Been a busy couple of days...

So, it has been super busy! AND, now it is September...my how the summer has flown.

S & I have recently been looking at houses...this process is so overwhelming. I, of course, fell for a GORGEOUS house that needed some work, but was truly gorgeous. Unfortunately, some flipper bought it IN CASH the day we wanted to go look at it! Bastards! I was so sad for 2 days (and am now just a little sad). I don't believe we will find a house that great ever again. It was a once in a million houses... I will show you pictures below. There is NO WAY we could have afforded this house b/c it was bought for 150K more than the listing 2 years ago. They must be in a sad state to sell :( but we would have taken good care of it and loved it:

So, we'll prob end up either buying nothing...or buying something that is eh...okay. Great. Not that I'm a defeatist....oh, wait - yes, I totally am!

In other news...

Here are some scans of old photos I found! I was cute, but D was every cuter! He was SO FRICKIN' CUTE when he was little, I can barely stand it.

Here I am showing promise of art school (that's a California Raisin!):

Yay! This is D's 5th Birthday. There's my mom on the right :) & me in the front. R is behind D. Ah, summers in the pool...

This is probably Saturday morning cartoons. We LOVED Saturday morning cartoons! Things to note: our awesome clothing, lego buckets!, and the orientatl rug which I have fond memories of. Am I laying on a record?

We had white sweet corn from the farmers' market last night. It was delicious! I love sweet white corn in the summer. Yum.

These are pics of a tomato catapillar that was on our tomato plant. Isn't he cute? Too bad he eats something like 10 leaves a day. BAH! BAD catapillar. We saw him this weekend.

This weekend was filled with new and fun things ^_^

1. We tried the "IMAX" theater in Cherry Hill. We went to see Harry Potter. It is not a real IMAX. It is just a big screen, but costs $5 more! Ah, well, now we know. It was still good, though. This movie was a slower pace than the others, but was still entertaining & beautiful.

2. Abington Art Center. S & I took a drive out that way & while out there decided to stop in & see the um, sculpture garden. It is more like a clearing with a few sculptures & a wooded path with some sculptures along it in the woods. It is cute & worth a stop in (and it is free!), but it is little, and maybe not worth its own trip.

3. Earth Bread Brewery. This is a brew pub in Mt. Airy. We went out with B & S and it was like A Comedy of Errors or like a Marx Brothers Film. It was a little loud & echo-ey when we first got upstairs & the server had some trouble hearing us. S & B ordered a flight & when he got back he had brought 2 flights (the only asked for one to share). So, when they commented on this, the server asked if it would just be okay if they had 2 instead. Um...no. So, they had to ask again! Then, they brought out one of our pizzas with 2 plates (there are 4 of us) and went back & brought us out one other plate to make 3 (there are 4 of us). Doh.

Soooo, then we were waiting for the 2nd pizza & the server told us it had to be re-made twice! This is a regular item on their menu. It finally came out & everyone was satisfied, but my-oh-my!

It is always fun to go new places. I love Philly b/c there is always something new and fun to do!

Fight the Fight: a Wednesday Rant.

Today I continued to fight. Fight down those things that creep up through your mail slot leeching onto your ankles. You almost can't feel them. If you don't notice them right away they will eventually infect your bloodstream making your life extremely difficult...

To what do I refer??

Fight #1 - PA state taxes. Seems it is a difficult concept that someone could live only part of a year in PA. Luckily, I had lots of documentation and I submitted said documentation (this dispute is concerning a few years back).

Today I call to make sure that all of the documentation was received (and to find out what happened). It has been a month since the documentation was sent. It was received - good. AND, since they are already reviewing items that were received in FEBRUARY, they should get to mine "shortly" (6 months). Nice that they give YOU a deadline...
**makes me wonder how much we are paying them & how efficient this process is...

Fight #2 - E-rental. If you don't know the story, I'll sum it up:
I rented a car for work. It was damaged in a public lot. Work + E were working on what should be paid/etc & E sent the bill (during this time) to a collection agency. Bill was paid NOVEMBER, collection agency reported it to my credit account when work + E were working it out (nice). Still shows up on my credit as a non-paid outstanding account (did I mention it was paid in NOVEMBER??). So, the lawyer (thank GAWD for L's) drafted a letter & together we submitted a packet which said: a) it was not my responsibility and b) it was paid in November. I received a letter which I thought stated that the credit bureau was on E's side...called today & it turns out a decision hasn't been made yet...there is still hope...

Fight #3 - FSA. Flexible Spending Account...I think I won this fight today, but it is still pending...

Fight #4 - Doctors. I definitely lost this battle. I ALWAYS lose this battle. Here's how it went today (the first part is from 2 wks ago to catch you up):

me: "Hi Doctor, I'm here b/c this and this are wrong with me."
Dr: "Hmmm...well, we can't make that go away, but we can do some more testing. Come back in 2 weeks. Please pay me."

2 weeks/today...

me: "Hi Doctor, I'm here for my testing."
Dr: "It is confirmed that we cannot do anything for you. Please come back in 2 years. Pay me."

Glad I get up super early for a 7:30 am apt, so I can get to work on time...

Normally, my doctors' visits go like this:
me: "Hi Doctor, I'm here b/c this and this are wrong with me."
Dr: "That is interesting. Well, I'll make notes, but there is nothing we are going to do differently. Come back in 3 months. Please pay your co-pay."

Repeat on a 3-4 month cycle.

Luckily, these are all specialist visits, so they are the $25 co-pay. It surprises me that Doctors wonder why people don't go to the doctor. Why would you? You pay someone to tell you they can't help you...in any other line of work, you'd be fired.

That is my rant for today. Have a nice weekend.

So, the farmers market has to be one of the greatest things ever...

Check out all the fantastic stuff we got on Sunday!! The onions front right are called Torpedo Onions (cool, right?). We picked up a large heirloom tomato & some motz to make tomato & motz salad tonight (yummy!), and some heirloom cherry tomatoes. I love the heirloom cherries - there are

yellow
PURPLE!!

red

orange

GREEN!!

It's fantastic.

I'm also loving the yellow stringbeans. They are super sweet. S doesn't like them raw, but I do! They have been a constant snack...

Oh, and the peppers are ours :) Yay for a small container garden. We had a tomato earlier, and 4 more on the plants. There are lots of peppers growing, too.

On Saturday, S made "Bread-egg" which I hadn't had, but is delicious:

Isn't my ketchup cute?? You cut a hole in a piece of bread with a glass & butter both sides. Put it in a pan & crack an egg into the center. Flip when 1st side is done and wha-lah! If you like eggs in the morning, I highly recommend it. Easy & satisfying...

What a busy week!

Home for a visit...
BBQ upon immediate return...
Pool day for a birthday hang-out next day...
and now worky late M, T, W this week (but I get paid extra, so it's all good)!


Luckily, it is all good stuff! It is birthday time...first E, then J, now me...next D then D! Birthday-time means good times. Ah, summer, I do love thee.


Here are roses from my M&D for my 30th. One rose for each year (gosh, it's a big bundle!). BEAUTIES!! You can also see the cupcake A made me (that I love!) in the b/ground & my UArts mug. The small flier for Gamarjobat was a show S & I saw when we were in Edinburgh. It was HILARIOUS. It was also an asian mime show. I highly recommend them if they come to a theater festival (like fringe) near you.

Yay Plants! S finished planing some herbs we picked up at Greensgrow & some garlic seeds from my dad's garden. Now our back patio looks like this:



And with the red chairs (from my studio) outside, it looks so fun:



The pansies are from early in the summer. They are the best b/c they'll bloom all summer with a little dead-heading. They are so pretty, too:



I had a great weekend filled with friends from home...it is good to have friends that go way back! I also got to hang with such cute kids - OM for real G. I'll steal pictures from friends and post them later :)

E (from A & E Detective Agency) and I are now the same age for 2 weeks...

Zucchini Pancakes with Golden Tomato Concasse

http://recipes.bgkulinar.net/recipe-Zucchini+Pancakes+with+Golden+Tomato+Concasse-15949
I made these last night & they were DELICIOUS. Took about 1 hr & 15 mins. Here are my steps/photos...

Gathering my ingredients:

And then the first step is to peel tomatoes (I love that boiling water trick!) and chop them & place in a collinder to drain. They have to sit for a while, so you can do this first & then do everything else. I would give them a stir every few mins with a wooden spoon...

Peel the zucch's & onion to get ready to grate...

Grate them up! This is fun :)

I made up the dry mixture next & put it in with the shreddings & then added the egg:

It is soupy and chunky and ready to be fried!

There was a lot of oil in the pan (it says 1/4", so be careful):

Flipped once when browned (this is a little tricky)...be careful not to make them too big!

We placed them on napkins to drain on a plate & then we plated them after that.

Seriously yummy...

Hamburger Cupcakes!!

Hamburger Cupcakes hang in the fridge.

Jesus gives them his blessing. Approved.

We made MINI Cupcakes too!

These are the regular-sized all done. Yummy :)


I found the idea here: http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2009/06/fast-food-fun.html

Awesome! They took a long time, though. I used brown sugar for the sesame seeds on top...

Gotta Love old photos...

I re-found these while doing some cleaning over the weekend...haha!

Just came across this...remembering the November opening & how great it was...
I have such great friends and an amazing family ~ <3 them all...

HAPPY JULY!!

This is a picture from Friday night at the M Room. I like it b/c of the chick with her knees up and the dude next to her with the tats. All the lights were reflecting on the ceiling and walls, and it gave the place a nice atmosphere.

Friday during the day (Sean & I both had off), we took a drive over the bridge to Collingswood, NJ. What a cute town! We ended up a The Pop Shop for breakfast/brunch. http://www.thepopshopusa.com/ It has a ton of different types of milkshakes (yum!), eggs benny, omelets (which are HUGE)...and is adorable inside :) I highly recommend it. I bet it gets really busy there on the weekends, but a weekday visit was perfect.

I also finished moving out of my studio this week. Goodbye studio! I definitely left it in better shape than when I moved in. This pic is of the "long wall" and I spent about 2 weeks just patching & painting the far part of the wall when I moved into the space. It is now very pretty! I will miss the space, but it was too far away for me to use often enough. I will miss being able to hang out with Janell more-so (I know we can still hang out, but it is V easy to chill when you have a space in the same building).

I love that everyone has a long weekend coming up! Yay 4th!! ^^

Spring Asparagus Soup!

SPRING ASPARAGUS SOUP:
*You can also substitute 4 cups Spring Peas for the asparagus. A hand-held emulsifier is the best way to puree the soup while it is still hot at the end.

Makes 6 servings (makes a lot, really)

4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
1 medium to large finely chopped yellow onion
3 or 4 medium Yukon Gold or white potatoes, peeled & cut into 1" or so chunks

6 cups veg. broth for the first part
1 cup veg. broth for the 2nd part
1 1/2 pounds asparagus (I use 2 bunches), cut into 1" ish pieces. You can discard the rough ends & you can also run a peeler over the bottom part if you'd like.

Salt & Pepper to taste
Chopped chives for garnish if you would like, or other garnish. I picked some fresh swiss chard for mine.

I. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook for several minutes, until they begin to soften.



II. Add the potatoes and broth #1. Simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes until fork-tender.


III. Add the asparagus and broth #2 & simmer for an additional 15+ minutes longer.


IV. Season with salt & pepper.


V. Using an electric hand-held emulsifier, puree the soup until smooth (or in batches with a food-processor or blender).


VI. Serve, garnish if you wish, and enjoy! ^_^

I made delicious Asparagus Soup for dinner...2 night ago. I took pictures, and will post them soon. It is made without cream, but tastes like a creamy soup!! SOooo, it is better for you, and all veggies. I am not kidding when I say it is delicious.

I'll attach a picture that is not mine, but looks just like it. I'll dig up the recipe for you too this weekend. It takes about an hour, but makes LOTS. It is easy too, just takes a bit to prepare. If you have someone to help you, it is pretty quick :)

I found this from last year...gotta love R2 postbox :)

You may call me The Spackle Princess.

I can spackle so that you don't even have to sand, and when you do it is just a once-over brush-over.

I can paint a wall so it gleams. I'm talking gleamy gleam.

I see the best in an apartment, house, or studio when I walk through. Do NOT take me with you if you want to know if you should rent a place. I always rent places that are "fixer-uppers." That is not a quality you want in a place you RENT.

I am sad to say goodbye to such a big studio space, but I know he's just not the right one. He's never cheated on me, but the long-distance part of our relationship is just not working out. We just don't see each other enough. We've decided who gets what (he gets the rest of my white paint on his walls and that broken stool that was there from his past relationship when I moved in), and I've packed.

Goodbye sweet space...may you treat my friends who are your neighbors well.

It has been a long time since I have been here...3 weeks of vacation, and 2 weeks settling back in.

Australia feels like 2 years ago instead of 2 weeks ago. What a great part of the world. We were only in Sydney, but it's a good city. I'd definitely recommend it. The city is beautiful - spilling over the harbour and nestled by the Blue Mountains to the west. The Opera House is as amazing in person as you would believe it to be. It is a magnificent work of architecture - whimsical, nautical, unique. There was a lights festival when we were there, and every night the OH was lit up with a different continuously evolving "painting" by Brian Eno.

I have decided I need a pet koala. I know this to be impossible, and yet, my friends, how could one not long for a pet koala? They are truly the freakin' cutest thing you have ever seen in person. OMG.

The non-meat diet has settle comfortably into the rarely-eat-meat diet. Sometimes it just cannot be helped (as in when you are at dinner over someone's house). Word to the veg: If you are traveling to Australia, be sure that you may have to eat meat. They do NOT mess around over there with their fishes and meats. There are definitely many restaurants where you do not have any other options (and if you do it is one option which is ravioli).
..........

It is interesting when you are away on vacation, and your perspective on things change. Vacation is a breath of hope, a small insight into how happy and carefree you can be. I relax, and pieces to create, projects, plans fill my mind. I think vacations begin to fill one with hope - with the promise of the future.

OH, and then you come home and realize you will work 9-5 the rest of your life so that you can have good healthcare. Bummer. For being the leader of the "free" world, this country gives you NO options if you have any health issues...even if you are healthy. Once you are diagnosed, you are not only in the medical system, but condemed to a life of 9-5.

Right...well, it's raining & been raining for most of 2 weeks...what can I say?

I am looking forward to the weekend.

Weekend Projects

Sean trimmed up the jade plant & I planted a bunch so we can have some new sprouts! Hopefully, they will all root & then we will have new plants when we get back. If you'd like one...let me know.

These are some spiderlets we did the same thing with (and just never replanted)...works well!


And then...this weekend I also did lots of patching...here are my jeans. I also patched another shirt & replaced 6 buttons on one shirt. I feel like I have a bunch of new clothes between these & a few things I ironed. I have a few things you can't wear unless you iron them (SO annoying)...

Good for the Soul...

I went Prom dress shopping with Em (and mom). It was SO fun.

So...which did she choose??? Not the sea-hag dress...haha...which do you like?

Janell's Rug!`

Yay! So, one thing I LOVE to do whenever possible is to invest in work from my artist friends. It helps that their work is beautiful :)

Here is Janell's rug in our house. I want to get another for by the slider. It is BEAUTIFUL. I am SO happy.

Janell makes many pieces using recycled materials. She often uses tape from casettes in her weavings. When her website is up, I will post it.

Making Detergents

Turns out making laundry detergent is not only quick, but kinda fun (and super cheap!).

I used 1/3 bar fels napa, 1/2 c Washing Soda, 1/2 c Borax (and of course, lots of water). It's great b/c you know what is in (and NOT) your detergent & what is going into your water system. I also get all weirded out by washing my clothes in chemically detergent & then wearing them...how is that good for me?

There are a bunch of easy recipes online.

I also started the process for making our own dishsoap. Will finish it tonight b/c I need the bucket I was using for the laundry detergent & it has to sit in the bucket overnight b/4 I move it.

Yay for fun new projects!
PS: Washing Soda is really hard to find. It is not at walmart, home depot, or the superfresh in S.Philly. Think, "where would an old Italian grandma shop?" I got it at the Shoprite in S.Philly.

What I am now eatting for dinner (trying not to eat as much meat)...

*Hummus, tomato, and cuke sandwees - these are delicious! I'm not kidding. Perfect for lunch or a light dinner.

*Last night I made some fresh-veggie fried & then baked with an egg. Yummy.

*Night b/4 we made bean burritos - beans, rice, salsa...you can add fresh chopped whatevs too.

*Pasta florentine (spinach on just about anything is delightful, but esp on pasta w red sauce).

*We had red pizza w veggies earlier this week.

Dairy...

*I can give up milk and yogurt pretty easy (soy milk & soy yogurt are yummy), but cheese...well, I think I will always eat cheese!

PFPL

One way to stay happy - get new books! I love the Philadelphia Free Library! The main branch is totally bikeable to & from during lunch (thank you 1 hour lunches). The best part about libraries, you can try stuff out with no risk or guilt at buying new books (both b/c of the $$ and b/c of the resources). It is beautiful thing.

I highly recommend it.