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...

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.**

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!

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. 

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.

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...

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...