the projects in my head

I frequently have many project ideas floating around my head. I often scribble them down in my sketchbook, on post-its that find themselves affixed in odd locations, or in my moleskine notebook that continually rides in my purse and on various scraps of paper that may be within reach when an idea begins to surface or flesh itself out. Ideas often come at the most inconvenient times—take a couple weeks ago when I was running to a printer to pick up a project and bam! children's book idea hits me (this is the most frequent kind of idea that floats in my head—I've got 7 or 8 kids' book ideas in the works, mostly in my head). I frantically start pawing around in my purse while keeping my eyes on the road, grab a pen, find some random little envelope with a bit of gum stuck in one corner and then realize there is absolutely no way to write down my idea while driving down Kingston Pike in the middle of lunch hour traffic. So I put the free hand back on the wheel again and whisper the idea over and over again until I reach intended destination and can park. Usually at this point the idea starts to sound less exciting and ceases to excite me, but occasionally they will make it to scrap paper and then never see the light of day again. I have dreams of one day, in my retirement, pulling out a tattered scrapbook containing all my ideas and suddenly working them all out and becoming an amazing children's book writer/illustrator in my late 60's and dedicating each one to my grandchildren and my dear husband who never gave up on encouraging me to do children's books.

Well, lately I've had this type project rolling around in my head—at least for 7 months. And yesterday, during the second service sermon (which I was in because I sang in both services) I imagined another type project idea that would relate well to the first. And this morning, there came a third. So now, I'm going to attempt to embark on a type series project. My brain is still mulling out all the details of said project, but for once I decided to put it in the blogosphere and perhaps this would give me a sort of accountability to follow through and see where it leads. Soon this week I will sit down and put a description of the project and the parameters I'm mentally giving myself on here. I've said I will, so I will. Coming soon…

Alice.com

I've been wanting to discuss my love for Alice.com on here for a while. My sister discovered it a few months ago and passed the info on to me. I was a bit skeptical at first, but always take a good recommendation seriously. I use it frequently and must say that although I love the laziness of shopping online from my cozy couch, the true love for me is how easy it is to watch my budget when I shop there. I always struggle at stores to mentally add up my items and make sure I'm within what I have to spend. Alice makes it so much easier as I can add and take things away from my total with a click. I also don't have to spend time in the aisles trying to decipher all the facts about every product on the shelf. I can just make my list on Alice, read the product info and reviews, AND Alice automatically adds any coupon that exists for the product! Wonderful! I actually made an order Tuesday and am expecting to see the lovely box on my doorstep when I get home this evening. Did I mention 2-3 day delivery and free shipping? Yes, free shipping! Always! Really if you haven't tried Alice.com yet, you should check it out. Makes life a lot easier. It really is true—everyone needs an Alice!

Also, here is another reason for love of Alice: Alice.com announces free samples + win a Mac Book!

there are no words to express how much I love September…

My joy was indescribable this morning when I saw the date on the calendar and then looked outside and saw the cool crisp air just hinting that fall is almost completely here. I longingly glanced at my box of sweaters awaiting to be unpacked and my mound of tights that I'm aching to wear even though it is still too warm. And then, to top it all off, I arrive at work this morning to find a Pumpkin Spice Latte with a lovely post-it note on my desk! One of my coworkers wives has a love affair with Pumpkin Spice Lattes as well. We recently discovered this bond that we share that many do not fully understand. It's going to be a lovely month!

rethinking everything

It is often a scary thing to acquire knowledge. Over the past few months I have frequently thought back to childhood and the beautiful innocence of it. Becoming an adult changes a lot, and although I thought I would have realized that several years ago, some things are just now starting to become overwhelming. Responsibility always sounded like such a great word when I was going through the shaky teenage years, but now, I realize how much responsibility I am faced with daily. Every decision I seem to make is either me taking responsibility or not. Every decision I don't think to make is still me taking responsibility. This is what makes my head hurt. There are too many things to consider and research.

Perhaps I should start where this all did. Mark and I recently started a Netflix membership. We have quite a queue lined up and have already watched many. The past month or so, we have been on a documentary kick. This is mainly because of Mark, but also out of curiosity. As a result of these, we have been talking about a lot of issues neither of us ever seemed to be concerned or aware of. Issues such as the medical industry, cancer, antibiotics, recycling, dentistry, midwives, processed foods, organic food, toxins, chain restaurants, shots... and the list seems to be continually growing. Now, I grew up in a very conservative Christian home where I was taught wonderful, rational, and loving things, but for the most part, never was what I learned to consider an "environmental freak." This also typifies my husband's upbringing as well. Things have changed. Maybe it is the quarter-of-a-century birthdays that we are both facing this year, or the conversations about having a family and decisions we'll need to make. Whatever it is, we've both started to take a really hard look at things around us and our ideas of "normal" living and starting to get concerned and confused.

Now, I realize that documentaries are often very biased and some do not present both sides of the argument or even the whole truth about the favored side. But they have caused us to start thinking. A lot. And research has ensued. This is all great, right? Of course it is. We should be thinking for ourselves and examining what's put before us. But it is really terrifying as well. Neither of us want to become conspiracy theorists, as so many on the web like to call those who discuss a lot of the pitfalls of these issues, but at the same time when you start looking into these issues the "conspiracy" called greed becomes extremely prevalent.

So, the point of this seemingly rambling post, I'm not sure. I am not a verbal processor, contrary to the stereotype about women. I have been really struggling to process all these issues and my inability to verbalize all my thoughts to Mark has been a source of frustration to myself. So, perhaps by writing something down, things will find a way to start sorting in my head. Maybe I'll write a post on each of these issues as I research them and make decisions. Maybe that won't be necessary or desirable. I guess we'll see.

In addition here is a brief list of the movies that have caused this mess:
The Business of Being Born—about the birth industry, mother and baby safety, and the prevalence of midwives everywhere but the U.S.

Super Size Me—about fast-food chains (most specifically McDonald's), obesity, and the effects of processed food on the body

The Beautiful Truth—a not so well-done documentary but it brings up multiple issues about cancer treatment, antibiotics, dentistry and fluoride, and organic foods.

on the queue to come: Sicko, In the Womb, Maxed Out, and hopefully Food Inc.
on the bookshelf: Fast Food Nation, A Cancer Therapy

someday…

I will be illustrating a children's book and have a dog sleeping on my lap. Just like this:



[image from this grain edit article]

music to my ears…

the lovely craigslist piano. Isn't she beautiful?
(and the ivories are yellowish because they are real ivory with the wood grain look and texture which apparently is very unique)

card sentiment

Over Thanksgiving, Mark and I cleaned out the last few things from my parent's house in Kansas City. It was just a couple boxes on the shelf in my old room's closet. They were quite a treasure trove of my collected junk over the years. Among them are my rock collection, my shell collection, my McDonald's Barbie figurine toys collection, my coffee sleeve collection and random assortments of papers from elementary school to college. Apparently, I enjoy(ed) collecting things. This phase of mine has seemingly passed as now I tend to pitch things faster than anyone can blink. I usually figure that if I take too long to decipher my or Mark's feelings for something, we may keep more junk than we need. And I'm from a home that has had several generations' sentiments move in and collect in every available shelf and box. So I enjoy throwing things away more now.

With this in mind, I come to the point of my ponderous post, my largest collection that I have yet to rid myself of… greeting cards. It has recently been brought to my attention that they are an obsession for me. And I must admit it is true. Ever since I was little I have kept every card I have ever received. I have thrown out a few along the way depending on their attached sentiment or my enjoyment of the card, but that has only been a handful or two of cards over my 24 years of life. I have a lot of cards. Mark eyes them skeptically and questions what I want to do with them and I honestly don't know. I just love looking through them. When I was very little, my mom started a card scrapbook for me and I still have that and love to look through it over and over again. I would need several more books now to hold all my cards. So, what do I do with them? I have no idea, but I love my cards.

a first anniversary

It doesn't seem possible that it has been a whole year since Mark and I got married and started this crazy new life. We went away this weekend to a cabin near Sevierville. It was beautiful, not only because of the colorful trees and silly heart-shaped jacuzzi, but also to just get away and think back. Although it sounds so strange to say we have been married a year, when we stopped and talked about all the things that have happened this year it seemed like it should have been much longer. Between the move to Knoxville, the job search, the church search, learning the grown-up way to make friends and the house purchase—I get a little overwhelmed just thinking about it. It has been a crazy but wonderful year. I wouldn't have asked for anyone different to share it with. Here are a few snaps from this weekend. Although they are not the best photos, I think they are lovely.




And yesterday, our actual anniversary, while I spent 6am to 4pm decorating Pottery Barn for Christmas, I received a beautiful bouquet of daisies with a single rose from my sweet husband.


What a lovely year.

happy birthday to me!

Mark made me a delicious cake. I got some amazing presents from family including Juno and special Maryland coffee. And Mark and his parents got the lovely apple green raincoat for me. Yay for being 24!

a great Saturday

The house is wonderfully clean, the windows are open, a delicious fall candle is burning and a Billie Holiday record is playing loudly throughout the house. Who could ask for anything more?

back in the saddle again… sorta

Last week I started working 3 days a week for a studio that I've been doing freelance work for. 20 hours a week through the month of September. It's been really great to be back in an office, interacting with real people, and getting a paycheck a little more regularly. It's also been a strange switch. I'm back to a schedule now, meaning I have to actually get up in the morning, think about appropriate work clothes, pack a lunch, and attempt to be on time. I had forgotten how tiring it is to actually sit at a desk for hours straight, and my eyes are really showing the wear of it. The past several days my eyes have taken turns being incredibly bloodshot and tired. It's a great way to show up to work.

I'm really enjoying this opportunity and yet am so shocked at how quickly I can fall behind in the work environment. It's only been 10 months since I was at a desk job and yet, I feel the change of schedule hugely. I also have incredibly tight deadlines, which is great for my creativity but adds to the stress. I'm pretty sure I didn't ever have such tight deadlines at SCLE, but so far thankfully I've made them here. It's been a good feeling to have something productive to do 3 days a week, although the house is not looking so good and Mark and I actually ran out of some much needed clean clothing yesterday. I'm still figuring out the balance of work and home stuff. It's nice to feel useful again. And yet, it is difficult to balance that with the knowledge that this is temporary.

All this work waiting that I've had since I got married and moved has really lead me to realize how job focused our culture is. I've been amazed at how many people's first question to me is "what do you do?" and then followed by "where do you work?" Actually, worse than that, has been the drop in conversation when I've said I'm working from home, or I'm an independent designer, or I'm looking for a position. I constantly get the impression that I suddenly lost value and interest when I "confessed" that I don't have a job. Lately, it has been worse. Several people will ask "have you found a job yet?" and then follow it with a brilliant idea that I should apply for secretarial work at some place and then maybe I'll be promoted to a design position or something else. Coming up with pleasant responses to this has been difficult. My head usually follows a train of thought similar to: "Hmm, that definitely wouldn't work in the design world. And oh, that makes me feel great, as you are basically saying I must not be good enough for anyone to be interested in as a designer, so perhaps I should look for something else. Forget about that Design degree I worked so hard for and oh, it couldn't possibly be that the economy sucks right now and no one is capable of hiring." Thankfully I've successfully kept these thoughts to myself, but I'm beginning to feel as if I'm not allowed to not have a job unless I'm a stay-at-home mom, which we're definitely not ready for and I'm definitely not sure I want to give up design when we are. I was thinking about Spain the other day and how the first questions people ask you there are how your family is. I miss that. Why are we so focused on what you do and rank your value according to that? There is so much more to a person than what they can do.

Well, for now at least, I have an accepted answer to the questions. And, I'm working on that continued patience as apparently I'm supposed to be in temporary stuff for a while. I enjoy it, the insecurity just gets to me every once in a while. I need to remember that my value however does not lie in whether or not I have an acceptable job. But, there's a little mailer brochure calling to me right now which desperately needs to be finished before 5. Off I go, little designer that I am…

the time of year to buy school supplies and pumpkins

(As a side note, I have not been intentionally neglecting my blog this time. My little 6 year old ibook decided to have a lot of issues last week including the battery refusing to charge past 32% and eventually the power cord smoking and burning a hole through itself. As I use that computer more than any other, I just haven't sat down to write or catch up on my friends' blogs. So, here I am, for now at least. Hopefully the new battery will arrive today…)

I love fall! It is my most favorite season. I love the clothes, the smells, the foods, the school supplies, and the list could go on. This morning, I almost pulled out my sweater box but decided I should wait at least one more week. Yes, it is a wonderful 75 today and has that brilliant fall coolness to it, but I'm not quite convinced that it will stay.

I also love the month of September. Such a lovely month. Not only does fall officially start in September, but my birthday also comes. I love birthdays! It's silly and I've always suspected that I would grow out of it considering no one in my family really cares about their birthdays, but here I am, 5.5 days away from turning 24 and I am so excited! Anytime I think of something special that could happen around my birthday, I always sing a quick little part of the birthday song, "happy birthday to me" and Mark just laughs and rolls his eyes. Birthdays are so fun. Sometimes I wish I was still a kid so I could tell people it is my birthday or that my birthday is in 5.5 days. Not to get gifts, I just want them to know.

Last year was a terrible, horrible birthday. Mark was already living here in Knoxville and was supposed to come to Arkansas for the weekend. The night before he was to leave, he got really sick and couldn't make it. Terrible. On top of that, no one at my work remembered my birthday, even just to say a "happy birthday" and that night, I ended up calling some friends to go out for dinner since I couldn't bear the thought of eating leftovers alone in my apartment. It was such a dreadful day.

This one is already turning out amazing and it is not even here yet. I've already received several gifts and know of one that I'll get on that actual day. My in-laws gave me a few gifts when they were here, and they also gave me some money for whatever else. So spoiled! It has been so fun to order some of the silly things like a movie or cd that I've been wanting for a while, but haven't wanted to spend the money on as there are many other married and house things that we need.

So my birthday weekend, as Mark decided we would call it, is going to consist of P.F. Chang's dumplings, funfetti cake, Juno, and probably at least part of You've Got Mail. Not to mention that one gift that Mark has been hiding from me for a couple weeks now. I feel like I'm 6 again! 5.5 days!

finally…

As a child, I remember my parents requiring head protection anytime I desired to ride around our neighborhood and even as a small child, I remember being embarrassed by the dreadfully unfashionable look of typical helmets. Really, it is nearly impossible to not feel like a complete dork when riding around in a traditional helmet. And then, in high school, I went through a big rollerblading phase. I spent hours playing and thinking about playing street hockey, which is an incredibly cool and fun sport, and, being the ridiculously competitive person that I am, often a bit dangerous. Not only was it difficult to not be dorky on a regular basis while making it through the horrendous puberty years of high school, but add in trying to play such a cool sport as hockey while wearing a hideous and obstructive helmet. And, typically, I was the only girl on our street who played. (Somewhere I missed the memo as a teen that I was supposed to get into clothes and makeup and talking about boys like the other girls in my neighborhood. I instead was the athletic and rarely feminine girl on our block.) Luckily, my mother took pity on me at some point and stopped nagging me to wear head protection as long as I kept the knee pads and often wrist pads (which I started wearing on my own anyway, since I was tired of slamming the pavement and nearly killing my wrists). Thankfully, I think my mom understood my need for limiting dorkiness as much as possible. Not to mention the nasty, sweaty helmet hair that always resulted.

But now, they finally come out with something that at least attempts to mask the ugliness of helmets.



It's about time. I'm sure they are probably still a bit clunky, but at least they have a tendency towards fashion instead of ignoring it completely. I would wear one, too bad my bike got stolen back in Arkansas. Mark's did too. But maybe someday, when we can afford to repurchase some bikes, we will add these helmets to our cart. Thanks to AT (one of my favorite design blogs) for bringing these to my attention.

someday…

maybe we will have a Red and White Irish Setter



for now, I'll just look at them online.


pictures from www.irishredandwhitesetterclub.org and www.dogbreedinfo.com

ode to the raincoat… and that beloved Oreo bedspread

There is a quite a lovely rain falling today. It tends to put me into that You've Got Mail, ponderous sort of mood. I feel the need for a nap, but I also want to make some cookies. I'm not sure which will win out right now. Unfortunately with the rain comes my thoughts towards a certain apple green raincoat that I fell in love with at the Gap Outlet a few weeks ago. I could not buy it as our present state of finances does not allow much room for silly clothing purchases, but alas, I cannot forget that coat. Although I cannot purchase it, I've searched for it online and at our local Gap store in hopes of seeing it again, but no, it can only be found on that little rack in the Sevierville Gap Outlet. It is very rare that I come across something in a store which I regret not being able to buy immensely and cannot seem to forget about it for several weeks. I hate these random materialistic obsessions. This will probably turn in to the same story as the Oreo bedspread I didn't buy for my first year of college. Yes, I'm still sorry about that non-purchase 6 years later. I loved that bedspread and matching throw pillow. I'm sure I'm a better person because I don't get what I want all the time, but it really sucks when something sticks with me and I regret not being frivolous every once in a while. Perhaps I'll make cookies.

our house is a very, very fine house…

And finally some pictures of our lovely little home. There are more on my facebook if anyone wants to see the whole place, but here are some of my favorites:

I'll pass this on too

I recently stumbled across this video while reading a design blog. I decided I would put it on here too, not only to share, but so I can find it again.

it's funny that salt makes me smile

I just love the Morton Salt brand. It's silly really, but every time I see it's vintage design and lovely illustration, it just makes me feel nostalgic and smile. It was created in 1914 and there really aren't that many logos out there that have lasted as long as Morton Salt's, although the little girl has gone through changes of her own. The tagline: "When it rains, it pours" is something that I find to be very unique, considering I don't think I would have thought of rain when advertising salt. It is just lovely, and I'm confident that it will continue to be so.

somedays I wish I had my own cooking show…

but I'm definitely not a good enough chef, I just pretend. This however is a post about how I made my slow cooker lasagna today. It is a delicious recipe and I decided it was time to take pictures. Since the pictures turned out fun, I decided to post them. And since I figure whomever sees these pictures might want to try the recipe themselves, I decided to write out the recipe steps and make it my version of a cooking show on my own blog. So, here it is…

SLOW COOKER LASAGNA | recipe originally from Real Simple
ingredients
2-28 ounce cans diced tomatoes, drained
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh oregano, chopped
Kosher salt & pepper
16 ounces fresh ricotta
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
12 ounces dry lasagna noodles
1 bunch Swiss chard, tough stems removed & torn into large pieces (I use baby spinach instead, since I can never find Swiss chard)
12 ounces mozzarella, grated

chopped parsley, oregano, garlic, and cut up baby spinach



In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper



In another medium bowl, combine the ricotta, parsley, Parmesan, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper





Spoon 1/3 cup of the tomato mixture into the bowl of the slow cooker.
Top that with a single layer of noodles (break them as necessary).
Add half the Swiss chard (or baby spinach).
Dollop with a third of the ricotta mixture and a third of the tomato mixture.
Sprinkle with a third of the mozzarella.
Add another layer of noodles and repeat with the other ingredients.



Finish with a layer of noodles, remaining ricotta, tomato mixture, and mozzarella.



Set the slow cooker to low and cook, covered, until the noodles are tender (2 hours).



It is delicious! Try it if you want. Usually only takes about 25 minutes to put it together. Of course, you can always come visit us and request that I make it…

Ikea, guests and oh my… the Olympics

I love Ikea! It was such an incredible experience. We probably could have spent a couple days there, but ended up going twice, stopped on the way up to Maryland and on the way back home. And yes, we bought a guest bed. It was a tough decision, but ultimately we bought the best priced one. I would put up a picture of it, but our guest room is in use for the first time by my parents. It has been a bit of a whirlwind since the trip. We got home around 9 on that Sunday night. Monday, I finished painting the trim in the guest bedroom and bath. Monday night, Mark and I purchased a mattress at a local store, spent some hard work putting the bed up, and finally got the guest room together. Tuesday, I hung pictures throughout the house, cleaned like crazy and got some groceries. And Tuesday night, my parents arrived from Kansas City. Our first guests!

This weekend we took them around Knoxville and saw some of the fun sights. We also went to the Tennessee Theatre and saw the 1937 movie It Happened One Night with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. It was so much fun!! The movie was hilarious and even better since majority of the audience probably saw it when it first came out in 1937. The Tennessee Theatre is incredible in itself. It was built in 1928ish and is simply beautiful and historic. We also took them up the Sunsphere, which always gives me a headache, but is a fun outing.

We've been watching a lot of the Olympics this weekend too. The opening ceremonies were so great. But last night took the cake. If you missed the 4x100 men's relay swim, then you missed something amazing! Michael Phelps is the first leg of that relay, but the anchor Jason Lezak dominated. It was the best Olympic experience for me so far. I was jumping up and down and screaming. Watch it, seriously. I love the Olympics!