TrinKnitty

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2009-12-22T19:41:00.002-06:00

Project 365: Day 263

Christmas gift from co-workers Becky and Michele. Hee hee. Mom, this will likely be making an appearance at your house when Paul and I come over for Christmas!

Birthday - Part 3 Continued

2009-12-21T21:45:00.000-06:00

Wow! Paul outdid himself once again, making me feel so loved and spoiled on my birthday. We had such a fun day, starting right from the top of the morning when Paul made breakfast.

After breakfast I settled into a bath with a book while Paul went to the gym. When he came home, he was bearing this huge bouquet.

It was only then that he revealed to me the next part of the plan. We were to head out to get a quick bite to eat for lunch, go ice skating and then to a yarn shop.

The ice skating rink was right in the middle of downtown St. Paul, amidst the historic buildings. The weather was very cooperative, with a light dusting of snow falling while we skated. At one point during our time on the rink, I looked at Paul and then looked around at everyone else and realized that it is impossible to ice skate without a big smile on your face!

Then, we headed to The Yarnery where I was given the instruction to pick out yarn that I liked. I chose Malabrigo worsted merino yarn to make an Olivine Vest. The vest pattern was recently published on Ravelry and I can't wait to make it.

Next up was a trip back home to open my presents. As if this day wasn't already completely awesome, Paul had prepared a story to accompany my gifts. It was such a sweet delivery and his presents were really well thought out. Included in my gifts was the Sweater Wizard software. I'm not even going to tell you about my other presents because you might be tempted to come and steal Paul from me. They were that awesome.

It was then time to get dressed up and head out to a delicious dinner at Restaurant Alma. They have a tasting menu for vegetarians and one for omnivores. They knew it was my birthday so they started our evening off with complimentary glasses of Cava wine. The food was delicious and came in small enough servings that I was able to enjoy the 3 courses plus dessert without stuffing myself silly. All of the dishes were perfect, both in terms of presentation and flavor.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Paul for the memorable day.

Also, thank you to everyone else who took the time to be a part of my birthday by calling, emailing, posting on Facebook, taking me out to eat, buying me a massage, baking me a cake, giving me lovely gifts and anything else you did to mark my birthday. You all helped make my birthday remarkable and I am grateful.

Happy Winter Solstice!

2009-12-21T19:02:00.002-06:00

Project 365: Day 262

I look forward to the return of light that this day symbolizes while also being grateful for how the darkness enhances the feeling of warmth and safety that being in my home brings me.

Birthday - Part 3

2009-12-20T22:24:00.004-06:00

Project 365: Day 261

Once again, Paul pulled off an amazing day of birthday treats for me. I am too tired to do the day justice right now, so I will post about it later. But, do know that I am heading to bed having been treated like a VIP birthday girl this weekend from Paul and from friends and family. Many, many thanks for a great 31st birthday!

Reindeer Blessing and Birthday - Part 2

2009-12-19T22:59:00.006-06:00

Project 365: Day 260

Tonight, I was blessed by a reindeer, played the rhythm sticks and welcomed the light with song and dance. Hooray for the coming Winter Solstice and all of the awesome symbolism and ceremony that comes with it! My companion for the evening was Missy and I was very grateful to have her there with me. I was really glad when she said she would go with me. It takes open-mindedness and a sense of adventure to attend an event that is described as follows:

Part Theatre.
Part shamanic ceremony.
Primal, live,
human reverent reverie.
Unrepeatable.
Untweetable.
Can't be downloaded.
The entire audience drums.
Dancing and ecstasy are allowed
(but not required).
Every one receives a blessing
from the Great White Reindeer
(If they want it).

So you live in a Nutcracker-Scrooge-Church Pageant holiday marketplace. But what about those who crave a non-traditional but deeply spiritual holiday experience? Jaime Meyer’s Solstice Blessing might be what you seek. Solstice Blessing is part theatre, part laugh-until-you-hurt storytelling, and part shamanic ceremony. The evening blends Meyer’s seminary degree with his 23 years of studying Celtic and Nordic shamanic traditions and trance-inducing percussion and his love of wild, irreverent fun.
(description taken from this website)

The event was led with just the right mix of earnestness and playfulness and never ventured to the point which causes me to react in the familiar stop-trying-to-push-your-beliefs-on-me revolt.

My day ended with this great performance, but I should also share how it started: a massage! In fact, it was the second time I have ever gotten a professional massage. I have said to myself many times, "A massage would be really nice. I should treat myself to one." But, then I always felt like I shouldn't spend the money on it or something more pressing comes up. So, it was a great treat to have my mom gift me a massage. From my masseuse, I learned that I can thank my computer mouse for a mammoth-sized knot just beside my right shoulder blade. After the massages, we met up with my sister Jessy and shared a birthday lunch together. I am wearing my hat in this picture for two reasons: it was cold by the window and I had a deep mark across my forehead from the pillow on the massage table. It took a really long time for my forehead to go back to normal!

Jessy, Me, Kathy (Mom)

So far my birthday weekend has been excellent! I am really looking forward to whatever surprises Paul has in store for me tomorrow. He has reserved the day from 11am onward, so I should have a lot to report by this time tomorrow.

Birthday - Part 1

2009-12-18T21:42:00.004-06:00

Project 365: Day 259

Tonight was the kick-off for my birthday weekend. Paul and I shared a meal with Sally and Mike at Buster's on 28th. My wild rice, currants, winter squash veggie burger was delicious and the stout beer totally hit the right Friday night spot. Thanks to Sally for treating me to an almost-my-birthday dinner. I think all four of us are used to spending our Friday nights in comfy pants, lounging at home, but it was fun to shake things up a bit and spend some time together double-date style.

Christmas - Part 1

2009-12-17T23:21:00.005-06:00

Project 365: Day 258

Joey and Justin

Tonight I was part of the annual Christmas celebration at Joey's house. We ate delicious food, had a yankee swap gift exchange, made a Christmas craft project and had a good time catching up before everyone went their various ways for holiday celebrations.

I was in charge of the craft project. We made shrinky dink Christmas ornaments. Somehow I didn't end up with many photos from the evening, except for these shots of people working on their creations.

The group minus Mark who set-up his shrinky dink making station at the kitchen table.

Zoe supervising Genevieve's shrinky dink coloring.

Justin hard at work on his masterpiece.

Thanks to the gang for a fun and festive evening.

Marketing

2009-12-16T21:00:00.003-06:00

Project 365: Day 257

Well placed marketing (click to make the photo bigger). I spotted this ad in the building I work in on a college campus. That dude looks really delighted with his easy money.

Check!

2009-12-15T21:28:00.003-06:00

Project 365: Day 256

Tonight, at the Minnesota Knitters' Guild meeting, I finished my gift knitting. Let me say that again: I finished this year's gift knitting! These babies will be sent off to Becky and will receive their own F.O. post later. But, for now I'm going to go and do a happy dance because I finished with time to spare.

Cookie Day

2009-12-14T22:11:00.004-06:00

Project 365: Day 255

One of my co-workers has an annual tradition of participating in a cookie swap party with her friends. Every attendee brings dozens and dozens of the same cookie and they all swap, each leaving with approximately 15 different kinds of cookies. And, in what has become a work tradition, she brings in an assortment of cookies the Monday after the cookie party for everyone to eat. This day, Cookie Day, is talked about and anticipated all year long. This was my first Cookie Day and it was delicious! I was very tempted to try them all, but I limited myself to 4 cookies and I saved a piece of caramel for tomorrow.

Chicken in the Store

2009-12-13T18:30:00.002-06:00

Project 365: Day 254

Jamie and I spent a lovely afternoon together today. We perused yarn at Needlework Unlimited, did a little shopping at the Linden Hills Coop, stopped in to see the creatures and decor at Wild Rumpus and ate some delicious soup and bread while knitting at Turtle Bread Company. Wild Rumpus bookstore allows the chicken in this photo to roam the store. Here is their explanation of why. After reading their inspiration for the store, I think I am going to put The Salamander Room in my reading queue.

Bread!

2009-12-12T18:03:00.004-06:00

Project 365: Day 253

I haven't visited the New French Bakery since I lived in the Seward neighborhood 7 years ago. I stopped in to the outlet store today since I knew I was in the market for a hefty amount of bread to eat with the big batch of soup I am going to make tomorrow. The variety and prices are amazing. I bought 2 bags of mini ciabatta loaves (8 loaves in total) to freeze, a loaf of caraway sandwich bread and a loaf of artisan seed bread all for 10 bucks! The bakery doesn't use any preservatives, makes all the bread fresh daily, donates the leftover bread at the end of the day and is located less than 2 miles from my house. Score!

Come and Get It!

2009-12-11T20:28:00.004-06:00

Project 365: Day 252

I really like to cook. I enjoy eating things that taste good, meals that are well balanced and have good nutritional value to them. I enjoy the process of preparing the food, from the smells to the textures and colors to the physical motions of assembling a meal. When I have the time and energy to cook it helps me to feel physically and mentally well and in charge of my life. But, sometimes I am lazy. I am grateful to have a partner who is able to pick up the slack for me and put a delicious meal on the table for us when I am feeling lazy/uninspired. Tonight I was treated to a half hour on the couch reading the current issue of Vegetarian Times and sipping red wine while Paul fixed us a tasty, pretty, well balanced dinner. (Wine counts as a fruit, right?)

Rusty Stuff

2009-12-10T19:47:00.004-06:00

Project 365: Day 251

My mom and I stopped into an antique store on the way to hoopdancing tonight. We once again confirmed that I love the old, rusty, chipped deteriorating stuff and my mom loves the old shiny stuff (glass, gold and copper).

What to do in a snow storm

2009-12-09T21:07:00.003-06:00

Project 365: Day 250

On a cold snowy night, it is mighty nice to snuggle with the kitty while knitting Christmas presents. The dogs stayed warm by engaging in mirror image cuddling. The pets and I got to enjoy the evening indoors thanks to a motivated Paul who had already shoveled by the time I got home.

Earlier in the day, my officemates and I bundled up and headed out to lunch. I caught a little paparazzi-style photo of the snowy, cold journey.

I hope you, too, are warm and happy this evening.

Come on Down

2009-12-08T21:10:00.003-06:00

Project 365: Day 249

The snow started coming down around lunch time and it hasn't stopped. I wore long underwear today. I just took my winter boots and coat out of storage. Winter has arrived!

Autumn Minestrone Soup

2009-12-07T18:22:00.002-06:00

Project 365: Day 248

Dinner tonight: Autumn Minestrone Soup from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special cookbook and some Goat's Milk Sourdough Bread, Belgian Goat's Milk Cheese with Honey and Tempranillo wine to go with it. This combination is one of my favorite meals, but only if the soup is homemade and the bread and cheese are really good. The wine can be cheap, though. I'm only picky about certain things.

(4 Hour) Pumpkin Pie

2009-12-06T19:58:00.003-06:00

Project 365: Day 247

Sally and I set our minds to making pumpkin pie from scratch in late October. Today was the day we made it happen. Well, today was the day we assembled the pie, but the process actually started in early November when I cut, seeded, baked, scooped, pureed, drained and froze the innards of two pie pumpkins.

We followed this recipe from Joy of Baking. We didn't take any shortcuts because we wanted to experience the full process of a completely homemade pumpkin pie. We made the Pate Brisee (Short Crust Pastry) from scratch, included the gingersnap/pecan layer and even made the maple whipped cream! We spent about 4 hours on the task today. When you add in the time it took to process the pumpkins, the total is nearer to 6 hours of labor for these 2 pies.

The first taste test shows that these are damn fine pies! The crust and the gingersnap/pecan layer are the shining stars of this pumpkin pie recipe. Although the filling made with fresh pumpkins is very tasty, my suspicions tell me that using canned pumpkin would be just as tasty and would turn this 6 hour pie into a mere 4 hour pie. If you wanted to be super on top of it, I hear you can make pie crust in larger quantities and freeze them for later use.

No Coast Craft-O-Rama

2009-12-05T18:25:00.000-06:00

Project 365: Day 246

Today was craft central in Minneapolis. As per last year, Jill is my No Coast Craft-O-Rama compatriot. We spent about 4 hours perusing the awesome variety of locally, handmade goods.

Some of my favorites from the day include:

Jenna Lou Designs

I pretty much loved everything at Jenna Lou Designs' booth. Her sewing is impeccable, her designs are useful and fun, her fabric choices are just my taste and her prices are a steal. Need I say more?

Figs & Ginger

Figs & Ginger's jewelry is simultaneously classy and whimsical, simple and playful. I liked a lot of the designs, but my favorites were the ones that included birds, trees and/or deer. In addition to the great designs and craftsmanship, the makers of this jewelry are committed to using recycled materials whenever possible.

Fawn in the Forest Necklace

Elizabeth Hurley Illustrations

Elizabeth Hurley Illustrations are full of childlike and fantastical imagery that is appliqued on to lively background fabrics. None of my favorites from the show were on her Etsy page, but this owl was similar to an owl that I liked at the show. These pictures are stimulating for the imagination and have a lot of tactile appeal. They would be totally at home hanging in a baby's or kid's room.

Julie Meyer

Julie Meyer has a great solution to my disposable sandwich bag guilt. Oil cloth fabric and velcro make these sandwich and snack bags reusable. Hooray!

There were many, many other favorites from the day, but instead of posting them, I am going to take some of the inspiration I've gleaned from seeing all of these awesome creations today to go and spend some time creating some things myself. Happy Crafting!

Wrapped

2009-12-04T22:45:00.003-06:00

Project 365: Day 245

The presents have started to pile up under the tree, which means my list of things to buy and/or make is getting smaller. That feels mighty nice! Fanny is becoming curious about the tree. So far she is just interested in hiding under it and running behind it. Hopefully she doesn't decide to take her interest any further.

Fluffy Stuff

2009-12-03T18:57:00.001-06:00

Project 365: Day 244

We woke up to a little dusting of snow today!

Brick vs. Kleenex

2009-12-02T21:47:00.003-06:00

Project 365: Day 243

Some sort of seasonal cold/flu has got me. From what I hear of others' recent illnesses, I have a mild version. Even so, I still was given a mighty big "Go home!" from my co-workers when they heard me talk in my stuffed up, nasally voice this morning. I think they had their interests and mine in mind, so I followed their advice and went home after a half day of work. I took this photo on the way. I figured I'd rather mark day 243 with deteriorating brick than a pile of used kleenex.

Taco Tuesday and Tree Trimming

2009-12-01T20:37:00.002-06:00

Project 365: Day 242

My mom and sister came over tonight to share a veggie taco dinner and make my tree all colorful and pretty. My mom brought over the collection of family ornaments and we filled my tall and thin tree to the brim with them. We've got a huge variety of ornaments including clay ones my sister and I made when we were little, crocheted ones my grandma made, free ones from Lifesavers and Coca Cola, antique glass ones that were from when my mom was little, fancy crystal birds, tatted lace snowflakes, reindeer made out of clothes pins, plastic glow in the dark ones...there is some serious variety on this tree.

Low Light

2009-11-30T17:47:00.004-06:00

Project 365: Day 241

We have had our camera for nearly two years now and I have always felt that it performs pretty decently with the exception of photos in low light situations. If there isn't a very generous amount of light, it takes dark and blurry pictures. Well, tonight while messing around with the camera settings, I discovered an entire menu I had never seen before. This menu has a long exposure option, which is going to rock my world. Hooray! This is an especially good discovery considering that we are now entering the time of the year where it is easily possible to go an entire day without seeing daylight.

Minnehaha Falls

2009-11-29T18:56:00.003-06:00

Project 365: Day 240

This afternoon, while Paul and Tchazo were at the dog park, Jack and I took a long walk from our house to Minnehaha Falls Park. It felt so great to get out in the brisk weather and get some exercise. The walk made me realize how old Jack is getting. He has always gotten a little limpy if we push him too far. His limping used to show up when we took him on major hikes in the mountains, where he would climb up and over big boulders and be in constant competition with Tchazo to smell everything first. Now, apparently it happens to him if he takes a fast-paced, 45 minute walk on flat ground. I headed off to book club after the walk, but Paul reported that both dogs slept for the rest of the afternoon.