| |
| Monday, January 30, 2006 |
| Let them eat (carrot) cake! |
 On my way home from teaching Intermediate Photography at Roosevelt Community Ed, I stopped to get some supplies to make more homemade nut butter. I also got some amazing hummus (Sundried tomato and basil, my favorite) to eat with the mini pitas I got from the dumpster before I left for Cali.
And as I was passing the pre-made goodies case (which I tend to look at longingly and then walk away from cause it's either expensive entrees or sugary sweets) some tasty carrot cake caught my eye. I thought to myself, if any place is going to have sweets made without refined sugar, this would be it. The label read "Honey Carrot Cake" and the ingredients did not include any refined sugar! So happy. Made with honey and unbleached flour and all things that are holy and good that cake should have. So I got a piece. It was $1.75 (kinda indulgent), but I only ate a small portion of it today and I will try to make it last 3 days. Oh honey, the nectar of the gods, you are the very saving grace of my sweet tooth and my tastebuds. I've also looked up a few recipies for making something very similar which I may attempt next week.
Oh yeah, and this particular batch of nut butter is half peanuts, half cashews with a handfull of sunflower seeds thrown in. Creamy and slightly sweet. I didn't measure this time, just eyeballed it, so it made just over a pint. And I have enough nuts in the fridge for another batch after I will undoubtedly eat this one up quick-like. I've been taking peanut butter, bread and bananas to work the last month for lunches and it suits me well. Though tomorrow I may take leftover Chinese take-out from Sunday's "after the Porch" food fest.
One thing I really want to learn to make this winter is sushi, particularily California Roll. Most recently it's the food I lust after most. Too bad that even getting it from Sushi Express (or the same stuff at the Co-op) it's like $5 for a meal's worth (and I could always eat more than that). Can't be too hard right? Anyone ever tried making sushi? |
posted by Jen @ 11:22 PM   |
|
|
|
| Saturday, January 28, 2006 |
| Cat Acne |
| You heard me right, my cat has acne. As if it's not enough that humans get it at that awkward stage of life and sometimes never fully kick it. My poor kitty, who is a teen in kitty years (not human years), has had this tender bump with gunk in his chin hair for some time. Seemed it got worse while I was gone this past week. Guess stress is a factor for cats too. I didn't know what it was, but i knew it looked like an infection, and not a fun one. Looked it up, and the photo looked just like his chin. I will call the vet on Monday just to see if he should go in (it's been inflamed for a while and I don't want it to be a worse infection). And the kitty will be getting a new food and water bowl. Plastic apparently can make this worse, so he'll be getting a new stainless steel set. Lucky kitty. |
| posted by Jen @ 4:35 PM |
|
|
|
|
| Back from Cali |
| I'm working on the photos, but there are a ton. I'll post the link to the gallery tomorrow. Ooo, but I so so want the bike I'm on here. What? It's only 5 times more than I paid for my car.
|
| posted by Jen @ 12:55 AM |
|
|
|
| Friday, January 27, 2006 |
| While out of town.....I was tagged by KP |
Les Savy Four
FOUR JOBS I'VE HAD:
-- Waitress
-- Bookseller
-- Craft Lady
-- Camp Counselor
FOUR MOVIES I'D WATCH ON REPEAT:
-- Princess Bride
-- So I Married an Axe Murderer
-- Napoleon Dynamite
-- Scarlet Pimpernel (the version with Jane Seymour)
FOUR TV SHOWS I LOVE:
-- anything Law & Order
-- Will & Grace
-- Friends
-- Crossing Jordan
FOUR CAREERS THAT APPEAL TO ME:
-- Artist
-- Wanderer
-- Organic Foods Store Worker
-- Gardener
FOUR JOBS (FILLED BY PEOPLE I KNOW) AT WHICH I WOULD BE TERRIBLE:
-- Accountant
-- Bank Teller
-- Dancer
-- Anything in a cube
FOUR VACATION LOCALES I'D LIKE TO HIT:
-- Grand Canyon
-- rural New Hampshire
-- Glacier National Park
-- Allegheny Mountains
FOUR WEBSITES I VISIT DAILY:
-- treehugger.com
-- gmail.com
-- spaces.msn.com/members/owenandluke (at least until they return and stop blogging)
-- weather.com
FOUR FOODS I LUST AFTER:
-- Cheesecake
-- ice cream
-- really any very wonderful sugary desert
-- diet coke esp cherry
FOUR CHANGES I'D MAKE TO THE HOUSE:
-- Make it clean itself
-- Have a seal on the bottom of the door to rest of building to keep neighbor's cigarette smoke out.
-- Screen in the deck
-- working exhaust fan in the bathroom
FOUR BEERS I LIKE:
-- Fat Tire Ale
-- Strongbow Cider
-- Ace Pear Cider
-- Blue Moon |
| posted by Jen @ 6:51 PM |
|
|
|
| Monday, January 23, 2006 |
| California or bust! |
Yup, my plane leaves in 9 hours. And I'm still awake cause I left packing to the last minute and now I feel like I'm forgetting something. And I likely will. If I don't make a list, which I haven't this time, I usually forget something important. But before I hit the hay, photo highlights from the last gathering at the Aldrich space.
And afterwards, a jaunt over to The Bad Waitress for some breakfast at night, beer, chatting, and playing silly logic puzzle games.
I shall return in 5 days time with photos and stories to share from the land of sunny California. Until then, buh-bye.
|
| posted by Jen @ 1:54 AM |
|
|
|
| Saturday, January 21, 2006 |
| Chalk one up for coffee |
Well, I didn't sleep the best last night. Got woken a couple times by the phone, the cat, and a car in the street. Had to be up to meet two couples this morning. I wasn't fully my usual chipper self, so maybe I didn't come across as confident as usual, or at least I didn't feel like I did. Plus, I set these up kinda last minute cause I'm going out of town and didn't really feel prepared. But went okay anyways, gave them some brochures I've made up and a business card and once they are done meeting with other photographers they will let me know what the plan is. So we'll see by the time I get back from Cali if I have two more weddings booked for the year. (one spring, one autumn).
I really gotta take some of the profits from my wedding next weekend and put together a new portfolio. The one I have now isn't nearly recent enough and I need to showcase some of the beautiful work I was able to do this past autumn. I'm thinking about $100 going into it. Yes, that might mean the exhaust on my car stays loud for a few more months, but it could mean more and more bookings. It's a plan. |
| posted by Jen @ 11:59 AM |
|
|
|
|
| Return of the Phantom Body-ache |
| Since removing sugar from my diet I have had very few run-ins with the ellusive Phantom Body-ache. Sugar had been in the lineup for main suspect and was thusly put into solitary confinement. I appears that stress (of the variety I'm feeling now and not my everyday stresses) should also be relegated to the dungeon. How one does that I'm not quite sure. But I know this, my insides are restless (almost like an itch you can't scratch), my bones ache espeically at the joints and most of the "touchpoints" (physical indicators that one might have Fibromyalgia) are painful to the touch. Since late Sept, (after sugar had been worked out of my system) I have had perhaps 3 episodes like this. My body feels restless inside, but tired outside and my mind is exhausted. Sitting or laying in one position for any length of time only enrages the Phantom. Feeling like a distraction and some motion would keep me from feeling so much pain, but knowing it will only lengthen the time I feel tired. Arg. I challenge you to a duel Phantom. That's right, the kid gloves are off! |
| posted by Jen @ 12:28 AM |
|
|
|
| Friday, January 20, 2006 |
| California 2.5 days and counting |
| Really feeling the crunch now. Textbooks for the class which were supposed to be mailed out 2 weeks in advance arrived today, 3 days in advance. I have 8 chapters to read before Tuesday morning's class. I have two client meetings tomorrow, equipment reservations to confirm, a bag to pack, work, a birthday party, get new shoes, laundry, choir, another work, a cat to drop off, curriculum to finish (for the class I teach the week after I get back), a hat/mittens/scarf to finish crochetting, library books to return or renew, two christmas presents to finish (now very belated), dishes, oh and let's not forget sleep and breathing :) Whew. That's not counting all the other things I'd like to do with my time: a winter kite festival, a movie checked out from the library, a bike ride, simplifying in the livingroom closet and start a good book. Anyone care to add a couple days to the week or weekend to take off the pressure? |
| posted by Jen @ 8:36 PM |
|
|
|
|
| Birthday Wishes for friends |
Happy 26th Birthday Brad
 Happy 25th Birthday Luke And Happy Inauguration Day, though there wasn't a president just elected, so that part gets overlooked.
|
| posted by Jen @ 12:55 AM |
|
|
|
|
| Pumice is a wonderful thing |
| For anyone like me, winter is unbearable in the dry skin department. It's doubly bad for me in that my skin doesn't like to exfoliate itself. I've tried ever scrubby loofah thing, every kind of body polisher and scrub (with sugar, salt, coffee beans, peach pits, and other scrubbing bits), at home alpha hydroxy peels, a special rope kind of mitt from Aveda, everything. My saving discovery has been found in an unlikely place. I've been taught never to use anything harsh on my skin for bathing. Told it would cause irritations, break outs, etc. But my feet seem to love the pumice stone, and I had previously used it on my hands. My entire skin loves the pumice. It's like I have new skin. And no adverse effects. Now I just need to find something else to do with my hair other than let it grow and grow and get out of control and drive me nuts. |
| posted by Jen @ 12:47 AM |
|
|
|
| Thursday, January 19, 2006 |
| A little spark |
| A spark has been lit in me for camping, hiking and travelling. It is being fuelled by the accounts of Luke and Owen in New Zealand and all of the beauty they are experiencing there. I won't go that far away, but I definately plan on going. Just not sure when or where. I'll likely be taking on some travelling companions, so if you want to head into the wilder parts of the US at some point this summer or fall, keep that in mind. |
| posted by Jen @ 12:37 AM |
|
|
|
| Wednesday, January 18, 2006 |
| A pair of pants, a shirt and 7 teacups with saucers....$12.70 |
| I tried selling some of my "name brand" clothing at Plato's Closet today and only 2 items were good enough for them. Nothing was good enough for Everyday People. Better than nothing I guess. Considering I paid $19.99 for the pants on clearance (which shrunk too small upon washing) and a couple bucks for the shirt at Unique Thrift, I made out okay at $7.70. The other $5 came from a young gal who was more than glad to pay me for 7 teacups with saucers I have would likely never use (haven't yet). So, today I have made $12.70 from useless junk (well one person's junk is another person's treasure as we have seen). I won't likely finish putting together my "online yard sale" until after I return from California. I have a pile started for "yard sale", one huge pile for donation (a trip to Savers this weekend will clear that pile), and a pile of trash that has to go as well. Still in the need for some boxes to sort in cause I keep forgetting to run down to the supermarket to ask for some. |
| posted by Jen @ 5:18 PM |
|
|
|
| Tuesday, January 17, 2006 |
| Does your SUV smell like cornbread? |
| Driving home today, I was sure I smelled cornbread. But there was nothing nearby to suggest I should smell cornbread. Except the newer SUV in front of me. I continued to smell it until that SUV took a different turn. Mulling this over, I realized why this SUV smelled so tasty - E85 fuel! I had heard people say it smelled like fried foods or slightly sweet before, but it definately smells like cornbread. Most particularily cornbread from Boston Market. |
| posted by Jen @ 9:27 PM |
|
|
|
|
| 6 days left |
| Holy Mackerel! 6 days until I leave for Cali. Hooray! In the time before then, I will try to sell some of these purged clothes, donate the rest, sell some teacups I've never used, pay some bills, go to the bank, make some potato leek soup, go to choir, work three and a half days, meet with a prospective photography client, go to church, pack my bags, and hang out with friends. Probably more, but that's what I know right now I have to complete. I might go to a winter kite festival on Saturday, depending on how my schedule shapes up. Ugh, I hate having so many things on my plate. It's much less stressful to play my days by ear. |
| posted by Jen @ 9:09 PM |
|
|
|
| Monday, January 16, 2006 |
| Purged |
All of this stuff is headed out of my apartment along with a few fancy dresses which I am contemplating posting for sale on craigslist (they're nice formals). I'm in the process of sorting out anything with a "name brand" label on it that might be saleable to Plato's Closet. They're rather picky there, but perhaps I can get a few gas $$ from this pile. I finally could get all my clean clothes put away cause I made so much room. Yay! And one more step in decluttering and simplifying is taken. I should go through my shoes too, though I did do that this past fall and got rid of half of them. |
| posted by Jen @ 11:51 PM |
|
|
|
|
| It fits! I feel like Cinderella. |
I'm not gonna take a picture, but I'm working on weeding out my clothing, trying on things that I am not sure of the fit that I am contemplating keeping. I bought an oriental silk dress when in Chinatown, Chicago my senior year of high school. It was only a smidge big then, but by the winter of my freshman year of college, it was a perfect fit (as I filled out). Since then, I've always wanted to fit into this dress again. Each time I got rid of clothing I couldn't bear to part with it. I had decided tonight that if it did not fit, it would be sold. And IT FITS! Not joking. So exciting. I did weigh myself for the first time in probably a year on Sat at my mom and dad's (cause I couldn't believe that I fit into my mom's bike shorts and she said I looked like I'd slimmed a bunch). And I weigh what I did 9 years ago. I attribute most of this to the no sugar lifestyle I've adopted.
Now that I've gushed via this blog, I will return to the growing pile of clothing to be purged. |
| posted by Jen @ 9:16 PM |
|
|
|
| Saturday, January 14, 2006 |
| California: 9 days and counting |
Big thanks to Erik for the pack I'm borrowing. Another to my mom for the biking clothing (shorts, tights, jerseys) she lent to me. A couple worries off my list. And I stopped by Target on the way home for kitty litter, thought I'd pop into the camping section just to see what they had in the way of hydration packs (I could buy one at work, but I'm limited budget wise and wanted to go as cheaply as possible). They've got a couple models on clearance below the $15-20 range. They are 2 Liter packs. Definately on my radar for a hydration option. Would be a nice thing to own long term.
Now, as soon as I get the itinerary and packing list from the guy doing our training in Cali, I can put together the rest of the stuff I need to take with (and find out if there's anything else I need to hunt down) and we can decide for sure if we will be able to get to San Fran. If not, we have eyes on San Jose and some interesting sites there. And my kitty might even have some friends to stay with while I'm gone. That will make him so happy.
Dehydrator is going full bore making banana chips and raisins. If I refill it each time a batch is done, I should be able to finish drying all my travel snacks before the end of next week and in plenty of time to take with on the plane. |
| posted by Jen @ 9:04 PM |
|
|
|
|
| Eatin' like a Queen |
| I was going to go dumpstering earlier this week, but the weather didn't cooperate at all. So I waited until I was basically out of all produce (save one lonely yellow onion and some apples) and also for a night when I could stay up late enough and not have to be anywhere in the morning. Turned out to be the best Friday the 13th ever!
There wasn't a ton of variety in the produce bins (though I can always just go again another day), but there were 2 carts full of bread items. Too bad I'm off of sugar or I could have had a huge bag full of cookies and cake slices. I just got some of the things I thought I'd eat and would freeze well. Since I only need to feed myself for another 10 days before going to Cali, I didn't want to overdo it on the perishables. Excited to have some more things to use the dehydrator on. Banana chips and raisin will be great travel food.
From the bakery: 1 package belgian waffles, 1 pumpkin bread, 1 loaf Rudi's Organic spelt bread, 2 loaves Rudi's Organic reduced carb wheat Bread, 1 loaf fancy bread with either sundried tomatos or cranberries (went on looks and hoped it was good), 2 banana nut muffins, 1 bag pita minis, 1 black bean and red pepper focaccia bread. My freezer is now stuffed with breads to last me a while.
On the produce end: 4 bunches bananas (which I will be making banana chips from in the dehydrator), 2 zuchinis, 1 bunch asparagus, 1 leek, 2 small heads of broccoli, a slew of red skin potatos, a zillion green grapes (some to dehydrate into raisins).
|
| posted by Jen @ 2:04 AM |
|
|
|
| Friday, January 13, 2006 |
| Getting hyped up |
| Today I got all excited about an upcoming trip to California for business. It will be quite fun I expect. And the gal I will be rooming with (who works at another location) and I started talking about a fun side trip we'd like to take while there. It will be cutting things close, and will likely cause us to be very tired by the time we get home, but I think it will work. In fact, there is only one thing that could keep it from working, and that would be if there is anything we are scheduled to do on the night we arrive (which to my knowledge there is not). If nothing is planned that evening, I've already mapped out a bus and train schedule (along with fares) to tramp up to San Francisco for a couple of hours. Totally worth it if we can do it. And if anyone can, it's us. Oh, California, here we come. Warm weather and sun. Oh yeah and there are a few things I should be bringing with me that I do not own. If someone has a camelbak or similar hydration pack I can borrow, I'd appreciate it. And a camping/hiking style backpack without a metal frame would be helpful too. I have one with the frame if I get desperate, but it's not as easy to travel with. I guess that's it. I'm gonna hit up my mom for some clothing items I hope to borrow. |
| posted by Jen @ 10:38 PM |
|
|
|
|
| Friday the 13th (of January) |
Now I'm not really superstitious, but this day always makes me think. It's not that I think horrible things are going to happen, it's more of a "full moon" syndrome when you meet crazy people and they say crazy things and you get some really good laughs. So today is the 13th, and I overslept (cause I could and probably needed it, not setting an alarm on purpose) and my fridge is making a terrible noise which makes me hope it's still working okay. I haven't checked it yet cause I just got up and just noticed it. Well seems to be keeping things cold at least.
I made some raw applesauce last night. I was too lazy to cook the apples and thought it was probably healthier for me if they didn't have some of the nutrients cooked out anyways. The only big thing with making applesauce by grinding apples in the food processor is that they turn brown at a rate much faster than when you slice apples and leave them on your plate. So I had dark brown applesauce before I put it away. And then there were a few little air bubbles in one of the jars, so there are some extra brown spots in that one. The brown isn't bad for you right? I'm pretty sure it's just a combination of oxygen and something natural in an apple. At any rate, I added cinnamon and a little stevia to one of the jars and the apples were kinda overripe and it tastes like apple cider, which I am truely a big fan of. Now if I could just get the texture to be less granular. Guess that's due to the raw state of the apples. Oh well.
First step in my journey to simplification was taken last night. I started with my desk drawers. They have long been full of all sorts of things I was saving for sentimental reasons that I have not looked at in years. More than a full bag of trash and a partial bag of donate/sell things cames from there. I need to get some boxes so I can sort the sell things from the donate things and then when I have a full box of donate things I can just go donate them instead of letting them sit around and possibly lure me back into keeping them. I'm gonna check craigslist for people with moving boxes available. And maybe run by Cub or Rainbow and ask for produce boxes if craigslist turns up empty. |
| posted by Jen @ 1:06 PM |
|
|
|
| Thursday, January 12, 2006 |
| Website revamp |
I've been unhappy with the layout and presentation of my website for quite a while now. It's not all bad, just didn't look as professional as I would have liked. I also had some sort of idea in my head I wanted to produce, but hadn't yet been able to get it right. I think I've stumbled onto something sorta by accident and ran with it. I've uploaded a partial new website. There will be more pages to the galleries, some testamonials by past clients, and also updates to the other portions of my site (perhaps even the index page will get a face lift).
Anyone with a creative fiber in their body who would like to have a peek and let me know what you think (it's just the weddings portion that's updated at this point), please do and leave a note in the comments here or email me. But, please be kind. It's still a work in progress. (oh and the gallery pages titled Galleries by couple are not yet done, they are just links to the old pages at this point.) Just click on the screen shot below to be taken to the wedding portion of my website.
 |
| posted by Jen @ 12:06 AM |
|
|
|
| Wednesday, January 11, 2006 |
| A full blown "rash" |
My "itch" to simplify and pare down has increased. I no longer just feel like it's something that would make life easier (though it most certainly will), I feel like it's part of a larger journey I'm starting on. Paring down my life is necessary for me to find out what's next. I'm feeling something of a call to poverty. Cutting the stuff isn't just about stuff. Reflecting on this over the past couple of days, I have realized just what kinds of emotional clutter is attatched to my stuff. In order to get the physical stuff out the door, I will be forced to deal with some long buried emotions. It's going to be a housecleaning like none I've ever undertaken. Of epic proportions you might say. A hard thing for a packrat to commit to.
The other half to this is that I must further learn to stop trying to control life. Over the past year, I have unlearned some bad habits about trying to plan and orchestrate life. I have learned how to live more in the immediate, let life happen to and around me, and worry less about the future. Not that the future isn't important, but if you focus on it as keenly as I once did, you find yourself missing out on the present (not really experiencing the journey). I find greater enjoyment and less disappointment when life is more by the seat of my pants.
This is all to say that I am a bit apprehensive (as an understatement), very nervous and scared, but my heart is in this. I tried putting it off, thinking if it wasn't to be then it would be a waning notion. The increase in urgency has told me otherwise. And until I can submit to a life less controlled and a life of less comfort, perhaps I cannot grow in the way I am intended to. Be still butterflies in my chest, be still. |
| posted by Jen @ 9:28 PM |
|
|
|
|
| Peanut, peanut butter... |
 No Jelly though, full of sugar. Bananas instead :) Actually the focus of this post is to say that I made my own nut butter today and had it on a sandwich with banana for lunch.
If you have a good food processor, you too can make your own spread. And considering most peanut butter has all sorts of junk added these days, and that organic or natural peanut butter can cost $4 a pint jar, and exotic nut butters (such as almond or cashew) can cost $8-10 a jar, you'll love that bulk nuts cost a fraction of that and you know exactly what's in it. And now, the recipie.
Homemade Nut Butter
-1 pound roasted nuts (I used about 2/3rds unsalted peanuts, 1/3rd unsalted cashews and a smattering of salted soy nuts)
-1.5 to 2 Tbsp or so of oil (I used seasame, you could use olive or peanut or hemp seed or grape seed or whathaveyou)
-Sugar or other sweetener to taste (since I'm off sugar and I like the taste of sweet storebought creamy peanutbutter, I put in maybe 1/2 tsp of Stevia powder which is like 40 times sweeter than sugar.
Put the nuts and oil in the food processor. Pulse until nuts are somewhat chopped. Add sweetener (if desired). Then, if you have a setting that lets it stay on, just tell it to be on for a while. Watch to adjust consistency, it will only continue to get smoother. If you want a chunky butter that is a smooth base with some larger chunks, hold aside a small portion of nuts until main mass is smooth, add remaining nuts and process for a short time.
Makes about a pint and stores nicely in a wide mouth, squat canning jar. Keep refridgerated and be aware that the oil will separate, so you'll have to stir it up before you use it. Just think of all the things that taste good with peanut butter you could add to this mix. Mmmmm, peanut butter cup peanutbutter (that would be more of a dessert item and full of sugar), or apple peanutbutter (or really any fruit that tastes good with peanut butter). The possibilities are endless.
On a related note: I just remembered this place (not that I'd pay for someone to make me a peanut butter sandwich). |
| posted by Jen @ 5:55 PM |
|
|
|
|
| It's in the crystals |
 After trying all kinds of natural deodorants, some with alpine lichen, others with bakning soda, I have been disappointed with them all. Being at my wits end, I decided to try the crystals. It comes in many formats, but so far it's the only deodorant without the alzheimer's causing chemicals that has kept my underarms smelling fresh. Actually they don't smell like anything at all (the crystal is fragrance free). And it's wonderful. Not to mention much cheaper than traditional sticks. I bought the travel size for $2. The full size stick rock is supposed to last a year and costs about $6. |
| posted by Jen @ 4:40 PM |
|
|
|
|
|
My church has started settling into a new home. It's a wonderful old building with a great deal of character (the good kind where you know the building would tell great stories if it could talk). The walls have been repainted and rooms begun to be filled with our own belongings. Even though it is not yet finished, it already feels like home. 
