Sunday of Summer

The last one

2012-01-26T19:47:00.000-08:00

I am so tired of the self-congratulatory, "I am so perfect at life, I shit pink marshmallows", diarrhea posts on blogs and facebook. And if it isn't that, it's "Oh please, please, please feel sorry for me, but /humblebrag/ I'm making it through, somehow....siiiggghhh." Vomit. Retch. Puke.

It's gotten to the point where I can barely stand to open my computer for anything other than work or personal emails with friends and family.

You know, my apartment is overrun with dishes, plastic bottles, clutter and even a bag of rotting garbage. My refrigerator has ancient food stains and remnants crusted all over the shelves. The carpet is stained, moldy and burned in places. Our furniture is a bunch of hand-me-down crap that has been pissed on and chewed on by innumerable dogs since its creation in 1983.

I wear the same old, stained, and unfashionable clothes every day. I'm trying to lose weight for this wedding, but my life is so stressful, it is almost impossible for me to do anything to counteract the fat. Plus, in the back of my mind, I have this crazy-shit idea that the wedding is about love and commitment, not pant size. Even with almost constant exercise, I can barely lose a couple of pounds.

I'm working on a degree (and have been for three years) that makes me want to travel back in time and beat the living shit out of myself for ever considering it. I've been in college since 2005 and I am thoroughly indoctrinated in a system that has left me--at the end of this seven year stretch--feeling less than human; like a wet dog turd.

All I really want at the end of the day is to see my cat. But thanks to the ass plugs in this town, I can't even have that.

But I make no pretenses. Let it be said, I don't get on the Internet and pretend. I don't act like my home is some Martha Stewart magazine spread. My blog posts don't depict some fake WASP-y bitch who spends her time shopping and working some token job, all while staying miraculously petite (so superior). I don't post constant photos of myself all over the Internet, trying *without really trying, of course* to get lots of my "FACEBOOK FRIENDS ZOMG" to comment on my ethereal beauty, bottomless charm and "LOVING GIVING INTELLIGENT FUN BEAUTIFUL personality WOWEEEE!!!!" I don't need constant validation, especially the kind that comes from trying to make other people feel bad about themselves. Because guess what? That's the worst possible kind of person you can be. And the Internet and my life seem to be overrun with these people.

Real life isn't wrapped in some pretty little package with a dollop of sugar on top (wow you're SO CREATIVE)

Real life smells like shit and burns like hell and makes you want to rip your eyeballs out of their sockets. Real life hurts and real problems are not easily fixed with the flick of some privileged wrist.

But to hear life told on the Internet, "I totally found the cutest, most meaningful saying on Pinterest the other day wow here let me post it on facebook life is so good I am just so perfect I never complain and I never use punctuation because all I have is my oh so special high school diploma but I'm still just naturally really smart can't you tell and here's that saying it says "life is so fucking great you're so lucky and so am I oh gee I just know God is smiling down on me right now as I read this and he thinks I'm just so special because I evangelize and I had a baby or 10 before the age of 30 and you're going to hell ha ha ha and oh look there's a rainbow ahhhh or the opposite (though really so incredibly similar) I'm so smart because I'm anti-God wow isn't that super cool I'm ORIGINAL NOT RELIGIOUS yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SMART PERSON OVER HERE!!!And I know PAWL-EH-TIX cause this one time I listened to NPR, fuck I'm so smart it hurts! WHY AM I NOT PRESIDENT??!!!"

I just can't take it anymore. I can't take the fake nice shit. I can't take the fake humble shit. I can't take the bitchy shit. I can't take the back-stabbing shit. Just fuck it all. And anyone who doesn't like it can certainly stop reading right now and kiss my ass.

Cookie, cookie, cookie

2012-01-22T17:17:00.000-08:00

Last night, alongside our vegan chili, I made oatmeal-flax-raisin-cranberry cookies from scratch using potato starch as an egg replacer and oil in place of butter. They are heavenly; moist, chewy and flavorful, without that gross sugar hit most cookies have. I'm pleased with the recipe and will definitely be making them again. I brought a plate of them to our friends' house last night and they had the plate back to me this afternoon! :)

The end of an era

2012-01-15T15:57:00.000-08:00

Well, we're nearing the end. We graduate in just sixteen weeks.

I started this blog in July of 2009, a few months before I moved back across the state to pursue a second bachelor's degree. I remember feeling lost and disappointed that summer. I had graduated a few months before and I couldn't get the jobs I was qualified for with a B.A. in Technical Writing because no one was hiring. I also couldn't get the jobs that high school had trained me for (as in your local coffee shop) because those employers don't like employees with more education than most of their managers.

In the meantime, Rob schlepped through each morning working retail and each night pushing resumes at law offices. Eventually, he decided that the only answer was a big change of plan: an engineering degree. So as he prepared to leave, I decided to stay behind and work on a Masters in Teaching (MIT). But the prospects were pretty wretched. I volunteered at several local schools for months and the only big revelation I had was that most public school teachers are miserable. Countless teachers told me that I was making a huge mistake; in their own way, each of them said, "Get out while you still can."

Getting through a bachelor of science degree has been the most rewarding and miserable task I have ever attempted. I am an entirely different person now. I approach problems, in life and in the academy, with a scientific eye. I have learned what it means to be truly disciplined. Likewise, I have been profoundly humbled by the quality and amount of knowledge I have briefly been allowed to see. I am more secure in myself as a person, as a woman and now, as a scientist, because I have done something I never thought I could do. If someone had said, "Could you pass organic chemistry, biochemistry and calculus?" three years ago, I would have laughed in their face. Now the answer is, "Yes."

Those are the rewarding aspects of the past three years. But note, I also said miserable. Earning a degree like this as a post-baccalaureate is hideous. There are no electives, no fun classes. It's just semester after semester of enormous course loads; every class some new, painfully difficult scientific subject.

I joke that every pound I have gained throughout this degree represents the completion of an organic chemistry synthesis problem or the memorization of the enzymes in a biochemical respiratory pathway. But as every woman knows (unless she simply doesn't care, of course) gaining weight sucks.

I've put on fifteen pounds since I started this degree and when I began, I was actively working to lose weight. I've watched as friends, family and acquaintances have shed pounds since 2009, while I've only gained weight. While I'm happy for anyone who is successful in reaching their physical goals, it's hard to see other women enjoying the perks of weight loss (flattering new clothes, cute pictures, adventurous date nights) while I trudge through each day at a weight I'm not satisfied with. When you're mind is working as hard as mine has worked, it's almost impossible to control your weight. And I'm speaking as a vegan who eats mostly whole foods, with junk food that is under a low predetermined fat content. I've learned through experience that stress makes your body store excess weight.

And lest I forget, the 60 hour weeks have come with a slew of health issues. While I won't talk specifics to preserve some privacy, I will say that stress has a way of creeping into parts of your body you wouldn't expect. Dealing with the health, weight, money and school issues of the past three years has been, as I said, miserable.

But this post is meant to mark the nearing end of something that, overall, has been good. I'm glad things haven't been easy. I firmly believe in the cliche about only the hard stuff being worth something. And in contrast to the much darker events of my teenage life, these past five years have been a cake walk.

Rob and I are now working very, very hard to get in shape. We're doing the work out (almost) every day, eat light, drink tea-not alcohol thing and so far, one week in, it's working quite well. Six months from now, we'll be married and I will be in a bikini, sipping whiskey on the rocks whilst reclining on the beach in Maui. And damnit, I will be thin. Size six at the teenager stores thin, which is pretty itsy-bitsy on my almost 5' 9" frame (my size 2-4 high school days are over, since I no longer replace food with things I can't talk about).

Anyway, it's time for the gym. I think we're making fresh Thai spring rolls tonight, filled with mung bean sprouts, carrots, Chinese cabbage and peanut sauce. Three day weekends are amazing.

Mozart kind of morning

2011-12-21T14:40:00.000-08:00

My wedding band came yesterday afternoon. We are working on lots of wedding planning stuff over break. I need the total disassociation from reality for the next two and a half weeks!

We watched this last night and it was every bit as glorious as any Woody Allen die-hard would imagine. It also helped that I love all of the writers from the era he examines. Owen Wilson isn't bad either.

I'm staring at the screen with my chin in my hand, so I guess I'm done talking for now. Peace friends.

Breaking in place

2011-12-08T16:59:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago, a friend and I were sitting in a coffee shop, skipping class to study for a final. In between note-reading, I found myself looking out the window, watching a girl dressed in cute clothes; she was trotting along, laughing with friends and looked genuinely, deeply happy. I looked down at my 3XL men's sweatshirt, my two sizes too big jeans and considered my bare face and scraped-back hair. While I know that comparisons are never a good idea (for all I know the girl has more problems than I could even dream of) I couldn't help but feel a pang of envy and sadness. I found myself saying aloud, "I want my life back."

Sometimes it's really hard to know that Rob and I are spending the largest chunk of our twenties living in extreme poverty, in a town we hate, working towards second (science and engineering) degrees so that we can, hopefully, one day have comfort and security. While our friends spend their weekends on fun road trips or out shopping, we spend our weekends studying, without fail. College professors are emotionally abusive and most students are not only highly competitive, but genuinely mean. With students around me who are now a good six years my junior, it is hard to take the "college environment" seriously. I feel exhausted beyond description and more burned out than I knew was even possible. Signing up to become a scientist is serious business. There is nothing fun, light-hearted or easy about it.

I know that someday we will look back on this time as a dark point. But each day is more of a struggle. We got bad news about some family last night and it was just one more thing. I don't talk about my personal health stuff online, but needless to say, it's been a hell of a few years in that respect, too.

Still, when they say, "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger"... they are right. We're doing it. It will be a reality and then life will go on and these dark hours will be a dim memory. I will regain control of my body, my time. Basically, I will someday have personal freedom again. In the meantime, I guess I should hit the books. Some light reading in preparation for finals tonight: lipid chemistry. Hah.

Last summer.

Pumpkin Patch and other pick-me-ups

2011-10-09T12:26:00.000-07:00

We had a really nice Saturday. Rob and I are both getting a little close to our breaking-point with school, but it is nice (and necessary) to take a day off once in a while. We had a beer, listened to the fun '70's cover band, picked out a pretty pumpkin, bought several bouquets of lavender and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the annual fall festival.

Today is another work day, but I'm hoping to break off early and get some cleaning done around the apartment. Last weekend, we had a big throwing away party. We cleaned out our storage closet and threw some furniture away. It helps to get in the moving mindset now, even though we are eight months away from leaving this place.

I'm working on an ostrich costume for Halloween. Rob and I are going out with some friends. So far, I've been creative with black and white tulle and feathers and I think the results are pretty cool. Happy Sunday!

Hank the Hawk

2011-09-30T11:54:00.000-07:00

This awesome guy was sitting on a pole behind our apartment. While taking these pictures, I realized that a tripod would help with pointing a camera at an object fifty feet in the air, but it was still fun to get his picture!

And that's what makes a Gumbie Cat

2011-08-29T12:24:00.000-07:00

For Samantha, the Gumbie Cat in my life.

Announcements

2011-08-11T00:29:00.000-07:00

We finished our engagement announcements tonight! I love the way they turned out and the process of making them was a lot of fun. :-)

In nature

2011-06-14T21:55:00.000-07:00

We went for a three-hour nature walk this afternoon. It was so lovely and I got a few pictures along the way. Everything is saturated with the color of spring; now, I can't wait for summer to get here. I'm hoping it will bring even more amazing birds, bugs and plants with it!

An 18-picture weekend

2011-05-30T21:41:00.000-07:00

We had such a nice, relaxing weekend at the cabin. There were so many highlights, including (my favorite!) a long nature walk, during which we saw two sandhill cranes and a turtle.

I played with my camera a LOT this weekend. The cabin is just such a beautiful place, it's hard not to find something lovely to photograph every time you turn around. Happy Memorial Day.

Birds

2011-05-22T19:03:00.000-07:00

These cute little guys live outside of our back porch. I got this picture a couple of days ago; I love all of the pretty details on his back and feathers.

And this is a nesting mama California Quail. She was so sweet!

It has been a really pretty weekend. I have done a lot of studying for my micro class, but it was balanced by the pretty weather and the relaxing evenings. We watched The Philadelphia Story last night. It's an amazing classic movie with Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. We've watched a lot of classics lately and I have loved almost all of them. My new favorite movie is definitely Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor were just incredible. And the dialogue; "mendacity!"

I'm trying to put together a summer reading list for the time I'll have off from school in July/August. I think I've read all of John Irving's books at this point, so I'm going to have to find a new author to read (everything they ever wrote, that is. ha ha). I almost always end up with a new Hemingway over the summer, but maybe I'll find something more modern this year. Hmm...

Spring photos

2011-05-19T20:25:00.000-07:00

We took the Nikon out today. I only uploaded a few highlights because these pictures are incredibly huge, but it was so much fun to enjoy the 70 degree weather while exploring a couple of parks around our town.

Our recording of When I Fall in Love

2011-05-15T18:51:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned before that I am a classical soprano and Rob is a jazz/blues guitarist. We recorded this song yesterday; it's a little out of the norm genre-wise for me, but I really enjoyed putting it together with Rob's amazing guitar playing. It is a "video" because blogger doesn't allow mp3 uploads, so I used Windows Movie Maker to add a photo to the sound clip.

24 years

2011-02-27T16:10:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Rob's 24th last night. Highlights included: buffalo chick'n wings, fresh cauliflower and asparagus, homemade brownies and a couple of fun specialty beers.

Chatting with his Best Man and New Zealand-dwelling sister.

Some yummy beers from the Co-Op.

The dinner Rob requested. It was amazing! Rob made his own incredible buffalo sauce with organic cayenne and rice vinegar.

Happy 24th sweetie!

Final engagement pictures

2011-02-20T21:23:00.000-08:00

The 5th Valentine

2011-02-15T16:25:00.000-08:00

Rob and I have been really sick since Friday (finally feeling better today, though!), so we spent most of Valentine's Day taking Tylenol Severe Cold and Flu and working on homework. But Rob still made our traditional heart-shaped V-Day pizza and it was lovely.

We put an old candle stick holder and candle on a box (our coffee table), turned on some Debussy and had a romantic, candle-lit dinner from the comfort of our couch. We remembered that this was our fifth Valentine's Day together.

I guess without the cards, wine, gifts and expensive dinner, I realized that the 14th can be about sharing a few nice hours with someone you love, no matter how fancy it is (or isn't). Hope you had a great day, too!

Teriyaki friday

2011-02-04T20:43:00.000-08:00

This is seitan, fresh broccoli, steamed rice and a fresh homemade teriyaki sauce made from, among other ingredients, orange zest. It was totally and completely amazing. Happy Friday!

Kale pizza

2011-02-03T19:35:00.000-08:00

Hands down, this is in the top five vegan recipes we've tried. This was actually my first experience with kale. I always thought it sounded a little gross, truthfully, but turns out it is scrumptious! There are also some grape tomatoes and shallot on this pizza pie. Rob chopped the kale into teeny pieces and sprinkled lots of garlic on top. We both thought this was better than any non-veg pizza we ever had. Yum!

Eggplant lasagna

2011-02-02T12:30:00.000-08:00

This is a fabulous, easy dinner: eggplant lasagna. It involves sourdough bread, one eggplant, strained tomatoes, fresh tomatoes and spice. You can find the recipe on the blog I mentioned yesterday.

Vegan comfort food at its best.

How to create a working vegan pantry

2011-02-01T17:03:00.000-08:00

This recipe is based on this post, over at veganyumyum (seriously amazing blog). It is so easy and so delicious!

We made a couple of changes: grape tomatoes instead of sundried and lemon juice instead of fresh lemon. These choices are based on our weekly grocery budget. Generally, we've found that having more fresh produce variety with less specialty items increases our ability to experiment with new recipes, with only a few minor alterations.

Lately, we've been working to create a working vegan pantry. This is more difficult than I thought it would be originally: over a year later and we're still figuring out what we should keep around all the time. But generally, these are some important basics that come up over and over again.

*Spices, including and not limited to: garlic, garlic salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper, Italian seasoning, oregano, parsley, cilantro, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, pumpkin spice and hickory smoke

*Baking basics: brown sugar (light and dark), cane sugar, white and wheat flour, nutritional yeast, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, olive oil

*Veggies: a constant, ever-changing supply of in-season items, with an emphasis on dark, leafy greens and veggies with carotenoids (orange pigment); frozen veggies!

*Fruit to the extent your budget will allow: frozen are good for smoothies

*Not-meats and cheeses (optional): seitan, tofu, tempeh, chick'n, tofurky, etc. as you see fit, also daiya (a little high in fat, though)

*Bread: Dave's killer bread is pretty amazing (check out his story if you haven't already), as are homemade pizza crusts and breadsticks from the baking ingredients listed above

*Cereals: organic, organic, organic! stick to high fiber, low sugar (organic) cereals from companies like Enjoy Life Foods, to make sure you don't get animal products slipped in there somewhere

*Beans: Rob and I buy bags of dry beans for an average price of .60 cents a bag. let them soak overnight, cook them on simmer for most of the next day (need to get rid of the oligosaccharides, the stuff that makes it hard to digest beans) and enjoy. you can freeze them for long periods of time after cooking, too. just reheat in the microwave and there you go, beans without the preservatives

*Extras: we do a vegan protein powder to make sure we get enough protein, but these kinds of things are pretty personal

This is just a general list, but it represents a lot of time spent meal planning on a tight budget, as a vegan. Let me know if you have any questions!

Eleven years

2011-01-31T11:23:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post a few pictures from our drive across the state a few weeks ago. Just because.

Even after eleven years of living in this place, I am still struck by how incredibly beautiful it is. Rob took these pictures from the car, as we were zipping down the road at 70 mph. Have a wonderful day!

In the light of the sun

2011-01-26T12:36:00.000-08:00

I can't get Leavenworth off my mind today. Something about the altitude, or maybe the year-round crisp air. Whatever it is, I wish I was back there today!

Lots of delicious pizza lately. We sometimes do the Yves veggie pepperoni slices, since they're good for protein and low in fat. Otherwise, the fresh veggies (shallots, olives, tomato, various herbs, artichoke) are always delicious. Rob uses a really subtle amount of garlic and olive oil in his crusts. It creates this amazing crunchy texture, without making all of the dough too hard.

I've been really enjoying herbal teas lately. Lemon ginger is amazing for a sore stomach and the pomegranate seems to have a natural energy-boosting thing going on. Also, peppermint is a great tea for relaxing right before bed. I think it has actually helped me sleep better! I have some lavender left over from our trip to Sequim a year ago and I've been thinking abou trying lavender tea. I think it would be especially good with vanilla and a little lime or lemon rind. Guess I should pick up some tea bags.

I love those squiggly lines!

We went for a nice walk the other night. When it's warm enough, this is such a beautiful time of year! :)

Part of life's happy list

2011-01-20T15:07:00.000-08:00

Around here, this is nothing quite like the sunset after a big winter storm.

As you can see, I'm having a lot of fun with my new camera! :)

Local art

2011-01-16T15:30:00.000-08:00

Also, easily one of the coolest gifts anyone has ever given me, from (who else) my awesome sister.

I love ostriches. These are from a local artist back home who displays their work at a teeny cafe down the street from our house. Hard to imagine being so talented, isn't it? I just love these.

Creative protein

2011-01-16T15:13:00.000-08:00

Rob's quinoa salad, served with (delicious! healthy!) Gardein chick'n fingers and my dad's BBQ sauce.

A homemade bean stew recipe, with whole wheat tortilla, avocado, and cilantro. The stew is sitting inside a lightly-broiled green pepper half.

A fresh salad topped with bacon made from wheat and pea protein (1g unsaturated fat per serving).

One of the interesting aspects of my current biochemistry class is the study of proteins and their building blocks: amino acids. When we think of a complete protein, we often consider an egg or a meat source. However, a complete protein (one supplying the necessary amino acids) may be acquired through eating the right mix of many food types, including vegetables, legumes and rice (this is why we can be vegan or vegetarian successfully).

Rob and I are not big on prepackaged vegan junk food (I've touched on this before). But we do include some easy, low fat, vegan protein sources in our diet because the occassional pairing of rice and beans is not good enough when it comes to providing your body with the right mix of essential amino acids. Protein is what sustains all of us (along with vitamins, minerals, lipids and carbohydrates). So, fellow vegans: I suggest even the most raw among you consider finding a way to blend a complete protein into your daily smoothie, because without adequate pairings of amino acids, it is impossible to live a healthy, long life. This is up there with B vitamins and iron, friends.

Have a great week!

Love & other things (like food)

2011-01-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

This has been a pretty great couple of weeks. The new year has been full of unexpected excitement and happiness and I am extremely thankful. We started back at school today. It's hard to believe (and very exciting) that wedding planning will be my other full-time job for the next year and a half, until our big day in July of 2012. I'll be back to food posts soon.

Since we are doing a completely DIY wedding, we will be experimenting with a lot of recipes for dinner, hors d'œuvre, and dessert, including cupcakes for guests and a small cake for us.

Life's details

2011-01-10T13:35:00.000-08:00

Samantha and me.

My mother's adorable seven week old puppy, Harley.

Winter Wonderland!

2011-01-05T15:17:00.000-08:00

Our first champagne toast as an engaged couple!

The view from our bedroom window.

At night, it's incredibly beautiful; the lights are still up for the annual light festival.

We're both huge Mozart lovers. :)

Engaged!

2011-01-03T11:13:00.000-08:00

Last night, after four wonderful years of dating, Rob asked me to marry him! We are staying at a lodge up in the mountains for a few nights, so this was the perfect time to ask. Everything about his proposal was incredibly sweet and romantic. I've already started thinking about all the planning we have to do, but for now, I'm going to enjoy these first few days of being Rob's fiance in this peaceful, beautiful town.

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T18:20:00.000-08:00

some good shot from last night's celebration. happy new year!

2010-12-25T20:15:00.000-08:00

Beautiful Christmas gift from Rob, taken with the new Nikon.

Merry Christmas!

The basics

2010-11-15T16:05:00.000-08:00

A key aspect of our weekly meals is the reuse of a few ingredients. In this case, we bought fresh broccoli, parsley, quinoa and tofu as our weekly staples and elaborated on those simple ingredients for each meal. As a treat, we had chocolate almond milk with vegan chocolate sprinkles (left over from the pie last week).

As vegans, we spend a lot of time thinking about how to eat the correct blend of essential amino acids in our incomplete protein (plant) food sources. Multivitamins, fortified orange juice/almond milk and careful mixtures of rice, beans and vegetables make our diet work perfectly.

Spice of life

2010-11-10T21:23:00.000-08:00

Rob's vegan chili: fresh tomatoes, onion, zucchini, and cayenne peppers. Also, black pepper, salt and kidney beans. Served with a side of organic, whole-wheat, broiled tortilla. Pretty impeccable.

Vegan on a Budget

2010-11-07T08:31:00.000-08:00

Frozen vegetables are a healthy alternative to the fresh stuff. You don't have to spend all of your weekly grocery budget on fresh produce. It is possible to find organic frozen veggies. We've switched over to only purchasing a few weekly fresh produce items and everything we buy is farm-fresh and seasonal. These meals were prepared with frozen veggies and both were delicious. IQF (individually quick frozen) technology means that frozen fruits and veggies have a high nutrition content and retain a great taste and texture.

These are garbanzo burgers, prepared from scratch with organic, vegan breadcrumbs, lots of spices and a serving of olive oil. We cooked these with organic habanero salsa for a little (actually a lot) of extra spice.

Just some frozen veggies, rice noodles and low-fat tofu here. We tried out a new teriyaki sauce, but I'm not 100% sold on the flavor. We're working on a recipe for our own sauce, including brown sugar, agave, ginger and vanilla extract, but as of yet we haven't put it all together.

Pumpkins and Gourds, oh my!

2010-10-09T21:46:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin patch today! I love this time of year.

Quick and easy

2010-09-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

As a follow up to the blog post about vegan junk food, I would like to show you how Rob and I get creative with what you might consider to be junkie vegan foods.

Homemade pizza, with pepperoni made from veggies and tofu.

Ezekiel sandwich bread, veggies and tofu "meat." Really delicious and full of protein!

What do you think? Do you ever eat like this?

Don't give me no advice that rhymes

2010-08-15T21:47:00.000-07:00

Lots of really nice things have happened lately. Like finding out I got a B in my latest chemistry class. Attending and singing at a beautiful wedding ceremony for Rob's sister. Learning to fly fish. And visiting my family for an extended period of time while enjoying lots of great food.

Tonight, I made veggie-kabobs.

We had our meal outside and soaked up the last rays of sun from this beautiful day.

This is Rob and me, hanging out beside a mountain stream. The weather has been sensational.

Sometimes the little things, like driving down a long stretch of highway with someone you love, or jogging around your old high school track, are more theraputic than all the spas, alcohol and money in the world. :)

Happy Birthday Sunday of Summer!

2010-07-27T10:57:00.000-07:00

Today, blog, you are one. Here is your first post.

Broilers are a girl's best friend

2010-07-21T21:31:00.000-07:00

Our broiler made roasting the tomatoes, garlic and onion for this garlic chicken pizza-inspired meal super simple.

This slightly sweet coconut milk and leek soup was perfectly light and easy tonight.

The great time dilemma

2010-07-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

One of the things that deterred me from taking the animal-free plunge for so long was the extreme time commitment I assumed went along with veganism.

It is super easy and delicious to throw a chicken pot pie or a cheesy lasagna casserole or a spaghetti and meatball meal together. BBQ is a big deal in my family and I spent a good portion of the past several years grilling four-six nights a week. I grew up eating those types of food, I continued to eat those foods when I moved away, and I am never going to say, "oh, I didn't like the way that tasted" because that would be a lie. Sure I did, I ate it didn't I?

And in contrast, cooking up some marinated veggies, or an alternative alfredo sauce-covered pasta casserole, or a dough-up vegan pizza sounds like a pain. Or at least it used to, before I started doing it all the time.

I will be the first to admit that cooking is not my strong point. In fact, that is one of the reasons why I started this blog and why it has developed into such a food-oriented space. Much like a fashion blogger records his or her outfits to document style progress, I record meals to document food progress. And it's a team effort: Rob is the talented chef in our home.

So I've given it some thought lately and I've realized that being vegan does not take more time. I'm not sure it even takes much more creativity. A few standby alternative ingredients, lots of spices and a good attitude are all you need to enjoy life without meat/egg/dairy.

Some pretty grilled veggies and pineapple from last night. We used a really simple EvOO, black pepper and garlic marinade.

Lunch today. Leftovers took all of two minutes!

And some cinnamon chocolate chip cookies, just for fun.

Lately I've taken to bringing her a flower on her tray

2010-07-17T12:44:00.000-07:00

Friday night food, I think, should be simple and delicious.

Pita pizzas. Daiya mozzarella vegan cheese, fresh tomatoes, black olives and rosemary.

Banana, chocolate, cinnamon and mint homemade ice cream.

Blissful tastes

2010-07-10T23:05:00.000-07:00

Weekend food is the best food of the week.

Garbanzo bean and broccoli salad, broiled in an olive oil, garlic, lemon and black pepper glaze.

Roasted red potatoes, sliced into homemade fries. Organic broccoli. Enjoyed with a chilled homemade vegan ranch, made from coconut milk, cornstarch, pepper and a dash of lemon.

A simple, salted tomato sandwich, made from the wonderful tomatoes at our local Co-Op.

In my view

2010-06-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

When I started college, at 18, all I wanted for breakfast, lunch and dinner was this.

source

And this.

source

And I ate a lot of it, too! But nowadays, one dairy allergy and a vegan conversion later, I can see that those foods were bad for me in more than the obvious way. Not only did they contain tons of excess fat, cholesterol, sugar and sodium: they did not challenge me to see food as a creative process. I believe food should be creative, meaningful and fun for everyone.

Food should be about more than convenience or a comfortable repertoire of flavors and textures.

When I found out I was allergic to dairy, I thought my world was going to shut down. Silly as it sounds, learning to live without something I was so fond of (cheese! pizza! most processed foods! take out!) really made things tough for a while. But now, several years later, I am actually grateful for this experience.

This food allergy, this thing that is often labeled as bad or impossible to live with, is, in my view, actually a blessing in disguise. Especially because now, I get to eat this!

Dinner two nights ago. Homemade pizza from scratch, with Daiya mozzarella "cheese."

Dinner tonight. Alfredo sauce, made from coconut milk, cornstarch, evoo, black pepper and garlic. Broccoli and Penne, too. It was better than a traditional Alfredo sauce.

And the thrifting gods looked down and said,

2010-06-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

"Ye shall have a vintage picnic basket, just as you've always wished." (Thrifting gods use contractions, apparently :-)

"And heck, have a tasty BBQ Sunshine Burger, while you're at it."

Veg 'bobs (or, veggie kabobs)

2010-06-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

Food like this brightens up a Saturday night. Veggie kabobs turned out to be so easy, simple and delicious.

Rob and I sat on our deck and grilled/devoured these veg 'bobs while talking about our new favorite books and enjoying an ice-cold dry martini. It was heavenly.

I hope your weekend was rejuvenating and left you ready for the coming week.

Food that's good for the soul (and the tummy)

2010-06-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese + fresh, organic veggies + garlic naan =

The making of a vegan sandwich (for a Saturday afternoon picnic). Rainbow chard, sweet Walla Walla onions, white rye Food for Life bread, and juicy, delicious organic tomatoes (I have a weakness for all things tomato sandwich).

Tip: use a pastry brush to sweep a light layer of salad dressing on your next sandwich. This way, you'll get the flavor, minus the goopy, soggy bread.

Food as fuel

2010-06-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

Preparing for a big chem exam at the end of the week requires lots of fuel for energy! Here are a few culinary high points from the last two days.

Homemade, beer-based breadsticks, rice pilaf tacos with Daiya "cheese" and coconut milk-based, rice noodle soup. I hope everyone is enjoying warm weather and good summer food!

Chocolate & zucchini

2010-06-21T22:21:00.000-07:00

Rob and I are on a real chard kick right now. Something about the way it blends so well with almost anything makes it an easy favorite.

We decided to dedicate zucchini as our veggie of the week, but we also cooked with radishes, chard, and sweet onions tonight.

This dinner came together very naturally. We started out by sauteing the zucchini, onion and radish. Then we added the rainbow chard, kidney beans, paprika, dried cilantro, garlic, and bean juice. Tip: sugar binds up free water and there is a lot of water in most veggies. To give your casseroles/pan-cooked dishes a thicker consistency, either add sugar, or retain the juice from a can of beans (sugar is almost always an additive).

And then, we took inspiration from Dairy Free Betty, here (who posted today about a delicious-looking banana soft serve) and created an iced banana treat, topped with chocolate chips.

We used ice, one banana, a couple tblspoons of brown sugar and vanilla almond milk (in the blender). The chocolate chips are from Enjoy Life Foods.

It was amazing!

Dear Dad

2010-06-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day!

Light lunch

2010-06-18T16:55:00.000-07:00

These soft taco/burrito shells are wonderful. Vegan, low fat and relatively inexpensive. We especially like how versatile they are: they make great chips, burrito wraps, taco shells and more.

Today, Rob used them to make taco salad. My favorite thing about this easy dish is that it avoids the use of processed tortilla chips. Of course the Guerrero corn tortillas are processed to an extent, in order to transport them and make them shelf stable (we freeze/refrigerate to make them last longer), but the difference in fat and sodium content is one good reason to broil a few of these shells instead of buying a bag of Mission chips.

Our veggie of the week turned out to be something a little predictable (romaine) but it was delicious in multiple recipes this week. This salad, made from black beans, fresh tomatoes, romaine, broiled Guerreros and salsa, (we didn't do homemade this week) was fresh, flavorful and full of great nutrients.

And then there were none

2010-06-13T20:04:00.000-07:00

Rob treated me to one of the most delicious meals I have ever eaten tonight: Creamy Potato and Leek Soup.

I asked him to share how he made it because it's just too tasty not to pass along. :)

You will need:

15 red potatoes, with skin, roughly chopped
1 cup original flavor almond milk
1 cup veggie broth
1 tblspoon parsley
1 tblspoon salt
5 stalks celery, chopped
1 leek, roughly chopped
Black pepper and garlic pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook potatoes on stove until tender
Retain 1/4 potatoes in pan, place remaining potatoes in food processor with all other ingredients
Grind/blend until smooth
Add parsley, pepper and chopped potatoes to taste, et voilà!

The potatoes with skin give it a texture and flavor reminiscent of bacon, which of course is delicious with potato soup.

Veggie of the week

2010-06-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

This week the new veggie of choice was chard. This recipe is a variation on a traditional Mediterranean meal. We really enjoyed this dish and as an added bonus, it provides a complete source of protein with the beans/rice combo.

You will need:
1 cup jasmine rice
1/2 cup black bean juice from can
1 1/2 cups black beans
5 leaves of chard (the more colorful the better)
1 large yellow onion
1 tblspoon olive oil
1 tblspoon garlic powder
1 tspoon salt

Directions:
Chop onion and chard into bite-sized pieces
Place in frying pan with olive oil, sauté
Allow the onion to soften, then add bean juice and beans
Add seasonings, mix and serve over rice

Enjoy!

For some variety

2010-06-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

In our search for tasty soy/dairy-free meat alternatives, Rob and I recently discovered polenta.

source

Polenta is soy-free, dairy-free and animal product free. And, it's delicious. Imagine the texture of a cheese-filled pasta shell, with the flavor of a delicious homemade pasta noodle. It adapts beautifully to almost any flavor and thus it works very well as a substitute for meat, pasta, bread and many other ingredients.

Today, I cooked it up with some fresh, strained tomatoes, black olives, green onion, black pepper, garlic salt, and Italian seasoning. It doesn't require oil to heat on the stove because it contains a lot of water. This is a nice way to avoid extra fat, as opposed to cooking pasta with oil (although there is no reason why you couldn't use oil to make it even more flavorful!).

Rob declared this easy lunch "delicious" and it took under ten minutes to prepare.

I highly recommend trying it, even if you don't avoid soy, dairy and meat. It's a nice way to add a little variety to your lunch routine.

Recital day

2010-06-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

After the recital!

And Rob looking very handsome!

It was so fun to listen to everyone play and sing. All of the performers were amazing!

Eat your veggies!

2010-05-12T22:57:00.000-07:00

Rob and I have decided to challenge ourselves by cooking with a new vegetable each week. This isn't hard when your local Co Op is stocked with tons of delicious, fresh vegetables!

Last night, I wanted to make something quick and easy. It was one of those late-night dinners and we were completely starved by the time we thought about eating.

Our vegetable of choice this week was bok choy. With a short list of ingredients (all of which were already in our kitchen, ready to be turned into something yummy) and a short prep-time, I think this Asian-style soup is a new household favorite.

Bok Choy Soup

You will need...

Six to eight stalks of bok choy with leaves
Four celery stalks
Three green onions
Four vegan vegetable bouillon cubes
One package rice noodles, vegan
10 cups water
Tblspoon basil
Tblspoon parsley
Tblspoon salt
Tblspoon pepper
Two tblspoons sweet and spicy chili sauce

Prepare by...

Allow rice noodles to soak in water for ten minutes prior to warming.
Lightly steam bok choy in seperate pan
Bring water with noodles to a gentle boil, add bouillon cubes, stirring.
Add celery, green onion and bok choy. Stir.
Add spices, allow soup to simmer for approximately fifteen minutes.
Add chili sauce to taste.

And on an unrelated note, I got my grades for the term this week. Not long ago, I never would have imagined that I could get through the classes necessary to earn a B.S. This term was a big challenge, but I am so happy to be one step closer!

Rob and I are headed to Leavenworth for a long weekend, starting very early Friday morning. I'm sure I will be posting lots of pictures, come next week. I hope everyone has a fabulous rest of the week!

Greatest (vegan) hits

2010-04-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

For Rob and me, our local Co-Op is like a giant, delicious toy store, constantly updated with scrumptious new alternative foods. Last night, we discovered two new dairy/soy/animal-free products and in the course of one night they escalated into our Greatest Vegan Hits. These are the kind of products that make you say, "Better than the food it's copying, by far!"
First, a vegan/soy free cheese:

For those of you out there who have struggled through most alternative cheese products without really feeling wowed, I am here to tell you that this is the BEST cheese alternative I have ever tried, and I have tried many, many cheese alternatives. The texture is spot on (thanks to tapioca, a texturizing agent) and the flavor is truly better than real cheese (or what I remember of real cheese, anyway). Look for this at Whole Foods and your local alternative foods store. Apparently the company recently took this product to market; I would expect to see it all over the place in no time. Yum!

Now, a fantastic faux ice cream:

This company also offers reasonably-priced pints of "ice cream" in practically any flavor you can conceive of: cherry amaretto, cappuccino and mint galactica to name a few. Both flavors of bar, shown above, are, as the name suggests, total bliss.

Additionally, there are a few products we have been enjoying for a while which I have simply neglected to share with you!

I have struggled to find a chocolate alternative that is truly on par with authentic chocolate. Recently, we discovered Enjoy Life Foods' Chewy Bars. They come in TONS of flavors, but my favorite so far is the cocoa loco chocolate bar. The texture is similar to that of a fresh, well-made brownie. The flavor is spot-on dark chocolate. Did I mention they run a dedicated (allergen-free) facility? Pretty cool!

Next, there's our favorite milk alternative, Silk Pure Almond:

This is, in my opinion, the best dairy/animal and soy free milk alternative on the market. The flavor is similar to a light, airy milkshake. The texture is extraordinarily smooth. Plus, at the Silk website, you'll find a lot of delicious recipes to complement the almond milk. I have it with cereal every morning and Rob and I love to make homemade frapps (he's a former Starbucks employee, so I benefit from his talents) with Pure Almond.

So those are a few products that have really blown me away lately in terms of quality (and really price, too). I highly suggest all of them, even just for fun if you don't normally avoid the real stuff.

Also, last night was date night. We made salsa (again) and had a lot of fun relaxing and eating.

I was feeling pretty silly. :-)

Yum! Fresh cilantro and lime made it extra good.

Have a great weekend!

Glad flowers and peep sushi

2010-04-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

Rob and I were up and out quite early this morning for an appointment. On the way home, we stopped to pick up the ingredients for peep sushi and our yearly Easter flowers. We started a tradition four years ago; each year we (mostly me, ha ha) pick out a new type of fresh cut flower for Easter.

This year I decided to go with gladiolus, or Glad flowers. I just love them!

True Bliss

2010-03-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

Rob and I made one of our weekend trips to Bed, Bath and Beyond today. We're both somewhat obsessed with Yankee Candle products, especially the True Bliss line.

We left with this delicious spray.

Meow

2010-03-25T00:52:00.000-07:00

I love this cute grocery bag (via modcloth)!

Those glorious days of spring

2010-03-22T23:58:00.000-07:00

Our Chelan trip quickly turned into one of my Top Ten memories; up there with graduating from college and meeting Rob.

The weather was practically perfect. The condo was comfortable, spacious and peaceful. We enjoyed a gorgeous beach and breathtaking mountain ranges, along with a hot tub and a close-by winery.

Here are a few pictures from the trip.

Rob and I started a new tradition of finding one piece of art in each town that we visit. We both fell in love with the flamingo, a piece from a local Chelan artist. He is very talented, don't you think?

Happy Birthday, sweetie

2010-02-26T15:50:00.000-08:00

Today Rob is 23. We're celebrating by taking the night off from our studies, in order to enjoy good beer, good wine and good food. I'm planning to make him a batch of homemade cookies later. After we get back from the music store, where he will be picking out his birthday gift (probably a piece of recording equipment).

Happy Birthday honey!

Yum

2010-02-21T20:09:00.000-08:00

A light, delicious dinner. Another fabulous creation from Rob.

Spinach + carrots + avacado + cucumber + tomato + broccoli (all from our amazing local Co-Op)

+ white wine vinegar

+ fresh squeezed lemon

McCalls 6026, complete!

2010-02-17T19:28:00.000-08:00

I finished my first dress project tonight. It has some flaws, but for the most part I'm really happy with the way it turned out. It was lots of fun to make.

Here's the pattern:

And here are a few pictures of the finished product.

I went with this fabric because I fell in love with the gorgeous color!

The sleeves were a learning experience. Gathers are not particularly difficult, but they are time consuming and tricky. I'm glad I got the opportunity to work with them a little on a knit.

This isn't the best picture, but I guess that's kinda the point. The shoulders aren't actually that crooked, but I do wish the dress fell more evenly. Also, I made the belt a little small so it tends to pull at the fabric in the back.

Besides these minor complaints, I really am happy with the way it turned out. I will probably work with this pattern again; there are several very cute views and the knits are cheap and easy to sew on.

It was so nice to take some time to sew tonight. I love having that time to myself every so often.

I belong

2010-02-15T12:23:00.000-08:00

I always mean to take lots of pictures on Valentine's Day. Rob and I find something new and fun to do every year. Last year it was a masquerade ball; this year it was a cozy night in complete with homemade pizza, a sweet and funny gift and card exchange, and a 208 song Love Playlist. And lastly, breakfast in bed. Because Rob is my true love :-)

I didn't get lots of pictures, but this is a shot of the amazing (dairy free, from scratch) pizza Rob made for us.

I wore this.

A sweet, simple Modcloth dress. This was the first occassion I found to wear The Ringwald Dress so far, but only because it's still very cold outside. Come summer, I'm sure she will be an all the time addition to my warm weather wardrobe.

What was so funny about the card exchange? Somehow, despite our Valentine's Day shopping spanning two towns and several different stores, we both ended up picking out the same card!

We got a good laugh and had a little "awww Honey" moment.

Finally, I've been hard at work on my new pattern this weekend. I ended up selecting a solid color for the dress, but I think it was a good decision. I am so excited to put up some pictures as soon as I'm done. Now if only I didn't have a ~~dumb~~ economics exam to study for! Oh well, studying just makes the in-between times more fun and enjoyable.

Happy Monday!

Carbon shells

2010-02-12T20:25:00.000-08:00

I have a propensity for taking the nastiest food pictures ever, but I thought I would share this anyway. In our journey to becoming animal product-free (mostly for health-related reasons, though also as a result of various personal beliefs) Rob and I have experimented with many different variations on the typical tofu, veggies and rice combination.

Tonight, after this lovely week (I got a 60% by the way), we decided to have a little fun (aided by a few alcoholic beverages).

Rob made this scrumptious tofu dip, complete with (organic) romaine hearts, green onions, black beans, olives, jalapenos, hot salsa and ground tofu.

We paired it with blue corn chips. And it was really, really good.

Of course, we couldn't have a mini-disaster free dinner. :)

I distracted Rob momentarily and this happened.

Carbon-shells.

The smoke monster

2010-02-05T15:49:00.000-08:00

I found this cute Ann Taylor coat on a recent thrifting trip. The scarf is vintage; a dear family friend passed it on to me several years ago. The brooch is a past Goodwill find. I felt powerful and happy in this outfit today, so I decided to play fashion blogger for a post and share it with you all.

Happy Friday!

Dress ideas

2010-01-31T11:26:00.000-08:00

Last week, Rob told me that we will be spending Spring Break in Lake Chelan this year. I am so excited, Chelan is one of my all time favorite vacation spots! Just imagine warm beaches, a gorgeous, 55 mile-long aquamarine lake and tons of fun shops, wineries and restaurants to explore. I can't wait!

So I started thinking that it might be fun to make a few outfits to wear on our trip. I would like to make at least two dresses and maybe a cute top. I found this McCalls pattern a few days ago and I have been dreaming about it ever since. Unfortunately this weekend has gotten by me without much time for a trip to the fabric store, so I have yet to pick up the pattern or any fabric. Oh and on a side note, if you live close to a Joann they are having 30% off apparel fabrics right now, which means some great deals.

I am going to borrow Jennifer's idea from her blog Diary of a Southern Belle. She found some fabrics online and paired them with patterns she wants to make. I'm going to do something similiar in this post to allow me (and hopefully some of you too!) to think about what fabrics would be nice for this dress and the trip in general.

So here is a picture of the dress.

(a more detailed sketch, I love the sleeves!)

And here are a few fabric combinations I came up with. The fabrics on the right are sleeve/belt fabrics and the fabrics on the left are dress fabrics.

So, which one should I go for?

Bonjour mes amis

2010-01-29T09:11:00.000-08:00

I have always considered myself a night person. The night seems to hold incredible mystery, as if it occasionally transcends reality. And it's amazing, really, the system of life that has developed as a response to night, don't you think?

Stellaluna remains my favorite children's book. :-)

Lately, however, I've started to consider the resplendent joy of morning. The process of dawn, the wonder of the sun reappearing and our piece of the world beginning again. It is rejuvenating, cleansing and truly a blessing.

A unique feature of our small town is the fickle winter weather (perhaps not so unique). Early in the morning we are given a full, gorgeous sun and a cloudless sky.

By eight, the sky has clouded over, the wind has set in and the darkness begins again.

If you are awake to enjoy it, the mornings this time of year are spectacular, if only because they are so fleeting.

I tried to capture some of that ephemeral beauty this morning.

(That tree in the distance is one of my favorite things about this place)

(I love how the lights on the apartments are still on)

I hope everyone has a wonderful, restful weekend! I plan to study and do some sewing. Does anyone have fun plans?

Practice makes perfect or, what I have learned about sewing in the 1.5 months since I have acquired a sewing machine

2010-01-24T22:49:00.000-08:00

I promised to start documenting my experiences (both good and bad) as an amateur seamstress last month and now I'm going to being doing just that.

I'm working on View A (the pink dress) of this pattern, to begin with.

Some of the major challenges I have faced so far are:

1. Trying to decipher the sizing, given how weird and off most patterns are (even when the measurements seem to be exactly right).

2. Sewing something that requires skills that are above my ability.

3. Learning to have patience and to approach each problem the pattern presents slowly and carefully.

One idea I decided to try is the Sheet Dress. Basically, it involves using an old sheet to sew a mock up of the pattern. If you have the money muslin is a better choice, but for me the sheet worked just fine.

I started by carefully reading the pattern instructions, front to back. There were a lot of confusing terms that I wasn't familiar with, so I looked at the accompanying illustrations and tried to figure out what they were telling me to do.

Then, I cut out the pattern pieces to my size (in this case a 12, or so I thought!) and placed them on the sheet according to the layout instructions.

I made a bad mistake at this step.I didn't think about the illustration for the pattern layout carefully enough, so I ended up cutting two pieces on the selvage instead of the fold. This resulted in a big seam down the middle of the bodice and an unnecessary seam in the skirt. It seems so intuitive, but it's really, really important to read and look at the directions carefully!

Next, I began to pin fabric pieces together according to the instructions. I started with the bodice.

This is a princess seam.

I discovered tonight that fabric pieces will not always fit together in an obvious way. This particular seam, for example, was extremely confusing at first because the pieces simply did not fit together. That is until I started slowly pinning small sections of the fabric together and carefully working each section together. Patience is so important.

After creating the bodice, I began working on the skirt. This pattern calls for a gathered waistline. I quickly realized that I do not know how to gather a waistline. After I finished tonight I found a couple of great online tutorials, but at the time I just decided to create pleats. It ended up looking messy and unfinished, so I will definitely be referencing a gathering description when I use the good fabric.

My biggest problem is that the 12 is too small. The pattern tells me that a 12 should be too big in the waist given my measurements, but in the end it turned out about two inches too small. So it will be a big challenge to try to adjust the pattern, especially since I only bought fabric for a 12!

This is the final dress

(No zipper=gapey sides)

(background fabric is the real stuff)

So for now, I'm waiting for my zipper foot to arrive. Also, I need a day when I am not exhausted to work on the real fabric, because it's pretty high stakes (for me at least) when each yard costs 10 dollars. I spent the day studying and the evening sewing and I don't think that was the best way to approach this project.

But this was a great learning experience. My final thought is this: as silly as it may sound, your machine wants to work with you; it is designed to sew and if you are careful and willing to change the way you are approaching the angle or edge or seam of your project, your machine will actually help you create a better final project. If you feel like you are fighting with your machine, it is probably because you are not using the right technique. Or it may just not like you (ha ha).

Happy sewing!

p.s. this pattern is a copyright of McCall's.

Bright, happy day

2010-01-21T14:08:00.000-08:00

Today I visited my favorite local thrift store, Palouse Treasures. I found a great JCrew shirt and several amazing vintage patterns. This constitutes a very successful thrifting trip in my book.

Here's the shirt. I'm excited to wear it with just about everything, probably jeans and boots first; maybe a skirt and tights after that. It's a small so it pulls at the chest, but a simple alteration should fix that problem.

It's simple but I like it.

Then there are the patterns. I found one from 1968, one from what is almost certainly 1960-1964 (no copyright), one from 1987 and one from 1994. I don't know that I'll ever attempt to make any of the clothes, unless it turns out all of the pieces are malleable (par exemple, the dress from 1968 is meant for a 32.5 inch bust haha.haha.) but even if all I can do is play around with the pieces and some junk fabric I will still be completely enamored of these patterns!

Aesthetic

2010-01-20T11:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I collapsed at school. They took me to the hospital and ran tests/monitored me for several hours. It was scary and unexpected; I didn't realize that doctors take fainting very seriously. I'm supposed to follow up with my local doctor today but I'm having trouble getting motivated to do that; partly because I still feel weird and it's freaking me out and partly because the ER doctor said they might have to do an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) and put me on a heart monitor for one-three days. It seems like a lot of weird stuff just because I fainted.

I think the fainting may have had to do with the fact that I completely psyched myself out on my first chemistry quiz just a few minutes earlier. I knew how to do those very problems PERFECTLY; I had been studying non-stop for two weeks. But once he handed out the quiz I just could not make my brain stop panicking. I've always had that problem with math and science, I guess we'll see how the next one goes. Ugh.

Well, something like a hospital visit/health scare is enough to make you appreciate the finer things in life, especially things with a nice asthetic.

I'm in love with this new product line from Bath and Body Works.

Yum!

They have lots of other scents (e.g. lavender vanilla, spring meadow) but I am most drawn to vanilla so these are the products I would like to get.

And then there's Anthropologie. I'm not sure if you can be a female blogger in this day and age and not know about the wonder that is this company.

(love classy lingerie)

And the list goes on. They sure do have some creative, talented people!

This morning, I'm ~~not~~ thinking about school, or at least trying to--heck I even skipped my first class this morning. I don't have class until one, so I'm enjoying some delicious coffee and the beautiful sunshine (what a gift!).

So I am a total Costco junkie. When I lived in the South, we had Sam's Club. When I lived in the Midwest, we had giant Wal-Marts. Now, in the PNW, we have Costco and I have to say it beats all of the other wholesale-ish stores by a long shot. This gorgeous day + my empty patio is making me dream of...

And definitely one of these, while I'm at it

Anyway that's my fantasy world for the day. Here's to hoping for a better week.

Calling

2010-01-05T23:08:00.000-08:00

I want to share a big decision with you all.

For a long time, I focused on the idea of becoming a teacher. I felt like teaching was a solid, honorable choice; something I could do without investing in a gamble.

Despite the talk, however, I realized recently that the idea of teaching does not excite and inspire me like it should: I was never thrilled with the prospect of teaching secondary English.

Graduating at the height of a major recession has been a learning experience. In the past nine months, I have realized that many times hard work and tenacity are not enough to land a dream job, or even a retail job.

Part of me wanted to find something and settle on it; I wanted a finite plan amidst all the chaos of the economy. I know for many people teaching is a thrilling and incredibly rewarding career, but it isn't for me.

I think the biggest part of my journey after college was to admit to myself that I had not identified my true métier.

So I thought about it, a lot. I considered my passions and hobbies, my strengths and weaknesses. And finally it came to me.

I love helping and working with people.

I love problem-solving (generic, I know).

I love learning about the ways in which our bodies deal with food (good and bad).

To me, these traits clearly spell out one career path: Dietetics.

On Monday, assuming all goes well, (like FinAid going through) I will be returning to school to begin a second degree in General Dietetics. This will lead to a career as a Registered Dietitian.

I am so excited! It is always bittersweet moving 350 miles away from my family, but in the end I know this will be worth it. The past few days have been a rollercoaster. Now I just have to prepare myself mentally for chemistry, microbiology, accounting and statistics.

I will definitely be taking my sewing machine and newly acquired accessories, by the way. When I'm not studying and working, I will be sewing. :-)

Goodbye 2009

2009-12-31T18:19:00.000-08:00

I spent the entire day sewing. From this burst of productivity, I ended up making four tie backs for my curtains and a pillow. Once I start sewing it's hard to stop! Here are the finished products.

We don't have plans for tonight. In the past, we've gone out, but for some reason this year neither one of us feels like spending tons of extra money just to battle bad crowds and be subjected to crappy music/drinks (wonder why). I think we'll watch a movie, have some champagne and maybe make some faux-cheese dip or jalapeno poppers (man food).

I hope everyone has a happy and memorable celebration. Goodbye 2009.

First project with my machine

2009-12-30T20:18:00.000-08:00

Today I got inspired to complete a project out of one yard of fabric. I ended up finding this awesome guide for a tote bag. I ended up turning it into a smaller bag and adding a few personal touches (like grossgrain bows). I'm really happy with the result!

Quick and easy dinner

2009-12-27T20:27:00.000-08:00

Since I have contracted a nasty cold, I really didn't feel like making dinner tonight. Rob, the wonderful boyfriend, took pity on me and decided to take it upon himself to come up with something for dinner.

We had Italian tofu meatballs, bow tie pasta and garlic bread and wow was it delicious! I recommend this recipe to anyone who feels like tofu isn't their cup of tea; it really brings out the ideal texture and flavor.

I'm sharing the recipe (from cooks.com) and a couple photos below.

□ 1 lb. firm tofu

□   2 tbsp. onion flakes
□   1/4 tsp. oregano
□   1/4 tsp. salt
□   Pepper
□   Dash of garlic powder
□   2 slices bread, crumbled
□   1 egg
□   1 tbsp. dried parsley flakes

SAUCE:

□   1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
□   1/4 tsp. oregano
□   1/4 tsp. dried basil
□   Pinch of garlic powder
□   1 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
□   Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice tofu and drain well. In a large bowl, combine tofu, onion flakes, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic powder, bread, egg and parsley. Mix well with a fork, mashing to blend ingredients. Shape mixture into balls, squeezing tightly.

Place "meatballs" in a single layer in a shallow baking pan that has been lightly oiled.
In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients. Spoon over meatballs. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes.

Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T23:11:00.000-08:00

y mom made these wonderful apple and cherry pies with adorable cutouts.

I got to unwrap MY Bernina 1080!

We had fun playing with the new, fancy camera.

Merry Christmas!

Monte Antico Toscana

2009-12-23T21:17:00.000-08:00

Frozen water is beautiful.

Love is silly. And grand.

Puppies are sweet.

And kitties too.

(Dairy-free) pizza from scratch is delectable.

...especially when you have a handsome chef.

And Italian wine, especially a sangiovese, is the perfect end to a perfect day.

With a little Christmas music and chocolate, of course. ;-)

"Love Saves the Day"

2009-12-22T13:30:00.000-08:00

From Wayne Pate

Silk screen prints and totes. These things make my day.

This evening

2009-12-21T22:46:00.000-08:00

Components of my night.

An outfit I had fun putting together:

Amazing bottle of wine, lovely crystal glasses and a vintage wine opener:

It's a week of relaxation.

Mr. Knickerbockers

2009-12-19T19:36:00.000-08:00

Rob and I spent the day drifting from antique store to antique store, looking for family gifts. We ended up finding this beautiful silver, vintage wine/champagne bucket for his sister. I think it was our best find.

I love the idea of gifting vintage/antique items at Christmas.

Lovely lights

2009-12-13T19:24:00.000-08:00

The camera doesn't do well with contrast.

"Topping" vs. "Cheese"

2009-12-09T21:44:00.000-08:00

A post for my fellow vegan/dairy-free friends!

After the aforementioned gym time tonight I was completely ravenous! I threw together something quick (it's amazing how fast you can chop stuff when you're really hungry!) and easy: vegan pasta salad.

It involved fixing some plain pasta, chopping some veggies and drizzling the whole thing with a couple vegan, 100% dairy free ingredients.

This is what it looked like:

Also, here's a picture of that pretty gold/black eyeshadow I mentioned the other day:

Gorgeous!

2009-12-08T12:16:00.000-08:00

Visit Timeless Vintage Vixen at Etsy.com to view more gorgeous dresses!

Oh Christmas Tree

2009-12-07T19:42:00.000-08:00

Are these trees (and homes!) gorgeous, or what?!

All of these lovely photos make me miss my tree (sniff); unfortunately, it has to stay boxed up this year. Lots of fun ideas though!

All photos from countryliving.com

Thrifty finds

2009-12-04T12:17:00.000-08:00

Two recent thrifty finds:

♥

What a day!

2009-11-29T19:10:00.000-08:00

I'll admit it: since moving (temporarily) back in with my parents, I have allowed my usually clean and decor-freak self to let just about everything surrounding me turn into a big pile of junk.

You see, in college Rob and I shared a lovely two bedroom apartment for three years. It was spacious and new. I took a lot of pride in cleaning the whole place top to bottom weekend after weekend. On a thrifty budget, I decorated the whole apartment in a classy, understated way: lots of fresh flowers, FRAMED vintage prints, hand-blown glass vases, etc. To me, it was paradise.

Then we graduated and everything turned (for lack of a more imaginative cliché) upside down. Now, my beautiful vases and elegant throws reside in my parent's basement, crammed in boxes alongside kitchen tongs and my mixer. Four years of independent living was plenty of time to accumulate a huge amount of personal possessions.

Until I get can my life together (aka complete graduate school and find meaningful employment), I have approximately 12 feet by 12 feet to create an attractive living space.

Today, I tackled the challenge.

Here is my room before:

So that's the disgusting before.

Here's the after:

It helped to create purposeful vignettes, for example this jewelry/accessory cluster:

And this pretty memento vignette, a collection of items from our trip to Sequim (apparently the lavender capital of the world):

So for now my room is much better. It is far from perfect, but at least I will be able to work without feeling like I'm drowning in disorganized possessions!

Finally...check out this gorgeous vintage broach I found in my jewelry box today. It will be paired with the lovely green jacket pictured below:

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T18:32:00.000-08:00

We had a very informal Thanksgiving this year. The food was delicious, simple and very traditional. Without lots of company to cook for, we enjoyed a very relaxed atmosphere for the first time in several years.

I hope everyone had a great celebration!

Hiking the spit!

2009-11-24T20:14:00.000-08:00

Today is our last day of vacation. We decided to hike the largest spit in North America as a fun last day activity. Here are a few photos:

amazing. ♥

Sequim so far

2009-11-22T20:57:00.000-08:00

Rob and I are currently spending a week in Sequim. So far, we have had a wonderful time!

Here are a few photos:

Upcoming adventures

2009-11-17T17:39:00.000-08:00

I am so excited for our upcoming trip to Sequim. I found some really nice photos of places I want to see while we're there.

I'm dreaming of...

organic produce

small-town coffee shops

natural history museums

The Olympic National Forest

holiday markets

lavender farms

local art

a small town produce and art market

First sewing project complete!

2009-11-15T21:46:00.000-08:00

I've been working on this skirt for a LONG time. With a little guidance, I managed to finally finish it. I really like the way it turned out, even if the seams are uneven, the yoke doesn't match perfectly at the zipper and the hem is "off" to put it nicely.

It was a learning experience and I had a lot of fun working on it.

Here it is!

I'm excited to wear it in Sequim when Rob and I go on our trip.

LBD Day

2009-11-11T17:52:00.000-08:00

So many "outfitty" posts lately. I picked up this dress tonight at Target. I'm to the point now where I buy sale items exclusively and actually it's not that bad! I like hunting for nice clothes amidst lots of icky stuff. :-)

This dress was marked down to 12.00 from 50.00. It fits like a glove and the style seems versatile enough to go from work to after hours fun!

The shoes were a major splurge at Nordstrom like six years ago. I love them.

If any of you girls are in the market for a new dress, (or three) Target has a lot of really pretty stuff on the sale racks right now.

Today

2009-11-11T15:26:00.000-08:00

(Courtesy Yes and Yes)