My pretty roses.
I did *not* take a picture of my less-than-pretty chocolates. Sun and chocolates don't mix, folks.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day
Hope you all had a "love"-ly day.
My pretty roses.
I did *not* take a picture of my less-than-pretty chocolates. Sun and chocolates don't mix, folks.
My pretty roses.
I did *not* take a picture of my less-than-pretty chocolates. Sun and chocolates don't mix, folks.
Big closet reveal
Maybe you remember me drooling over closets back here. Ever since we moved into our house last June, we haven't used our master closet - we've used the office/extra room as a giant walk in closet. Our closet doesn't look so bad when it's empty. But it was clearly designed by a man, not thinking about what goes into it. It's very long, almost ten feet. But it's very narrow - 42 inches at one end and 55 at the other. It had this weird little... shoe cubby built in at the back, which was nothing more than an excellent breeding ground for spiders. And with hanging racks built on both sides, once you hang clothes on either side there was no room left to walk. It's safe to say that the closet was my least favorite part of the house.
And now, I love it. I sigh a huge sigh of relief and happiness every time I walk in. In one day (I worked, Hans didn't), we tore out all the shelving and hanging (big demo project with Paul's help), made a trip to Ikea to pick up some lovely, lovely solutions from their Pax wardrobe line and added two coats of white paint (to get rid of the musty smell and make the walls just feel *clean* again). Then we built the wardrobe - and man! That thing is a monster. At 40 inches wide, it barely fits in that back space. Like a glove, man, like a glove. It took us several hours, several mess ups and maybe a few curse words before we finally got it in there. Then we picked up some Rubbermaid shelves and hanging rod at Home Depot and installed that on the left side. We originally planned for additional shelves on the right side, but we've found that we already have enough space for all our clothes (and some to spare) and we really like being able to actually walk in the closet, turn around, see everything, change, do a little dance, whatever. There's something to be said for purposeful blank space.
I think I'd like to add a chandelier, and maybe a mirror. Then it'll really be my favorite room in the house.
And now, I love it. I sigh a huge sigh of relief and happiness every time I walk in. In one day (I worked, Hans didn't), we tore out all the shelving and hanging (big demo project with Paul's help), made a trip to Ikea to pick up some lovely, lovely solutions from their Pax wardrobe line and added two coats of white paint (to get rid of the musty smell and make the walls just feel *clean* again). Then we built the wardrobe - and man! That thing is a monster. At 40 inches wide, it barely fits in that back space. Like a glove, man, like a glove. It took us several hours, several mess ups and maybe a few curse words before we finally got it in there. Then we picked up some Rubbermaid shelves and hanging rod at Home Depot and installed that on the left side. We originally planned for additional shelves on the right side, but we've found that we already have enough space for all our clothes (and some to spare) and we really like being able to actually walk in the closet, turn around, see everything, change, do a little dance, whatever. There's something to be said for purposeful blank space.
I think I'd like to add a chandelier, and maybe a mirror. Then it'll really be my favorite room in the house.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Adventures in fondant
Fondant scares me. It sure looks pretty, but I'm confused as to how to work with it and I don't particularly like the way it tastes. Nevertheless... it must be done. So I'm trying to learn!
This homemade fondant was surprisingly easy to make, and not too difficult to use. I used an entire bag of mini marshmallows, added two tablespoons of water, and microwaved for about 2 minutes, but at 30 second intervals with mixing in between. Then add 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix well. Now, you're going to add in about six cups of powdered sugar, but it takes some real elbow grease. And literal grease. Grease up your counter top space liberally with Crisco or other shortening. Start by adding as much powdered sugar, slowly, as you can to the bowl and really working it in to the marshmallow mixture. I only made it about three cups. Then dump it out onto your greased surface. Here it helps to also grease your hands up pretty well, so it doesn't stick to them either. Continue working in the rest of the powdered sugar by hand. Knead it by hand until it's stretchy, but doesn't break when you pull at it. If it's too dry, add a very little bit of water (maybe half a teaspoon at a time).
Form the dough into a smooth ball and coat it with crisco. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours, or overnight. You can also choose to work in color before you refrigerate. It takes a lot of kneaded to get the color worked in solidly and not in a marble pattern. Husbands are good for this.
I left the majority of my fondant white and after rolling it out, draped it over a strawberry cake. It went on pretty smoothly and I tried to start at the top center and secure it smoothly outward. As you can see from these less-than-glamorous pics, I had a hard time cutting off the excess. I'll learn, I'm sure.
I was left with a lot of fondant, so that's what I used for the pink hearts. I added several drops of red gel coloring and worked it in. Then I just rolled it out and freehand cut out some hearts with a knife. Fondant cutters or even cookie cutters would have been more helpful. Then you just secure those to the cake with a few drops of water - it acts like glue and really sticks pretty hard.
Ta-da! It's nothing fancy, but for my first foray into fondant it could have gone a lot worse. Stay tuned for my next, surprise project...
To find other fondant recipes, just google "marshmallow fondant" and marvel at the choices. The main two I worked off where The Polhamus Family and Clockwork Lemon.
This homemade fondant was surprisingly easy to make, and not too difficult to use. I used an entire bag of mini marshmallows, added two tablespoons of water, and microwaved for about 2 minutes, but at 30 second intervals with mixing in between. Then add 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix well. Now, you're going to add in about six cups of powdered sugar, but it takes some real elbow grease. And literal grease. Grease up your counter top space liberally with Crisco or other shortening. Start by adding as much powdered sugar, slowly, as you can to the bowl and really working it in to the marshmallow mixture. I only made it about three cups. Then dump it out onto your greased surface. Here it helps to also grease your hands up pretty well, so it doesn't stick to them either. Continue working in the rest of the powdered sugar by hand. Knead it by hand until it's stretchy, but doesn't break when you pull at it. If it's too dry, add a very little bit of water (maybe half a teaspoon at a time).
Form the dough into a smooth ball and coat it with crisco. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours, or overnight. You can also choose to work in color before you refrigerate. It takes a lot of kneaded to get the color worked in solidly and not in a marble pattern. Husbands are good for this.
I left the majority of my fondant white and after rolling it out, draped it over a strawberry cake. It went on pretty smoothly and I tried to start at the top center and secure it smoothly outward. As you can see from these less-than-glamorous pics, I had a hard time cutting off the excess. I'll learn, I'm sure.
I was left with a lot of fondant, so that's what I used for the pink hearts. I added several drops of red gel coloring and worked it in. Then I just rolled it out and freehand cut out some hearts with a knife. Fondant cutters or even cookie cutters would have been more helpful. Then you just secure those to the cake with a few drops of water - it acts like glue and really sticks pretty hard.
Ta-da! It's nothing fancy, but for my first foray into fondant it could have gone a lot worse. Stay tuned for my next, surprise project...
To find other fondant recipes, just google "marshmallow fondant" and marvel at the choices. The main two I worked off where The Polhamus Family and Clockwork Lemon.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Bald for a cause
Dear Friends,
Meet my good friend, Etienne. We used to work together at the Paragraph Factory and she's a totally kick-butt lady. And she's about to do something rockin' - Shave her head for St. Baldrick's Day, a national cancer fundraiser. Here's what she has to say about it:
"Cancer sucks, especially for kids, so i'm going bald to stand in solidarity with youngsters who've lost their hair during treatment. Childhood cancer kills more kids in the U.S. than any other disease. Please make a donation to support research so that all kiddos diagnosed with cancer will have a better chance for a cure. Click on "Make A Donation" or donate by mail or phone to give (you KNOW you want to see what i'll look like hairless. just look at those braids!)
Donate here: http://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/etiennelepine
"Cancer sucks, especially for kids, so i'm going bald to stand in solidarity with youngsters who've lost their hair during treatment. Childhood cancer kills more kids in the U.S. than any other disease. Please make a donation to support research so that all kiddos diagnosed with cancer will have a better chance for a cure. Click on "Make A Donation" or donate by mail or phone to give (you KNOW you want to see what i'll look like hairless. just look at those braids!)
muchas gracias!"
I know I have some readers whose lives have been touched by cancer. Please consider helping Etienne out. If you have $20, $10 or heck, even $5 you can spare, please follow this link to donate to Etienne's campaign. It's a wonderful cause and a really neat event. Thank you!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Snowpocolypse 2011
I know all you people up North are laughing at us crazy Texans. But it snowed today!! Today was our third-straight day below freezing - something that hasn't happened since 1997. Last night, when it was in the teens, we had freezing rain and sleet. This morning I woke up to this:
And didn't have to go to work! Austin roads are just not built for this kind of weather and the roads were super icy. According to the news, there were two fatalities and a few hundred accidents. Our roommate Paul works nights and said that coming home last night, people were sliding all over the road. It was nice to relax by the fire in my sweatpants all day. Makes all this cold weather worth it!
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| What I saw when I stepped out the front door this morning |
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| My footprints :) |
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| Look how pretty our street is, all covered in snow! |
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| Our house covered in snow |
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| Icicles dripping off Paul's truck |
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| View out the front window |
And didn't have to go to work! Austin roads are just not built for this kind of weather and the roads were super icy. According to the news, there were two fatalities and a few hundred accidents. Our roommate Paul works nights and said that coming home last night, people were sliding all over the road. It was nice to relax by the fire in my sweatpants all day. Makes all this cold weather worth it!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
'Shrine' for $200
I hit a new milestone with my swagbucks today!
With this search, ladies and gentlemen, I'm able to redeem my swagbucks for yet another Amazon Giftcard, putting my total up to $200. Yes, that's right. $200 for doing nothing but searching the web and watching videos. That means I'm {this close} to getting my KitchenAid Standmixer without having to pay anything on my own. Woot! Incidentally.. shrine? I don't know why. I think I read it on a blog and was mindlessly looking for a word to search for.
And if you're a new reader and haven't seen all my plugs about swagbucks, check out this post, and this post, and sign up here: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/thesweetingspot (And help me get some referral points :))
With this search, ladies and gentlemen, I'm able to redeem my swagbucks for yet another Amazon Giftcard, putting my total up to $200. Yes, that's right. $200 for doing nothing but searching the web and watching videos. That means I'm {this close} to getting my KitchenAid Standmixer without having to pay anything on my own. Woot! Incidentally.. shrine? I don't know why. I think I read it on a blog and was mindlessly looking for a word to search for.
And if you're a new reader and haven't seen all my plugs about swagbucks, check out this post, and this post, and sign up here: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/thesweetingspot (And help me get some referral points :))
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Rough morning.
It was in the teens this morning. Dear Texas, this is not ok with me. Did you forget that you're Texas?
Anyway, that *might* have been livable, if I could stay warm and snuggled in my bed until the last possible second. No luck. Due to state-wide demand on power, the emergency plan is rolling blackouts (read more about that here). So here's how our morning went:
Power went out around 6:20 a.m. For some reason, our fire detectors did not like this and decided to go off. Loudly. All of them. Cue Hans, Edgar, and Paul running around the house trying to manually disable them. Finally, get back to bed.
7:15 a.m., power kicks back in. Good: It was starting to get really cold in the house. Bad: All of the lights turned back on and woke us up with their unholy brightness. Oh, and the house alarm system doesn't like being reset and responds with much beeping when turned back on. Lovely. Can I still sleep 20 more minutes? Yes, yes I think I can.
Get up, shower, getting ready. Definitely blow drying my hair today so I don't go out in freezing temps with wet hair. Oh wait, here comes round two of blackouts. Haha, no dry hair for you.
Going to work, fighting the ridiculous traffic one should expect when traffic signals keep going out. Good gracious, why does South Austin have so many stop lights?
Realize while riding the elevator to my office that it's probably not wise to take elevators when the city's experiencing rolling blackouts. Thankfully, I didn't get locked in an elevator (or an ATM vestibule with Jane Goodacre). But I'll be taking the stairs for the rest of the day.
Anyway, that *might* have been livable, if I could stay warm and snuggled in my bed until the last possible second. No luck. Due to state-wide demand on power, the emergency plan is rolling blackouts (read more about that here). So here's how our morning went:
Power went out around 6:20 a.m. For some reason, our fire detectors did not like this and decided to go off. Loudly. All of them. Cue Hans, Edgar, and Paul running around the house trying to manually disable them. Finally, get back to bed.
7:15 a.m., power kicks back in. Good: It was starting to get really cold in the house. Bad: All of the lights turned back on and woke us up with their unholy brightness. Oh, and the house alarm system doesn't like being reset and responds with much beeping when turned back on. Lovely. Can I still sleep 20 more minutes? Yes, yes I think I can.
Get up, shower, getting ready. Definitely blow drying my hair today so I don't go out in freezing temps with wet hair. Oh wait, here comes round two of blackouts. Haha, no dry hair for you.
Going to work, fighting the ridiculous traffic one should expect when traffic signals keep going out. Good gracious, why does South Austin have so many stop lights?
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