whether I manage to maintain this more laid back, simple outlook on what's important in life. I certainly hope so. This time off has helped put a lot into perspective. Within the past month especially, I feel like I'm just getting into my own stride. It's exciting. 

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

More free time = more crafty hobbies

So knitting is next on my list of random hobbies to acquire. Why not? Some of my favorite things are knitted: the cotton throw on my couch and my wool scarf from Buenos Aires. Knitted items are cozy. The nubby texture is comforting and warm. 

Like anything else I get swept into, I bought every book/how-to in sight. Two books and an instructional DVD later and all I had mastered was a severe migraine. The first two days were spent in a knotted mess with cramped hands. 

It wasn't until I discovered this online knitting tutorial that it all came together in my head. I don't know whether it was the narrator's soothing British accent or the master knitter's fiery locks, but the stitches finally made sense and I realized everything I thought I'd learned in the previous days was completely wrong. 

Now I'm happy to report a working knowledge of the following techniques:
  • Casting on
  • Knit stitch
  • Purl stitch
  • Garter stitch
  • Stockinette stitch
  • Ribbing
  • Casting off
You're quite impressed, I know. So am I. I don't have any projects under way because there's still a bunch to learn. In the meantime I've been collecting swatches of fabric with stitches.

Using what little knowledge I have of Photoshop, here are examples of two stitches.

I think my first project will be a scarf. Once I get the hang of it I can knit scarves for my family to wear on our tentative trip to Boston for New Year's. 

Upcycling at its finest: swatch of the garter stitch has turned into a coaster for my coffee mug.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Turning a new leaf

I've never been good with plants. It's the watering. I always forget they need to be watered regularly. It's not rocket science, but I'm a neglectful plant owner. The best I've done is with an orchid I bought shortly after moving into this apartment. After its first bloom, it didn't flower again for two years. It's not dead, but I can't get it to blossom and I don't know why.

A couple of weeks ago, Mom bought me a tomato grow kit. So far, so good. There are three healthy seedlings.

My three seedlings. I've named them Bob, Marco and Clem.
The plant apparently has its true leaves so it's ready to be transplanted. Mom was thinking ahead and bought me the Topsy Turvy Tomato (and herb) Planter. As cheesy as it is, I'm giving it a shot because the idea of growing some edible tomatoes and herbs is kind of exciting. Plus, according to the website I won't have to worry about: 
  • Ground fungus
  • Harmful bacteria
  • Cutworm damage
  • Use of pesticides
  • Digging and weeding
  • Backbreaking work
And who wants to deal with any of that, especially the backbreaking part. 

I enlisted the help of dear old Dad to assist with the set up. It was easier than I anticipated and doesn't look as hideous as I first imagined. I still have to figure out the watering logistics because I don't want runoff spilling onto folks below who are entering the building. Perhaps an off-peak watering time? 

The planter hangs from a hook on my balcony. Watering it (which has to be daily) is no fun.
I'm not sure how long it'll take for the tomatoes to fruit. wikiHow says it'll be between 45 and 90 days after transplanting.

Aside from beefsteak tomatoes, I'll be planting basil, oregano, cilantro, sweet peppers and strawberries. I may be getting a little overzealous, but it will be interesting to see what I actually get out of this little food experiment.

My mini herb and fruit garden. Once the seedlings are big enough, they can be transplanted to the hanging planter, too.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Easter food coma

Holiday meals are usually a small, but happy affair. A week before, Mom and I discuss the menu and divvy up the cooking responsibilities. My brother just shows up.

The original plan was to serve an Easter brunch, but when Mom couldn't fit in all my brother's requests for Cuban food during his weekend visit, we settled for a late lunch/early dinner. This became the perfect opportunity to make a soup I had at Disney's Port Orleans Resort -- Riverside back in January. The soup is rich, hearty and full of warm and fuzzy goodness. 

Boatwright's Crab Soup
Adapted from Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
1 cup finely diced potatoes
1 cup finely diced carrots
1/2 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
1/2 cup corn kernels, preferably fresh
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup clam broth (I ended up using clam juice)
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions 
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 tablespoon Pernod (I nixed this altogether)

  1. In a 4- or 5-quart Dutch oven, heat the heavy cream, half-and-half and milk to a simmer over medium heat. 
  2. Add the potatoes, carrots, crabmeat, corn, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. 
  3. Whisk the water and the cornstarch together in a small bowl. Add the cornstarch mixture and the clam broth to the cream mixture and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute, or until thickened.
  4. Just before serving, stir in the scallions, dill and Pernod.

I will gladly be eating soup leftovers throughout the week.

My other contribution to the meal was dessert. I settled on cupcakes because they are no fuss and tasty. Really, I just wanted an excuse to make these darling cupcake wrappers. I used card stock instead of wrapping paper and it worked just fine. 

The wrappers were much cuter in person. This picture from my phone doesn't do them justice.

I took most of the leftovers home so I wouldn't have to worry about cooking this week. The uneaten cupcakes, however, ended up at Mom's office. Me + unattended cupcakes = belly ache. 

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Put on your yarmulke ...

Dad asked if it was possible to embroider a yarmulke. After nudging a couple of times I realized he wanted one for his birthday. Hooray and thanks for the hint because I had no idea what to do. 

A trip to the Judaica store and Michael's for some extra supplies and I was ready to stitch. I bought two yarmulkes just in case I flubbed it so badly that I needed a back up. I also decided to try working with metallic floss even though I'd heard it was difficult to work with. Yeah, it is, but worth it. The bit of sheen and wiry texture makes it a little extra special.

Stitches used: chevron and back stitch 

With the border done, I had to plan how to make a symmetrical Star of David. Google, pins and spare floss helped me measure the star. The yarmulke was too stiff for an embroidery hoop, which made me nervous, but it all worked out.

It kind of looked like Pinhead at first.  
I incorporated threading to give the star a little more interest.

Now all that's left is to find a dust pouch, make a card and wrap this baby up.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Career crossroad

I studied journalism in college, focusing on copy editing. My internships were as a copy editor. My first job was copy editing. It was a career path my parents didn't readily understand. Mom thought I was in a telecom program and dad assumed I'd be a reporter. It was difficult for them to grasp that I would be reading stories, writing headlines, designing pages and never have a byline. When I switched to the dark side of journalism, public relations, I was thankful I no longer had to explain why I had such crummy hours and still didn't have my name in print. 

My career is back in the spotlight since I've been unemployed. My family has been super supportive, although now they're making it clear it's time for me to get a job. I understand how it affects them -- mom has been helping me with rent and dad feeds me more than usual, but I haven't really been motivated and still don't know what I want to do.

In lieu of making any real commitments (which speaks volumes about my life in general), I've decided on a tentative course of action: find temp or part-time work to hold me over until my lease is up. At that point, I need to have a long-term game plan because I would like to move out of Miami.

So I've submitted my resume to several temp agencies and have a headhunter who is keeping an eye out for me. Most friends and family members also have a copy of my resume on file just in case they hear of anything. My references have also been put on red alert should something come up.

A couple of days ago mom calls me with great news: a friend of a friend knows someone who is hiring. With such a promising lead I resend her my resume. Later on I think to ask what the hell I just potentially applied for.

Me: So yeah, what is friend of a friend looking for? 
Mom: Oh the guy apparently has an opening for a reporter to cover community news.
Me: Um, a reporting position you say? Well I've never really been a reporter.
Mom: Didn't I pay for journalism school?
Me: Yeah. And I left a copy editor. We've discussed this.
Mom (annoyed): Whatever. They would pay you.

Well alrighty then. She has a point. A paycheck is a paycheck. Thankfully I'll be seeing her friend soon so I can clear things up and see how likely an opportunity this is. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy however much of this time of unemployment I have left.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Baby on board

I spoke to soon -- for a week it's been all baby all the time with my latest projects. Each were gifts for friends, though, so there was a greater pleasure in working on them.

Embroidered fairy was part of a new baby congrats card
Train onesie for a baby shower mom will be attending
A planes, trains and automobiles gift needs a proper card

Lest I jinx myself again, I think it's safe to go back to embroidering kitchen towels.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Happy first day of spring

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

And that's when I broke his leg

Mom bought a puppy about a month and a half ago. It was her way of dealing with an empty nest when my brother moved. Dallas the dachshund is a handful, albeit a cute one. He is six pounds of nibbling, squirming, whining goodness. 

Dallas has a bell on his collar so we can hear him coming. It almost always works.

Dallas hasn't gotten used to going to the bathroom outside. He's more than OK relieving himself in his crate or really anywhere around the house. The other day he unleashed a surprisingly large pile of poo on an area rug. Annoyed about having to clean up after him (again), I opened the back door to toss said poo in the yard. There was resistance when I tried closing the door followed by a blood-curdling screech. I caught his leg in the door. Fabulous. Dallas limped the rest of the night and cowered whenever I approached.

A trip to the vet revealed the news: I broke my mother's puppy. Actually, it's only a small chip fracture, but the vet may as well have told me the dog had two days to live. I was a crying, blubbering mess. The vet assured me Dallas only needed a couple of weeks rest and minimal exercise and he'd be good as new. 

Two weeks later, Dallas occasionally limps and is terrified by the back door. He still cowers from me. That's been the worst because it makes me feel like such a jerk. I can't wait for the vet to give him a clean bill of health so maybe my guilt will start to subside. Until then I will feed him as many cookies as he wants and won't complain when I have to pick up after him.

Update: The vet said his leg is OK. Let the guilt magically disappear!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Kitchen towels anyone?

I'm officially tired of embroidering all things baby. It's nothing personal, but my brain has fizzled when it comes to stitching onesies, burping cloths, receiving blankets and bibs. I'll still do it -- gladly -- but a change is in order. So I'm leaving the nursery and moving into the kitchen. 

These are new kitchen towels I listed on my Etsy shop.

Stitches used: back, leaf, split, satin and running.

The design comes from a print I bought in Calafate, Argentina. The small, purple blooms can be found in fields and mountainsides throughout the country. I thought the set of two would make a fun addition to any kitchen. Each towel is 30 inches x 30 inches and made of flour sack cotton. Three hand-embroidered flower designs where created - one per panel. 

Mom's house was the setting for the photo shoot -- her kitchen is exponentially larger. I tried it first at my place and I couldn't back away enough to get the towels in the frame. 

They're handy with spills, but also look good just hanging around.

Friday, March 12, 2010

A little housekeeping

I grew tired of my previous web layout and spent most of my morning searching for easy-to-understand tutorials on how I could change the site's html without driving me too loco. So here it is. I'm not completely satisfied yet, but I think it's an improvement. My next step will be to incorporate more/better pictures. Whatcha think? 

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Why stop now?

The Week of Eating In was a success. Only one slip up: a day full of meals provided by my parents. That can't be held against me because who would pass up on a free meal with mom and dad?

I'm attributing the win to better planning of meals and trips to the market. I was able to transform many of the ingredients into new dishes versus just having leftovers that I would normally throw away. So why stop now? I've been eating (mostly) in every day since. I enjoy the process of preparing a meal and I'm happy to learn skills and try new things. It took me long enough, but I've finally graduated from just boiling water.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Eating close to home

Huffington Post tells me this is the Week of Eating In. In an effort to plan more nutritious meals and save some green, I've decided to take the challenge. One week, all homemade meals, all the time. It sounds easy enough, but I always get antsy after a couple of days and crave a break from the kitchen. 

But what to make? I started thinking about dishes with leftovers I would love enough to eat and ingredients I could reuse so I don't end up with a bushel of cilantro in the fridge. Here's what I have so far:
  • Roasted chicken with vegetables 
  • Vegetable quesadillas 
  • Moroccan chicken and couscous 
Not to toot my own horn or anything, but that sounds yummy. Now I just need to plan a couple more meals and the week should be set. Wish me luck, I wouldn't want to let Arianna down.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Valentine's Day warm fuzzies

Ordinarily I'm not a fan of Valentine's Day, but as this year is all about trying new things I decided to send homemade cards to my nearest and dearest. Lord knows I have plenty of crafting supplies and it was an ideal way of using the scrap-booking paper I found in the dollar bin at Target. Each card was also embroidered with a different cutesy message.

It felt good to set aside time to work on the cards and it was exciting to put them in the mail. I'm normally not this sentimental, but I thought it would be a nice gesture and could brighten someone's day. The cards were a hit. My mom cried when hers arrived.

So Valentine's Day went off without a hitch and now I have more ideas on what I can make folks for upcoming holidays. St. Patrick's Day embroidered coasters anyone?

Friday, January 22, 2010

Odds and ends

I've been incredibly distracted lately. There has been a lot of pacing, sleepless nights and I'm not quite sure what to do about it. It's making me a little cranky, too.

Part of it has to be because I'm anxious about "The Great Job Hunt." I've been sifting through job posts online and am waiting to hear back from a couple of firms. I still don't have complete closure from my previous employer. This week I finally conducted my exit interview -- a full month after my last day, but there are still pending items that need to be resolved.

My mom went back to work this week. It's the first time she's been in the office since her August surgery. I call her multiple times a day to see how she's doing and I have a panic attack if she doesn't answer. I don't know whether she fully realized how exhausting it would be to go back to the grind, but thankfully she's taking it slow and will transition into her routine. It's been a long six months and it's incredible to think of how far she's come and how well she's doing. We'll all be at peace once this is behind us.

The Etsy shop is open for business. I hit the refresh button more times than I care to admit to see whether an item has received another viewing. I have a celebratory jig planned for when I make my first sale. The waiting process is nerve-racking. In trying to draw more folks to the site, I'm changing up my Twitter account (and vowing to tweet more) and added the shop to my Facebook page. Let's see how this crafting experiment goes.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Coming soon: A Simpler Me Embroidery

I recently rediscovered my love for embroidery. It's relaxing and easy enough that it doesn't discourage me from learning more. Not to mention it's pretty to look at. It's also a cheap hobby -- that helps. With this renewed interest and extra free time, it seemed logical that I could use this new skill and possibly get paid for my work.


So I'm opening an Etsy store.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Operation jumbo drop

Another five bags to Goodwill has my closet down to the lowest it's been in a long time. The empty hangers are starting to take up more space than what's actually holding up clothes. During the latest purging process I discovered more than 10 pairs of pants that have never been worn. They still have the tags on them. Forget the fact that a lot of money was wasted on these items, they don't fit. The only comfort I have is that most of them almost fit.

I find this highly unacceptable.

With this newfound time on my hands, I can begin and keep a regiment that will get me back on track to a healthier lifestyle. What does this mean? I'll have to (re)start an exercise plan. I'm thinking some serious time on the treadmill is in order. Plus, I need to eliminate any kind of fast food and minimize eating out. Whatever I make at home is going to be better than what I can pick up and it's a lot tastier, too.

This afternoon I took a trip to the market and stocked up on some lunch and dinner items. Tonight I made couscous stuffed peppers. I also prepped a French onion soup for later in the week. If I eliminate the yummy bread and cheese I'm left with a healthier, albeit boring, soup that will keep me warm during the cold snap.

Perhaps this will turn into a win-win situation: I'll spend less money on food and be able to get back into those damn pants.