Tuesday

I didn't have time to run down and get the milk, and I forgot to make my molasses cookies I was planning on making. But the deviled eggs were yummy!

Monday

Forgot to buy milk....was running all over the place during lunch. But otherwise everything was yummy. Lunch was about 600 cal. Breakfast 400 I'm not sure how much dinner was, but I just had a bowl of soup so I think I'm good for today. I got home late tonight and I left my awesome lunch box at school....sad day.

Nourishing Lunches

So there is a list in this book for September that lists a whole week of school lunches. Normally I am accustomed to eating the frozen lunch with grapes and pudding, but I'm game to try a full week of Vintage packed lunches in my fabulous metal lunchbox.

I'm kind of curious to add up the calories...the last time I did this I consumed SOO many calories and gained like 5 lbs.

Monday: Chocolate Milk
Cottage Cheese and Nuts
Egg Salad Sandwich
Apple

Tuesday
Milk
Lunch Meat Sandwich
Orange
Deviled Egg
Cookie

Weds
Milk
Orange
Raisin Bread and Butter Sandwich

Thursday
Milk
Tomato
Salmon Sandwich
Sponge Cake

Friday
Apple
Chocolate Bar
Cream of Celery Soup

Shopping List:
Milk
2 Apples
2 Oranges
Chocolate
Smoked Salmon
Tomato
Raisin Bread
Cookies
"Sponge Cake"
Lunch Meat
Cottage Cheese
Egg Salad

Trip to Trader Joes: Here I come.

P.S New Favorite Food Website www.eatingwell.com

September Assignments (mostly) Accomplished

So I've been diligently working on Septembers assignments while having a frenzy of information go through my mind (maybe "bevy" is a better word?)
First, I would like to share my new door dec. I made for my front door today. I think it's super cute it says "Blessings Fall" OR "Fall Blessings" Whichever way you look at it. I love sparkleys for the holidays, but my tastes are becoming increasingly sophisticated and I'm not using Orange in my home decor anymore....until Halloween anyway. I also am becoming more convicted that the word of the Lord should be written all over your house. Some of my friends from church write scriptures and frame them. I'm working on incorporating Gods word into my home decor.  Deuteronomy 6 4 “Hear, O Israel: dThe Lord our God, the Lord is one.2 5 You eshall love theLord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.6 And fthese words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 gYou shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 hYou shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 iYou shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. 

Anyways...so Hobby Lobby was having a sale and I found the acorns and Leaf for 40% off and the ribbon was on super clearance. I bought a paint pen and wrote Blessings Fall, I thought that was rather clever since everything in the store said "Fall Blessings" What the heck IS a fall blessing? and how is it different from any other kind of blessing? I had a heck of a time trying to figure out how to attach it to my door. so I ended up sewing a loop to the back of the bow that allowed for the back end of the wreath holder to loop into it. 

The other "crafty" thing I did in the same regard was a vase I found at peir 1 imports for super clearance as well. I keep it in my bedroom. I wrote Psalm 4:8 on it.


In peace I will both slie down and sleep;

for you alone, O Lord, make me tdwell in safety.

 It doesn't look as great in photo as it does in person...and the surface was kind of difficult to write nice font in...but I like it. 

Anyways on to Sept. assignments. 

"Cultivate a sense of appreciation. Love your work, trust your work, keep in touch with today. Teach yourself to be practical, up-to-date and sensible. You cannot fail." ~Henry Van Dyke

" Appreciation is the key to knowledge, the key to art, to literature, to good work. Without it, beauty is not seen nor understood and perfection is never acquired...We women hurry all too rapidly through the days, forgetting how big they are and how many times we could touch hands with real happiness if we would but appreciate the opportunity." -Mary Brooks Picken

One of my complaints from last year was that I didn't feel like there was enough time in my days. But I am beginning to realize there wasn't enough day in my time, and not enough relationship in my day.  When I spend time with other people, or spend time alone with God, or doing something I really truly love, my days seem like the last forever, in an incredibly good way. However, when I am totally unproductive, checking facebook, watching movies/television shows playing dumb computer games, my days go back SO fast and I wonder where my day has gone to. Sometimes I am SO tired at the end of the work day that I don't WANT to do anything else. But this semester I've booked myself solid, with spending time with friends, taking classes, auditioning for shows, and church related activities. While work still leaves me exhausted and rather grumpy, I enjoy my life a little more now. 

I came across an article by Fredrica Mathewes-Green. I heard it referenced in a sermon I was listening to, and I went to look it up. The article is entitled "Three Bad Ideas for Women"  She makes this statement: 

Though I use the term “careerism” to identify this value, I don’t mean that women shouldn’t have careers. I mean rather a half-conscious ideology which holds that the most important thing in life is the rank conferred by a place of employment. It’s as bad for men as it is for women.

Careerism is a foolish idea on many levels, not least because only the most fortunate, and elite, people get to have careers. Most people just have jobs. When I was a young feminist mouthing off about how I was going to be out in the workplace and not stuck at home, my dad gave me a few wise words that, improbably, sunk in even then. He pointed out that most of the people in the world don’t get their fulfillment from the thing that gives them a paycheck. They get their fulfillment from other facets of life: faith, family, hobbies, literature, music. For most people, a job represents only the hours they must spend each week to earn the free hours in which they can do the things they really care about. Careerism is the misguided notion that work trumps everything else.

Which I think is so true! I have been living, and I believe have been aught to live like work trumps everything else. Which sucks!!!  A) Essentially we're trying to search for fulfillment in our jobs, which really isn't there, or if it is, its there temporarily. Only Christ can fully and eternally satisfy. At some point our jobs are going to let us down and B)  When our jobs trump everything else, it trumps family and relationships. I know I've lived like this for...well the majority of my life. When really, I COULD have a job that paid the bills, was less than 30 hours a week and gave me time to spend with friends and family. I just...didn't. I didn't make that choice before. I thought my "career" was the most important factor in my life; I had to prove that I could support myself, be responsible and independent.

I've been keeping kind of an ongoing "goal" collage and one of the sentences I clipped out was "The thrill of choosing which way to go." As opposed to "knowing" which way to go, "knowing" isn't very thrilling...I don't think. Knowing doesn't cause me to step out in faith, or change, or do bigger and better things. Knowing isn't a choice, it's a duty. 

We were made to help each other out and part of helping out is taking care of the home, and passing down the word off God to our children. Journeying together through life to ultimately come to the fullness of Christ. You can't "Journey" in stagnation. You can't cease to stagnate when your days consist of waking up: going to work: cleaning the house: cooking dinner: going to sleep.  But quite frankly, when your career becomes who and what you are, that's really all there is. The same phenomenon would happen to someone who was barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. I have met more and more intelligent, incredibly capable amazing women who have chosen to stay home and take care of their children, and its truly a shame that the majority of american society looks down on them. 


I was reading this other article I heard referenced about why men don't grow up, or the Peter Pan syndrome.  Can I survive on my own? Yeah. I can, I can make enough money to support myself, and I'm responsible enough to get the trash out before it starts smelling. Do I WANT to? No. No I don't want to do it by myself, and more than that, I believe that God called us to help each other out, as iron sharpens iron. (Prov 27:17) 

Assignment #1 Orange and Peach Jam

I've made Jam before: Strawberry Jam...I don't think I was patient enough with it, because it turned out a bit too fluid. This is my canned version. I'm afraid to open it. I can't remember when I made it, and I'm afraid it is probably nasty inside.

 but today I made Orange and Peach Jam....which is why I'm up so late. It took me longer than I expected it would. I put it in a jar marked "not for use in canning" so I'm not "canning" it...I'm "Jarring" it and it's going directly in the refrigerator when it cools off, so I'm pretty sure it should be okay. The recipe in the book was a little vague and complicated all at the same time. So I followed another recipe and kind of combined the too. That seems to be a pattern in my cooking lately. 

Peaches/Oranges and Peels/Water and Sugar Boiling

Finished product cooling off  (jam all over the stove)

Jam on Beer Bread I made yesterday.

Assignment #2 Cross Stitch

I almost completed a cross stitch. I'm out of string of one color, but after that I'm finished. I haven't done a cross stitch since I was like 9. I think most cross stitch patterns are stupid. But I found this cute one for an apron. It goes with my kitchen perfectly!!!

Cute Cute!!!

My next project is to make an apron, I'll have to get some fabric for, and to make a week of "nourishing" lunches. 5 more days until the month is out...I've been pretty productive this month....do you think I can make it? 

I kind of thought this was funny....

September

I'm beginning Septembers Blog Mid August, because August is almost over and I'm getting very excited about fall. Not to mention that school USED to start in Sept. so Amy Barrickman's book focuses on school for Sept.

For those of us who wish to make progress, no matter what our aims may be, there is no better teacher than a child. If a child wants to know about something, he asks a lot of questions. If something happens with which he is unfamiliar, he demands an explanation. Of course, the child looks to his parents for answers. But what a fine example he is to all who want to learn. "If you don't know, ask!" Ask somebody else, or ask yourself an then answer yourself be consulting the proper authority, be it a person or a book, But ask! Don't stifle your desire to learn Be as a little child, and ask. -Gustave L. Weinss

I find that God has this habit of speaking to me through movies and plays, and books that I am reading, people I meet or engage in conversation with, that just begin to align, pull at my heart, and form my thought process. I have a tendency to process things very slowly.  I am beginning to learn that leaps of faith and prayers that consist of  "Lord, I have no idea what I need to pray, but my heart is full, so send your holy spirit to speak to you in my behalf" tend to lead me into fantastic adventures, and change me from the inside out. It's important to ask questions, but sometimes we are in positions that nothing but your own heart can provide the answer for.

FINALLY

I FINALLY made the Ice Box Dessert. A fruit Parfait.

You know what ELSE everybody likes? Parfaits! Have you ever met a person, you say, "Let's get some parfait," they say, "Hell no, I don't like no parfait"? Parfaits are delicious! 

Parfait's gotta be the most delicious thing on the whole damn planet! -Donkey


Well here is mine. And it WAS delicious!! Everyone said it was at church, the only reason I had left overs was because we ran out of forks! Next time though, I"m going to make the Lady Fingers myself instead of buying them from the store. I'm sure I can make some that don't taste sooooo....store bought---ey. . 

Again with the iritating Phone Camera...where is my REAL Camera?!?!?!?

Also I wanted to make a comment about the new salon I go to. I LOVE it there. It's totally quirky, but I always end up with an amazing haircut.

Here is my new haircut I'm so uber excited about! :D

I think it kind of makes me look like Jean Crain. I <3 her!!!

Yay for Chop Tops <3 you Jenny D! On to June's assignments, but I'm going to be in LA for most of July.
Amy Barrickman is talking about Neighbors (I don't know mine and I've lived here for almost a little over 2 years now.) Embroidery, making a summer purse, and Summer Refreshments. P.S I thought a mint Julep was Iced Tea alcohol and mint, but this is saying it's ginger ale mint and lemons and oranges.Most of those should be fairly easy and I can finish them before my trip to LA next week. I'm thinking about having peeps over next Sat. for some cake for my Birthday. I can make some version of the Mint Julep then...maybe I should try to meet my neighbors this month?


I've been working on that hat, it's taking me a long time...longer than I expected, though when it's finished it's going to be uber cute. In the meantime I've been also working on some baby clothes for my God child, Andy. I get to see him in one week exactly!!!! Oh, and can I just say, speaking of the baby an baptisim etc. I have this pink dress I LOVE, but it really needs a full slip because it buttons down the whole length and is a light cotton so if I bend the right way it tends to gap. Since when did people stop making full slips?!?!?!?!? I haven't been able to find ONE. The other day I was browsing at a dress shop near my house, (I'm sure she hates me 'cause, I buy something maybe once a year, but I go in there at least once a month.) and they had some vintage lingerie and low and behold-full slips from the 50's and 60's. My monthly browsing paid off. The one I got is a little too big, but I can take it in if I need to. 

Did I mention?

When I say "this month" I mean from the 20th to the 20th 'cause that's when I get paid. :P I am going home next week. My mom has this material I got for a scarf a couple months ago, and I need to decide what kind of yarn I am going to use for this hat. I used to own this awesome crocheted beanie I wore all the time that I bought from Thomas Jefferson's house. I loved it! I have no idea what happened to it. :( Sad day. It wouldn't match my sense of style anymore anyway...

I've also been working on my version of the Evelyn Carey Painting. I'm still in sketching mode but here is what I have been working on. Her breasts are too large and I can't decide on the face. These pics are with my sucky camera phone again...Oh where oh where did I put my camera?!?!?!

New Favorite Blog: http://www.tarteletteblog.com/2009/02/recipe-index.html

When You Step Inside...Amy V.

Amy is assuming I have a front hallway....I don't. My front door leads right into my living room. Not very welcoming according to Amy V. and this 1960's "How Things Work Article" She does suggest the obligatory Umbrella in the Corner and Quirky Coat Rack. I'm not sure about the most  space efficient way to partition off the door from the rest of the living room...think think think....

Cafe Curtains Success!!!

When I was in college, the beginning of every semester we would have to log our computers on to the network, after the process was through the screen would flash "SUCCESS!!!!" It always made me feel like I accomplished something!!! :) I accomplished another project today. I made my Cafe Curtains for my Kitchen. $18 and I purchased everything from Hancock Fabrics. The Fabric wsa a remnant for $4 a yard. I bought two yards but it seems I bought a yard and a half too much and now I am going to have to figure out what to do with the rest of the fabric...As soon as I find my real camera I will take pictures of them. I also found a never been used set of  1950's cake and pastry frosting equipment today. I was super excited about my find!!!!

Make Your Front Door a Welcoming One

Amy V says that the front door should be welcoming, and the color of the front door is important...unfortunately I live in an apartment and I can't paint my front door. She suggests that apartment dwellers should place a particularly pretty mat in front of the door. So I bought a green and brown one today from World Market. I had an Orange one...but I have been increasingly hating it. She also suggests placing a pot of philodendrons beside the front door, but alas, there isn't enough space in the stairwell but, I think my living wreath will suffice quite nicely.  When my living wreath seems to be blooming I will hang that on the front door. Hopefully it's welcoming enough!!! Maybe it needs a sign that says "Welcome"

Vintage Notions: May

I'm going to be better at keeping up with my projects this month.

"Prayer is the peace of our spirit , the stillness of our thoughts, the evenness of recollection, the seal of meditation, the rest of our cares and the calm of our tempest; prayer is the issue of a quiet mind, of untroubled thoughts; it is the daughter of charity and the sister of meekness."

 In Amy Barrickman's book, may seems to be a month of prayer and the home. Last semester, at church we were studying prayer, and a lot of people were reading Paul Miller's A Praying Life. I didn't have a chance to purchase it at the time, but I heard it was really inspiring, and in keeping with Barrickman's theme, I think I will read it this month. I have also had the book  The Sacred Romance  by John Eldridge recommended to me, as well as Evlolving in Monkey Town by Rachel Evans. So thats my reading list for this month, we'll see if I can them all read!!

Projects this month:

Fashion: Sewing a Scarf

Crochet:  Hat

I'm thinking about working on this one.

http://www.antiquecrochetpatterns.com/sparkling-beanie.html

Good Looks:
Cupping the face. "Simply place a small glass cup on the face, holing it there for a few moments til the suction draws the blood to the surface. Then, move it to a new spot, continuing in this way until the face has been covered and the blod made to circulate freely." (SCARY) Who DOES that?

Cleansing and moisturizing the face a priority.


Home:

A Little World of Peace

by W. Dayton Wegeforth

Mould yourself a little world of peace

To live upon in blissful sweet content; 

And place it in a cloud of silver fleece

Amid the blue of your own firmament.

Build  around your hope a golden fence

To bar out care-to keep your joy within;

From radiant sunlight glean your confidence,

And with its shimmering beams  your future spin.

Place your faith in God, and tread the way

Through flowered years, with some twin-hearted soul; 

Let no dark sorrow dim your perfect day,

But seek the myriad joys that make life whole.

(I want to put this on an Art Print)

A Smiling Garden.

"A plot of flowers will delight you in three ways-first, through your sense of sight; secondly though your sense of smell;and thirdly, through that joy of all flower lovers, the luxury of giving away."

It's May, and I've been in a bit of a funk lately. Today has been one of the first where I felt productive though. I made this living wreath: 

Sorry, I don't know where my camera is so this is my sucky phone camera.

I got the idea from the Hostess with the Mostess blog. 

We'll see if I just ended up destroying the flowers.:( I'm hoping it will work and I can hang it on my front door. It will be my inspiration for decorating the rest of the house in a close to 30 manner as opposed to "twenty-something just out of college and things are just hodge podged together."

Considering: Re-doing lampshades for the Living Room.

Cooking:
Icebox Pudding

Amy Vanderbilt Reading:
How to Decorate with Accessories

Sew Retro:
Cafe Curtains for Kitchen (Hopefully Creating the Illusion of a window in the Kitchen???)

Oh and I saw this poster by Evelyn Rumsy Carey in someones House and I want it, but it's like $60.00 and I can't afford it so I'm posting it here. Maybe I can recreate it with my own spin on it?

Oh...and P.S

If I ever become an Imagineer, move to L.A and make a lot of money I'm going to live in this house.

http://www.homes.com/listing/134243662/1342_Cleveland_Road_GLENDALE_CA_91202

Amy Vanderbilt-Pacing Housework

OH! I've been so overwhelmed lately! I feel like a failure as a single 'cause it is utterly impossible to keep my house clean w/ two mischievous cats and one messy house guest (Myself.) If Myself cold just get in line w/ Me my life would be uber easier. I'm trying to remind myself Ms. Vanderbilt says "The main concern is to do a satisfactory job in a resonable period of time-YOUR time, not your neighbor's (and not what your imagination tells you everyone else is capable of -s.v)Active people take on a number of projects and thrive on them. They actually go downhil if they are not busy and challenged constantly. (she's speaking of me here.) It is a personal matter to discover your own pace and stick with it. The family will benefit from the calm radiance of a woman who has found herself. (oh please God, let me find myself) Whether you shoot sparks or burn slowly doesn't matter as long as you are yourself, all in one piece."

This is encouraging and doesn't make me feel like such a failure. If Ms Vanderbilt says I'm okay, I must be okay.  Even when my house isn't perfect. I can find peace and order at my own pace. Back to flylady.com day 1. Shine your sink.

Amy Vanderbilt's thoughts on: Fatigue

"Weariness that hangs on and on destroys the zest and satisfaction of living. Continued apprehension and anxieties over small or large problems can reduce a human personality to shambles." Oh my goodness! Did Amy open up a window to my life?! This is EXACTLY how I've been feeling lately. And what are Amy's cures for Fatigue and weariness? (I think weariness is the best description....Oh how I am weary...would people think I was bizzare if I said that when they asked me how I'm doing? "I'm okay. I'm kind of weary." So much more descriptive than "Tired." Tired can imply that I stayed out too late last night partying...I'm to weary TO party. HELLOooo.

"At times you may feel that the conflicts between what you are doing and what you would like to be doing are so great that irritation and resentment take over." How does she know my life?!
What are her suggestions?

Meeting Crisis: "Most of our troubles never happen."
    Bottom line: Don't put off making a decision.

Physical Causes for Fatigue:
   4/5 people have no physical cause for fatigue. Most women are just crazy. Does it really say that?! I'm pretty sure it does. Those movies with the "normal" woman locked in psych wards in the before the women's lib movement freak me out.

Pacing Housework:
  Work on YOUR own time. Naps are good. Eating properly cannot be overemphasized. (No Idea how this fits into housework.)

The Artful Dodgers
   There are 5 of them.
      Avoidance of Decision Making
      Shifting Blame: Basically projecting your feelings on everyone else.

Ingrown Idenification:
Identifying with groups of people as opposed to your own identity.

Rationalization: Giving excuses instead of owning up to the truth.

Aloofness: A little alarmed at the fact that Amy is suggesting that men can break this barrier...weird. She does have a point, usually aloofness is just a facade to cover up something someone doesn't want to show other people.

Boredom and Fatigue
Get a hobby or join a group.

Amy's Nugget of Wisdom " It's amazing somtimes to find how problems seem quite solvable after eight hours of sleep.

Craft Along, Read Along Vintage Notions, Sew Retro and Amy Vanderbelt

‎"Live life today as though today were all- As though this very morning you were born. Your yesterdays are days beyond recall; Tomorrow does not come until the morn. Rest not upon the victories you have won; Because you lost, surrender not to fear. Your yesterday was ended with the sun. Tomorrow has not come. Today is here. -Douglas Malloch


I sucked at keeping up with my doctor says I can't keep up the Vegan diet any longer because I need protein.  Alright by me. I hate Tofu.

In honor of upcoming Mothers Day,

My Grandmother passed away a few weeks ago. I miss her terribly, one thing that we chatted about a lot was sewing and cooking. She has been encouraging me to attempt the pie crust, of which I am REdiculously afraid of. Sometime soon I will attempt...THE CRUST.

A couple years ago my grandma also invited me to all of her sewing patterns she had nicely stacked in boxes in her closet. Patterns she has kept since before my dad was born.

After she passed away, my dad asked me what I wanted from her house. I wanted her pink lamps and a collection of Amy Vanderbilt books I used to pour over as a teenager. I collected the books and a 1960's Christmas Craft book.

The Vanderbilt books reminded me of the book Vintage Notions book I had purchased after attending a seminar on the book given by the author, Amy Barickamn. I have been wanting to do a read along, craft along with this book by month. With the risk of being overly zealous, I would like to tackle reading through the Amy Vanderbilt books as well, and a book my mother gave me called "sew Retro" which gives a couple different projects for pieces throughout the decades starting in the 1900's.

So dedicated to my grandmother, and my mom...here's to more than I can chew-

Amy Vanderbilt's Success Program for Woman Book of the Month

YOUR GOOD HEALTH

Amy Barickman's Project for the Month

"The Fabric Flower"

Amy Barickman's Recipe for the Month

Layer cake w/ Fluffy Icing

Sew Retro Sewing Project for the Month

Victorian Pincushion

Strawberry Whip It

I tried to make this strawberry whip. I used a hand mixer instead of a blender but I don't think it would have made a whole lot of difference. BLECH! It KINDA tasted like strawberry's on top of cottage cheese, which I like...not the texture I was looking for.....not eating more of that!

Spices

I am quickly loosing interest in salt. There are too many other spices that are a lot more interesting. I'm sure that salt is important for preserving, etc, but Rosemary and Thyme are a little more exciting to my taste buds.
Today I made a vegan potato soup. I think if I would have used fresh herbs it would have tasted a bit more springy. Today has been so cold and rainy I felt like soup was in order. I threw in some dried herbs. It was a lighter soup than you are probably used to but it was filling.

I have been craving sweet all day, so I went to the store and bought some dried apples and fruit leathers...what I really want is a HUGE box of fresh chocolate truffles...*sigh*  Tomorrow I'll be making a strawberry whip with tofu for dessert.

Tofu Chili

Was Better the second day. The texture didn't bother me so much. I keep forgetting to put the avacodo in though. I made Asparagus (I <3 Asparagus) for dinner today. The Recipe called for salt. I added salt but didn't like it as much as the pure flavors that were already in there.

Adventures in Tofu

I HATE Tofu. I think it tastes like...oh wait pretty sure it doesn't even have a taste. But the texture is even worse than not having a taste. It's like Tasteless jello and it looks like what you skim off the top of REDICULOUSLY old milk.

So! I'm going "more than Vegan" for a bit. Tofu is in a lot of Vegan Recipes. Therefore I am going to have to experiment with the Tofu. (Remind me to take a picture of my action figures Tofu and Bacon and Post them on here.)

Tomorrow begins the adventure. Slower Cooker Vegan Chili...w/ Tofu.

Let the Adventure Begin!!!!

Pretty Sure this is  Made of Tofu

Living the Spartan Life

Resolved:
To clear out my home and my life of clutter. I am going to fly lady.com it, but in the meantime, I am going to pack up my entire house and life and live from boxes, things placed in the boxes that have not been missed over the course of a month, or I have not drug out are going to Good Will. I am going to go through a process of redecorating my house as well. I am also going to try to limit myself to only purchasing free trade items and decorate in a way that glorify's God. I'm not sure what this means. Protestants tend to think it's white walls and no decorations....I dunno. We'll pray and see what happens.

Simplify Simplify Simplify.

Resolved:
To develop a solid and godly philosophy of marriage and dating.