tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14246864169862083732024-03-05T00:45:17.596-08:00smitcheShannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-14833792756647454502015-06-09T16:41:00.000-07:002015-06-09T17:02:45.779-07:00Set Styling for HGTV & Glade!<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from <br />
genevievehgtv's instagram account.</td></tr>
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Did I ever tell you about how I spent the majority of the early 2000's (and my 20's) watching <a href="http://www.genevievegorderhome.com/blog/" target="_blank">Genevieve Gorder</a> crack open raw artichokes for design inspiration and run around barefoot on Trading Spaces? Well I did.<br />
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And 13 years later, here is that lovely lady standing smack-dab in the middle of a set that I designed for a commercial shoot with HGTV and Glade last year!</div>
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I wish I had dorked out enough to ask for a photo op. In fact, I tweeted her this same sentiment... and she said that I should have!</div>
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<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=2919165295277">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=2919165295277">New Glade Customizables</a><br />
Two things ARE better than one... especially when it comes to scent! Learn about our new Customizables, which holds two fragrances, from our friend Genevieve Gorder, courtesy of HGTV.com. (http://www.hgtv.com/helparoundthehome)<br />
Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Glade">Glade</a> on Monday, August 26, 2013</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsyqbBHB9ev-kYymBp5k3W8TQ5UjbG1JkGVcXpVErkNM0DpPsv9XdvCEXz0J8tON6zw5omNXtmETIWvU_eZT0hwYXO6D8fTJbSrIjBF5vf0tbUDqizGiJ1AccFG8B2od2lm38WoSJWYN8/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsyqbBHB9ev-kYymBp5k3W8TQ5UjbG1JkGVcXpVErkNM0DpPsv9XdvCEXz0J8tON6zw5omNXtmETIWvU_eZT0hwYXO6D8fTJbSrIjBF5vf0tbUDqizGiJ1AccFG8B2od2lm38WoSJWYN8/s320/photo+2.JPG" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
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This is the room she's standing in before </div>
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final touches. We ended up adding a lot of </div>
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black & white and brass. You can see the </div>
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production crew's floorboard coverings and </div>
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the homeowner's birdcage holding the </div>
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doors open. Make it work!</div>
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In person, she is gracious, professional and smells like a real lady. I've worked with some other tv folks, and trust me, they're not as nice as you'd hope.</div>
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I can't even tell you how many times she had to say, "Mmmm, Apple Cinnamon!" for this Glade candles commercial, and each time was better and more refreshing than the last. </div>
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Totes profesh, this one.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kaamAzkiodDGwuGSEDVBXs2xI9JuwP1tttA82nTaQZXwOHuCOLq9JYx5d8_XQ9gKaBKscaR2o-_7RCnaVKdkpijJrI_lYfYemWbjgMN-MN2zzBZLaEfc4NAUbKTe9Ae0-G4glpK_upE/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kaamAzkiodDGwuGSEDVBXs2xI9JuwP1tttA82nTaQZXwOHuCOLq9JYx5d8_XQ9gKaBKscaR2o-_7RCnaVKdkpijJrI_lYfYemWbjgMN-MN2zzBZLaEfc4NAUbKTe9Ae0-G4glpK_upE/s640/photo+1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the Dining Room set of the Glade Wax Melts shoot, featuring a rustic <br />
table setting of succulents, mercury glass, burlap, <br />
raw birch placemats and green giraffe print curtains. <br />
Look closely and you'll see the dhurrie rug <br />
that I used as a table runner! Scandalous.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">If I had asked for that photo op, it would have been a major run-on sentence that would have sounded something like this:</span><br />
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"Hi Genevieve! Remember back when Trading Spaces was the only design show on tv? Well, it was my cryptonite, along with This Old House. TS was the fresh, fun, spastic, do-anything, crazy aunt to old uncle craftsman over on PBS. It made DIY and design accessible to a kid like me who grew up in a DIY kinda house. It was the reason I painted stripes on every wall in every apartment I ever lived in, twice." </div>
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"And Genevieve! It was the reason I built a queen size bed from old lumber in the smelly trash bin area at the bottom of our building and then carried it on my back up four flights of stairs to our apartment."</div>
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"It's the reason you will see me, to this day, <a href="http://smitche.blogspot.com/2011/09/trashy-makeover-1.html" target="_blank">pick up old furniture off the street. </a>"</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrpd2K5zuMy-1hH1i9-xJTAkjpl4JnWKs88trfF8KPJ_VyNOCiuzqfB3gtfxk_EUzOEJjcYSZoae2TugBnbJmivVVzUYi-qKKO29CKMTgUTmkEXNZzApHuOupVDpEEry-q9wSaxnQNrew/s1600/426018_10200765101714120_1191882722_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrpd2K5zuMy-1hH1i9-xJTAkjpl4JnWKs88trfF8KPJ_VyNOCiuzqfB3gtfxk_EUzOEJjcYSZoae2TugBnbJmivVVzUYi-qKKO29CKMTgUTmkEXNZzApHuOupVDpEEry-q9wSaxnQNrew/s320/426018_10200765101714120_1191882722_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes my friends help me. And sometimes they make fun of me.</td></tr>
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"Oh Genevieve! It's the reason I thought that I should do this all the time, like as my job. So can I take a picture with you, and can you put your arm around me like you know me?"<br />
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And then I would have been fired. And I wouldn't have been able to style a shoot for Christmas in June!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgib_C91JNXQXMAsdL5CvhBZoxirK__EcTIyoMkdrPJp5Uvm9HPLcskjE8kTR7-rvR7-f_FonmAlaZaCDSi6mDpGF8A76pGN7vhjwIXL7qfxOLytkOFf1y1iyzUSIjmBBOvtCVHysHOgVA/s1600/hgtvxmaspic.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="439" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgib_C91JNXQXMAsdL5CvhBZoxirK__EcTIyoMkdrPJp5Uvm9HPLcskjE8kTR7-rvR7-f_FonmAlaZaCDSi6mDpGF8A76pGN7vhjwIXL7qfxOLytkOFf1y1iyzUSIjmBBOvtCVHysHOgVA/s640/hgtvxmaspic.tiff" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is from my friend <a href="http://www.mateoandisabel.com/" target="_blank">Elizabeth's</a> instagram. She was my styling assistant on the shoot. <br />
She brought a ton of vintage ornaments that sent Genevieve bonkers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGTFD0QRTXTjFPOeF8VAM_FHya7LztEc5GJ9oRixUFERvkWMSX_XrmtUgqmj_vbxe7rfo-VeyyuFjNv3TmwOuNDJHcVZxsOFbQhQLdPaYgEXEP0eQwYuQcnKi6YFrbRauQObBIm6TKVY/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGTFD0QRTXTjFPOeF8VAM_FHya7LztEc5GJ9oRixUFERvkWMSX_XrmtUgqmj_vbxe7rfo-VeyyuFjNv3TmwOuNDJHcVZxsOFbQhQLdPaYgEXEP0eQwYuQcnKi6YFrbRauQObBIm6TKVY/s640/photo+3.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The living room set. Those pillows got changed to graphic black & white, per GG. <br />
Didn't hurt my feelings one bit!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsyqbBHB9ev-kYymBp5k3W8TQ5UjbG1JkGVcXpVErkNM0DpPsv9XdvCEXz0J8tON6zw5omNXtmETIWvU_eZT0hwYXO6D8fTJbSrIjBF5vf0tbUDqizGiJ1AccFG8B2od2lm38WoSJWYN8/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></a>
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<br />Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-5923950626266817282012-04-13T11:30:00.000-07:002012-04-13T12:00:35.575-07:00My New Obsession: Etsy Treasury Lists<div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZEn2KJAvQFYBegv1VbG6G-Lk2qrxd7lTCc4JkaYPkPLgjC_2u5HNfC_gYfhLqWPb9lbDOvFKWlvCINpp60lEmD9Ay7PqdwfikhMP9lmDN2m-bd5IDK4PZlXD2pg4ft9ctnkwXcFW6WE/s1600/il_fullxfull-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZEn2KJAvQFYBegv1VbG6G-Lk2qrxd7lTCc4JkaYPkPLgjC_2u5HNfC_gYfhLqWPb9lbDOvFKWlvCINpp60lEmD9Ay7PqdwfikhMP9lmDN2m-bd5IDK4PZlXD2pg4ft9ctnkwXcFW6WE/s400/il_fullxfull-3.jpeg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/83085524/porcelain-and-leather-hanging-planter?ref=tre-1475715778-15" target="_blank">Porcelain & Leather Hanger by FarrahSit</a></td></tr>
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I go on binges.<br />
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Oreos.<br />
Sewing.<br />
Blogging.<br />
Chairs.<br />
The interwebs.<br />
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You name it, I've probably sat laser-focused for hours on end gorging on whatever you might imagine, stopping only occasionally for oreos. And when I've steeped my brain to the point of saturation, I simply walk away. Like a cat who's had enough of your petting, I traipse off, casually leaving whatever you might imagine alone with their own thoughts, taking my attention with me.<br />
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It's a character flaw.<br />
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My latest obsession - well the one I was obsessed with around Christmas and have since betrayed with my silence - is creating Etsy Treasury Lists. It's really fun. The constant searching, the tireless favoriting, gorging my ego with power by passing over one pillow for another. I have standards after all. There are only 16 spots to fill.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoUrUAJkECvN4iLTzNnmE20JeB1mQZGzNbF3Xb1M1wZsBNR3K9NOgkcER-GgEsIcpffSVgCwPS0nh1y4r0fPwRfAzplvLckfChkU2LV-ESEuRbV1Lr5Zqn_67ch-fSaWjHaGyxzOWT98/s1600/il_fullxfull-5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoUrUAJkECvN4iLTzNnmE20JeB1mQZGzNbF3Xb1M1wZsBNR3K9NOgkcER-GgEsIcpffSVgCwPS0nh1y4r0fPwRfAzplvLckfChkU2LV-ESEuRbV1Lr5Zqn_67ch-fSaWjHaGyxzOWT98/s320/il_fullxfull-5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/83256464/retro-wood-ampersand-letter-wall-decor?ref=tre-1463553054-3" target="_blank">Retro Wooden Ampersand by Edie's Lab</a></td></tr>
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Unlike Pinterest (another obsession on its own) where I can add as much as I want to any number of boards (Oh the power!), where I fantasize that my life is much prettier, DIY-ier and more organized than it might be, Etsy Treasury Lists force you to be picky. To be a curator of things that fall under the well-crafted headline you've given it.<br />
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Maybe it's the structure that suits me during these binges. I need boundaries.<br />
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Here are a few things from my treasury lists. You can see <a href="http://www.etsy.com/people/eatlovehome/treasury?ref=pr_treasury_more" target="_blank">the rest in all of their glory here.</a> Maybe I'll get back around to obsessing with it again sometime.<br />
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<i><i><b><a href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTYwNzIxOTN8MTQ3NTcxNTc3OA/gifts-for-your-femme?index=0" target="_blank">From "Gifts For Your Femme"</a></b></i></i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YvjIfyiK9wdQ5tYnCVWIYpLfeb-3HbDMd9kisDyyYubX_9vHUQRByD96lJmRatPjdsn_X8Kbly7WsOgI1TBq6xgbj8H7RacihJH5oSTx1aAls0C8b5xyjbfFNeJYCWcwIZRs8VYg6cU/s1600/EtsyFemmePic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YvjIfyiK9wdQ5tYnCVWIYpLfeb-3HbDMd9kisDyyYubX_9vHUQRByD96lJmRatPjdsn_X8Kbly7WsOgI1TBq6xgbj8H7RacihJH5oSTx1aAls0C8b5xyjbfFNeJYCWcwIZRs8VYg6cU/s1600/EtsyFemmePic.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTYwNzIxOTN8MTQ3NTcxNTc3OA/gifts-for-your-femme?index=0" target="_blank">Gifts For Your Femme Treasury List</a></td></tr>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTYwNzIxOTN8MTQ2MzU1MzA1NA/for-the-home?index=3" target="_blank">From "For The Home"</a></i></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcCtrp6fSQ6rX9rcINthliAyLiem9vo8Kt7K2CxbR5sj2nESRx-jqU5J5kVEWBkUJD7y9Ki5wesYXnEcFQ0Lb7c66vX7Nsa2rdfGQjzaBsVZkrybPlEttcX2aBAHmk9a2c11fIhW0NsV4/s1600/EtsyHomePic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcCtrp6fSQ6rX9rcINthliAyLiem9vo8Kt7K2CxbR5sj2nESRx-jqU5J5kVEWBkUJD7y9Ki5wesYXnEcFQ0Lb7c66vX7Nsa2rdfGQjzaBsVZkrybPlEttcX2aBAHmk9a2c11fIhW0NsV4/s1600/EtsyHomePic.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTYwNzIxOTN8MTQ2MzU1MzA1NA/for-the-home?index=3" target="_blank">For The Home Treasury List</a></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/people/eatlovehome/treasury?ref=pr_treasury_more" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: x-large;">See more here...</span></a><br />
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</div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-64400520958490284462012-02-02T15:30:00.000-08:002012-04-13T10:13:35.644-07:00Brass lamps make my heart weep.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyTJEOSEliijdSmnGygOc8kx3H-COvZ_x2faCZ9s56kVb8A9NoTTTH5d6SJaa2NwdxkYC-Mf2C9dHyO4qEX9TcduQijgEQ9pSG-Fwvc4U43zZLCNizKYBGBEvRbJJtw9qXM7dAgZDwP_4/s1600/bluelamp4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyTJEOSEliijdSmnGygOc8kx3H-COvZ_x2faCZ9s56kVb8A9NoTTTH5d6SJaa2NwdxkYC-Mf2C9dHyO4qEX9TcduQijgEQ9pSG-Fwvc4U43zZLCNizKYBGBEvRbJJtw9qXM7dAgZDwP_4/s400/bluelamp4.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">$9 each from the thrift store</span></td></tr>
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Kind of in that same way old oak cabinets do when I'm about to paint over them.</div>
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I know I <i>should</i> feel bad.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8qSTwr-rLlSNibUSz-sNYY5egQJq4W8qAjp-M7W9E5qAgK8nzaxKDc72iV1R2mNruXfOhXYQ1bwG4cMiNW_6gQa9kt_iM9wTveBd2dN1Y3bX8kxkm4l_HO7TFT38mQGnfB3hMeiWHos/s1600/bluelamp3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8qSTwr-rLlSNibUSz-sNYY5egQJq4W8qAjp-M7W9E5qAgK8nzaxKDc72iV1R2mNruXfOhXYQ1bwG4cMiNW_6gQa9kt_iM9wTveBd2dN1Y3bX8kxkm4l_HO7TFT38mQGnfB3hMeiWHos/s1600/bluelamp3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8qSTwr-rLlSNibUSz-sNYY5egQJq4W8qAjp-M7W9E5qAgK8nzaxKDc72iV1R2mNruXfOhXYQ1bwG4cMiNW_6gQa9kt_iM9wTveBd2dN1Y3bX8kxkm4l_HO7TFT38mQGnfB3hMeiWHos/s400/bluelamp3.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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Look at them. They're practically being brought to you by baby Jesus himself, all cloaked in soap opera light.<br />
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But my house isn't the brassy kind, so something had to be done.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrmmrcIsDElIoUsolMn2c4hCbkfJseispPRQ0nblrna7NMhuQWaiYvj5JsdMx5C9M26-TIT3x7fJs-CwMoyERFMohx0_tigOAAtQDcFxnfc2uqz8m2YO2JG9ffVAAK4gIwJTl9aGlbPE/s1600/bluelamp5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrmmrcIsDElIoUsolMn2c4hCbkfJseispPRQ0nblrna7NMhuQWaiYvj5JsdMx5C9M26-TIT3x7fJs-CwMoyERFMohx0_tigOAAtQDcFxnfc2uqz8m2YO2JG9ffVAAK4gIwJTl9aGlbPE/s400/bluelamp5.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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I couldn't help myself.<br />
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Around spray paint, I cannot be trusted.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdhN-j_L7JOvVysua9Vdfa20mYwhC1OIfosgfcCUXFQqo15Tp0Pr4TgwaXXHOO7C_uHKb9T5sb2kFi-Csc_Sw4ENBkHErTChm9h-aWcgQoBcsa8x1Mf-afnLeIe-XKbI2H3KYYqBWNjw/s1600/bluelamp2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdhN-j_L7JOvVysua9Vdfa20mYwhC1OIfosgfcCUXFQqo15Tp0Pr4TgwaXXHOO7C_uHKb9T5sb2kFi-Csc_Sw4ENBkHErTChm9h-aWcgQoBcsa8x1Mf-afnLeIe-XKbI2H3KYYqBWNjw/s400/bluelamp2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rustoleum Ultra Cover in Lagoon</span></td></tr>
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Even the finials look sad over there by themselves, just as blue as blue can be.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDK8eZW-Q40WurYuH0mYRRTIlv8c0EogPLPnhCufNPhjAwK8xed4OIwifdWuTgWgbJDbbhomWb4nzYpXc_87sOTNc9M7PF-4VrXYYpXNaxoOUClqyR5qHkToylC2kO8xN6kfRqeo7hLb0/s1600/bluelamp1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDK8eZW-Q40WurYuH0mYRRTIlv8c0EogPLPnhCufNPhjAwK8xed4OIwifdWuTgWgbJDbbhomWb4nzYpXc_87sOTNc9M7PF-4VrXYYpXNaxoOUClqyR5qHkToylC2kO8xN6kfRqeo7hLb0/s400/bluelamp1.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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Is that a teardrop or is it just my super high gloss turquoise spray paint?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuCu5Q1wRI59i751GIKfHKXI8s0ocYvY2Wx_8ntbssFS7Fa9TIIPVwwCQVrb0zYs18gP-KFy_QFUFVIiorDXcMQE-1X9JdW1UgUHpBSA_AwQXw4Lk2XE9ZrPWvJPCVTDLohK87H2pMDg/s1600/bluelamps7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuCu5Q1wRI59i751GIKfHKXI8s0ocYvY2Wx_8ntbssFS7Fa9TIIPVwwCQVrb0zYs18gP-KFy_QFUFVIiorDXcMQE-1X9JdW1UgUHpBSA_AwQXw4Lk2XE9ZrPWvJPCVTDLohK87H2pMDg/s400/bluelamps7.jpg" width="378" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmzkE7z3SJOKWFFrcPEOA9fDdoe-3y7euyw34LZaZhmSmiyiJREOBPedyr3fp-fFw5lbLQR13_TYoXwREodMONmhu76mlLYa29yiTK18dhMl2Vf8HSPQyHuFqE2TwQ9Sp3Lydl2TWtKk/s1600/bluelamps8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmzkE7z3SJOKWFFrcPEOA9fDdoe-3y7euyw34LZaZhmSmiyiJREOBPedyr3fp-fFw5lbLQR13_TYoXwREodMONmhu76mlLYa29yiTK18dhMl2Vf8HSPQyHuFqE2TwQ9Sp3Lydl2TWtKk/s640/bluelamps8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">$25 shades from Lamps Plus</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">Turquoise makes me happy.</span><br />
<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-91354567421570698282011-11-26T07:57:00.000-08:002011-11-26T10:09:02.387-08:00Hey folks, I got a new gig!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXAOh7FGirW2L99RIBdjsCJy6pJxONmqTZvJFO6ffZ8NyP5qJF8u6qLkTIzEySt_3RA-0Aj3Z-tJXeY1vylZs2OoG6n3KW05sfLwLhsSf3O2CUi9lJjRlImg2pq4wa9NwsfajE31Cb7M/s1600/hgtvCATB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXAOh7FGirW2L99RIBdjsCJy6pJxONmqTZvJFO6ffZ8NyP5qJF8u6qLkTIzEySt_3RA-0Aj3Z-tJXeY1vylZs2OoG6n3KW05sfLwLhsSf3O2CUi9lJjRlImg2pq4wa9NwsfajE31Cb7M/s1600/hgtvCATB.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">what?!</td></tr>
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And by new gig, I mean quite possibly the best new gig in town. I'm the new design assistant (behind the scenes) on HGTV's show "Curb Appeal!" I design and implement the mini neighbor makeovers and contribute to the main house re-design for things like house colors, lighting, staging and other final touches. I just gave myself a giant pat on the back. And a gin & tonic.</div>
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It happened really quickly in comparison to how long I've been looking for a new gig. Ever since The Start-up Who Shall Remain Nameless kicked the tech bubble bucket and took my newly minted Vice President job with it, I've been on a roller coaster of reexamining what my next step would be. Of course there's always the fall-back of re-starting my little design consulting business, of which I am so lucky to have the option.</div>
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But working alone is a lonely business, and it's hard to teach yourself new tricks. It's hard to be your own challenger in a one-woman workplace, no matter how many design magazines you subscribe to or how many hours you spend sitting alone in the Design Center cafe, hoping someone will notice your awesomeness and invite you to sit at their table. </div>
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I crave learning new things. I need collaboration and water cooler chat and gripe sessions about that lady from Pottery Barn who thought she knew everything but was so far off the mark. I miss happy hours with my co-workers and constructive criticism from my boss. I need to work with actual human beings so that when my sweetie gets home from work, I don't meet her at the front door spewing word parts about how the new Anderson Cooper daytime show is surprisingly two parts boring and one part Maury Povich.</div>
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This is what working from home *alone* will do to you. </div>
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You forget how to work. You get job search ADD and start applying for jobs you've never done but think it would be cool to try out. You get rejected on a weekly basis for jobs you're over qualified for, and you take yourself to the brink of excitement that the next interview will be the one. You bury your head in a good book and forget that you need a job. You start to think that you could actually live on unemployment for a while.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTOdt_daa4bmMLHe4xZ9MrZy60GBq3Jvp40167i_Pg_LSJR_kG9n2lYo8SMWAVJSR7ihxnL54uYMSrUaMJ1I9PNjeLXxK9AMo7EYzQoZtrhDREN7mms9Oz46gjJZuqnt0IHFV90VqI90/s1600/March10_Favorites_Gidding_Large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTOdt_daa4bmMLHe4xZ9MrZy60GBq3Jvp40167i_Pg_LSJR_kG9n2lYo8SMWAVJSR7ihxnL54uYMSrUaMJ1I9PNjeLXxK9AMo7EYzQoZtrhDREN7mms9Oz46gjJZuqnt0IHFV90VqI90/s320/March10_Favorites_Gidding_Large.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John Gidding = Handsome Personified.</span></td></tr>
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And then POOF! You get a text that says your name is being considered for an opening on a design show! And then you go in the next day to interview with some producers and (name drop alert) John Gidding! And the first thing you say to him is, "Hi! I'm Shannon! I want to run my fingers through your hair."</div>
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So inappropriate.</div>
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And then they go through your portfolio, ask you a few questions and say, "Yeah, I think this is going to work out. Do you want the job?"</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">YEEEESSSSS!! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Thank you very much.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZMVWFvKLji0u5E0DftyHGUG7q9Bz7Q_2OWqHtL0xnpT_815CObCMOBGOIw1JLLHrEaf1MqmAPqUvXxbpUrH4bluY-r1i-eK6VctWX0CeDvgKTXNQKYLbs3q6FDxLffcRsPgoixnIps8/s1600/shannonflying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZMVWFvKLji0u5E0DftyHGUG7q9Bz7Q_2OWqHtL0xnpT_815CObCMOBGOIw1JLLHrEaf1MqmAPqUvXxbpUrH4bluY-r1i-eK6VctWX0CeDvgKTXNQKYLbs3q6FDxLffcRsPgoixnIps8/s1600/shannonflying.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ok, I might be a little too excited...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Photo by Peter Campbell</span></td></tr>
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But this is what you've been waiting for, get excited! The right job in the right environment with people who will challenge the way you think about design, teach you new ways to communicate your ideas and take full advantage of what you bring to the table.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Will Work For A Windex Endorsement.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtxuPYDUpEqDpBtLYpxBIeK7b_dEyDyKpGcWSVG2chg-8HJdJTrSvw0j4ldcblaXdic0s-tSAURmyDHFKhLYBIuIur76Nk3WHCNvBawt66kG-kGmCFnCJHCc1uMkPgAAl9D6cu5fQc5c/s1600/filmingintherain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtxuPYDUpEqDpBtLYpxBIeK7b_dEyDyKpGcWSVG2chg-8HJdJTrSvw0j4ldcblaXdic0s-tSAURmyDHFKhLYBIuIur76Nk3WHCNvBawt66kG-kGmCFnCJHCc1uMkPgAAl9D6cu5fQc5c/s1600/filmingintherain.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Filming in the rain...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QZh4shUX-BZ2TqY6y9eYeSYQBFuBIoc8eFFw-OxwnTgnCmjjZYT0PlNOPjzXPsbQ9sGr2hWltkvvUUt55PVFnds9_vazAXvX7hWqohyphenhyphenH0CkA5UkCQ1VVuvKooF1kXnXn4LXChkZXs8Y/s1600/groupaprons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QZh4shUX-BZ2TqY6y9eYeSYQBFuBIoc8eFFw-OxwnTgnCmjjZYT0PlNOPjzXPsbQ9sGr2hWltkvvUUt55PVFnds9_vazAXvX7hWqohyphenhyphenH0CkA5UkCQ1VVuvKooF1kXnXn4LXChkZXs8Y/s640/groupaprons.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Rudy, Kwasi and Suz </span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">modeling the aprons I made during my unfortunate unemployment stint...</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2s6fBjH0_u60XCNppQ1rzm148bOdQ0h6o7NG-UZslOJOsdUcJ2cgx-_-Mpacy1sSs67KV3jfDLRh2xMds1F9B6fKb29q0iB7yHCAC8chvrzsnfk1MlKum4hS5wWT5iLVrTe0MdIdpqE/s1600/ladder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2s6fBjH0_u60XCNppQ1rzm148bOdQ0h6o7NG-UZslOJOsdUcJ2cgx-_-Mpacy1sSs67KV3jfDLRh2xMds1F9B6fKb29q0iB7yHCAC8chvrzsnfk1MlKum4hS5wWT5iLVrTe0MdIdpqE/s640/ladder.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Kimberly and Rudy</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />(Rudy is the Dir. of Photog., not the painter, by the way.)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1auytDhVdvAMznCcXMGNva17P9cMYGHndmLlfvyihWt8atJgITSCEXDirvJ9cl1EEKEEDx8aZ73YrzH0alM3reIRvzqCpk6_8xsEy6TEZTi24beYUmK5QEVHxFFCOf_VQlRTb4mq-qc/s1600/CATBgroup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1auytDhVdvAMznCcXMGNva17P9cMYGHndmLlfvyihWt8atJgITSCEXDirvJ9cl1EEKEEDx8aZ73YrzH0alM3reIRvzqCpk6_8xsEy6TEZTi24beYUmK5QEVHxFFCOf_VQlRTb4mq-qc/s1600/CATBgroup.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bill, Charlie, John & I!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">For this opportunity, I give thanks.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">-s</span></div>
</div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-376218247743104532011-10-31T07:12:00.000-07:002011-10-31T17:09:47.199-07:00Speaking Of Loyalty, Love & Loss . . .<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
My sewing machine broke yesterday.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After 10+ years and a bazillion yards of fabric for curtains, pillows, duvets, halloween costumes, seat cushions, upholstery jobs, aprons, bibs, cribs, and flubs, she simply gave out. I listened closely as she clanged to a grinding halt, letting me know that she was done, a last dramatic breath that said, "I just. Can't. Go on. Like this. Any. More." Puh.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 2em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EwlIqdmBNEfP5rOR9ww_Yn5B8OU-1FrN5Cu6szRs0vS4dOD7_YHz9IpY2-Npf12v1Iy6UB9xTFS6mv2LzNGFSkcRkiTfwkfRKtRfI4AncuY3eQlUwSRmasVZi6O2XORuUTptguzcw5g/s1600/sewing2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EwlIqdmBNEfP5rOR9ww_Yn5B8OU-1FrN5Cu6szRs0vS4dOD7_YHz9IpY2-Npf12v1Iy6UB9xTFS6mv2LzNGFSkcRkiTfwkfRKtRfI4AncuY3eQlUwSRmasVZi6O2XORuUTptguzcw5g/s400/sewing2.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">She had such dramatic lighting. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">That's what I loved most about her.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
I'm not surprised though. I did take her apart, down to the screws, about seven years ago in order to get rid of that g.d. squeaking noise. After putting her back together (simply eliminating the squeaking culprit), I had nine screws and a small belt leftover. But she kept on stitching like the machine that she was, devoid of emotions of loss or ravage.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I admit, I didn't take proper care of her. I didn't dust the bobbin enclosure. Ever. I fiddled with her tension every five stitches, never really understanding the concept. I pushed the pedal to the metal too often, causing her to shake like a plane skidding on the runway. She's been banged around, driven cross country, locked in dark closets and cursed at into the wee hours of the night. Yet she just kept on button-holing and back-locking like a pro.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
More than like a pro, like a friend who says, "It's ok that you keep hitting me in the face, I still believe in what you're doing."</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
So what did I do to honor the passing of my dear, sweet, devoted sidekick? I went on Amazon and replaced her with a younger, faster, newer model with 72 stitch functions, quilting features, a free arm for larger projects who hums like a baby in the night.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Go ahead, say what you're thinking. I'm a fair-weather friend.</div>
<br />
<br />Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-65359148966259108882011-09-14T10:17:00.000-07:002011-09-14T10:17:58.866-07:00Trashy Makeover #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlZXDnKQxxmm3FM87ed7XfzeRxdWIpbrYCowO-CSxohjaDU_gUFbewo95EUVlpKPZ-9glUNbeLskT7ncBCJ3CH9P8nPjjhFlFDTzkLwuyA1v4obx1RA3B69DKpw0M37z2_0hWrLmeozM/s1600/chairbefore2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlZXDnKQxxmm3FM87ed7XfzeRxdWIpbrYCowO-CSxohjaDU_gUFbewo95EUVlpKPZ-9glUNbeLskT7ncBCJ3CH9P8nPjjhFlFDTzkLwuyA1v4obx1RA3B69DKpw0M37z2_0hWrLmeozM/s320/chairbefore2.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I'm a sucker for trash.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Call it my trailer park roots or my projected affection for wounded animals, whatever. I saw a chair on the street the other day and forced myself to walk past it. As a bargain, I promised that if it was still there when I came back after body pump class an hour and a half later, then it was a sign.<br />
<br />
Guess what. It was still there.<br />
<br />
When I see an old rotting piece of furniture on the street, I think about all those times I laid in the grass under the late summer sun and promised our cat Whiskers that I'd always take care of her, no matter how independent she grew or how many times she ran off and got herself knocked up.<br />
<br />
I can't walk away.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmH3ps7imMdILrAtADswhetch_pBtbip-Ga6gFT_jI0iDpErtd0JifaUWFovgJUp1rZpRu0qTqGp1tZm9E4T3lf_002ArjKj8C4YL7uQ34-0gsJMXKQ6Nnf8S26J948xqqDl2jzcd8XQU/s1600/chairbefore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmH3ps7imMdILrAtADswhetch_pBtbip-Ga6gFT_jI0iDpErtd0JifaUWFovgJUp1rZpRu0qTqGp1tZm9E4T3lf_002ArjKj8C4YL7uQ34-0gsJMXKQ6Nnf8S26J948xqqDl2jzcd8XQU/s320/chairbefore.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Everybody hurts.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Let me ask you a couple of hypotheticals:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>If you saw a scruffy, three-legged puppy wandering aimlessly through the crosswalk, would you drop your ice cream cone, run to it, arms wailing in the air, screaming, "Mama, I'll save you!!"</li>
<li>If you walked into a guitar shop and saw a teeny faced mullet in a Black Crowes t-shirt playing "Everybody Hurts" into the empty corner, would you walk over quietly, so as not to spook, and say, "Oh honey. Can you not do that?"</li>
</ol>
<div>
If you hypothetically answered yes to either of these, then you know what I'm talking about. It's our lot.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Before Glamour Shots:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhRnYTQgV5xEkHVKWtibGBNaWOzeg9OdKZ5BmPwvzdLPQsZm8yPFCtIscgKGRS9y8SewRiJwOpWSMJk9m7y0YNnrBzouqcHSEkJ83qGjUwEXmzyAXd2DQIXgVxTLRWxUYDV1RsfRpkuM/s1600/slice2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: center; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhRnYTQgV5xEkHVKWtibGBNaWOzeg9OdKZ5BmPwvzdLPQsZm8yPFCtIscgKGRS9y8SewRiJwOpWSMJk9m7y0YNnrBzouqcHSEkJ83qGjUwEXmzyAXd2DQIXgVxTLRWxUYDV1RsfRpkuM/s640/slice2.jpg" width="128" /></a><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPcqjKJRQESjcak0iGv9OK7pjEXvK8p2m6e7L8X4nVv90WqiGI87ikZBperxdwjTAAgKG3khSiTs0eNrFmzvA3h4gh8w8V9hewuhVlakOL_KAloVfHagZ7qyzQdyqRuWw4Vlmj1tzLxg/s640/chairduring2.jpg" width="416" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">After Glamour Shots:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-ZzBPYEA8XDt7bNU4fPsiPoW6yW2Gm7Pyu8WgIZtXFW7oEkk-UnNBtifQ2BRwC4aAGbi6LQzeojmxhgcLHgLQUQ_jkeSgNtDcP4mrgEc9qJQGT2uJsHSHzi2BBSaKKt1MK7eFTPJgxw/s1600/chairtopafter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-ZzBPYEA8XDt7bNU4fPsiPoW6yW2Gm7Pyu8WgIZtXFW7oEkk-UnNBtifQ2BRwC4aAGbi6LQzeojmxhgcLHgLQUQ_jkeSgNtDcP4mrgEc9qJQGT2uJsHSHzi2BBSaKKt1MK7eFTPJgxw/s400/chairtopafter.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3QTAw20I6kz1GTFCf3FS99fxw183tzpROJ5SapOCOjVgGHwOmgF6uwXZvRH6fcKIuRNQN_35lIFMVpuwdqxb1gu1g4bXLER7i7LrNhZ_zOel9WMB8igXvpXykvoQNiRiaslNDM7RKvM/s1600/chairafter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3QTAw20I6kz1GTFCf3FS99fxw183tzpROJ5SapOCOjVgGHwOmgF6uwXZvRH6fcKIuRNQN_35lIFMVpuwdqxb1gu1g4bXLER7i7LrNhZ_zOel9WMB8igXvpXykvoQNiRiaslNDM7RKvM/s400/chairafter.jpg" width="306" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKt_wKCQ4ACeRzQ4hXmZ2p-aO3r6F44eIY0TC6r8QBwmjYIL2apnH95RjkYFlZlwd4iXJ1LijAuQJ623Q6r94_LOwSvAX6mIiYYEKUXqbFNryzYdNnhiP6gRNEqi2y0OQgJqv6EIi-raY/s1600/chairsideafter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKt_wKCQ4ACeRzQ4hXmZ2p-aO3r6F44eIY0TC6r8QBwmjYIL2apnH95RjkYFlZlwd4iXJ1LijAuQJ623Q6r94_LOwSvAX6mIiYYEKUXqbFNryzYdNnhiP6gRNEqi2y0OQgJqv6EIi-raY/s1600/chairsideafter.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Who's hurting now?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-58596971757238957592011-09-12T11:43:00.000-07:002011-09-13T17:03:50.469-07:00How To Make Pesto, Family Style{ Scroll down for the recipe. }<br />
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLuEgtmrRT5K5SDsMxI-kz2wEY3saSFtnDvRLyj1lHSTmDlofL5Tp5ulE7Lzj3H5EIkiVe95rS8TeQ6hpaFkyxrDXuwgSXdVinCNi4t1s4PnpMF8Hj45vBQmXgpjQrYWq9xrEeoiNciQ/s1600/bunnyshannon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLuEgtmrRT5K5SDsMxI-kz2wEY3saSFtnDvRLyj1lHSTmDlofL5Tp5ulE7Lzj3H5EIkiVe95rS8TeQ6hpaFkyxrDXuwgSXdVinCNi4t1s4PnpMF8Hj45vBQmXgpjQrYWq9xrEeoiNciQ/s320/bunnyshannon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Me & Bunny</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I learned how to make pesto from a woman named Bunny. She's a cool ol' broad who built a log cabin with her own two hands and makes biscuits by putting her hips into it. She's tough as nails and warm like butter, and she's left a mark on my kitchen that goes deeper than the kitchen sink.<br />
<br />
She tasted my mid-made pesto, and from over her shoulder gruffed simply, "More garlic," in her leftover east coast accent. Ok, I thought. Right. More garlic. But first I quietly tasted it myself to see if I could get what she got, if I could taste what she did and be able to name what was missing without missing a beat.<br />
<br />
<br />
We were having about 25 people over to our little apartment for a big family dinner, including Gary Danko (yes,<i> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1322443374">that</a></i><a href="http://www.garydanko.com/"> Gary Danko</a>) to celebrate the life of Bunny's son Chris, who after two weeks of lying in a deep sleep, and 35 years before that of giving this world his funny, unique and wholly honest breath, passed away, leaving us to ourselves and our food. We had held vigil in his hospital room for those weeks laughing, crying and hoping, and coming home each night to my kitchen, something that will never be less than amazing to me.<br />
<br />
Chris worked with Gary at his restaurant in San Francisco, and over the years Gary got sucked into this wonderful family, just like me. He slid into my kitchen and quietly stood hip-to-hip with Bunny, each of them getting to work on getting through this. Even then the 24-yr old me knew that Gary. Danko. Is. Making. A. Rue. In. My. Kitchen., but looking back on it, what's seared into my memory is how we were all the same level of human in that moment, brought together by a very special guy named Chris and the food that would nourish our bodies to keep us going.<br />
<br />
Although my Beginner's Bunny Pesto certainly wasn't the focus at the table that night, I've made it a million times since then. Each and every time, it's never lost on me where and when I learned how to taste the food I'm making and know instinctively when it needs more garlic.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><a href="https://www.sunflowerwellness.org/SitePages/AboutMainV2.php">Read more about the legacy that our friend Chris has left, changing the lives of thousands living with cancer. </a></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYMw3jThCtVfV2gxzkUJR3rbR20_mWdDZgLsnbyTeNJ6fH92MFU6xZ-CMicu7hPD4j_LmKWu4GpLxjCZL4NJnMUqUvRInKNBPD7S3Gvvz_paUiJHBDilh2qGUdz-oibCQTVGeBBaDhFIw/s1600/IMG_3414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYMw3jThCtVfV2gxzkUJR3rbR20_mWdDZgLsnbyTeNJ6fH92MFU6xZ-CMicu7hPD4j_LmKWu4GpLxjCZL4NJnMUqUvRInKNBPD7S3Gvvz_paUiJHBDilh2qGUdz-oibCQTVGeBBaDhFIw/s1600/IMG_3414.JPG" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Bunny's Pesto</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
When baking Bunny measures like a scientist, but when cooking at the stove, eyeballing it is the only way to go. It's an art form that applies to this recipe. Maybe the lack of exact measurements will encourage you to "just go with it," and not want to crack under the anxiety like I did the first few times. When in doubt, always start with less and add more to taste.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Ingredients:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A couple of bunches of fresh basil</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1-2 lemons, zest & juice (start with one and add more if needed.)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1-2 Garlic cloves chopped, you be the judge</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
About 1/2 cup toasted nuts - walnuts & pine nuts are my favorites</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
About 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, Asiago or Romano cheese</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
E.V. Olive Oil - use the good stuff for this since it's not cooked.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Kosher salt & fresh cracked pepper</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ol>
<li>Start by toasting the nuts. I use a small cast iron skillet and hover smotheringly, otherwise I WILL burn them.</li>
<li>In a food processor (or blender) add the basil, lemon zest and juice of one lemon, garlic, nuts, cheese, salt and pepper. </li>
</ol>
<div>
It will look kinda like this:</div>
<div>
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<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUMuJKpcEMCXWJsdC6QcRvX17gJ3ytPK4QEYqJyyBjm4alDyk55J_vjSCrP8FSNaY_WucBux5yADitcOlwN3myZQVMQ6uwGuosK6har3jshC-z1GR-LXwRD1VhYV6wjcdl7HxcZCpgTkc/s1600/pestoparts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUMuJKpcEMCXWJsdC6QcRvX17gJ3ytPK4QEYqJyyBjm4alDyk55J_vjSCrP8FSNaY_WucBux5yADitcOlwN3myZQVMQ6uwGuosK6har3jshC-z1GR-LXwRD1VhYV6wjcdl7HxcZCpgTkc/s1600/pestoparts.jpg" /></a></div>
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3. Start blending, and drizzle in the olive oil through the lid until it comes together like this.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvC3SEI_JHEiM9GZfhpM0y9IEKWsWLEiHDPA2k83O9A61f1cQoDvDSWRyWUB5EtQbo16g0xNt-PB7aA5Xet2SujVEqxeBEOevKI3j-ZTUEsInMgHRIS8W5_5dhINYT66I2cKguXXm39U/s1600/pestopulsed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvC3SEI_JHEiM9GZfhpM0y9IEKWsWLEiHDPA2k83O9A61f1cQoDvDSWRyWUB5EtQbo16g0xNt-PB7aA5Xet2SujVEqxeBEOevKI3j-ZTUEsInMgHRIS8W5_5dhINYT66I2cKguXXm39U/s1600/pestopulsed.jpg" /></a></div>
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4. Taste it. It should have a fragrant basil aroma, a subtle garlic spice and a bold acidity from the lemons. If all you taste is lemon, then you need more salt. Add a touch more and blend. If it's bland, then add more lemon juice. Dance around with the salt, lemon juice, garlic and parmesan until you get to the good stuff: A zesty, aromatic, tangy pesto.</div>
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And then do this:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwq2N-UEo002M8xTcvN2bK0HJHckSMtX4F1DZGdLx-cKilYZX63aD-tzn4LVhqaA7hkgSGjncQqm5XM6YXYFo1JaBO8Sz_yFbwEgW7JUQlba_mvIQVsDCDLPUwCt6TqXzVQ1eZCaCqQKw/s1600/pestodinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwq2N-UEo002M8xTcvN2bK0HJHckSMtX4F1DZGdLx-cKilYZX63aD-tzn4LVhqaA7hkgSGjncQqm5XM6YXYFo1JaBO8Sz_yFbwEgW7JUQlba_mvIQVsDCDLPUwCt6TqXzVQ1eZCaCqQKw/s1600/pestodinner.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Cheese Tortellini with Sauteed Chicken, Kale and Heirloom Tomatoes</span></td></tr>
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And this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9kRLa0-KHtpmYpcfg5nfDn31NpNAAhvmECiU8LhNUaN2JHPU17jy31gyAKIskEOo2kJ-eq1uFgQgXe9s7FfL5AY-J2VMORV_6sSvAn7u_TTW5yfAVcxyT3z86mttf0FrK7CsG53YaTDY/s1600/pestobite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9kRLa0-KHtpmYpcfg5nfDn31NpNAAhvmECiU8LhNUaN2JHPU17jy31gyAKIskEOo2kJ-eq1uFgQgXe9s7FfL5AY-J2VMORV_6sSvAn7u_TTW5yfAVcxyT3z86mttf0FrK7CsG53YaTDY/s1600/pestobite.jpg" /></a></div>
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And then with the leftover pesto sauce, do this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Zjj4OjwBRVgAGdRRDUm-54f1SvSEe20vh5VJYvkg0RD8zq1JmsPhKtz8NU95qHxQcX5DRCiTX5xp9gR6PrCma37ZEKQuVChpl7PeWEz4_GUDGN3IjDJU1GNvIg4Ba9NPWVEo7hW6Vpg/s1600/pestofriends2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Zjj4OjwBRVgAGdRRDUm-54f1SvSEe20vh5VJYvkg0RD8zq1JmsPhKtz8NU95qHxQcX5DRCiTX5xp9gR6PrCma37ZEKQuVChpl7PeWEz4_GUDGN3IjDJU1GNvIg4Ba9NPWVEo7hW6Vpg/s1600/pestofriends2.jpg" /></a></div>
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Take it to your friend's house, and they'll send you this:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSjHgQjp8Sls_qREyvHzSnZujd3R2Fc8izI1wwtk0o2-ehkCvWu5Z4YAXC4DLE6mziKv61TcUtywy-pVFPz1DUdxVeuRxJaYJHMHlapNNbe6fbUTSrLOqpM2U8-hN7YzOaGNGBpuIM9Q/s1600/peterspesto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSjHgQjp8Sls_qREyvHzSnZujd3R2Fc8izI1wwtk0o2-ehkCvWu5Z4YAXC4DLE6mziKv61TcUtywy-pVFPz1DUdxVeuRxJaYJHMHlapNNbe6fbUTSrLOqpM2U8-hN7YzOaGNGBpuIM9Q/s1600/peterspesto.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by my buddy Peter Campbell</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;">What are your most vivid memories of learning to cook?</span></div>
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-22785330675992826412011-09-10T09:04:00.000-07:002011-09-12T09:01:21.183-07:00Cross-post - Where's smitche: The Cardio Kickboxing Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 1px; background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Lucida, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 21px;"><a href="http://smitche.tumblr.com/post/10038188545/wheres-smitche-the-cardio-kickboxing-edition">{Cross-posted from my other blog}</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg436Yi98E0hE-tDnHc84QPyD6XKWS8W8dYAwtAIyWEgvXFf6PFq5Uy6SLuL0JvsYydRyw51qDkTZ-a4ydgnhETPgzcZAomIt5OcHXTjS0lYetTIgNJr3m7UveexeIaOVY_i_m_z2AmODE/s1600/cardioblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg436Yi98E0hE-tDnHc84QPyD6XKWS8W8dYAwtAIyWEgvXFf6PFq5Uy6SLuL0JvsYydRyw51qDkTZ-a4ydgnhETPgzcZAomIt5OcHXTjS0lYetTIgNJr3m7UveexeIaOVY_i_m_z2AmODE/s640/cardioblog.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 1px; background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Lucida, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 1px; background-color: white; color: #202020; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Not only does this class make me feel terrible about myself, </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 1px; background-color: white; color: #202020; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">it also dashes all fantasies that I could ever be on Dancing With The Stars. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Lucida, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 1px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 1px; background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Lucida, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 1px; background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Lucida, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-10776576124542295562011-09-05T10:50:00.000-07:002011-09-12T09:18:21.665-07:00New Rule: Four-Mile Loops From Now On Or I'll Break Your Face<div style="text-align: left;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhq10LZ2nOPltVnc1OpBivm_xbPq6seeWJtCybtzGHURZZiyIFJlvSRbpghysbDhTSvFlYVbOwf7kCHLn_3AzctXoKo4SEEopdoDLP4y3z5vtS710HqzpyipcsrVQ5cBNVCGlPg6T2Io/s1600/new-rule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhq10LZ2nOPltVnc1OpBivm_xbPq6seeWJtCybtzGHURZZiyIFJlvSRbpghysbDhTSvFlYVbOwf7kCHLn_3AzctXoKo4SEEopdoDLP4y3z5vtS710HqzpyipcsrVQ5cBNVCGlPg6T2Io/s400/new-rule.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">What. Are. You. Looking. At.</span></td></tr>
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We went on a great hike this weekend on Mt. Tam. And by great, I mean I only broke out into an Amazing Race style breakdown once. But it lasted for two miles. </div>
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Sweetums was coming off a week-long conference, and me, well I've just been trying to keep my grip on reality.</div>
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<i>Side Note: Sometimes I get a little melodramatic, and I just want y'all to know that I use words like "losing my grip on reality" and "breakdown" loosely these days. I'm totally ok.</i></div>
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So we needed an escape from the fog and a little Vitamin D boost to make the holiday weekend feel like a holiday weekend. Some friends told us about <a href="http://www.bahiker.com/northbayhikes/rockspring.html">this hike</a>, which looked awesome to me because I love hikes that make me feel like I'm actually in the woods, as opposed to those open, dusty, pollen infested meadow hikes. I'm not a meadow girl, never have been. I love dense overhead canopies, babbling brooks and little wooden bridges. (Which is why the <a href="http://www.bahiker.com/northbayhikes/stinson.html">Dipsea</a> is one of my favorite Bay Area hikes of all time. If you're visiting the Bay Area, I beg you, go on a hike instead of Fisherman's Wharf. You'll thank me.)</div>
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When you talk about hikes, most people talk about things like loops and difficulty and exposure and hiking time. When Sweetums showed me our hike, I thought, "Oh, 6.5 mile loop... That sounds great!" And the additional description of:</div>
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"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This loop is a tour de force of the mountain's magic: you'll experience dense forests, aromatic chaparral, rushing creeks, waterfalls, and flower-dotted meadows."</span></span></div>
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I was completely sold. And y'all, 6.5 miles is not that bad. My friends run circles around 6.5 miles for breakfast. I was a college athlete. I can walk 6.5 miles.<br />
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But when you factor in the climb, which they sheepishly called "a pleasant ascent" or "now the trail will begin a short climb," (and the fact that I was in college 10 years ago) 6.5 miles is a nice little workout. Thank goodness I got my hot pink and orange running shoes on.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh433FKv76VOuzaemjcqP7QUY6hh_eQxmd2RNpsZcmZtMBwXt-e7qWT7Dvh2tU0Ge0kmIMY5MCjFiXT-_bC6Ot7jE1mX8d-LNAC6oZmrfFwyonlK7XBvcpF0QExb3oEfrEcS0MwOy0vOqk/s1600/beginninghike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh433FKv76VOuzaemjcqP7QUY6hh_eQxmd2RNpsZcmZtMBwXt-e7qWT7Dvh2tU0Ge0kmIMY5MCjFiXT-_bC6Ot7jE1mX8d-LNAC6oZmrfFwyonlK7XBvcpF0QExb3oEfrEcS0MwOy0vOqk/s1600/beginninghike.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The Start.</span></td></tr>
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By the way, this is not a real hiking outfit. I just don't have it in me to wear cargo pants anymore. But I did see a woman wearing a<a href="http://www.trailspace.com/gear/columbia/set-the-tone-skort/"> hiking skirt</a>, which I thought was a great idea. Is that ridiculous? By the way, if you google hiking skirt, you'll get stuff <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?q=hiking+skirt&hl=en&sa=X&biw=1346&bih=855&tbm=isch&prmd=ivns&tbnid=Ik53p2MhqrOdeM:&imgrefurl=http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/hiking/sections/gear/clothing/meninskirts.htm&docid=JDXHm9tZ5EPdtM&w=214&h=507&ei=lfVkTqqlMq3TiALHoOilCg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=341&vpy=280&dur=632&hovh=346&hovw=146&tx=84&ty=144&page=5&tbnh=173&tbnw=46&start=104&ndsp=28&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:104">like this</a>, which is ok I guess.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkskTz17jGYDPHCwnLu0KhqZtjK7WfQL6Dp7lQdofWXtwaWExZXdMsgl67fBoKKtjvLzXLfdR_Ww5yEzi75LNCzXAE4eKIjzJYLW8NMzy-1Kui98PkbHmj6d-CFDrU83TIqEJLzehRiM/s1600/longbranch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkskTz17jGYDPHCwnLu0KhqZtjK7WfQL6Dp7lQdofWXtwaWExZXdMsgl67fBoKKtjvLzXLfdR_Ww5yEzi75LNCzXAE4eKIjzJYLW8NMzy-1Kui98PkbHmj6d-CFDrU83TIqEJLzehRiM/s1600/longbranch.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">For the first three miles of the hike, everything was coming up roses. I was taking pictures every three steps, breathing in the beauty arms stretched and yelping, "Look at this, look at it! This is where we live!"</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmqCkSVqKwWYwU6hn8q1M0wjadYIDjMdef4CCvP9hufexTkEhwbpYfKaJrT-hhExohVrRaB1J6hNzfrf9SjdgSzeoFTBOw4463YaKUP-yvYXlBG3Mx0PACu28XYBVs7uayKNcwN4xFXU/s1600/foggyview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmqCkSVqKwWYwU6hn8q1M0wjadYIDjMdef4CCvP9hufexTkEhwbpYfKaJrT-hhExohVrRaB1J6hNzfrf9SjdgSzeoFTBOw4463YaKUP-yvYXlBG3Mx0PACu28XYBVs7uayKNcwN4xFXU/s1600/foggyview.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This is fog. And underneath it is San Francisco. Which is why we weren't in San Francisco.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">We were a happy little family of hikers</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></td></tr>
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Did you know that chihuahuas can't really hike 6.5 mile loops?<br />
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We didn't think to bring her little carrier backpack, so we had to fashion a sling out of my sweatshirt to carry her the last three miles.<br />
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And then we argued over who was going to carry me the last three miles.<br />
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This is about the time that I started my own pleasant ascent.<br />
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I ran out of water and began panicking about dehydration. We still had two miles left, and my hips were starting to ache. At every little trickle of stream, I paused and debated scooping some up into my water bottle. I started thinking about the fact that we didn't have a pocket knife to cut off any arms that get caught under boulders when we fall. We didn't have cell reception or pocket flares, and all of the sudden every other hiker that passed us looked like Creepy Hiker Guy Who Wants To Kill Us. I was searching every inch of ground looking for bodies, either left behind by Creepy Hiker Guy or victims of dehydration. We were stuck in the vast wilderness COMPLETELY UNPREPARED!<br />
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We had no way of reaching the outside world, civilization. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVw5u0_BtIBoJ8CajIxg-ja0b9eFREZMKjbGvNrek1_tXmiBrPV-rX3bDdzfDp7Jp_-O67wCEf8cbKWfvpsNbh0aO1px_WAvWqnB0oougyVUWVgWdzwBAsY0oTivLdtYv2udpctow-mQ/s1600/ginger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVw5u0_BtIBoJ8CajIxg-ja0b9eFREZMKjbGvNrek1_tXmiBrPV-rX3bDdzfDp7Jp_-O67wCEf8cbKWfvpsNbh0aO1px_WAvWqnB0oougyVUWVgWdzwBAsY0oTivLdtYv2udpctow-mQ/s1600/ginger.jpg" /></a></div>
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And the bugs. The bugs came around mile 5 and hung out until mile 6.3. They were everywhere. Buzzing and being all gnatty, they were going to choke me to death and set up camp in my ears and nostrils. I was losing it, losing my grip. Get these f'ing BUGS OFF ME!! I can't TAKE IT! I'M OUT OF WATER!! We're never getting OUT OF HERE! This trail leads to NOWHERE!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyYHjlm0FNmNmsRvGS8GUPy-gteNWASIwGwdjwytsy3-3dOokGNZ4pEAIrJyTDoHngM_KFYXWpCdQdsPum6NQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Honestly, I didn't know how much more of this I could take.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSPy3jP_xJqzCHBjAKgRywdrLM7KJRJEGInk1VMfwI5Krj7f_uofCatD4j_XU3cxKgA92ZGAb_1q5RssTcyO_6M9eOYuFi2iaq5Ih-f_6U60yFDH8-k7JDFqJ0X800zoXPIimN0OaqU0/s1600/endvista.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSPy3jP_xJqzCHBjAKgRywdrLM7KJRJEGInk1VMfwI5Krj7f_uofCatD4j_XU3cxKgA92ZGAb_1q5RssTcyO_6M9eOYuFi2iaq5Ih-f_6U60yFDH8-k7JDFqJ0X800zoXPIimN0OaqU0/s1600/endvista.jpg" /></a></div>
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But of course it's called a loop for a reason. Luckily, we made it back around to the beginning in one piece, but it was touch and go there for a while.</div>
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Ginger was very happy to be back in the comforts of the car. She still hasn't forgiven us.</div>
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And me, well I made it out ok, too. </div>
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But I stand firm that we will only be doing four-mile loops from now on. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The payoff? The ride home. </span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">Gaaa. I still pinch myself that I live here. </span></div>
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-28115042118055367202011-09-01T11:47:00.000-07:002011-09-01T17:25:50.352-07:00I'm starting over, y'all.I have two blogs, a portfolio website, a twitter account, a facebook page. I'm on Blogher, Klout and google. I spend too much time on Pinterest, Apartment Therapy and Design Sponge. My dog suffers.<br />
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And for some <i>odd</i> reason, I feel this is too much. I told my therapist that I felt like I was on Hoarders, and she said it was interesting because the people on Hoarders collect things that become replacements for the thing that's missing. #socialcontact<br />
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I've been trying to think of how to eliminate at least one of these, even if it's just to make me feel less frantic, scattered and piecemeal.<br />
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I started this blog in the first place so I could put all of me in one place. The name was supposed to do its job of containment: eatlovehome. That's what I do, all in one breathe, as one action. So how did everything get so fragmented and spread out? Why do I have two blogs? Why isn't everything in one place?<br />
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A few months back, I got run over by a car. It was hilarious. And it set into action a chain of events that has been anything but hilarious. I got laid off from a job that I loved and was awesome at, I had surgery through my belly button, and I found out the only way I can have a baby is through IVF. And no matter how much I've tried to articulate myself, my talent and my worth, I still don't have a job.<br />
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This has left me somewhat in ruins.<br />
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And frantic, scattered, piecemeal. Fragmented.<br />
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So I started to write this <i>other</i> blog, my first one, where I drew these ridiculous pictures of what was happening. Now, I can't draw really, not like other people can. But when you get run over by a car, I'm telling you, there are some really strong images that come into your head. And then they just come out through the pencil you're holding, and then they end up on tumblr with a storyline.<br />
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I wrote about the drunk guy who <a href="http://smitche.tumblr.com/post/6135920247/spoiler-alert-in-this-story-i-get-run-over-by-a-car">ran over me</a>, I wrote about how my sweetums <a href="http://smitche.tumblr.com/post/6374216638/she-mantics">was being a smartass</a> over me losing my job, and I wrote about<a href="http://smitche.tumblr.com/post/7623114916/if-youve-ever-had-a-unilateral-laparoscopic"> my really fun surgery</a>. I wrote about how my road to being a Mommy was going to be harder than just being on the gay Mommy road. This was all me.<br />
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But then I started thinking about all the other things that are All Me, too. Like cooking and eating. And sewing, styling, making and building. And designing and traveling and daring and doing. I wanted to be in the community of the cool kids who were out making money on their blogs by posting fancy pictures of design-y stuff and being experts at things like button-holing and aperture. I wanted one hundred million followers!! I needed a hootsuite account ASAP!! What's my Klout SCORE NOW!?!?!<br />
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It got out of control.<br />
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I didn't see how those two different Me's went together in one place. It's like one is the personal and one is the professional, and they just don't belong in the same place. I mean, I wouldn't put pictures of my sutured belly button in my portfolio or curse like a sailor in my cover letter, right? I tried to picture my drawing stories on the same page as my DIY sewing projects and my Strawberry Coconut Cake pictures, and I just didn't see it.<br />
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I also got a major case of the blocks. I started stopping myself from drawing anything on this blog because the drawings go on my <i>other</i> blog, of course, not <i>this </i>one. This one is only for pictures of tacos and interesting angles of my sewing machine. Oh, the logic of a hoarder. #magicalthinking<br />
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But now that they're separate, I feel like one of the Me's is missing the other Me. All the time.<br />
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And that sentence makes me feel really self-involved.<br />
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Anyhoo. I need to put everything in one place, and I'm stuck. I tried a little experiment this morning where I changed the heading picture of this blog, up at the top there. See where I stuck my head in there? That's from when I got run over by a car. I kinda like it. It feels like it fits.<br />
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I'm going to try another experiment tomorrow where I start posting my smitche blogs here. Maybe if they're all in one place, I'll feel more whole.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">What thinks you?</span></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-21167079173887735402011-08-25T10:54:00.000-07:002011-09-01T09:24:48.421-07:00Design Inspiration: Speaking of yellow, if I were you . . .<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYYI5ql2PFTzSaJ7-pXhk2xBDkbPV18D3vfuQP-sGs_xxTmKSggDg33huC0ZcFJF99CqttqaqBgF1mE0q7VPf4f4oZ248ExxTB6WBg_mn2_DSYsTLP_jldtk1vW-dnPA-wg936E8ouho/s1600/yellowblog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYYI5ql2PFTzSaJ7-pXhk2xBDkbPV18D3vfuQP-sGs_xxTmKSggDg33huC0ZcFJF99CqttqaqBgF1mE0q7VPf4f4oZ248ExxTB6WBg_mn2_DSYsTLP_jldtk1vW-dnPA-wg936E8ouho/s1600/yellowblog1.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KJZikw4RFzjzbjCLx7AIPf763pq27zM8hiNWp-UI9aSCrsjsOFug0VLGjJ0ucAI2QrataoyhCgiVuxwWyL_WbLNQhEZxMsqdFG5Kafd_7CoDKjZxRZX2tNgDpIRkUAVlJVWuYOI4l9w/s1600/yellowblog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KJZikw4RFzjzbjCLx7AIPf763pq27zM8hiNWp-UI9aSCrsjsOFug0VLGjJ0ucAI2QrataoyhCgiVuxwWyL_WbLNQhEZxMsqdFG5Kafd_7CoDKjZxRZX2tNgDpIRkUAVlJVWuYOI4l9w/s1600/yellowblog2.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspqXmipHkdcir7jcBXjB7OAlNBmAJ9Rz7YBPtO4HeXDwsGUmy1ZbaXhYxVGzHZ9R8-vS-MN7O68rpSJtjYsyGbq4wQMe-Ucs8cplbBUuoxuZSENfhAvtDWtQSlCeAUAhN0XSgd6qYuVQ/s1600/yellowblog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspqXmipHkdcir7jcBXjB7OAlNBmAJ9Rz7YBPtO4HeXDwsGUmy1ZbaXhYxVGzHZ9R8-vS-MN7O68rpSJtjYsyGbq4wQMe-Ucs8cplbBUuoxuZSENfhAvtDWtQSlCeAUAhN0XSgd6qYuVQ/s1600/yellowblog3.jpg" /></a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">Photo Sources:</span><br />
<ol><li><a href="http://urbancomfort.typepad.com/photos/my_work/stencil-pillow.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">Turquoise couch</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.horchow.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=cprod67950019&parentId=cat6000747&masterId=cat2610734&index=0&cmCat=cat000000cat10300731cat2610734cat6000747"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">Yellow paisley settee</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://spoonflower.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">Fabric selections</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/136945762/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">Red lamp</span></a></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/59384172/paris-photography-collection-yellow-fine?ref=pr_shop">Yellow Paris artwork</a></span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/46030518/winnebago-art-print"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">Turquoise winnebego art print</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/136936907/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">Yellow kitchen</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://blogs.dexknows.com/weddings/2011/06/top-pic-10-reasons-decor-works/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">Yellow tulips</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.realsimple.com/new-uses-for-old-things/new-uses-cleaning/new-use-dryer-sheets-00000000013069/index.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">Meyer's dryer sheets</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.sistersonthefly.com/trailers.php?offset=536&limit=8"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">Yellow camper</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/ginger-rosemary-lemon-drop-cocktails-10000001227792/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">Ginger lemondrops</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.stockphotopro.com/photo_of/Woman/7104775HDM/Woman_in_yellow_dress"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">Dancing lady</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.hostessblog.com/2011/05/romantic-yellow-gray-dessert-table/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">Pinwheel party</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.hollymathisinteriors.com/page/9/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">Yellow barn door</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/2011/03/headboard-makeover-using-my-silhouette.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">Yellow ruffle pillows</span></a></li>
</ol>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-39229597841456983332011-08-24T15:19:00.000-07:002011-08-24T15:50:12.304-07:00Today I give you jellyfish . . .<div style="text-align: center;">Thank goodness my friend tricked me into coming to The Academy of Sciences </div><div style="text-align: center;">with her and her little guy this morning. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Otherwise I would have missed out on this:</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kAsBCVRGFvQ7zVW9GFMVmBsUfzVwpIfvL6O3oNYX-UjBWxqmpStIncV9xPUwmIDa3qIG4MWy_JDLoKMQ4WJfI_BUWVx2hdPzY5DaGGkuYIGM9WOReu1G3DBAP-s_8-eA0uBbRMcf5I0/s1600/photo+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kAsBCVRGFvQ7zVW9GFMVmBsUfzVwpIfvL6O3oNYX-UjBWxqmpStIncV9xPUwmIDa3qIG4MWy_JDLoKMQ4WJfI_BUWVx2hdPzY5DaGGkuYIGM9WOReu1G3DBAP-s_8-eA0uBbRMcf5I0/s1600/photo+%25284%2529.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Does this look familiar?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-36767592789736080892011-08-22T12:15:00.000-07:002011-08-22T16:53:27.976-07:00Part 2: Does anyone have a rusty fork I can put in my eye?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;"><a href="http://eatlovehome.blogspot.com/2011/08/part-1-street-food-hipster-heckling-and.html">Read Part 1 of this blog first. But only if you want to...</a></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There's this really interesting new phenomenon that happens at outdoor festival type things nowadays. I guess it might not be that new. The beer garden. Deceptively named.</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUtB1ERLfgKWD6pDUHMqipsto1qSRk4LJ3y8KQzTXgL4_obideM_31piAuuNCSWGtNh14s0ndiDO1EXwy-StSSuyiivFVcWXTLzM-EZuDR3z0l4P55_1IVZmT1ywYHba2fMKIDUfKQ6Q/s1600/IMG_3396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUtB1ERLfgKWD6pDUHMqipsto1qSRk4LJ3y8KQzTXgL4_obideM_31piAuuNCSWGtNh14s0ndiDO1EXwy-StSSuyiivFVcWXTLzM-EZuDR3z0l4P55_1IVZmT1ywYHba2fMKIDUfKQ6Q/s1600/IMG_3396.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Beer Garden spectators at the SF Street Food Fest<br />
"Don't the ani-mals look so sad and lonely?"</span></td></tr>
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I experienced this at the last two outdoor events that I attempted, both of which included either a three mile line to the entrance and/or fighting with 20 year olds with feathers in their hair over where the line starts. And me crying.<br />
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I get it. It's a great way to try to keep the youngin's from gettin' their hands on a brewsky, and it keeps the neanderthals separated from the neo sapiens. It's a peace keeper in theory. But what about us aging neo sapiens who want to enjoy our beer and tacos like normal animals, walking down the street or sitting on the lawn at a concert, not trapped in a cage with fist-bumping frats?<br />
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If you ask me, it sounds more like a recipe for disaster. All the drunks are pinned in together in a tight little caged lump, instead of neatly dispersed amongst a crowd that comfortingly minimizes their power. It's like diluting your white wine with ice cubes.<br />
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You also have to stand in (another!) line to get your i.d. checked for a wristband. The line for this is really long, you can imagine. And then you stand in another very long line to get your beer. And then you just stand in the cage. Drinking your beer and fending off elbows, fringe and high-waisted shorts, not actually experiencing the event. The combination is kind of a deterrent. I didn't drink at either event, which is sad. I like beer.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Another note on crowds and why I shouldn't be allowed in them sometimes:</span><br />
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No kidding. We went to the Railroad Revival Tour a few months back at the Port of Oakland, and I swear to Pete that we walked in a line two miles long just to get to the entrance, all the while fighting off line cutters who stumbled along and just happened to stop in front of us and weasel their way in. Really?! I can see you!<br />
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After the third time it happened, I snapped. I got all passive-agressive snooty and started saying things like, "Oh, I'm sorry, we're actually in line. It starts back there," and "Oh, sorry! We're in line! Sorry!" which then progressed to crotchety and growly, "Hey! We're in line here! There's a line here, and we're in it, see?! Were you raised by wolves?!"<br />
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Also, not kidding: A group of four not-adolescents actually cut and <i>stayed</i> in front of us. So I snickered from behind them more than loud enough to be heard, inching my way in front of them whenever possible. My foot ahead of their's, them stumbling forward. My elbows inching out, them walking faster. Me giving my best evil eye, them ignoring me. It was an ugly dance. For two miles. And nobody else around us was alarmed, growling or attempting to stake claim on their place in line.I was the only one. I was <i>that one</i>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYoFKRqV_RI_t4tr9cqmgvpEeTTCQOHqP53eSrBvElCTYb_uU0Op0Dns3TWEYOql6obHT-Hibb0teqCpm5laJzR5npFyGn5aHtomoFoG7pCv0AMYeWAXPat9rMS7R5Kyb7ksiUrQlsdw/s1600/railroadsky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYoFKRqV_RI_t4tr9cqmgvpEeTTCQOHqP53eSrBvElCTYb_uU0Op0Dns3TWEYOql6obHT-Hibb0teqCpm5laJzR5npFyGn5aHtomoFoG7pCv0AMYeWAXPat9rMS7R5Kyb7ksiUrQlsdw/s640/railroadsky.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Railroad Revival Tour @ The Port of Oakland</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UsJlzOBXJft5CQVaDWsSM3KsCKLVV6i438yV00zZw1JsUO2bsCS22mu4AQZ33QVWzZ5Tt0-eAxpXRwo6es6jyyiWxFVIp4HuNMfrxyOsmkdsm0Tbwmkh5XmvFTaDn_pukcP00dfA8Q4/s1600/railroadtix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UsJlzOBXJft5CQVaDWsSM3KsCKLVV6i438yV00zZw1JsUO2bsCS22mu4AQZ33QVWzZ5Tt0-eAxpXRwo6es6jyyiWxFVIp4HuNMfrxyOsmkdsm0Tbwmkh5XmvFTaDn_pukcP00dfA8Q4/s640/railroadtix.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">I should have known how big the crowd would be by how cool the tickets looked.<br />
Isn't the Port of Oakland pretty?</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">Photos by my sweetums.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIwZo98SMK43WqMBgspeSi7QqkFbmSCNe7lQ7MHSvQ5FzPEZSx212fbB0zUZfr3xRKQs3zxG8UogXWWxvLe_t9JgcJuce7vffyc6sMuppjtpMk3eK_cyTU0ByxbH4QVOgay4pmmSj0pnk/s1600/IMG_2625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIwZo98SMK43WqMBgspeSi7QqkFbmSCNe7lQ7MHSvQ5FzPEZSx212fbB0zUZfr3xRKQs3zxG8UogXWWxvLe_t9JgcJuce7vffyc6sMuppjtpMk3eK_cyTU0ByxbH4QVOgay4pmmSj0pnk/s1600/IMG_2625.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Sometimes the clouds are just right. </span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It was a beautiful concert, though. We sat on the lawn with about 20 feet of vacant grass surrounding us because everyone else was in the beer garden. So there's that.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">A little Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros for ya.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">The End.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666;"><a href="http://eatlovehome.blogspot.com/2011/08/part-1-street-food-hipster-heckling-and.html">Read Part 1 of this blog now. But only if you want to...</a></span></i></div><div><br />
</div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-86445256487791185552011-08-22T12:14:00.000-07:002011-08-22T12:20:48.407-07:00Part 1: Street food, hipster heckling and other reasons to brave the crowds...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Just call me chompers.</span></td></tr>
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Ok, so I'm not big on crowds, and sometimes that keeps me from experiencing some of the greatness that surrounds me. I'm not ashamed to admit that I would rather be at home, either perched at my computer or snuggling under a blanket with my knitting and whiskey. I don't know why it's so surprising that I find myself caught off guard and wanting desperately to retreat by the crowds at places like, oh I don't know, outdoor summer concerts, baseball games, Dolores Park on a sunny Saturday or street food festivals in the Mission. Where did all of these people come from?!<br />
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We went to the <a href="http://www.sfstreetfoodfest.com/about.php">SF Street Food Fest</a> this weekend. We rode our bikes over and got into the <i>free</i> <a href="http://www.sfbike.org/">bike parking</a> lot quickly and easily. It's a great cause, and my mind was aflutter with the fresh air, the smell of bbq's and my intense determination to find a pulled pork sandwich and a taco. I mean, this was my dream! Food and drink, on the street, everywhere! I didn't have to stop eating until I wanted to!<br />
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We were holding hands and dreaming of puppies, cupcakes and fuzzy socks as we walked to the entrance at 22nd and Folsom. All was right in the world.<br />
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Cut to about a billion people packed into a 6 block radius. I was sucked out of my dreamy haze and dropped into an alternate swirling reality. How did all these people hear about my food festival?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">SF Street Food Fest</span></td></tr>
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Here's what I ate:<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"></div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Pulled Pork Sandwich & Strawberry Basil Lemonade from Good Foods Catering - </span>Mother F-ing wow. That was the best I've EVER had! It was juicy and had a spice that was so distinct - definitely a cumin/cola something or other. Sadly they only cater, so I'm trying to think of a party to throw asap. </li>
</ul><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't have a picture of the sandwich because I inhaled it. Also, they ran out of the Pork Belly BLT while I was in line, so that tells you how awesome that must have been.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Estrellita's Tamales & Pupusas: </span>One chicken and one spinach tamale, plus one bean & cheese and one pork pupusa.</li>
</ul><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQYdTQzuzMUPu1rQCvfBisyXeJA2DOXm0Q4UCtVjUK0Nmq5Vf24ZMBLEwURuGm4ZtrakV1CSWmkxpHsJQGsSvkzvMHKcotjVu94Yi8BaP5CC0Uvb-qnLGI6YgXlPg_HHuKq_LFKG0EBI/s1600/IMG_3399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQYdTQzuzMUPu1rQCvfBisyXeJA2DOXm0Q4UCtVjUK0Nmq5Vf24ZMBLEwURuGm4ZtrakV1CSWmkxpHsJQGsSvkzvMHKcotjVu94Yi8BaP5CC0Uvb-qnLGI6YgXlPg_HHuKq_LFKG0EBI/s1600/IMG_3399.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<ul><li>Falafel from Tibi's with the best cilantro saucy stuff at the bottom. Duh-die. And a cookie of some kind from this lady. It was interesting.</li>
</ul><br />
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They got the food right, for sure. Amazing. So many to choose from, ranging from the regular street trucks you can find on any given day in SF, as well as some of the best restaurants in the city. By far my favorite was the pulled pork and lemonade from Good Foods Catering.<br />
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Another great thing, although ridiculously misplaced at times, were the tables that were set up to eat at. There were lots of standing height tables along the sidewalk (where people were trying to get in line), and lots of other pallet tables to sit at along the side streets. We found a table right away, even with that many people, which was great for our friends who came with their toddler. We used it as a central place while one or two of us went on a hunting and gathering expedition, returning with the yumminess.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuAaORjvd3rCyWzjMnWFhB4gksW7wdICcWt5NYJ8fFSmRa9giD1cBvqczVSv9yNdtT249i0filZjDFznIAJ5T6DiMmSdvLZx0UGo8CfXc8TzcveA7_B5vdi0iGgq0il8jZ-uv7RrrE02w/s1600/IMG_3411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuAaORjvd3rCyWzjMnWFhB4gksW7wdICcWt5NYJ8fFSmRa9giD1cBvqczVSv9yNdtT249i0filZjDFznIAJ5T6DiMmSdvLZx0UGo8CfXc8TzcveA7_B5vdi0iGgq0il8jZ-uv7RrrE02w/s1600/IMG_3411.JPG" /></a><br />
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<br />
The crowd part, not so much. My patron feedback to SF Street Food Fest is two-fold: Thank you, that was awesome! And Better Organization Next Time, Please.<br />
<br />
There has to be a better way to get that many people flowing in a way that actually works. The food lines were so long and winding, and there was no clear path for the pedestrians. Everybody ended up cutting through hither, thither and grumpily; there was clearly no organization or thought put into how to make the traffic flow between those in line and those walking to the next stand. This part was a real mess, and I didn't really see anybody who represented the fest monitoring safety or flow. It could have been a disaster if anything had gone wrong.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;">It was overall really awesome, and I'm so glad I live in a city where this is all possible. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">I LOVE SF!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><a href="http://eatlovehome.blogspot.com/2011/08/part-2-does-anyone-have-rusty-fork-i.html">Don't forget to read Part 2 of this blog...</a></span></div><br />
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-13809268758345706602011-08-18T09:06:00.000-07:002011-08-18T09:08:46.876-07:00In case you feel like dancing . . . please do.Inspired by <a href="http://ohjoy.blogs.com/my_weblog/2011/08/in-case-you-feel-like-dancing.html">OhJoy!'s post today</a>, and also my therapist's diagnosis of my revisionist tendencies and most recently {and by far my favorite} my being deep in the throes of a gripping depressive spell, I give you Kevin Bacon.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Sometimes you just gotta dance it out.</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ATQcxe7VPbk" width="420"></iframe></div><br />
<br />
This movie and my watching it on a constant rotation in the summer of 7th grade is responsible for me leaving my small town as soon as I could.<br />
<br />
But. . . I. Gotta. Dance!<br />
<br />
I was a little dramatic. Sorry, mom.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paramount Pictures</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">But seriously. Look at him. I feel better already.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">Depression got a spell on you?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">{unemployment, boredom, loneliness, no motivation, infertility, confusion, loss of identity, pressure, fatigue, katy perry and/or ke$ha} </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-22360743750412072512011-08-15T08:48:00.000-07:002011-08-15T09:36:46.393-07:00Weekend In Review: Wake up, just do it and all the rest.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I got a hip new app, known in our house as My Instagram Problem.<br />
<br />
Just call me the assimilating non-conformist. And enjoy the fruits of my new addiction.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">Morning, usually.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">House projects commencer!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{i hated the outcome, so this is going to be redone.}</span></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwvq0GJ5wtqmtOBCzFsglZ973VQJeoo8bKNXRMe13e7QdvJ_WqlLUd8CCArWHv908ExlD8wBCocFhcH-xqL_dD7wJS8w0FLb5w9pSrkmw5OepKoxG8jTTMGwEIIHjy1ewCkHdWH9eJ2Q/s1600/IMG_3357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwvq0GJ5wtqmtOBCzFsglZ973VQJeoo8bKNXRMe13e7QdvJ_WqlLUd8CCArWHv908ExlD8wBCocFhcH-xqL_dD7wJS8w0FLb5w9pSrkmw5OepKoxG8jTTMGwEIIHjy1ewCkHdWH9eJ2Q/s1600/IMG_3357.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">Saw Ted's band at <br />
The Makeout Room</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">{where topics of convo included rectal thermometers & projectile vomitting, avocado allergists and that curious camera-looking device above the toilet in the bathroom.}</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">This is what I have to deal with. <br />
Everyday.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">{Ginger got a new herringbone collar. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">And also, her eyes look like chocolate chips.}</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">And then there's this, too.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{can a sister ever get a break?} </span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfF2BlxvIjpK-zfqcsqkhOTaYwNJ73wKlKhG5eyidCSkFgPhR-3SpeI7qBKUosb8jFZsak5A3u-pK-q5uhwgk3nb91A2eS5weTNeU4njE0S0gHEfHwuJJWriO2OsSeuhVwF-3w5Sok6uc/s1600/IMG_3361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfF2BlxvIjpK-zfqcsqkhOTaYwNJ73wKlKhG5eyidCSkFgPhR-3SpeI7qBKUosb8jFZsak5A3u-pK-q5uhwgk3nb91A2eS5weTNeU4njE0S0gHEfHwuJJWriO2OsSeuhVwF-3w5Sok6uc/s1600/IMG_3361.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">Point & click never disappoints.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX_eq0Sl8GqFIgmxsy6euWZWBGskWeDSSNETeq6p5rKDLOZ0var-lyOEaBjJlWUdDEbNVfKx9KRZB9wpRipvGpUsIKt7_oIQkp9EJ2qypW7ubG4xu3r-wVe_mBVJmiuQxJeoAerKnzCuA/s1600/IMG_3363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX_eq0Sl8GqFIgmxsy6euWZWBGskWeDSSNETeq6p5rKDLOZ0var-lyOEaBjJlWUdDEbNVfKx9KRZB9wpRipvGpUsIKt7_oIQkp9EJ2qypW7ubG4xu3r-wVe_mBVJmiuQxJeoAerKnzCuA/s1600/IMG_3363.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">Tea, not whiskey. Unfortunately.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEHKyyxfWjyyO7Zlzgn94ZQAb7K59197KfvPOBmI3O-QOz-B2v1XQ_P8HJGXIEZUFV5EsDQj6wf9SqbmRZt6kl934WHSG_yK0m4ZHhNSJmXfJHiLxJvsh4iUbXYXbqJsoStC_p2AsAYg/s1600/IMG_3364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEHKyyxfWjyyO7Zlzgn94ZQAb7K59197KfvPOBmI3O-QOz-B2v1XQ_P8HJGXIEZUFV5EsDQj6wf9SqbmRZt6kl934WHSG_yK0m4ZHhNSJmXfJHiLxJvsh4iUbXYXbqJsoStC_p2AsAYg/s1600/IMG_3364.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Knitters Anonymous.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">{i had to rip out all the stitches twice, and i just found that it's still twisted. forging on anyways.}</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_lP5aHWTHtVRoj1oCce5A3id2AikW3wPT-3IQRvA_73pvehUYLJoGQeznkXh4aPEhoifZf29hXLdjGHrwyGD9u_cqHEwesUDNxNLuvGbgDUq5AWhnobHwoPV9QQ8NffHopJmfeyUXfQ/s1600/IMG_3366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_lP5aHWTHtVRoj1oCce5A3id2AikW3wPT-3IQRvA_73pvehUYLJoGQeznkXh4aPEhoifZf29hXLdjGHrwyGD9u_cqHEwesUDNxNLuvGbgDUq5AWhnobHwoPV9QQ8NffHopJmfeyUXfQ/s1600/IMG_3366.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">Sunday dinner at the Schmitchell's</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8-iN9wL_SkRSdGABeSJS8WEZip25uPf-cgRZVxWTGnhLtWYYdksokfuhkLLUvKQsgiIX8tPIfv69UCoRfT5J0Bee7MLFoTv1D3aHzgMdMN6ERiS-wTXZskOA81EyhTsrIYFA-tvm2MY/s1600/IMG_3367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8-iN9wL_SkRSdGABeSJS8WEZip25uPf-cgRZVxWTGnhLtWYYdksokfuhkLLUvKQsgiIX8tPIfv69UCoRfT5J0Bee7MLFoTv1D3aHzgMdMN6ERiS-wTXZskOA81EyhTsrIYFA-tvm2MY/s1600/IMG_3367.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">"Knife & Kale, In Stove Light"</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CktUtjFYRv6PK0b-eTEHNhoD2X-grb2QC7RUNL-h3moQJBfA7147jMzbU9i2kaM-2d5OGDLRHl46sw9vtGR4TQU5a7PB3dRH1eJIuNDlEDDtjrqFXoP7rzalL0IpOYcor5tYkt9ZhPk/s1600/tacos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CktUtjFYRv6PK0b-eTEHNhoD2X-grb2QC7RUNL-h3moQJBfA7147jMzbU9i2kaM-2d5OGDLRHl46sw9vtGR4TQU5a7PB3dRH1eJIuNDlEDDtjrqFXoP7rzalL0IpOYcor5tYkt9ZhPk/s1600/tacos.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">Sweet potato, black bean & kale tacos. <br />
Fantastico!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">What did you do, see, eat?</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e06666; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></b></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-62137590038036202122011-08-10T10:21:00.000-07:002011-08-10T13:24:43.218-07:00EAT Fast Food: Peppercorn Steak w/ Heirloom Tomato & Summer Corn Salad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQDzzKigfrNsp1NYyQVyNU6vI6fvUfQpZrbzey8MkkmSemQZIJ5-MFfYIQzp9B2kIelc_M4tMucrcdbD9PcP_kKVghH7CDrtKb0cLrvOFjOr1ZjruaQI46E1EIR_nltGVm6VA-G0BvoU/s1600/ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQDzzKigfrNsp1NYyQVyNU6vI6fvUfQpZrbzey8MkkmSemQZIJ5-MFfYIQzp9B2kIelc_M4tMucrcdbD9PcP_kKVghH7CDrtKb0cLrvOFjOr1ZjruaQI46E1EIR_nltGVm6VA-G0BvoU/s640/ingredients.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">There's nothing like eating summer when it's summer. </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This is a quick little ditty I whipped up last night in 25 minutes flat. </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Go!</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>*********************************************************************************************************************************<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rKh2fwGYXvrWXYQgCpeTTxkLmkdgEhEpswYKp9t2SnAAesMrdoqtNdUZzpX3PypF8X1WjoZQC2lnKJkTRFMfpKU9PZuNNbIi3_gwVFvJ6gInyeHM3KzvWwXBHAM3UgXijQcMlm-kjFY/s1600/seasonedsteak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rKh2fwGYXvrWXYQgCpeTTxkLmkdgEhEpswYKp9t2SnAAesMrdoqtNdUZzpX3PypF8X1WjoZQC2lnKJkTRFMfpKU9PZuNNbIi3_gwVFvJ6gInyeHM3KzvWwXBHAM3UgXijQcMlm-kjFY/s320/seasonedsteak.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; text-align: center;"><div style="display: inline !important; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For a video tutorial on cooking this </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">peppercorn steak with the cuuute </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ali Wentworth and Jessica Seinfeld, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://doitdelicious.com/recipes/make_it/simple_peppercorn_steak">click here.</a></span></div></div></div></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Ingredients List:</span><br />
<br />
1 NY Strip Steak (1" thick)<br />
1-2 large heirloom tomatoes<br />
1 ear of corn<br />
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained<br />
Handful of arugula<br />
1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro (substitute basil for you cilantro soap-tasters)<br />
1/2 a lime<br />
1/2 tbsp. black peppercorns, crushed (not ground)<br />
1/2 tsp. kosher salt<br />
1 tsp. canola oil<br />
Salt & Pepper, to taste<br />
<br />
<i>Tip: Use a heavy bottom sautee pan to crush your peppercorns. Make sure they're all "popped" or else somebody's gonna lose a tooth.</i><br />
<br />
Total prep & cook time: About 30 minutes | Serves 2<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ol><li>Start boiling the ear of corn in salted water. </li>
<li>Trim the steak of the hard fat, and pat dry with a paper towel.</li>
<li>Use the canola oil, crushed peppercorns and 1/2 tsp. kosher salt evenly over both sides of the steak. </li>
<li>Bring a heavy bottom pan (cast-iron or stainless steel) to heat at med-high. No need to add any extra oil - the steak has all the oil needed. </li>
<li>Once the pan is hot, put the steak on. This is going to make a crunchy, flavorful crust. It's also going to get a little smoky in the kitchen, so open a window.</li>
<li>For medium-rare, cook about 4-6 minutes on each side, about 125-130 degrees on an instant read thermometer.</li>
<li>While the steak is on the first side, large chop the tomato(es) and cilantro. Put them in a salad bowl and add the arugula and about 3/4 cup black beans. Add as much of any of these ingredients as you like. </li>
<li>Flip the steak.</li>
<li>Squeeze 1/2 lime over the salad. Add a pinch of salt & pepper. (If you use pure citrus as a salad dressing, you HAVE to salt it in order to marry the flavor. Otherwise it will taste like a lime salad, which I guess isn't such a bad thing.)</li>
<li>Remove the ear of corn and let cool a little.</li>
<li>Check the steak's temperature. Remove and tent with foil when done. </li>
<li>Cut the corn off the cob and add toss in the salad.</li>
</ol><br />
<ol></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_9g9mv5a5WEkliX3Ya9Dm8yPH4UVoPikWw9yEaHkyAEkCJ9hy0HGxmpVamywCaIw7YZzHDp1_cSj05bcFpMRSl5gnE8mNgYAWnIP6KAOhDAchTPJ65xTfJBRDfZL135zmcWs8uT-qt_Y/s1600/saladstuff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_9g9mv5a5WEkliX3Ya9Dm8yPH4UVoPikWw9yEaHkyAEkCJ9hy0HGxmpVamywCaIw7YZzHDp1_cSj05bcFpMRSl5gnE8mNgYAWnIP6KAOhDAchTPJ65xTfJBRDfZL135zmcWs8uT-qt_Y/s640/saladstuff.jpg" width="506" /></a></div><br />
Divide the salad onto two plates. Cut the steak in about 1/2" slices against the grain and lay over the salad. Drizzle any juices onto the steak.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFtkC8gUWytAWmBIoO7DOHEYdwgmncr4n8XjBGFy5rWYGpfaVujMxRbtaXYInnf5UpSTO1lnaUrCykK9drH3QBR7I7hc1q2LvaHvRpZ187T690MaPHBMjoNCR1gcyYbwF4wbhe2UwJFBU/s1600/done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFtkC8gUWytAWmBIoO7DOHEYdwgmncr4n8XjBGFy5rWYGpfaVujMxRbtaXYInnf5UpSTO1lnaUrCykK9drH3QBR7I7hc1q2LvaHvRpZ187T690MaPHBMjoNCR1gcyYbwF4wbhe2UwJFBU/s640/done.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVoXkyHyIznqzXzEWaM9YNbc3D6JcKbUFZGswrsSMAxzqD4wrCycZs6lxUSU819DHDCWg1Xhv_c2aX1XJMxE-gvtbTSFW7o399LV9RNA0hi06aefTreqSKC-Qc5Dv-gMv_H-YGEwh3KMI/s1600/done2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVoXkyHyIznqzXzEWaM9YNbc3D6JcKbUFZGswrsSMAxzqD4wrCycZs6lxUSU819DHDCWg1Xhv_c2aX1XJMxE-gvtbTSFW7o399LV9RNA0hi06aefTreqSKC-Qc5Dv-gMv_H-YGEwh3KMI/s640/done2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Savor the flavor, y'all!!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></div><br />
<br />
Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-33378670453055594502011-08-05T13:09:00.000-07:002011-08-05T13:18:29.722-07:00DIY: Easy No-Zipper Pillows<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxe-PCJXfHjM5h-2yvVzFRIx-rlLJDUqOnj2vRrgYJMyNHR8KZpw9VL4tg_0uz3hHpQlP7dwC9oLnzOsagIFcJHAwPL7-narvzFNYWI2QxNnRNhBqBWRnrQO7tr9_hKGeROa-Ip_6bTk/s1600/fabricclose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxe-PCJXfHjM5h-2yvVzFRIx-rlLJDUqOnj2vRrgYJMyNHR8KZpw9VL4tg_0uz3hHpQlP7dwC9oLnzOsagIFcJHAwPL7-narvzFNYWI2QxNnRNhBqBWRnrQO7tr9_hKGeROa-Ip_6bTk/s320/fabricclose.jpg" width="240" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This is how it usually goes:</span><br />
Ooooh! I love this fabric. Well... I'll just get a yard, that's all. Just enough for a pillow, no harm here! Oh, and maybe just a yard of this one, too. And some contrasting fabric, that's all. Just a yard of this, a yard of this one and this one, too. See, it's not that much and out of all of this, we'll have all new pillows.<br />
<br />
Pillows! Pillows for every room in the house new PILLOWS! Pillows Pillows Pillows I love PILLOWS! I'll sew them all!<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Cut to:</span><br />
Piles and piles and boxes and closets filled with Just A Yard Of This and Just A Yard Of That. And nary a pillow to be found.<br />
<br />
Wanna know why? I flippin' <i>hate sewing zippers</i>. Hate 'em like the day is long. I know, it's not that hard, but it's literally the only thing that keeps me from sewing all those pillows. I just hate it.<br />
<br />
<br />
So, be still my beating heart, I came across <a href="http://www.freshlypickedblog.com/2011/02/pillow-tutorial-envelope-back.html">this post</a> for envelope-back pillows. Duh! How many times have I seen these and not thought to do it myself! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ThA3anzMvWrU3eFrLLl3eMZTrSqkxit0MG6PK97OpX6-CIrfgYtFqoUSs6Tz7HqOarpo5vgpT16QQbd66I4NEDyoQl7frSqT57os4zGGq9XP13EJvO1nmUWC-Ev4IsRwoJ6a0WXNePA/s1600/envelope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="431" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ThA3anzMvWrU3eFrLLl3eMZTrSqkxit0MG6PK97OpX6-CIrfgYtFqoUSs6Tz7HqOarpo5vgpT16QQbd66I4NEDyoQl7frSqT57os4zGGq9XP13EJvO1nmUWC-Ev4IsRwoJ6a0WXNePA/s640/envelope.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I have been staring at my cute Pink Pig fabric for about a year, it taunting me day by day by day. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Soooooome Pig!! It would say. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Finally yesterday I took care of business and made my Pink Pig Pillow.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">******************************************************************************************************************************</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Sewing 101: Envelope Back Pillows</span></div><br />
You'll Need:<br />
<br />
Pillow form - I used a 21" pillow, so the measurements below are based on that.<br />
Measuring tape or large ruler<br />
Straight edge - you can use the large ruler or anything else that has a straight edge.<br />
Rotary cutter or scissors<br />
Fabric pencil<br />
Sewing machine & thread<br />
3 Pieces of fabric cut to the measurements below - you can use a contrasting fabric on the back.<br />
*Note: If you have a closet full of fabric, ahem, you can dig around and piece together scraps that are the<br />
measurements needed. No need to buy more.<br />
**Second Note: Use any old fabric you have that measures up - t-shirts, old curtains, throws, skirts, etc.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">1. </span>Measure and cut 3 pieces of fabric based on the size of your pillow. Use contrasting fabric on the back pieces if you want. You can also "railroad" the same fabric to make contrast if you don't have two fabrics. Simply turn the fabric sideways and cut your back pieces across the pattern. That's what I did.<br />
For my 21" Pillow:<br />
- Front piece = 22" x 22"<br />
- One back piece = 11.5" x 22"<br />
- Second back piece = 14.5" x 22"<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jLisG9aGKEA3aUWUEHP4Th9mj6KG_ymGFIRubh0PqOAhKdK_MpP90KqSM5KBELYLODbBTCkLUwtkrv56j_pfMTsKGXH3bOARAPHBAf_HQ0oX5Te3Z5dXgPF3ByyFn4dpkHC7ES8XmV4/s1600/cutting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jLisG9aGKEA3aUWUEHP4Th9mj6KG_ymGFIRubh0PqOAhKdK_MpP90KqSM5KBELYLODbBTCkLUwtkrv56j_pfMTsKGXH3bOARAPHBAf_HQ0oX5Te3Z5dXgPF3ByyFn4dpkHC7ES8XmV4/s640/cutting.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">2. </span>Back pieces: Press a hem 1/2" on one edge of each piece, then fold and press another 1/2".<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrvPgjyL4CHtBWI9DHccnbthyphenhyphenBID8prj9Ss2pEIOtspLR4smU3VBghDFqYvvZkFFgjBlkSi8iukkYVjHhSHf6D1E_yLSwU1LT9EwWsEOqDDMxiqZPDYl8hJk6UIL7Diub9eS8DGS4QLk/s1600/folding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrvPgjyL4CHtBWI9DHccnbthyphenhyphenBID8prj9Ss2pEIOtspLR4smU3VBghDFqYvvZkFFgjBlkSi8iukkYVjHhSHf6D1E_yLSwU1LT9EwWsEOqDDMxiqZPDYl8hJk6UIL7Diub9eS8DGS4QLk/s640/folding.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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Pin the hems.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEE5acr6gS1oe2rWgaFgj-5bixLZ_NG2aYI6679ebUkVqtfBM4k4s3WyRBwPtqu0lBuabDpi5YNA8lC5Ut_y7inzBc-FWrBJl9F_Nh_iCi-JQ_Dgt1rjTAHGmKNpkTca76YSpwH6g1jJk/s1600/pinnedbackpieces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEE5acr6gS1oe2rWgaFgj-5bixLZ_NG2aYI6679ebUkVqtfBM4k4s3WyRBwPtqu0lBuabDpi5YNA8lC5Ut_y7inzBc-FWrBJl9F_Nh_iCi-JQ_Dgt1rjTAHGmKNpkTca76YSpwH6g1jJk/s640/pinnedbackpieces.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkAQX67Z4HWFW8vdqVQMf17wLnSYYwuXd1CmxUpJLQKsvnbOPoljPaTlE3sa84GCwe8DSJTa-lVEDwHLxa84ztTFMFjas15kBIJCOLJiP4CfTCKutRffeuNPoi0otQJ1nuV02CMK-wPY/s1600/backpieces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkAQX67Z4HWFW8vdqVQMf17wLnSYYwuXd1CmxUpJLQKsvnbOPoljPaTlE3sa84GCwe8DSJTa-lVEDwHLxa84ztTFMFjas15kBIJCOLJiP4CfTCKutRffeuNPoi0otQJ1nuV02CMK-wPY/s640/backpieces.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">3.</span> Sew the pinned hems.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeVsu6vGEbHLuqD3Yv70AdoA-lwRGQpJnDLldMu54fVWU_MayX5vwVlUJCWAXLXxY4hgNH3PrV5Tml3raxJjmphEhwwm9IpCvgJW6S2OAEshJjB8Egn0_PbFCCaC3h9qmTmxwt9o08FtQ/s1600/sewinghems.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeVsu6vGEbHLuqD3Yv70AdoA-lwRGQpJnDLldMu54fVWU_MayX5vwVlUJCWAXLXxY4hgNH3PrV5Tml3raxJjmphEhwwm9IpCvgJW6S2OAEshJjB8Egn0_PbFCCaC3h9qmTmxwt9o08FtQ/s640/sewinghems.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">4.</span> Overlap the two back pieces about 2", making sure that the total width equals 22" once overlapped.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXgLWLQjcZWpyZXhb5IswRkgxrwNKf-yr7IGycyKrvL8UR6-0UhSQWxInOlvlwZ9CyeTpYaRCL-__7Tz1-EQaNrgziGe7pcDl9hpgjS3fyt8oYeRkpalx3TpSpY-6CMqsp52HiNaajdU/s1600/backquad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXgLWLQjcZWpyZXhb5IswRkgxrwNKf-yr7IGycyKrvL8UR6-0UhSQWxInOlvlwZ9CyeTpYaRCL-__7Tz1-EQaNrgziGe7pcDl9hpgjS3fyt8oYeRkpalx3TpSpY-6CMqsp52HiNaajdU/s640/backquad.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">5. </span>Pin & sew the overlap.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAHw_bieJeaoZgerLmy_G9zCYFp8qPAbjtESeqJGuSFRX43gukfPfj2jMMegrCSceXnDVSH4wjDGmfRonfLQuG4PAHkElQWK1tWqbH-wrJdsZnejcYWcYp66qerI9LVF0vMJBK6LJ8F4/s1600/pinnedandsewn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAHw_bieJeaoZgerLmy_G9zCYFp8qPAbjtESeqJGuSFRX43gukfPfj2jMMegrCSceXnDVSH4wjDGmfRonfLQuG4PAHkElQWK1tWqbH-wrJdsZnejcYWcYp66qerI9LVF0vMJBK6LJ8F4/s640/pinnedandsewn.jpg" width="532" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">6. </span> Lay the front and back pieces on top of each other with the patterns facing each other.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzeNEok3JuNhyuGGsB3jO0hnhFb0XjJOnO2Pb2c8whDOE_kTZQpwCfNllAT619KgjNf5mBV83kJj_420GogDHEBlPlEm3ivpILaWPa8BrKPsTn8pHUmRY03x9hjh5OOmk4zQL3JpK6Jo/s1600/facing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzeNEok3JuNhyuGGsB3jO0hnhFb0XjJOnO2Pb2c8whDOE_kTZQpwCfNllAT619KgjNf5mBV83kJj_420GogDHEBlPlEm3ivpILaWPa8BrKPsTn8pHUmRY03x9hjh5OOmk4zQL3JpK6Jo/s640/facing.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">7. </span> Pin the pieces and sew around all four sides with at least a 1/2" hem, double locking the corners. You can do a 1" hem or more if you want the pillow to be tighter.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTi3aAjxl8kuSWv5wSlHrXjeIeMDZ6Gcohf5CyEypj-0A-7Z3a2OgfI6LfMp5crrLlrPEkAWSNp2k4bZ1h7LKs6ujUpwV5fQmPQ0QBt5XfLL65qWJxRt-L2DGqs0m4gTk-qxdsv23rVo/s1600/sewn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTi3aAjxl8kuSWv5wSlHrXjeIeMDZ6Gcohf5CyEypj-0A-7Z3a2OgfI6LfMp5crrLlrPEkAWSNp2k4bZ1h7LKs6ujUpwV5fQmPQ0QBt5XfLL65qWJxRt-L2DGqs0m4gTk-qxdsv23rVo/s640/sewn.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">8. </span>Trim the corners and turn it right side in. Use a chopstick or bone folder to poke out the corners.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9I0skMdUzhtP9D7UQO03fma5ef-alLqeTEl50gRBLp-Fpb3PaBIW4_2CRT-myM7wesJa_AxK_JOrMc-DFFl0dyVTZTCovx6l1RsEQs90IYllBuqqv2GE4siWawZB3wS3DOqV8nSIiEA/s1600/flipinsideout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9I0skMdUzhtP9D7UQO03fma5ef-alLqeTEl50gRBLp-Fpb3PaBIW4_2CRT-myM7wesJa_AxK_JOrMc-DFFl0dyVTZTCovx6l1RsEQs90IYllBuqqv2GE4siWawZB3wS3DOqV8nSIiEA/s640/flipinsideout.jpg" width="562" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyEIDopSHB5aJcII560H4KzfffMlL7beYmXrbfI7Dver4uYBAIBVYXTPGWsVzu56BJ3pUiRAyCHm1YPAv6Y0x5JlHZNrC3pMV3fTeP3oXAkTnR5_67lP9EJCtAgz4CjXtJB75ZEqMWgZM/s1600/pillow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyEIDopSHB5aJcII560H4KzfffMlL7beYmXrbfI7Dver4uYBAIBVYXTPGWsVzu56BJ3pUiRAyCHm1YPAv6Y0x5JlHZNrC3pMV3fTeP3oXAkTnR5_67lP9EJCtAgz4CjXtJB75ZEqMWgZM/s640/pillow.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">9. </span>Put a pillow in it!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfNJ8MLeJtZkDtNEFtKUIrkzQl1vghuf15v59nthAtNgekilD9S5GPh6WpE4A6k1r4SJDg4xclW2e6vIxtGfBAaOoHTlNeibrKTuzZsEfYsiH2Ph5unM7JQiHu_RhmWmBVFAXW9qfdEQ/s1600/pillowmain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfNJ8MLeJtZkDtNEFtKUIrkzQl1vghuf15v59nthAtNgekilD9S5GPh6WpE4A6k1r4SJDg4xclW2e6vIxtGfBAaOoHTlNeibrKTuzZsEfYsiH2Ph5unM7JQiHu_RhmWmBVFAXW9qfdEQ/s640/pillowmain.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">10. </span> Take pictures and stare at it for at least 7 minutes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg522YalAJoM9Ok-FECOJp8K3RPynpFFpJ9wsdY9IS7SUdD4p72ZkkEQAkj0mDWm5FPnmUSPVKjDjsxVFG6jiSjDiLeU3sQIFP4kLNkYuDXh1jg6OJ7V_X2DIg_SX32Fgy9Os0PvQ6EYZc/s1600/pillowonbedwart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg522YalAJoM9Ok-FECOJp8K3RPynpFFpJ9wsdY9IS7SUdD4p72ZkkEQAkj0mDWm5FPnmUSPVKjDjsxVFG6jiSjDiLeU3sQIFP4kLNkYuDXh1jg6OJ7V_X2DIg_SX32Fgy9Os0PvQ6EYZc/s640/pillowonbedwart.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">Sooooooooome Pig!!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-5762247874809562202011-08-04T13:34:00.000-07:002011-08-05T13:11:41.986-07:00Succulent RehabI did some urban gardening this weekend, which basically means that I replanted the potted succulents that were dying on our back steps.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaohWZx0DnI-l6_vgfyl34_MS2MmC2tYsc2u1Hf8bh6qbzh15brNEOop2AgHl0-o0AM4DWA0P7OaVHP9mFN0Du6XSnwqmufPJvfs2oKkp6JvFp4Hdol3Hm4MnEQLKjeie6pDaIr3PPpA/s1600/plants10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaohWZx0DnI-l6_vgfyl34_MS2MmC2tYsc2u1Hf8bh6qbzh15brNEOop2AgHl0-o0AM4DWA0P7OaVHP9mFN0Du6XSnwqmufPJvfs2oKkp6JvFp4Hdol3Hm4MnEQLKjeie6pDaIr3PPpA/s640/plants10.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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I planted them all last year when we first moved into this apartment. I was so excited because we finally had that long-coveted outdoor space that city dwellers die for. Although it's nothing more than a back door with a stoop barely big enough for a welcome mat, I love that it opens up to the clear blue sky.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFvU1ogGQU0Ug__9EdK-Sp9OGL4oAu-nSlFNyInwSD1eiBXgE9SlfV2e451odFV-e8qtwtC9k4hMI0opFvugYkmD3aNNkp-h5HaeHiEPqfeXR9jayIDNmATTxDZrLsRHiWlLa_EiDyGQ/s1600/Sf-Back-View.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFvU1ogGQU0Ug__9EdK-Sp9OGL4oAu-nSlFNyInwSD1eiBXgE9SlfV2e451odFV-e8qtwtC9k4hMI0opFvugYkmD3aNNkp-h5HaeHiEPqfeXR9jayIDNmATTxDZrLsRHiWlLa_EiDyGQ/s1600/Sf-Back-View.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">San Francisco fog hovers over Twin Peaks <br />
like a thick fluffy cloud blanket.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I got so excited about our new 'backyard' that I rushed out and bought $200 worth of succulents and colorful pots. I don't know if you know it, but in succulent currency, that's a shit ton.<br />
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I love my plants. I talk to them a lot. I stand and stare at them, willing them to love me back and to show it by growing a little. I squeal like a pig every time I see a new bud popping up.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwCMIK5RlhLfNhQtuREEKxmYoIsyXapyuHve559OuSsCy7TenMFmQcKEcohbIvy5hh9Spbn8MC4xDxS3M3ihzjEHPkBjolgHkPuhzvh14Dv0ESpqLCi_JuPc23qad7nGl03v830pZo4ys/s1600/plants9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwCMIK5RlhLfNhQtuREEKxmYoIsyXapyuHve559OuSsCy7TenMFmQcKEcohbIvy5hh9Spbn8MC4xDxS3M3ihzjEHPkBjolgHkPuhzvh14Dv0ESpqLCi_JuPc23qad7nGl03v830pZo4ys/s640/plants9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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Unfortunately for them, I also love a lot of other things, too. Like parks, reading, television and beer contests. So sometimes I forget that my plants need water. Luckily succulents are extremely resilient little suckers, and this weekend I spent the day trying to win them back over, promising that this was the last time. It would never happen again.<br />
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I've changed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_7dtGkuD783bD8mwUE5OBCj0Qhkqj6HuIAcq6o1B5nBB1w1rLQSGhWl-LC-bhoDiQ57f38We-NPJ7Q2G9Xs6EsQLtLcOyrDvu-0g79Yj0JPZQCej0uMD6MU-EwIInjivBysbODogApqo/s1600/plants6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_7dtGkuD783bD8mwUE5OBCj0Qhkqj6HuIAcq6o1B5nBB1w1rLQSGhWl-LC-bhoDiQ57f38We-NPJ7Q2G9Xs6EsQLtLcOyrDvu-0g79Yj0JPZQCej0uMD6MU-EwIInjivBysbODogApqo/s640/plants6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Don't you love it when they grow those crazy flowering things?!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Fok434d5LF1g0UGP-nKU5KX1ierTakkK0fbJgt7h_QkpE0byDWXYVZ2J8nSydrj09fkvVcvE9vSsftjeKC3ew2lRRNw8b2WiH9CbwzNny7xCjfCbsVz2ydRB1doW6H6TGqla0lyYnlM/s1600/plants20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Fok434d5LF1g0UGP-nKU5KX1ierTakkK0fbJgt7h_QkpE0byDWXYVZ2J8nSydrj09fkvVcvE9vSsftjeKC3ew2lRRNw8b2WiH9CbwzNny7xCjfCbsVz2ydRB1doW6H6TGqla0lyYnlM/s640/plants20.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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They had grown so much over the past year, that I had to combine them in bigger pots. I really love seeing them swimming altogether in the same place. They get along so nicely.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtIVvA_olOSeqAyVDeC6YyCb-aW8nKLqbG4oBjfm_iJuE8Vf2WuUOgXGsCfsRbbguwL8aecuNhheFr5Hoek484VaVgeSO6YjgNs-4dBm6OrUv5ru9zWBQ0aVpcJ9nJ15wnIZsZUMm4ZhU/s1600/plants4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtIVvA_olOSeqAyVDeC6YyCb-aW8nKLqbG4oBjfm_iJuE8Vf2WuUOgXGsCfsRbbguwL8aecuNhheFr5Hoek484VaVgeSO6YjgNs-4dBm6OrUv5ru9zWBQ0aVpcJ9nJ15wnIZsZUMm4ZhU/s640/plants4.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hello.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Sadly, not all of them made it to new pots. Succulents grow in all sorts of crazy directions, and when I was transferring them, these branches fell off. So now they're in mason jar rehab, trying to sprout enough to be planted in all of my leftover colorful pots.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVnjUrCzj2KXEI4Is64Kt1swZzA0g_S1I7s8NEVGURot5_uCEKD1CzYDuMbwwEBItDhFbhNXrr0F77FxEMizid0FipwCjrAW3gP_6J-EoXtx7wip3cFp12CKOOSJGAnxMpv0mNJdtNJ0/s1600/plants7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVnjUrCzj2KXEI4Is64Kt1swZzA0g_S1I7s8NEVGURot5_uCEKD1CzYDuMbwwEBItDhFbhNXrr0F77FxEMizid0FipwCjrAW3gP_6J-EoXtx7wip3cFp12CKOOSJGAnxMpv0mNJdtNJ0/s640/plants7.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPo0A5lPjGTEu5L1CEoqb5PTepVu6VPckfqDJHyVAs7VrQ9yH_MFvr4eW_qzufQ8aOIjpHwaMMhuMt-Gi7dmbE2mGrpArBn65UrGdPzXQ3WhHs9eyFz9-OUv4TmHj1YFcq55VwkrrPrhw/s1600/plants21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPo0A5lPjGTEu5L1CEoqb5PTepVu6VPckfqDJHyVAs7VrQ9yH_MFvr4eW_qzufQ8aOIjpHwaMMhuMt-Gi7dmbE2mGrpArBn65UrGdPzXQ3WhHs9eyFz9-OUv4TmHj1YFcq55VwkrrPrhw/s640/plants21.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">We are so good together.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-71005953690373827522011-08-02T10:53:00.000-07:002011-08-05T08:16:20.151-07:00DIY: Easy Blackout CurtainsI had taken to nightly whining fits. 10pm. 11pm. 2am. 6am.<br />
<br />
There's a lampost right outside our bedroom window that's on all night, so it's not just the morning sun that pokes through our curtains and slaps me like I'd been dancing on bar tops all night long, when I know for certain that I had not been. <i>I'm not 30 anymore.</i><br />
<br />
So what's a girl to do with her cute, store bought, thinly veiled curtains?<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzujYtofIq_uT9bRU-qc5FubKm9V2lCtkGhosE7JCvFhoxK_I6DR0ppbjY_AzswBhEzcjINYniKfL1w39vWd29uiaP2OjxTb43_VyB9lRL1z8e1Qd8ZVSy2-wLjeBwN64ltimNgG6Pnjk/s1600/Room+View.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzujYtofIq_uT9bRU-qc5FubKm9V2lCtkGhosE7JCvFhoxK_I6DR0ppbjY_AzswBhEzcjINYniKfL1w39vWd29uiaP2OjxTb43_VyB9lRL1z8e1Qd8ZVSy2-wLjeBwN64ltimNgG6Pnjk/s1600/Room+View.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Source: West Elm Ikat Ogee Linen Curtains</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
You dream of hotels, that's what you do! <a href="http://www.jdvhotels.com/hotels/sanfrancisco/vitale">Like the one you stayed in the night you got engaged. </a><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmBCPLTiwcovOpSaaCKp5M9tZK21Zwx8E64hqw0ryAgPw56GFuwMY7vyZvQtYTu-Z38WJVX8nSELCfNWYW02fSTOiGTmBhbhkzXEvki6d-LPwgL8I5TN-ddi_Aa4uEG8pj6X0x0VaYec/s1600/hotelpics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmBCPLTiwcovOpSaaCKp5M9tZK21Zwx8E64hqw0ryAgPw56GFuwMY7vyZvQtYTu-Z38WJVX8nSELCfNWYW02fSTOiGTmBhbhkzXEvki6d-LPwgL8I5TN-ddi_Aa4uEG8pj6X0x0VaYec/s640/hotelpics.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Bar dancing hussy turns into bed jumping monkey<br />
at the stroke of a sapphire.</span></td></tr>
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I digress.<br />
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Hotels get it right every time. With their thick, fluffy duvets, remote control tv's, bathrooms 3 feet from the bed and, my personal favorite, curtains so dark that you could live there for 10 days and forget that the earth revolves around the sun.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOFzbpMX7Da4TTtg_Xghw4wJRDndnpNFo7pr_vy_daVY4aCj_hHIHuc_7aZoGLPFg4Om99xUbgAxO1iRBSgeUSRGGFu9WYHd085-wsZpLXwcTZf-chdF7ulw_UuxigJMWTASM58de63g/s1600/800x500_king-size-bed-in-superior-hotel-room-at-base2stay-kensington-gallery.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOFzbpMX7Da4TTtg_Xghw4wJRDndnpNFo7pr_vy_daVY4aCj_hHIHuc_7aZoGLPFg4Om99xUbgAxO1iRBSgeUSRGGFu9WYHd085-wsZpLXwcTZf-chdF7ulw_UuxigJMWTASM58de63g/s640/800x500_king-size-bed-in-superior-hotel-room-at-base2stay-kensington-gallery.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.base2stay.com/kensington-london/the-hotel"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We're staying here when we go to London next month. <br />
It's going to be so dark!!! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Source: Base2Stay.com</span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
So back to the problem at hand: my super thin curtains and my lazy solution for night fits. This is the easiest sewing project you'll ever do, I promise. I did this yesterday in about an hour, and boy did I SLEEP last night!<br />
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The most awesome thing about blackout fabric is that it cuts like butter and doesn't need to be hemmed!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>1.</b></span> First buy your curtains.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxervc3M-F-w7jnfiMG3J-mghWyyMKEUQk17dqqTxmRWfpJmFIzaSRsxuHOtXEIuhkx-CyfiwQt8Fn9iFgvNpyF1BPzgd3Kv2jA4Ldpmi5y8zJnHFWWjsspBO8zrq-HEVEicM7-E9Nspo/s1600/curtain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxervc3M-F-w7jnfiMG3J-mghWyyMKEUQk17dqqTxmRWfpJmFIzaSRsxuHOtXEIuhkx-CyfiwQt8Fn9iFgvNpyF1BPzgd3Kv2jA4Ldpmi5y8zJnHFWWjsspBO8zrq-HEVEicM7-E9Nspo/s1600/curtain.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">These are nice.</span><br />
Source: <a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?itemdescription=true&itemCount=80&startValue=1&selectedProductColor=&sortby=&id=20967477&parentid=A_DECORATE&sortProperties=+subCategoryPosition,+product.marketingPriority&navCount=60&navAction=jump&color=&pushId=A_DECORATE&popId=APARTMENT&prepushId=&selectedProductSize=">Urban Outfitters </a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
You could make your own, which I've done plenty of in my lifetime. But sometimes the thought of measuring, cutting, folding, pressing, pinning and hemming 36 yards in circumference is a little too much for a Tuesday, so you buy them readymade.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">2.</span></b> <a href="http://www.fabric.com/home-decor-fabric-drapery-lining-fabric-blackout-drapery-lining-ivory.aspx">Get some blackout fabric.</a> I usually use white or cream, depending on the fabric color.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>3. </b></span>Roll out the blackout fabric and lay your curtain on top of it. Trim all around the edges just outside the curtain. Cut it like you cut wrapping paper. Wheeee!<br />
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<i>**Save yourself some cutting by scooting the curtain over to one side of the b.o. fabric and making the top of the curtain flush with the top edge.</i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqpw29MKo4po9mlZC-5YdnRox27hyphenhyphenI3iaFQhbz00529aIW7Vb7P1OgjOYilJ6k1eH_idHXhkm7zpk7CozZRoqYsFJZFYG0Aw1VAHu2Uq2vWffo0y2rIHxLQoo8K13_DTfFwclum4RNHDk/s1600/cuttingcurtains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqpw29MKo4po9mlZC-5YdnRox27hyphenhyphenI3iaFQhbz00529aIW7Vb7P1OgjOYilJ6k1eH_idHXhkm7zpk7CozZRoqYsFJZFYG0Aw1VAHu2Uq2vWffo0y2rIHxLQoo8K13_DTfFwclum4RNHDk/s640/cuttingcurtains.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Yes, those are my haircutting shears. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>4.</b></span> Sew it! And guess what, you don't even need to pin it. I'm a renegade, so I don't play by no stinkin' rules. If you have a steady hand and focused eye, you can just hold the fabrics in place as you feed them through the machine.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0quUKGg6x1u0EJUPFH-5a7ATLkllrLdjoEc3IMf5lSmzXiJpg-iJ8wTuHnGn-UUVxf_57Wngu9c6rFJ_6LXcEEK7W7FmTj4X47QkXJaGX8KVvzNfM2ADxsQft6GZqMgP86wy9Z4YyGyY/s1600/sewing2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0quUKGg6x1u0EJUPFH-5a7ATLkllrLdjoEc3IMf5lSmzXiJpg-iJ8wTuHnGn-UUVxf_57Wngu9c6rFJ_6LXcEEK7W7FmTj4X47QkXJaGX8KVvzNfM2ADxsQft6GZqMgP86wy9Z4YyGyY/s640/sewing2.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
Sew all around the edges - you can skip the bottoms like I did.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYksqD7Sdx4LE0b0T7Vi2gpLiRTGCA5Mdz8LdNny-861sA-MEzpbRrecFuYtbfG-UomRMf4XSo72RLCfgS9UWHVGqdWS6B9DCtvHCtIW6KFN9molPyZgz5P_0LX6iJvguNt6jYDBdOhTU/s1600/sewing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYksqD7Sdx4LE0b0T7Vi2gpLiRTGCA5Mdz8LdNny-861sA-MEzpbRrecFuYtbfG-UomRMf4XSo72RLCfgS9UWHVGqdWS6B9DCtvHCtIW6KFN9molPyZgz5P_0LX6iJvguNt6jYDBdOhTU/s640/sewing.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">5.</span></b> At the top of your curtain, sew the b.o. fabric just below the panel where the rod goes. I just followed along the existing seam. Trim off the excess.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_o_1K1ebSFeJdec-X0K-iGPi_5ahK0mdxJ1Dol1OaARDKhyWKxdhqkEzOoybcx-Nngh8zXEwM8ofrhKSU96sShqJILr5XQ00t7yMY4qzOE8V38ILD_6Q_wQBXYOoeZ_OzR31tm_cIsFs/s1600/topedge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_o_1K1ebSFeJdec-X0K-iGPi_5ahK0mdxJ1Dol1OaARDKhyWKxdhqkEzOoybcx-Nngh8zXEwM8ofrhKSU96sShqJILr5XQ00t7yMY4qzOE8V38ILD_6Q_wQBXYOoeZ_OzR31tm_cIsFs/s640/topedge.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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And voila! You have blackout curtains!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOWk0UXxmEcVxdFFdZRGQ4A6KagHCRZGMIgLIwi0HFMR7YD_3Is9AVfWhik7o0K9lraInb7z8DQboTYyOLYCfJiR5gmqK2f3n2JBrSFWpsJSuCXhqL02PMvOspNTiDlTj1kqpU_NrUik/s1600/sewn+curtains+in+dr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOWk0UXxmEcVxdFFdZRGQ4A6KagHCRZGMIgLIwi0HFMR7YD_3Is9AVfWhik7o0K9lraInb7z8DQboTYyOLYCfJiR5gmqK2f3n2JBrSFWpsJSuCXhqL02PMvOspNTiDlTj1kqpU_NrUik/s640/sewn+curtains+in+dr.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlGtUrLOjZC8vRbytBKuhvzmASRCm0V4KbMIOUpM0fgloSm7jqzhcIJw3r4vtN4Wt4xBN5gEukufgNwWfoWW4c3j9B4fq8sx0GByvdFZa4dPm7kwIWx1DfoZFqwDnHSbFgU8szYvmE6E/s1600/hangingcurtains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlGtUrLOjZC8vRbytBKuhvzmASRCm0V4KbMIOUpM0fgloSm7jqzhcIJw3r4vtN4Wt4xBN5gEukufgNwWfoWW4c3j9B4fq8sx0GByvdFZa4dPm7kwIWx1DfoZFqwDnHSbFgU8szYvmE6E/s640/hangingcurtains.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFA5_Q7RsBFZWDQSQ98_kbPx60e9kwpOz36_PFSI6hTPV1McYCa2wFa8sNbHPK9Ye_gUIolVaV6Wmk-U-XvbFa7j98G2NT2u5xuXz_J7gbVp6i3tMUOCbdQj2c84RAzMCGqUb-F9i5CmI/s1600/curtaindone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFA5_Q7RsBFZWDQSQ98_kbPx60e9kwpOz36_PFSI6hTPV1McYCa2wFa8sNbHPK9Ye_gUIolVaV6Wmk-U-XvbFa7j98G2NT2u5xuXz_J7gbVp6i3tMUOCbdQj2c84RAzMCGqUb-F9i5CmI/s640/curtaindone.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjZaNQR7srICwGh2eGamXXQcjAIKgluNjFrEFxculk9V-q092p3gLnN2IXlP4JpLLq0__o52qhGSbqqEQzuwpKn-JEixSJXAQytPkoLzFjsjAzfE3Mmkwbw2BzbpI0RXXn06-WX1nqtQ/s1600/gingercurtains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjZaNQR7srICwGh2eGamXXQcjAIKgluNjFrEFxculk9V-q092p3gLnN2IXlP4JpLLq0__o52qhGSbqqEQzuwpKn-JEixSJXAQytPkoLzFjsjAzfE3Mmkwbw2BzbpI0RXXn06-WX1nqtQ/s640/gingercurtains.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ginger couldn't be bothered with celebrating my handiwork.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">Sleep well, my friends. </span></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-49425954658748300652011-08-01T12:01:00.000-07:002011-08-09T11:13:21.747-07:00EAT: Strawberry Coconut Cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner<div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>I found this on <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/90363655/">Pinterest!</a> Scroll all the way down for the recipe. . . </i></div></div><br />
Guess what I had for breakfast.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluAlDiZqsug53-n4-hHOG-ynrIMcJ_XJsXNLgoPylexVLAv-SrJcoKxuoNsatc5jm4Y0ryagphtYFPkdrHKMWENiCm6Y0PaNDR2ncT5xG12u5vFUdtykh_vjH9JDQ_yNBqL8aLslA1-U/s1600/breakfastcake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluAlDiZqsug53-n4-hHOG-ynrIMcJ_XJsXNLgoPylexVLAv-SrJcoKxuoNsatc5jm4Y0ryagphtYFPkdrHKMWENiCm6Y0PaNDR2ncT5xG12u5vFUdtykh_vjH9JDQ_yNBqL8aLslA1-U/s640/breakfastcake.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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This is quite possibly the best recipe that I've ever tried.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlteLUz8WIiu2ZrTLwCsR61_OR3RFFtehPBJ7wYWFv7tyiBG6fo0G3DM5YyctHfVkCVqpDZ9DN9w6EJSc0ol1JfaxN1sFS0wYTY_IZeM2rhOZj4z8SdqnUB472o9WEKaCzRnEc22ItSw/s1600/cutcake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlteLUz8WIiu2ZrTLwCsR61_OR3RFFtehPBJ7wYWFv7tyiBG6fo0G3DM5YyctHfVkCVqpDZ9DN9w6EJSc0ol1JfaxN1sFS0wYTY_IZeM2rhOZj4z8SdqnUB472o9WEKaCzRnEc22ItSw/s640/cutcake.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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Being a southern girl and all, I appreciate a good Strawberry Cake.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7fgTH4GOHKQk3ytbrWfZcCa0a-VfCf9U4sJ68-fUyXIeW9xg9mzmYC_-B5dvx7jdGWTHOE2LnqpAfk0UgxEMEaEhyeISD_daG3u9rm0yl1lHrlTlQI_yOCUYeROv1L5cHde1l_tJop0/s1600/shannonlovescake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7fgTH4GOHKQk3ytbrWfZcCa0a-VfCf9U4sJ68-fUyXIeW9xg9mzmYC_-B5dvx7jdGWTHOE2LnqpAfk0UgxEMEaEhyeISD_daG3u9rm0yl1lHrlTlQI_yOCUYeROv1L5cHde1l_tJop0/s640/shannonlovescake.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Ok, that's a little vulgar.</i></span> </td></tr>
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But this loco woman did all kinds of crazy goodness to an already good thing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>I could fill a bathtub with this stuff.</i></span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGL_tVdU5FERl0MAGvITRzYhmEk4sGIifsniPRyVzIucTOmbDAyblcSdT10Ksy8l2peuDIWwfFKpz-41V-DWmysnYdUJf2Kh1EQfMoXyndrk1vFGICreDjLhU-MTnPOsRs_0HeLHZd7PA/s1600/cakeslice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGL_tVdU5FERl0MAGvITRzYhmEk4sGIifsniPRyVzIucTOmbDAyblcSdT10Ksy8l2peuDIWwfFKpz-41V-DWmysnYdUJf2Kh1EQfMoXyndrk1vFGICreDjLhU-MTnPOsRs_0HeLHZd7PA/s640/cakeslice.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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all the mouthwatering images<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJRIb8t7nM0Df8wYazUQEqzaMWAuFJk7ruCZyAwVpnXDzazgmTkpYCJghmWL8WUE21CtbP45gQXF0wSBOGk5rSaDSoxwjSdGqeL_E4SjEN_gbglyRNW9hHrWiOYEGhfnqbGoopc-zvv0/s1600/cakeside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJRIb8t7nM0Df8wYazUQEqzaMWAuFJk7ruCZyAwVpnXDzazgmTkpYCJghmWL8WUE21CtbP45gQXF0wSBOGk5rSaDSoxwjSdGqeL_E4SjEN_gbglyRNW9hHrWiOYEGhfnqbGoopc-zvv0/s640/cakeside.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZW36vQnujVmdmqyQvzBZYYVuTcR6aoclbjWnJAgJWQXIxWApJSk1UqGkAUhg2hQecys1uVhLtFA0uEZmZt5LjPRzFiO8BArjRn2uE_uBpuazcCe4u5AfzKIqu4oyiGDOAUHz2COoo7s/s1600/caketop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZW36vQnujVmdmqyQvzBZYYVuTcR6aoclbjWnJAgJWQXIxWApJSk1UqGkAUhg2hQecys1uVhLtFA0uEZmZt5LjPRzFiO8BArjRn2uE_uBpuazcCe4u5AfzKIqu4oyiGDOAUHz2COoo7s/s640/caketop.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://candyjamamas.blogspot.com/2009/08/summer-strawberry-coconut-cake.html">to the recipe</a>.</span> </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">You're welcome.</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">**I found this through Pinterest, and boy am I so glad. That place is awesome. </div><div style="text-align: center;">You should all join. Oh, and <a href="http://pinterest.com/shannonmitchell/pins/">follow me</a>.</div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-49156097867943108482011-07-29T12:31:00.000-07:002011-08-05T08:15:11.880-07:00This week in DIY: Bert the magnificent, gin & tonic and a child with unusually large hands<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Last night's premier of Project Runway (eatlovebert, btw) reminded me of how diy-ing my own clothing got me through the first 15 years of my life. I was a little raggedy ann out of necessity, hiding safety pins that held my jeans buttoned as I outgrew them at a pace too fast for my working class parents to keep up with. I secretly slept in my clothes after they were freshly washed so they would stretch out enough to be worn the next day. Surprisingly my mom never commented that I was already fully dressed for school when she woke me up.<br />
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I wore her t-shirts, two at a time (she's 6'1", can you imagine?) with the sleeves rolled up so it wouldn't look <i>too</i> ridiculous. Back then I wasn't thinking of how I could make an amazing outfit out of all of this, so much as I was hoping not to repeat an item of clothing in the same school week. OH THE HORROR! And cause for immediate mean girls expulsion.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0Ytjh1IqMpK7XZ0KocszzwJGSgVIWPxrYbXNOWlsZ5LN7PQmsBjg_cvF3Bj1-lohtWPvhdWoLykMsjAsF_Zzrqf2pV2UJxhxWBl26vW9s4S6zRV_BlVjBNAB9M7UqpJdnQ4V6qDWyh0/s1600/www.flickr.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0Ytjh1IqMpK7XZ0KocszzwJGSgVIWPxrYbXNOWlsZ5LN7PQmsBjg_cvF3Bj1-lohtWPvhdWoLykMsjAsF_Zzrqf2pV2UJxhxWBl26vW9s4S6zRV_BlVjBNAB9M7UqpJdnQ4V6qDWyh0/s1600/www.flickr.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Old Sweatshirt Becomes Super Cute Cardigan</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Doesn't she look like Elle McPherson?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Source: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/46730171@N02/5834259919/in/pool-1567172@N20/">dee*construction on Flickr</a></span></td></tr>
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That Before picture looks just like a sweatshirt I would've stolen from my mom and worn. To school. As-is. To avoid embarrassment. Oy.<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">To me, do-it-yourself is the most basic human instinct, besides wanting to eat babies. And construction/deconstruction/construction is universally primal among my thought processes. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
When I'm cooking, I imagine the whole meal on my fantasy plate, then I break it down to the individual foods themselves, what pans I need and how to juggle them back together. I'm usually sauteeing while simultaneously thinking of what else is in the fridge that I could use. Grain mustard, radishes, seeds, lemons.<br />
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When in doubt, I always squeeze a lemon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwR3FWmWRbaDB6dyFV0ZfgFzEy1p_mC3rsuKTMggOjRuODtUHfm6aVnYpPZsoBaA0qvEQ7ra9B79_XtnufKaFuPNBkvX78fWlmZsP2OwxpBHO4gRh6Rr9rADUv509dy-8Y0iUCF6UKQYE/s1600/fooddiy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwR3FWmWRbaDB6dyFV0ZfgFzEy1p_mC3rsuKTMggOjRuODtUHfm6aVnYpPZsoBaA0qvEQ7ra9B79_XtnufKaFuPNBkvX78fWlmZsP2OwxpBHO4gRh6Rr9rADUv509dy-8Y0iUCF6UKQYE/s1600/fooddiy.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I can see myself making a gin & tonic right about now.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Source: (from top left, clockwise) <a href="http://www.closetcooking.com/2010/05/spinach-pesto-grilled-cheese-sandwich.html">closetcooking.com</a>, <a href="http://www.donnahay.com.au/shop-online/living/when-life-hands-you-lemons">donnahay.com/au</a>, <br />
<a href="http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2011/05/spinach-and-potato-breakfast-hash/"> joythebaker.com</a>,<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/50323249/"> theglitterguide.tumblr.com</a>,</span></td></tr>
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When I see a piece of furniture or artwork, I immediately think "How can I make that?" instead of "How much does that cost."<br />
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I love the scale of this frame leaning behind the sofa. The visual texture of the photos is the perfect conceptual compliment to the brick wall. Traveled, weathered and full of stories. Not to mention the Union Jack pillow, which could easily be made with old t-shirts and stich witchery. I hope I get around to this one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKlC_WnmXsu0HHjKc7fjPW_CTdB0Cobtim5z-Yy2mEz9ZgytaeuvcM_WZ3dBIbXtrClM59g78DZmtMRSR4tM4pwavHbBFSwhKAKUXkYFKtVaNOYZph-F_Nc7y4ogxopIiu3gw6wdvJy8/s1600/inspiration-displaying-travel-photos-151677.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKlC_WnmXsu0HHjKc7fjPW_CTdB0Cobtim5z-Yy2mEz9ZgytaeuvcM_WZ3dBIbXtrClM59g78DZmtMRSR4tM4pwavHbBFSwhKAKUXkYFKtVaNOYZph-F_Nc7y4ogxopIiu3gw6wdvJy8/s1600/inspiration-displaying-travel-photos-151677.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Travel Photos in Large Scale Frame</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Source: <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/inspiration-displaying-travel-photos-151677">Apartment Therapy</a></span></div></td></tr>
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</div>I don't remember the first time I wanted to be Martha Stewart. I'm sure it was a closeted fantasy, because no self-respecting tomboy would be caught dead with a glue gun, and we didn't raise pheasants in our backyard.<br />
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Somewhere along the way, maybe when I bought my first sewing machine at 19 - an old White that was built into the table with a knee pedal I found for $25 at an estate sale - I knew I had acquired something golden. Something that opened possibilities for a cheaper, more interesting way of life.<br />
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I had no idea what to do with it, but somehow I made a pencil skirt that DIDN'T FALL APART WHEN I WORE IT. The zipper was totally crooked in the back, but I pretended it was part of the design.<br />
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Yes, somewhere along the way, I became a Martha-ite. And probably even more secretly, I stuck with her through her unfortunate (but deserved) time on the rock.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Paper Pendant Lamps</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Use simple paper shades and add layer upon layer of pretty goodness.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is something I would do just for the fun of it. I don't actually have anywhere to put it.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Source: <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/diy/diy-frocked-paper-lanternsvia-martha-stewart-151874">Martha Stewart via Apartment Therapy</a></span></div><div style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
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Have you ever wanted to jam spoons into your eyeballs trying to find your other earring? One time I actually slapped myself in the face when I was trying to unjangle a necklace. <i>Pull. Yourself. Together!</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3N3w75jhSUOctNdFejkzwEQHdLI-Q21zNocKbnsLdMe1PN28iXcsRWj6r443j9J4hARjuSjDQUGDAXO27O5G7atplfrrdUoFCiwMHXTgCgR5f-TTUt7wini4UDoUlIRqfa1Z4uiQOsyQ/s1600/more-repurposing-ideas.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3N3w75jhSUOctNdFejkzwEQHdLI-Q21zNocKbnsLdMe1PN28iXcsRWj6r443j9J4hARjuSjDQUGDAXO27O5G7atplfrrdUoFCiwMHXTgCgR5f-TTUt7wini4UDoUlIRqfa1Z4uiQOsyQ/s400/more-repurposing-ideas.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Drawer Pull Jewelry Holder</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Source: <a href="http://onewomenshaven.blogspot.com/2010/08/more-repurposing-ideas.html">onewomenshaven.blogspot.com</a></span></div><div style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
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Do you realize that a person's options for jewelry storage are limited to those canvas closet things with plastic see through openings (which I have), stretched out pantyhose, ballerina boxes or tupperware?<br />
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One time when I was little, my dad got me a jewelry box. I didn't have any jewelry, so I just put rocks in it. My point is that it looked like a miniature china cabinet, and we weren't china cabinet people. We were bull-in-china-shop people.<br />
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It was small-tall and made from lacquered cherry wood. It had etched glass double doors that opened out, and it was mirrored in the back (so you could see yourself try on your jewelry, of course). It was so tiny, and I was an unusually large child with unusually large appendages. I could barely fit my hands into it, either to place or extract my rocks. I had to just toss them in there and turn it on its side to get them out.<br />
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Which just reminds me of how much I love plants. Look! She put plants in rocks!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Ha7l9ibJEp23Km2mD-3OhZqsIfsUGzCcIxhXYOZNcQHqmmXkAO7017s2ooe_a3aDVAYy5iaCHfNsH4LH9NOtlgcuafW6_xTHdrQTcjUpxJK9wSMD38VX6Ft3HL0XtSh3F4bW2yCSe7o/s1600/index.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Ha7l9ibJEp23Km2mD-3OhZqsIfsUGzCcIxhXYOZNcQHqmmXkAO7017s2ooe_a3aDVAYy5iaCHfNsH4LH9NOtlgcuafW6_xTHdrQTcjUpxJK9wSMD38VX6Ft3HL0XtSh3F4bW2yCSe7o/s1600/index.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Pressed Garden Leaf Stones</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Source: <a href="http://sunsetgurldesign.typepad.com/weblog/2009/06/diy-garden-stone.html">sunsetgurldesign.typepad.com</a></span></td></tr>
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And I love seeing plants in curious places, like clear containers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5I8CapNPQf9vXIuitRV3Mmc90U8AhqgXVBJNqSOdj0tRJ8syurN08QKbVTN7h_B-vam6TUhXvrJupd4kb_SOym-06DiEcBi5h7l3lk38Gs-5IVN92PYBR8LP_PqASfA4gK1ymLNBLvg/s1600/diyplants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5I8CapNPQf9vXIuitRV3Mmc90U8AhqgXVBJNqSOdj0tRJ8syurN08QKbVTN7h_B-vam6TUhXvrJupd4kb_SOym-06DiEcBi5h7l3lk38Gs-5IVN92PYBR8LP_PqASfA4gK1ymLNBLvg/s1600/diyplants.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dinosaurs belong in their native surroundings.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Source: (from top left, clockwise) <a href="http://witanddelight.tumblr.com/post/7769034050/via-vintage-finds-for-a-modern-world-glassworks">witanddelight.tumblr.com</a>, <a href="http://www.madeit.com.au/detail.asp?id=255915">madeit.com.au</a>, <a href="http://www.oncewed.com/9742/real-weddings/rustic/adam-tess/">oncewed.com</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>My friend <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/mateoandisabel">Elizabeth</a> gave me this one after I had surgery.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZLfncsyM-9lIQ4vF-FnyqiQ1mPFRGcLz2q6U0VEv3GpdVt4whc7K5z9IeEWtug2Q92W4Ji9oRtd-HdGBCoV53tzsqrsCkoWNKc-lX915VqShvwlwilCzw-Cp1jAYEJFMGRB9KZvJzPk/s1600/succulent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZLfncsyM-9lIQ4vF-FnyqiQ1mPFRGcLz2q6U0VEv3GpdVt4whc7K5z9IeEWtug2Q92W4Ji9oRtd-HdGBCoV53tzsqrsCkoWNKc-lX915VqShvwlwilCzw-Cp1jAYEJFMGRB9KZvJzPk/s1600/succulent.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">From Elizabeth</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">She got it at Iron & Eve Designs. <a href="mailto:IronAndEve@yahoo.com">IronAndEve@yahoo.com</a></span></td></tr>
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(What surgery, you ask? <a href="http://smitche.tumblr.com/post/7623114916/if-youve-ever-had-a-unilateral-laparoscopic">Click over here to find out</a>.)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">What are your proudest DIY's of late?</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></b></div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1424686416986208373.post-82837136059792777582011-07-25T12:32:00.000-07:002011-08-09T11:14:01.460-07:00EAT: On A Pulled Pork Mission<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhlmG5r2-S1p-tICAyPuiNdL6g3yhvZ0tPeeZwZwZFdmh5-Ll8HZkeYH5U5n60L4NZ-Z-0M_Az7Ce60nRCy8BT2I-DhZJS2FP-U1sRu1CiW5aE35MhhYhOQJ-YbWJcucy6gZLzGGBs1U/s1600/pulled-pork-ay-1875662-l.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhlmG5r2-S1p-tICAyPuiNdL6g3yhvZ0tPeeZwZwZFdmh5-Ll8HZkeYH5U5n60L4NZ-Z-0M_Az7Ce60nRCy8BT2I-DhZJS2FP-U1sRu1CiW5aE35MhhYhOQJ-YbWJcucy6gZLzGGBs1U/s200/pulled-pork-ay-1875662-l.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: heartsnxj1.blogspot.com/</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm southern. There's not much else I need to say to justify this post. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When you're from Mississippi, just south of bar-b-que capital Memphis, TN, you have the sauce running in your veins. Your family reunions are bigger than a Skynyrd concert and may involve your Uncle Hambone cooking something on the engine of a beefed up pickup truck piled high on cinder blocks. You get lost in a sea of your cousins, know how to properly tip a cow and can smell kudzu in your sleep. You're southern. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When I moved to California almost 11 years ago, I had no idea how much I would miss those parts of being from the south that were once second skin. Of all the sensory experiences that linger the most, southern food is the one I find myself trying to recreate often, albeit with a California touch.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Be not afraid - I have seen the light of California food. One of the first things that amazed me was seeing lemons, limes and avocados growing on trees. In people's backyards! Food growing on trees! Heading south along route 1, you're destined to find farmer's stands with heaps of brussel sprouts, greens, corn, tomatoes and strawberries stretching for miles along the fresh ocean breeze.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Southern food, which in my mind has always been based on what you grew in your garden or raised in the pastures, has seen a sad amount of fast food-washing over the years. My once small town two-lane road is now a six-lane congested McDonalds-BurgerKing-Applebees-SteakInShake thoroughfare, paving over what used to be green space, grass fields and my old trailer park. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKP6Wh3tp86oWZGBSPyIGwwIKk2LRCJflFFJEuhF7NRRJ4qU6WHKkFRexfymSP1W5dxhw2bfDbzYbzZiDe1Z_stcw_4tn-K97ennsE6ERZ0Of6Sba2kDaa0fAbiYwlYNJWVZ8y-pMkMQ/s1600/Granny+Verneal+Timmons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKP6Wh3tp86oWZGBSPyIGwwIKk2LRCJflFFJEuhF7NRRJ4qU6WHKkFRexfymSP1W5dxhw2bfDbzYbzZiDe1Z_stcw_4tn-K97ennsE6ERZ0Of6Sba2kDaa0fAbiYwlYNJWVZ8y-pMkMQ/s200/Granny+Verneal+Timmons.jpg" width="150" /></a> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Granny, Verneal Timmons</td></tr>
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The southern food I miss is my Granny Timmons' homemade cinnamon buns, buckets of boiled peanuts, homemade breads, roasted chickens from the coup and good bbq. The fresh foods from her gardens and canned veggies from last season were torturous as a picky kid eater, but times are always achangin'. I find myself cooking more and more like my granny, and a good pulled pork sammich is definitely in order.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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My fellow southern transplant friend Damion makes a capital M, Mean pulled pork, but he's holding on dearly to his recipe. I've asked him for it multiple times, and he just starts rattling off various ingredients with this charming, secretive smirk, saying, "Oh, honey! It's so simple. You just. . . brown sugar blah blah. . . pork butt blah blah. . . marinade. . . blah blah," until I've either lost interest or simply can't keep up. He never writes it down.<br />
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Luckily there's an awesome place up in Guerneville, CA by the Russian River that my friends have turned me on to. <a href="http://www.stumptown.com/">Stumptown Brewery</a> has a yum-o-licious pulled pork sandwich, not to mention that good ole southern biker bar feel and fresh tap micro-brews for days. Sit out on the patio and watch the game or sprawl out on blankets in the large grassy area overlooking the river. This is fast becoming my favorite escape from the foggy city by the bay, and it is oddly always summer there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsBTnJTTxyBFHWSDe1P6sPl4oGQj9B33hloUeHIeEUCYEpC9iD7MwXkc5h-yGWjIAYU66s0AY4nEEhU2frZsXBEgxBJinzzrYr40gTOqNBbAYu0_QPub9aJ8Q7P9HwR3HyWmLal98ojo/s1600/stumptownbeer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsBTnJTTxyBFHWSDe1P6sPl4oGQj9B33hloUeHIeEUCYEpC9iD7MwXkc5h-yGWjIAYU66s0AY4nEEhU2frZsXBEgxBJinzzrYr40gTOqNBbAYu0_QPub9aJ8Q7P9HwR3HyWmLal98ojo/s320/stumptownbeer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stumptown Brewery's fresh micro brews</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_vjetfgJObpTzQBWNh7L742eIVg0NJBBKX9PSEo60hVaIMCy1W1uTd0ukHtdo9WNl9YIQak5SCjYT2c22ryQdu8Zl9JjwpygJE667y34e9EEePstu7GkQYBAGtIWK7cU9W_9WlfpEig/s1600/stumptown.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_vjetfgJObpTzQBWNh7L742eIVg0NJBBKX9PSEo60hVaIMCy1W1uTd0ukHtdo9WNl9YIQak5SCjYT2c22ryQdu8Zl9JjwpygJE667y34e9EEePstu7GkQYBAGtIWK7cU9W_9WlfpEig/s320/stumptown.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stumptown Brewery Patio</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Also, fantastically there's a food truck that hangs out at City Hall on Fridays as a part of San Francisco's <a href="http://offthegridsf.com/">Off The Grid</a> food truck movement that surprised the southern out of me with their undressed pulled pork (you add the sauce after, so weird!), fresh cabbage slaw and soft egg buns. Washed it right down with a large sweet iced tea and proceeded to sleep for an hour in the promenade.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA79YXgvBdyZWTZHTP7HKpT9pIFiDC4Z3_WYNyZWf3ZgjUpZR0pnLcS9TtHAFsl2JJ9OjAbIuzFXPKzsAkBUf4X4-qTyH62YGDz-wb0hyphenhyphenxtEiJkn3ldoDUEf_nA0V9CxP8GSza9-WMQLI/s1600/Off-the-Grid.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA79YXgvBdyZWTZHTP7HKpT9pIFiDC4Z3_WYNyZWf3ZgjUpZR0pnLcS9TtHAFsl2JJ9OjAbIuzFXPKzsAkBUf4X4-qTyH62YGDz-wb0hyphenhyphenxtEiJkn3ldoDUEf_nA0V9CxP8GSza9-WMQLI/s320/Off-the-Grid.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Off The Grid, SF Food Trucks @ City Hall<br />
Photo: cookwitheva.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Of course there are tons of recipes online, but <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/pulled-pork-barbecue-recipe/index.html">this is the one</a> I'm probably going to try first, unless I can bribe Damion with sugar cubes. I usually default to Ina Garten's methods because she's not afraid of butter, but I go to her mostly for fresh yet indulgent, cape cod fantasy cooking, not down and dirty southern. <a href="http://www.food52.com/recipes/4830_pulled_pork_sandwiches">Food 52</a> has one that looks simple and, shall we say, "interesting." Coke, really? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Inarguably, there are different styles of bbq that must be considered - Texas, Carolina and Memphis-style, to name a few. Each has their own subtle and nuanced flavors, methods and fervent followers. I'll just say I'm a Memphis gal, and leave it at that. You can't go on a pulled pork mission without tasting these:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCh3YWPJZJKEgKX-C4_xPGP7eEvZXas_5ZSLxCfJqarOgcS0Tsq5rD9eUS7cbr-ySvpAsNNN8TbwcNeHr6KFY1D9pWTweck2g9cZpNY2cU2SjTc7U9G0lU5Lq18luBS62eRYl7gDhTn4o/s1600/p540191-Memphis-Charlie_Rendezvous.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCh3YWPJZJKEgKX-C4_xPGP7eEvZXas_5ZSLxCfJqarOgcS0Tsq5rD9eUS7cbr-ySvpAsNNN8TbwcNeHr6KFY1D9pWTweck2g9cZpNY2cU2SjTc7U9G0lU5Lq18luBS62eRYl7gDhTn4o/s200/p540191-Memphis-Charlie_Rendezvous.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: igougo.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.hogsfly.com/">Rendezvous</a> - the most famous bbq in Memphis. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.neelysbbq.com/">Neely's BBQ</a> - three locations throughout Memphis & Nashville. YUM!!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.corkysmemphis.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=2">Corky's BBQ</a> - <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">boasting "Slow-cooked over hickory wood and charcoal. As we say...cookin' the old fashion way!" </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Is there a mouth watering bbq hole in your neck of the woods?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00776395017098529511noreply@blogger.com2