blog #098 >> Do you know what happens tonight?

Tonight is the season finale of the academy award winning LOST!
Ha! I can't wait! I hope I'm not disappointed. It's been really slow at work so we've been watching lots of "hatches and missing pieces" on YouTube. And now I'm all psyched up for it the finale. I hope they answer some questions... at least a few. I've been watching back episodes this week to refresh my brain on what's actually happening. Wow, things have really changed. I just think, that person's dead now and so is that one and oh, that one too... and they haven't even found the hatch or the tail section yet. Since I started watching LOST at day one the pilot, it's been years since I've seen these episodes. It's fun to see how things tie in now that more of the plot has unfolded. And we'll just have to wait and see if they get off the island tonight. I think they will. And how the heck are they going to move the island? I have my theories... but we'll just have to wait for tonight. Until then, you can build some theories your own. And watch these clips too, they'll help let you know what the heck is going on... without giving anything away.




Or if you're too behind for those... watch these:
Lost Orientation Guide Part 1
Lost Orientation Guide Part 2
Lost Orientation Guide - Special - Blast door map
Lost Orientation Guide - Blast door map - Update
Lost Orientation Guide - Special - Smoke Monster

And if you're too far behind for those, I'm afraid you'll just have to watch the show.

blog #097 >> hi, my name is Bob

Here's Bob the tiny pink packing peanut snail. He's got paper clip antennae and his own little name tag.
T

blog #096 >> The Mystery of the Lobster Sweater

If I ever get a pet lobster, I'm knitting him this:
The Mystery of the Lobster Sweater
It will be like one those little sweaters for you pooch, only better.

I love this magazine. They've always got great craft ideas... I guess that's why they called it Craft:

Oh, and thanks Trina for sending me the link.

T

blog #095 >> American Home Magazine

Here are some old American Home magazines from the 50's I borrowed from my sister-in-law. She got them to get some ideas for remodeling their kitchen. Every issue features a new blue print for a house you can build yourself as well as approximated cost. It also has a monthly nick-knack/gadget section. A monthly recipe section that picks one thing, like a box of cake mix, and makes a bunch of dishes from it which aren't half bad. And it's got a monthly "What's wrong with the table setting?" section, which explains the finer points of picking what dishes go with what event and gives great hosting tips. I love them! They're so much fun to look through. And some of those old ads are so funny. There was even one for a small Mexican burrow, "For $59 you can be the envy of all your neighbors." Yeah, if my neighbor had a lawn burrow... I'd be envious! Until it was "hee-hahing" at one o'clock in the morning... Then I'd be thinking, "Why did the neighbors HAVE to get a burrow? Stupid burrow." See below for other fun things.


Here it is!


Yes, you can decorate EVERY room of the house with rattan furniture. And my grandparents DID!


Wow! They spin so fast! It's amazing they don't break.


"Photography means irregular hours," says Mrs. Ethel Sargent, Belleville, N.J., outstanding portrait photographer. "So I depend on my Gas range to turn itself on, cook a whole oven dinner, and turn itself off. Dinner's ready when I get home!"
Hey, a gas oven that will automatically turn it's self on and off. It sounds like a fiery explosion waiting to happen, which is probably why the don't make gas ovens like that anymore.


Instructions on how to buy a TV.


It's always a good idea to have a floor so bright it makes you dizzy.


Ah, that girl on the couch looks like she just swooned from such fantastic relaxing organ music. Play away!


A frig you can keep in ANY room of the house you want! Brilliant!

blog #094>> In Memoriam

Happy Memorial Day, a.k.a. go visit your dead relatives day.
Here are some shots of Logan Pleasant View Pioneer Cemetery where most of my dad's side of the family is laid to rest. For some reason, I've always enjoyed visiting cemeteries. They're kinda like parks. They've got grass, trees, lots of pretty flowers, and as an added bonus, these rocks with names and dates to read. I find it interesting to read the inscriptions on headstones. You can tell a lot about someone by reading what they chose to engrave on their stone, sort of a summery of life. And then I wonder what happened during the dash between the dates.

blog #093>> if I were a French poodle...

...I would look like this.

Actually, I really don't want to be a French poodle. They're kinda hyper, annoying dogs. But they've got great hair styles, and are often pictured wearing cat-eye glasses. (Just like me.) And since I apparently look so much like these fashionable pooches, I've got a small collection of curly haired puppies of my own.
My mom got me this little lovely yesterday. THANKS! She found it at The Troutdale Antique Mall. I guess it reminded her of me... It must have been the curly hair. It's a glasses holder to put my vintage frames on when I go to bed. And she also picked me up that cute 50's pink perfume bottle.
Thanks again,
T

blog #092 >> Pink frosting fixes everything...

...except my cake.

Yesterday, was Cooking Disaster Day. It's not that I'm a bad cook... I like to cook and I think I'm pretty good at it too. I was even in cooking 4H when I was a kid. I've baked chocolate lava cakes with molten chocolate insides. I've made chocolate frosting that needed to be stirred every five minutes for two hours while being refrigerated at a certain temperature. I bake pineapple upside-down cakes left and right. I've baked yellow-chocolate marble cakes, sour cream cakes, pudding cakes, coffee cakes, jello cakes, boxed cakes, cakes from scratch, layered cakes, ice cream cakes and cup cakes.
But yesterday I was simply cursed.

I woke up yesterday morning with only one thing in mind. CHOCOLATE! Who knows why, but it was really all I wanted to eat. So I went to the cupboard and resisted the temptation to eat only chocolate for breakfast and had some toast with Nutella, and milk... I almost made chocolate milk too, but I manged to put the mix back in the cupboard. And there in the back was a lonely box of chocolate cake mix. Ah, there it was. What I really wanted for breakfast. But I was in a hurry to leave for work. So I left it on the counter, planning to start it when I got home.

As soon as I got home, I took my coat off and got to work. Preheated the oven checked my ingredients, got out the pans, turned on some music, (because you can't cook without music) and my cake was on it's way. Well, I open the package and pour in the water and oil and go to get the eggs. And the eggs were dated April 20th. Now I know I don't use eggs very often, but a whole month out dated! After I gave it some thought I remembered my mom loaning me some eggs and refilling the old container. But they're still probably pretty old eggs. So, since I had already started adding the ingredients, I decided to go up to the store and buy more eggs and some other groceries I needed.

One hour later, I get home put my groceries away and resume cake baking. I add the eggs and... the oil? I don't remember. Did I add it already? I'll add it again. So, I mix it all up and pour it in the pan and reheat the oven. And as I'm cleaning up I realize... Oh, shoot! There's only two eggs shells, and it needed three eggs! Well, too late now they're in the oven.

Next, I start the frosting. I fortunately had some frosting start from Trina. She had made some too thin and too pink, gave it to me and I kept it in my freezer for later. I got it out defrosted it and added some more powdered sugar. And then I got it just the right consistency. Well, I leave it on the counter, and eat dinner, which was also a disaster but another story. And then I played the accordion for awhile. After the cakes where done... rather flat but done, I pulled them from the oven and let them cool for a bit. (They also cracked when I put them on the wire rack.) And after they had cooled for a half hour, the frosting began. Perhaps I didn't let my cakes cool enough, or perhaps the frosting defrosted a little more than expected. But either way my cake fell. All the icing just sort of melted away. Finally, it toppled over creating the disaster pictured above.

Now actually, I'm sure it will be fine... in the end. I mean, it still tastes like chocolate. And isn't that what it's all about. Really it's a quite comical cake. I couldn't have made it look any worse had I tried. And tonight, when I get home from work. I get to eat chocolate cake with milk, which is exactly what I need.

T

blog #091 >> Are you a hipster?

What is a hipster? Am I one? Do I care either way?
These are the important questions we ask ourselves today.

Firstly: What is a hipster?
A hipster is someone who is young, well-educated, urban, and has interests in a non-mainstream fashion and cultural aesthetic. So basically their non-conformisits with a flare. And there's nothing wrong with that. But unfortunately, many hipsters tend to be stuck-up and snobby about their hipness. Then they demand this same coolness from friends and family, which makes them rather unpleasant people. They also view themselves as lofty and above others who are less "in the know" than they are. They like to talk about themselves a lot. And they tend to start obsessions over things they think are cool... like um... Bob Dylan. Then after a few weeks Bob Dylan is no longer in fashion so they switch to someone cooler... like um... Johnny Cash. But then Johnny Cash is out. So they obsess over Elvis or whatever. In the end they never like one thing for very long. They're actually kinda annoying.

Which bring us to our next question: Am I a hipster?
It's hard to say if you're a true hipster or not. You may be cool... but are you cool enough to be a hipster? There are lots of ways to find out. For instance you might be a hipster if you own a Mac, wear Converse or drive an old Volvo. And you probably are a hipster if you don't own a Mac, wear Converse or drive an old Volvo, only because that's what everyone else is doing. And you don't want to be like them, because they're not hip enough for you. But in the end the best way to tell for sure is to take one of these tests below.
http://rumandmonkey.com/widgets/toys/testgen/271/
or
http://www.geocities.com/darkestdreamer666/hipstertest.html

I am a Artiste Hipster.
You paint, you draw, you cut up bits of paper, you take digital photographs. You're always on the move and great with your hands. You use words like "Postmodern," "image," "simplicity," and "project." You spend hours in the studio. You have friends who are also devoted to the creative side of life. You don't care if you never get recognized--as long as you've created art, then you'll die happy.

And I'm 72.8% Hipster Pure. Just enough to be cool without being too annoying... well I know I'm annoying too... sometimes.

So, yeah. I guess I'm somewhat of a hipster.
But I'm okay with that now.


And for the final question:
Does it even matter if I'm a hipster or not?
No, it does not.
If you're disturbed by the fact that you're a hipster. Or afraid you might be one. You're are probably a real hipster. Only a real super hip, super-hipster would be concerned about being coined with the term "hipster." This is simply because they never want to be defined or classified in any way.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a hipster. Hipsters are cool, artsy people who love an urban lifestyle while enjoying organic living. Just please, if you too are a hipster, don't be the annoying, flaky, condescending type of hipster. Just be happy being as cool as you are, and don't always seek to be cooler.

Other hipster thoughts:

The term "hipster" isn't just for people anymore. It can also describe, organic bread, black framed glasses, iPods, your favorite band, and messenger bags.

Nerds and hippies are also similar to hipsters, but don't be confused. Although hippies also care about the Earth and wear Birkenstocks, they are not hipsters. They are not as clean as hipsters, often smell, wear tie-died shirts, and play bongo drums. They're also not as tech savvy as hipsters. Nerds are also similar to hipsters. I'm certainly more of a nerd than a hipster. Nerds and hipsters both share a love for technology. But hipsters must always have the latest and greatest techno-treasure, while nerds are happy fixing up their 2001 Mac and turning it into a hotrod. If you've got a box labeled,"My Giant Box of Cords" or have a drawer full of misc. hard drives, you've got some nerd in you too. Also although both nerds and hipsters tend to get obsessed over things like Rubik's Cubes and Star Wars, nerds will remain obsessed over those things long after they're out of fashion. And that's not bad thing. If you really love something, you should love it longer than two weeks.

Enough ranting now. Everyone enjoy their day!
T

blog #090 >> Watching things grow

Today the weather changed from sunny to rainy, which means everything just took off and started to grow. The rhododendrons all opened in the courtyard, and the giant rose bush by the front door finally blossomed.

And it seems the nasturtium on my porch multiply whenever I walk past. They're just popping up left and right.

Even Vinnie is happy with all this sunny, humid weather.

The garden's really taken off as well. My heart leaps for every new sprout. And I feel like celebrating for every little seedling.
I hope it does well.
Here are the radishes. Are you suppose to do anything special to radishes? We've never planted them before, so we're not sure if you're suppose to thin them or not.

Spinach seedlings.

Walla Walla Onions... well, I guess you could have read the marker too.

And here you can see a little, tiny pinkish strawberry.
I'm very excited for the strawberries.

And that's the garden.

T

blog #089 >> I guess I dress like a grandma.

Here are some of my great grandma's old blouses. I went through them and cleaned them up this week. I was also able to find some vintage shell buttons to replace the missing ones. So I sewed them all back on, as well as some missing snaps. I just love them, and I think they'll make really nice breezy summer tops. Of course I have to be ever so careful when I wear them though. They're not easy to clean and that linen is papery thin.

blog #088 >> I'm soooo bored...

...so I'm watching YouTube videos.
This is how I speak French.

le baguette, soup du jour, croissant, oui oui?
chocolat d'amour

blog #087 >> I'm bored... so I'm reading blogs.

Work is still slow. So, while I'm sitting here eating my ravioli lasagna and designing an ad featuring our green cd packaging alternatives, I'm reading blogs. I like reading other people's blogs, especially people I know (in person) and crafting blogs. It's a great way to keep up with people you don't get to see very often, or do see often. And I love seeing what cute, lovely things other people are making. I've also realized that I'm really bad about not leaving comments. So, I'm working on that. And I'm trying to always (well almost always) leave a comment, even if it's just a short, "Hey, I read your blog. It's nice." comment. Below are some of the blogs I've been reading lately. And if you can think of one I'm not reading and would enjoy, please list it in the comments. I'd love to visit it!

Inside a Black Apple
Some Girls Wander
These are the blogs of Emily, (I don't know Emily, I just like her blogs.)
They're always good for a read and she has wonderful art. Her second blog is a fashion blog, and I LOVE her shoes.

A Fanciful Twist
This is Vannessa's Blog, (Who I also don't know, just like her blog.)
She makes cute little dolls who would be fabulous friends for Theodore.
And she tells great stories too.

Cozy Little Whimsy Nook
This is Marmee Craft Blog. (Another one whom I don't know, but I do like her blog.)
She has the sweetest little paintings, and I love to see her latest sewing projects. She makes reproduction dresses from the late 1800's and they are amazing!

The Frankie Files
Meggie Cat
Her Meggie Cat blog offers great how-to's and do-it-yourself ideas. And The Frankie Files are just filled with great clip art.
And I do love clip art.

Agence eureka
Oh, how I wish I spoke French! This one has some of the best clip art yet and such pretty illustrations.


Shorpy
Here's where I go to view cool old vintage photographs.

Posie Gets Cozy
A fun local blog.

DuBuhDu Designs
The colorful doll maker... I love how all her dolls have things like masks and tiny self portraits.

Bella and Boo
One of my favorite artists.

Somebody's Little Weasel
Trina's Blog, (who lives across the courtyard.)
A great blog with all kinds of crafts and tasty meals.

Dreams and Memories...
Dave's Blog, (who is married to Trina and live across the courtyard.)
Great song clips and good for local restaurant ideas.
See also,
Experiencing Food in Portland

She Sleeps Like a Girl
Linda Beth's blog, (who is living across the courtyard too.)

Wee Little Things
My sisters' craft blog, (to show off their cute little things.)

Life at the Leingangs
My sister Carrie's family's blog.
Where I can see what's happening in their home school group and at church.

The Adventures of ZAW
This is my nephews' blog. It hosts all their homemade movies. And it's to show the world all the great ideas they have.

Well, that probably sums up all the blogs I regularly read. If I missing anyone, let me know.
T

blog #086 >> l'ours de danse

Here's my latest little work. The frame is the one I bought last week at Good Will. Then I spray painted it black, and made this collage to live inside. It incorporates some of my favorite things: silhouettes, clocks, paintings in paintings, birds, and animals in fine clothes. I just love paintings and pictures of clocks. It's always the same time, in that little land, and I'm always curious why the artist picked that particular time as opposed to another time.


I cut my silhouettes from this old book, which I salvaged from the Oregon City School sale. Had I not bought it, it would have been sent to the dump. It's a 1925 reader to help children learn to read out loud. And I was able to build a very pretty collage from all the various little silhouettes inside.

blog #085 >> Book of the Week: Envelopes by Harriet Russell

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" may be the saying of the US Postal Service. But the Royal Mails' slogan will be something like this, "Through bad puns, larky art, strange puzzles, hand drawn maps, dot-to-dots and quirky crosswords we will prevail, solve and deliver to the appointed addresses and when in doubt to Harriet Russell Flat 1/1 17 Montague St. Glasgow G4 9HU."
This book follows Harriet Russell's "puzzling journey" to outwit the Royal Mail carriers. All I can say is cheers to the heroic Royal Mail carriers who went out of their way and used their brains to solve these addresses and deliver them safely to their destinations.









Do you miss getting letters in the mail? Real letters in the mail, not just junk and magazines, but actual notes from kind friends. I do. I think we should bring back letter writing. It just may be the thing I need to entice me to check my mail box more than once a week.

©2005 Random House
www.atrandom.com

blog #084 >> Great Good Will

After a long Good Will drought, it's finally rained. I really haven't found much there since the owl lamp. But yesterday I went to the Gresham Good Will's grand opening day. Wow, I guess they've been saving up all the cool stuff and shipping it out there. It was great! I didn't even buy all the wonderful things I found, just the best.
Here are some of my treasures.


I'm going to repaint the gold frame with the rounded convex glass black and ink a silhouette for it. I've been really into silhouettes lately.


Here's a picture of the inside of the tea cup. You can see a Japanese lady inside when you hold it up to a light.


Here's a marlin to join his comrades in my porcelain aquarium a.k.a. the bathroom.


And I got this tiny elf to watch over the plants in the garden.

blog #083 >> I Really Love Jello

A lemon, bananna, orange sherbet mold.

blog #082 >> A Grand Entry

As requested a picture of my hanging basket and front porch.

blog #081 >> Our Gorgeous Garden

Here's a collection of photos from the garden.

blog #080 >> Fubons!

Fubons is a happy Asian market on 82nd between Division and Powell. I love this place.
Above are some of my treasures from the past.
I bought some quail eggs. They're really pretty, small and look a little like wood.
I don't think I'll eat them though, I'll just blow them for Easter next year. They also have these cinnamon sticks the size of logs. Well, the kindling size at least. And I got some more rice noodles, puddings, colored and shaped tapioca, pho soup mix, pot stickers, dumplings, coconut gel (they're really good in fruit salads!) water chestnuts, and I can't even remember what else. Oh, they've got really good fresh ginger, tea, sauces, Top Raman, and sushi fixings too. I just love going there. It's as close to Asia as you'll get in Oregon. Well, there are other great Asian markets around too, but it's my favorite.

blog #079 >> Haiku!

Yes, I may have cheated a bit writing in a couple of words I couldn't find. And one actually has eight syllables instead of seven. But I thought they were kinda clever. I like magnetic poetry. It's a lesson in finding synonyms.
Obviously, I got tired towards the end.