sweet tooth

Why yes, I do still have molasses cookies in the freezer, but I was craving something a little different on Sunday afternoon. Different like this:

Sugar and Spice Pecans 


1 egg white
1 TB water
2.5 cups pecans
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt


Beat the egg white and water until frothy. Add pecans and stir until coated. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the pecans and stir again. (I did it in three batches.) Heat your oven to 250 degrees and line a baking sheet in tin foil (there is the definite possibility of a cooked-on sugar mess with this recipe). Spread the coated pecans on the baking sheet. You'll need to stir them every 10 minutes so they roast evenly and don't stick to the tin foil forever. Bake 50 minutes total. Remove from oven, let cool, and eat them like there's no tomorrow.

Admiring my teacup and saucer?

I found them at a Tacoma estate sale for 50 cents. They're from Germany. Bonn, to be exact. And I certainly don't use them for tea. No, sir. I don't drink hot liquids of any kind. (That's the devil's temperature.)
I use this teacup to store my ghost toys.

And there they are, just waiting for some ghost children.

Do some lipstick and drink a vodka drink.

So this weekend started out with some cold weather and rain. Which is okay. I mean, I can live with it if necessary. Which it is because I am not ready to die, not yet. I need to live to see my birthday. So I have another week in me at least. Sorry that doesn't have anything to do with anything other than giving myself props for having a birthday this weekend. Not like it's too important I mean with the genocide, hate and anathema in the world a birthday should be easily overshadowed by it all and slip by with little or no importance at all... <sigh>.

Anyway, I wanted to share what happened at Rite Aid on Friday. I went in to pick up some things. Now mind you I prefer not going to Rite Aid due to the lengthy time you are inevitably going to stand in line waiting to make your purchase. This Rite Aid in particular is frustrating because of the limited parking space, now I should explain this more. There is plenty of parking. I would say that it's never a full up lot, maybe sixteen spaces or so. The problem is that about eight of them are designated for handicap parking. The most baffling thing to me is not that all the spaces are very close to the entrance due to the small lot and it's close proximity to the entry way of the store. The most amazing thing to me is that the absolute closest spot, the one right in front of the entrance, is not handicap designated. It's so close that when you open your door and step out of your car the electronic sliding doors register your movement and open. This is just mind boggling to me and just incredibly annoying as well. Okay lets move on Rite Aid is a pain, it's never quick and the parking lot is poorly designed. On to the more Soviet park of my story...

Russian chocolates, how they love their woodland creatures.

So I originally went in to pick up a new lip gloss and some vodka. These things were what I wanted on Friday, lip gloss and vodka, fair enough I am an adult. Because the lip gloss I wanted was no longer an option (sold out) I  decided to get a couple different shades of lip stick along with my vodka and some diet coke. I didn't quite realize how Russian I looked until I got up to the counter (after an anticipated long wait time) and lay my items on the counter. I naturally comment to the young man who is cashiering that I am aware I am purchasing some strange, even hooker-ish, items. He says to me that it sounds like a good night, "Do some lipstick and drink a vodka drink...". I agree and leave.

So that was Friday. Saturday was a lovely day, had coffee with my new friend Jim, did some calendering (october is finished) and enjoyed that vodka drink. But as Christine put it, Nature has found us at last. We experienced an onslaught of ice and snow in the valley. Very strange, strange enough that I am certain to store up on water and canned foods.

It's no Siberia, but it is snow in Burbank.

My favorite plant in the yard... covered with snow.

Disclaimer: I meant no disrespect to Russian women by saying that my purchases where 'hooker-ish' and  in hand claiming that it made me seem Russian. I am just simply just saying I wouldn't be surprised if a Russian hooker had purchased the same items as I did in the past (maybe less the diet coke).

a banner day for Ben

I made a banner for Ben's birthday (which was on Wednesday). He's 32 now. Should I have said that? I think it's OK. It's not a secret, yeah? I'm sure it's fine. He lives in California and went to Disneyland on his birthday. Thirty-two is going to be an awesome year! And yes, I know this all sounds insincere, but I assure you: I am being sincere.

Here's Ben's banner hanging in my kitchen. (Yup, his full name is Bennett.)
Shortly after this picture was taken my curtain rod fell down. And so it goes.

Monika suggested snakes for the end cards.

So I went with snakes.

The font is called KAVIVA and I found it free on Abstract Fonts.

I encountered a couple snags while sewing the ribbon part of the banner, but that's to be expected. Ben will just have to live with those little quirks...or maybe Monika can fix those for him. I didn't take pictures of that part because really, that joke is getting old at this point, right? The joke about me not being able to sew, I mean. Not so funny anymore, just sad. A long, crooked line of sadness. Happy Birthday, Ben!

Snow day (remix)

Nature dumped a truckload of snow on us today (around a foot, I guess), which made for quite the interesting drive to the air force base this morning. Also, quite the interesting shoveling of the driveway and the steps--I was watched by Squirrely (that Squirrel I fed those peanuts to--remember that?). That sentence was total crap, but I just don't feel like coming up with a fix at the moment. Sorry, people.

Taken on base (with my cell phone {while driving}). I know it doesn't look
like a ton of snow in this picture. The amount on that KC 135 Stratotanker
is not all that impressive, but consider the fact that it's pretty windy out
there so much of the accumulation has blown off to other locales.

Anyway, I made it there and back. The Museum is closed today--snow day--so, I made myself an egg sandwich and have spent the past couple hours knitting and watching Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Don't you wish you could be doing the same? Probably you do. But now I need to actually do something with my afternoon.


Whatever that something will be, it probably won't merit a blog post, so this one will feature some recent found treasures. Way more exciting that anything else I have in my "to be blogged" file at the moment. I don't actually keep a file like that...it's a notebook that Catherine was going to give away to the thrift store. It's yellow.


Since it fits well with a post about my estate/thrift finds, I also wanted to tell you that Design Sponge has added a new monthly column to their repertoire (I feel like I've been using that word a lot lately. Have I? Or is it just in my mind?): "Treasure Hunting". Here's their first installment on Keys!


OK, let's get back to focusing attention on me.

Bows from a Tacoma estate sale. They're like urchins!

Ribbon which will definitely play a large role in
Halloween decorations this year. Have I mentioned that
my two decorative pumpkins are still going strong on my
bookshelf? They're real troopers, in it for the long haul.

A 1950s edition of Life Among the Savages. Pick it up somewhere.  

It was an old library book--in very good shape if you're able to ignore the slight Grandma's basement smell.
If it weren't so snowy, I'd air it on the porch for a bit...maybe in a couple months.

While these bow stickers are cute, I really bought them for their description.

Very vintage wrapping paper.
Wedding

Flowers

Fall foliage

And clowns!

Yowzers. Who even came up with clowns in the first place? Riddle me that.

Fifteen Men on the Dead Man's Chest...

Here are some things I did and I like. I am not of too many words tonight. Enjoy.

Went to Hermosa Beach.

Went to Disneyland.

Reading Treasure Island... I love you, Jim Hawkins.

Put something on Olives head so she kind of looks like a pirate.

Saw this. My initial instinct was to call it a skate, because that is much more exciting than a crustacean.

c is for cookie

I needed cookies this weekend. Big time. So, I called Mom and forced her to read me Grandma Schaffer's recipe for molasses cookies over the phone. Good idea or great idea? Either way, what bliss. (You're right. That is a quote from The Addams Family.)

Grandma Schaffer's Molasses Cookies
by Helen Schaffer


3/4 cup butter (actually, the recipe calls for oleo, but you don't need to get into that {if you even know what it is}. Butter will do nicely.)
1 cup sugar, plus a 1/4 cup for dusting
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cloves (didn't have that, so I subbed nutmeg)
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Let cool. You could beat that egg while you're waiting. In a medium bowl, mix together butter, sugar, molasses and the beaten egg. Congrats! You've just taken "care of the slippery stuff", as Mom said while reading the recipe.


Now, sift together flour, baking soda, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. (Or you could not sift. I don't own a sifter, so I never sift.) Add the dry ingredients to wet and mix. Let the dough chill in the refrigerator for ten minutes or so. Use that time to heat up your oven. Grandma wrote 375 degrees on the recipe card, but she added a note that 350 degrees would probably be OK too. I baked at 350 and all was well.


Remove the dough from the fridge and form into 1 inch balls. Roll the balls in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Into the oven for 10-12 minutes. Presto! Scrumptious cookies!


Still hungry? Here are a couple blog recommendations:


Nick Eats Food Follow Nick as he embarks on the food adventure of a lifetime! (P.S. Nick is Catherine's boyfriend. Just thought you should know.)


Gluten Free Indy Rachel dishes (yes, that is deliberate) on the ever-expanding world of gluten free food. I have tasted of this world and found it delicious. (Rachel is my friend--she's also a stellar cook. I can vouch big time.)

holiday

In honor of the occasion: two Lincolns and a Washington on my windowsill.

These are from Maya. She found them at a swap party, so I think they can be considered mostly free.

I went out for a bit this afternoon--when I returned, I found this little mess.

I put everything back in order.

Right down to the blue bunny's bow tie.

The culprit?

Little Miss Matilda.

Portland = Foodland

After spending some 26 hours in Portland, I realized that other than nail polish, the only thing I purchased was food.  Here is some of that food (plus a few non-food related pictures). PS the nail polish is swell.

Drinks at Jo's. 

Nick got a sampling of beers at Bridgeport.

Nick got a Moscow Mule [read bourbon drink] at Gilt Club. He needed it to help wash down his meal.

This is the "Neil Everett" burger aka the kitchen sink burger.
They put everything suitable in the kitchen on the burger.
This burger had foie gras, bacon, beef, gouda, lettuce, pickled beets, an egg,
french fries (on the burger), onion ring, some mysterious spiced meat, etc.
 I ordered a side of bread and some artichokes.  There wasn't much for veggies at this club.

Walked by this on the way back to the hotel.  

It creeped me out. Royally. 

In the morning, I had my very first pumpernickel bagel.  It was divine.  

Soy latte at Stumptown.

Bink was so happy to have us back.  She liked spending the weekend without Kitts.
We have to go tonight to pickup the bad baby from my mom's.
Bink will be so disappointed that she is coming home.

Nick gets shit on.

A perfect way to start the weekend!

We walked downtown to get coffee.

I took this picture mere seconds before the shit took place

It also got in his hair.

And then we returned home...then we left for Portland.

Matilda's Sleepy Sunday

Matilda definitely prefers her bed in the window, especially on sunny days like today, but she's also been spending some major time in her tissue paper nest as of late. I explained the tissue paper thing before, right? Quickly: Matilda loves tissue paper. In piles, boxes, cat tents, drawers, cupboards, and bags. She dives into it in pursuit of sparkle balls and buries fuzzy mice beneath its festive layers. She also sleeps in it. Sometimes I catch her sleeping and cover her up with excess tissue paper. It's this whole thing we do.

I don't want you to think that I bugged her until she woke up--she slept through about 30 minutes of the National Geographic special I was watching about the Namibian desert, featuring the Golden Wheel Spider. A pile of tissue paper is just that comfortable. But now that she's up, we have to play. Them's the rules.

Let's get tight.

It's the end of the week, and I have a nice little night of drinking ahead of me. Abbie, brace yourself for at least two texts positively brimming with nostalgia and nonsense! Maybe you'll even get a drunk postcard or two out of it. Hey, that goes out to all of you. Do I have your addresses? You better hope so. Psssttt...it's already begun.

I always use my Oregon old-fashioned for rum.

While gin and tonics always go in the derrick glass. Is this tall enough to be
considered a highball? Perhaps. But I can't give you a definitive answer at the moment.  

I hope everyone out there is way ahead of me. My hair already feels like I Dream of Jeannie. You don't know what that means? I don't either, but it feels right right now. Cheers!