The Middle Man

I haven't been blogging as much as I would like. Believe me, I have a laundry list of excuses (weak as they may be). We are busy. Everyone is busy. This is the nature of the American culture. Also, early winter sunsets make taking pictures difficult. Well, more accurately they make taking good pictures difficult, and I just don't like posting ugly pictures if I can help it. Thirdly, Andreas and I have been occupying a lot of our time with what I consider to be pretty mundane tasks that aren't blog-worthy in the least. Do you want to read about us filing our taxes? Didn't think so. With so much cold weather, Andreas and I haven't been venturing outside much lately either. Sure, we've been hanging out and having fun, but things like taking pictures during movies are widely frowned upon. Mostly though, I haven't been blogging as much because so many of the things I want to blog about aren't complete. I'm in the middle of so many projects!

I'm in the middle of making this paper tree...

I'm in the middle of a few other art projects and a book (that I started before Christmas!)...

I'm in the middle of this felting project...

(Don't worry, no pandas were harmed in the production of this blog.)

Heck, I'm in the middle of watching the Grammy Awards right now. As I finish up some of these things, I'll be sure to keep you all updated. I'm also hoping to get a few recipe and gift ideas in as Valentine's Day approaches!

Reflections

Neat-o picture I took in the Accord's side mirror.

B-A-N-A-N-A-S

It doesn't seem like it's been over a week since my last post! Things around here have been pretty bananas lately I guess (sorry I just couldn't help myself).

In the past week we:

-Ate a yummy dinner at Bart and Lauren's house (thanks!). We also met their new dog Maggie who was so cute!

-Watched Avatar in 3D. It was my first 3D movie experience, and I really enjoyed it! I think the movie would have been just as impressive in regular viewing, but it was something fun and new.

-Had some killer Pad Thai at Thai Ruby. It was sooooo good and sooooo hot. We went for Heat Level 3, but I think next time we might settle for 2.

-Bought wool roving. Yippee! I am so excited to start another crafty project. I've been inspired by Pickles, a Norwegian craft blog. I'll reveal more of the project once I get my supplies in and can get started.

And that's a quick week recap!

San Diego

Andreas and I took a quick trip to San Diego over the Christmas break. We had such a good time and managed to see a bunch of the local sights.

The sunsets were amazing. The water on the other hand...well, I wasn't brave enough to test it out.

We went to La Jolla one afternoon to see the seals. It was chilly, but definitely worth it.

This little guy was looking right at me!

Faux Flowers

A while back I purchased some cheap bud vases thinking that a few flowers could really go a long way in adding a pop of color to one of our bedrooms. I love fresh flowers around the house, but they aren't something I can afford to keep at all times, and certainly not hidden away in a guest bedroom. The problem was that I couldn't find any fake flowers I liked all that much. I bought a few stems from a local craft store to see if they would work, but in the end they just looked, well...fake...and lonely. Luckily one day I happened upon a site providing instructions for party pom-poms made of tissue paper and thought they would make great flowers if I down-sized them. I think they turned out great! They were super easy and I'll definitely be using the pattern again for party decorations in the future. The roses are another idea I adapted from online, originally posted by a woman attempting to decorate for an eco-friendly wedding. She used old paper grocery sacks (which looked awesome!), but since I use cloth bags for my groceries I made these with thick scrapbooking paper.

Now I'm not under the illusion that these flowers look real, but I think they are much more visually interesting than the plastic junk I had before. Plus if you wanted to make them more realistic I think that could be accomplished with colored tissue paper or some dye!

See these sites for more detailed instructions:
Tissue Paper Pom-Poms
Eco-Chic Roses

Just Married

Michael and Signe - have a fantastic time on your honeymoon! We love you!

P.S. - This is the Just Married sign I made for Michael and Signe's getaway car. I'm thinking about trying to sell more like this on Etsy.

Rosemary Roasted Almonds

I can't quite comprehend that it's 2010. Don't you feel like someone owes you a hovercraft? It's 2010 for goodness sakes! Regardless of the fact that I'm still manually parking a land-restricted car in the garage each night, my optimism hasn't been deterred in light of the new year. January symbolizes a time to acknowledge hopes for the future and promises of new beginnings. For many people, myself included, a recurring resolution is to maintain a healthier lifestyle with each coming year. Whether you are striving towards that goal or not, one thing is for sure - you need to try this snack. It's delicious and good for you to boot.

Rosemary Roasted Almonds

1 tablespoon minced rosemary

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 tablespoons sea salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

8 ounces whole almonds

Preheat the oven to 325*F. Combine rosemary, olive oil, chili powder, sea salt, and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Mix in almonds and stir to coat. Arrange nuts on a foil-covered baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 20 minutes.

Adapted from http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/