Thanks, Etsy elves, for making me look like a genius.

I had grandiose plans to create something handmade for all my loved ones this year, but since I didn’t start in March, like I should have if I was being at all realistic, I only pulled off a 20% success rate. (But what I did make, gets gold stars. Stay tuned for show and tell.) Here are some things I found on Etsy this year that made me look like the Sean Connery of gift giving. (Yeah – I'm not sure either, just roll with it.)


I can’t say enough good things about wildcloudberry, the seller who made this lovely scarflette for my bosom buddy Selma. I perused the shop, and loved the garments, but didn’t see one that was 100% Selma-esque. So I inquired, and not only did the woman knit a custom cowl from the shade of yarn and variety of button I requested, she did it in record time. It arrived just a couple days later, wrapped up all darling in a manner that you know you’ll never be able to replicate if you open to take a peek. Which I proved true. Anyway, I loved the scarflette, as did Selma.


What do you get a man so obsessed with BBQ that he watches Pit Master marathons and already has an iron brander that spells out his name? A fancy rub sampler, that’s what. The set from purposedesign includes eight different hand-blended rubs in small reusable tins. Chimichurri Rub, I’ve got my eye on you.

What do you get a man so obsessed with his iPhone that he recently broke his Word Warp high score while in the bathtub? (BBQ guy and iPhone guy are one in the same, by the way. And sorry, Beardy, for outing your weird man-bath time.) Anyway, you get him this iPhone/iPod dock by Woodtec. I thought about getting all metaphorical about the marriage of technology and the outdoors, but that’s not what it’s about. It’s a log, that charges your iPhone. That alone is reason enough. Plus it brings me one step closer to molding Beard into the lumberjack of my dreams. A tech-saavy Paul Bunyan. The metamorphosis will be complete as soon as I figure out a reason to keep an ax in the house. Or… not. I’ll make a pros and cons list.

Happy New Year, everyone! It's going to be good. I can feel it.

Yule Report

While you were spending Christmas in your comfy pants, eating peanut brittle and turkey legs while watching your favorite holiday movie with your family in your warm home, I was being tricked into doing a 12-mile hike. And it was fantastic!

I didn't go home this year, which marked my second ever Christmas away from my family in Minnesota. I've got a pretty big trip coming up in February (so epic that it involves anti-malaria precautions!) and have no vacation time to spare, as well as zero patience or money for peak holiday travel, aaaand my parents were just here two weeks ago, so quit judging me already, OK? Instead Beard and I had brunch with our friends Matt and Jenny, and then we all headed to Forest Park to take a stroll with their vizsla and visiting border collie mix.

As you can see from the photo, Portland suffered an identity crisis, and it was a gorgeous day. Sunglasses were worn. One thing led to another, and the next thing we knew we'd hiked up to Pittock Mansion, where the photo was snapped, then on to the rose gardens at Washington Park before looping back to the car, three adventure-hike hours later.

Then I promptly went home, put on my pajamas, and stuffed my face with pizza and Jubelale and watched Home Alone with some buddies. You really can have it both ways.

Hope you all had a lovely holiday, wherever or however you chose to celebrate it.

Stewing

You know that Dinty Moore beef stew, that comes in a can, with the mushy vegetables and the suspect-looking meat mounds? Most people have never considered actually eating it. But you know what? I love that shit. Loooooove it. So, with this in mind, imagine how much I adore its homemade, non-sketchy counterpart.

Free license to eat stew without scrutiny might be my favorite thing about winter. Apparently I'm pretty vocal about this, because a couple months ago at work, publishers started sending me a disproportionate amount of books about one pot meals - one of them being Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever. Seriously, that's the real subtitle. And I'm going to let it slide, because the book is amazing.

I didn't have to spend much time deciding what to make first - I wanted the stew from the cover, and I wanted it NOWS. Minus the corn. (I feel strongly that corn does not belong in soup. One of my coworkers also believes corn has no place on the cover of a book. So this was a double corn whammy. What a polarizing vegetable!) Anyway, the prep for this recipe was extremely easy, and I'm not sure the wonder of a crock pot will ever wear off for me. You put food in it, turn it on, and leave. And then it's a meal, ready when you walk into your house, which has incidentally been filled with amazing aromas. I can only hope that the Nobel Prize commission will someday recognize what this contraption has done for humanity.

So. Old-Fashioned Beef Stew. (Based on the version from the previously mentioned best cookbook ever.)

Ingredients:
4 yellow potatoes, quartered
2 medium onions, quartered
2 carrots, 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 lb beef chuck, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup beef broth
2 T olive oil
3/4 c flour
1 t dried thyme
1 c frozen peas

Throw your potatoes, carrots, onions, 1 t salt and 1/2 t pepper in your crock pot. Put 1 t salt, 1 t pepper and flour in a bag, then the meat. Shake. Heat oil in skillet, add meat, and cook until brown on all sides, but don't cook through. Deglaze skillet with the broth, scrape any browned bits, and put it all in the crock pot. Add the thyme, cover, and cook on low for 8 hours. Add peas, and cook for another hour. Voila.

I took photos of my stew, and then accidentally deleted them from my camera. But honestly, it looked just like the photo. Minus the corn.

I'm baaaaaack!

With the exception of 36 hours or so, I've felt like a crazy, deranged lady for the last three months. There aren't really good reasons for this. There haven't been any life-altering catastrophes, just a rotating roster of life stuff - and most of it has been enjoyable. Like trips and weddings, and positive changes. One being that I moved about a month ago, into a fantastic place, with a regularly sized kitchen! Look at it! Look at my kitchen! Well, look at half of it.
And while you're at it, look at my reading nook. Poang chair + bay window = win. The footstool doesn't hurt, either. But anyway, I moved. I've also been planning an epic trip. I'll be spending about a month in Southeast Asia, starting in February. More on that later. I've also been sewing! Sewing complicated things! Things that I am giving as gifts. So you'll have to wait until they've been given before I spill the beans.

Anyway, I'm excited to share some projects. Expect to hear about (and see evidence of) sewing milestones and a notable crock pot conquest very soon. In the meantime, I'm going to spend the weekend on the Oregon coast, with my visiting parents, hopefully doing a lot of this:

No More Excuses

Prepare to soon be dazzled by this sophisticated little point-and-shoot. I watched the CNET video about six times before finally pulling the trigger, so here's hoping the ISO sensitivity and 5x zoom live up to the hype. Either way, it sure is purdy.

Excuses, excuses.

Oh hi! How are you? What's that? You're wondering where the hell I've been? And why I don't seem to give a rat's arse about my blog anymore? Well... here's the deal:

My digital camera died. The photos accompanying my last few posts were captured on my phone. MY PHONE. This is not ideal. And you know what else? I just moved, and don't have the internets yet. It's a long, sad story that involves a disappointed Comcast technician, and a gigantic drill. I had to sneak into a coffee shop and pretend I wanted a hot chocolate just to share this message with you right now. I am sacrificing for you, by drinking this hot chocolate. I am selfless.

Anyway, I'll be back soon, I promise! I've got my eyes on a fancy new point and click, and my new place has a craft room! And a stove with more than one working burner, and an oven with more than one cubic foot of space. That doesn't run 75 degrees hot. It's luxurious.

So basically, you're in for it, once I get my bearings. Watch out.

In the meantime, here's yet another thing I'm obsessed with on Etsy. Sasquatch holiday! The best kind.

Regretsy

Don't get me wrong, I love Etsy. I am still swooning over the bag I got a couple of weeks ago, not to mention the earrings that warranted their own blog post. But Regretsy.com, this blog that showcases some of the more... interesting (I'm being very kind) items available, is some of the funniest shit I've seen in a long time.

This chicken poncho/wrist cuff is just the beginning. Other highlights include the "Party Sweater" (Don't even think about buying the hat. OFF LIMITS), the "Large Mounted Bearded White Tiger Head with Swarovski Crystal Encrusted Features,"and my personal favorite, the "Just Married Wedding T." I almost peed myself reading the comments. Which means that my heart is likely tiny, dark and empty. But it's funny enough that I'm OK with it.