SaraPDX

identities

2012-01-30T10:52:00.000-08:00

Hi ya'll! I wanted to post an update of what I've been working on. I'm planning a move to a new blog. A new title, a fresh start, a more specific focus. I'm slowly working on getting the new site set up to my liking before I "move in." My plan is to discuss how I balance the various roles I fill. I'm wife to Jesse, mama to Quinn, an employee, a sister, a daughter, a crafter, a planner. It's a challenge to give all these identities the time they deserve, so my hope is recording and categorizing my experiences will help me achieve a better balance.

I'm heading to Santa Barbara this week with my mom, sister, and some friends so one of my first posts may be about shirking those mama, wife, and employee duties for a little while and exploring some place new!

squeeze

2012-01-17T20:36:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like a tart lemon treat in the dead of winter. Deana, the winner of my cookie giveaway, selected the Chewy Lemon Snowdrop cookies from the Sophistimom blog. I was glad to have good reason to get back in the kitchen (albeit with a baby at my feet) and the cookies turned out great!

Here's a link to the recipe. I tasted the cookies straight out of the oven and thought they needed an extra lemon punch, so I whipped up a simple lemon glaze using fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar. I brushed the mixture over the cookies and let it dry before sprinkling them with a little more powdered sugar (rather than rolling them in it).

Once I'm done here I'm going to head over to Pinterest and start collecting some more recipes!

Also coming up are some colorful refurbished coasters using a cork-backed set from the Dollar Store - inspired by some lovely quilt designs on my "Inspired" board!

Hexagon Park on Moda Bake Shop

Crossed Quilt Block on The Long Thread

A Little Help From My Friends Quilt on Sew Take a Hike

Ruby Star Mod Mosaic Quilt on Oh, Fransson!

cookies, coming up!

2012-01-16T10:11:00.000-08:00

The winner of a fresh batch of Chewy Lemon Snowdrop cookies is Deana!

Hopefully she won't mind if I taste test a few to make sure they're good enough to share. I'll be hand delivering them tomorrow morning. Yum!

Thanks to Jaime at Sophistimom for sharing the recipe and for allowing me to use her photo!

yum yum giveaway

2012-01-15T10:22:00.000-08:00

Tell me you're not as obsessed with Pinterest as I am.

I'd heard of the site from a few sources but finally joined when "following" certain people earned me extra entries in some online contests. Pinterest allows you to "pin" basically anything to categorized electronic boards, whether its a recipe, home decor items you covet, hairstyle ideas, or planning notes for your upcoming wedding. You browse the internet, or the boards of other users, and pin whatever strikes your fancy.

I'm finding the site to be a springboard for creativity. The art and DIY projects found on the boards of the people I follow are concentrated awesomeness. No need to spend hours picking through silly ideas that are outdated, impractical, or just plain unattractive. Pinterest displays the best of the best at a glance.

The best part about the recipes I've been pinning to my Yum Yum Recipes board is that they're all accompanied by a gorgeous photograph - since all pins are represented by a photo on your boards. I'm finding myself partial to the breakfast and brunch offerings across the web, but there are some awfully tasty looking cookie recipes too.

With the weather in Portland being very conducive to baking lately, I'm hosting a new giveaway in honor of my new found Pinterest addiction. The winner will score a batch of their choice of delicious cookies, selected from the recipes below.

To enter, just leave a comment below with which cookie you'd choose and why it looks the best. Make sure you're a follower of SaraPDX (by clicking "Join This Site" on the right hand side of the page). I'll ship within the United States (or hand deliver, of course). The contest closes TONIGHT at midnight!

White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies

Chocolate Mint Truffle Cookies

Photo by Lauren at Lauren's Latest

Chocolate Turtle Cookies

Chewy Lemon Snowdrop Cookies

Photo by Jaime at Sophistimom

and the winner is...

2012-01-12T09:36:00.000-08:00

McKenzie!

Thanks to those who participated! McKenzie, please email me your mailing address and your prize will be on its way.

Stay tuned, because I'm thinking about offering up another prize (maybe something delicious?) over the holiday weekend.

green chile chicken enchiladas

2012-01-09T11:03:00.000-08:00

Behold! A recipe I can call my own. (Which may or may not undergo additional tweaking in the future.)

I like to roast my own green chiles under the oven broiler, but you can also purchase canned green chiles in the Mexican food aisle. I used 2 Pasilla peppers in my last batch and the level of heat was great for us. Bump it down to 1 for less spice, or add a roasted jalapeno for even more!

Check out my easy technique for warming the corn tortillas to achieve the perfect texture that isn't prone to tearing. This recipe stacks the tortillas, but rolling them is also an option.

2 Anaheim or Pasilla chile peppers
1 lb. tomatillos
1 c. chicken broth
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 c. cilantro
1 pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, meat removed and shredded
2 c. shredded Mexican cheese blend (approximately)
18 corn tortillas
vegetable oil

Broil chile peppers on a baking sheet in the oven, turning occasionally, until blackened on all sides. Place chiles in a bowl covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Remove husks from tomatillos and halve or quarter depending on their size. Bake for 10-15 minutes until tender. Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees after removing tomatillos.

Peel skin off of cooled chile peppers, de-seed, and roughly chop.

Combine chicken broth, mushroom soup, chile peppers, tomatillos, onion, garlic, and cilantro in blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a large frying pan and warm over medium-low heat.

Grease a 9x9 inch baking dish with vegetable oil. Ladle some of the warmed sauce in and spread to cover the bottom of the dish.

Brush vegetable oil lightly on both sides of 6 corn tortillas. Stack on a microwaveable plate and microwave for 10 minutes, until warm and pliable. Carefully arrange the tortillas on top of the sauce so the bottom is again covered. Spread more sauce on top of the tortillas.

Layer 1/2 of the shredded chicken on top, followed by 1/3 of the shredded cheese. Continue layering with sauce, 6 more warmed tortillas, sauce, the rest of the chicken, 1/3 of the cheese, sauce, the remaining tortillas, and then finish with one more layer of sauce and then the rest of the cheese. Saucy layers are a good idea because they'll dry out a bit while baking, but this recipe will probably yield a bit more sauce than you need.

Bake covered in the 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove cover and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Turn the oven to its broiler setting and cook until the cheese is nicely browned. Yum. The leftovers are even better.

a little luck & a little giveaway

2012-01-08T15:18:00.000-08:00

Contests, sweepstakes, raffles, giveaways. . . I cannot get enough of them! Here are some of my simple tips and tactics. Keep reading for a chance to win your own little giveaway.

I've had a lot of "luck" with contests for as long as I can remember. In elementary school I won a coloring contest (I used the school's colors, blue and gold, in the design) that earned me lunch with the principal, including a Nestle Crunch ice cream bar for dessert (strangely memorable). I've also won $100 and an art tote bag in two different writing contests in the past couple years.

Tip: Skill contests draw far fewer entrants, increasing your odds, so look for those that match your talents.

Tip: Consider your audience when entering a skill contest and tailor your entry to appeal to their preferences.

Two years ago I attended the annual Christmas party at my apartment complex and was the grand prize winner - $500 off a month of rent! The next year I won a free carpet cleaning and this year I won a $50 gift card to a fancy Portland steak house.

Tip: Enter local contests! These are some of your best odds. Check the websites for radio, newspaper, and local businesses for even more opportunities.

Just yesterday I won a new casserole dish, pasta fork, cheese grater, and a jar of steak seasoning from a small cooking blog!

The About.com Contests & Sweepstakes page is a great resource for contests across the internet. These are often for the biggest prizes like cash, vacations, and vehicles, but there's also a page for instant win contests with more prizes and better odds.

I'll also search Google on occasion, looking for contest, sweepstake, blog giveaway, or some similar search terms, and then restricting the results to the last 1 hour, 24 hours, or 1 week. I'll try searching for the word giveaway along with a specific item I want to win, too (like an iPad2 or a Silhouette Cameo).

Now, for a modest giveaway of my own.

For your chance to win a Powell's Books mug and a copy of Coffee Time with Perk Up Puzzles, Brainteasers, and Trivia, comment below with your answer to the following question AND make sure you're a follower of SaraPDX. U.S. residents only, please. Entries will be accepted until midnight PST on Wednesday, January 11th. Good luck!

What's the best prize you've ever won in a contest?

bookish

2012-01-03T12:17:00.000-08:00

Browsing through old entries reminded me of past projects, items that were created and given away, experiences that became fuzzy over time. Having a rolling log of these events is conducive to creating more (because you know you have the focus and skill to do so), being more open to adventure (because the results, good or bad, will likely be an entertaining read), and becoming a vigilant recorder (because your readers are counting on you).

It looks like some bookmaking is in my near future, so I decided to compile in one spot photographs of all the books I've made (I don't think I'm missing any...). I became interested in book arts several years ago when I somehow learned about the craft of non-adhesive bindings. I've always loved books - particularly the tactile value of them - so I was thrilled to discover they were something I could build myself. Here's the very first book that resulted, its cover adorned with a hand carved leaf stamp.

As I uncovered more tutorials, instructional books, and supply sources, I learned that a wealth of different book structures were possible. I graduated to books that utilize pages which are sewn together and are either sewn to their covers or joined with glue. I started collecting gorgeous tools and materials that now make me happy to just to look at! Bone folders, awls, needles and thread, wax, book board, text paper, cover paper, PVA, adhesive brushes. Ahhhhh.

Here are all the photos I could locate of subsequent books, in no particular order. Which is your favorite? Is bookbinding a skill that you'd like to learn?

Mexican embroidery inspired wedding guestbook

Nepal journal

Christmas ornament book

Spectrum art journal

Japanese stab binding

Italy Coptic journal

Birthday notebook

Hunter's Words of Wisdom journal

Genealogy Coptic journal

Advice for the Newlyweds Coptic book

Gavin's Words of Wisdom journal

Botanica longstitch journal

Frequent concept book

Metal Heart concept book

Rochester wedding guestbook

Celebrate birthday guestbook

cien

2012-01-02T20:01:00.000-08:00

Well, would you look at that? This happens to be my 100th post! I've decided to return to blogging (some thanks to the encouragement of my husband) now that my daughter, Quinn, is 1 and I have regained some of my time to use as I wish Have you noticed that maintaining a blog necessitates having enough free time to have ideas, follow through with them, and then write about it?

This'll continue to be a hodgepodge mix of observation, art, food, and experience and hopefully a good motivator to keep me on track collecting new creative projects, recipes, contests, media, and more - to share with you.

A comfortable, organized environment with plenty of supplies is key if I want to get anything done, so I spent some time yesterday getting things in order and discovering items that had been tucked away and nearly forgotten. A ton of art paper that I'd rolled up in heavy duty cardboard tubes (stored in the back of the closet) now live in a clear rolling paper tub under the bed. I was pleased to find a variety of brand new sheets that will make great book covers. (Though my tastes have apparently changed a bit.)

Our craft room (i.e. our walk in closet that still needs to function as a closet) is overrun with my supplies, but I managed to clear some more room and make everything more accessible. Those tubs need some labels!

I also took some time to reorganize the small bookcase I use for all our art, craft, and design books. An unfortunate Christmas day incident resulted in Christmas tree water pouring onto some of them, but I managed to salvage them all with fairly minimal water damage.

Here are some of my favorite titles (click to view on Powells.com):

Real Life Journals

500 Handmade Books

The Handy Book of Artistic Printing

1000 Fonts: An Illustrated Guide to Finding the Right Typeface

Simple Sewing

Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones

Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts

Stencil 101

So what's in store this year? Hopefully lots of book making and paper craft, refurbished furniture (?!), photography, typography, crock pot recipes as well as those that take me 4 hours to make, prizes, outings, craft nights, vacations, and everything in between.

Thanks for sticking with me!

cinnamon

2010-10-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

As the weeks wind down and D(elivery)-day approaches, I'm trying to keep up with increased work responsibilities while also enjoying the last remnants of my pre-child social life. Last week held two nights in a row of rowdy concert-going. We caught Foals at Doug Fir on Thursday night along with my coworkers Nikki and Emily, and Jesse's friend, Danny. Surprisingly enough, I was deemed DD for the night, but still managed to have a good time despite my pregnant sobriety. At one point, both Jesse and Danny each brought me a soda. I felt like a princess. Other highlights included seeing the singer from Spoon in the crowd and then witnessing a dressed-to-the-nines hipster chick falling off a couch she was trying to climb over (the 4" heels didn't help).

The next night we hit up the grand opening of a new location of Dr. Marten's on Burnside. The Builders and the Butchers were playing (odd scenario) and free food and beer were offered. The beer ended up consisting of 2 oz. samples in tiny plastic cups and the "food," if you can call it that, was a platter of crustless watercress sandwiches. Bite size. The place was packed, as you can see below. Certainly provided for interesting people watching. (See if you can spot the band.)

Toward the end of the show Emily (what a trooper!) joined us with her three friends, Erin, James, and Jaime. We determined that more food was in order, so we set out into the streets of downtown on foot. I had mapped out various food carts that were supposed to be open, but that was a bust. Instead, we found ourselves at Mother's, dining on decadent Chanterelle mac & cheese and laughing up a storm about performing test procedures on willing (read: paid) volunteers in nursing school. Scary stuff, I tell you. I remarked that the evening felt like the "olden days" - those in which Portland would draw us in for hours and we'd aimlessly wander the dark, curious streets. It was a good night, particularly with the last minute addition of Voodoo Doughnuts just before the rain started to fall.

Other than that I've been preparing for a Halloween bake sale I organized at work, which is to occur this Friday. The event will benefit two non-profit organizations associated with my employer. I've never organized anything like this before, but it's been a worthwhile experience. I can't wait to see what my volunteer bakers will come up with! I'm still trying to finalize what I'll be making in my home kitchen - likely bags of fudge and jars of homemade granola. I'll do my best to complete my preparation in an organized, photo-ready fashion, camera in hand.

Here are some miscellaneous photographs in the meantime.

Oliver's green Halloween glare

This is where we live - isn't it beautiful?

Our resident Red-Tailed Hawk is perched at the top of the tallest tree.

We love him.

And lastly, a belly progression. I'm sitting at 33 weeks now and am even bigger than the last picture here. More to come later, I'm sure.

craft night

2010-10-04T15:48:00.000-07:00

Before I knew it, it was Saturday and my first craft night was mere hours away. I kicked my cleaning into high gear and got our apartment into great shape. Having a few people over is always excellent motivation to make your place fully presentable!

I had been gathering crafting supplies for a couple weeks, so I set out arranging everything on our dinner table. Each guest was to select a square of fabric and a contrasting color of thread. They also got a 5” embroidery hoop, a couple crewel needles, and a set of stitch instructions. I set out several of the embroidery books I got from the library as additional reference/inspiration material.

I had asked everyone to bring a dish to share and we had quite an array of delicious snacks! I can’t believe I didn’t get a picture of our buffet. We had bean dip, hummus and pita, chips with salsa and guacamole, caprese skewers, crackers and baguette with cheese and homemade hot pepper-peach jam, and caramel apples. Nearly all the non-pregnant people enjoyed wine while the rest of us stuck to fruit juice. My guests were even kind enough to leave me leftovers since our fridge was utterly empty!

After we dined, I had everyone practice some basic stitches on their piece of scrap fabric. Basic stitches like the backstitch, stem stitch, and split stitch are incredibly useful and take just a little practice to get perfect. After the ladies had gained some confidence in their stitching skills, we got to work transferring simple images onto the items they had brought (cloth napkins, dish towels, baby shirts, etc.). We spent the rest of the time working on those projects and chatting.

I have a tendency to be awfully anti-social, but it was wonderful to have such a great group of women over for the evening! I should really do this more often.

That evening I finally got the chance to bestow upon my friend April the handbound book I’d made for her eons ago for a giveaway on this blog. I still owe several more people books as well, but I figured I may as well get started on the delivery. I made April a blue robot-themed book in which to write down her son Hunter’s funny comments. I wish I had done a better job doing this with Chloe, who continues to make Jesse and I laugh with hysterical, out-of-nowhere quips.

After transferring Quinn’s big owl embroidery project onto fabric during the week, I finally began stitching on Saturday evening. So far I’ve only finished two letters of Quinn’s name (which involved outlining in backstitch and some filling in with satin stitch) and I can tell that this project is going to take forrrrevvvvver. It’s a fun challenge though, and one that will definitely strengthen my embroidery skills. I’ll post periodic updates of that piece once I get an initial portion finished.

laser beams

2010-09-28T13:20:00.000-07:00

Ta da! Skully's all finished - now what to do with him?

This weekend I finally convinced Jesse to hang the art we'd purchased for Quinn's owl and bird-themed nursery (this is a man's job, you know). I also dressed her crib in the adorable bird bedding set my sister and mom got for us.

There is a small bare wall above the "head" of the crib (on the right hand side of this photo) and I've decided to embark on a more elaborate embroidery project for that space. In keeping with our decorating theme, I found this gorgeous vintage owl pattern. I added Quinn's name (which won't be as contrastingly bold when I embroider it) and came up with this template:

How cute is that?! What color scheme do you think I should go with? I don't think I want to overdo it with pink on this.

As for a pregnancy update, I'm still feeling pretty good as I near 30 weeks (though Quinn is kicking my guts out as I type this!). My belly is growing one centimeter every week, and I'm definitely aware of it! It can feel pretty taut and uncomfortable at times, but warm baths and Bio-Oil help a lot. Here's an amusing photo Jesse took the other evening (from above my head) after one of my Bio-Oil applications (that's the only reason I ever walk around the house with an exposed belly). I look fairly misshapen, which would either be because Quinn was struggling to escape or I was having one of my mega-frequent Braxton Hicks contractions. These poor laser cats don't know what to think.

sugar

2010-09-24T14:31:00.000-07:00

Where to begin? I won three prizes in a raffle today. :) My luck had waned after my grand prize of a positive pregnancy test, so I welcomed the renewal. I was awarded a $5 gift certificate to Sonic, a dinner-for-two certificate to a small, local Italian restaurant, and a free oil change. Dinner's on me tonight.

I've been spending a lot of time preparing for my first craft night. Jesse recently went back to school (this is very exciting!) and he's now working most evenings out of the week. As a result, I have a lot of time on my hands and I decided it couldn't hurt to have some girls over for a fun evening of chatting, eating, and crafting. I'd had my eye on some cool embroidery books for many months, and I determined that it would be the perfect group-conducive craft to try.

We'll be practicing a variety of stitches, learning how to transfer an image onto fabric, and then working on a small project. I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing before trying to show other people, so I spent a night trying about 10 different stitches on scrap fabric. I then moved on to a small sugar skull design that I found in the book Embroidered Effects by Jenny Hart. Here's my progress so far:

This piece incorporates the backstitch, split stitch, cross stitch, straight stitch, and the lazy daisy (aka isolated chain stitch). The lazy daisy stitches (in the center of the eyes) was the trickiest, but I think I did a decent job.

I have a couple more lazy daisies to complete, along with several French knots, then I'm finished. I have a million different projects I'd like to try out, it's just a matter of deciding which one is next!

veinte ocho

2010-09-20T10:09:00.000-07:00

28 weeks

dear zachary

2010-09-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

You've got to watch this. Just trust me.

Available on Netflix.

milk

2010-08-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

I've been doing some reading on the topic of balancing a career (and personal identity) and motherhood. It's something that causes me a bit of anxiety, because I don't want to imagine failing at one or the other. Literature on this debacle tends to fall toward one end of a spectrum or the other, that being that either (a) the mother feels an almost undeniable urge to stay with her baby and forgo selfish career development or (b) the mother cannot imagine becoming a homemaker and is more than ready to jump back into the workforce when her maternity leave ends. In the first scenario, a mother's identity is tied to her role as mother, first and foremost, and in the second she believes she must maintain her identity outside of motherhood - in order to ultimately be a good mother.

Part of the problem lies in the fact that I don't really know which pole of that spectrum I'll most identify with when the time comes. I suppose the fact that I'm worried about how this blog entry will be received (I don't want anyone to think my life is already being consumed by my unborn baby and I've lost my personality) indicates that I'm more of a (b) type.

I'll just wait and see. At the very least I'm concurrently reading one baby-related book (e.g. Milk Memos - I'm serious) and one non-baby-related book (e.g. Paul Auster's Moon Palace) at all times.

Here's the gratuitous belly photo that I'm too shy to post on Facebook. This is 23 weeks, though I did grow overnight just after this photo was taken. That's how it works, you know.

And here's the adorable little cap my friend Nikki crocheted for Quinn. I plan on honing my infant portrait skills once Quinn is born and I'm off work for a while, and I can't wait to photograph her in this hat!

What else have I been up to? I've been using a CD-ROM instruction program to learn Adobe Photoshop, for one thing. I am already fairly familiar with Adobe InDesign and I think having a solid grasp of both programs will open up unlimited possibilities. Photoshop may be the most complex, difficult program I've ever worked with, but I'm making progress.

One project that's constantly on my mind are the invitations to my sister's July 2011 wedding. Though the wedding is a long time off, and invitations won't need to be mailed for some time, I want to have all my ducks in a row before Quinn arrives. I've purchased all the paper and embellishment supplies I'll need and I'm waiting for the final shipment to arrive in the mail. Kate and I have developed a plan for the overall construction, now it's up to me to work on design elements, make edits based on Kate's desires, then print and assemble the 150 invitations. Here are some of the supplies I'll be using for the fuchsia, white, and white shimmer project.

bloom

2010-07-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

An in-process shot of Chloe's t-shirt. Pre-fancy embellishments like glitter and gemstones.

Lindsey's sweet baby, Hadley. I visited her at the hospital when she was less than 24 hours old.

A crinkly ribbon toy I made for Hadley.

My notes for planning my sister Kate's wedding invitations. Approximately 100 invitations with 7 components each. This is going to be fun!

The Seattle Squid. Jesse and I took a fun mini-vacation up there this past weekend.

The Puma gear I bought for Quinn. I just couldn't resist...

flourish

2010-07-12T15:11:00.000-07:00

A recent Etsy purchase I had to share. You've got to get yourself some of these...

Lip Balm Set of 5

flourish bath & body

I chose Black Plum, Blood Orange, Asian Pear, Vanilla Mint, and Red Currant. Deliciously aromatic, with a perfectly silky texture. Yum!

nonstop

2010-06-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

It's not that I've been doing nothing. The days just seem to slip away and when you look back, it appears as though little has been accomplished. Jesse and I both work full-time, and our evenings are spent preparing meals and spending time with Chloe. I'm guilty of sometimes giving up on that plan and instead hiding in my room with a book. Bad wife.

Right now I'm in the midst of helping Chloe make a "Big Sister to be" t-shirt, which I plan to have her start painting tonight.

Here's a photo of the plain t-shirt and the "rough draft" I asked her to create. I drew the letters and Chloe colored them in and added embellishments to get an idea of what her final project will look like.

Here's a photo of Chloe at the Beaverton Farmers' Market, which we visited this weekend.

And finally, isn't this picture adorable? It's Chloe at her grandmother's house in Arizona - she must have been about 3 at the time. Darling.

It's only a week and two days now until the three of us go to the doctor to find out the baby's gender! I'm getting so excited... it's hard to believe nearly 17 weeks have passed and Chloe will soon know whether to expect a baby sister or a baby brother! It'll be wonderful to finally put an identity on this mysterious little avocado in my belly.

cupcake oh cupcake

2010-06-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

I made some lemon-berry cupcakes for a lovely picnic we attended this past weekend at Laurelhurst Park. And I can't... stop... thinking... about... them. The final product was a combination of recipes, and I decided I'd share them here. I was only able to snap a single photo with my phone before devouring my treats, so here it is:

I began by making a batch of Bakerella's Simple Sprite Cake, using lemon pudding rather than vanilla. Now, it's usually against my beliefs to use a box of cake mix, but the exhaustion of pregnancy while parenting an 8-year old will make you do crazy things. If you click the above link, don't feel bad if you get caught in the vortex that is Bakerella. The woman is some kind of magical wizard in the kitchen and on the web. Both of the recipes I've tried from her site turned out delicious and the site is very entertaining to browse.

I baked the cupcakes till plump and golden (the recipe yielded about 24 regular sized cupcakes). As soon as they were out of the oven, I poked copious holes into the top of the warm cupcakes with a fork, then let them cool completely.

I mixed 1 cup of boiling water with 3oz. (I used half of a 6oz. package) of raspberry Jello. Then, using a spoon, I ladeled the Jello liquid over the cupcakes until they were fairly soaked. Using all of the liquid, I managed to cover each cupcake entirely with red.

Refrigerate these for an hour to let the Jello solidify.

Then I made a quick, light frosting by thoroughly mixing 1 cup of milk with another small package of lemon pudding. I then folded in an 8oz. container of Cool Whip, stirring gently until no streaks remained.

I topped each cupcake with a healthy dose of lemony frosting, then garnished each with 2 rasperries and 2 blueberries.

Yum.

patchwork

2010-06-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

Wow. Have any of you ever pre-washed your fabric before beginning a sewing project? I clearly had not - until Sunday. And let me tell you, it went horribly, horribly awry. Turns out I have a friend who knows about 30 tricks to make this process easier, but I didn't know any of them at the time.

I took a nice, long solo trip to Joanne Fabrics earlier that day to choose fabric for two new sewing ventures. One, of course, is the ballet-themed messenger bag I'm constructing for the winner of my contest. The other is a floor-length patchwork skirt for my stepdaughter, Chloe. I'm still developing the concept for the ballet bag, so I selected 4 different fabrics I think I'll use. For Chloe's skirt I needed a big array of fun, lively fabrics that would work well together. Here's what I came up with:

Once I got home, I tossed all of the washable fabrics into the washer. I don't normally pre-wash, but I did so in this case so that both items will be washable without the risk of color bleed or weird shrinking.

To my aggravated dismay, when I pulled the yardage from the washer, it was one big tangled, unravelling mess. I spent at least 20 minutes unknotting twisted balls of fabric and snipping long, loose threads with scissors. Lesson learned.

In the future I may try (1) cutting the edges of all pieces with pinking shears rather than straight blade shears, (2) tucking the fabric inside a pillowcase before washing, (3) enjoying a cocktail before opening the washer [after December, of course].

Once I iron the heck out of the wrinkly bits, I'll be on my way.

nectarine

2010-06-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

Despite a recent inability to keep a single train of thought in my head for more than ten minutes, I've managed to spend some time considering how to go about constructing this "ballet" bag. (I take that back; I've no problem thinking about keeping food in my stomach lately.) I browsed through ballet and dance-related photographs on Flickr, following gut instinct and noting the images I was most drawn to. I found that I'm drawn to the fluid lines of movement inherent in these still photos. I also took notice of the variety of rich fabrics typically used in ballet costumes.

With that said, here are some of the images that captivated me and will likely serve as an inspiration jumping off point for this fun, new project!

photo by Gabriela Camerotti

photo by Liliumnero

photo by rayparnova

photo by tatuchi

photo by rayparnova

See, I forgot what I was going to say next. Hmm. Well, this weekend should hold a bit of much-needed sunshine which is sure to get my grand ambitions rolling. I plan on shopping for a new wardrobe (since none of my pants fit comfortably anymore and my baby belly is starting to balloon), and browsing the fabric stores for materials for this bag. Hopefully work will be underway this weekend!

le winner

2010-05-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

And the winner of my first giveaway is commenter number 2 - Tim, who said "Inspiration: ballet." I thought at first that his suggestion was in jest, but it turns out he intends on giving the finished product as a gift. This theme should be a healthy challenge for me. I plan on getting a few more details from Tim and hopefully commencing work next week. Stay tuned for photos of the process!

summertime giveaway

2010-05-24T15:48:00.000-07:00

Much to my chagrin, I won exactly ZERO of the Giveaway Day giveaways. Can you believe it?!

I must have used up all of my luck landing the little lime-sized baby that's in my belly! Well, that's a contest I was happy to win. That's right, I'm pregnant with my first little one. This little boy or girl will join big sister Chloe, my exuberant 8-year old stepdaughter, who has been waiting for years for us to break this news to her! Here's a pic of her bouncing wildly right after we shared the exciting announcement:

I'm due on December 9th and hopefully we'll find out the gender on July 7th - little more than a month away! Fortunately, Chloe will be able to accompany us to that appointment and will learn the news when we do. She has already chosen the names Jordan, for a boy, and Sally, for a girl. :)

So in celebration of this great development, and despite my utter lack of luck in the giveaways, I have decided to hold my own giveaway. I've settled on giving away a cute and functional Summertime Messenger Bag. The best part is that the prize will be specially crafted with the winner in mind! So leave a comment with what you'd like the inspiration for this bag to be if you're the winner.

I'll accept comments until Thursday, May 27th at 11:59pm PST. On Friday I'll choose a winner using a random number generator - so be sure to include your email address so I can contact you! I'll probably solicit some more of your ideas on what you'd like the bag to look like, then I'll get to work on it after our long Memorial Day weekend at the Oregon Coast. (ps: I'll ship internationally!)

In the meantime, here's a photo of the one project I've found the energy to work on in these harrowing first months of pregnancy! This sunglasses case was a birthday gift for my dear friend, Sarah. Kudos to her on snapping a great pic. :)

taking notes

2010-05-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

Have any of you heard about the amazing Giveaway Day events on the Sew, Mama, Sew blog? Holy smokes, what a dream for me (have you noticed I'm a contest junkie?)! If you visit the blog you'll find three hyperlinked lists. Each list contains a TON of blogs that are participating in Giveaway Day and are raffling off sewing supplies, handcrafted items, or both. I estimate I entered at least 200 of the contests!

I obviously didn't submit my blog for the event, but I'm interested in doing a little giveaway. I'm curious what people would like to see given away though... You can browse back through my blog to see the projects I've worked on, but I'd also be more than willing to try out a new idea. Feel free to comment with your suggestions, or else I'll just figure something out on my own!

I actually did a bit of sewing recently, but I can't post photos of the item yet. It's sitting at home, waiting to be wrapped up in a birthday package. It was nice to pull the cover off my sewing machine finally - after weeks and weeks of unproductive laziness. Now I've got my eye on this tutorial and maybe this one, and I'm interested in making curtains for Chloe's room.

Secondly, browsing through the photographs on my cell phone always helps to remind me what I've been up to since I wrote last. I was happy to come across this beauty:

That's right, one of our favorite local bands, The Builders and the Butchers, will be playing a handful of presumably FREE shows in the Portland area this August. I highly recommend that if you have the chance to check these guys out, that you do. Need a preview? Here's a video of a song from their most recent album. Oh man, they are so good.

cravings

2010-05-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

Sampler Box - Fleur de Sel

Calabasas Candy Co.

Stardust 14k Green Gold Nugget Earrings

Plum & Sage

Organic Essentia Satchel in Plum

Infusion Natural Fibers

Dilly Square Dish

LAS Pottery

Just Two Roses

creative.hodge.podge

Worlds Away Terrarium Kit

Augury

photos in the meantime

2010-04-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

our finally-finished guest bathroom

kate bingaman-burt's obsessive consumption exhibit at land on mississippi

the oft-visited multnomah falls

my new calavera necklace from frock on alberta

rainy day slug

flavour spot sausage & maple waffle

compose

2010-03-29T20:35:00.000-07:00

Wow. Having finally been diagnosed (bronchitis and the flu) and properly medicated, I am finally starting to feel better - on this, my 12th day of being sick. I'm really looking forward to feeling like myself and returning to my usual level of multi-tasking busy-ness.

I've been able to put a little bit of work in on some sewing projects during my rest time spent at home. It's been nearly impossible to stay seated on the couch, so I'd periodically cut fabric and move to a new seat at the sewing machine.

First, here's the project I was working on before my departure for Arizona. It was my "travel tote" that I packed full of supplies and carried with me through airports. I liked the size and strength of the bag and the deep side pocket I installed on the inside. I was flattered to be asked once on my trip if I was selling the bags - to which I answered, "Not yet." The deer stencil is from this cool book, which Jesse got me for Christmas.

Next is a little pincushion; the directions, by Heather Baily, can be found here. I thought the pincushions I found at sewing supply shops were pretty horrendous, so I found this cute template and used some fabric from my first shopping spree at Mill End. Next time I would stuff the cushion to be a bit firmer - and my slip-stitching skills (which close the final small opening by hand) really need some work.

Last is a "rice heat therapy bag" - the template can be found here - that I made as a birthday gift for my coworker. This project includes an inner muslin bag which holds two pounds of rice, and a patchwork slipcover with a Velcro closure. The recipient can microwave the whole bag for 2-3 minutes and apply it to "aches and pains." I'm pretty pleased with the result and am excited to deliver this gift when I return to work tomorrow. I found that a pre-assembled "fat quarter" pack from Joanne's provided a nice array of complimentary fabrics that I completed with some carefully chosen solids (Jesse helped with this!).

I've got to make note of yet another contest I've won! Let me tell you that entering every contest you come across - and firmly believing that you're bound to win - is a winning combination! This time I won two tickets to a concert that Jesse really, really wanted to attend, so I'm thrilled! The artist is Citizen Cope, a singer we've seen several times before and who puts on a great show every time. I just got the email this afternoon, and the show is Wednesday night, so I'm really hoping to be up and running by then.

mesquite

2010-03-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

The bad news is that I got sick midway through my visit to Arizona, didn't pull my camera out of its case once during the trip, and now I'm going to miss at least my first day back to work.

The good news is that I snagged my sister's old cell phone, which boasts a 3.2 megapixel camera (opposed to my old scrawny 1.3), and I remained standing and somewhat active till the end.

The trip was relaxing, with very nice weather and a lot of time spent with my family. We hit up the Sierra Vista Farmers' Market and the annual Home Show. I also managed to visit with the "grandparents" I adopted/appointed after all of my biological grandparents had passed away, as well as enjoying a dinner out with two of my sisters-in-law.

Speaking of which, I visited the grave site of my much loved paternal grandparents, and the marker honoring my maternal grandparents, whose ashes were scattered in the Atlantic Ocean.

I enjoyed the company of my parents' and sister's menagerie of pets. This photo is of my dad's cat, Lucy, who is believed to be an unusual Sokoke. Tree climbing must be a hobby of the breed.

Then there was Murphy, my sister's 9 month old pup, who I wanted to steal. He was such a mellow, gentle sweetheart.

Kate's newest addition is Otis, a Labrador/Shepherd/Great Dane mix, who's been deemed a "piranha" because of his sharp, bitey teeth. He still has a LOT of growing to do, and he could never really muster the energy required to move his heavy little body around quickly.

Before my family brought me to the airport, we visited Tucson's Reid Park Zoo. In tow was my adorable, chatty 4-year old niece, Leah. She must have quoted Spongebob Square Pants for 2 straight hours of drive time. :)

One last note before I retire, once again, to the couch. I got an email from Powells.com while I was in Arizona letting me know I'd won the contest I'd recently entered! The contest on their blog asked that readers submit a 50-word story beginning with "Once upon a time..." I whipped up a Portland-themed story and was the first person to submit an entry. My prize is a funky Alice in Wonderland tote bag featuring artwork by Camille Rose Garcia. Pretty cool to win a writing contest from the illustrious Powell's Books!

covet

2010-03-11T09:34:00.000-08:00

Rock Fetish Smoky Quartz Oval Ring

Garnet Girl Designs

Saucy Bracelet

Leaves of Glass

Bee Bliss Necklace

Rachel Pfeffer Designs

NV Earrings

The Glass Onion

cherry compote

2010-03-08T13:06:00.000-08:00

A gorgeous weekend has passed and now appears the threat of untimely snow to break our stretch of early spring.

Clara kindly took me out to brunch at Detour Café on Saturday morning. We sat outside and peered through shrubbery at pups passing by on the sidewalk. I had the most delicious French toast of my life. So delicious that I must share the menu description:

Thick slices of our cardamom bread,

dipped in custard and toasted to perfection.

Topped with cherry compote and toasted almonds;

served with organic maple syrup.

I returned home in the very early afternoon and immediately threw open the door to our balcony. The sun was beginning its slow descent – the one that bathes our apartment in golden warmth and infuses the air with optimism and calm. At Clara’s recommendation, I set up an account on last.fm and got the music rolling. I pulled a small table and chair onto the balcony and sat down with a bottle of hard apple cider.

And I sat for about two and a half hours. Letting the sun warm my face, listening to a variety of birds hidden in the trees, thinking happy thoughts. Oliver and Aurora were more than happy to join me, napping in the panels of sunlight beaming down on the wood floor.

I eventually grabbed my camera and got a few photographs, before retiring back to my seat. If only every Saturday could be so glorious (not raining).

our view

saved from death by Aurora

dark-eyed junco

I did progress a bit on one project. I hope to have this all finished by Wednesday or so. Here’s a sneak peek.

Lastly, I want to mention two exciting developments! The first is that I’ll be taking a short vacation very soon. I depart next Tuesday, March 16th. I’ll be spending a few days in southern Arizona with my family – just relaxing and catching up, not to mention indulging in a margarita or two and getting some REAL sun!

Equally awesome is the news that my great friend Stephanie (you know, the gal who crafted our wedding skullpture) is coming to visit in just a month! Her trip will officially mark the beginning of visitor season here in Portland. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like to schedule your own vacation to this lovely city of roses.

skillful

2010-03-04T14:35:00.000-08:00

Since the money trees haven't finished their spring bloom yet, I've turned to locating sewing tutorials online. My honest preference would be to print my well-crafted wish list from Powells.com and head to the Burnside location, but it turns out searching the Interweb (as my husband likes to call it) is a lot more affordable.

So I thought I'd share some of the clever tutorials I've come across and may experiment with in the near future.

Quilted Door Stop
I love the quilted panel on this - I was thinking of incorporating the same basic idea on a handbag or a cute dress for Chloe.

Stackable Boxes
This are so practical! What a great way to keep organized.

Simple Party Clutch
This is a smaller bag than I would normally use, but just perfect for spending an evening running around downtown Portland.

Spring Ruffle Top
I haven't made any garments yet - this may be my first one! I'm actually partial to the version without any ruffles.

take a leap

2010-03-03T16:13:00.000-08:00

Now that my mother's special non-birthday birthday has passed (she was born on the leap year - there was a noticeable lack of a February 29th this year), I can post photos of the two gift projects I was working on for her!

First up was a canvas "All-Day Tote" from Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing. This was my second try with this pattern and I felt a lot more confident - knowing where to make allowances and how to incorporate small changes.

I lengthened the handles and tried out a more solid, sturdy quilted bottom panel to lend the bag some additional form. I was very pleased with the results! The lining of the tote was my favorite component - it featured a lovely, slightly metallic sheen on the floral elements of the fabric.

Next up, I made a set of quilted coasters using this tutorial from Martha Stewart online. I chose a subdued Southwestern pattern that will fit in perfectly at my parents' Arizona home.

I don't know that I'll ever become a successful, crafty business person because I find it most enjoyable to give the items I make as gifts. Which reminds me of one more project I conquered!

I located instructions for a boxy zippered pouch while searching for free online sewing tutorials. It looked a lot easier than I had imagined this kind of project, so I set to making two - out of an amazing Dia de los Muertos style fabric I found. As with the market tote, my first try was slightly flawed, but still functional. With some experience under my belt, I managed to make a more skilled version, which I gave to a friend of mine who has some mega-Mexican style. Here's a less-than-perfect cell phone shot of my less-than-perfect first try.

What do you think? Is there more pleasure in giving gifts than receiving them? I've received several today and it's wonderful to know that someone was thinking of you - but I think it's even better to share that sentiment with someone else!

deep c

2010-03-02T12:11:00.000-08:00

It is finally time for the unveiling of my new blog header!

This custom labor of love was created by my talented, kind friend Clara of Deep C Designs!

Thanks, Clara!

towers abound

2010-03-01T16:10:00.000-08:00

Overall, I must say the weekend was a bit lacking. Despite the decent weather and some positive developments in this neck of the woods, I spent hours feeling blue.

A period of redemption awaited me Saturday morning. McKenzie was in town from Denver and we set a plan to meet for brunch at the much-recommended Vita Cafe on Alberta. I must say, brunch in Portland is one of my favorite things in the world. Getting up and out of the house on a sunny spring Saturday, eating and drinking the morning away, chatting with a close friend - these are very restorative things.

As I drove down Alberta I was struck by all the new shops and eateries tucked into long buildings stretching the blocks. I didn't think it had been that long since I'd visited the area, but I had a hard time keeping my eyes on the road ahead of me. I found Vita easily and secured both a booth and a Bloody Mary. McKenzie soon arrived and we set to devouring the menu and trying to make a selection. I opted for the day's special - "The Leaning Tower of Huevos." As Vita is a very veggie-centric restaurant, I had several options in terms of making my meal vegan, vegetarian, or thoughtful meat-eater. I went with cage-free eggs and opted for a side of fresh fruit rather than bacon.

The meal was great. McKenzie commented on how she loves that Bloody Marys are basically a meal in a glass (or a mason jar in this case), so make that the meals were great.

When we were stuffed to the point of pain, we set off on a short walk to explore some nearby shops. We found a Mexican shrine store and a branch of the fabric store Bolt. Holy dreamland. Bolt's fabrics, though pricey, are gorgeous and so-charming. I'm going to really hone my sewing skills before spending too much money there. Our last stop was the awesome Townshend's Teahouse, where we chatted with a knowledgeable cashier man and selected some hot brews for the road. McKenzie went with a womanly choice and I selected something like smelled like a lemony kitchen solution (which is actually a good thing, to me). I also picked up some loose detox and peppermint teas to whip up at home and hopefully heal my ailing husband.

We parted ways and I drove off aimlessly. I soon decided to try out the Japanese Gardens at Washington Park, which were having their annual free admission day. The park was packed, with the zoo parking lot completely full. I got lucky and found a spot fairly near the Japanese Gardens on my first drive through.

I hiked up the hill and followed switch backs to the Gardens' gate. Though crowded, it was nice to stroll leisurely through knolls of nearly-blooming trees and over tiny wooden bridges.

Back at my car I discovered a pretty flower bud taking off its jacket. Seems like a better sign than anything to do with a groundhog.

smtw!

2010-02-26T16:07:00.000-08:00

Check out this article about one of my best, best friends from back home!

I'm so proud of you, Sarah!

Rochester, NY Etsy Street Team

flock

2010-02-22T14:30:00.000-08:00

Four of my bird babies from yesterday's Audubon shift.

Harold, the attention-starved domestic Mallard

Great Horned Owl

Scared little Black-Capped Chickadee

New favorite bird of all time - a Pygmy Owl

(approximately 5" tall)

6x6x2010

2010-02-22T11:46:00.000-08:00

Have you ever imagined entering a piece of your own work into an art show, but something is standing in your way? Is it nerves or a lack of confidence? Weak inspiration or time constraints?

Now's your chance to jump in. My dear friend Sara(h) - with the red hair - volunteers her time at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center (aka "RoCo"). This is Rochester, New York, as in, my faraway home town. For the second year running, RoCo is hosting a special 6x6 art show. The requirements are few, the most important of which is that your piece of artwork must measure 6" by 6". You can run wild with medium and theme.

RoCo is hoping to have every U.S. state represented this year, along with at least a couple dozen different countries. So let's help them out and all submit a fun, daring, complex or sentimental piece of art. I would love to post photographs of artwork submitted by my friends, so let me know if you plan on participating!

_________________________________________________________

6x6x2010: Huge Exhibition of Small Artwork - Call for Submissions

Rochester Contemporary Art Center

_________________________________________________________

Call For Submissions

6x6x2010: You Asked For It
Last year more than 6,000 Visitors attended an exciting art exhibition of more than 3,000 artworks by nearly 1,200 artists from 17 countries, 36 states! More than 1,400 artworks sold. It was a huge success! We asked every visitor to 6x6x2009 if we should have another 6x6 exhibition. Resoundingly, you answered YES!

6x6x2010 Submissions Due: May 2, 2010 at 5pm.

Artworks may be mailed or delivered directly to RoCo, 137 East Ave, Rochester, NY 14604. Wed. - Sun. 1-5 pm, January 24 - May 2. Each submission must be accompanied by the submission form, available on the RoCo website. Artworks must be signed only on the back (to be exhibited and sold anonymously) and accompanied by the submission form. Please read: Frequently Asked Questions on the website

About 6x6x2010

6x6x2010 is the third exhibition of thousands of original artworks, made and donated by celebrities, international and local artists, designers, college students, youths and YOU. Each artwork will be 6x6 inches square and signed only on the back, to be exhibited anonymously. All artworks will be for sale to the public for $20 each, to benefit Rochester Contemporary Art Center. Artists' names will be revealed to the buyer only upon purchase and all artworks will remain on display for the duration of the exhibition. Don't miss Rochester's largest exhibition and don't miss the chance to show your artwork in great company and support of Rochester's downtown contemporary art venue. All submissions are due by May 2 at 5 pm and should be delivered or mailed directly to Rochester Contemporary Art Center. A full list of artists and an online gallery of all contributed artworks will be made available for viewing and purchasing online.

For more information, visit: http://www.rochestercontemporary.org/6x6x2010.html

star anise

2010-02-20T11:52:00.000-08:00

Jesse and I dressed in comfortable, layered clothing and I donned my raincoat for good measure before we set out for the Jupiter Hotel, where we’d be meeting our distillery tour cohorts. The tour was arranged by the Willamette Week publication and would include 5 east side distilleries. The best part was that we would be ferried from location to location by an official Portland pedicab! For those of you not familiar with this type of vehicle, pedicabs are small 2-seater carriages pulled by a driver on a bicycle. Apparently this movement was launched in New York, which surprises me, just because it’s such a Portlandesque idea.

We arrived at the Jupiter right at 5:00pm, but then spent 15 or 20 minutes waiting for the band of pedicabs to arrive, after one suffered a slipped chain. Finally they arrived, rolling up in between the Jupiter and the Doug Fir, hip and focused, hardly seeming winded. We hopped in a covered carriage, manned by a skinny young man who wasn’t very interested in talking to us. The 12 or so other participants took their seats and the whole caravan rolled down the driveway and on to Burnside. We attracted much attention, eliciting honks and yells from vehicles and other bicycles passing by. Jesse took the liberty of screaming “SHOW OFF” at a bicycle that overtook us and our driver actually chuckled.

We arrived first at House Spirits, the interior of which was lined floor to ceiling with vintage looking bottles full of coppery whiskey or crystal clear liquors. Small displays hidden in shadowy corners offered bowls and tubs of raw ingredients to smell and feel. We spent some time sampling the distillery’s offerings, which included vodka, whiskey, aquavit, gin, ouzo, and more. We drank straight samples of each from tiny plastic cups before moving into the actual distillery room, where a few small snacks from The Farm were available. The owner gave an interesting lecture about the distilling processes and how various spirits are created. We were able to squeeze in a few more samples before the pedicabs arrived to carry us to our next destination.

Several blocks away was New Deal Distillery, which would wind up being my favorite by far. We entered a low-ceilinged yet airy warehouse with a small bar near the front, a few seats, and huge trays of mac & cheese from Le Bistro Montage in a far corner. Jesse and I tried not to sprint toward the food, loading up paper plates full of tasty “Old” and “Spold” (spicy-old) cheesy noodles. Once we’d stopped shivering with hunger, we were ready to beverage test.

I could tell right off the bat that New Deal’s offerings were going to be more my speed than the grown up selections at the previous location. We started by trying both of their two vodkas – one a “sipping” beverage and the other with a more serious bite. We had actually purchased the latter, the Portland 88 Vodka, in the past, but the toned-down “New Deal Vodka” was more delicious – all by itself.

We moved on to two infused vodkas, the amazing bittersweet chocolate “Mud Puddle” and the secret 5-chile blend “Hot Monkey.” We tried the seriously spicy variety both by itself and also paired with a soothingly balanced pineapple juice. Sweet and spicy were meant to be married.

Last, we tried a variety of “cellos” – including ginger (which stole Jesse’s heart), lemongrass, lavender, tangerine, and chamomile. These beverages offered the same sweet smoothness as a fruity cognac and I was immediately impressed, particularly by the tart tangerine. We then spent a while chatting with the somewhat shy and completely unpretentious owner, who was friendly, open, and appropriately proud of his products.

By this time night had fallen and we rode off in the evening darkness. Another few blocks away lie Integrity Spirits, a name some would later deem a mismatch, for no clear reason aside from their vibe. Their space was narrow and dim, the entrance lined by huge barrels stacked up to the ceiling. Fluorescent lights swung overhead, the eerie glow bouncing off barbed wire which lined the rolling gates protecting those precious barrels. We walked toward the inner depths of the long hallway, images of crumbly Saint Cupcake treats swirling in our minds, as we’d been told we could expect them.

A few oddball characters staffed a tiny bar and lingered in a back room. Jesse and I spotted the box of cupcakes as soon as we entered and headed straight for them. Tiny little cupcakes. One and a half bites each. A half-empty box containing about 10 little cupcakes, for more than 10 hungry people. Disappointment. My cupcake didn’t even have cream cheese frosting. Or red velvet innards, for that matter.

We watched the oddballs talk to each other, talk to us. We sampled….3 products, I think – a vodka, a gin, and Trillium absinthe (which I already knew I didn’t like). Oh, I forgot the second vodka – a hazelnut infused version – which didn’t really taste like hazelnuts whatsoever. At least the packaging is vintage cute... We then waited. And waited and waited. Pacing up and down the strangely lit hall. I noticed a fragile looking chess set precariously propped on a ledge and I imagined smashing a piece on the ground. So unlike me; I was losing my mind. So was the oldest man present, the one with the long hair. Into an enormous plastic neon cone he yelled, “WHERE ARE THE CUPCAKES?” It echoed. Cupcakes, cupcakes, cupcakes.

After a bunch more waiting, our pedicrew arrived. Our driver was a little more relaxed and we had an actual conversation with him. A short ride and we arrived at our fourth destination – Highball Distillery. A taller warehouse this time. Various wares for sale: jewelry, paintings of flowers. We had been warned about the samples of Missionary Chocolates which were purported to be “flakes” that melted on your fingers before reaching your mouth. They seemed more substantial than that.

A slippery sales representative was playing bartender, and we first tasted two different vodkas straight up. I didn’t want to drink any more vodka, but I didn’t want to be a poor sport either. We were then led in a circle around the room and by the time we got back to the bar (never having stepped more than 15 feet away from it), the sales rep was ready to dish out three cocktails crafted from the straight products we had first tasted.

Some people were already intoxicated somehow. They must have started drinking before they got to the Jupiter. We had two cold drinks involving simple syrups infused with autumnal spices, then a lavender hot chocolate. None of them were bad, per se, but I wouldn’t have been too pleased if I had ordered one in a restaurant and paid cash money for it.

Fortunately, by the time we wrapped up and got outside (I managed to snag an extra chocolate sample to give our pediguy as a peace offering), our peddlers were already waiting. We jetted over to the final location – Artisan Spirits, where we were greeted by a stout man wearing a nice cap and jacket. His pleasant Russian bride had prepared dishes of pickled herring, halva, and rye bread, which supposedly pair famously with a good, needly vodka.

We sipped from fancy little plastic martini glasses and stood around in a big circle chatting with our host. Artisan offers a couple inventive products, including a vodka distilled from honey and another from Oregon wines. This particular batch was created from a Chardonnay base, and I wondered aloud (in a round about way) whether I'd enjoy a Syrah-distilled vodka a hundred times more.

At one point I noticed that one of the pedimen had slipped into the group and was standing on the other side of Jesse. Still donned in his riding gloves, he held a sipping glass delicately at his chest, very interested in the conversation underway. I snuck a photograph and the young man made a point to clarify with me that he was now off-duty. Duly noted.

It was then time to return to the beginning, and to bid farewell to our new friends. It was after 10:00pm as we sped through the emptying streets back toward the Jupiter Hotel. We disembarked and headed out on our own, the hope for a real dinner the only thought in our minds.

begonia

2010-02-19T20:49:00.000-08:00

I dove into the weekend full force, knowing that a rejuvenatory Monday holiday was in store at the end. Clara and I headed out early on Saturday morning, the promise of a hearty Screen Door breakfast propelling us across the river. We managed to snag a seat inside while we waited and I stared at cute babies while Clara gazed appreciatively at the lazy-cool hipness of most of our fellow diners.

As our wait neared an hour, we were finally called to take a seat in the dining room. We had been considering our menu options while we waited and were soon ready to order. I opted for the heart-healthy biscuits and gravy with a side of cheesy grits. Clara chose an elaborate stack of ingredients than included an English muffin, artichoke hearts, and an egg. A sense of calm pervaded as we dined, despite the busy din of customers and the knowledge that a lot remained to be accomplished that day.

Next, I got to introduce Clara to the affordable joys of SCRAP. Even more fun than digging through buckets of fabric scraps or flipping through boxes of greeting cards is arriving at the cash register and seeing your always-surprisingly-low total pop up on the screen! Where else in the world does this happen? I selected a roll of yellow floral fabric, a small stack of birthday and get well cards, a pretty roll of pale mustard colored thread, and a gorgeous eyeglass case. My grand total? A whopping $1.55. Success!

After a brief detour through downtown (which included me almost driving into oncoming traffic on a one-way street) (oh, and multiple wrong turns in a dark and claustrophobic parking garage), we returned to the burbs. Clara needed to pick up some fabric and notions for a new sewing project and I wanted to stock up on some fun just-because yardage, so we decided on Mill End. I was gladly prepared this time for the onslaught of lovely patterns and bright colors adorning the hundreds of bolts arranged around the store.

I selected four patterned fabrics and some solid back ups, while Clara snagged home décor fabric along with some interestingly shaped and textured buttons in bold, modern shades. Before long, it was time to depart and for me to start preparing for the evening distillery tour that Jesse and I were to embark on!

undisclosed desires

2010-02-12T21:01:00.000-08:00

guild

2010-02-08T16:55:00.000-08:00

I knew the weekend would be a busy one, with two different Audubon responsibilities and the not-awaited Super Bowl. I think being a non-early riser prohibits me from reaching my maximum potential. I really need some tips on how to get up earlier without too much agony. I know the sunshine streaming into our living room and a cup of coffee with an “official” breakfast would do wonders on the weekends….how do I achieve it?

It was cloudy but pleasant out as I drove toward Sauvie Island on Saturday for Audubon’s Raptor Road Trip. I checked in at Kruger’s Farm Market and then continued on to my post – a tall ridge dotted with telescopes, overlooking a lake and rolling farmland. I spent some time up on the ridge, fielding questions that I was completely unprepared to answer. In the midst of all that, I somehow learned how to identify the call of Sandhill Cranes flying overhead. I also was able to spot pure white Tundra Swans floating in the distance, a Great Blue Heron waiting in shallow water, and a mature Bald Eagle sitting in a tree far in the distance.

After a while of feeling like the most uneducated birder on the island, I decided to head down to the parking lot to play greeter to those arriving. After saying “hello” and “welcome” a bajillion times, I was ready to depart. I decided to take the long way off the island, as I’d never had a chance to explore it before. I hadn’t made it far from my starting point when I noticed several cars pulled off the road on either side. A few people milled about, aiming binoculars and cameras toward a tree right next to the roadway.

I couldn’t believe my eyes – a giant eagle sat calmly perched in the branches, soberly eyeing the crowd of humans below. I managed to get some photos and upon later examination, I am nearly certain this is an immature bald eagle. It was an incredible find considering the whole reason I was there was to hopefully check out some new species!

I needed to get a Valentine’s Day package together for Chloe, so I maneuvered through downtown rather than heading straight home. It was a very nice, overcast day, so I dropped coin after coin into a parking meter and set out on foot. After browsing through Finnegan’s Toy Store for quite a while, I grabbed a cup of soup (Mama Leone’s – my local favorite!) from the Flying Elephants branch of Elephant’s Deli and sat outside to eat. (Side note: Oh, bliss – look what I just found.)

I continued walking around for a while longer, feeling happy and relaxed, and then returned home to clean up a bit and start a sewing project. I’m so pleased to have finally dusted off my gifted sewing machine. This new hobby has been such a great fit for me – providing precise, detail-oriented projects that are both therapeutic and fun. And you can see progress both in the speed of completion of your projects and your skill level overall.

The next day, I had my usual 4-hour Sunday shift in the Care Center. It was a fairly uneventful day - spent getting ready for next weekend's Valentine's Day Open House. I did manage to snap some photos of a variety of our creatures while I was there.

Screech Owls

Aristophanes

Sweet Hazel

Jesse picked me up afterwards and we drove back to our apartment, where several friends had convened to watch the Super Bowl. Thankfully, Clara came over shortly thereafter and we made drinking beer and chatting our priority. The night passed quickly and before long, we were faced once again with an empty house.

It was a fast, productive weekend full of fun, new adventures, and restorative weather. This year continues to impress!

raptor road trip

2010-02-05T12:56:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I will be volunteering at the Portland Audubon Society’s Raptor Road Trip. I wanted to share the details of this event in case anyone is interested in checking it out.

The Raptor Road Trip is held annually on Sauvie Island in Portland and will occur both Saturday and Sunday, the 5th and 6th of February. The cost is $10 per vehicle and visitors will have the opportunity to spot a variety of birds, potentially including Great Blue Herons, Red-tail Hawks, Kestrels, and even Bald Eagles. There will be donuts and coffee available, along with binoculars to borrow if you don’t have your own.

Peregrine Falcon & Bald Eagle

Photo by Jim Cruce

According to Weather.com, there is only a 20% chance of rain on Saturday, and a 30% chance on Sunday – so some pretty good odds for great bird watching!

Click here to be led to the Audubon’s website for more information about this event.

stitch

2010-02-04T09:03:00.000-08:00

Forest Grove News Times - February 3, 2010

symphony

2010-02-02T16:07:00.000-08:00

It feels like spring is just around the corner – the subtle fresh smell in the air and the increasingly frequent appearance of the sun and tiny green buds on tree branches. This is likely just an illusion, one to be replaced with a damp, gray reality, but it’s fun while it lasts!

I just started reading Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink. I spotted this book on the Powell’s Calendar of Events, but the reading/author visit didn’t fit into my schedule well. Instead, I requested a copy from the library and I picked it up this weekend. It’s been great reading material for my daily commute on the MAX – and it’s a topic of particular interest to me because I find that my own motivation waxes and wanes due to...the phases of the moon...or something.

Overall, I’ve felt a lot more motivated this first month of 2010 and I attribute it to our new home environment and a sense of being more settled since getting married. Life is good and today’s sunshine is streaming through a magnifying glass and setting that belief on fire.

I spent the early part of the week working and continuing my first sewing project, which is now almost complete. Working from a pattern and instructions in Lotta Jansdotter’s Simple Sewing has proven very helpful to me. I’m good at following directions, which zaps good techniques straight into your brain. On the other hand, you can take note of elements that aren’t quite pleasing to you, and change them the next time around. I plan on making another tote bag to give as a gift this month, and there are a couple of changes I plan on implementing.

On Saturday, Lindsey and I ventured out to Forest Grove (much more of a “venture” for me than for her) for a knitting and crochet class. I already knew the basics of knitting, but I wanted my skills to be verified as accurate. When we arrived, we learned that a reporter and photographer from the Forest Grove newspaper would be present. (Hopefully a link to that article is forthcoming.) Lindsey decided to learn crocheting, while I breezed through casting on and the knit stitch. We were interviewed by the reporter while we stitched away. I was eventually taught the proper way to “purl” and lo and behold, it is a heck of a lot easier than I was making it out to be. I ended up with some new bamboo needles and a pretty skein of burnt orange yarn with which to make a lace-like scarf.

I stopped at home briefly, then drove in the opposite direction to SCRAP on the east side. I wanted to pick up some, well, scraps – of fabric – for two birthday projects I’m working on. I managed to find several, along with two balls of yarn, a few greeting cards, a knitting book, and a football trophy (long story), all for $9.

Next I stopped by the Mill End fabric store in Beaverton, which I’d been told was amazing. Turns out “amazing” is an understatement. I couldn’t believe the fabric selection – and the prices seemed very reasonable to my untrained eye. I selected some batting, canvas, and lighter cottons for my projects and spent a lot of time browsing the unimaginable array of fabrics. Several retro patterns caught my eye, including vintage Mexican prints that will someday live in our eclectically decorated home. Not to mention the gorgeous nature-inspired fabrics. Oooh, the possibilities. I have most certainly found a new passion.

Audubon on Sunday – not much needs to be said on that, as my shift was somewhat depressing. After that, however, Jesse and I headed downtown with Clara and the long-lost Danny. We hit up the Backstage Bar, which is hidden behind the Baghdad Theater on Hawthorne. This narrow, dimly lit space houses a restaurant, bar, free (yes – free) pool, and the all-important jukebox. We hung out for a few hours, playing generally not-very-good pool and choosing awesome songs to hear. It was a nice, low key way to end the weekend.

Then of course, back to work. It’s another very busy week into which I’ll try to squeeze an ounce of creativity. And several ounces of motivation for good measure.

As I walked home from the MAX station this evening, I had a moment of realization - or I remembered, rather - that I am very, very lucky and many pieces have miraculously fit together to make my life the way it is. In nearly that very same instant, I spotted a Great Blue Heron standing in the creek behind our home, so well camouflaged among trees and brush. I'm drawn to this type of bird in particular, and to see one at nightfall, sitting still and silent and hidden, made my heart jump. It was a moment of reassurance, of synchronicity - as Jesse would say. I'm on the right path and these meaningful, happy moments are my reward.

zoonosis

2010-01-25T16:48:00.001-08:00

On Sunday I had my second Audubon shift at the Wildlife Care Center. The weather was positively miserably; raining steadily, fog creeping up off the ground, a deep chill in the air. Things were slow from the get-go, with view visitors walking the Audubon grounds and very few new intakes for the day.

Luckily, another WCC employee had worn their rain boots that day, so Angela and I were assigned to the hospital. I walked in to see what kind of birds were in the various cages along the wall, and I couldn’t believe it when I saw a giant beaver tail sticking out from behind a towel in one. I could hear him crunching non-stop on a vegetable. I was told that the poor guy was found lying in a puddle in the middle of a road. He was eventually plopped into a large metal sink in the hospital’s back room. They put some water and more food in it so he’d be comfortable and have some room to move around. I wanted to hang out with him for my entire shift, and got to feel his tail and pet him. He was very relaxed and really only focused on eating everything he could get his little claws on. I loved him and wanted to take him home with me.

A little while later, a very large juvenile Red-tailed Hawk was brought in. The bird had flown straight through a plateglass window into someone's garage. Not realizing this, the homeowners let their dog into the garage as they left for a few hours. Fortunately, it didn't seem as though the dog bothered the hawk (probably because the hawk was large, fierce, and very agitated). He was suffering from injuries inflicted by the window glass, including cuts on his talons and a sizeable gash across his throat. Experienced hospital volunteers were able to grasp the hawk safely and apply topical and intravenous medication. They sheathed his tail in a cardboard sleeve so he wouldn't injure those feathers while in captivity and set him up in a big cage to rest and heal up.

I spent some time cleaning the mice tanks. Mice are raised in the hospital and allowed to breed to provide food for the birds. Several of the tanks had tiny little "pinky" babies that are no bigger than a thumb nail. I've been told not to get too attached to these creatures (i.e., naming them). I don't think there's too much danger of that happening.

A couple of the caged birds needed oral medicine administered to them, so I volunteered to get a robin from its temporary home. I was reassured that no work gloves were needed for this task, as a robin can only do minimal damage to human flesh with its beak and feet. What a relief.

I slowly opened the cage door and stuck my hands in. The bird jumped around, squawking like crazy, and I panicked -- yanking my hands back JUST enough for the bird to push past me and jump out of its cage. Good job, Sara. Angela and I chased the robin around the room, as gently as we could, finally getting close enough that I could pick it up. Scary.

Next up was a "ruddy duck." I set my mind to retrieving this plump, unamused little guy without incident. Though he tried to grab me with his flat, rubbery bill, I didn't let him. Ducks sure do feel weird and squishy when you pick them up.

The rest of the day was very slow and uneventful, as the weather continued to be wet and depressing. I watched as Hazel, Ruby, and Jack were weighed and then I headed home to prepare for the week.

thread

2010-01-25T16:47:00.000-08:00

My long-awaited sewing class arrived Saturday! Clara and I packed up our machines and set out for the industrial district just east of the Willamette. We met Clara’s friend, Jena, outside and ventured into the fabric swathed warehouse together.

The class was co-instructed by three individuals. We each set up our sewing machines and made sure it was threaded and the bobbin was properly wound with thread. My bobbin ran out, and we discovered that my machine has an ingenious system to fill it up again – without having to remove it from its spot in the machine! I learned that my machine is from 1963, while Jena’s was from the 70’s, and Clara’s from the 80’s. I wasn’t sure that mine would even function properly since it is so old, but it was very well taken care of by its previous owner. On top of that, one instructor explained that vintage machines are often preferable because of their durable all-metal design. The downside to this is that the machine is heavier, but so what?!

We were then given scraps of fabric and we began a series of exercises which would normalize our use of the machine and ease us into healthy habits. The first was to do a simple straight stitch, with backstitching at the start and end to really secure the line of sewing into the fabric. We moved on to corners, free form curves, and circles. We learned how to make a pillow, and then tried the seemingly random task of making a sleeve. Holy moly is it hard to get that one done correctly.

We stayed for about two and a half hours and I feel like that small amount of instruction was an instrumental breakthrough for me. I think I only needed to be shown the basics and now I can rely on books from the library and instructions on the internet to proceed.

And as if one good development wasn’t enough, I later remembered that the woman who had gifted me the sewing machine had also given me a bag full of Singer boxes. I scavenged around our house and found it. To my delighted surprise, inside was practically every attachment ever made for this kind of machine! There were a ton of special discs that can be swapped out to create a variety of decorative stitches, extra machine feet, needles, and bobbins, and a buttonhole attachment. Oh, and retro electric scissors.

I took a trip to Joanne Fabrics that evening to stock up on basic necessities like thread and straight pins. I had a specific project in mind that I wanted to select fabric for (a lined bag with pockets), but their selection of fabrics was overwhelming. I finally asked an elderly woman for help, but she was frigidly cold and mean to me! She tried to snatch my shopping list from my hand and I almost started to cry. Based on the miniscule amount of helpful information she provided, I was able to choose a thick cotton home decorating fabric for the shell of the bag, and thinner, solid cotton for the lining. Fortunately, the lady who cut the fabric for me was much, much nicer and single handedly saved my opinion of the establishment.

By Tuesday evening I had the exterior of my market tote bag finished, with only the handles and interior lining left to go. I can hardly decide what to make next!

ex libris

2010-01-22T14:19:00.000-08:00

Though I’d given some thought to the topic of bookplates before, I was unaware that there’s an entire underground obsession with this vein of printing. Jesse and I caught the opening reception for a small, yet very impressive bookplate show at the Washington County Museum last night. After we grabbed drinks Jesse was handed a big magnifying glass with which to view the stunningly intricate detail of the small-scale prints.

Bookplates have been around for centuries and they are printed in a variety of different methods, including relief, intaglio, lithography, and even screenprinting. They are affixed inside books to denote from whose library (personal or otherwise) the book came. People throughout history have commissioned artists to design elaborate bookplates for them, and this is still done often today for collectors who want to trade.

The exhibit that we visited had designs (more than 230, according to the WCM website) of virtually every technique and subject matter. What most impressed me was how much the artists could squeeze into such a tiny, little image. Many of them were rich with story, emotion, and unbelievable depth and shading.

Sadly, images of the best historical bookplates are copyrighted like mad. If you’re interested in browsing through this petite gems, check out the following websites:

Confessions of Bookplate Junkie
American Society of Bookplate Collectors & Designers

University of Notre Dame Bookplate Registry

I decided to check Etsy to see what caliber of bookplates are offered for sale there. Overall, I was pretty disappointed, after looking at hundreds of professional plates designed by prolific artists last night. Here are some nice ones that caught my eye. Each photo is a link that will lead you to the seller’s Etsy page, in case you’d like to get some for yourself!

amandamonkey

The Little Fox

Kelly Christina Artworks

Oiseaux

Add this to the list of projects I want to try. Etching is sort of the bane of my existence, but block printing is a legitimate option. I could also see Jesse cranking out some sweet computer-generated designs. And when the day comes that I break out my screenprinting kit…it’s going to be a bookplate trading bonanza.

contemplate

2010-01-21T09:01:00.000-08:00

this song's been playing in my mind for days.

android

2010-01-18T20:32:00.000-08:00

I am not even going to say what time I got out of bed yesterday. It was a work holiday for me, and I'd been so busy over the traditional weekend that I never stopped to plan out a productive Monday off.

Saturday night, Jesse and I ventured downtown. I'd been hanging out at home during the day and was craving a jaunt to Portland to participate in the nightlife. Well, to be there at night. We caught the end of happy hour at Oba! and snacked on green chile mac & cheese and spicy corn fritters. By the time we were finished, it was nearing the start time for a movie I'd been eyeing at the cozy, hip Living Room Theater. We grabbed some popcorn and a big bowl of olives and watched the Coen Brothers' "A Serious Man." I had only read a brief synopsis about the film on the theater website and we'd seen a somewhat cryptic preview months ago. Jesse and I both loved it. Just go check it out.

On Sunday I had some friends over to eat, drink, chat, and check out what Scentsy products are all about. After my apartment cleared out, I was feeling tremendously lonely all of the sudden, so Clara and I grabbed some pizza and watched the white knuckle season premiere of "24" - which was new for me.

Monday arrived too soon, and before I knew it, Jesse was out the door for the first of his two shifts. I got coffee brewing (on my own - this is rare) and set my mind to not turning on the television. I cooked up some steel cut oats for the first time ever and doctored them up with a bunch of tasty ingredients from the pantry. Maybe way too many tasty ingredients? I jumped in the shower and then dressed in the most comfortable (slovenly?) clothes I could find.

I got to work at my art table, in front of our big window overlooking the pretty, pale trees and a loudly churning creek, for the first time! Nose to the proverbial grindstone, I finally finished up the first of my Pay It Forward books. I won't be posting photographs of any of these books until they are all complete and distributed, but I took a few pictures of my messy workspace. It's a lot more satisfying to have a space covered in scraps of paper and shiny smears of PVA. I have the materials for my next book, and the slightest vague concepts for the other 4. Not to mention various other book and non-book ideas that I only HOPE will be realized.

Jesse brought home a delicious lunch and sweetly said I looked pretty in my slovenly, glue-stained clothes and no-makeup. Not that I believed him, pretty sure he was joking. He turned on the tv, I thought it acceptable to relax and watch Seinfeld for a while. After he left, I dug through Chloe's to-be-bedroom for my sewing machine. I'll be using it at my first sewing class on Saturday, and I wanted to make sure it actually worked. I have an old Singer 603E that I got for free from a very generous lady on Craigslist. I knew it was serviced just before going into storage from several years. Fortunately, it seems to function, but only time will tell.

A non-sequitur note: I need to devote a lot of thought and energy into getting restful sleep. It's been a difficulty for me for years, and I know it will be a blend of several techniques and natural elixirs that help me get there. Tips are welcome. My attempt tonight will be: (a) yoga, (b) hot shower, (c) hot sleepy tea, (d) clean sheets, (e) happy thoughts.

hero

2010-01-12T12:24:00.000-08:00

And then there was Sunday. I slept in late (top 3 bad habits) and quickly ate my morning Voodoo. Jesse drove me up the road to Audubon for my first day in the Wildlife Care Center (WCC), which would consist of one hour of orientation and four hours of training. I didn’t even feel nervous.

While I was waiting, a man brought in a Cooper’s hawk that had died in transport after crashing, in flight, into a horse. Volunteers determined that the bird was very malnourished, which probably contributed to its death. I met with Deanna, the Volunteer Coordinator, in her office to review the orientation packet (while a sweet dog named Emma barked incessantly). Some of the things I learned are top secret.

We then walked over to the Care Center so Deanna could give me a tour and I could participate in “rounds,” when daily updates are given about animals already in some phase of care and those who will be arriving during the shift. I learned that the duties of WCC volunteers are broken into four main areas, which each individual rotates through on a weekly basis. The four stations are:

Kitchen/Laundry – Preparing meals for the birds (more on that later), doing dishes, and washing many, many, many towels.

Educational Birds – Cleaning the “ed” bird enclosures and feeding them their evening meal. The current ed birds include:

Syd, a Red-tailed Hawk
Ruby, a Turkey Vulture
Julio, a Great Horned Owl
Jack, an American Kestrel
Hazel, a Northern Spotted Owl
Finnegan, a Peregrine Falcon
Aristophanes, a Common Raven

The Mews – These are outdoor enclosures for birds recovering from abandonment or injury. These duties include cleaning the enclosures, preparing and distributing meals, and moving birds around if necessary.

Hospital – This is where the most seriously injured birds are housed indoors. Duties include taking blood, measuring and feeding medicine, setting injured wings, preparing and distributing meals.

Aristophanes

After the tour, I was tossed immediately into work! First, I accompanied a new co-worker, Angela, out to the mews. I watched her enter each enclosure (very carefully, to avoid any escapes) and retrieve any uneaten food from the previous meal and dump out and retrieve water dishes. I then tried this on my own, entering the enclosure housing an annoyed Red-tail Hawk that glared at me, psychically threatening to jump and grab me with its talons, as I went about my job.

Later, I assisted with recording measurements and photographs taken of another Red-tail that is having beak problems. I also learned how to measure out liquid medications and feed them to birds, avoiding the glottis cavity at the back of their throat which leads to air sacs rather than a stomach. I held a Mourning Dove as it was fed candy-pink Amoxicillin and then fed the same medicine to a Robin.

A laminated “menu” resides on a double-door fridge in the kitchen. It sets out daily meals for every category of bird, both in content and amount. I’m not going to go into what their meals consist of. I prepared meals for the birds in the mews and Angela and I went out to divvy them up. Our supervisor then notified us that the two Screech Owls in one of the mews needed to be moved to a different enclosure so that a Barn Owl, which had arrived that day, could be placed there instead.

The supervisor and I each captured one of the Screech Owls and hiked over to their new enclosure. My owl was very small and adorable, and I could feel his tiny heart beating in his chest. I carefully released him into his new home and he flew up to a tall perch and sat staring at me. Angela and I got the travel carrier containing the Barn Owl, and she slowly opened its lid. The Barn Owl came flying out wildly, brushing over our heads in a flurry and finally landing on a perch.

I cleaned out the screened-in duck enclosure with a hose while three of them walked around my feet. We did some final clean up in the Center and it was time to go home. I realized that this is a pretty serious job and a very real commitment. This is going to be fun!

bonsai

2010-01-11T14:13:00.000-08:00

Thursday night was long-awaited, as I’d read about the “Museum by Moonlight” event taking place at the World Forestry Center. Clara joined me, and we tasted beer and chocolate, and explored more tree product-related exhibits than you can imagine. The experience was a little anticlimactic for us, but we enjoyed posing for a photograph (which we forgot to retrieve that night) in a raft, wearing life jackets. We also tested our skill as smoke jumpers, trying to navigate a tricky harness contraption hanging over a video being projected on the ground.

only with my luck - a SEA CAVE at a forestry museum

The evening improved when we decided to bail on the museum event and head downtown for dinner. We decided on Rock Bottom Brewery and after tasting tempura battered Anaheim chile peppers, my life is never going to be the same.

It’s rather miraculous how the timely clouds clear, or at least become more translucent, over the weekends, and the brightness of the sky is nearly blinding to my pale, unacclimated eyes. That was the case on Saturday, when Clara and I ventured downtown to explore the Lan Su Chinese Gardens on “free admission” day.

We first parked near a lot full of food carts, only some of which were open. Fortunately, Brunchbox, a burger cart I’d heard glorious things about, was one of them. I opted for the Black & Blue – a burger patty grilled with blackened seasoning, then topped with a healthy serving of melty blue cheese. Add lettuce, grilled onion, and barbecue sauce for good measure.

Clara decided on Thai food, and we found a park bench on which to dine. That’s an ambiguous sentence, isn’t it? The cold wind was funneling down through the tall city buildings and my fingers froze as I gobbled up my tasty burger.

We headed to the Gardens, apparently along with every other person in Portland, and strolled around through beautifully shaped doorways and over delicate stone mosaic pathways, inspired by things like “Plum Blossoms and Cracked Ice,” which varied from outdoor room to room. Winter’s harshness was reflected in the nearly geometric pattern of bare branches, the choppy wind passing over the mirrored surface of a central pond, and the tightly sealed, hibernating buds of myriad bushes and trees.

When we were done there, our lunch had settled enough that we were ready to take our place in line at Voodoo Doughnuts. After a 10-minute wait, we each selected 3 doughnuts to take home. (It was pretty difficult to pass up the $8 bucket-o-doughnuts.) In my quest to be a good wife, I picked up a Bacon Maple Bar for Jesse. I got a cinnamon raised doughnut with maple and bright pink sprinkles for immediate consumption, and a lemon/marshmallow crueller for the next day’s breakfast. Mmm. Unparalleled tastiness.

We then headed just over the river for a brief stop at Redux – where, of course, I couldn’t find a single piece of jewelry to commit to. For some reason I never purchase anything there, despite a very large and varied collection of lovely accessories and art.

For our last stop, we navigated (well, Clara navigated, I pointed her in the wrong direction) to the 23 Sandy Gallery to check out a book arts exhibit called “The Assignment.” We were pleasantly surprised to be told upon entering that we could handle each and every one of the books on display. This, in my experience at least, is a major rarity. I was excited to see a book about Rochester (specifically the race riots of 1964) in the show, as well as a flag structure book about Elvis. I’ve seen very expensive classes offered on this particular structure, but I studied it well enough at 23 Sandy that I can start experimenting on my own.

That evening, I headed back downtown with Jesse, where we got dinner at The Virginia and saw The Road at the Fox Theater. Those activities completed a lovely day for me, spent almost wholly in the midst of a city that always offers something new and novel

I also managed to watch The Life of David Gale (again) and Gran Torino over the course of the weekend. So far, I really am doing better about not being lazy (in the sense of doing things mindlessly), with the exception of sleeping in too long on the weekends. I’m really enjoying getting out more often and being a “consumer” (borrowed from Jesse) of food, sights, media, experiences.

The length of this darn entry (and the possible necessity for a second entry to cover Sunday) helps me realize that I need to blog more often – particularly over the weekends. I’m still waiting for my little, easily transportable computer to go on sale so I can finally initiate the habit of blogging while doing 30 other things!

st. christopher

2010-01-06T14:23:00.000-08:00

This has been quite a week, including slight progress toward my overall goal of making creativity a priority and experiencing Portland to its fullest. The one hitch to note is that my pretty $1.99 plant from IKEA died because I forgot about it.

poor baby

One thing that I think I need to keep in mind is that I can’t try to be good at everything. I’m tempted to give pretty much everything (except scuba diving) a try, but even that hyper-experimentation isn’t necessary. With that said, I’m officially not adding gardening to my list of skills to improve upon.

One challenge recently arrived in my inbox out of the blue, and after very brief consideration, I decided to accept it. The job? A weekly 4-hour shift at the Portland Audubon’s Wildlife Care Center. I have been volunteering with Audubon since September, and working in the Care Center was high on my list of long-term goals. In the meantime I had been working at individual events like art festivals and open houses, generally just once per month.

So now I’ll be at Audubon every Sunday from 1pm to 5pm! I’m not yet sure what my exact duties will be, but the Center accepts injured and orphaned birds and other wildlife and nurses them in the hopes of rehabilitation and eventual release. I hope to gain immense knowledge about the birds in this area and ideally, having a scheduled event in the middle of my Sundays will help me to use the time before and after even more wisely.

I also just registered for my first sewing class! I’ll be attending the Sewing Machine Basics course at PDX Seamsters on January 23rd. Joining me will be my friend, Clara, and her friend, Jena. (Both enviably great bloggers, I should mention.) All three of us have sewing machines that we don’t know quite how to use, but we’re very excited to learn. One order of business to be completed before the class should be getting the latch on my sewing machine case repaired… Any tips on how to accomplish that?

Lastly, I found a great deal on a book called 1000 Fonts: An Illustrated Guide to Finding the Right Typeface. I intend on using this reference as a jumping off point for my hand-lettered broadside posters. Jesse is conceptualizing one using Modest Mouse lyrics, while I’m thinking about a David Gray song. (Note: I just realized a lovely coincidence that confirms my choice of lyrics is meant to be transcribed in a gorgeous way.)

To top things off, my sweet husband is taking me out to dinner tonight. Due to divergent work schedules, we don’t have as much time together as we’d like. Now I’ll be cutting into that further with the Audubon gig. He, however, is fully supportive of my endeavors and I’ve realized that’s a valuable, valuable thing.

Hope the New Year is going well for all of you, too. If your resolutions are losing their shine and becoming hard to stick with, check out this article at Real Simple.

elysium

2010-01-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

Big things are in the works. A custom blog graphics redesign (really this time), a new computer for blogging on the go, and a refreshed dedication to getting my thoughts onto the screen. New projects, challenges, and a more focused approach to crafting and living in the wonderful world of Portland.

What prompts this rejuvenation and what makes it success possible? The start of a new year almost always infuses some motivation into the dreary winter psyche, but too often it is short lived. I’m hoping that the other component of this impulse – my noticeably improved and utterly comfortable new living environment – will more than prevent against the inevitable creativity depression that will try to take hold in a few weeks or months.

The narrowed focus of my blog will align closely with what I’ve been exploring over the past year: seeking creativity and contentedness in Portland. My plan now is to conceptualize and executive specific art projects – often experimenting with techniques and/or media that are new to me. I’ll blog about my successes and failures, and include instructions on how to begin the project yourself at home. Here are some ideas I intend on trying:

Knit & felted bowls

Glass etching

Hand-lettered broadside posters

Assignment-specific book arts exhibit submissions

Stenciling

Reversible painted headboard

Handmade rub-ons

Sewing

Gold leaf

Paper making

I will also spend more time exploring the many exciting places Portland has to offer. I’ll be more consistent in terms of toting my camera with me and checking out new places. This week offers up two new experiences: an adults-only night of coffee, food and bouncing fun at the World Forestry Museum and a weekend stroll through the newly-renamed La n Su Chinese Garden.

So here’s to a New Year full of courage and innovation, pleasure and challenge.

Share what changes you plan to implement during the next month in honor of this rousing holiday!

poll

2009-12-29T11:07:00.000-08:00

How necessary are photographs for your blog viewing pleasure?(polling)

spruce

2009-12-23T08:50:00.001-08:00

I wish I could always be the woman I was yesterday.

After I got settled in at work, I headed for a 4-hour seminar the Forensics department was holding for high school and college students interested in job shadow and internship opportunities. I am going to serve as a kind of "administrator" for the program - receiving applications for the seminar submitted online and orchestrating enrollment. I sat in on this, the first of many periodic presentations, in order to provide some critical feedback on how to improve the seminar in the future. Not to mention that I love learning more about forensics and I dream of someday joining that department.

At the end of the 4-hour block, I met with a crime scene technician and a criminalist to complete evaluations on the students who attended. Back at my desk, I compiled the notes I'd been taking throughout the presentation and emailed them to the Sergeant of the department.

By then it was 2:30pm, so the rest of the day flew by. I finished up some errant projects that had been floating around on my desk and even managed to get plans for a January Scentsy party underway. It dawned on me late in the day that I had promised to make breakfast for the following day's executive staff meeting. I filtered through AllRecipes and decided on two dishes.

After a quick MAX ride home, I narrowly missed catching the bus that would take me closer to the grocery store where I needed to pick up some last minute ingredients. So instead, I started hiking down the long hill toward the store, my legs moving faster than I thought was possible. I was chilly due to being slightly underdressed, but I felt great! Alive!

I soon trudged further down the hill to home, my arms heavy with bags of groceries and lovely gifts I received at work. My two babies, Oliver and Aurora, greeted me at the door (scratch that; they were asleep on the couch, oblivious to my arrival) and I got to work. The first order of business was to clean up the kitchen so I could make it a mess again. I simultaneously did some laundry, texted my family to thank them for the fabulous package they sent, and set out all the ingredients I needed.

For a couple hours I worked on the two breakfast dishes I had chosen: cranberry pecan coffeecake and a vegetable cheese strata. I'd never made either of these items before, so I focused hard on avoiding any fatal errors born of carelessness. I completed the coffeecake prep and popped it in the oven. While that baked, I did all the prep and assembly for the strata, which I was going to cook in the morning. The coffeecake finally finished and I let it cool for a few minutes before nervously plopping it out upside-down onto a pretty plate. Glory be! This was a gorgeous masterpiece of deep scarlet berries made soft by the heat, crispy pecans, and a golden glaze of brown sugar.

The cell phone photo may not do it justice.

I poured the strata mixings into a prepared baking dish and it looked alright to me. I'd never even seen a strata before, so I didn't have much to go off of. I secured it in the fridge and did a little bit of re-cleaning in the kitchen.

...wrote a note to Husband and climbed into bed with The Shining - which has been scaring the bejesus out of me each night. A productive day, followed by a productive, yet relaxing evening at home. I'm happy. The spirit of the holidays has infused me and I'm able to see the good that saturates my lucky life. Here are some grainy highlights, in no particular order (actually, I guess it's alphabetical in terms of how I named the file):

"cats" - (striped Aurora and tuxedo Oliver - best friends forever)

"immersion" (new blender - best kitchen tool ever!)

"jesse" (husband. love of my life.)

secondarily "mexican food" (from Cha Cha Cha Taqueria)

"rainy" (Oregon - the land I love)

gold leaf

2009-12-14T21:06:00.000-08:00

Pictorial Webster's: Inspiration to Completion from John Carrera on Vimeo.

positive reinforcement

2009-12-13T19:04:00.000-08:00

Friday's work day was drawing to a close and I was awfully conflicted about how to spend my evening. Jesse and I had planned to attend the holiday party for our new apartment community, but when he picked up a dinner shift at work, I didn't really want to venture out alone. Teresa had invited me to Newberg for a night of Patron tequila, cheesy fries, and gossip, but the 40 minute drive and threat of freezing rain were dissuading factors.

I grabbed a long memo from my desk to proofread at home, anticipating a self-imposed lonely night on the couch. I hopped on the MAX and headed east toward home, all the while mulling over my options. The closer I got, the more seriously I was considering going to the holiday party alone. One of the big draws for Jesse and I had been a raffle contest for anyone who brought an item to donate to Toys for Tots. As I disembarked from the train, I decided to go for it. I walked over to a grocery store very near our apartment and chose a Crayola art set to bring.

It was still a bit early, so I went to our house to unpack my work bag and have a small glass of emboldening wine. Once it was safely past the party's start time, I walked down the hill with my donation in hand. Entering the party, I could hardly believe my eyes. It was an amazing improvement in holiday spirit from our prior apartment home. There was a National Guardsman taking toys and handing out raffle tickets in exchange. A live rock band played in the corner and several people huddled around the crackling fireplace.

I walked down the main hallway to a room full of people. One large table displayed an array of appetizers, while another had at least 10 kinds of desserts. Wine was being served at the bar. I grabbed food and drink and wandered around aimlessly, trying to decide how long to stay. I spotted two girls chatting and eventually talked myself into going over and saying hi.

The girls, Sarah and Clara (for real), and I talked for quite a while, when suddenly the raffle ceremony was announced. Everyone crowded into the main room, pink raffle tickets clutched in their hands. Many prizes were up for grabs, including gift cards to a grocery store, Target, P.F. Changs, and Claim Jumpers. Sarah was one of the first to win - a handy Target card. Not too long after, Clara won a Shell gasoline gift card. The female half of the couple in front of us declared a desire to win a grocery store gift card because it'd be just enough for two "Snuggies." Her husband or boyfriend immediately won that prize.

I was left the only one in our trio who hadn't won anything. It wasn't heartbreaking, but I felt a bit left out. The apartment employee announced that they were about to draw the ticket for the final, and most impressive prize - $500 off of a tenant's January rent. She pulled a ticket and slowly read the numbers. 1...4...0...4...9...5!

I breathed a loud, sudden sigh. I WON! I felt like a celebrity as I walked up front to submit my ticket, a camera flashing in my face and people reaching out to congratulate me.

So that makes my third contest win since I adopted contest entering as a renewed hobby! The moral of the win for me was that I should get out more often - talk to people and ditch any plan to take the boring, lonely route. Yay!

happier

2009-12-09T14:31:00.000-08:00

As I waited for the MAX train this morning at 7:30am, I took note of the clean, eerie shade of pale blue the sky had taken. All the objects in my sight were sharp silhouettes of dark, dark brown-gray against that palette. A puff of my white breath clouded my view and I was reminded of how hard it has been to find energy during the start of this cold season.

I think most of the trouble lies in the fact that it's dark when I leave for work and dark by the time I arrive home in the evening. I have a mental list of nebulous ideas that need consideration, projects that need work, but there's always a deep chill in the air and my motivation apparently thrives (however minimally) only in warmth and light.

And so I've begun to explore The Happiness Project in an attempt to hone good emotions and achievement of some kind. This project was created by an apparently busy, motivated woman named Gretchen Rubin who, as her website explains, has spent a year "test-driving studies and theories about how to be happier." Gretchen is publishing a book just after Christmas about the process involved in and results of her research. The website provides a wealth of information, articles, and ideas about infusing more happiness into your life through a variety of easy tactics. Today, like every Wednesday, is Tip Day. Browsing tips from weeks past is a great way to find concepts to mull over and thoughts to help you refocus on your own happiness. For example, I should probably reread the entry for November 18th: "15 Tips to Avoid Nagging".

A satellite website of The Happiness Project is the do-it-yourself Happiness Project Toolbox, on which you design and post "Personal Commandments" and "Resolutions," and you can maintain an "Inspiration Board."

Though I'm not convinced that I'll be able to keep this up for too long, I started by posting the following Personal Commandments, which I intend as loose guidelines and wise goals to work toward:

Be a better wife.
Worry less.
Make thoughtfulness a priority.
Exercise creativity.
Make healthier choices.

I also posted two Resolutions, on which I track my progress for a very specific goal each day. The titles of my Resolutions are to "Cook More Meals at Home" and "Drink Less Alcohol" and the bodies of these Resolutions contain additional information about exactly what I'm striving for in quantitative terms.

I think at the very least, reading each Wednesday's tip and keeping a few simple Resolutions toward the front of my mind will be helpful. I figure that at least I'm blogging - that seems like a good start toward exercising creativity, right? I encourage you to check it out and give a little thought to what might augment your own happiness in the cold chaos of this holiday season.

teeth

2009-11-14T15:04:00.000-08:00

nemesis

2009-11-05T14:20:00.000-08:00

I couldn’t help myself; I had to buy tickets to see David Gray at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall…eight hours before the show. I was trying to be practical and save the cash for our move this month, but an awesome deal presented itself and I couldn’t say no. I knew Jesse would be psyched and it turned out to be a really fantastic show.

The gorgeous venue was constructed in 1927 and still retains opulent glamour from that era. We arrived shortly after 8:00pm (after a brief trip to the eclectic Virginia Café, where we discussed what we’re going to do with our lives). We were ushered into the dark auditorium and shown our seats, which despite being many rows from the stage were just perfect. It’s the kind of place where just about every seat is a good seat.

As soon as we were seated, my attention snapped to the stage where Lisa Hannigan, the opening act, was singing. We were familiar with the vocalist due to her prior working relationship with singer Damien Rice (whose “Delicate” was our instrumental processional song). I felt fairly ambivalent upon learning that she’d be opening for David Gray, but my sentiment quickly turned to sheer captivation as we listened.

That lady can sing. Not only does she have a powerful, soaring, goose bump-producing voice, but she’s lovely and vaguely awkward and charming and funny. I can’t wait to get a hold of her CD, learn the lyrics and pretend I’m her while singing my lungs out in my living room (when Jesse’s at work or otherwise indisposed).

Early on in the show, Jesse commented on how excited he felt at that very moment, and I couldn’t agree more. He said he’s normally excited in anticipation of catching a concert, but this exhilaration was bleeding into the performance itself. I was so pleased that I made the impulsive, fun decision to get those tickets!

After intermission, David Gray took the stage with his band. All of them were dressed in nearly identical light brown suits, looking like dapper musicians from the 50’s. They looked to be having a good time, goofing around and taking in the enormous crowd. Gray began to sing and from then on I couldn’t really stop smiling. His voice too was notably marvelous – meeting all of the expectations we had after listening to the melodically luxurious album “Life in Slow Motion.” That title track was played, along with just one more from that disc. We heard his popular older songs “Babylon” and “Sail Away With Me” and many from the most recent CD.

The Schnitzer venue allows for impressive light displays on stage, which I managed to get a couple fuzzy pictures of. All in all, it was such a fabulous concert. The venue was very well-suited for these two artists and both of them exceeded what we’d hoped for in terms of their performances. I’m considering making David Gray a generous monetary offer to come sing us lullabies about 3 nights a week.

books books books

2009-10-31T15:38:00.001-07:00

It's Halloween! I'm decked out in my Builders & the Butchers crow shirt and Audubon crow earrings, feeling good. I'm musing over my conversation this morning with my stepdaughter who turned 8 today. She told me an elaborate story about the time her dad accidentally decapitated her at the beach. She was really mad at him. As my dad (an extremely proud new grandpa) says, she is a delight.

So... I've been entering a lot of contests lately. And by a lot, I mean a lot. I won an essay contest through work a few months back and it got my sweepstakes competitiveness raging. On one hand, I sort of feel like spending hours entering contests is a waste. On the other hand, you WIN STUFF!

Last week Jesse called me at work to let me know that a big package had arrived from Simon & Schuster publishing company. I was too curious to wait, so I had him open it. Inside was a letter saying that I had won their summer reading contest! I won 7 books worth almost $150 including:

Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner
Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisenberger
Full of Life by Nancy O'Dell
Mommywood by Tori Spelling
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
The Love of Her Life by Harriet Evans
The Lovers by John Connolly

Okay, not exactly the kind of books I normally like to read, but free books is better than no books!

In other book news, I've started work on my "Pay It Forward" books. It has been too long since I built a book, but I've found that the skills are relearned quickly. It helps that all my supplies were recently categorized and stored in an easily accessible fashion. Here's a sneak peek at the first of the 6 books I'll be constructing.

color theory

2009-10-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

I'm beginning to conceptualize the re-design of my blog. I'm really wishing now that I had gone to school for graphic design. I'm starting by determining a new color palette - with the help of the Adobe website Kuler, which I read about on a design blog.

Here's a rough first draft of a color scheme. What are your thoughts? What sort of vibe do these colors evoke? Yay or nay? Suggested changes?

September 28/29 – Liberia to Portland

2009-10-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

Oh, what a breakfast. The standard gallo pinto and fresh fruit, along with pastries, bacon, cereal and amazing do-it-yourself Belgian waffles. In retrospect, I should have taken that delightful start to my day as a sign of good things to come. Instead, I had a lot of anxiety about whether or not we’d get out of the country and get our mangled travel plans back in order.

Before we even reached the American Airlines desk, some of American counterparts confirmed that the flight to Miami was going to depart as planned. This time we made our way into the open air “gate” area and watched our plane touchdown like a big white mirage. We made it to Miami and I immediately jumped on the phone to Westin to see if they’d forgive our missed reservation the previous night and move it to the current night. I reached someone at Westin reservations who told me that I’d have to call Priceline because I had bid on the room and won it there. I called Priceline and was told that they could do nothing to help me, and that I needed to call the hotel if there was any chance of getting the reservation changed. My hope was dwindling to depressing levels when I called the front desk of the Dallas Westin directly. I spoke to a wonderful girl name Emily who, when she heard our predicament, changed the reservation.

We didn’t have long to get lunch before our flight was scheduled to depart for Dallas, so we sat down at a sports bar in the terminal and ordered our food. I got a beer and quickly swallowed the $3 shot of tequila that came with it. I needed courage and assertiveness.

I called Southwest Airlines, remembering that you “attract bees with honey,” but knowing full well that I might have to get forceful, dramatic, pushy and/or desperate in order to get our already missed flight (from Phoenix to Portland) switched to the following day. A man who sounded competent and fairly kindhearted got on the phone and I jumped into my frantic, jumbled speech: “I’m in a bind and I’m on my honeymoon and I hope you can help me…”

Moments later the man said, “It looks like you’re already booked on tomorrow’s flight.”

WHAT? I started to cry a little in relief, sniffling and babbling thanks to this poor guy sitting in a call center in who-knows-where. Once we would arrive home the next day I would find an email from Southwest in my inbox. They had received the message I sent from the Liberia hotel and, taking great pity on me, changed the reservation – though that is something they hardly ever do because they have “rules” to abide by.

I returned to our table in the restaurant and told Jesse the news. We were jubilantly thankful. Our waitress poured our remaining beer into a “to-go cup” for the plane (who knew that was an option?!) and we made it to our gate just in time to board the flight to Dallas.

Upon our arrival, we took the Westin shuttle to our hotel. The room was beautiful, but we had little time to enjoy it. We got dinner at the Denny’s across the street and then headed straight for bed. We rose very early the next day and hopped on our plane to Phoenix, where we met Johnny. In a wonderful display of kindness, he brought all the rest of our luggage to the airport for us. We checked as many bags as we could (we were now traveling with 6 of them) and started the 4 hour wait for our flight to Portland.

In my carry on book bag was the Dia de los Muertos style skull sculpture (skullpture) that our dear friend Stephanie had given us as a wedding gift. The massive clay skull is painted and bedecked with beads, jewels and knickknacks. I was fairly apprehensive to send the gorgeous beast through the x-ray machine at the security checkpoint. I carefully set my bag on the conveyer belt and walked through the metal detector, keeping my eye on the machine screener. I watched as the skull slowly rolled onto the screen, a tangled unidentifiable mess to my untrained eye.

“WHAT is THAT?!” yelled the lady.
“A skull,” I replied.
“Alla the sudden I’ve got somebody LOOKING at me,” said the lady.
“It was a wedding gift,” I said. Like I really needed to say that.
“Then you’ve got some PRETTY WEIRD friends,” said the lady.
I wasn’t about to dispute that.

They didn’t even want to unwrap my skull and look at it; I was shocked. Their loss. We had made it through our last significant challenge. We boarded the plane to Portland, then took the MAX from there. We got home by about 6:30pm after more than 2 weeks away. Jesse forgot to carry me over the threshold. We were home and we were married!

THE END.

September 27 - Papagayo to Liberia

2009-10-19T16:09:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 1:45am, thinking I had overslept. A little over 4 hours later, the alarm sounded and we got breakfast before lugging our heavy bags up the hill to reception. Reliable Armando picked us up and we left lovely Papagayo for Liberia, where our departure airport was located.

We paid the requisite departure tax (so cruel, making you pay to leave the country you don’t entirely want to leave in the first place) and walked over to the American Airlines desk. The attendant looked up our names in his computer and looked up at us slowly, saying “I have some bad news for you.” The bad news was that our flight was delayed and unconfirmed, so we went upstairs to have coffee and to play Farkle. Before long, we, along with a big group of other Americans, learned that our flight had been outright cancelled and we’d have to leave the next day at the earliest. Now, when I have made a plan, I think things to go according to that plan. I felt a bit of panic.

My unhappiness was tempered by the free hotel, lunch, dinner and breakfast vouchers the airline provided for the nearby Hilton Garden Inn. A group of us packed into the hotel shuttle, driven by a mad kamikaze man who seemingly almost flipped the van over on the way into the parking lot. We checked into our room, which was very, very clean and comfortable, and walked down to the internet room to get in touch with the U.S. for the first time in a week. I emailed my mother, the Westin hotel (in Dallas) that we were supposed to be staying at that night, Southwest Airlines (whose flight we were supposed to be catching to Portland the next day), and Annie and Johnny (who we were supposed to be meeting up with the next day to retrieve the rest of our luggage).

We spent the rest of the day eating delicious food, swimming and sunbathing at the beautiful tiled pool, drinking cocktails, and watching television. We also got some laundry done in an honest-to-goodness washer (read: not a sink) and were told by our new friend Lou that we are a “very international looking couple.” I sure liked the sound of that.

September 26 - Papagayo

2009-10-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

We slathered on gobs of sunscreen and got a bit to eat before walking down to the black sand beach to catch our ferry over to the hotel’s illustrious white sand beach. As we waited we watched big pelicans flying directly over head and bobbing in the ocean. It was a very sunny 15 minute ride across the gulf to the beach, a stretch of hot white sand broken into two segments by the high tide.

The scenery was just breathtaking – a long cove with a large area shaded by trees and rows of blue chaise lounges set out. We spent a lot of time floating in the sea in order to keep cool and we eventually made our way toward one edge of the beach. We stood among small schools of fish, one variety of which had bright yellow striped with black like a bumblebee. Jesse explored into a group of rocks jutting from the water, but I kept a safe distance. At one point I heard a big splash behind me, then another. I turned to see that two big crabs had leapt out of the water and onto some rocks. I climbed back onto land and sat for a while on a water-weathered log in a quiet spot under spotty shade. I watched several kinds of birds hop around on the branches surrounding me and I saw at least 5 or 6 types of butterflies – including one that had a glimmering panel of aquamarine in each wing, just like a stained glass window!

When we returned to the main beach and Jesse was immediately recruited for a soccer game. I sat in the ocean and watched him score his team’s very first goal. I had noticed a cute little girl and boy in the ocean near me. When the girl got close enough to me, I asked her in Spanish how she was doing. She was shy at first, but in no time she was sitting on my lap in the water, excitedly talking to me and asking me questions. Turns out she was 3 years old, from Costa Rica and her name was Fili (my guess at spelling a name pronounced like “fee-lee”). I understood about 60-65% of her Spanish and it was great practice trying to communicate with her! She asked a lot about my “hija” (daughter) and my father. I used our underwater camera to get a great photo of the two of us.

As difficult as it was to leave the cool refreshment of the water, I needed a beverage. I walked up to the open air eating area, where only two other people were standing around. Right as I arrived, a coati walked out of the forest and started nosing around, looking for something to eat! I didn’t have a camera with me, so I went back town and urged Jesse to check it out and grab a photo. We then had a quick carb-filled lunch and headed back to the water. Jesse decided he wanted to try out snorkeling, so he paddled off while I relaxed. I ended taking an awesome nap on my chair under the trees and woke up close to the time the ferry was supposed to be returning to get us. I realized that Jesse was nowhere to be found.

The last I knew, he had been heading toward the opposite end of the beach where a bigger rocky area sat. I set out down the scalding, endless beach, the 10,000 degree sun beating into my shoulders. I reached the very end and saw a figure floating facedown in the sea, many yards out from shore. “Jesse!” I yelled. “JEEEEEESSSSSSEEEEEE!” The figure ignored me. Jesse was having the time of his life. I didn’t exist to him anymore. There were only sea urchins and puffer fish. I threw down my flip flops and marched into the sea, yelling his name the whole time. After a while, he suddenly popped his head out of the water and stared at me with a confused look on his face. I indicated (in the nicest way, I’m sure) that it was time to return to camp. I turned and marched back out of the water and up the beach. Jesse followed, struggling to pull off his giant flippers and run after me.

Back on the boat, Jesse and 5 or 6 other guys decided to climb over the top railing and jump into the ocean. Twice. Unfortunately, I had used up the last of our disposable camera photos on land and couldn’t document this act of sheer bravery and fun. Someone, somewhere, has a picture of Jesse’s manly moment of glory.

When we made it back to shore, I had to stand on the beach with a man whose pottery we had purchased while Jesse went back to the room to get some cash. The man’s name was Salman and he was from Nicaragua. He ended up telling me his very interesting life story, including the part about how his old girlfriend went to Alaska and disappeared. He is now married to a woman from his church and he wants to come to New York to be a missionary with two of his siblings. He was a very sympathetic, good soul that made a big impression on me.

We finally made it down to the pool to sit on underwater bar stools and order draft Imperials. We did some last minute shopping, grabbed dinner and returned to our room to pack. Booo. Back to the U.S. the next day.

September 25 - Papagayo and Artola

2009-10-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

We just had time to grab breakfast from the buffet before our familiar driver Armando picked us up with new tour guide Eric in tow. We started the hour long drive to Artola where we’d be partaking in some wild zipline action. We opted for a photo CD of the day, which meant a guy would be following us with a camera and instructing us on how to pose. I’m thankful for that because it would have been way too difficult to manage the logistics of ziplining and photographing! The guides strapped and snapped a harness onto my hips without speaking and plopped a helmet on my head. We were joined by a couple, Chad and Katie, from Pittsburgh who had also gotten married on September 19th and were on their honeymoon.

Ziplining was absolutely amazing. We had several guides who showed us how to operate the necessary machinery and how to brake as we approached platforms. They made the whole experience a lot of fun by goofing around like crazy – shaking suspension bridges and pretending to let us walk off the raised platforms without being properly attached to the line! Katie was afraid of heights and was constantly shrieking in fear and calling for her husband. I, strangely, didn’t feel an ounce of fear despite being so high up. I was fully confident in the company’s safety measures and the knowledge of our guides.

We had the opportunity to try out a few different poses on the different lines, including the “Superman” and hanging completely upside down. On the longest line, which stretched far over the top of the canopy, a stunning butterfly followed right next to me as I sped from the platform into mid-air. I kept thinking that he would fly off, but he continued on parallel to my flight, right by my face.

It was amazingly hot and sweaty underneath the helmet which was squeezing my brains out. (At one point I removed the helmet to get some relief and then put it back on – backwards. A guide fixed the problem with a half-grin on his face. He was making fun of me in Spanish in his mind, I just know it.) We flew down to the ground from the last platform and I happily washed my hands and combed my hair with my fingers.

We were given the option to explore a small “zoo” for an entrance fee of $5 each. When I was told we could hold monkeys, I made my mind up fast. We entered an enclosure filled with white-faced (or capuchin) monkeys and a couple spider monkeys after removing all items from our pockets and jewelry from our bodies. We were given handfuls of sunflower seeds to offer to the monkeys and as soon as I stuck my hand out, a little capuchin monkey hopped onto my arm. I just about died of happiness.

Oh my goodness, to see this little guy peering into my eyes, his tiny fingers grasping my hand. He was very selective about the sunflower seeds he was eating, pushing many off my palm in broad sweeps of his monkey hand. He would pause midway through his munching and nestle his head into my chest. I soon realized he was licking my skin! The handler explained that he was looking for sweat. I eventually stood and my little friend climbed atop my head and began to suck the sweat from my hair! Yayyyyy.

Next we visited the Serpent Garden. Glass tanks of various sizes housed snakes of every variety. We were asked if we wanted to hold one. Oh sure! We are thinking about getting a snake anyway, so that’s perfect! Our zoo guide proceeded to pull a python out of its enclosure. The snake was at least 10 feet long and 2 feet in circumference. The man hoisted the massive beast up and over Jesse’s shoulders. Then it was my turn. After declining the pleasure several times, they convinced me to give it a shot. The center of the snake’s body was behind my head and I was shown how to hold him on his…..neck. His head wavered dangerously close to mine. He was looking at me. I was trying to breathe slowly and keep very calm because I figured he could sense my fear. He didn’t even try to squeeze me to death once!

Our last stop was the Butterfly Garden where we saw hundreds of Owl Butterflies with their amazing, creepy markings. We were shown a sort of “butterfly growing room” where there were caterpillars and butterflies in all stages of development. We spent a while in the gift shop before getting back in our van to return to the resort. As we drove back, we chatted a lot with Eric. He had a great desire to see the United States (and many other countries), so we exchanged information and told him he was more than welcome to stay with us if he ever made it up to Portland. We wanted to show him the same kind of hospitality that is so prevalent and highly valued across Costa Rica.

The rest of the day was very relaxed. I napped, we ate lunch and took a walk along the beach – spotting a big group of vultures dining on a dead manta ray! Inspired, I later watched Fear Factor while Jesse went for a swim. We had dinner at the Mexican a la carte restaurant and then did some souvenir shopping. Our last adventure was hiking up the hill to the lobby – a trip that turned into a bug hunt. We saw a beetle as big as my hand, a tiny gold Scarab beetle, geckos and even a scorpion – which I consider to be the most terrifying of all!

September 24 - Tortuguero to Papagayo

2009-10-07T16:19:00.000-07:00

Another 5:00am morning for us, packing up our gear and scooting over to the dining hall for a breakfast promised to be merely “continental.” Continental, in Costa Rica anyway, apparently means coffee, orange juice, fresh pineapple, banana and papaya, breakfast ham, perfectly cooked fried eggs and tasty wheat bread, still hot from the oven. I told Gerardo that in the U.S., you could expect a small muffin in a plastic bag as your continental breakfast.

As we stood waiting for our shuttle boat to arrive, a toucan flew overhead! We boarded the boat and made the short ride over to the Tortuguero airstrip. I felt like royalty riding swiftly over the river, with just a driver, Gerardo and Jesse. Little did we know that our small 12 or 15-seater airplane would arrive – and Jesse and I would be the only passengers! The copilot gave a “ladies and gentleman” speech much more relaxed than the standard TSA lecture delivered back at home. We took off from the small strip of concrete boarded by rainforest on one side and the beach just through a line of trees on the other. It was a short ride to San Jose, where we walked off the plane and across the tarmac to a very, very small gate area to wait for our next flight. We had a strange array of snacks while we waited, including a blueberry muffin and a pear yogurt beverage named “Likigurt.”

Our next plane, which was the same size as the first, was full. We flew to the tiny Tamarindo airport to drop off some of the passengers, and then continued on to Liberia. I spotted a really weird bug that looked like it had been covered in white spray paint, but I was feeling a little too rushed to get a picture. We were greeted by a new driver, Armando, with whom we spoke Spanish the entire ride to the resort. Well, Jesse spoke and I generally just listened. Jesse accidentally told Armando that he’d been to all 50 states, which Armando find very impressive.

We arrived at the Allegro Papagayo Hotel and checked in, receiving our prized golden bracelets that let everyone know we were on our honeymoon. The resort was all-inclusive in terms of food and alcohol, but we were promised some extra perks for the occasion. We tossed our bags in our room and set out to explore. We got excited to see a big iguana sunning itself on a bush, and then realized that the creatures dotted the whole place! We got a bite to eat at the snack bar and walked down to the black sand beach. We walked along the shore for a while, examining the thousands of pretty seashells and the occasional fish body.

Returning to our room, we decided to take a nap in air-conditioned comfort. We woke to realize that we’d completely missed lunch, so we went back to sleep. Those early mornings had caught up to us. We woke again in time for dinner and set out for “La Trattoria” – the hotel’s a la carte Italian restaurant. Reservations were required and a dress code was loudly announced – a dress code which we couldn’t abide by due to our limited clothing and shoe selection. Fortunately, another diner had his shirt unbuttoned practically down to his navel.

Thinking our day was nearing its close, we walked back up to our room, spotting a mama raccoon and several babies along the way. We washed some clothes with bar soap in the sink (a necessity with a 25 pound limit on luggage) and decided to take a quick trip to the hot tub and maybe play a short game of darts at the bar before retiring. Unfortunately, we found the hot tub closed by the time we got down to the pool area. And then there was only one dart in the dart board. The foosball table opened up, so we positioned ourselves there.

Less than three minutes later, I was approached by a member of the “Occidental Fun Club.” The young man directed me to repeat his words to Jesse.

Jesse. If you do not participate in tonight’s production. I will not sleep with you.

And so Jesse decided to participate in the night’s production. Then I got roped into participating as well – bikini top and all. What was the production? GREASE. We were directed to a dressing room along with three men, and told to choose button-up suit jackets. We were then herded backstage and told to choose instruments – Jesse got the bongo drums and I opted for a big cymbal. Our “director” told us to watch the stage for the big red car and once the song “Greased Lightning” began, we were to put on our jackets, grab our instruments and position ourselves just behind the curtain.

I wanted to quit. I wanted to go hide in our room till the next day, bailing out on the rest of the cast. Jesse didn’t act like that was an option so I stuck around. In the meantime, we met Will, a Costa Rican native who had spent many years in the U.S. and who had just returned to Costa Rica 11 months prior (read: preemptively running from the law). He convinced us to do shots of tequila to steel our nerves before our Costa Rican stage debuts. A Spanish-speaking man, Patricio, who looked like he was from Michigan, joined us. Then it was time; the car appeared and the familiar notes of “Greased Lightning” rang out. We grabbed our jackets (I was happy to cover my skin), our instruments, and the curtains opened and music began!

We were only to pretend we were playing our instruments. I nervously tapped my cymbal while Jesse bongoed away next to me. Patricio – previously quiet and shy – ran twirling across the stage, sticking his microphone in each of our faces to do singing “solos.” It was madness. The song flowed into another…this was taking fooooreeeever.

Once our part finally ended, we headed back over the bar with Will. Turns out he had worked at the same software sales company as Jesse had – only at a Costa Rica branch rather than in Beaverton, Oregon. The raccoon family came down and raided garbage cans in the bar area. I got close to a little baby who was too immersed in what he was doing to notice me.

The bar closed and we moved to the empty discothèque…which it seems they opened up just for us. The night ended significantly later than I had anticipated.

September 23 - Tortuguero

2009-10-06T13:54:00.000-07:00

I mis-set the alarm, but the sound of howler monkeys screaming nearby had woken us early anyway. We had breakfast and the group set out for a nature walk through the forest. We were provided rubber boots to wear, but neither Jesse nor I had packed any socks. (Instead, we each brought a pair of flip flops and a heavier duty pair of Teva-type hiking sandals.) I wrapped a dirty tank top around each foot before donning the boots, and Jesse went skin to rubber. He did wrap a bandana around each of his calves to prevent them from being rubbed raw.

We explored an area a short boat ride away, walking across balance beam logs and trekking through shallow muddy pits. We saw several poison dart frogs (the pretty red “blue jeans” variety), giant grasshoppers and spiders, a cousin of the Resplendent Quetzal (the mystical bird I most wanted to see – this was the closest I’d come – besides my quetzal magnet and keychain) called a trogan, and huge bullet ants. We learned how to survive in the rainforest by making palm roofs and eating hearts of palm.

Hot and sweaty as usual, we returned to the lodge for another swim in the tortuga pool before lunch. Ever on the go, we then got back on a boat to visit the small village of Tortuguero. This felt like the first time we were really being exposed to local culture, which we appreciated. The back side of the village bordered the Caribbean beach, where Gerardo gave a long explanation of how turtles come to shore to lay their eggs. When he had finally finished and we were turned loose for an hour, Jesse immediately stripped down to board shorts and jumped in the ocean!

We spent the rest of our free time exploring the village, walking down its dirt path “main drag.” We watched various small dogs roaming all over the town and stopped in the “super market” for Jesse’s much-desired rum and coke in a can. Many clouds had gathered and it rained for just a little while. We had a hard time believing this was the height of the rainy season.

Back in our cabin, we noticed men working on an electrical box and soon realized the electricity had been turned off. It was cool enough, so I took a short nap. I awoke to Jesse handing me one of those magical tropical fruit cocktails. He said, God told me to get this for you. Thank you God, I said, and the electricity promptly turned back on.

We went for yet another swim – during which Jesse broke all my pool caution rules by:

1. Tossing me in the air and letting me fall completely underwater.
2. Carrying me on his shoulders “chicken” style.
3. Dance lifting me “Patrick Swayze” style.
4. Laying on the bottom of the pool while I tried to walk on his back.

It was dark by the time we returned to our room and we decided to rest since there was still some time before dinner was to be served. We were resting on the double bed, staring at the ceiling, when –all of the sudden- the power went out. We were in utterly dark darkness. Rain had started to fall outside and howler monkeys sounded. It was amazing.

The rain continued to fall even harder and the lights popped back on at a couple minutes to seven. We loaded on raingear and walked over to the dining hall for dinner. More special treatment awaited us. One of the servers with whom we’d become familiar asked if we wanted a table on the porch in order to watch the rain. He led us to a nice candle lit table at the very corner of the covered porch.

We sloshed over to the bar for my nightly journal writing. Jesse had been told a live Calypso band was playing, so as it turned out, I was immediately interrupted from writing by a band member who handed both Jesse and I each a maraca. Holy smokes, I have no rhythm. In fact, I messed up whatever rhythm Jesse may have had alone. My biggest mistake came when the band members were asking whether it was anyone’s birthday…anyone’s anniversary. For some reason I opened my mouth and proudly declared that it was our Luna De Miel! We were instructed to stand and dance, just the two of us. The band began to play “Besame Mucho.”

Oh, I was so embarrassed. The song went on and on. The Spaniards cheered and gave us enthusiastic instructions in Spanish that I didn’t understand. I was happy when the song ended, but what a charming memory!

September 22 - San Jose to Tortuguero

2009-10-05T14:23:00.000-07:00

5:00am. We got ready quickly and went outside to wait for our transportation to Tortuguero. We didn’t know just what to expect, so I think we were a little surprised when a massive tour bus pulled up. We boarded and our tour guide, Alexis, did a poll of everyone on board – Does anyone here speak English? Jesse and I were the only two to raise our hands. We peered around at the other tourists and quickly realized every other person on the bus was from Spain. Will do you alright with Spanish, Alexis asked. Jesse quickly nodded. The Spanish onslaught began. I sat quietly in my seat and looked out the window.

We stopped for breakfast at a simple roadside restaurant, seemingly designed for large groups of travelers on giant tour busses. We had our first taste of gallo pinto (pronounced “guy-yo peen-toe”) – the traditional Costa Rican breakfast of white rice, black beans and seasonings. We also had fried eggs, fresh fruit, and hotdogs (yes, hotdogs). Hot, strong Costa Rican coffee rounded out the satisfying meal.

After quite a bit more driving, over mountains, through rainforest and past banana plantations, we reached the chaotic departure dock where a couple hundred tourists were weaving about, trying to collect their baggage. We bought a couple coconuts with their tops sheared off and straws stuck into the sweet, almost spicy water within. We boarded a small, flat-bottomed boat with a new guide, Fernando, and a bunch of new Spaniards. We set out over the Tortuguero Canals, headed for our rainforest lodge, immediately spotting several new varieties of birds on the shore and flying above the water.

We stopped for about 15 minutes at a river “rest stop” with a bar and small gift shop. We enjoyed our first Imperial beers – well loved in Costa Rica – and explored the area. We hopped back in the boat and sped to the docks of the hidden Evergreen Lodge. We deboated (a person can deplane, so why not deboat?), and were immediately handed a glorious cocktail containing, at the very least, papaya, banana, mango and carrot juices. We were assigned to cabin #21, up on stilts with a porch marked with two rocking chairs on either side of the door. Inside, a sizeable room with large “windows” covered only by screen and heavy curtains. One double bed, one twin bed. A fully equipped bathroom and small back porch.

We rushed off to a buffet lunch at the lodge dining hall, then back to our rooms to grab our cameras for the afternoon canal tour. We stopped at the entrance to Tortuguero National Forest so our guide, Gerardo, could pay the requisite fee to a park guard. While he was busy, some men on land called us up from the boat. I didn’t realize what was happening, but Jesse and I got off the boat along with everyone else and stood crowded around a tall bush next to a small, worn-out basketball court. What is it, I asked. A snake, said a nice Spain lady! I maneuvered around the rest of the group, using my height as an advantage to stick my head into the bush and get a great, macro shot of the amazing, bright yellow snake that was curled up on an inner limb of the plant.

Gerardo finally turned around and got a quizzical look on his face when he realized we had all deboated (again). We got back on the boat and entered the smaller canals of the National Forest. We saw an amazing array of wildlife, all pointed out by our highly observant and specially trained guides! There were various types of herons, basilisks (“Jesus lizards”), a caiman, an iguana, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, bats and a gar fish (holy teeth), not to mention a ton of additional types of birds – which we’d later try to identify in my handy waterproof Audubon Costa Rica bird pamphlet. At one point, our guide explained that the striking yellow snake we had seen back on land - the pretty one with the noticeable protruding "eyelashes" - was a Golden Eyelash snake...one of the most deadly snakes in the country. A warning before I climbed into its hiding spot would have been appreciated.

We had time for a swim in the lovely new tortuga-shaped swimming pool before dinner. Yes, that would be the dinner where I poured salt all over my freshly served spaghetti and marinara, thinking it was the (soon to be realized as very elusive) shaky parmesan cheese. I felt a lot better once Jesse and I were bestowed with a giant fruitball-studded pineapple filled with coconut dream cocktail. Oh man. The perks of being on honeymoon.

That night I initiated a tradition of settling down with Jesse at the little bar on the lodge grounds (housed under a simple pavilion) and writing down the day’s events. It was a relaxing end to a long day and we even managed to see two more types of animals before retiring – a gigantic blue land crab and a big ugly frog.

September 21 - San Jose

2009-10-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

After a whirlwind wedding week (not to mention more than 14 months of planning before that), Jesse and I were finally aboard our flight from Dallas, Texas to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. We were delighted to learn we’d be getting lunch on the plane – which never seems to happen since the economy took a nosedive. As the flight attendants moved closer with their food carts, full of aromatic trays, we overheard the two options for lunch: chicken with mashed potatoes or lasagna. Oooh, lasagna sounds great, I said.

I took a moment to share with Jesse a story about the time I was returning from a trip to Italy and Greece and breakfast was being served on the plane. The choices were (a) delicious, sweet fruit crepe bonanza or (b) stale, tasteless ham scramble. I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into option (a), but of course the last little package of deliciousness was given to the person ahead of me. I was stuck with artificially colored eggs.

I said, just watch, the same thing will happen again. Lo and behold, the last lasagna was distributed to a person in the row in front of us. The chicken wasn’t half bad though.

We landed in San Jose and spent a little while getting through Customs. I was crossing my fingers for the smiling, green-shirted lady at stand #2. Jesse, ahead of me in line, got to the front and went to the first open stand. Then (yes!) the light at stand #2 illuminated. Green Shirt didn’t smile at me once the whole time.

Our driver, Manuel, picked us and another honeymooning couple up at the airport and we headed toward our hotel. We couldn’t see too much of San Jose as we drove through since it was late, but we caught a glimpse of Asian construction workers in pink hardhats. Manuel explained that these men were Chinese workers, sent it by the Chinese government, to pay for a huge new Chinese-funded stadium in the city.

We reached the Grano de Oro, a sparkling, gorgeously renovated mansion, and were led to our room. We were both surprised at the hardwood floors, lush bedding and the multi-product soap dispenser in the shower. Jesse watched the news in Spanish and learned that the locals (Ticos) were outraged over the inappropriate, drunken behavior of the Chinese construction workers. We also made note of the sign language interpreter in the corner of the television screen during the broadcast.

We hurried over to the attached, partially open-air Grano de Oro restaurant to get dinner before it closed. I had read amazing reviews about the place, and since our meals were going to be all inclusive for the rest of the trip, we decided to splurge. It may have been the fanciest restaurant I’ve ever dined in. I ordered espresso pork shortribs, which turned out to be like a big cubed chunk of fatty, undercooked bacon. Not good.

My salad (very Oregon-esque with giant blackberries, gorgonzola and nuts) was tasty, and so were the strangely pureed potatoes I got on the side. Jesse liked his macadamia-nut crusted fish, so it was a win overall. The experience was topped off by our waiter, Walter, teaching us proper tipping customs and encouraging me to correctly pronounce the French name of our dessert – a weird mélange of different elements including avocado ice cream and hot watermelon.

We returned to our room and immediately headed for bed. The next morning would be the first of many early, early wake-up calls.

pura vida!

2009-10-01T13:46:00.000-07:00

And we have returned...from the green, sticky, sunburnt land of Costa Rica. We touched down in Portland Tuesday - a day late - greeted by grey rain and chilliness. I haven't managed to accomplish much recuperation yet after the honeymoon, but one of my priorities - a Flickr site with our honeymoon photos - is up and running!

Take a look.

More Costa Rica photos will be posted once we sort through the ones on Jesse's camera, and the wedding photos will follow close behind.

In the meantime, I'll be posting a series of blog entries outlining our entire trip. Stay tuned!

over and out

2009-09-15T20:47:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a break from the tremendously daunting task of packing for a two week vacation to bid you all farewell. I am getting married! And then going to Costa Rica!

This is all hard to believe. I'm just about ready to go. Have the dress, stepdaughter's dress, wedding rings, Central America backpackers' backpacks, massively heavy car parts to deliver to my dad...I even remembered my lovely ribbon-and-bow rehearsal bouquet!

I look forward to sharing stories and photographs upon my return. We touch back down in Portland on Monday, September 28th and I have a full day of relaxation and blogging on Tuesday.

I want to deeply thank the many individuals who have shown enormous support and generosity as I've prepared for these coming weeks. Many people have shown wonderful kindness and enthusiasm and I am left feeling like the most fortunate girl in the world.

Thank you all and see you soon!

thank you mufn!

2009-09-09T12:10:00.001-07:00

I'll be honest. I have not given adequate thought to my April 29th Pay It Forward promise. Darn it. I know I'm lacking in the reliability department, but I'm slowly improving.

Yesterday, a mysterious package arrived in the mail. Its weight and shape didn't match my expectations for a package I knew was coming, so I eagerly tore away the outer brown paper to reveal a gorgeously packaged, heavy, rectangular item. Just as gorgeously wrapped as these pretty packages.

I found a little notecard inside the package that read

Sara, I am so glad that you left a comment

on my blog & am now receiving this
small handmade gift. I hope that you
will post a picture of what you
received & continue to pay it forward to
5 more people. Enjoy the book! Have
a wonderful day & know that you
are loved.

-Muffin

Oh my goodness. I can't believe it, I said. This was a gift from pretty, talented Pauline from Mufn Inc!

Inside was a lovely little handbound journal with handmade cover paper and endsheets, delightful detailing - including rub-ons and bone-like beads, and soft, brown suede serving as a spine cover. The book's pages are white with a great linear texture!

This thoughtful handmade gift made my day! It was invaluable to know that someone had set out to make a special present just for me...for no other reason than to pay it forward!

This delivery has made me recommit to getting handmade gifts in the mail to first 4 people who commented on my original Pay It Forward post - Jon, Tim, McKenzie and Trina. Unfortunately, I have no way of getting in touch with the 5th commenter - Laura, who I've never met.

So - I will also send a gift to the first person to comment on this post!

It was somewhat silly of me to expect to be able to get this gifts created while planning a wedding. I am going to have boundless energy and focus when Jesse and I return from our wedding and honeymoon in late September - so I vow (get it?) to get to work then!

watch this

2009-09-01T13:01:00.000-07:00

Join Us.

youth

2009-09-01T11:55:00.001-07:00

#373 from the recently suggested “1001 rules for my unborn son”: Carry two handkerchiefs. The one in your back pocket is for you. The one in your breast pocket is for her.

They say coincidence is lucky. I’ve touched on this before after reading the highly recommendable book Beyond Coincidence. I recognize that much of coincidence comes from being open to the idea of it, to being observant and aware of the myriad connections present around you.

Sunday night I pulled out the travel journal I used to record my 1998 trip to Italy and Greece and my 2004 trip to England and France. About a third of the journal, in which I plan to write about our upcoming honeymoon to Costa Rica, is still blank.

I was reading through passages about the 2004 trip that I took with my friend Beckie. I literally laughed out loud while reading about how we bumbled through our London to Paris Eurorail adventure (my favorite line: “Then Beckie started crying.”), how we couldn’t understand any English in England, and how we were proud to be misidentified as German tourists.

I read about the day I was searching for an internet café in London’s Picadilly Circus and passed by a woman whose nose was bleeding profusely, the blood pooling on the sidewalk and splattering onto her sneakers. A man walking past pulled a handkerchief from his pocket (his breast pocket, I’m sure) and handed it to the woman. He stayed for a moment to make sure she was okay, and then proceeded on his way. I made a note that I was very impressed by the kindness of this gesture, because he sure wasn’t going to get his handkerchief back. It was a lovely, British thing to do.

So you see the connection. I always liken the awareness of coincidence to learning about idioms in elementary school. Once you learn what an idiom is, you’re suddenly surrounded by them; your ear is honed to them.

And, to my delight, this is a lovely segue to the other item I wanted to mention. My last post makes note of the fact that the word “accident” is but a tiny shard in my internet Persona image. Lo and behold, the next day the non-internet universe set out to prove that “accident” is a present, though often dormant, component of me.

Friday evening Jesse and I attended an Amos Lee concert at the zoo. We decided to depart toward the end of the encore, along with throngs of generally slow-moving concertgoers. Jesse broke into a jog, weaving through the crowd. I grabbed a free rolled-up zoo poster from a volunteer and we practiced our relay hand-off skills while continuing to run. Let me emphasize that I do not run. But I was running nonetheless.

We came to a set of stairs and we both ran up them, one at a time. Jesse shot up ahead and took the next set of 4 stairs in one big leap. Oooh, I’m going to try that, I thought.

Yeah, my feet didn’t even clear the third step. Instead, they got caught up in the stationary concrete and I went sailing smack down onto black asphalt. Jesse said he’ll never forget the sight of me crumpled on the ground, a look of disappointment on my face rather than pain. What a stupid move, the look probably said. A nice woman nearby asked if I was okay. “Yes,” I replied, in a fed-up, easily misunderstood tone that I now regret.

I hobbled the rest of the way out of the zoo and stopped to check myself over once we got to the MAX platform. I pulled up my pant leg and saw that I scraped up my knee pretty well. An INJURY! Glory be. “I can’t wait to blog this!” I said. I took photos with my cell phone to memorialize the rare and special occasion.

Jesse said I was acting “young and free.” That’s the last time that’ll happen.

personas

2009-08-27T10:57:00.000-07:00

How the internet sees me. From Personas.

"Accident" and "domestic" are the tiniest slivers, "sports" one of the largest. What to make of that? :)

collective unconscious

2009-08-26T16:55:00.000-07:00

I just clicked the "Begin at the Beginning" link at the bottom of 500 Pieces of Prudent Advice. The first tip she wrote - "Always send a thank you note."

My own first piece of advice from two entries back? "Write thank you notes. Every time."

I promise I hadn't begun at the beginning. This must just be a truth.

flown

2009-08-26T11:26:00.001-07:00

This is a mash-up of sorts. I think if I start rifling through the contents of my mind, taking the initiative to address some of the smaller bits that can be accomplished and forgotten, my thinking will function a bit more smoothly. It’s worth a shot.

Despite the fact that I’m a bookbinder (ooh, I like the sound of that) and I’ve made a few custom guestbooks specifically for weddings, I’ve decided not to have a guestbook at our wedding. Instead, I borrowed an idea from Etsy (imagine that) and bought a little wooden box to serve as a “guestbox.” I painted the box in mossy olive green and cream, and affixed a Hambly birdcage rub-on (I love their products more than life itself).

With marriage, Jesse and I will be once-free birdlings that are now caged together.

I’m going to cut cream-colored index cards to size and hopefully each guest will fill out their name, contact information, and maybe a little message! That way the box will serve as a useful address compendium once we get home. My favorite detail is the tiny stamped letters on the index dividers – embossed in a shade of green just slightly darker than the cards themselves. I appreciate that monochromatic balance and want to incorporate it in future projects.

I also tried my hand at papercutting for the first time recently, making this tongue-in-cheek birthday card for Jesse’s 30th. I had been browsing the amazingly precise work at The Heart of Papercuts and wanted to see how difficult the craft was. I’ve long been a fan of traditional Mexican “picados” and I’d like to eventually make some to hang above my craft table. I thought the card turned out fine for a first try – next time I’ll use a heavier cardstock for cutting and I need to find a different adhesion technique! Oh, not to mention improving my making-a-likeness skills – does this even look like Jesse??

Lastly. I got some lovely new kitchen tools and dishes at my bridal shower last week, so I decided to rearrange the vintage hutch we purchased from a friend a while back. The hutch itself needs refurbishing (note the missing knob), particularly since it kind of fell over in the moving truck as we were bringing it home. A fresh coat of paint and some new fixtures should bring this beauty back to life.

I decided to arrange white and glass items in the display case, along with a couple bright splashes of color. I am pleased with the result; it reminds me of the photos I love so much in Real Simple and on those glorious design blogs!

broadside

2009-08-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

Ah, the illustrious Plan B.

My plan was firm. Walk home from the MAX, 82 degree weather; sweltering. Strip down to tank top and the same pants I'd been wearing all day and get down to finishing thank you notes from my bridal shower. I got caught up for just a moment texting about a friend's daughter's stomach-churning chin injury (slingshot fun gone all wrong), opening a beer and getting myself organized.

My mind has been running in all directions, all day. I've heard this is to be well expected in the month leading up to your wedding, but geez. I cannot think straight. I should get up now and turn off the XM radio that's tunnelling into my ears, straight into my brain.

Here's the breakdown:

1. I read a blog called "500 Pieces of Prudent Advice for my Baby Daughter." I really enjoy the concept of this blog and I've found myself mentally collecting pieces of advice for Chloe, or for my own unborn.

Today's nugget: Write thank you notes. Every time. It feels good. Your hands might ache and you might fear you're becoming repetitive, but it is as lovely to receive kindness as it is to express your gratitude.

There's another one in the works about overcoming difficulty and striving for ambitious, seemingly impossible goals, but I haven't fleshed it out yet.

2. I wanted to post photos and ideas pertaining to the wedding...to demonstrate that I've made at least a little progress. I cleared off the kitchen table and prepared my guest "box" - an address box serving as a guest book - and my rehearsal dinner bouquet - created from the ribbons and bows from my bridal shower gifts. Then I realized my camera's in the trunk of the car, which Jesse drove to work tonight. All I've got are these photos of the finished ring bearer bowl:

3. I was inspired today. I don't know what it was, if it was one genesis or several. I've been thinking about letterpress broadsides since seeing a call for art for a local show. Granted, my letterpress is not remotely up and running yet, but I'm down to try freehanding some. Check out these gorgeous pieces from Anagram Press in Tacoma. I'm most interested in their Feminism Series broadsides, but the bird prints are awesome as well. I'm leaning toward the lush olive & chocolate Victory Garden print as a favorite.

I like the idea of handcreating a poster with an uplifting message. I just bought the incredible Handy Book of Artistic Printing and it's teeming with ideas that could be built upon with pen and paper. I even have my first topic chosen.

Secondly, I just requested a copy of the police report from the accident that caused my grandmother's death. She was hit by a car and killed on Christmas Eve last year and I still have unanswered questions and uncertain responses to the incident. I envision using copies of the report in an artist's book expressing grief. Or maybe the dichotomy of burying my grandparents ashes two days before getting married. An interesting balance...

It seems I may not have had so much to say afterall. I feel content with that, and happy that I've discovered a little pocket of bloggers at the enormous agency where I work. Maybe now I'll feel like I'm addressing an audience!

query

2009-08-20T13:43:00.000-07:00

My blog needs a design overhaul. Especially after reading blogs of real-life artists and designers, I'm recognizing that this place needs some sprucing up. I guess I didn't learn the daunting Adobe InDesign program for nothing...I need to put it to use!

It's sort of like how it's good to have a clean, comfortable bedroom...the place you return to at the end of every day, the place you go to recharge. I think if my blog is pretty and well-composed, I'll be more apt to visit here, to write and create.

I am extremely open to suggestions. What sort of blog "look" appeals to you most? What color schemes? I just bought some notecards and envelopes in the the "Night" and "Papaya" colors from Paper Source:

I think these might just be a color phase I'm going through. Green's my favorite and navy's creeping up in personal popularity.

What about a logo? Into deer right now. Always owls and birds, but are they cliche? Something book or craft related?

Let's hear your recommendations!

purr

2009-08-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

My girl feline is a solo rangeress. She likes to keep her distance, atop a fur-attracting white sofa mountain, squinting one pretty eyeball from across the room (the other often covered with a modest paw).

Last night, somehow, somewhy, she climbed into bed with me, in between the sheet and the comforter. I was sleeping, so I didn’t notice she was pressed up against my legs through that thin barrier. At some point I rolled myself around and over, in order to free my feet from the blankets. Half-waking, I sensed a soft vibration, a wriggling next to me. I fell back asleep, then awoke to more squirming. I was dreaming. It was a baby. A little human infant. It was a squirrel. Something furry and small. This was much better than jumping to my knees to kill the imaginary dream spider or to strangle the imaginary dream serpent (I’m a very active sleeper). I was so happy with my little cocooned creature; I had to see what she looked like. I unrolled and unrolled, and Aurora popped out of the fabric cyclone. She marched off the bed and didn’t look back.

piglet

2009-08-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

For Chloe’s last weekend in Portland this summer, we decided to head to my friend Teresa’s house for a small, impromptu barbeque. Chloe and I had gone berry picking on Sauvie Island the day before with our wonderful friend, Maria, so I whipped up a mixed berry trifle and also pressed and fried some fresh corn tortillas to share.

Allow me to digress. Saturday, as we drove toward the island on which we would do our berry picking, we stopped at a red light on Highway 30 in north Portland. A big dump truck came motoring through the intersection just ahead of us, with its, um, clutching mechanism not quite tucked into the proper spot. As we gaped, open-mouthed and wide-eyed, the top of the truck caught on the overhanging light signal and power cord. SNAP! The power cord split and went flying through the air as I rushed to roll up my window. I envisioned the end of the cord jumping into the car and electrocuting us.

Nothing ultra dramatic happened as a result. I called 911 and confirmed for dispatch that no arcs of electricity were shooting up from the sidewalk. Emergency over.

Back to the barbeque. We packed up our supplies and drove to Newberg, the sleepy townlet where Teresa and her kids live. Upon arriving, we learned that Teresa’s daughter, Ali, had come down with some awful sickness and a fever of over 100 degrees. I had to hold Chloe back from running into Ali’s room to hug her.

We ate mass amounts of guacamole and tortilla chips and drank mojitos. Chloe and Tristan, Teresa’s son, sequestered themselves in Tristan’s room, playing with Hot Wheels. My Jesse provided complimentary dream interpretation services to another Jesse (I feel as though I shouldn’t capitalize the latter Jesse’s name!) while I snuggled with T’s darling new puppy, Winston. Badminton, flank steak tacos and 80’s music completed a lovely summer Sunday.

The next day I got the phone call. “Sara, the doctors think Ali has swine flu.”

Oh boy oh boy. For the next five days I closely monitored myself, feeling my forehead every few hours and pursing my lips in worry with each telltale cough. The CDC website instructs those who may have been exposed to swine flu to carry about with their usual business and to continue going to work. Now it’s Friday, the last day we would have likely come down with this evil sickness, and I’m feeling pretty good.

It’s been a harrowing week, but luckily we’ve all survived it.

victory is relative

2009-07-31T14:09:00.000-07:00

My nut-studded crust earned gloriously complimentary comments. The extra butter Jesse suggested did wonders, I say. My filling was not as firm as I would have liked...perhaps a little time in an actual icebox (rather than a fridge) would help? When all was said and done, I was a winner, though not the only winner.

My prize? Two Tupperware cups with nicely sealing lids and straw holes. And the sweet glow of satisfaction.

I'm serious about making contest winning my new part-time job (this is number 2 for the month). I'll keep you posted.

límon

2009-07-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

I was invited to participate in a Lemon Icebox Pie "Throwdown" ala Bobby Flay, in honor of our Civil Deputy Supervisor's birthday. I did a test run the weekend before the contest, and the following is the recipe that resulted:

Hopefully Award-Winning Lemon Icebox Pie

Crust:

1/3 box of honey graham crackers, finely crushed (7 or 8 crackers)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup white sugar
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Grease deep-dish pie plate with butter. Mix together all crust ingredients and press into the bottom and onto the sides of the pie plate. Bake for 7 minutes at 375 degrees. Cool.

Filling:

12 oz. plain cream cheese, room temperature
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. vanilla
Juice of 4 large lemons (approximately 1 cup)
Juice of 1 small lime

Mix all ingredients in electric mixer on medium speed till smooth. Pour into cooled crust. Refrigerate overnight. Serve with Cool Whip.