Photo Journal: S. Indiana

Recovery

I'm in recovery mode after my sister's fabulous wedding this past weekend, and this song, Weightless by Courtney Jones, is just what I needed.

Why I Love Living in Chicago

It's a big city that often feels like a small town.  You can be anonymous if you want, but all it takes is a little friendliness and suddenly you know all of your neighbors the first night you move in.

We really take advantage of our summers.  Sure, they can be short, but no where else offers as much fun packed into so few months.  There's a festival every weekend, and no end of strange and fun activities to participate in (meatloaf cook-offs, protests, hipster versions of The Pirates of Penzance* and other odd plays, architectural boat tours, flashmobs, and segway tours,** to name but a few).

Beautiful beaches and gorgeous lakefront a mere 3 blocks from our door.

The Red Line has the most entertaining people watching I have ever experienced.  No where else can you experience political grand standing, Bible thumping preaching, frenzied gambling, drunken baseball fan debauchery, and the full gamete of weird outfits, hairdos, and accessories (stuffed bird perched on someone's shoulder, thong jeans, a cheek piercing) in only a few short stops.

A good mix of nationalities, cultures, values, and races.  Our neighborhood hosts people of every hue and nationality.  Within a small block radius, we can choose to eat Turkish, gourmet, Ethiopian, Mediterranean, Greek, Chicago hot dogs, Mexican, Indian, Thai, and Italian.  It is so much easier to embrace differences and appreciate uniqueness when people become your friends and neighbors.

Unlike NYC, we have alleys to put our garbage in so it's not on the front curb.

Green space.  It seems as if nearly all of the city's residents truly appreciate plants and flowers.  As soon as the weather permits, people are digging in the dirt to plant gorgeous things in every available nook and cranny.  I have seen flowers planted in tires, bathtubs, and buckets.  Better yet, I've seen vacant lots turned into garden plots for the neighborhood to tend vegetables while it is waiting to be sold!  What a great deal between owner and residents!   

Environmental appreciation is growing here.  The recycling program is supported.  The city encourages (and subsidizes) its citizens to use rain barrels and compost bins (we have both).  There are many bike lanes, and it is easy to get anywhere in the city by bike, L, or bus.  In fact, most of the time it's far preferable to driving because it's usually faster, especially when you factor in finding-a-parking-spot time.

A lot of people complain about the long, cold winter (including my husband), but I don't mind it too much. The apocalyptic snowstorms don't happen every year, but when they do, you get days off of work and neighborhood snow shoveling parties.

*Which was awesome! Their outfits were truly odd and there was a girl playing a handsaw, people. WORTH IT!

**I don't care if these are common to other cities, it's still a ridiculous concept, especially when you see them wearing their neon orange safety vests as they motor around Millennium Park. Really? You can't just walk?

Photo of Downtown Chicago, by me.

Random Facts Friday

Favorite food (right now): Ice Cream Snickers bars

Restaurant I Love: Roti (It's a small Chicago chain that is like a Mediterranean version of Chipotle. Soo good!)

Still Haven't Mastered: Working out everyday. Not sure that I've been trying particularly hard to achieve this goal lately though.

Hate: Being stuck in a cube on what might be some of the last perfect days of the summer.

Love against my will: The LC line at Kohl's. I totally don't want to buy anything that might somehow put money in Lauren Conrad's pocket, but darn it those clothes are super cute.

Latest Aggravation: Being in job limbo...no official job announcement for the fourth month running. We've actually started wondering if they'll make an announcement before the end of the year. We're all doing the work of the new jobs already though, of course. I'm sure it's not deliberate, but they're certainly getting the work without having to pay the appropriate salaries.

Most ridiculous thing I have done recently: Got a spray tan. Stinky, but looks pretty good. I'm not orange, at least.

Most Recent Book I Read: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Thumbs up)

Recent Conversation #8

Him: Um, I don't think I'm going to be able to wear the grey suit to your sister's wedding.
Me: Why?
Him: Because the cat threw up on it.
Me: What!? How did that happen to your GOOD SUIT?
Him: It must have been when it was lying on the bed.
Me: Why was it on the bed though?
Him: (Suspicious lack of an answer.) I could wear the black one instead?
Me: No, give it to me. I'll see if I can get it out.
Him: What shirt should I wear?
Me: How about your light blue one?
Him: But then it will be exactly what I wore to our wedding.
Me: Oh, good point. Okay, how about the white one?
Him: What's that?
Me: Argh! That's ring around the collar which happens when you don't clean your shirts every time you wear them. That's not gonna come out.
Him: Should I get rid of it?
Me: Yes, but now you don't have a shirt! Why are you only figuring this out the NIGHT BEFORE WE LEAVE?
Him: (Suspicious lack of an answer.)
Me: Okay, how about this blue shirt?
Him: But then it's like what I wore for our wedding.
Me: This is darker blue. Plus you're wearing a tie. And you'll be wearing the jacket. That's actually a completely different outfit. Are we good? Do you have shoes?
Him: At work. With my belt.
Me: ! Fine. Don't forget them or we'll have to buy some from Walmart for you. Again.

Good Things

Modesty is Not Among My Virtues

Here are those grand personality traits, talents, and characteristics I mentioned yesterday. I am limiting my list to a mere 10 to match my previous list, but please do not think that this covers all the lovely things about me.  Because it doesn't. I have great reserves of talents and general awesomeness, some of them well-known, some hidden. But not modesty. There are no hidden reserves of that. (A good friend suggested I list 31 in honor of my 31st birthday, and though I certainly could, it would be a very long post that might take a few months to publish.)

1. Empathy. (I am usually excellent at choosing the right words to say to someone. Usually because this characteristic is sometimes at odds with my lack of tact and inability to keep my mouth shut. Sometimes it's a case of saying the right thing AND THEN I KEEP TALKING which leads to somehow putting my foot in my mouth. This can tend to ruin the effect of those lovely words I just said.)

2. Self-Analyization. (Our couples therapist once looked at me in what I choose to characterize as awe, and said, "Wow, you analyze it all, don't you?" Yes. Yes, I do. And I'm usually right, which even she admitted.)

3. Humor. (I would say I am rather funny in typical conversation and in my writing, though it's true that I also have a particularly dirty mind. I think that comes from me not getting a joke in elementary school that caused the other kids to snicker. From then on I apparently made it my goal to see the dirty side of everything so as not to be left out ever again. This, in truth, has led to some awkward moments in business meetings where I am the only one holding in my snickers. Still, we can't go back. I, sadly, cannot undirty my mind. However, it does mean that I always get the joke. It also means that I nearly always have to explain that joke to my husband.)

4. Cooking. (I'm good at following a recipe, of course, but better than that, I've learned to throw things together to make something from scratch that tastes pretty freakin' fantastic. And better yet, I can create dishes from scratch that are reminiscent of a wide range of cultures; I'm not just handy with Italian, American, or Mexican flavours. Sure there are dishes that I'm not great at-still want to master Jambalaya-but most of my dishes turn out well.)

5. Reading (I'm a Reader, with a capital R. I love books, and a new book is always more interesting then the 50 I have on my book shelf waiting to be read. I read every word; I'm not one of those speed readers that you may have seen on early Saturday morning PBS. And still, even with reading every word, I can read a 600 page book in 5-6 hours.

6. Craftiness/Creativity. (I will pretty much try my hand at any craft teaching myself the basics. I am usually able to create something pretty great after only a few tries. I will tackle big projects, learning how to do it as I go along, which is how I came to reupholster our couch. This sometimes means, of course, that I only do some projects once because they're insane, but at least I can claim to have done it. My creativity comes in handy in other ways too; I can come up with solutions for fixing things around the house that are almost as good as the original, and I can find creative uses for all sorts of random thrift/antique store finds.)

7. Taste in Music. (I am pretty proud of this strength as anyone listening to my playlist at the Leisure Games this year would be sure to tell you. Under the influence of alcohol I may have repeated my claim to have good taste a few hundred times too many for people to fully believe it. Sadly, I'm relatively sure my playlist spoke for itself. My taste in music is eclectic and wide-ranging, helped in part by Paste Magazine (heard of Zee Avi, anyone?) and a friend who is a band manager (Knock Out by GD & TOP=pure awesome), but also because I listen to anything and everything I come across.)

8. Intelligence. (I solved that Chicken, Fox, and Grain in the Canoe puzzle in no time. Can you? Also, I know just enough about String Theory to be dangerous in a scientific conversation. My excellent memory and ability to problem solve does me wonders in all sorts of smartypants conversations and in winning every argument with my husband.)

9. Rhythm. (My fellow dance competition teammates from my third grade Hangin' Tough crew would likely be surprised to see this on my top ten list after the tears-mine-they suffered through as I failed again and again to grasp the simple routine, but when there's not a routine I am damn good at shakin' my moneymaker. I guess it took letting go of worrying about "not getting it" right away for me to be good at dancing. And guess what? I can do Zumba routines with the best of them. Wish I could remember that Hangin' Tough routine, I bet I'd kill it now.)

10. Passion. (I feel strongly about nearly everything. This, of course, makes me a good match for Nathan who feels passionately about few things more than red lights, chow mein noodles, and Steve Kerr. I laugh easily, cry freely, and get worked up about the injustices of the world, my husband, and my boss. I throw myself into activities and events wholeheartedly. I plan one heck of a party, and I certainly get credit for at least half the success of the annual McArdle Leisure Games. But more than that, I love wildly, with my whole heart and soul. I would do practically anything for anyone I love, and I believe I've done relatively well at showing them that.)

Things at Which I Do Not Excel

Now that I am no longer 30, I think it is important to do a bit of self-analysis. I guess 30 was my milestone year to take stock. In so doing, I took a moment to comment on my faults and my strengths. Let's start with my weaknesses...

I'm going to limit it to ten today, so please do not feel the need to tell me I've left anything out.

1. Patience (From trying to tell Nathan how to play Plants v. Zombies to how he's not chopping the onions correctly-But seriously, those pieces have to be somewhat uniform if you want them to cook evenly, right?-my patience is, shall we say, lacking. Teaching was a career path I never even considered both to protect my own sanity and to prevent future generations from developing inferiority complexes and high therapy bills.)

2. Bossiness. (See above. At least I am aware that I am pushy. I am moderately good at biting my tongue when my advice is not taken. Only moderately though. It has taken years of work to at least ask Nathan first, "Can I make a suggestion?" I have FINALLY reached the point where I can keep it to myself half the time when he invariably says, "Nope." And this is progress. You're welcome, Nathan.)

3. Self-Control ("Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment." Unfortunately, my bridge is one of those precarious rope bridges with the large gaps that yawn above the great jaggedy rocks below.)

4. "Managing Up." (And pretty much all that other crap there is office jargon to describe. I should try to be better at this, but I just can't muster the interest. Some people appreciate this stance, but sadly, not those people who have ever been capable of furthering my career.)

5. Sending packages on time (Probably a record setter for the latest wedding gift ever mailed. I was super thrilled to have sent two baby gifts recently that actually arrived BEFORE the baby was born. However, sadly they went out in the same shipment as three or four other baby gifts that were to babies who are now at least 6 months old.)

6. Keeping my thoughts to myself. (I have a blog, so yeah, there's that. Also not good at disguising my facial expressions. Poker face, I have not. One of my co-workers is fantastic at this; I'm trying to learn from her example though it is a Mount Everest of a goal.)

7. Tact and Subtlety. (This has gotten me into enough awkward situations that I am well aware enough of this weakness to first AVOID the mess if at all possible. If it's not, I try to follow Nathan's example and talk less, get quieter, and not make any abrupt movements. It seems to work for him in most instances though still not in arguments with me.)

8. Refraining from being over dramatic. (Sure, I'm a bit of a drama queen. I jump to conclusions and may occasionally throw things-pillows, not plates, of course-and I often pull the whole freak out before I think it through deal, and yes, I worry about EVERY possibility of a situation even the impossibilities. But it certainly doesn't help that Nathan is so low key that even my modest freak outs look ridiculously overblown.)

9. Modesty. (Sure, I excel at wearing underwear, but I'm not so good at keeping my proclamations in check concerning how awesome I am. I do like to congratulate myself publicly on my achievements. I'm not working to improve this trait. I think my husband needs these reminders in order to fully appreciate me. I like to think of this as self-marketing.)

10. Being positive. (Sure, my job might have been wildly frustrating this past year, but how many other fantastic things did I have going on that I was ignoring to focus on gnashing my teeth and wailing about how I was under-appreciated and never getting a promotion? I have a tendency to obsess, and I'm working on increasing noticing the positive, or at least trying not to say negatives aloud as often.)

Tomorrow, my good points. Of which I have decidedly more than ten (and is probably why people can usually put up with these faults.)

Chevrons are the New Stripes

Chevrons, which is usually used as a highbrow word for zigzags (though they're not exactly the same thing), are everywhere! Thought I'd do a little Photoshop practicing with some of my favorite finds.


1. Oversized Chevron Clutch, $28, Pieces by Jen
2. Ziggy Chair, $279, Urban Outfitters
3. Organic Chevron Bedding, $24-109, West Elm
4. International Concepts dress, $79, Macy's.
5. Note Card Set, $7.50, Wit and Whistle

First Anniversary Dinner Outfit

A Fancy Night Out

Fancy nights out happen so rarely for us that of course I've got an outfit planned. Who am I kidding? I've practically got the menu at North Pond memorized. I'm pretty sure that Nathan will be wearing shoes. Other than that, no guarantees on what he'll show up wearing.


Ain't She Sweet Dress, from Shabby Apple.
Citrus clutch, Hobo International, last year.
Boots, indigo by Clarks, last year.
Bracelet, vintage.
Necklace, by me.
Dolman Cardigan, American Eagle. (Not necessarily a great addition to the outfit, but I've been living in it, so I'm sure I'll wear it at some point tonight.)

Hello, My Name is Hanna, and I am a Font Junkie

I am not a graphic designer, which is what makes this confession even more necessary: I cannot stop downloading cool fonts. So far I haven't taken the step of actually paying for any fonts, which would probably put the whole situation right over the edge into an obsession.

The main issue is that I rarely get the opportunity to try out the awesome fonts I have added (and added and added) to my collection. So here I am, confessing my addiction. The first step is admitting you have a problem. And my problem is that I don't have any projects that require fun graphic fonts. (Not, of course, that I need to stop collecting them.)

Here are a few of my favorites:

Pompadour Numerals* by Andy Mangold

Marketing Script** by FontShop

Home Sweet Home*** by Ray Larabie

Ranger* by Evan Huwa

karabine.** by Jonathan Paquette

And here are all of the lovely sources:
*Selections 1, 4: Lost Type Co-op
**Selections 2, 5: Fonts2u
***Selections 3: My Fonts

Not mentioned, but equally great: The League of Moveable Type.

Runnin' Through My Head

Just discovered We Are Augustines, and they are amazing!

My favorite song so far is Chapel Song, but I suspect it's because I haven't stopped listening to it long enough to make it the whole way through any of their other songs yet.

They have a unique way of matching incredibly sad lyrics with catchy tunes. For the incredibly moving back story of the development of their album, watch this.

When Projects Go Wrong

I finished nearly all of my project's for my sister's upcoming wedding, and I realized this past weekend that I was bored. No longer could I tootle through my weekend content with a bike ride to the grocery store and some weeding. I needed a higher purpose. Okay, I suppose crafting is no where near a higher purpose, but reading a book on the porch wasn't cutting it for a whole day.

I turned to my trusty "to do" list, where I had written "Make bag" nearly a year ago when I had bought the pattern for said bag. I read through the instructions a few times, made sure I had all the materials I needed (and the list was wide-ranging and boded well what was to come. Snaps, large dowels, felt lining, buttons, d-rings...endless, right?)

Stay with me here, this may seem off topic, but we'll circle back to a point. I know that the 4-H materials natter on about how it teaches kids about responsibility, science, and loads of other malarky about "positive youth development," but besides requiring me to lie and cheat, (I'm sorry, no kid has that much project time with their parents that they can manage to complete not only their Fair project, but 6-7 other ridiculous projects that NO ONE WILL EVER SEE. You show me a kid in 4-H whose parent did 87% of the Fair project, and more than likely, I can show you a kid who got a Grand Champion ribbon. I did my own Fair projects I am proud to say, but I will admit to fabricating the completion of a diagram of all of the outfits in my closet and how they all fit together. Yeah, that is a real thing.) 4-H taught me one thing that has benefited me time and again. How to hold it together the fifth time you have to seam rip the same f'ing seam.

Don't get me wrong. Curse words were said. But, nothing was thrown, and I was able to refrain from ripping the fabric in half Incredible Hulk style. I count that a major victory, especially at midnight on Sunday when I discovered that due to poor pattern instructions I had sewn a section that wasn't supposed to be sewn causing my bag to be accessible through a mere inch opening when the dowels were in place.

Yeah, see that little 4-inch side seam in the picture on the left? That's not supposed to be sewn, making it so you can actually open the bag.

So thanks, 4-H. When I turned my bag right side out and realized I couldn't fit a damn thing in my overnight bag unless I was only planning to pack some important files and my iPad, you gave me the ability to whisper that f-bomb, fold the bag, place it gently on the sewing table, and head to bed.

Yet Another Joke I Had to Explain to My Husband

Recent Conversation #7

Him: Why is someone writing on our bananas?
Me: Huh?
Him: It says someone's name.
Me: What? What does it say?
Him: It says "Hammock."
Me: Oh, babe. That's not a name.
Him: Well then what does it mean?
Me: What is it written on? What does it say? Put the two words together.
Him: Banana hammock?
Me: Really? You still don't get it?
Him: What the hell is that?

Love Looks Good On Everyone

What a lovely collection of vignettes by New York Magazine of some of the newly married couples in New York since gay marriage was legalized.

Did you know?
On July 24, 2011 when couples were actually allowed to begin marrying, the first same-sex couple in the state were married in Niagara Falls at midnight. Niagara Falls was lit in a rainbow for the first time in honor of the occasion.

I read these and have such a hard time fathoming how anyone can think that allowing same-sex couples to marry can do anything to damage marriage. More marriages based on deep love and years of commitment will only make the institution of marriage stronger and more meaningful.

All images by Spencer Heyfron
Article via Emily Scott via New York Magazine, "It's Official."

Why I've Been MIA

My younger sister's bridal shower was this past weekend. We decided that her shower would have a nautical theme,* and I may have gone a bit overboard on my decoration projects.

I tackled homemade frosting and cupcakes that I topped with handmade international code flags of my sister and her husband-to-be's first and last initials (J, A, and H).


 I sewed international code flag buntings that said the couple's last name-to-be and the bride and groom's nicknames.




I made yellow and white tissue paper pom-poms to hang from the ceiling.

I sewed over 100 foot of crepe paper ruffle. 

My youngest sister made the book page banner (out of pages from an old copy of Little Women) that says "You float my boat."




I made tiny red, white, and blue paper buntings for the miniature origami boat regatta game we invented. (My mom made the 50 small origami boats.)

*Funny story, part of my gift to my sister was two WWII signal flags that I found on eBay. I initially bought them without realizing what they meant. After discovering that there was a different flag for each letter, I was first disappointed that I had given her two flags that stood for the letter "p" because that letter really doesn't have any significance at all. However, I later discovered that while the flag stood for the letter "p," it also means "About to Sail," which is so incredibly fitting for someone getting ready to get married! And better yet, two p's together mean, "Keep well clear of me" which will come in handy on all sorts of occasions after the wedding. I just love a multi-purpose gift, don't you?

Dear Photograph

I love this concept by Dear Photograph. Some of these will surely bring a tear to your eye...

Dear Photograph,
Her love was my chemo. I beat cancer.
Eric Richter

Dear Photograph,
Thank you for everything we had.
@jonathanstampf

How Cool is This?

While I don't particularly want to own this Egg-Bot myself, I do want to get it for my graphic design sister so that I can put her to work making me things with it. It's an intro to robotics type of machine that lets you map out a design and then draw it onto a (mostly) spherical object like an egg, ping pong ball, or Christmas ornament.

Can you imagine the fun you could have with this?

Pictures from Egg-Bot site, www.egg-bot.com.

A Honeymoon for the Birds

Our original honeymoon was to be in Japan, but then the tsunami interfered with our plans. We went ahead with our trip to South Korea, but I told Nathan very firmly that a trip spent with my in-laws (much as I love them) and sleeping on someone's futon did not count as a honeymoon.

But he was befuddled at what would actually count as a "real" honeymoon. We (or rather, he, since I wouldn't mind it a bit) don't do the lie around on a beach type trips, so if not one of what is typically thought of as a honeymoon trip, then what kind of trip lives up to the status of a honeymoon? Never one to miss an opportunity to look like I know what I'm talking about, I suggested that we go to Belize and stay in a treehouse.

Ariau Amazon Towers, Amazon Rainforest

Not a particularly serious idea at the time, as the thought floated around in my mind for the last couple of months, I have begun to REALLY want to do it now. And it doesn't really need to be in Belize. I'm not picky when it comes to my treehouse stay; I'll stay in Nairobi or Papua New Guinea or even in India.

Ngong House in Nairobi, Kenya

I'm definitely leaning toward this place, Parrot Nest Lodge in San Ignacio, Cayo in Belize. It seems the nicest of the affordable options. I'm not sure that I need to stay right in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest if it means spending $1500 a night, even if it is the trip of a lifetime. And not only does the location of this treehouse look amazing for site-seeing, but the parrots who nest above the treehouse eat all the mosquitoes! Talk about full service.

Parrot Nest Lodge in San Ignacio, Cayo

Picture 1 from Aria Towers website, www.ariautowers.com

Picture 2 from Ngong House website, www.ngonghouse.com/homepage.php 

Picture 3 from Parrot Nest Lodge website, www.parrot-nest.com

run with the hunted

my doom smiles at me 

there’s no other way:
8 or ten poems a
night.
in the sink
behind me are dishes
that haven’t been
washed in 2
weeks.
the sheets need
changing
and the bed is
unmade.
half the lights are
burned-out here.
it gets darker
and darker
(I have replacement
bulbs but can’t get them
out of their cardboard
wrapper.) Despite my
dirty shorts in the
bathtub
and the rest of my dirty
laundry on the
bedroom floor,
they haven’t
come for me yet
with their badges and their rules and their
numb ears. oh, them
and their caprice!
like the fox
I run with the hunted and
if I’m not the happiest
man on earth I’m surely the
luckiest man
alive.

by Charles Bukowski, from the book The Flash of Lightning Behind the Mountain.

 I love this eloquent description of the feeling that you have so much to do before your time runs out, but still feeling so full of happiness and luck. 

The poet wrote this as he fought the cancer that eventually took his life. Bukowski wrote masses of poetry over the course of his life, and many reviewers say the best of his work came during this time.

art: Woodcut of Fox from AllPosters.com  

Cool Things You Will Like

Happy 4th of July!

Thought I'd share links to some of the things I've been enjoying this week. Savor the long weekend!

I can certainly see this being the perfect spot to have that 4th of July beer and watch fireworks. Now there's a tutorial if you want to make your own! (ReadyMade)

I just love her pictures so much. It's no surprise that she is a professional food photographer. (Frances Janisch)

I can't say I ever felt a driving need to make my own .gif, but now? Oh, now it's a different story. (Liz Stanley)

Oddly enough I haven't seen her show yet, but Emily Henderson is hilarious. I am definitely setting my DVR. (And not to state the obvious, but her design style is SO me!) (Emily Henderson, Secrets from a Stylist)

This is quickly becoming my M.O. these days. Yikes. I have too much to get done.

One time I made a princess costume out of an old sheet and some filmy curtains, but this? This is magnificent. I am incredibly jealous even though I can't imagine what I would do with this when the hundreds of hours of work on it was done. Something tells me wearing a dress modeled after the 1910's to a wedding might be overkill. (Amber Mendenhall)

I am heading out to buy some sketch pads today. Brilliant.


*Photo from ReadyMade.com.

Blood, Sweat, and 24 Bags of Dirt

One of the positives (and negatives) of living in a building with other families is that you don't tackle any outdoor project entirely on your own. Our front parkway (the area between the sidewalk and the street) has been dirt pretty much since we moved in three years ago. Our building has tried a number of things in the past couple of years, but the combination of a ridiculous amount of tree roots, full shade, and neighborhood dogs peeing on everything have managed to keep reverting the space to dirt.

This year Nathan and I talked about actually planting a number of shade plants in the space, hoping that if we used one of those small fences, it would keep out the dogs. We still had to discuss the plan with the building though, and when that conversation happened, our day long project seemed to morph into something a great deal larger. The root issue was discussed, and we determined that we would actually need to dig out the roots and add more dirt, and what if we built an actual structure to keep the dogs out? Nathan and I looked into various types of stone, and as a building we eventually settled on the tumbled concrete pavers from Lowe's.

Our parkway losing the battle of the shade, tree roots, and dog pee.

We placed an order at Lowe's for a whole bunch of dirt and a load of bricks to be delivered to us on the day we were tackling the project. That day we spent about 6 hours digging up roots and leveling the ground before we were able to start laying the bricks (which took another 3 hours). Our pattern left some spots that required us to cut bricks to complete the pattern, which only sat a week before we got them cut (luckily, one of our neighbors is a contractor who volunteered to cut the three bricks for us or it's hard to guess how long they would have sat before one of us tackled it).

Plant box mid project, losing the battle with the oak tree helicopters.

A couple more weeks went by before we could all get together to go buy flowers for the space. This past Sunday, we made the trip to amazing nearby nursery where we had our choice of dozens of shade plants. We got about half annual and half perennial, with a mix of plants common to the Midwest, like a fern, coral bells, bleeding hearts, and astilbe, a few tropicals like begonias, coleus, caladium, and fuchsia for color, and Irish moss to fill in as ground cover.

Winning!

Choosing the flowers and the layout was probably the hardest part of the whole process because we were dealing with all of our differing visions of what the final product should look like. Though the final look is somewhat different than what I alone would have chosen, I'm happy with the compromise, and it looks a million times better than the previous barren ground!

Sadly, we have another space next to this one that's almost twice this size that we're tackling next. I was under the impression we were doing that next year, but the second the last plant was in the ground, my neighbor turned to me and started talking about getting that started on Labor Day weekend.

Photos by my neighbor, Wayne, on his iPhone.

Adventure

I'm all about trying more optimism to my life, but I definitely scoffed when I read my fortune last night. In the last year, I've gotten married, visited Turkey and S. Korea, and am currently going through a job upheaval. Good grief, what could possibly be next?

I'm not sure I can handle anymore adventure right now.

My Favorite: Biscotti

Biscotti used to be one of those baked goods that were so intimidating I never even contemplated making it, kind of like cannoli, petit fours, or macaroons. I'm not sure why I finally tried it, but it is surprisingly easy to make, very tasty, and much cheaper than anything you can buy in stores or coffee shops. (Also, dipped in chocolate, they make very impressive Christmas gifts for people.)

I regularly make this biscotti at our house because Nathan likes to have something small to eat in the mornings while he drinks his coffee. And there's nothing better suited to coffee dipping than biscotti. This recipe is very easy to tweak. Sometimes I add pecans and chopped dried apricots, sometimes lemon zest and pistachios, occasionally dried cranberries, walnuts, or almonds. For a very special treat, dip plain ones halfway in melted dark chocolate. (One bag of dark chocolate chips should cover a whole batch of biscotti with very little leftover.)

I am sure I originally found this recipe online, but it's been a few years, and now I can't find it again to give proper credit. I've tweaked it a bit too. This is the base recipe, but you can add any of the ingredients I mention above, just throw those extra ingredients in at the end before you form the dough into logs (except the zest, put that in around the same time as the eggs).


Almond Biscotti  
 (Don't forget: T=tablespoons, t=teaspoons)

3 1/4 c. flour
1 T. baking powder
1/3 t. salt
1 1/2 c. sugar
10 T. melted unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks)
3 large eggs
2 T. vanilla extract (make sure it's pure, not imitation)
1/2 t. almond extract (don't increase this amount or it will taste bitter)

Sift the flour, b. powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Beat sugar, butter, extracts, and eggs together in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients to large bowl gently, blending gradually. Optional: Mix in 1 c. almonds,other nuts, or dried fruit.

Form two logs, one per biscotti pan. Bake in 350º oven until golden, about 40 minutes. Cool logs. Cut diagonally with sharp knife. Return biscotti slices back to oven on cookie sheet for 12 minutes or until lightly toasted. Turn over and toast for 8 minutes on remaining side.

See? It's actually pretty easy; the most time consuming part is the baking time, but I've started these at 9 pm before and still headed to bed at 11, no sweat. You can see why I have two biscotti pans; it certainly cuts down on the baking time. You can bake one log at a time if you only have one pan. You can even bake the loaves on cookie sheets, but I've found that the dough spreads too much if it doesn't have the sides of the pan to stop it. Not really a problem exactly, it just means your individual biscotti slices will be very long and thin and everything will take less time to bake.

My Favorite: Kitchen Tools

 

 Totally odd post, I know, but I really really love my mango splitter, so you must be informed of this love, and while I'm at it some of my other useful lesser known kitchen tools. I decided to go with a baker's dozen just because I was having a hard time narrowing it down and a baker's dozen just seemed so apt for a kitchen post, right?

First, of course, the aforementioned mango splitter (lower lefthand corner). Fabulously useful. One of those one shot tools that is actually well worth owning if you make mango salsa as often as we do. It takes a wee bit of practice to be able to pick up a mango and choose correctly where to cut it, but after awhile you can identify the slight indention that tells you where the pit lies. This cutter leaves very little flesh on the pit and cuts the mango evenly into two large pieces. I recommend peeling the mango after cutting because it makes it less slippery. Also, you should know that this works slightly less well on the smaller variety of mangos you occasionally find in the produce section, so don't buy those.

Above the mango splitter is the ever-useful mortar and pestle, which was once an anniversary gift from Nathan. It's a nice marble one that has a lovely heft to it and has survived its share of knocks and tumbles. I firmly tout that there's nothing that adds better depth to a dish than freshly ground spices, and it's really satisfying to grind them to a powder with the little mortar (plus you get to feel a bit like a mad scientist).

For bigger spices like cinnamon and large amounts of peppercorns, I turn to my spice grinder (top left). Yeah, sure that may be sold as a coffee bean grinder, but it is fabulously useful in grinding my spices. I would certainly recommend buying a separate grinder for spices than the one you typically use for coffee beans because your coffee may end up tasting like cinnamon (yum) or tumeric (seriously yuck).

I really only use my biscotti pans to make biscotti, but you really can't make biscotti taste as good without them, so in my opinion it's another one of those one use tools that really are worth it to own. Still, I think these pans would be great to make some interesting shaped cakes or brownies if I ever have the urge.

The parchment paper you see in the pans is super useful to have on hand for practically anything in your kitchen. Not only does putting it in/on your cake pans and cookie sheets make clean up so much easier, but you can use it in making patterns for sewing and other crafts and as a disposable surface to save wiping up. Also, you can mimic the fancy bakeries by cutting this into squares and using in as muffin liners for baked goods. I haven't tried this, but I should. Actually, I'm pretty sure I just used up the last of my muffin liners, so in fact, I will be trying this.

Below the parchment paper is the difficult-to-find-in-stores garlic twist. It's kind of ridiculously expensive right now, but I cannot emphasize enough how useful it is to have. We use it for both garlic and fresh ginger; it takes seconds to mince three cloves of garlic and then even less time to clean. The cleaning part is what makes this hands-down better than a garlic press. I believe so firmly that this is worth having that I have given it as a gift in the past though every time it has been met with puzzled and dubious looks. Still, I persist.

If I had to use only one knife for the rest of my life, it would definitely be a  7-inch santoku knife (it practically already is the only one I ever use already). It's the perfect size to tackle anything in the kitchen without feeling like any second I'm going to chop off one of my fingers. Perhaps if I had better knife skills, this would change, but better knife skills don't seem a likely development so I will continue to turn to my favorite knife.

I use my kitchen shears for everything from cutting parchment paper to snipping herbs to trimming the fat off of meat. Sometimes even in preparing the same meal (though I end with the meat and always wash them very well after).

I actually grew up with this cake tester in our kitchen, so I asked for it when I had a kitchen of my own. It sort of reminds me of a oil dipstick, but I am reasonably sure that it's only use has ever been in the kitchen.  Using a metal cake tester, as opposed to a toothpick for example, makes it easier to see if your batter is set, and it's reusable so you're saving on waste. Sure this is another of those one use tools, but it doesn't take up any extra room.

A mini whisk is a surprisingly handy tool to have around. I find myself searching for it when I'm making small batches of batters, when I'm making mixed drinks, and when I just need to mix the salt and baking powder into the flour quickly before I add it to the wet ingredients.

We got the silicone muddler for a wedding gift, so we've really only had this a short while, but it is turning out to be a go-to kitchen tool. I use it for everything from squishing berries for toppings to actually muddling drink ingredients. The little waffle pattern on the bottom makes it very effective in squishing things.

I use my fine cheese grater for grating cheese, of course, but also for grating carrots for my tuna fish salad, and nutmeg (and less successfully, cinnamon sticks).

Finally, last but not least, I use my flour sack towels for everything in the kitchen. I tie them around my waist to use as an apron, use them as my surface for dusting raw fish or chicken with flour and spices, and even use them as actual towels occasionally.

There you have it, an immensely long post publicizing my love for kitchen tools. Like I said, odd, but hopefully helpful. Did I miss any tools or gadgets you can't live without?

*All pictures by me at night with the flash on, so forgive the poor quality. Perhaps I'll get around to replacing these with better ones, but it's about as likely as improving my knife skills. So. Well, don't bet a finger on it, I guess.

Happy Bloomsday!

I just love literary celebration days. It's the nerdy bookworm in me. 

Bloomsday is in honor of James Joyce's Ulysses, which honors the day all the events in the novel take place, June 16, 1904, and is named after the main character, Leopold Bloom.

There are an amazing number of events scheduled around the world today, including maps for those in Chicago, Boston, New York, DC, and LA to follow Bloom's Dublin wanderings in your own city.

My goal before June 16, 2012 is definitely to have read Ulysses so that I can go wandering down at the Bean in celebration of Bloomsday too. But no tattoos for me, I think.

An extreme celebrant of Bloomsday (Tattoo is the last line from Ulysses).

Haven't read it either? Catch up with the entire 1,000-page novel (much condensed, obviously) in tweet form @11ssyses or check out the process at the founder's blog.

First image from Imagine Ireland website.
Second photo via flickr by the queen of subtle.

Recent Conversation #6

Me: Hi, I'm in the grocery store, and I'm confused.
Him: Okay. What?
Me: Explain some things on this grocery list...(blah, blah, non humorous grocery-related blah). Okay, I'll get those things for you. Also, are the mini-energy bars on this list because you'd had to resort to eating them for breakfast, and you're running out since I'm a bad wife, and haven't made you your biscotti yet?
Him: Um, yes to everything except the last part.
Me: Aww...Wait, you mean the "bad wife" part, right?
Him: (Laughs.)

Six Word Memoir

I remember when I heard about Smith Magazine's six word memoirs on NPR. At the time, I tried thinking of one for myself, but nothing I came up with really captured me. I'm sure I was getting ready for work and forgot about it as I tackled my commute. Today, as I contemplated another blog entry I am planning, my six word memoir hit me. Funny how I didn't make the connection before. I certainly find myself saying these words often enough.

From craft projects to emotions, my six word memoir is something I find myself saying on an almost daily basis. 

I May Have Gotten Carried Away

Yes, it seems more than a possibility.

I Won't Let You Down, Frutescent

I encountered this site recently, and the English major in me rejoiced. The whole goal of Save the Words is to encourage people to use words that are falling out of use. I adopted "frutescent," which means to have the appearance of a shrub. I feel this word will be especially apt when describing the effect the soupy Chicago humidity has on my hair.

When you choose your word, you're told that you will receive a certificate of adoption in the mail. You can even purchase a shirt with your word on it. I'm looking forward to my certificate; I plan to display it at my desk at work. Seems fitting for a publishing company, yes?

 Suggestions for using your newly adopted word:

Meandering Along Life's Career Path

My company is "restructuring" yet again. These changes haven't really benefited me in the past (one time I was given a made-up title, the next I was laid-off), so needless to say I'm wary.

Turning to the bottle is certainly inviting.