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a year ago today

it's absolutely baffling to me how so much can change and deepen over a mere 365 days. just over a year ago, i didn't even know what a blog was and had 6 month old twins (see how little even at 6 months) who were sleeping intermittently, nursing constantly, i was still somewhat of a zombie but starting-just-starting to once again appreciate the incredible brightness that was my life.

i endeavored some professional development by enrolling in an online class about integrating the latest technologies into the classroom. not that i had the intention of returning to teaching any time soon, but i was yearning for some non-baby-brain-stimulation and the PBS-sponsored course was just what i needed. a few weeks into the course, we delved into the world of blogging, and after a few clicks i found knit-and-tonic, knitlet-now-known-as-all-this-by-hand, knitty and others. that evening i picked up my needles again and within a few days i did my first post.

it's a year later, we're soooo in the groove and life is amazing every day. i opened my boxes of pottery and have been able to sell some choice pieces through my etsy shop, dusted off my sewing machine to stitch up functional-fun, and even started bookbinding a bit again. all told, i've rediscovered me and am able to celebrate creative moments and embrace the processes. and for that i thank my blog, other bloggers, and you - the sweet people who stop by from time to time to say hi.

[originally posted on blogger.]

quick cook monday - hot, sour, salty & sweet

it's been way too hot here - ok, so maybe not albuquerque hot, but "ohio hot" is humid which is NOT condusive to the slow cooker. plus, little miss thing was under the weather so i had my hands full this afternoon. however, yummy dinner was had by all as i whipped up this lightening-fast-everything-in-one-bowl meal. it's not a thai dish, although the idea for the different flavors was inspired by the title (not the contents) of a great southeast-asian cookbook and what was on hand in the fridge & pantry. and it took less than 20 minutes to prepare - from water boiling to sit-down. seriously!

hot, sour, salty, sweet pasta - (serves about 4)

set a pot of water (for the pasta) to boil on the stove while you prep your ingredients and put them all in a bowl:

• about 3 cups of grape/cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/4-1/2 red onion chopped how you like
• a few slices of sopressata julienned (proscuitto would be delicious as well, as would some poached chicken... or you could go veggie and skip the meat all together)
• fresh mozzarella cubed up (as much as you like)
• fresh basil ripped or julienned (my italian friends would insist you tear it; never touch a knife to fresh herbs, but i won't tell on you)
• a few cloves of garlic, minced

cook the pasta according to the directions until it's al dente. drain & return to the pot with a touch of the cooking water. sprinkle with salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and drizzle on a few tablespoons of good olive oil. toss in the prepped ingredients while the pasta is steaming - the mozzarella will get oooey-goooey and the juices of the sweet/sour tomatoes will absorb into the noodles. you get heat from the red pepper flakes and the sopresata adds a saltiness. adding some greens (spinach or escarole) that you've blanched for 30 seconds in boiling water would be a fabulous touch as well, mmm. enjoy!

[originally posted on blogger.]

sweetness & sunshine

down in the little historic village near here, where the river cuts through a sweet little valley carved by time, they have an annual art by the falls. a better way to spend a crisp-and-sunny saturday i cannot fathom. my little ladies and i headed down, all packed up in the jogging stroller for the bumpy terrain of the hay-covered paths through the park adjacent to the falls. about 150 e-z-ups jam-packed with artists displaying their wares, everything from carved wooden creatures, to handbeaded flatware, to incredible glass-artists and potters, and even a few fiberesque booths.

it was fun to take the girls, this being their first time and all. the people, live music, displays... everything had them wide-eyed and gleeful. if only everyone could have that eager adoration and curiosity about the world around them. being a potter-on-hiatus, of course i supported another - the little vases are sweet perfection in our family room adding a curvy dash of deep green ... out of toddler reach, natürlich. and then we met the most charming older man who had so many incredible paintings even i had to gasp. four little watercolors made their way home with us; i love artists' studies, seeing pencil sketches underneath the color, imagining when and where and what they saw. you always see something new. and it turns out, my former printmaking teacher has now moved her co-op press group into his artists' studios, so i will have to head down for a visit.

on the way home, a quick stop at the farmers' market - $15 later we have a new hanging herb garden - how clever! - it even has tiny cherry tomatoes on it. sunshine happy day. the duo was attracted by the hypersweet fragrance of these miniature strawberries. we bought 2 quarts and as you can see, only 1 quart remains a mere 24 hours later. pics of the culprits with the sappy red juices still on their chubby cheeks. to quote them, "a-yum!"

i'm midway through a vintage elizabeth zimmerman hat pattern that is reminiscent of a dairy queen cone - more on that later. tomorrow is dh's birthday and he has requested beef stew in the crock pot (recipe posted tuesday) with a big pile of mashed potatoes and my famous chocolate mountain for dessert. a guess the diet is on hiatus, as well. xoxo

[originally posted on blogger.]

baby knits rock

it's so gratifying to cast on and complete a project in one day. ahhhh, baby knits.

two friends from where i used to teach are expecting and so i whipped them each up the baby bolero from one skein (which i *still* have out from the library). i didn't use the bsa organic cotton as in the pattern, rather a sumptuous cascade cotton i got at the nice-but-not-local-ys last week. sandy beige for the boy-on-board and creamy yellow for the girl-on-the-way. i wanted to do unexpected colors, since when people find out the baby's gender ahead of time, they tend to get a whole lotta pink/blue gifts. and this cotton is a lightweight worsted and just perfect for the next 6 months or so, which is a generous estimate, seeing as it also fit my little 17-month-old 21-pound dumplings. i have already decided to knit up something similar for the girlies using the remaining 2 1/2 balls of the ggh samoa i have left over from knitting katja.

have you met katja? i knit her last night while dh and i watched "revenge of the sith". no lie, just a few hours and this little number was d-o-n-e-perfect! only one seam (although you can knit it in the round for seamless action. again, i didn't use the yarn as in the pattern, it was powder blue & white ggh samoa for us (viva la project spectrum blue for june) and i somehow purchased too many balls. no biggy, though... in a minute, it's downstairs to CO a little jacket for the ladies. the sketch is done and i'm writing the pattern as i go, so maybe-just-maybe i'll get around to posting it.  both of these knits introduced me to a new friend, the provisional cast on. mmm mmm marvelous!

[originally posted on blogger.]