Happy First Lost Tooth Saint Patrick's Day!

Banner day for the girl in the green furry boots. Owen finally lost that first tooth. He's now got the jack-o-lantern smile made famous by his cousin, Sabin. What a relief it is, too, because that tooth was barely hanging on. He would hardly wiggle it, because I think he was a little afraid of it falling out. It is awful to think about... your teeth falling out.

Oh, and the furry boots. I wore them along with the matching jacket to the Starbucks interview. She asked me if I had any questions for her. I flipped my notebook page and saw that all my questions had been answered and she mentioned the dress code. I said, "Isn't it green furry boots?" She smiled and described the black or white collared top, khaki or black pants and black or brown shoes. No perfume, no nail polish, no body piercings and hair pulled back. It was a pleasant image to me, the though of serving food makes one think of coming home smelling like a french fry. Not me man, just the lovely aroma of rich coffee.

Before you write your cookbook...

You'll want me to cook everything in it. You forgot to tell me when to put the bacon in! I need all the steps, man.

Hey, I made that dish then. It's simply bubbling on the stove right now, so I don't have the report just yet. I didn't throw it in the oven as I'm not too sure about the rubberish handles on my big pot. I'll need a nice pot like your orange ones if I'm going to keep making your dishes. By the way, I'm really hungry for the white fish with leeks and coconut milk. Have you posted the recipe for that dish? I'll need it next, though the leftovers I'll have after tonight will last me 2 or 3 days.

nigel slater's coq au riesling

butter
olive oil
streaky bacon or pancetta, diced
2 small-medium onions, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 joints of free range chicken on the bone (i bought a package of legs and a package of thighs)
1 "packse" of small brown mushrooms, halved or quartered (depending on their size)
1 bottle of riesling (or other dry white wine)
1 pint of cream
3 T chopped parsley

that's the original recipe. however, the one in the picture is a bit different. i am an advocate of throwing in what you have around the house. what looks like potatoes in the picture below are actually a few jerusalem artichokes, because we got them in our box and aren't that fond of them otherwise, but they took on the flavor of the wine "soup" and were delicious in here. i didn't have any bacon and so left it out--that was ok, but it is yummy with the smokiness of bacon. i also added a vegetable bouillon cube for saltiness and flavor because it seemed a little bland (probably because i was missing bacon and didn't manage to find organic chicken).

you sauteé up the onions and garlic 'til they are soft. throw in the chicken pieces and brown them. then, pour the wine over it 'til they're covered (i used not quite a whole bottle). throw in the mushrooms and the jerusalem artichokes (or potatoes or whatever) and let it simmer away for at least an hour and preferably 2+). when i make it inside, i put it in the oven on 150 (that's probably around 275 to you). you put the cream in towards the end, tho' i don't imagine it would hurt if you did it earlier. you can sprinkle the parsley over it when you serve it, but it's not really necessary. i threw in a few sage leaves because i have them in the garden. that was good. and i steamed the asparagus on top for the last 10-15 minutes. that was also heavenly.

it can't go wrong. if you don't put potatoes IN it, you could bake a potato and serve it with that. ours yesterday was very much like soup and we ate it out of bowls, but that sauce would be very good over a baked potato.

good luck. we're eating our leftovers tonight. it's going to taste even better.

why is it...

...that food cooked outdoors just seems to taste better?

i'm making nigel's coq au reisling on the rusty old stove that's outside the back door today.

i cooked the entire dish out there. i only diced onions and cut mushrooms in the house, but cooked it all while standing outside. of course, the dish, which requires hours of slow simmering, lends itself perfectly to cooking outside in the heavy le cruset pot. it's picturesque, it smells heavenly and it's just so great to be outdoors! this is going to be delicious!

especially since i had this inspired idea, to steam asparagus on the top right before we ate. we sat outside and ate it out of bowls while sitting near the stove, as it started to get dark. i should have posted this on the other blog because it was definitely a moment of perfect clarity.

sabin's first video

sabin made this short video on her new pink LG "chocolate" KG800 phone today. it features far having a nap and a view of my painting. it is accompanied by heavy breathing because sabin has quite a bad cold. she doesn't say anything during the film. and strangely, the film is rotated right, so you might want to lay your head on your right shoulder for proper viewing. thankfully, the video is short.

this is sabin's phone:

I watch for the ads

This guy is a marketing genius, but it all started with a really high-end vacuum that Target carries.




Why the ads work:
He's a hot dude with a funny accent (gets our attention)
He talks to The People on their level (brings up the hand drying on the "trousers.")
He's not trying to sell a hand dryer, he's cementing his vacuum cleaner marketing with some really fantastic branding.

buy, read and USE these books

i'm reading this one right now. it will definitely help break through those self-inflicted barriers to creativity.

this one is a journal to fill in. she's got great journal prompts for lists and all kinds of things. and it's all messy and lovely. it will get you thinking and writing. go to barnes and noble immediately and get them.

supplies and more supplies

check out these earrings. we so have to get us some of that silver clay stuff. that is your mission. i've looked for it here and don't know where to source it.

i feel a rant coming on

strange. i've had a lovely day. so, why should i feel a need to rant about something? maybe because i didn't sleep well last night. the tarp covering the windows to the addition was flapping in the wind. sabin was wimpering and tossing and turning her feverish body in bed next to me. so although it's been a fine day, i feel like ranting.

it's triggered by the ridiculousness of all the coaching and management training that's out there these days. whole sections of newspapers devoted to it. just like all the headlines regarding stress. this stuff is stressing us out. we're made to believe we can't communicate. we can't manage. we can't lead. but weren't people doing those things, successfully, in companies for years? why do we need some lame neuro-linguistic programming to help us read someone's body language? just use your HUMAN NATURE! use your intuition! use your COMMON SENSE!! what has happened to common sense? people have become completely afraid to use it. i fear it's going to totally disappear. become extinct. like the dinosaurs. only no fossil trace will be left behind.

and i guess that's what leaves me wanting to rant....

1/3 battery life

I managed to leave the power cord for my Mac in Mom & Dad's living room. What will I do when I have a totally dead computer?

Sabin told me about the ballet. She's so adorable. I miss her very much!

My boys asked me last week, "Mom, why did you want girls?" (gulp!) "What makes you say that? I didn't want any silly girls, I wanted stinky, noisy boys and guess what I got!"

astute comment

sabin went to the ballet today with her class. when i asked her how it was, she said, "they never said a single word at all." i said, "that's how ballet is."

While in Platte

Today I made our childhood home a wifi hotspot.

I washed my tiny Toyota (it was warm and sunny.)

I went on a 3 mile bike ride with Mom.

I had a beer at Kuip's with Dad.

We went out to Jim and Mary's and played two games of "Tell."

I went on a walk all over Platte with Cousin Gizzy.

even better than a crumpler

imagine this enveloping your mac. it's even better than a crumpler. and available here. it's very pretty. i'll get one when i get my mac. unless i get a desktop mac, in which case it won't really need a case.

i know what i will make

there are quite a lot of "scarflettes" on etsy. i think it's basically a project for people who are learning to knit and want to see something finished. people like me, actually. i'm going to make one. in fact, i think maybe i already DID make one. if i could just remember how to bind off...

some inspiration:

caribbean storm scarflette by TheLuluBean

sand and surf scarflette by lilybirddesigns

and in case you didn't want to knit. here's one from malam in paris

i could do this. i'm always wearing a scarf. i would use these! i don't need to be able to purl in order to make one. and i could use some of my lovely yarn!

why is there...

...a new version of iTunes every few days? i swear i'm prompted to update every time i open the damn thing...

i forgot how much i love these

brian andreas' story people. they're something we've collected over the years at iowa artisans gallery. they're wonderful. right now, they're boxed away, so i don't see them on a daily basis as i once did. i found his website today. here are just two samples that remind me why i love his work so much. these are the next two that i want. no, the next two i NEED.

real reason

epiphany

i feel he totally captures a moment. perhaps even a moment of perfect clarity (probably i should have posted this one over there). in any case. they speak to me. they're wonderful. and we must expand our collection. the next time we're in iowa city.

Sinna's Famous Bread

...with the proper humidity holes.

you will have to get a measuring cup that shows the metric.

6 dl warm water (believe this is a little more than 2 cups)
25 grams yeast (she says this is half a packet in sweden--i'd use a whole one for good measure in the US, might be wussy yeast)
2 tsp. salt
1,3 dl bread flour (i think she means kilos here--so that's 2+ pounds of flour)

mix it together, let it rise at least 2 hours. knead it again and put it on the baking sheet. let it "rest" 15 minutes, then bake it at 250-275 (that's C and it's a pretty hot oven) for 15 minutes. then, turn down the heat to 150 C and bake another 30-40 minutes--you'll know it's done when it's hard and crispy on the underside--you can tell if you knock on it.

i don't think you can go wrong with this.

good luck.

A Disappointment of Breads

I've been missing the bøller I ate regularly in Denmark. Those soft, chewy wonderful little guys you pop in the toaster. They're great with peanut butter or apricot preserves. That yummy sandwich we made, the ham salad with slices of avocado and then a nice, crunchy layer of sea salt on top. Perfect. But they're best simply slathered in soft butter. Gobble the two halves and then contemplate having another.

I bought some bag of mini-loaves of bread at Target. They have a bakery, the bag looked like it might contain some nice soft bread. It was awful. I had one sandwich made from that bread and then threw the rest out.

I went to Hy Vee today, a better bakery. I got some tried and true sweet french loaf that I used to make Cubano sandwiches from. I had a bit of it and remembered why I liked it. But it's just... so. Much. Bread. I also picked up a little bag of "bøller" looking guys there, called "snowflake rolls." They're completely caked on the outside with flour. Not a nice feeling in the mouth. The bread inside isn't terrible, but it's just so lacking in character. Not exactly dry, but the little holes that are supposed to hold a bit of humidity in bread... they're microscopic in this bread. Not in a good way. It's like th uptight people mixed the dough too much.

Can't you get me that recipe that Sinna used at Christmas in Sweden? Now THAT bread had character. And proper humidity holes.

My new HDTV

It makes me feel like I just got a new prescription and new contacts. HD is pretty.

Speaking of the new television, I must report that soap operas in this country have taken a strange turn. They're filmed with handheld cameras. There's a lot of irritating zooming in and out and bouncing around. It's the same people on the soap though, Lily, Alan Stenbeck, Beth Raines, Barbara on that other one.

The commercials on tv strike me as funny now. Americans like their medications and their diet programs. They also like extreme disinfection. I just saw a spot for a toilet bowl cleaner bragging that it kills bacteria down into the "s drain." According to the graphic, that's the part of the drain that's not visible because it's past the hole you look into. My question is, who needs those germs to die? Are they posing a serious threat to anyone? This country is seriously uptight.

good story!

i don't have as good a story as your furniture-buying adventure. i've just been out, checking out the retail scene in oslo. oslo is pretty in its downtown. strangely, tho' it must be smaller, it feels more metropolitan than copenhagen. i has a bit of a feel of glasgow, which i mean as a compliment (tho' it could be interpreted otherwise). i wandered into a small knitting shop and wandered out again WITHOUT BUYING ANYTHING. yes, it was a small miracle. i found a juice bar where i fixed my jonesing withdrawal from my juicer. whew. i wandered into a bookstore where they had the best selection of moleskine journals that i've seen, well, ever. i bought a really cool one that's small like my fave kind, but that is 60 pages all connected, like an accordion. i'm going to make one long, art journal picture, based on what i see on trains and planes. i'm inspired by the jennifer new book on journals. i also bought a small moleskine that you can do storyboards on the pages, because they have the squares for it all built-in. so, oslo passed the moleskine test, for sure.

then, i wandered along and found a store called norway design where they had a fabulous paper section--lots of pretty papers (from which i restrained). and when i say fabulous, i mean FABULOUS!! i bought small red envelopes. i think i'll use them to make invitations to our housewarming party (when it's finally done). i'll say, "small envelope, big party" or something like that. i also bought some cool pens. they're markers, but seem like they will work like paintbrushes. looking forward to trying them out in the art journal.

well, it's time to go to dinner. you still haven't posted any disney stories and pix, so get it on while you wait for your furniture.

Furniture Stores in Iowa

When I left Iowa last fall, I threw out my awful kitchen table and chairs. Actually, I set them near a dumpster and they were snatched up by some unfortunate soul who musta been really needy. I knew that when I arrived back here, I'd need to go in search of a new, improved dining table and chairs.

Yesterday was the big day. I started out at Wild Bills, where they sell scratch & dent stuff that's often really quite nice. I was waited on by a charming young black kid will two brilliant rows of golden teeth. Wild Bill didn't have anything appealing, so I decided to move on.

Next stop was Room Makers where upon arrival, I was greeted by a man worse-looking than Newman on Seinfeld. I knew I had to leave when I looked at his face and noticed a freshly picked zit that had been bleeding and then wiped carelessly across the whole cheek. Nothing worthwhile there in the way of tables, so it was again time to get the hell out.

I went back downtown to Smulekoff's. Steve and Angel just purchased some giant sectional sofa there and had a glowing report about the nice selection. There was a receptionist who greeted me and when I told her what I was looking for, she kindly directed me to the 3rd and 4th floors of their store. I pushed the button on the slowest elevator in the world and waited. I stepped onto the elevator and realized that there was a nerdy little salesman with a clipboard and a wandering eye escorting me to the tables. How sweet. He hopped on the elevator with me and asked me about the weather outside. We just departed a section of the store that was lined with huge windows to the outside. I pointed them out and laughed at his silly inquiry only to question myself. Perhaps he's a blind furniture salesman, with that bad eye!

Upon arrival on the 4th floor, he pointed me in the direction of some awful, glossy and curvy dark wood tables with 4 and 5 leaves and ornately carved chairs. I asked for lighter colors and cleaner lines and was shown to a new floor of the store. Indeed, there were lighter colors of wood, but this was the section the featured bedroom furniture. I politely looked around for a bit and then asked, "The tables?" "Oh my," replied the nerdy little possibly-blind clipboard man, "I somehow got on bedroom furniture!" Yes, you did. Dork.

We found a few pathetic tables that didn't interest me. I looked at him apologetically and told him I didn't fancy anything in the store. The Brits have such a nice word, I thought I'd borrow it. I got back into my car having only used about 11 minutes of the 30 I'd paid for. It's when I sobbed to myself, "I want ILVA!" Cedar Rapids has so little to offer at a time like this.

Determined to find my table, I went to Pier 1 Imports. "Made in Italy" says the box my table came in. If I could just find my SD card reader, I'd post a picture here. My nifty new Marimekko-style dishes look just super on the new table. It makes me want to cook something! If only I had my pans...

do we need these?

an (you guessed it) etsy shop called miss purl is selling these little beauties. they're "stitch markers." i don't really know what that is. but aren't they pretty? which stitches do you suppose we would like to mark? and why? should we order some so we have them when we find out.

or is there just the tiniest possiblity that we should really learn to knit first?

speaking of stuff that can make you happy...

...one wouldn't necessarily think that a tea towel could do it, but it seems that this one from cape town graphic designer heather moore's skinny la minx would make me quite happy. the bird design is called "eep," because she says that's the noise she thinks this bird would make. isn't that happy? i'm so getting some of these for my new kitchen. they'll match the red retro smeg and look super with the "købmandsdisk" that's going to form the basis of the kitchen island. plus, i think they'll make me smile when i see them. and that's really what it's all about it, isn't it? whether your home can make you smile. it can if you fill it with things you love. like slender, willowy, serene mermaids and cheerful tea towels.

Serenity Now

I was just now thinking that things can't get worse. My apartment isn't just how I wanted it to be. My movers have backed out of tomorrow's appointment due to extreme ice and snow. And here I sit in an empty apartment. Okay, I've got my luggage and a new kitchen table and a neighbor's wifi to steal. That's all just great. Still, I'm pissy because something didn't go the way it was planned.

And then I saw my little silver mermaid on my bedroom ledge. And everything was all better. The mermaid is calm and serene and can take any curve balls Life throws her way. If she can do that, I can too.

Stuff really can make you happy.

Tuesday To Do List

Shopping -
* kitchen table
* bar stools/high chairs
* dishes
* bath towels
* hangers
* desk
* hand soap

Errands -
* Change address with Hills Bank & deposit $5 check from doctor's office dated 11/04/07
* Order utilities (gas, electric, water)
* Fetch Steve's snow shovel to clear patio for movers tomorrow
* Shower and change clothes at Steve's

Things to Bitch to Landlord about -
* wobbly toilet
* missing garage door opener (aren't I paying for a garage?)
* bathroom sink drain (not draining)
* dirty crap hanging from ceiling - ceiling needing paint
* laundry door not opening
* laundry detergent spill in laundry closet

Notes -
* Stay away from apartment while threat of running into stalker painter Carlos is high

finny should watch this one

to be inspired for his art journal! very cool technique in the middle with blowing paint around with a straw. he'd love that!



there's another artist on you tube called elphyrafire who is doing some cool suzi blu-esque videos, only with less actual showing her art and more of her talking about stuff (in a wacky, suzi-kinda way). some of the links i wanted to put up were disabled, so that's why i'm just telling you about it. watch her "balance" one. she uses yael naim, oops, i mean feist. one of those apple ad people.

where i am...

i'm spending two last days around the house. on a detox and self-imposed internet diet. i actually made myself stay away from the computer for a big bulk of the day today. on wednesday, i fly to oslo to start my new job. i'm both enjoying my last days around the house and looking forward to leaving it on a regular basis again.

and where are you today? flying back from florida? i look forward to a long series of postings about your trip. including pix. or at least put your pix on facebook.

ok, i'm an etsy junky now

...but at least i'm only looking and not going nuts ordering (unless you count scrapbook journaling tags, which we won't). check out these totally cute earrings! adorable.

we so must get our act together and make something that we can sell on etsy.

Walt Disney Exhaustion

Went today to Magic Kingdom with Owen and Finn. Rode on Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World, A Buzz Lightyear laser tag kind of ride, some Indy Car ride and we played on a slashpad style playground. Got drenched and had to buy new, dry t-shirts, pirate swords and the requisite Mickey ears. I'm quite sure there are funny things to report from our day today, but I'm totally knackered. Keeping a journal handy to jot down the funny things just isn't realistic while chasing two spirited boys, ages 5 and 6 around a 400 acre amusement part.

these are so cute!

i would have said "we likey," but i've been banned...these are called "yarnicles" and i found them on etsy. rivulette craft has a bunch of cute things along this line.