Kinda Like A Turtle

So, I belong to this co-op of sorts that sources organic and locally grown fruits and veggies... and they deliver your order TO YOUR DOORSTEP!! Yes. You read correctly: DELIVER. TO YOUR DOORSTEP! If you live in Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Columbus or Dayton, I highly suggest you check out Green B.E.A.N. Organic Produce and Natural Groceries at: www.greenbeandelivery.com ANYHOO...  The point of this being, sometimes I forget to adjust my order, so they send me what is in season and such.  This means I often end up with some kind of vegetable I would NEVER buy EVER. Thus, the leek in this recipe.  Not that I have anything against leeks.  I just never cooked with them. I had to watch videos on how to prepare them. (Thank God for the World Wide Web) My sister hosted our Thanksgiving dinner, but I ended up with one of the legs of the turkey as well as a few pieces of white meat.  That's a lot of meat for a single gal. Full disclosure: I don't ...

I'm embarrassed to admit that I throw out a bit of food. (In my defense, I'm single.  I oft have grand delusions of making many different recipes during my week. Then I get busy and am not home. Or I eat out with friends... only to have my fresh foods spoil). Earlier today I had a migraine and came home from work a little early to sleep it off. Then I didn't feel like going out to get some food. Then I realize, "Hey, self, you have a fridge filled with fresh fruits and veggies.  Here's a novel idea... make something with them!" Then I thought "Self, that is a GREAT idea! Whatever shall I make?" Then I remembered that my friend and co-worker Mike was warming up some amazing looking dish his girlfriend made  of kale, sweet potatoes, potato and carrots. She calls it Winter Veggie Hash  (or something like that). Inspired by this dish, I decided to get a lil' crafty in the kitchen. Here's what you'll need:          ...

After three and a half years of her being on this earth, my niece had her first sleepover at my house over the weekend. Earlier in the week we discussed what she wanted to do: 1. Make reindeer. 2. Have Pizza. 3. Watch a movie. As soon as she got here, we started making pizza dough in my bread machine. Best pizza dough recipe I've tried, so far. (Probably cuz there's beer in it. I like beer.  A lot.) Here's the recipe if you're interested: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bread-Machine-Pizza-Dough/Detail.aspx?prop31=1 Anyhoo... Back to the craft.  While the dough was.... like... becoming dough, we had about an hour and a half to kill. We killed the time by making reindeer.    Here's what you'll need:                       1. Empty toilet paper or paper towel rolls (cut into size of TP rolls).           ...

I came across this clever idea last year that had bells in a shadow box. I just had to do it. (with my own flair, of course)   It was really quite simple. I got the frame from IKEA, the bells from Michael's (40% off), and a big pad of Christmas scrapbook paper (also 40% off). Using the matte that came in the frame as a guide, I cut the sheet down into a  9x9 piece of paper. I poured the bells into the frame and then put the scrapbook paper and the backing on. (Holy moly... totally off subject, but there is this CRAZY wicked  thunderstorm going on just outside my  window.  There was just this big, loud, ominous roll of  thunder, flash of lightening,wind and pounding of the rain  against my window,  and it freaked me out a little bit.) Where was I.... OH!  The Batman Smells Project.... ... And wa-lah. Little craft project semi-completed....   But it's missing something. ___________ I just can't figure out what...

Have you ever gone into a project thinking it would take about, like, 10 hours total? (Cuz, seriously, how long could it take to scrape a  few layers of gazillion year-old paint off of a gazillion year old porch?  I mean, so much of it is practically  BEGGING to be scraped off.) Aaaah….. you’ve got to appreciate the positive thinking one has at the beginning of a new makeover project. (Positive or Delusional, me thinks more delusional) I wanted to paint my porch, but wanted do it the “right way,” by taking the existing paint off first. So I bought some environmentally paint stripper. (One layer of the 5 or 6 came up.) Desperate times call for desperate measures. I had to bring in the big dogs and bought some seriously hardcore, heavy-duty, environmentally unfriendly paint stripper.  ( It eats through up to 15 layers of paint, ya know!) One more layer pulled up. Other areas bubbled up.  Mostly, the paint just got gummy. (Eats through 15 layers ...

Last week a dear friend of mine had his heart broken when his girlfriend unexpectedly broke up with him. This made him very sad, and me sad for him. (insert sad face here) Having gone through my own heartbreak earlier this year, I have some experience in dealing with such an event.  Only problem… he lives a gazillion miles away from his friends and family. So I did what any care package sending person would do.... I sent him a Break Up Survival Kit care package. "What does a Break Up Survival Kit include," you may be asking. Here's what his included: ·        Tissues ·        Easy Mac and Cup o’ Soup packets: (cuz he’s gotta eat, even though he prolly doesn’t feel like cookin’) ·        Instructions to watch every available episode of Parks and Recreation (cuz everyone needs some break up tested and approved tv fare to get through the darker days) ·     ...

When I was a little girl, I loved turtles... collected turtle figurines and stuffed animal turtles. LOVED turtles. My mom cross-stitched this little turtle thing for me,    (Yes, back in the day when people were crazy for cross-stitch)   And it said:   Slow and Easy,  That's my style,  I get there, but it takes awhile.   DON'T RUSH ME!   Fast forward to today, August 23rd, 2011. And it's kinda like my mom was, like, clairvoyant. My projects, well, they never get started and finished in a weekend.    (At least not most of the time)   More like months.  Sometimes years.  I don't know why.  It's not sheer laziness.   (Although sometimes it is)  9 out 10 times some grander master plan unveils itself.   (Which usually saves me time and money)     I have determined I'm gonna be in my house for awhile,   (stupid tanking real estate market)   and I'm ok with t...