No Chaser

This is awesome.

Wait, What?

Just really, really strange.



These stars, however, may be sweetest ever.

Not-so-sound-bite

Deconstructed Beans & Rice
This was dinner last night. I was on my own, because my love was out working late with his students. Brown rice, crushed tomatoes with habanero sauce, EVOO, kosher salt and pepper. The beans portion: onions, garlic, fake meat, black beans, chopped spinach, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, oregano, apple cider vinegar, and a splash of Reisling. Not too shabby. The bread we bought, potato from Red Hen.

I'm into serious Christmas shopping now. Plus, put up lights at home, which I need to take a photo of. This evening I'm meeting mom after work for a bite to eat and hopefully a little mother-daughter shopping.

Gifts, again

Another wonderful purchase, found on Etsy. Who get's? Not tellin.

Catching Up

I love holiday weekends. First, I only worked for 2 ½ days, so it’s like having an entire week of vacation. Second, I got to catch up on house projects, and do lots of cooking. Third, I got to spend time with all of my family and friends that I love. Fourth, I get to blog! So, this entry is mainly about getting caught up on a lot of things that I never got to over the last week.

Cooking



I need to share the delicious recipe I used from Smitten Kitchen for one dinner last week. Stuffed Peppers with couscous and feta cheese. Fantastic! I won’t print the recipe here, you’ll have to go to the SK blog to find it, but it’s well worth the click. The only thing I would suggest is to bump up the amount of spices a bit. The stuffing on its own tastes perfect, great for a leftover lunch the next day. However, in the peppers it is a little weak. I would add some fresh parsley and lemon zest, more salt and fresh ground black pepper. For full photos, go here.

House




This is the big reveal; our new Living Room. We worked very hard, between playtimes, this weekend, and got the living room and the hallway primed and painted. The finished color is Edgecomb Grey from Benjamin Moore’s Historical collection. Turns out, Pottery Barn likes it too. We have excellent taste. For before and after photos, try this.

Thanksgiving



That’s Abu & Mom, with Jackie’s dog, Freddy. We had a wonderful time gathering with friends and family on Thursday at Jackie’s house; then met up with other friends on Friday for an early dinner at American Flatbread in downtown Burlington. There is much to be grateful for. My family, the man I love, my home, no major snow storms yet, good food, and always enough of it. My job, my friends, and the chance to spend time with people I love, to share laughter and warmth. Clean clothes, money to spend, a car to drive. Good health, both physically and mentally, for myself and my loved ones; all this and more.

My wish for you is a beautiful, loving, peaceful, bounteous season.

Holiday Shopping begun

From Etsy's Maryink:


and . Sweet.

And the winner is...

Lancaster Whitewash. Benjamin Moore paints.

Pick a card, any card

We primed the living room on Sunday, and now we really must pick a color. Our current thought process is this; if the walls don't become the focal point, then we can really pop the eye and have more interest and contrast with other color and textures with furniture, accents, art, and the like.

Here are the three front runners for colors, thank you, Benjamin Moore paint:


November Rain, Elmira White, Edgcomb Gray. I like them all. Ugh! Too many choices. Any thoughts?

Wish List I

The first item on my holiday wish list. From DWR. Cause, you know, it's a wish list. Plus, I'm redoing the living room, and it would look great in there.

More on wall color choices tomorrow.

Slackers R Us

I'm jumping all over, but I saw a posting on the Front Porch Forum today about the proposal at the Moran Plant in Burlington, and thought people should be aware of it. There is a City Council Meeting on November 13th with information being presented.

Remember When?

Many of you are too young to remember what it used to be like before the landmark case of Roe v Wade made abortion legal.

This is from Abbie Hoffman’s famous book about sticking it to the man, Steal This Book.

The best way to find out about abortions is to contact your local woman’s liberation organization through your underground newspaper or radio station. Some Family Planning Clinics and even some liberal churches set up abortions, but these might run as high as $700. Underground newspapers often have ads that read “Any girl in trouble call - -,” or something similar. The usual rate for an abortion is about $500 and it’s awful hard to bargain when you need one badly. Only go to a physician who is practicing or might have just lost his license. Forget the stereotype image of these doctors as they are performing a vital service. Friends who have had an abortion can usually recommend a good doctor and fill you in on what’s going to happen.
Abortions are very minor operations if done correctly. They can be done almost any time, but after three months, it’s no longer so casual and more surgical skill is required. Start making plans as soon as you find out. The sooner the better, in terms of the operation.
Get a pregnancy test at a clinic. If it is positive and you want an abortion, start that day to make plans. If you get negative results from the test and still miss your period, have a gynecologist perform an examination if you are still worried.
If you cannot arrange an abortion through woman’s liberation, Family Planning, a sympathetic clergyman or a friend who has had one, search out a liberal hospital and talk to one of their social workers. Almost all hospitals perform “therapeutic” abortions. Tell a sob story about the desertion of your boy friend or that you take LSD every day or that defects run in your family. Act mentally disturbed. If you qualify, you can get an abortion that will be free under Medicaid or other welfare medical plans. The safest form of abortion is the vacuum-curettage method, but not all doctors are hip to it. It is safer and quicker with less chance of complications than the old-fashioned scrape method.
Many states have recently passed liberalized abortion laws, such as New York* (by far the most extensive), Hawaii and Maryland, due to the continuing pressure of radical women. The battle for abortion and certainly for free abortion is far from over even in the states with liberal laws. They are far too expensive for the ten to twenty minute minor operation involved and the red tape is horrendous. Free abortions must be look-on as a fundamental right, not a sneaky, messy trauma.
*There is a residence requirement for New York but using a friend’s New York address at the hospital will be good enough. The procedure takes only a few days and costs between $200 and $500, depending on the place. The best advice is to call one of the New York Abortion Referral Services or Birth Control Groups listed in the New York Directory section.

Don't you love living now? Thank you to Offsprung for posting it first.

Goin' to the chapel

This weekend we all celebrated Chris & Emily’s wedding. And I do mean celebrate.


Here is the happy couple, getting ready to cut the cake:



people dancing:



a very tired baby:



and just a cool shot:



We had a great time. Now, back to the grind. I'm so tired from the wedding, working too much, and cleaning my house that I'm putting a frozen pizza in the oven for dinner. Sad. Just sad.

Covet of the Week

Engleby by Sebastian Faulks

Little fishy in the brook...

I’m calling it Poor Woman’s Fish Stew, and I'm reeeeaaaallly sorry about the picture quality. Terrible lighting!

At any rate, I had some nice swai fillets that we had picked up two days ago and I needed to cook them. I sautéed up ½ a sliced small onion, 3 medium carrots, 1 medium zucchini, about 4 baby bella mushrooms, 1 clove garlic, fresh ground ginger. All of this in a saucepan with olive oil and curry oil over medium heat. I then added the zest of 1 lime, with the juice from ½ of it. I threw in salt and pepper, fresh thyme and chopped parsley. After that I added 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, some fake chicken stock, turmeric, and enough water to cover the vegetables. Let it simmer for a while. Finally, I added the swai and poached them on one side for 4 minutes, then flipped them and let cook for another three. I served all of this over brown rice.

It wasn’t half bad. But, not quite enough spice. Good amount of heat. I didn’t measure anything, of course. I’ll try it again and really measure out the spices this time and try to crank it up. I’d take some suggestions, of course!

OMG! I forgot to tell, I sold a piece from the Art Hop. I mean this to sound totally blasé. Did it sound totally blasé? Next round is on me!

Transportation Overload

I was proudly involved with The Bus, Jim Lantz’s first production. His newest is coming soon, and I can’t wait.

Support local theatre!

Art Hop 2007

I'm not going to waste a lot of time on words, just show a few photos of Friday night. You can see more if you follow the link.


These were taken on Pine Street at the BCA area.



And this morning I had time to set up a bit more at the Soda Plant.

Who's Got the Time?

Busy, busy, busy. Art Hop is this weekend. I went today and checked out my pieces. That's one view- I'm in the Soda Plant on Pine Street. I submitted work from my "Stills" series. Rockin'- come see.

Next weekend a wedding for good friends, up in Johnson (say it with a VT accent, please!), and then on the 29th Dance Dance Marathon.

Support the arts and shake your bootie.

Covet of the Week #3

Sometimes, your heart just isn't in it. My covet this week is true love. It’s been a painful week. I’ve been nursing wounds and healing. Hence no blogging. I’m not going into details, there is no need to share every little thing with the entire world. My family and friends have been fantastic; supportive and loving.

I’m back to feeling like life is better, if not fantastic. Next week I’ll step up to the plate again, but my heart was just too bruised this week, and my brain power focused elsewhere. If anyone wants to send a little positive vibe action my way, I wouldn't turn it down.

Thanks.

Covet II

Can you have both good design and sustainability? Apparently so. David Trubridge, the world salutes you.

To market, to market

Thank you Onion.

Not so much

Remember this book?

Ummm...bad idea.

Slacker

I know, I know. No blogging about crafts, or food, or the garden. I told you I get easily distracted.

I’ve been promising to tell you about the champagne from our trip to Castine. Really, it just was the best I’ve ever tasted in my life. I don’t know a lot about wine, but I’m trying to learn. Abu knows more than I do, and he’s helping, and I’m trying to read more, and try more. I like reds, mostly, and I like them big and fairly dry. I tend to really enjoy traditional French wines; Cabernet and Bordeaux are my two favorites. We’ve been trying a lot of Spanish and Chilean wines lately, and have found those very good. Often they have some spicy and chocolate under notes that I find very appealing. At any rate, while in Maine we met this fantastic couple from just outside of Melbourne, Australia. Phil and Rochelle are very warm and funny, well-traveled and intelligent. And, just our luck, Phil is a master wine-maker! They had brought a couple of bottles with them from last year, and the final Friday we were in Maine, we got to try their bubbly. God, I wish there was a way to buy it here in the states!

Keep an eye on the winery and label. If you can find a bottle anywhere, pick it up. You can read more about it here.

Coincidence?

Last night, on HGTV’s Colorsplash, David gave a firehouse a new outdoor patio area. These little “poufs” were used. Today, they are on sale at DWR. Hmmm….seems fishy.

Covet

A new feature! Something beautiful or fun, craft or home related. Today is the first week.
As usual, beautiful things for your home from DWR.



Can I have the plant, too?

Glass Ceilings

It seems like no matter what women do, we just can never really reach those upper echelons of our chosen fields.

No woman has ever won an Academy Award for best director, and only three have ever been nominated: Lena Wertmuller for 1975's "Seven Beauties," Jane Campion for 1993's "The Piano" and Sofia Coppola for 2003's "Lost in Translation." A woman has never won the Directors Guild's top honor, either, though six have been nominated.

Troubling. I once took a fantastic class at UVM called Feminist Art Theory and one of the most interesting articles we read was an essay titled Why have there been no great women artists by art historian Linda Nochlin. The final answer came down to a similar essay and thought process by the late great Virginia Woolf in A Room of One’s Own. Women were never given the proper training, support, and freedom to be able to study their chosen craft/field the way men have always been able to do.

*sigh* Keep the faith, sisters.

Je me souviens

The big find of our trip? Abu’s lucky stop into a little antique shop in Bar Harbor, Maine. We had just come down out of the hills of Acadia National Park and were poking around, looking for a souvenir, hoping to find a little ice cream (gelato was found instead) and a bathroom. We popped into this great little shop that specialized in Asian and East Asian pieces, and this is what Abu discovered:


Beautiful, isn’t it? Apparently it’s a souvenir from a Spanish Mosque, created circa 1890. The detail work is fantastic, and the lower insert is an actual photograph taken of the mosque. The Arabic isn’t perfect (yes, my love can read Arabic- how cool is that?), so Abu was able to dicker down a bit on the price. We are trying to find just the right place to hang it.

Last night’s diner was courtesy of Debra Madison, sesame tofu. Here it is getting all soaked up:


I know, it doesn’t sound fancy, but it was fantastic! Marinate firm tofu in 2 T dark sesame oil, 1 T light sesame oil (I substituted peanut), 1 ½ T sugar, 5 T balsamic or rice wine vinegar, ¼ t. red pepper flakes, 1 ½ T chopped cilantro, and ¼ cup tamari soy. I used the rice vinegar because our balsamic is very sweet and with the sugar I thought it would be too cloying. When I make it again, I’ll use a bit less soy sauce, because it was, honestly, too salty for me, and I love salt!

Let it marinate for at least 1 hour, drain and reserve the marinade, fry tofu in non-stick skillet for 5 minutes on each side with 1 T. sesame oil. Add reserved marinade and let cook down. Serve over brown rice with sesame seeds and garnish with cilantro.

I also made a quick Sweet Broccoli Stir Fry (my own recipe). You’ll need:
Broccoli florets, green beans, cleaned and prepped, and 4 large sliced mushrooms- either white button or baby bella.
1 T olive or peanut oil
¼ Cup finely chopped red onion
1 medium garlic clove, split
2 T freshly grated ginger
1 T honey (roughly)
¼ to 1/3 Cup Mango or Orange juice (I used mango)
¼ t. ground ginger, if needed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

I was making enough for 2 people

Start by blanching Broccoli and Green Beans for 1 minute then plunge into ice water to stop cooking process. Drain well. Heat a skillet on medium and add oil. When hot, add onion and garlic and stir occasionally, cooking until onion is slightly translucent. Add grated ginger and stir, cooking for 1 minute. Remove garlic clove. Add broccoli, green beans, and sliced mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Stir occasionally, cooking until broccoli just starts to get a bit crispy and green beans are slightly tender. Now add the honey, stir and taste. If needed, add the ground ginger and a dash more honey. Stir to coat. Add the juice and let simmer for a few minutes.

It was FANTASTIC. Seriously, please try.

No pictures of the finished product, cause I was too hungry and just wanted to eat.

Wow. I never even got to talking about the Champagne, which I promised I would do in my last post. Okay, next time for sure.

Well fed, well rested, and tan

Castine, Maine is, quite possibly, one of the prettiest places I have ever seen in my life. It’s old. The town was settled in 1610, which makes it older than Plymouth Plantation. The houses are big and beautiful; Colonial’s, Victorian’s, and farmhouses. It is a little slice of Americana, even if it is a tourist town. But not too touristy, if that makes sense. It’s just pretty and quaint, and located right on the mid-coast of Maine. I mostly shot film, so I’m waiting for those to be developed, and then will have a lot more to share.

This was looking out of our loft toward the harbor,


and this


was taken by a kind soul by a pond in Acadia National Park. The restaurant there has the best popovers I’ve tried in my life.

We ate great seafood, saw lots of little towns, laid on the beach, went sailing, got tan, drank good beer every night (except for the champagne, but more on that later), and took several naps.

I also developed a new guilty pleasure- “Scott Baio is 45 and single”. Thank you, VH1, for your inspired programming. Watch it. You’ll feel so much better about your life.

For a few more digital photos of the journey, click here. And more later, I promise.

Now I have lots of work to catch up on.

Castine, ME

I'm here until Saturday. The town in beautiful, and looks just like an historical costal Maine port should look. More when I get home!

I'm a Rambler

Coming this weekend. No, I won't be there on Saturday, cause I'll be in Maine, but it's worth going!

Perfection

There was no way I was doing anything on the sewing machine over the last couple of days. We had the most perfect weekend of the summer yet here in Vermont. Saturday I spent the day with friends and their daughter Xandra, at Leddy Park in Burlington. Then, friends and I went to see Transformers at the movies.

Can I just state for the record- possibly the coolest movie I’ve ever seen in my life?

Seriously. Beat out the original Matrix.

Optimus Prime kicked ass. And Megatron scared the crap out of me.

I’m such a geek.

Sunday we drove to Bristol and spent the late morning at Rocky Dale Nursery checking out their perennials. Into town for lunch, (here’s a shot of Main Street)
and back to the nursery to eat gelato on a bench surrounded by flowers and bumblebees. We bought two daylilies, Capacian fiesta and Ed Murray. No pictures yet, but I’ll take some tomorrow.
This is one of our Echinacea, a strain called Summer Sky.


And, finally, local corn with diner on Sunday night, and the opportunity to find out who won The Next FoodNetwork Star.

Perfect end to a perfect weekend.

Follow Through #1

I finished the napkins last night. I was supposed to go to the Craft + Process movie night at the Firehouse Gallery with E to the M, but my back was really killing me, and I begged off. I’m hoping for a full report later today. At any rate, after diner and 800 mgs of ibuprofen, I decided to try threading the needle again. Still no luck on finding the manual for la machine, but I was getting desperate. So, really, I just tried threading la machine a little differently, and it worked! I finished the last two napkins with a minimum of fuss; only caught the fabric in the teeth of the machine twice and had to reset the bobbin once when somehow the thread got wrapped around it and jammed up the whole works.

Here is my first birthing:


This fabric
is the only thing I have that I could call “stash”, and I’m going to try and use it to make a couple of throw pillow covers to give to mom. She would love them for her porch swing as the weather turns cooler. Today after work I hit the fabric store for a fabric to use on the back of the pillow, and something that will go with this:
which is what I’m using on the first tote bag I’m making. My best friend gave me a "diy kit" from Eggpress one day that is the cutest stuffed dog. I'm sacrificing the whole "stuffing" aspect of it this time around so I can use the fabric other ways.