eat! craft! live!

loving November

When November rolls around, my mind always turns to thoughts of...food. I am a huge fan of Thanksgiving food - turkey, potatoes, gravy, pies, apple cider, cranberry sauce and, most of all, stuffing. (Or dressing, if you insist.) I mean, I love being thankful and all that but...stuffing. I swoon. There may have, in fact, been a few years in college where I subsisted almost entirely on brightly packaged Stove Top and bags of Pepperidge Farm. And here is where I admit that I have never made stuffing from scratch despite my DIY tendencies. I grew up on Pepperidge Farm and have such a warm place in my heart for it that I can't imagine how it could be any better. (Or, ahem, easier.) I'm always open to suggestions, so if you've got a relatively simple delicious homemade stuffing recipe, lay it on me!

Another favorite part of Thanksgiving food - canned cranberry sauce. No...the jellied kind. I know. I know.

During the time I lived in Oregon, I spent Thanksgiving every year with some very dear friends. One of them had a tradition that she called "thankful corn." It went like this - we would take a little ear of that decorative dried Indian corn and go around the table each plucking a kernel of corn and stating what we were thankful for. I have a love/hate relationship with this tradition. I think it is wonderful and sweet and a good reminder of why we should be thankful. But I'm not a sharer. It kind of makes me feel all nervous and squidgy inside. All the same, I love it. And I miss those dear friends, whom I haven't seen since I moved away.

But back to the (edible) food! One of my very favorite Thanksgiving traditions is baking an apple pie. If I do say so myself, I make a darn good apple pie. One former roommate once remarked that it was "so good!" and "better than my mom's!" but not to tell her mom! One memorable Thanksgiving involved me speeding along the interstate to a new boyfriend's family's house in an unfamiliar city with a perfect apple pie perched precariously on the passenger seat. The pie and I both made it safely, though in hindsight the pie was probably more well received that I was...

One of my new November loves - and I suspect it will remain for some time - is remembering how lovely it is to be able to pull out all the handknits I've been knitting on all year and how good it feels to actually get some use out of them! Texas was notoriously uncooperative on that account but Maine is proving much more obliging. I've already been wearing my lovely wool socks and would be wearing more items if I could just locate them in the mass of confusion that surrounds most of our personal possessions at the moment... (A side note - the pair-of-socks-a-month thing hit a brick wall with the onset of morning sickness, extreme fatigue and a cross-country move. With any luck, September's socks will be done by the end of November!)

What about you? What do you love about November?

I love September.

I will love September even more when we're in Maine in a few short weeks! This month's love is not clickable, linkable or purchasable. It just is.

I love:

• autumn
• Maine
• apple cider
• warm sweaters
• colored leaves

Hope everybody is having a good start to their fall!

August love

Well! It's been a crazy whirlwind around here lately...I hope you are all doing beautifully! Please excuse me for being a little late doling out the love this month...

This month I've decided to share a bunch of tutorials, patterns, recipes and whatnot that I either have made or would like to make! If you've been following along for any length of time, you'll know that I'm all about the homemade "stuff" - whether it's food, knitting or anything else.

First up is something that probably most knitters have at one time or another created: a dishcloth. Most of the time, I just wing it and if you really need a pattern, there are about a million free ones! The one I linked to just looks like a nice, simple, bumpy cloth. It's those little bumps that make all the difference!

As my last tube of Burt's Bees lip balm is nearing empty, I'm starting to think about making my own lip balm too. It's so simple and inexpensive, how could I not?

So...if we're making lip balm, we might as well make homemade deodorant and soap too, right? The deodorant looks to be about on par, difficulty-wise, with the lip balm, though the soap might take a little doing... Until I take the plunge, I'll probably just keep buying homemade soap from one of last month's love recipients - Birch Bark Handmade Soap. (The tutorial is by her too.)

Last, but certainly not least, we all have to stay warm. Right now that's not taking a lot of effort, in fact it's taking loads of effort to stay cool! But eventually I hope know that it will get cool again and for that reason, I'm currently knitting a wrap from some scrumptious single ply silky wool yarn. The pattern is simple enough that I have no problem taking it on the bus and putting it down at a moment's notice. I never have any trouble picking it back up again. The lace pattern is lovely and sort of geometric and I'm looking forward to cool weather that will necessitate the use of a wrap!

Happy August all!

July love

You may have noticed, from my last post, that I like corn. There is just something so wonderful about fresh sweet corn that I'm inclined to forgive its space-hogging, somewhat wasteful tendencies. A nice big cob of luscious, yellow and white kernels, bursting with flavor and topped with simple butter and salt can be, in my humble opinion, the perfect dinner. (Or part of dinner, if you insist on eating something else too...) I boil mine usually - we don't have a grill and there isn't much easier than throwing a big pot of water on the stove and turning it on. A word of advice about cooking corn - don't overcook it! I never boil it for more than a few minutes and it's amazing - the kernels are still firm and plump and the flavor is delicious. It's a far cry from the squishy, wrinkled, tough corn of my childhood when, for some reason, it seemed like everybody boiled their corn for 20 minutes or more!

I also love something that is imminently practical and yet there seems to be a serious lack in the marketplace. Skirts (and dresses) with pockets! (Don't even get me started on pants without pockets...or, almost worse, pants with teeny-tiny short pockets!) I think we all know what I'm talking about here. And who knew there was a whole Flickr group devoted to skirts and dresses with pockets?

I recently ordered some soap from Birch Bark Handmade Soap and I adore it. I love handmade soap in general, and Sherrie's smells just delicious, lathers nicely and hold up extremely well in my often-damp shower! I can't wait to need more.

It's been so hot here it's ridiculous, hence my need for lots of soap... I know that those of you in the northeast are sick and tired of rain, rain and more rain and I feel so sad that we can't maybe trade a little bit of our heat for a little bit of your rain... That said, I never thought I would be one of those people who carries a parasol (or in my case, just my usual umbrella) to protect myself from the heat of the day. Well, now I am. And I am converted! Not only will it protect my skin and hair (and clothes too, I suppose) from the damaging rays of the sun, but it makes my hilly, mile-plus walk in the often 100+ degree heat just a little more bearable after a long day at work.

Lastly, I have to share how much I love my new Diva Cup. Silly name, excellent product. Now, when it's that special time of the month, I don't have to worry about anything! No disposable, landfill-clogging waste. No realizing I'm out of feminine products just a little too late. I won't lie - the first time I used it was...interesting. But after only a day or so, I was completely used to it and will never go back! Highly recommended.

I hope you all have a wonderful July and, for my US readers, a lovely holiday weekend!

June love : things that kept me sane in May

As I mentioned before, I had surgery this past month. This love post is inspired by all the little things that kept me from getting too stir-crazy while I was home. (For almost 4 solid weeks! Whoa.)

First up, modern medicine - specifically, my surgery. I've been thinking about what would have become of me if surgery wasn't an option and it makes me cringe. If I was alive 200 years ago, or lived in a country where I didn't have access to medical care...yikes. I had such intense pain, numbness and weakness that I couldn't sit, stand, walk, lie down or even sleep for more than about 20 minutes at a time. It was utterly miserable. After the surgery? Sure, I'm still recovering from the actual procedure, but the pain and numbness and weakness? All but gone. It makes me want to throw my arms around my spinal surgeon and kiss him. Seriously. I am so thankful.

While sitting at home, before and after surgery, I could have been quite bored. Thanks to my knitting, Netflix, and some books (not to mention super-duper painkillers and muscle relaxants), I was thoroughly entertained for most of my confinement. Netflix streaming was honestly a lifesaver. There were times when I couldn't concentrate on anything, really, but I still needed something to keep my mind occupied. I watched numerous movies, the entire available collection of Friday Night Lights to date (love it - I somehow managed to fit in six episodes on the day of my surgery) and an embarrassing number of somewhat trashy reality-TV-type shows. And the books? I'm a huge fan of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. A friend gave me the first three books way back when, when she moved out of her parents' house and got rid of most of her belongings. They happened to be the trade paperback editions, which look something like this and I was a trifle embarrassed to think of reading them so I put them in a box and promptly forgot about them. At some point I pulled them out, probably out of sheer boredom, and devoured each and every page. For a long time, I thought there were only three books. Then one day, I wandered into a bookstore and lo and behold! The series continued! I snapped them up (I think there were two more at that point) and I've since bought another. (The next one will be released in the fall! Yay!) So now that I've showed my fangirl devotion...*ahem*...the books are about Claire, a WWII era nurse, who accidentally steps back in time to the mid-1700's and meets Jamie Fraser, a Highland Scot. Yes, there is time travel. Yes, there is romance. There is action, adventure, improbable occurrences and much, much more. They are tremendously long and I love them wholeheartedly. I've read the first few numerous times. Don't think poorly of me for it.

And hey, while we're on the subject of books, check out a little site I stumbled onto recently - IndieBound. I used to check it out back when it was Book Sense, then forgot about it for years, until recently when I found IndieBound and realized that IndieBound used to be Book Sense! (Are you confused yet? I am.) I've always been an avid reader and I'm a big supporter of local businesses. Despite the fact that I generally get my books from the library these days, there are times when I just want to own something. Something to read over and over again and cherish. IndieBound helps you find the books and the stores to buy them at. Most importantly to me, they have a wish list feature! Where would I be without my trusty internet wish lists? (If you want to check out all my secret bookish desires, find me here.)

Last but not least, I'd like to give a big thumbs up to Kruger's Jewelers. They supplied us with our lovely wedding bands (and my engagement ring) and were incredibly friendly and helpful while we picked them out. I included them in this odd and random assortment because we happened to visit them the same day we discovered I was going to have to have surgery. (Eat breakfast, go to doctor, have CT scan, pick out wedding bands, go to doctor again...what? That's normal, right?) The owner was delightful and helped us quickly and efficiently, knowing that I was in some pain. Apparently his wife had the same surgery and he knew how I was feeling. That's a nice feeling - to have someone understand. And the rings? Gorgeous.

The yellow rose up there was on a little mini rosebush that my mom had delivered to me as a get well soon gift. So sweet.

May love : bags!

As I was packing up my various and sundry items for a nice long day at work this past week, it occurred to me that every single one of the bags I use regularly was handmade by an Etsy seller. And I have many - a lunch bag, a purse-like/tote-like handbag, a knitting bag, little lunch bags...and more. (It's a problem, really. I inherited it from my mother.) So I figured this month I would share with you some of my favorites!

First off, I'm going to promote one bag that I don't even own. Simply because I want it so badly. I've seen pictures, I've heard friends rave about theirs, I've even seen one in person toted by somebody I didn't know and I almost went up and asked to touch it. It's Moop. I have coveted one of their bags ever since they were a brand new seller on Etsy and had hardly made any sales. And I still covet one. (*ahem*...this one, if you're wondering. I do accept gifts.)

But anyway! Now on to some bags I can actually vouch for! I recently ordered a wallet from the lovely L B Accessories and I love it. I had been searching for quite some time for the perfect wallet to replace the hideous brown leather-ish one I had been given years ago as a Christmas present from an ex's grandmother and was only using because I hadn't yet found that perfect one. But now I have! And it's lovely. Slim, but roomy, it holds all my cards (library, credit and otherwise), cash (that's assuming I ever have any), coins, my checkbook, and most recently, a pen. Plus, it's adorable enough that if I go out and don't feel like toting a larger bag, I can just carry it as a tiny clutch. (Apprently the shop is on vacation for a couple weeks, but do check them out when they return! Lovely items.)

This next bag, I love so much I can't even imagine how I ever got along before I had it. Seriously. It's a little knitting tote by Sew Bendy. It is my dream come true. Before this, I was tucking yarn into my tote and hoping it didn't get tangled (often a futile desire) or cramming it into ever so attractive gallon Ziplocs that my needles would poke through angrily. It is perfect for holding two little balls of sock yarn, plus socks and needles, for when I'm carrying my sock knitting everywhere. (Which I do.) It's also perfect for carrying one ball of lace yarn for a cardigan and confounding me every time I take it out and knit on it because I just can't understand how an entire sweater for a real person-sized person fits in there. (Seriously. I'm baffled.) Anyway, the bag is a lifesaver and you should go buy one, right now!

Another recent purchase was the lunch tote in the photo up there. I had been using, all these years, a little canvas lunch tote given to me by a high school friend. (And yes, that was over ten years ago!) The canvas was getting thin, the velcro had all but fallen off and the design on the bag was no longer identifiable. I decided it was time for a new, improved version. One with a handle and a zipper and some insulation. And I found the perfect bag from Naturally Felt. There are loads of fabric choices and the bags are utterly adorable. I love the little short strap on mine and it doesn't even get in the way of me stuffing large Pyrex containers filled with lunch in there. When I opened the package, I thought the bag seemed a little smaller than I was expecting, but I assure you that it is plenty roomy. I've always been able to fit my entire lunch in there, even when it didn't seem possible!

Last but not least, I wanted to get something to use instead of little plastic baggies every day for sandwiches. And I found these lovely reusable sandwich sacks from Waste Not Saks. They are cotton on the outside, nylon on the inside and topped with sturdy velcro. Easy to clean and use, I have a feeling I may be ordering more in the future! Plus, cute fabric! And now I feel better about toting my sandwiches and baggies of pretzels around in reusable bags.

true love, April style

OK. For real this time - April love! This month I decided to highlight a few of my favorite places right near my workplace. Spots I can walk to from my office, grab some lunch or an early dinner or a few drinks after work, and walk back. I am lucky enough to work within walking distance of quite a few really great spots - one of the perks of working on the edge of a huge university campus. These five spots are literally all within view of one another. And there's more I'm not even going to touch on! I hope some of you are as lucky as I am to have such lovely places to sit and enjoy a relaxed lunch.

First up is one of my faves - El Chilito. It's the order-at-the-window little sibling of the bigger, fancier El Chile, which I also love and is just down the street. They both have similar styles of Mexican food - fresh and somewhat lighter fare than usual. I'm a sucker for guacamole and I also love thick, freshly made tortilla chips, which, at El Chilito, come in little paper bags stapled together at the top. The grease starts soaking through immediately, but eat those puppies up with some guac and you will not regret it! The salsa is dark and smoky with fire roasted tomatoes. Fish tacos are my favorite dish there, despite the fact that I was horrified by the idea when I first learned about them. If you're not familiar with the humble fish taco - they sound pretty horrifying! But trust me - it's like a little seafood party in your mouth. So, so delicious.

Just a few doors down lies the humble Mi Madre's - also (clearly) a Mexican joint. Mi Madre's is more traditionally Tex-Mex than El Chilito with some heavier, richer foods. I generally go for breakfast on a weekend and it's great fun to watch all the hungover hipsters chow down on steamy breakfast tacos. They've got a lovely little patio that's nice to relax on and munch some tortilla chips with salsa. The breakfast tacos are my favorite thing here - everything else looks delicious but also like it might send me into cardiac arrest with the amounts of meat and cheese and yummy, but unhealthy looking, sauces.

If you're looking for something more upscale and a whole lot healthier, try Eastside Cafe. The restaurant sits on an acre lot - 1/3 of which is a kitchen garden that supplies the Eastside Cafe kitchens with fresh veggies and herbs. Take a stroll through while you wait for a table and check out the lettuces and broccoli. The menu always includes tons of veggies and fresh ingredients and I've never had a disappointing meal there. The offerings include sandwiches, salads, appetizers like baked brie with apple chutney, enchiladas and various specials. Best reserved for an after-work dinner or a leisurely lunch.

Though I've only actually been once, I always want to stop by Red House Pizzeria after a hard day at work. With half-price pizza from 5-7PM, how can you go wrong? The white pizza is a delicious concoction of cheese, garlic and olive oil and the other choices on the menu looks equally tempting. Plus, the atmosphere is great - you can sit inside in a more traditional restaurant setting, or hang out outdoors under the trees in small groupings of chairs, tables and benches.

Lastly, Clementine Coffee Bar. If you're looking for a place to read for a bit and grab a light bite to eat and a cup of coffee, this place is right across the street from all the others. (Be aware - the parking lot is minuscule - your best bet is to park on the side street and walk around the corner.) I will admit that so far I've only had various coffee drinks, but they do have food...and some of it sounds delicious! Turkey cranberry panini anyone? (Spicy cranberry jelly, Havarti cheese, turkey, red onion, organic spring greens...yum.)

So next time you're in town and want to meet me for lunch or after work, we'll have to stop by one of these spots! Happy April everybody!

February love : love!

For February, well, what can I say. The love is all about love! I'm not actually a huge fan of Valentine's Day, but whatever, a lot of other people are. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate it! I'm just sort of...indifferent. So much pressure to do the right thing, with the right person, on that day! Let's just all chill out. So here I've gathered together some of my favorite could-be-considered-Valentine's-appropriate things. We've got creamy desserts, movies, a little candlelight, some underthings and little cards for when you just feel like writing a little love note to that special someone!

First up, I love creme brulee. Seriously. With a passion. I've never made it - the burnt sugar bit scares me just a little - but I order it whenever I get the chance! (Which is surprisingly infrequently.)

The Alamo Drafthouse is my very favorite place to catch a movie in the whole wide world. It's quirky and fun and where else can you have creme brulee (heehee!) and fancy drinks while watching Amelie?

Nothing says romance like a bit of candlelight. Muted, forgiving and warm, just don't catch your hair on fire in the heat of the moment! These are some of my favorite candles. They smell amazing (try the tangerine!) and burn cleanly. Soy wax - yay!

I don't remember how I stumbled into this one the other day...but who doesn't need some comfy organic underthings? OK, sure, they're not exactly lingerie material. But still, they look comfy. And, well, comfy is more what I'm into these days! The organic cotton doesn't hurt either...

There are so many talented card designers on Etsy, that I was hoping to come back with something brilliant for you this month. But there was just too much to choose from! So I give you the Love Notes and Wrappings gift guide with an ever-changing array of lovely, lovely little doodads for you to choose from when you want to pen a few lines to your sweetie.

Happy February everybody!

January love: the voyeuristic edition

Really, I'm just sharing some of the blogs I like. But this post might as well be called the now-you-know--who-I-internet-stalk edition. Because as much as I love reading these blogs, and blogs in general, it just strikes me as...peculiar...sometimes. You know. That we read all about each other's lives (some more than others) and many times have never met, will never meet and oftentimes don't even know who our readers are! (I know you're out there...I see my stats... Hi!)

Amy at commonplace is one of the very nicest bloggers I "know." I entered a giveaway of hers a long while back and was blessed with an abundance of lovely yellowy yarn. (I could have sworn I posted about it, but now I can't find it! So here's a photo of the yarny goodness.)

Jamelah.net is the (self-proclaimed) "most useless thing you'll ever need." Indeed. Witty and well-written, her entries frequently leave me laughing out loud. There was this one...about ovaries...but alas. Her blog self-destructed at some point not too long ago and I can't link to the entry about the ovaries. But trust me. It was hilarious.

Living Small is, well, about living small! Something I try to do daily. I'm inspired by the "no new threads" year over there and would love to do it myself this year, were there not extenuating circumstances that would make it very difficult in 2009. Maybe another year...

I don't really remember how I came across Suburban Bliss. I think it may have had something to do with Velveeta... But anyway! Processed cheese aside, it's a delicious source of entertainment.

If there's one thing about Jessica at Turkeycookies, it's that, to me anyway, she always seems like a big bundle of cheerful. Sometimes I need snarky. In fact, most of the time I need that. But a healthy dose of cheer and optimism sure can balance things out.

I hope that you all are having a stellar 2009 so far! Mine has been excellent. There is freshly dyed yarn drying on the porch and a crustless manchego and broccoli quiche about to be sliced into!

December love : the slightly absurd tacos and cupcakes edition

When I finally move away from Austin, one of the things I will sorely miss is the humble breakfast taco. Oh, sure, I can make my own. But it's just not the same as driving over to Tamale House on a weekend morning and stumbling into the place along with a host of other stumbly folks. They're not huge tacos, but they're tasty. And cheap at 85 cents a pop.

On the other hand, there's Juan in a Million where you think you're ordering one taco but in reality it's the equivalent of about four. (Just remember to order extra tortillas!) It's a wonderfully trashy concoction of potatoes, eggs, thick crumbles of bacon and processed cheese served piping hot on top of a flour tortilla. A veritable mountain of delicious.

I love cupcakes almost as much as I love breakfast tacos. My favorite Austin cupcakes happened to be vegan and they don't even have a shop, so I'll move on to two other Austin cupcake institutions. First up, the newer contender - Sugar Mama's Bakeshop. With flavors like french toast and a killer buttercream frosting, what's not to love? (OK, besides the awful parking situation...) Situated in a tiny storefront on South 1st Street, these are some of the tastiest cupcakes around.

Then there's Hey Cupcake! The original, I suppose, cupcake stand in an Airstream. Serving more traditional (at least in my opinion) cupcakes from a trailer on South Congress (and now from a new retail location on Burnet Road...near my house!) this is the place to go if you want some serious sugar. Much as I love cupcakes, I can't frequent this place because of the vast quantities of sweetness in their icing.

And now for the slightly absurd... My last love for this month? Bacon. Yes, bacon. Ah, the lovely little piggy with his delicious little cured belly. Bacon, how I love thee. And wouldn't you know it, bacon is trendy! Salon even had Pork Week recently. Bacon is love. So are cookies, but that's for another time...