I feel like cooking today. Have been browsing through recipes all morning and cannot decide what I want to make. Something sweet is always great but I'm trying to eat healthily after so much splurging. A compomise would be good: a healthy cake, does one exist? I read a muffin recipe calling for wheatberry, which I am pretty sure is not really a berry at all! I must learn more about grains and yummy ways to make them.
So here's a mental note to myself to (as soon as time permits) learn about (and cook with) more whole grains.
My study list so far:
quinoa wheatberry buckwheat barley bulgar dinkel (is it called spelt in English?) millet lentils etc.
Who wants to study with me?
This is a saad I made earlier this year featuring quinoa, apples, pecans and arugula. Yum.
Ever since I got my open leg diaper pants from Cole (she bought them for me in Thailand) I have been wanting to make a pair. I call them diaper pants because you put them on kind of like you put on a diaper. They seemed so super easy. This was my big undertaking at our big sewing day the other day!
I used this cool 1960's plaid fabric in 100% polyester I found a while ago at a garage sale. When I began to cut the fabric, using the existing pants as a pattern, I realized I would not have enough fabric.
But I went on and made them anyway, and when I tried them on I was just revealing too much UPPER THIGH skin.
So I decided to stitch up the sides. It worked out fine. The give in the fabric means I could stitch up the sides almost all the way. I sewed the ribbon on the top of the fabric to use as ties, first in the back and then in the front.
It was a fun project but -- like all sewing projects -- was very time consuming. Still, I'm glad I did it. Other projects during the sewing day were pajama pants (Emma) and leggings (Tati). It was a productive day and I learned a lot. Tati taught me how to sew on a zipper (though I have not tried it yet).
I forgot to tell you weeks ago when I first blogged about Cathy & Andy's new puppy that their little beagle Max's name had been changed to Lucky. Everyone liked this name better.
I got some sad news today: Lucky died this past weekend of a freak accident. Lucky was special - he managed to charm the dickens out of everyone who met him. It seems strangely unlucky to die so young. But in Lucky's short life he was really loved. And any way you look at it -- heck, that is lucky.
This is the cutest tennis dress; I'd wear it in a second if it really existed, especially if my legs were really that skinny! It's designed and drawn during a coffee date ("fika!") earlier this summer by my enormously talented friend Susan, visiting from Sweden. She doodled this sketch of me on a napkin in about 30 seconds. She is always dreaming up cute stuff. I wish she were here to have coffee with me every day! I wish she would start blogging so we could see what she's dreaming up next.
Back to me and this blog. I have many lists awaiting in my head to be blogged. I've been gone so long I think because I've been feeling sorry for myself. Lame, I know! Stay tuned!
And all those wanting to come to a sewing craft day, raise your hands please!
These are my feet and those of my friend Debbie after our pedicures the other day. (Hers are on the left.) Debbie is the ultimate do-it-all woman. She manages her family, work and social life with the ease most of us just pray for--and makes it all look so natural. (But she is a true expert on work-life balance so I guess it would be odd if it were any other way. Read an recent article in Forbes where she is quoted giving sage advice to soon-to-be moms with a career).
She called me to see if I wanted to get a pedicure with her so we could catch up--we haven't seen each other in quite a while. She wanted/needed a pedicure before her trip to Amsterdam. She likes the idea of pairing something "necessary" with something social.
We sat side-by-side in our massage chairs and enjoyed an hour of chit-chat--what a treat!
I went over to a friend's house yesterday and discovered a different type of list. Multiple scraps of paper with a task or two on each. Instead of crossing something off the list you just remove it the scrap of paper from the countertop.
This would drive me batty personally. Aside from being a bit messy, you miss the sense of accomplishment you get when you're able to check your box complete or cross something off your list.
Remember that lonely day in the church on top of the hill? It was drizzling.
I, Susan, take you, Ulf, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.
The problem is, I don't. One is in Guatemala learning Spanish and the other -- the birthday girl, my little sister Patti -- is at a beach house in Italy.
Booface.
I wish she were here and could celebrate her birthday with us. I miss you so much, Patti-rish. Don't come back soon, come back now!!!
Happy birthday! I love you!
Visiting Lancaster county... Susan, Cathy, Patti.
Easter Sunday. Patti already looking quite the fashion plate.
An unfortunate bang-trimming, but still Patti is super cute.
Patti, mom, Susan, Freddie, at the Jersey shore.
Patti visiting me in Stockholm (we both had Dorothy Hammill haircuts!)
Patti's graduation day from Bucknell. From left: Cathy, Aunt Helen, Patti and Susan.
Susan and Patti looking very Talbotty. Talbots is off limits these days!
Stockholm, this time with Freddie.
Patti is so cute when she cracks up!
Last year, with Cathy (Cathy: we are NOT excluding you).
"Kill your darlings" is a term I learned in Sweden and I don't even know if it is used in this country. It is an editing term that means: no matter how much you might love your composition of words or your turn of phrases, sometimes you just have to delete them. I think of this often when I am editing my own texts. It's kind of healthy.
In any case, such were my thoughts this weekend when I "deleted" a number of garments from my current wardroble.
You all know about the one-year rule: if you haven't worn it in a year, throw it away. (I think this rule is too hard to live by strictly, but I use it as a guide). But when you have garments in your closet you haven't worn this decade, you know you have to get rid of them, no matter how much sentimental value they might have, no matter how soft they are, no matter how expensive they were, indeed, no matter how much you love them. I've posted pictures of a few of these items (mostly for posterity), but it's only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There are six bags of such things waiting to go to charity. I'll take them tomorrow.
A sampling:
Susan Wuest bought me this when she went to Iceland. It didn't fit me right but I've always loved it. I inherited this from Olof and wore it a ton when I was preggo.
Ulf bought me this "Luciekofta," a traditional Norwegian sweater, when we visited Norway. I wore it twice. It's way too big and itchy as all get out.
This BCBG sweater is the cutest and such an cool fabric, a heavy knit but light too. I never wore it (too small!)
The only Dior garment I've ever owned, but seriously "Dior Dolls"? I got this from Patti but always felt so conspicuous when I wore it, which was about twice. The bag I got from Barb and I have since decided to keep it. Must wear it soon!
This is country&western goes chic. The fabric is so soft but I always felt too sparkly in this.
This is an old friend, my favorite cashmere sweater ever, a present from Ulf more than 10 years ago. It is now too big and holy (really needs an arm patch!)
I wore this top to Cathy&Andy's wedding (10 yrs ago) with a pair of black pants. That is hand embroidered silk, and it is lovely. Cole borrowed it for a wedding, too. It is too small now. The bag is a made from Lilly Pulitzer fabric, and I think one thing is I know is that I am not--no matter how hard I try--a Lilly Pulitzer kind of gal.
I screen-printed this myself but the image is way below my belly-button and it looks silly. It's an image of my niece CJ.
I discarded several bags. The one to the left is a Cynthia Rawley bag I found too floppy. The one to the right was hand-made for me out of an old pair of "mom" jeans.
I love the feeling you get when you can make a check mark next to something on your list, especially when that something has been on your list for a very very very long time. Such was the case with my jewelry, which I have been thinking about a good way to organize for years. The problem was -- as with everything you want to organize -- lack of space.
About a year ago, I scored a nifty jewelry box at a yard sale. I paid $5 for it, which I thought was steep at the time. But I realize now I got my money's worth, and then some. I finally made time to go through all my stuff, and it is worth a celebration. Not least because I found the pearl earrings given to me by an old boyfriend. I had been looking for them forever!
Back to The Box. While only about the size of a cigar box (actually it is about twice as high but the overall dimensions are cigar-boxy) it houses so much jewelry, because it is built on a roll-out system. No space is wasted.
Just look at the pics, it is never-ending!
1. Closed all the way.
2. First opening. There is quite a bit of space in that center compartment. But that's not the best part.
3. Second opening. You start to see the possibilities:
4. Then the sides continue to roll out and you have many different compartments. Below, only the one side.
5. Here, the other side:
6. Voila: the whole kit and caboodle! Whoa!
6. Close-up of some of the neat compartments. This is for rings but I used it mostly for earrings (most of these are garage sale earrings!):
7. Some other cute compartments:
If anyone wonders what this is called it is The Jewel Kit. I don't know if they still sell it at that link. But if I come across another one at a garage sale I am definitely going to buy a spare.
Now I have a bag of old jewelry to get rid of, mostly 80's style dangle earrings and other costumy pieces. Might take that to a jeweler to see if I can get any money!
P.S. If you are a burglar and you like the looks of my jewelry, don't even think about coming over to steal it. I always hide my jewelry box in a very clever spot. You will never find it!
Name: Susie.
Live: near Philadelphia.
Job: communications professional.
Family: one husband, one son, sisters, brother, in-laws.
Love: family, friends, puppies, kitties, cozies, etymology, paper, fabric, pens, old stuff, lists, garage sales, lots more.
Hate: people who get mad in traffic and make obscene gestures, anger in general and when people overreact, dishonesty, insincerity, stringy coconut, fennel, beets (I’ve tried to like them!)
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