Had a hankerin' for some (more) notepads that represent ME. Not corporate me, but me as I try to fit into the corporate world, but let a little me peek through. I am a doodler, and everyone who knows me at work knows I doodle as I'm sitting in meetings, or on the phone and it does NOT mean I am not paying attention. It's how I listen and keep my brain awake so I CAN listen. So I made notepads that look like I've already doodled on them, because they're a little subversive and NOT corporate and that makes me laugh. People I send notes to at work fall into two groups: people that laugh when they see them and those that say "uh, I got your, uh, note..." (and here their voice goes up a little and one eyebrow raises slightly.) I also made some sarcastic labels, but I'll save those for another day.
it's fun to let yourself show.
[ t ]
A recipe! Me, who-does-not-cook (although I do like to bake), wanted blueberry muffins but didn’t have a boxed mix on hand. I do have fresh blueberries from this summer (frozen, just waiting to be sacrificed for such a delicious cause), but am entirely too lazy (and hungry) to make “from scratch” muffins. So this is what I did:
2 c. Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake mix
1 c. water
¾ c. sugar
1 egg
2 Tbs. oil
Stir just till mixed.
Fold in 1 c. fresh blueberries
Bake in an 8 mini-loaf pan @ 400 F for 13-15 mins with convection turned on (I have a convection oven, but without it, just cook yours a little longer). [edited: for regular muffins, don't use convection - it browned the tops too fast]
In like 20 mins from start to finish I was eating HOMEMADE blueberry muffins (OK, loaves) with melting butter and crumby goodness. I am now free to use this “recipe” with any mix-ins! Chocolate chips! Huckleberries! Raspberries and orange zest and diced apples and bananas (I love to spell b-a-n-a-n-a-s, it makes me laugh) and coconut and pineapple and pecans (oh gosh I LOVE pecans) and the list goes on…da-da-dant-da-dant-da-da (eminem fans will get it :)
Happy eats, my peeps! LOL, I slay me! [ t ]
My oldest daughter, Shade, 14, was almost lost to me forever yesterday. As in quite literally, the last time I saw her would have been the last time I saw her alive. She was walking to school with a friend, Kia, 16, and they were crossing the street right outside our house. They were at the intersection, in the crosswalk, following all "the rules". An oncoming car stopped to let them cross, however the car behind him, driven by a teenage boy who was trying to drop off his little sisters at the elementary school (where my youngest daughter also happens to go) did not stop. He plowed at full speed into the stopped car which was 4 feet from Shade and Kia. It was sent directly at them in what she describes as "mom it was like the whole world went into slow motion, but at the same time it was instant, like a second". They literally dove out of the way and were missed by a hair. The car that was hit was totalled, into a little ball (my DH saw the car only a few minutes later, never knowing that Shade had been there) and the passengers were carried away on stretchers, unconscious. I still do not know if they are OK. This happened in the morning and I didn't hear about it until some 9 hours later. And in the telling, we didn't even know that Shade was there, we just heard about the horrible accident outside our house. Wasn't until Carsey (middle kid) got home and gushed "how is Shade? I was so worried all day, is she OK?" Apparently it was all the talk at her middle school. She said she could "swear she had seen me come into the office and knew what it had to mean and felt sick inside" {luckily that was not the case!). In all of this there is the surreal feeling that it didn't happen, everything is as it has always been, she is fine, no harm done, no foul. But in my head, in the quiet, I keep hearing "Shade almost died today" and this morning "Shade almost died yesterday. almost died, almost died, ALMOST DIED......" I don't like the quiet right now, not good to be in my own head.
hugs, t
Have been discussing lost things (time, energy, minds, etc) for a few days with my new friend Lain, so I think this is such an appropriate subject today. I spend so much time in my "studio" (which really means the world cuz life=studio to me) that the thing i've certainly lost most is my youth. This isn't a new LO, in fact it is one of the first one's I'd ever done, but it sits in my "studio" space and reminds me in equal amounts that what I do keeps me young as well as takes my time. but what's a goil to do??
Studio Friday
[ t ]
I found this super cool metal basket at Target and when I saw it's holes, I KNEW I had the absolute perfect use for it! I unwound ALL my ribbons and piled them in and threaded the end of each one through a hole. Because the box has four sides (genious is he/she who invented the 4- sided box LOL) I was able to organize too (cool colors, warm colors, neutrals and patterned/multi). They took up much less room not on the spools and freed up an entire drawer in my desk where they used to be. Plus now they're decorative while NOT in use to boot! I didn't decorate the box, except for the one clear quote sticker you see in the pic. Love that! And you know what else I love? That $14.99 brought me such joy on a thursday. Here's hoping you find cheap joys today too.
[ t ]