“… I discovered that there is something nice about working in an office with a candle burning. It’s like seeing snow falling outside the window or having a dog snoozing on the carpet beside you. It’s a kind of silent presence in the room…”
Gretchin Rubin, The Happiness Project
Zippered bag
I made this bag to corral all the stuff I use to cut Tyler’s hair. I made up the pattern as I went along, which resulted in a great deal of cursing as I tried to figure out how to squeeze short seams on heavyweight mattress ticking through my sewing machine. It worked out in the end, but next time, I’m consulting a pattern.
Crafty Daisies makeup bag totorial
Chezlin Makeup bag tutorial
Bag tutorial from craftster.org
Sponge Trick
When the sponge starts to get dingy, I notch the top of it with kitchen shears. One notch designates the sponge for counter tops and cabinets, two notches for floors. Sponges rarely make it to three notches because by the time they’re too gross to clean the floor with, they get used one last time to clean up paint or other art-related chemicals and then thrown away.
This system works well when there are other people in the house because it’s easy and obvious.
I woke up this morning and as if someone heard me, there was a thin film of snow in the ground. It was gone by 9am, but still– snow!
Missing Snow
While the rest of the country is getting pounded with winter weather, it’s 60 degrees and sunny in Albuquerque. I know my East Coast friends are sick of shoveling, but I still miss snow.
image via the the sartorialist
A few favorite (Inexpensive) kitchen gadgets
Le Cruset Spatula Spoon
I was confused when I received this miniature spatula in a Christmas stocking several years ago until my mom told me that it was for scraping out jars and small containers- genius! I was formerly the type of person who had a whole refrigerator shelf full of jars I couldn’t bring myself to throw out because they still had ¼ inch of jam in them. Problem solved.
Champagne Stopper 
Pre-empt your hangover by saving some of that bubbly for mimosas the next day. These things are surprisingly effective.
Apple slicer
A unitasker, but it turns a sticky fruit into a tidy snack that I can eat by the computer without gumming up my keyboard.
Knife Blade covers
Protects the blade from knicks and scratches, and protects your hands when you reach into a less-than-orderly drawer.
Grocery list magnet
My dad still uses a grocery list like this that he typed himself, with all the items arranged according to which isle they’re on at the nearest grocery store. I always meant to do something similar, but I never got around to it. I buy these instead.
A small memento
My Grandmother died this summer, and afterwards, I spent a lot of time traveling back and fourth to Hamburg, NY to help my family clean out the house. I had been wanting to make a memorial project since the funeral, and when I found this blue velvet (a remnant from a favorite coat of hers) I knew it was the perfect thing.
I used a motif that was similar to the hand-embroidered ornaments she used to buy us at the international craft fair at her church, and after several weeks of trial and error, I managed to create something she would have loved. Working on these was difficult at first, but as the project progressed, it felt really good to be able to transform a piece of her life into something new. I inherited a lot of history from this side of my family, and at times I wonder if I’ll ever be able to make sense of it all.
The birds, ready to be shipped.
Beginning with Breakfast
One of the most unexpected pleasures of living in New Mexico is the incredible variety of delicious local breakfast foods. Before I moved here, I’d never had Huevos Rancheros, Churro-style french toast, or any of the dozen different varieties of breakfast burrito. A friend made these for lunch one day, and now they’re firmly entrenched in my weekend breakfast rotation.
Egg Tacos
Scramble two eggs over low heat until firm.
Meanwhile:
Pre-heat skillet over medium heat (cast iron works best) with a light coating of oil or butter.
Place corn tortillas in skillet until they begin to soften, turning once.
Add a line of crumbled Queso Fresco down the center of each tortilla, and wait for cheese to melt.
When the cheese is melted, add several small spoonfulls of cooked egg and some salsa, keeping everything towards the middle of the tortilla so that they fold easily.
Fold (or roll) and serve!
Makes about 6.
Variations:
-This works best with a drier, thicker, salsa, but in a pinch, I’ll use the side of the spoon to strain some of the liquid off.
-You can substitute cheddar or jack cheese for the queso.
-I’ve added real sausage, meatless sausage (morningstar farms) or bacon to these with great success. Just remember that adding extra protein makes this already filling breakfast extremely filling, so plan on making fewer than usual.
TEST POST 2
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Testing Pictobrowser: Yeah yeah yeah’s
I’ve been seeing this widget around a lot, and today I finally sat down and figured out where to get one. I rarely take decent concert photos, but I like these a lot.