Monday, December 20, 2010

Ah College Memories

I am still working on my M.Ed. writing. Not even close to being done.



I decided to try a little writing music. I opened iTunes and randomly selected a Genius mix. It turned out to be mostly The Postal Service, which I have not listened to in forever. Suddenly, I had the most vivid memory of a Campus Events Commission retreat in Big Bear. The Postal Service happened to be very big at that time, especially with hipster crowds like the CEC. Naturally, there were 30 of us staying in a cabin that was intended for 9 at the most (but when they calculated that number they didn't include floor space and other sleepable surfaces like pool tables...poor college students are so resourceful). On that particular trip my unit director decided that it would be great for team bonding if we all slept in the same room. Three people slept on the full bed and the rest of us slept on the floor around the bed. My sliver of the room was so narrow that if I laid on my back,  half of my body would be actually under the bed. In all, there were about 8 of us squeezing into that tiny bedroom. Thankfully no one had to pee in the middle of the night or it would have been like a large-scale version of those tile puzzles-- the ones where you have to slide all the tiles around to get a single piece from one side to the other without removing any. Oh memories...

Sunday, December 19, 2010

I swear I'm not just procrastinating.

Tomorrow is technically the final day of my10-day writing challenge and while I have not been blogging all 10 days, I have been busy writing. In three days I must submit the fist version of the first chapter of my M.Ed. inquiry. I should be locked in a room somewhere trying to finish but I am experiencing a bit of writers block. I know what I want to say but just can't get my words to reflect that. What a terrible time for my brain to stop working. I thought that perhaps a little personal writing would help but I am feeling no more eloquent or inspired than when my break started. 

Oh no. I am stuck again. Now I can't even write blog posts. Perhaps I should try something else to jump-start my brain.

Arg.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

WAGS Against Bad Unis: Butt Sweat

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am beginning a new segment called WAGS (Wives and Girlfriends) Against Bad Unis. Being married to the sports-obsessed man that I am, I spend a lot of time watching EPSN. We watch all the sports (I really mean all of them) as well as shows where other people talk about the sports we just watched. Sometimes, we even listen to podcasts of people talking about the sports and the shows of people talking about sports. Inevitably, my attention gravitates to the uniforms. It's hard not to notice them, honestly. There are just so may bad ones out there.

Today's issue, butt sweat! This seems like an appropriate place to start since visible butt sweat is at the top of my uniform pet-peeves. Allow me to illustrate:

  
Pay special attention to number 77's derriere. Who wants to see that really?


Not all football pants are made the same. Some specific types of spandex and some colors are worse offenders than others. As you can see in this picture, yellow should not be used for football pants. Although, I could have predicted as much. Other colors that should be banned from football pant production are silver, gray, red and most other light colors. Furthermore, specific fabric blends should be tested for their ability to repel liquid (as opposed to absorb it).

In an attempt to attract more female viewers, the NFL wears pink on certain days in support of breast cancer research and those suffering with the disease. Some also suspect the recent crackdown on helmet-to-helmet contact in another effort to woo concerned mothers. I, however, think the women's vote could be won by paying more attention to uniform details. Surely I am not the only woman who notices these things.

Unrelated but relevant:
Last night, E and I had a friendly wager on the outcome of our bowling adventure. In the first game, I was crushed by over 50 points. However, in the second round, on a double or nothing wager, I lost by only 2 points. This would have been devastating had E not arrogantly given me 10 points-- meaning I covered the spread and beat him at his own game. Victory!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Challege Day 2: Christmas Shopping

E and I spent the day downtown shopping for Christmas gifts. How I miss living downtown. He wagered that before entering our second store, I would be completely annoyed with crowds and lose my cool. I am proud to announce that I shocked him by making it to four stores before spiraling down into grumpiness. Although, I knew as I entered the going-out-of-business Borders that the mass of people crowding into a hot store for their chance at cheap books was going to put me over the limit. Plus, that particular Borders must not believe in air conditioning because it is always insanely warm in there. My advice for any Borders shoppers is to avoid standing near the computers. People assume that if you are using one that you must work there. I politely told 5 different customers that I was just a shopper. Actually, by the fifth person, I wasn't being quite as polite. We did get some great new comics for 40% off. So, I guess it was worth it.

I am also excited that I found gifts for over half of the people on my list. I hate being a last minute shopper, but I usually am. This year, I am breaking the trend and hope to be completely done by the 20th. I like to set arbitrary goals for myself. It then gives me a feeling of accomplishment when I meet them.

Tonight, E and I will be bowling at his department's holiday get together. The smack talking has already started.

Friday, December 10, 2010

New Challenge

I have been working on blogs projects with my students. After a short lesson on blogs and a crash-course on iWeb, they are now making blogs for the characters in The Outsiders.  I have been trying to encourage them to write frequently and I think learning about blogs may provide them a platform to do so. I, however, feel like a total hypocrite. Looking back at my postings and the dates in my physical journal, they are spotty to say the least. So, starting today, I am issuing myself a 10-day challenge to write every day. I could cite all of the research I have been looking at that explains the benefits of daily writing and/ or reflecting, but I will spare all 5 of my readers the trouble.

Challenge Day 1: Becoming a Cat Person?
I used to like cats as a child. I was terribly allergic, to the point of asthma attacks, but I enjoyed being around them and having one as a pet. Somewhere in my adolescence, I began to hate them and became "dog person." Perhaps it was because my dad's mountain-lion-size cat, Sam, frequently sank his giant teeth into my leg for not petting him on command. Perhaps it was because my grandmother's cat would sit on top of the fridge and threaten to pounce if I tried to get a glass of milk. Or perhaps it was because of the neighborhood cats that would poop in my herb garden. In any case, I am just much happier being around dogs.

When E told me that we would be house-sitting for some people who had a cat, I was a bit hesitant but I am a good sport. I must say, to my own surprise, that I have fallen in love with an old tortoiseshell named Detelina. True, my eyes get a bit puffy and I have trouble breathing through my nose when I come into contact with any furniture she has been on, but she is so sweet. She loves to cuddle and, at night, she burrows down into the covers and sleeps against my legs (thankfully far away from my face). She has a great disposition and doesn't even try to bite or claw me! We are staying with her for another few days and I am already sad about leaving.

Is it possible that I am really becoming a cat person or am I just getting desperate for a pet?

In other news, I will soon be starting a new blog segment called WAGS (Wives and Girlfriends) Against Bad Unis. Being married to the sports-obsessed man that I am, I spend a lot of time watching EPSN. We watch all the sports (I really mean all of them) as well as shows where other people talk about the sports we just watched. Sometimes, we even listen to podcasts of people talking about the sports and the shows of people talking about sports. Inevitably, my attention gravitates to the uniforms. It's hard not to notice them, honestly. There are just so may bad ones out there.

Be on the lookout for the first installment of WAGS Agaist Bad Unis: Butt Sweat.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

I love Gordon Ramsay, and although his new show Master Chef is terrible, I watch it because he is in it. Yesterday, after watching the cupcake challenge episode, I felt inspired to comb through my cupcake books and try a new recipe. (It also helps to know that I am currently on a 5-day Labor Day weekend and can finally get to some of the items on my fun to-do list.)

I found a recipe in one of my books for After Eight cupcakes which have a very dense, but not super sweet chocolate cake with a mint butter cream frosting. 


I am not sure if I think the color of the frosting makes it more or less appetizing. I think that perhaps I put too much frosting on my cupcakes because I always have to scrape the bowl for the last one. Cupcake recipes never have the correct cake to frosting ratio in my opinion.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

So Jealous

As a child, one of my favorite movies was The Little Mermaid. My sister and I would have contests in the pool to see who could best swim like a mermaid; the winner got to pretend to be Ariel and the loser was a nameless mermaid friend or sister. I constantly sang the songs from the movie around the house, to my family's annoyance. However, I think what most captivated me was the ability of the animators to draw sparkles. I practiced hours upon hours, trying to draw sparkles, specifically the sparkly dress that Ariel wears at the end of the movie. 


I love that dress and have always wanted a pale sparkly dress all my own. To this day, I have yet to master the art of sparkle drawing and do not own a sparkly dress.

All of these memories resurfaced the other day when I was watching the Emmy Awards.  I am watching Ryan and Julianna's painfully awkward red-carpet coverage and what did I see...


Claire Danes in a Ariel-esque sparkly dress!  I would never wear that dress; I don't think I will ever go anywhere that requires such formal attire but I still want it! Although, I like Claire Danes much more now. I imagine that she also loves The Little Mermaid and chose that dress for the same reasons that I would have.

Friday, August 27, 2010

It has been too long...

Last week I started my first student teaching placement. I am currently in an 11th grade English Language Arts class. My cooperating teacher is very nice and I am excited about this part of my program. I am, however, a little scared of the 37 students in the class who are all taller than me and look at me like they hate me. I choose to not take that last part personally since it is first period and I assume they are mad that they have to be at school...not at me. I taught my first little snippet of a lesson the other day.  If any of you are interested in a graphic organizer illustrating how noun categories overlap, you know who to call.

In other exciting news, I made an impromptu trip to L.A.'s Fashion District in search of wedding supplies and discovered that they have so much cheap stuff! I found ties for the groomsmen in the perfect shade of yellow for $5. (This was a huge victory because I had been searching everywhere but all the yellow ties were too gold or too buttercup.) I also found a really cute hair piece for me for about 75% less than what I would have paid for it retail.

Countdown to wedding: 36 days!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Treasures from the Renegade Craft Fair

What a perfect Southern California day!  We went to Los Angeles today for the Renegade Craft Fair.  We started with a little basketball at Venice Beach.  Well, Ethan played basketball; I saw a group of people dressed as zombies dancing down the boardwalk to "Thriller" and talked to a homeless man who looked like Robert Downey Jr. and was wearing women's skirts (plural) and thigh high socks. 

We then ventured over to the craft fair with some of our friends.  The weather was perfect, the crafts were amazing and our picnic was delicious.  Last year I found this great Darth Vader Pez linoprint (below).


Keeping with the Star Wars theme, this year, I found another great print.  Jose from Mis Nopales Art creates caricatures of famous people as Dia de los Muertos calaveras.  Below is the print I purchased.  He also has a Han and Leia design but sadly sold out of a prints a while ago.  You should check out his Etsy shop; he has some awesome stuff!




Sunday, July 18, 2010

Status Report

1. I am sunburned from my fun weekend in Oceanside.

2. There are many overdue items on my wedding to-do list.

3. I have been in school for a whole week now and feel tired a lot.  I haven't been in student mode for a while.

4. I can't stop listening to Justin Bieber's "Baby." I now know all the lyrics by heart. What can I say, it gets me pumped for number 3 above.

5. I am unbelievably excited for the Renegade Craft Fair, Los Angeles in exactly 7 days!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Becky v. The Radio

Several years ago, Ethan had an XM radio receiver and an AUX port installed in my car as a birthday present.  I am sure this was mostly because he was tired of hearing me complain about the lack of country radio stations in Los Angeles.  The XM player, until recently, has been great and the AUX port even better.  I have more radio stations than I could ever want AND I can listen to my iPod in the car.  However, these luxuries came at the price of regular AM/ FM radio.  I was sure that the people who installed it had made a mistake but I was so content with my new setup that I kept forgetting to take it back in. Months passed and it was too late to have them fix it for free and I just accepted the fact that I would no longer have regular radio.  At the time, I didn't really care.

That was before XM radio started broadcasting commercials as often as regular, free, radio and before they started using programs with annoying DJs.  I prefer to have my morning radio free of the call-in-and-tell-us-your-most-embarrassing-sex-story hour. As irritating as my satellite radio has become, I love some of their stations too much to cancel it.  I slowly started wishing I had the option of just listening to regular FM radio every now and then.

My radio frustration came to a peak today when I realized that I would not be able to go to the Toy Story 3/ Eclipse double feature at the new drive-in because they broadcast the audio for the movies over an FM station.  I went out to my car and tried removing the XM receiver and antennae but still no radio.  I decided I needed to be a bit aggressive and removed part of the dashboard and stereo box (carefully documenting each step so that I could put my car back together).  I found a cable dangling behind some wires and a matching port on the back of the stereo box.  I plugged the cable into the box, turned the key in the ignition and prayed that I was not about to short circuit the whole car.  To my amazement, the radio came blasting on and was able to successfully scan the local stations.  I can now listen to XM radio, AM/ FM radio, my iPod, and more importantly, Edward Cullen's beautiful voice at the drive-in tonight!
 
I realize that I merely plugged in a cable but I feel like a genius right now.  So much so, that I am not even irritated that my water is turned off until 5pm tonight.

After a 4 year battle, victory is mine!

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Disneyland!

Disney's California Adventure has launched its new attraction, the Wonderful World of Color.  It is an amazing new show where movie clips are projected onto GIANT sheets of water/ mist.  Throughout the program, they also shoot colored jets of water (and fire) hundreds of feet into the air to various movie scores.  I saw this as a perfect opportunity to play with some of the fancy features on my new-ish camera. Thankfully Ethan's aunt was there to help me since I had no idea what I was doing.  I quickly learned that night shooting is quite difficult.


As it got darker and the show lights got brighter, I had a hard time getting the camera to focus (it is just a point-and-shoot after all).  I played with the ISO a bit and the exposure values and white balance, etc.  Finally, I was able to get few pretty good shots (although far less exciting as the amazing shots Ethan's aunt was getting on her paparazzi camera).


You will have to pardon the giant head in the bottom of the picture.  It is hard to take pictures when you are a foot shorter than all the people around you.


Here is a shot of the giant water jets. To be in front of all of the arches and sound equipment you have to line up about an hour before the show starts.  Since there is no place to sit, we opted to for a later arrival.  I don't love the obstructed view but the silhouettes do add a little contrast. 


It is a little hard to make out the images, but this was a scene from The Little Mermaid. 



At the end of the show, all of Paradise Pier is illuminated and they leave the water jets on (low).  I wish my camera took panoramic shots; there is even more to the right. 

I love Disneyland and miss being an annual pass holder.  I especially missed that perk when I found an awesome Wonderful World of Color shirt that was an AP exclusive.  They wouldn't let me buy it which of course made me want it even more! 

Monday, June 21, 2010

It's the (second) Most Wonderful Time of the Year

First things first, I have slacked on the blog postings.  I try to post about once a week, but I think it has been about three or four since my last post.  Right as the school year came to an end, I found out that I got accepted to the teacher prep. program I applied to AND that I was offered student housing.  Student housing is in Goleta, not nearly as cute and charming as downtown SB but significantly cheaper and closer to campus.  To take advantage of this opportunity, I had to move in June 16th (still in the process).  So, for you loyal few who read this, I apologize for my absence.

While packing, I came across this photo from one of my family's many summer camping trips. (Note my hair, hiking boots and awesome killer whale shirt with the airbrushed effect).  It started making me feel very nostalgic...


While some families (like Ethan's) went to Disneyland and spent weeks lying on sandy beaches and boogie boarding, my family went on camping trips through northern California, Oregon, Washington and even British Colombia, Canada. We would go fishing (as you can see from the picture, we were pretty good), ride our bikes through the campground, hike, pick berries, catch lizards, inner-tube down rivers, whittle sticks into pointier sticks, make campfires and get absolutely filthy. 

I love summers... such fun memories...

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Proof of My Black Thumb



I have been watering and tending to my garden every day and my lettuce is still dying.  It could be because Santa Barbara is experiencing hurricane force winds and we had a two day heat wave right after I planted.  However, it is more likely that I just suck at gardening. 

But there's hope...

Monday, May 17, 2010

Ol' McBrewer Had a Farm

As much as I love the idea of gardening, growing my own vegetables, surrounding myself with beautiful flowers, etc., I do not exactly have a green thumb.  I usually draft a great garden plan, buy lots of seeds and starters, force Ethan to spend a day preparing the garden and planting only to have all of my plants die a few weeks later.  Sometimes they die because cats or raccoons trample the, but most of the time they die because I forget to water them.  Working with children, I have learned the power of incentives and rewards.  So, I am trying it on myself.  If I can keep my new garden alive for 2 months, I will expand and add berries (I really want berries), when I get to 6 months, I am going to buy this really awesome urban composting kit and at the 1 year marker, I am getting a rain barrel.  May I present, the new vegetable garden....drum-roll please...


Since the area I wanted to use has very bad soil- or rather clay- and even worse drainage, I decided to try a raised bed this time.  I had some old wood lying around from a worthless bookshelf I purchased and decided to repurpose it for my raised bed.  I got some metal brackets, screws, washers, hex nuts, potting soil, and plastic liner at Home Depot and voila...a new home for my veggies. So far, I have baby lettuce and a cucumber in the planter. I purchased some seeds but didn't want to risk them being smashed by animals and am starting them indoors in some recycled aluminum cans.


Hopefully, I will soon be able to add romaine lettuce, eggplant, dill and basil to my box of tasty goodness.


**Credit for the title of this entry goes to my childhood friend Leslie Austin who created that song (and sang it at school) upon learning my family had sheep, goats, chickens, etc.  I still insist that I did not grow up on a farm.**

Friday, May 7, 2010

My Friend Bodhi the Dog

I REALLY want a dog. I am currently petitioning my landlord for permission and she is "thinking about it."  I am sure that she, like most people, uses that phrase to delay a rejection.  I am, however, trying to stay positive until I get a definite answer.

My fiance frequently dog-sits for a few of the people in his department and we get to pretend that we have a dog, if only for a short period of time.  It is great.  We go on long walks to the pier and the harbor.  We go hiking.  We play frisbee at the beach and play in the water. 

Today, Ethan had Bodhi and they met me at a nearby park for lunch.  I feel so refeshed for the rest of my day now.  Below are some of my favorite pictures of our adventures with Bodhi.

I love this one becuase it looks like a lost shot from the sound of music. 

Great action shot.  He is an AMAZING athlete and truly excells at frisbee but he hasn't leanred to bring the frisbee all the way back to you.  There is a little fetching for the thrower too...

How can you not love that face!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

That's Amore!

Today was my first attempt at homemade pasta; I have been meaning to try this for a while now. It took a few hours but it was fun and tasty. 

 First, I gathered all the ingredients and setup the pasta machine.



Then, I made the pasta dough.  You have to slowly incorporate the flour into the pool of eggs in the center.  This is much harder than it sounds.  In spite of my constant kneading, the dough stayed pretty flaky.

You can see the flaky texture of the dough.  Also, it was very tough and hard to knead.  Once it is mixed it has to be wrapped in cling-wrap and let set at room temperature for 30 minutes.  It was much more cohesive after that and it had a more elastic quality.

Finally, the fun part! The dough has to be divided and rolled through the machine about 20-30 times (at different roller widths) to make long thin sheets.


The sheets are then passed through the noddle cutters and out comes fettuccine.

I found a great recipe on Epicurious.com (originally from Gourmet Magazine) for a pancetta and sun dried tomato cream sauce to showcase my homemade fettuccine.  At last, it was time to eat!  A little garlic bread...a little Pinot...yum...

My pasta making skills need some work but it was a good first try.  I feel so gourmet.  Maybe my skills will improve enough to impress my Italian in-laws. 

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Kids say the darndest things

I think the thing I love most about working with junior high age students is their insatiable curiosity.  It is impossible to prepare for the questions I am asked each day.  I have been collecting student quotes and questions since the beginning of the year.  Below are a few of my favorites. 

1. You know how sometimes men dress like women...do they want to be called 'he' or 'she'?

2. In your opinion, if President Bush had not been president, do you think we would have still been attacked on September 11th?

3. Have you heard of this band called 'KISS'?

4. Is there a rule that says you have to shave your armpits?

5. If are pregnant with twins how many placentas do you have?


Their fresh minds make me smile.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The beginning of possible greatness...

I make fun of Ethan for being a nerd...a lot.  But the truth is, I like it.  I even like some of the things I make fun of him for liking.  I don't really hate the giant Pac 10 football standing board we made.  I don't really mind the Harry Potter ornaments on my Christmas tree.  And I kind of think his giant collection of "action figures" (not to be confused with "toys") is cute.  Weddings usually get a bad rap for being all about the bride and I don't want that to be case.  So, I have created a wedding craft that will pay tribute to his true love (other than me of course)...Star Wars. I have not worked out all the engineering yet, but below is my first attempt at a lightsaber boutonniere (sorry for the poor image quality).


I could be making wedding history here. I just need to figure out how to keep it quirky but not too over-the-top.  This will definitely not be the last post on this project...

Monday, April 5, 2010

Very Frustrating Road Block

I have spent countless hours creating custom save-the-date cards and invitations only to find that no one will print them!  I should amend the previous statement; many people will print them, but no one will print them the way I want them to be printed.  I first tried they convenient Kinko's/ Staples route.  In spite of their special "matte finish," everything they print comes out of a laser printer and is too glossy.  I have tried a local stationary shop that claims to offer custom printing.  What they fail to mention is that their "custom printing" is a women with Microsoft Publisher and a non-commercial ink-jet printer.  Her sample book included one page flyers for baby showers with cliche, baby rattle borders (the border that is included in Microsoft Office) and invitations that are the kind you print on a single sheet of printer paper and then fold in half twice.  I hate to sound like a snob but I would not call her work "professional" and she charged more than Kinkos!  Lately, I have been exploring online printing services.  Since I am a tactile person, I need to be able see and touch what I am ordering.  I requested samples from a few different places but none of them have arrived yet and they were supposed to be here weeks ago.  I feel like I have to settle for low-quality printing or order cookie-cutter invitations from a wedding stationary company.  They need to be sent out this month and having them printed is just the first part of their overall construction. 

I really am trying to stay positive.  I just don't like being behind schedule...

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Spring Break Productivity: Part 2

One of the big tasks on my spring break to-do list was to make cupcake toppers for the wedding.  I saw some wooden people toppers in an issue of Martha Stewart Weddings and wanted to recreate them to be more specific to my wedding. I tried my hand at these a while back and the results were mixed.  I was pretty pleased with how the bride turned out, but her bouquet of flowers is not centered, one of her eyes is slightly lager than the other and it looks a little smudged (I used a Sharpie for the eyes and wood absorbed it more than I thought it would and the ink bled).  Groom #1 is a disaster. I completely messed up his eyes and the gray I used to detail his suit is WAY too light (I didn't test it to see how it would look when it dried).  He quickly became my technique tester (hence the 6 eyes).

Bride and Groom #1

Thankfully the wooden people came in packs of two.

First, I sketched the eyes, hair and clothes on the figures.  The pencil marks will show through the first layer of the bride's dress (the marks will disappear with two or three layers of paint).  However, because the black paint of the groom's suit will cover all pencil marks, I waited to sketch the suit details until after the first layer of paint was dry. 


Then, it was time for paint.  This was completely nerve-racking because one mistake can ruin the entire figure.  It is impossible to remove unwanted paint from the natural, unfinished wood.  Paint can be covered with more paint, but there is not erase!  Also, I was working on the figures simultaneously.  Once tiny smudge of black paint could have ruined the bride figure.  I was so paranoid, I washed my hands every time I switched figures. Trying to avoid mistakes from bride and groom #1, I was very careful to paint in layers based on depth and lightest elements to darkest.


After hours of laboring over 2, 2 1/2 inch figures...I am done!  In some ways, I like the original bride better but I can't get past the off-center bouquet and the asymmetrical eyes.  If I can find a way to fix the eyes, I might use the first bride (my new spot sanding method is currently in beta testing...on groom #1).  Either way, I love my cupcake toppers!  They are understated but quirky and cute.  And here is the final product...


I might have gotten a little carried away taking pictures and set up a miniature photo shoot for the new couple... I like playing with my new camera...

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Spring Break Productivity: Part 1

One of the nice parts about working in education is having school holidays.  So far, I am loving spring break; I have been getting so many things done!

Paint Magazine Racks with Chalkboard Paint- Done


















 Do Something with Side Table- Done (kind of)
I am in the process of redecorating and I am not sure what color I want the table.  So, I sanded it and painted it white for now.  It will be easy to change later.  The two-tone red and aqua was starting to give me a headache.

















Paint Lamp on Side Table- Done 
No pictures. Like the table, I have transformed it from eyesore to blank canvas.  All I need is some inspiration...


Book Rentals for Wedding- Half Done
I got to put together a sample table with one of my table runners and dishes and flowers...so exciting.  I still need to add the caterer's supplies and sign the contract but I am mostly done with rentals.

I love crossing things off my list!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Twilight Party

One of the students I work with in the afterschool program is moving out of state with her family and today was her last day.  As much as I try not to have "favorites," there are always students that you connect with more than others; she is definitely one of those students.  At the beginning of the year, she started reading the Twilight series and after discovering that I am a huge Twilight fan, started waiting for me every day outside the afterschool program homework room to discuss what she had just read and to gush over the dreamy Edward Cullen.  She is well-behaved, polite, hard working and just genuinely a good kid. We were all sad to learn that her family was relocating to Oregon (although it does make her one state closer to Forks).  The other afterschool program staff members and I decided that a Twilight themed going away party was absolutely necessary.

I knew I had to make vampire cupcakes.  Since it was a bit of an experiment, I felt it was necessary to document my work. 


Step 1: I melted Wilton Candy Melts and poured the melted candy into a Ziploc plastic bag. I then trimmed off a very, very small amount off of one of the corners, making it into a makeshift pastry bag.

Step 2: I found clipart of vampire fangs and transformed it into a template for the candy pieces.  I placed the template under a sheet of parchment and piped the melted candy on the parchment.  I did all the white fangs first and then, when they were cooled, made the lips.

Step 3: I made red velvet cupcakes and cream cheese buttercream icing.  I then rolled the edges of the cupcakes in black sprinkles.  I topped the cupcakes off with the cooled, candy fangs and a little "blood" (red gel icing).

I can definitely think of ways to improve them next time, but I am pretty happy with how they turned out.

It was nice of Robert Pattinson to make an appearance.  The girls (ok me too) went crazy over him!
We ate cupcakes, took pictures, watched New Moon and had a great time but our party had a sad ending.  Our student is gone...  She will be greatly missed but I am confident that she will succeed at her new school and in the future.




In happier news....SPRING BREAK!!!   WOO!!!  I am off for 10 days! Maybe now I can tackle some of the overdue items on my wedding to-do list....

Thursday, March 18, 2010

I am a huge nerd...

It has recently come to my attention that I am a huge nerd.  I submit the following evidence to support my case.

Exhibit A:  My mother (and Lisa Kudrow's new show Who Do You Think You Are?) recently introduced me to ancestry.com and I am so hooked!  I have been up until 1am the last few nights researching my ancestors.  It is like an amazing scavenger hunt through historical documents.  At work I dream about going home to my computer and continuing the quest.  So far, I have been able to trace one line of my family back 9 generations to a John O'Daniel born in 1718.

Exhibit B: I was very excited to receive my my census form.  I have been looking forward to it for months!  This is the first time I will be completing my own form.  I became even more enthusiastic about it after I began searching through hundreds of years of census projects for my new hobby (see Exhibit A).

Exhibit C: I saw the glass below and I LOVED it.  I want a whole collection of them. Even Ethan thought it was nerdy and he wears a Star Wars watch with lightsaber hands. 

Friday, March 5, 2010

FABRIC!

My table runner fabric is finally in and I have one runner completed (kind of)!


This is definitely a victory.  I have been looking for fabric for months and was starting to feel a little defeated.  I had been primarily looking at online fabric sites but wasn't finding any good deals.  I was convinced that I could do better in the garment district in L.A.  I dragooned my mom, step-dad, fiance and friend into accompanying my on my quest.  After an hour or two I started to realize that they all had a pretty similar selection-- mostly jerseys, silks, wools but no cotton prints.  Finally, I found this great Michael Miller print at the Michael Levine store, but it was $10 a yard!  I didn't want to pay that much but really liked the fabric.  Being the disciplined, budget shopper that I am, I went home empty handed.  However, a week later I found the same fabric on sale for $6 a yard at Fabric.com AND when you buy more than $35 worth of fabric they give you FREE SHIPPING.  To say that I was excited is an understatement.  I love getting things on sale.

I have already cut the fabric and sewn one of the runners. Unfortunately, I got the wrong color thread and have to rip the stitches out and re-do it (I blame it on the terrible fluorescent lighting at the fabric store).  It's not a huge inconvenience, but they are each 90" x 15" so that is a substantial perimeter to re-hem.

This might be a good way to get my mom involved in wedding projects, but only because I don't want her to feel left out.  I know, I am such a considerate daughter.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

In Non-Wedding Craft News...

For the past few moths I have been working on a patchwork camera strap for Ethan's Aunt "Chiggee."  She got a new camera for Christmas and I thought a homemade camera strap would be a nice accessory.  I saw a similar project on one of the craft blogs I read, and thought I could figure out how to recreate it. I purchased a plain camera strap, took it apart and then made a patchwork strip that fit the dimensions of the original piece.  The hard part was attaching it to the leather tabs (that connect to the camera).  I was very nervous that my sewing would not be strong enough (I had this terrible vision of her brand new camera smashing to pieces on the ground because the strap didn't hold).  So, I reinforced it with craft cement (the slightly classier version of duct tape). It was along process, but, after months of troubleshooting, it is finally finished!  I hope she likes it!




 Also, I finally ordered the fabric for my table runners.  I tried getting fabric in downtown L.A., but that did not go well.  It's a long story and I will save it for another post.  According to the UPS tracking code for my order, the fabric left Doraville, GA at 3:42am on February 18th and should be in Santa Barbra on the 24th.  I am so excited!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Going Public

I have been keeping this blog/ journal for 7 months now without publishing it.  I liked the idea of being able to read it after the wedding and remember all the work that went into making our day special, but I wasn't sure if I wanted others to read it or if they would even want to if it were published.  However, after pouring over hundreds blogs in the past few months looking for veil-making tutorials or ideas for non-cheesy father-daughter dance songs, I have really started to love the blogging world. So, I have decided to put this out there and see what happens. Maybe this is the beginning of my lifelong dream of becoming the next Martha Stewart...

Wait. There's more.  Since I enjoy making blog entries so much, I also decided to branch out from Project: Wedding.  (Besides, after a while, people start avoiding you if you can't talk about anything other than wedding plans.)  So, coming soon: Culinary Adventures, The Dogs in My Life and other random fun.


One last thing.  I feel like I should explain the the blog name.  My fiance insists that every month I come up with some new hobby or project, etc. to obsess over.  One month I was very passionate about installing a garden and growing my own vegetables, another month I wanted to crochet an afghan...so he claims.  One of my "things of the month," as he calls them, was going to be a blog about cupcakes (because I am obsessed with them and try a new cupcakery in every new city I visit).  That blog died before my third entry (I can't even remember what the blog was called or what blogging host site I used).  However, this journal (now blog) has been alive for several months now (without his knowledge) and the title, "Thing" of the Month, is my way of saying "HA!" On the other hand, this blog could provide him with valuable documentation of my monthly obsessions and then the "HA!" would be on me.

Stay tuned.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

A few more things crossed off the list

Design save the dates- CHECK
I am pretty happy with how the design turned out. When printed they will be about the size of a small postcard. My plan is to make stickers out of round labels and place them in the middle of the card. People can then put the stickers on their calendars. Hopefully I will be able to get these printed with a matte finish...

(In case you are wondering what is up with the seagulls, I chose to use them because we are getting married in a beach town and I love wedding graphics with love birds or sparrows, so I combined the two ideas.)

Hire a caterer- CHECK
Bonus points on this because he lives across the street from me.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

I've been a slacker

It has been about 6 months since my last entry. That is sadly representative of my overall productivity. I have actually made more work for myself by changing my overall plan several times. I have changed my colors three times now, doubled my guest list (and then some), redesigned the save-the-dates several times, changed my mind on catering, switched from round to rectangular tables, to mention a few. However, with the energy that comes with a new year (an the wedding slowly creeping up on me), I am now in full planning and crafting mode. Below are a few of my recent successes:

Decide on Wedding Colors- CHECK
One of the obstacles that I kept tripping over was figuring out how my bridesmaids were going to get dresses in a matching color. I am not picky about the style and want everyone to feel comfortable and happy with their dress, so my plan was to pick a color at David's Bridal and have them get any dress in that color. Since all of my bridesmaids live hundreds of miles away from me, I wanted to choose a national, prevalent chain store like David's Bridal that would be convenient for them. I had it all worked out, I picked the colors I wanted for the overall theme and then found a corresponding dress color on the David's Bridal website. However, when I went to DB to double check the color, I discovered that it had already been discontinued. Apparently, they rotate through dress colors rather quickly. I didn't want to choose another dress color that might be discontinued when the bridesmaids start shopping in a few months. So I have simplified my life, and hopefully theirs; they are all going to get black dresses and the overall color scheme will be black, charcoal gray and mustard yellow. Crossing my fingers that we all don't end up looking like bumblebees.

Buy my dress- CHECK
When I went to look at bridesmaid dresses at DB I had no intention of looking at wedding dresses. However, I had already driven half and hour and thought I should at least look around. I had looked at some of their dresses online and there were a few that I really liked. It just so happened that they had my favorite one
in the store, in my size, in ivory (not white) and it was ON SALE. I tried it on and loved it and gave them a deposit to hold the dress and the sale price. My mom and I went down the next weekend to finalize the deal. I figured I couldn't buy a dress without at least showing my mom. I am so happy that my experience was nothing like those terrible shows where a women gets bullied into buying a dress her mom/ sisters/ friends like after an hour of crying in the dressing room.