Mother Nature and Father Time Need to Get in Synch

April 17, Seattle Washington:

I guess I shouldn't complain about the long winter in Seattle. We've got nothing on Utah, after all...

But seriously? C'mon.

Forecast: Clouds about to break for sun

I was having a bit of a "blah" day today. Nothing bad happened. I just didn't feel like being at work. Any time I start to feel that way, I can't help but think about how great it would be if I could afford to stay home and bake all day. That turns into, "Gawd my job is lame. I don't want to be here." Blah. Blah. Blah.

Just when I was starting to feel really sorry for myself, my boss walked in with flowers. "Happy Administrative Professionals Day, Kim!"

Aww Jeez. I guess it's not so bad here.

Funny of The YEAR

Bumper sticker outside the grocery store today:

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and good with ketchup.

O.M.G.

I am totally freaking out about this AWESOME cake site I found. This woman does some truly amazing things with fondant. The link is on my sidebar - layers of love. Check it out here.

In other news, I had my first fondant experience the other night. I giggle every time I look at the picture of my cake. It sort of looks like playdough! I must say, I think it was pretty good for a first attempt! There are some ripples and wrinkles on the edges, but overall, it was pretty even and smooth!

Let's Spend The Day Together

Watch the video on Gillian's blog, then go to A.M.'s website to get more info. Sounds interesting, no?

Cultural Divide

Apparently there is more than one definition for the word "kosher". While preparing dinner this evening, I learned that when your talking about chicken, "kosher" means "Damn, Girl. Pull the feathers out yourself."

If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em. But First, Try to Beat 'Em.

My boss comes back from vacation tomorrow, and I was given a warning this morning that he really likes to play pranks on April Fools Day. Apparently if I don't have a prank, I'd better come in tomorrow prepared with retaliation.

Sofar I've taped a small note to the bottom of his mouse. It says "April Fools!!!", and is placed to cover the optical ball so that it won't work. I also put a very small piece of scotch tape over the receiver of his phone so he'll think the line is dead when he picks up the handset.

I've got the pranks down pretty well - any thoughts on the retaliation? I only ask because I have a feeling that this could go on all day.

Friends With Benefits

Please disregard the second paragraph of my previous post. One of my girlfriends surprised me with a gift which is so much cooler than the original print that I wanted. Not only did she paint it herself, but her use of colors is amazing! Now you see why I have such a hard time not inviting everyone over at once - I have some really great friends!

Brunch went really well...It was crazy having so many hens in my coop at once, but everyone had a lovely time! The food and company were fantastic, and all the hard work was well worth it. Can't wait to do it again sometime!

Estrogen Fest - 2008!

Tomorrow I'm hosting a girls-only brunch at my place. I have about 20 ladies showing up, which is a bit more than I had originally planned on fitting into my apartment, but it should be a good time. The unfortunate side effect of having so many girlfriends is you have to figure out how to sort them out so that there aren't too many invitees. I skipped that part and just invited everyone, figuring it would work itself out in the end. I still think it will work out, in the form of my sitting in someone's lap! Get cozy, Girls!

The main theme of this gathering is Mimosas, of course. I'm providing coffee and oj, and everyone has been instructed to bring a bottle of champagne. I'm also providing all the FOOD. Here's a run-down of the menu:

Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Roasted Tomatoes
Italian Risotto Frittata
Prosciutto Goat Cheese Strata
Corn and Bacon Pie
Farm Eggs with Watercress Parsley Sauce

I'm also serving those little "cocktail" croissants with a few different jams and lemon curd. Lemon curd that I MADE FROM SCRATCH. Yessss.

I made these really cute little cards with the name of each item, and bought some silver place card holder things to put them in. I had so much fun shopping for all of my groceries last night, and tonight I'm going to have a grand time with all the prepping and chopping. Tomorrow morning? Tomorrow morning I'm going to happily get out of bed at 745am to start all the baking, cooking and table setting. And the napkins! I'll need to press the cloth napkins, of course.

Yes, I like to play the part of Hostess, alright? It plays into my obsessive need to display things nicely in a way that doesn't turn people off.

My Own Personal Playground

It's as if The Internet heard about me and my love for Little Asian Girls. She is so freakin' cute I just want to scream!

UPDATE: SO much better without the sound. Seriously. The girl is really talented, there's no doubt, but after you watch it with sound, turn it off and watch again.

Where's Martha When You Need Her?

Most of you know me as a pretty calm individual. The other day? The other day I completely lost my shit over the Tupperware cabinet. I'm not even kidding. I had a container, but no friggin' lid! Nick finally came in when he'd heard enough of The Throwing of The Containers, and has promised to find a solution for me.

Honey? Where's my solution already???!!!???

C is for Crazy

I saw the cutest handbag on the bus this morning. As soon as I got to work, before the actual working part started, I went to the website (it's payday, y'all!).

This is my favorite among the "prints" section of the site. Too bad it's so expensive. Someone should buy it for me.

While you're shopping, any one of these would be lovely. Thanks.

Things I Need: Part One (possibly of many)

• Small business card holder that will fit in my purse
• Jewelry organizer
• New knee-high boots

Huh?

She's such a nutjob. She hates Easter. And Russians. No, she didn't tell me all of this in the same conversation, but she may as well have for all the sense it makes. I have no idea why she hates Easter and Russians - I didn't bother asking. If I had asked, I would have to hear more of her Crazy.

I spent $20 on chocolate and red wine today. Is it time to go home yet???

Creative Cooking

I was craving pesto last night, but felt like doing something a little different. So, I left the food processor in the cupboard. I didn't have pinenuts, but there were some walnuts in the kitchen. All the other ingredients were on hand, so I just chopped it all together roughly and added the olive oil and lemon juice at the end to make it all stick together. Here's what the resulting pesto looked like:













The final product was chicken coated in flour and pan-fried until cooked through and crispy. I topped it off with sliced tomato and the pesto, then baked until the cheese melted a bit.

Behold, delicious pesto chicken with mashed potatoes:













As my step-dad would say, "Yummo-Tummo!"

Up To Speed

Jeez I've been bad about this whole posting thing! A few items:

• The job is going well. Things were questionable there for a bit, but I've since received confirmation that I am NOT crazy, and SHE is.
  
• Valentine's Day was nice. Nick fixed my favorite - pork roast with gorgonzola cream sauce. He also framed some pictures of us from Australia for me to keep at my desk.


• We rearranged our livingroom last weekend. It seems a lot bigger, and all of my plants are getting more light now, so hopefully they will stop dying. Seriously. I have one that used to be a nice, full umbrella plant; now I call it the "stick plant". Hopefully this new arrangement will reverse some of that.
  
• Found a great new spaghetti recipe, and I've even managed to keep the meatballs intact while cooking! Made meatball subs for dinner the other night.

• Giving up on ever getting the apartment painted - asked a friend for an estimate to do it for me.
  
• Did a photo shoot for the bakery site. I have a photographer friend who set up a "studio" and we got some great shots of cookies and cakes - I'll let y'all know when there are pictures on the website!
  
• Nick and I went to the Seattle aquarium a few weeks back - got some great pictures

• There's plenty more where these pictures came from - I just uploaded about 130 photos to my Flickr site.

New Favorite Website with a side of Wishful Thinking

I love love love good design ideas. I love unexpected use of color and interesting arrangements. Oh Happy Day is my new favorite website. Not necessarily a "design" website, but there are some great ideas to be had.

I see so many cool things that I would love to do with my various spaces. Some of them are really inexpensive, or can be done so. For those, I think it's just a matter of getting myself organized enough to get them done. Other ideas are really expensive and out of my reach right now....

Got a great idea or favorite idea website? Pass it on!

****Disclaimer: I do find the author's constant use of the word "rad" highly annoying.

Will Work For Jewelry

Need an idea for that Special Someone on Valentine's Day? Go here for pretty, not-too-shiny, things.

Here to Stay

Words of wisdom from my new boss:

• If you don't make any mistakes, you're not working hard enough.
• If you're not having fun, you should go work somewhere else.
• I have a niece named Kimberly, so don't be offended if I accidentally call you "Kimmie"
• You're such a smartass - Nicely done.
  

2008 Is Where It's At.

It's been a good week. I went to the dentist on Tuesday for initial x-rays and an exam. While I was there, someone cancelled an afternoon deep cleaning, so they fit me in for that. After 3 years without any dental visits, not a single cavity! Go me!

Got a job offer on Friday too! Woot!