Kate of all Trades

Thanks for the Memories

2011-01-13T09:54:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much for visiting (and hopefully enjoying) Kate of All Trades. This blog was a wonderful experience for me in ways far beyond what one could see here. Most importantly it's been a springboard to my writing life and the next chapter of my creative journey. I am starting a new blog, SMARTS Magazine. SMARTS launches February 1st and you can be a part of it, and not just as a reader. Visit SMARTS Magazine now to learn more. See you there!

A Certain Curtain

2010-03-29T07:58:00.000-07:00

The other day we hosted a dinner party for our friends the Brunos. Diann and Bruce had never been to our house before and of course I wanted it to look nice.

One eyesore that I'd been meaning to take care of forever was the gross curtains that hung in my kitchen. They were those crappy white lacy/eyelet sort, super boring and embarrassingly dirty.

I've been wanting to put up a matchstick shade but have never been able to find one in the right size. Since I decided to finally address this about 6 hours prior to guest arrival I didn't have much time to buy fabric or sew anything. So when it occurred to me that a tea towel would probably be just the right size, I was pretty pumped.

I found a nice colorful towel that was exactly the right width at New Seasons for $5. I simply folded it over the existing curtain rod and attached it with straight pins. Later, when I'm not in a rush, I will stitch it into place. Voila! A needed splash of color for $5 and 15 minutes.

So Shady

2010-03-17T08:09:00.000-07:00

Finally! As we approach our fifth summer in this house, I have, at last, planted the shade bed in our backyard. Well, there was the one year when I made a feeble attempt that quickly went awry but I've learned a lot since then. All of these plants are medium to fast growers so hopefully, assuming all goes well, everything will grow in by the end of next summer. Most of them were planted as bare roots or bulbs so it will be a few weeks before we even see anything.

I like looking at this collage. It's better than the real thing. See?

Plant guide, clockwise from top right: Lily of the Valley (which reminds me if my sister Callie because it blooms in May around her birthday and it rhymes), astilbe, lady fern, bleeding heart, hosta, helleborus, Japanese painted ferns.

The Story of Stuff

2010-03-15T20:51:00.001-07:00

If you think about the environment, Wal-Mart, Made in China, the rain forest, recycling, we the people, trees, toxins, or being a good steward of the planet you have to watch this. Remember, in our new democracy, where corporations are considered people, every dollar you spend is a vote.

The Story of Stuff

Posted using ShareThis

"Yes, I am Amused" Said my Mouth

2010-03-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

Company is coming in an hour. You've decided to take a stab at Julia Child's Pate de Cunard en Croute. Your four year old is crying because he thinks you're deboning Donald Duck specifically. And your husband can't seem to figure out how to set a table. Suddenly, amidst the chaos, you remember that you haven't prepared any pre-dinner nibbles to go with the cocktails.

Luckily you recently looked at Kate of All Trades where you saw one of her quick, easy and delicious ideas. And even luckier, you have all the ingredients handy which is kind of weird. After a moment of reflection you realize that even a culinarily (so what if it's not a word) challenged husband can put together a plate of bleu cheese with nectarine preserves on toast. So you get him started, give the four year old a kiss, and finish showing that duck who's boss.

A few hours later you reflect on the success of your party, marvel at all the empty wine bottles, and thank KOAT for her party saving idea which garnered many compliments though not as many as your duck. You nailed it.

Bleu Cheese with Nectarine Preserves on Toast

A baguette
6 oz bleu cheese spread
1 jar nectarine preserves (plum or apricot would be just as good)

1. Turn on your oven's broiler.
2. Slice bread into thin pieces.
3. Place on cookie sheet and place in broiler until lightly browned. Let cool.
4. Cover toasts with bleu cheese.
5. Cover cheese with preserves.
6. Serve and graciously accept compliments.

PS - For the record, this would never happen at my house. I would never attempt Pate de Cunard en Croute and Ben totally knows how to set a table.

Sit On It

2010-03-10T08:02:00.001-08:00

Let's address the obvious. Why such a long break? I don't know. It happens. Let's just move on.

Since I last posted Spring has sprung in Portland. But the daffodils aren't the only thing blossoming, so is my dining room. You saw the changes made by Spade & Archer founder Justin Riordan. Now I am pulling all the details together, starting with reupholstering my chairs.

The old fabric was OK but had been selected for a dining room that was green.When we turned the orange room into the dining room (a really long time ago already) the red/orange fabric lost all statement appeal. The time had come to change it up.

I wanted a really bold graphic so I decided on black and white. I found this great print at Fabric Depot. It's pretty stiff and almost feels like canvas, a good choice for upholstery.

Some tips to ensure a great result:

Use a really good staple gun. And use it a lot, the more staples the better.
Put a layer of cotton batting on first. This gives the seat some extra cush and helps the fabric lay flatter.
Pull the batting and fabric super tight. When in doubt, pull more. And then pull some more.
If using a print be sure to center it on the seat.
Choose a bold fabric. Come on, don't be a chicken.

Changing out fabric on a dining room chair is super easy, just time consuming. And I did break a few nails. But this simple and inexpensive project has added a big dose of cool to my room. Yay.

Cookies! NOM NOM NOM!

2010-01-27T10:33:00.000-08:00

When your inner Cookie Monster rears his fuzzy little head (or you have guests coming, or need to bring treats to a child's class) consider my Oatmeal Cherry Chocolate cookies. You can't eat the whole batch but one or two is a far better choice than Oreos or cupcakes and all the ingredients are real. Yay for real!

In the interest of full disclosure the base recipe is not mine at all. It's the oatmeal raisin cookie recipe on the top of the Quaker oats box. All I do is substitute 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup chopped dried cherries for raisins. I also use whole wheat flour which really does give the cookie a nuttier/healthier flavor.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound butter, softened*
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
3 cups uncooked oats
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped

1. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy.
3. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
4. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well.
5. Stir in oats, chocolate and cherries; mix well.
6. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake 10-12 minutes or until just a little brown around the bottom**.
8. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet, then transfer to wire rack.

* If you decide to make cookies on the spur of the moment and don't have enough time to wait for the butter to soften, do not use the microwave. Some of that butter will melt and that's not good. Instead, insert wrapped (very important) sticks into your bra for a minute or so. And it looks cool too.

** The key to moist cookies is not to over cook them. In fact, better to just slightly under cook them. They will continue cooking after you remove them from the oven. So look for edges that are just turning golden brown. Even if the center still looks a little doughy, pull them. Once they've set, they'll be perfect.

Pretty Pretty Spring Time

2010-01-26T07:35:00.000-08:00

It's been unseasonably warm here in Portland this month. The bulbs are sending up shoots, crocus are timidly peaking out. Heading out the door to run errands over the weekend, I left my winter coat on the hook looking at me sadly as if to say "it's too soon." So naturally I'm starting to think about summer dresses. I love the dresses at Mod Cloth despite the fact that they are on the pricey side.

Above are my favorites. Clearly I have a type - defined waist and a fuller skirt. That's just the best shape for my body. This is the most important part of dressing well, being honest about your shape and knowing what's flattering and what's not. I don't look good in drop waists or halters. It's a bummer but I've accepted it.

If your warm weather fantasies are of the shoe variety DaFashionista has you covered.

A Room I Can Live WIth

2010-01-25T07:11:00.001-08:00

Last weekend my dear and talented friend Justin struck again. This time he came over to rethink my living room. I had serious doubts, I just didn't see how the room could be set up any differently without feeling awkward or crowded. But I'm not a professional and thankfully he is. Check out the before and afters and then visit his blog to read the explanations for each change.

Before
After
Before
After

The room is so much brighter and comfortable. Our lighting (which was very poor before) is much improved and the room is much more inviting. But most importantly, it just feels like a home and not a post-college apartment. I truly LOVE IT!

The best part? It cost zero dollars. Justin used the things I already own just like he did in the dining room. Now, I got his services for free because we're besties but I would pay for this service. And if you have a room that needs help, I suggest you find a designer who can do this for you. (If you live in Portland, email me and I can hook you up with Justin's info or you can find it at his blog.) For the cost of one new table lamp, you could have your entire room redone without having to buy anything new!

PS - Happy birthday to me!

Simple & Sweet

2010-01-21T10:21:00.000-08:00

A bunch of Japanese asters ($6) in a vintage mixing bowl make for a lovely and lively center piece for a casual lunch with friends. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to use such a wide mouthed vessel but the asters are so bushy/leafy that it worked fine. But note to self - pick up some floral foam to have handy. Possibilities = endless.

Learning Journey: Art

2010-01-19T08:36:00.000-08:00

It started with a Google image search for "Jackie Collins young." I've seen two headlines about her recently and found myself curious about what kind of beauty she might have been as a young woman. As it turns out, she wasn't really all that fly...in my opinion.

More interestingly was one of the results for that query. I clicked through to a blown up image of The Grand Odalisque painted by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres in 1814 in the Neoclassical style. (Is someone calling Jackie Collins a ho?) I've seen and admired this painting before but didn't know anything about it. Now I do. Housed in the Louvre, Odalisque
was commissioned by Napoleon's sister. Harshly critiqued in Ingres' time, Odalisque is famous for it's anatomical distortion. The figure has five additional vertabrae and the pose would be physically impossible. To historians Ingres, and particularly this piece, is an important precursor to modern art. But as far as I'm concerned, it's just a beautiful image. I love the colors and the earnest gaze of the figure that reaches out to the viewer but reveals nothing.

The next question was an obvious one: what other stuff has he done? A quick search at art.com yields six pages of results. Scrolling through the pages the content of his work easily reveals that Ingres liked to paint scenes and figures of Biblical, historic and literary significance but made his living doing portraiture of the ruling class. I happen to be a huge nerd about European royalty and nobility so these paintings are fun for me to look at. I like to wonder about their lives, especially the women. It seems glamorous but I think the reality was extremely tedious and confining.

I was about to veer off on that tangent, following certain lineages to past and future generations (nerd!) but Will woke up from his nap. My life long learning session had to come to a close. But not before I had the idea to do a small collection of Neoclassical prints on that empty wall in my bedroom. New project, yay!

Storage Story

2010-01-11T10:02:00.000-08:00

I'm back in boot camp this month so I can cross off that totally stereotypical resolution. Next up is getting organized. Besides doing major junk purges (thanks Hoarders!) I'm working on my kitchen cupboards. First up the baking stuff. Those items live in the cupboard above the stove on a shelf right below my fancy stemware. Since it is only one shelf, everything that gets thrown up there just smooshes together. It's super lame.

My solution is the OXO food storage bins. They are cool. A button on the top pressure seals the lid. To open you just press it again and it pops up. They come in a million sizes and cost $9.99 to about $20. I but one every time I go to Target so that it's not crazy expensive all at one time. So far I have enough to handle half of my cupboard which makes it really convenient to show you a before and after all in one photo. Huge improvement right?

Back to Earth, Back to Basics

2010-01-04T09:26:00.000-08:00

I didn't mean to fall off the face of the blog world last month but family drama sent me into orbit. I wish I could tell the tale but these are not my beans to spill. I will say that it's one of those things that is way out of my control, there is just nothing I can do to fix any of it.

In situations like that, I find the best thing to do is focus my attention on something I can control. After all the stress and holiday pigging out, my body needs some work. Specifically, it's time to de-puff. I've been headed down the wrong path diet and exercise-wise for a couple months and it's time to turn it around. Literally. So I for the next seven days I'm doing a metabolic u-turn eating plan. It's designed to use up stored glucose so the body can begin burning fat. You can read all about it here. I've done this before. It's tough for the first 3-4 days but once past that part, I feel so much better.

It's not just my eating habits that have fallen to the wayside. I've totally slacked in the exercise department too. So I'm sending myself back to boot camp. Next Monday will begin four weeks of beatings. It will be unpleasant in the moment but I know it's a guaranteed outcome. And worth it.

I would be remiss not to mention that not all of December made me want to crawl in a hole and eat continuously. One really amazing thing happened. We got a puppy. Meet Thomas "Tommy" Peterson, our 14 week old mini Australian Shepherd. He is sooooooooo good and cute. And he adds a whole new topic to my Kate-business - pet/dog care. I already have a bunch of good ideas and solutions that I look forward to sharing in the coming months. The first one is this: when life presents you with a soul sucking set of circumstances, make a life affirming change! For us, it was adding a new member to our family to fall in love with. Tommy has been an awesome addition. I mean, how bad can it be when you have this furry furry cute face to kiss?

Holiday Gift Guide - Wisteria.com

2009-12-08T10:52:00.001-08:00

Wisteria is a great online store with all kinds of items for house and home. There are a number of great gift offerings for under $25. These are my faves.

Glitter Snowflake Votives - on sale $17

Personalized Hand Print Wall Art Kit - $19
(Great for friends/family with children)

Personalized Cocktail Napkins - $20

Antiqued Glass Pineapple Votives set of 3 - on sale $12

Black Forest Reindeer Plates - on sale $24.50

Set of Five Scarves - $29
(Ok, so these are over $25. But you could split this into five gifts at $5.80 each)

Holiday Gift Guide: CB2

2009-12-07T10:34:00.000-08:00

This week I am going to post great gift options at a variety of retailers, all under $25. The hardest part of holiday shopping, for me, is just having some ideas. Hopefully this will help us all get it together in time without breaking the bank.

Up first is CB2, a Crate and Barrel spin off targeting a younger, more urban audience. These are my favorite options for less than $25.

Eight Piece Lumiere Set - $24.95

Three Piece Mercury Bud Vase Set

Black Crow Door Mat - $19.95

Stainless Steel Snack Bowls - $10.95-$19.95

Four Piece Martini Set - $18.80

Thanksgiving Lefters

2009-12-01T13:55:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I accidentally said lefters instead of left overs. It's shorter, snappier, and a cool new spin on an old concept. I vote we all start saying it. Pass it on!

Speaking of, I have a few loose ends to tie up with you faithful blog readers from the holiday. Linda and I cooked on Thursday for a party of 8. We had the standard, and delicious, things though my favorites were the stuffin' muffins and the broccolini with garlic, paprika and almonds. The meal was so good that I didn't mind eating lefters for the next four days. And the broccolini was so easy that it will certainly be enjoyed in the future. You can too, recipe below.

My most favorite element of our Thanksgiving was the table. We used Great Aunt Dot's (on Ben's side) wedding china. Aunt Dot was married in the 1920's and the china came from pre-war Japan. It's white with gold accents and a lime green trim. Old fashioned, elegant and yet somehow fresh. In other words, timeless. My pictures don't do it justice.

For a center piece we ended up using the china soup terrine filled with flowers. We picked up a mixed bouquet and some filler greens at the grocery store. Using florist foam ensured the shape would be right. I loved how it all came out. Again, the pictures are not so great. I need a new camera.

Hey, maybe I'll get one for Christmas!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 cup whole almonds, coarsely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika*
Coarse kosher salt
2 pounds broccolini, rinsed, stalks cut into 2- to 3-inch lengths
1/3 cup water
1 to 2 teaspoons Sherry wine vinegar

Prep:

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add almonds. Stir until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and paprika. Sprinkle with coarse salt; sauté 1 minute. Transfer to small bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to skillet. Add broccolini; sprinkle with coarse salt. Add 1/3 cup water. Cover and boil until crisp-tender and still bright green, about 4 minutes. Pour off any water. Stir in almond mixture. Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper. Mix in 1 to 2 teaspoons vinegar. Transfer broccolini to bowl and serve.

My Book Wish List - November '09

2009-11-30T08:21:00.000-08:00

In a perfect world I could eat cake for every meal and I would have time to read all these books.

The Gospel According to Coco Chanel - Karen Karbo
Sloughing Towards Bethlehem - Joan Didion
Half Broke Horses - Jeanette Walls
In a Perfect World - Laura Kasischke
The Last Empress: Madame Chiang Kai-shek and the Birth of Modern China - Hannah Pakula
The Secret Wife of Louis XIV: Francoise d'Aubigne, Madame de Maintenon - Veronica Buckley

It's a Cake. It's a Cookie. It Needs to Get in my Mouth.

2009-11-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

Did you know you can make cookies from a boxed cake mix? We call them cakies. All you do is use the suggested amount of oil and two eggs, no water, and then mix. Roll them into balls and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at the temperature listed on the package for 9 minutes. Done. Could not be easier.

The important thing here is to think of all the possibilities. You can use any cake flavor and mix in whatever to want. Chocolate with dried cherries and almonds, or peanut butter chips, or M&Ms, or Reese's Pieces. Spice mix with raisins or white chocolate chips, or both. Yellow cake with chocolate chips or M&Ms. The combinations are endless and the result is always a moist delicious treat.

Cakies are not exactly good for you but they sure are good! Little piggies won't be able to resist, as evidenced below.

What I Wore to the Midnight Showing of 'New Moon'

2009-11-21T11:48:00.000-08:00

Normally I would never go to the midnight show of anything on opening night. It involves a lot of things I don't like: staying up late, waiting in line, sold out theaters, getting home at 3am. But when Ben's very sweet co-worker invited me to join her group of friends, and fellow Twi-nerds, I beat back my party pooper tendencies and said yes. I mean, it's important to try new things, meet new people, and I really did want to actually meet, and possibly befriend, Stephanie. Plus she was going to make us t-shirts.

Outfit:
H&M black turtle neck
Twilight t-shirt made by Stephanie
Forever 21 skinny jeans

Accessories:
Nine West patent leather shoes
Forever 21 pearl bracelets
tote bag

I'm not going to lie, I felt a little bit silly in my Team Edward shirt but I figured why not go for it? I love Twilight and I don't care who knows it. And I was in good company. The room was practically crackling with giddy anticipation. Girls started freaking out when the previews started and the frenzy didn't die down until well into the film when we finally got to see Taylor Lautner shirtless. For the record, I did not squeal with delight. Out loud.

New Moon is way better than Twilight and that's pretty much all I wanted. Well, that and some eye candy. The writing was better, the directing was a huge improvement, and the performances well, not quite as bad. The supporting cast far outshone the principles, maybe with the exception of Taylor Lautner. I did not want to like him because "my" Jacob doesn't look like him but he won me over. The kid's talented.

Kristen Stewart, on the other hand, still sucks. She's just herself in every movie and that bugs me. Some actors are like that. They have a personality that people respond to so they get work. But then they are just themselves in every movie. Problem for me is that I don't like her personality. All the looking freaked out or vacant and then stammering over every line....spit it out already!

Robert Pattinson was definitely better this time around but I'm not sure he's a good actor. I will withhold judgment until I see him in a more demanding role, he has a million movies coming out. But I wonder if he will be like Brad Pitt - compelling, mega hot, successful, but really not that great an actor. And just one specific note for Robert. Go to the gym! Like seriously, I want a little more chest and ab action for my $10. I don't want to be reminded that you're a skinny, scruffy, and probably smelly guy in real life. When you are Edward, be as hot as possible. This is not asking too much.

The best part of the night was getting to relive that Twilight feeling for a little while. Reading the books was one of the most fun experiences ever. Something about this whole story, truly a saga, makes me feel young again. Like when love was just a fantasy and I was a plain girl waiting to be picked by the perfect guy. The time before my story had been written. I've heard a lot of women say, quietly and in private, that Twilight is kind of life changing. I feel that way. I'm a full on woman with a marriage, a career, and child, a home, the things I always wanted most. But, I'm well aware of the realities of forever love. It's a ton of work and it hardly ever feels like butterflies. And sometimes it all makes me feel old, like my options are narrowing. In truth, they are because I'm making my choices and following one path and not another. But there was a time when anything was possible and all of my future was just a fantasy. It's good to reconnect with that hopeful, emotional, innocent girl. She sure did know how to dream up the good stuff.

Fun "Little" Site

2009-11-19T07:45:00.000-08:00

I live in a small house, about 1200 square feet. The trick is not having too much stuff and using space efficiently. I can improve a lot on both these points. But the houses designed by Tumbleweed Tiny House Company have it down. With models as small as 60 sq ft, nothing is wasted and extras just won't fit. It's a simpler way of living that I find appealing. And the environmental benefits are obvious. But, probably not something I would ever actually do (too many clothes, too many dishes) though interesting to think about. Would you, could you?

Callie's Corner: Etched Glass Storage Jars

2009-11-17T07:30:00.000-08:00

Crafty Callie has a new project for us just in time for the Holidays. She made the storage jars above using a simple glass etching technique. A set of these jars would make a great gift with a personal touch. Here's what you need to know.

Materials:

Glass jars
Etching cream (craft stores approx. $8)
Cheap little paint brushes
Masking tape
Letter stickers. Use ones that are true letters and not "pictures" of letters. This can be found most readily in scrap booking sections or in hobby stores with large stickers collections. I like cardstock letter stickers.

Instructions:

Wash and dry outside of jars
Tape off area that you wish to etch
Place letters of the word you wish to spell and make sure it is centered in the area you are etching. Make sure letters are straight and stuck really well to jar.
Apply etching cream to jar following the directions on the etching cream container regarding the amount of time to let it sit on the jar. Note that you want a fairly thick layer of cream and make sure it is uniform. Be careful with brush strokes as they can show in the finished product if you are not careful to cover them
Wash off etching cream and gently dry trying to not remove the letters. If it not etched enough for your liking go ahead and put another coat on.
Once you are happy, remove tape and stickers, give it a good wash and fill 'em up.

Alternate instructions:

The above directions will give you clear words with an etched area surrounding, as pictured. If you would like etched letters you can achieve this as well. For this you will need contact paper and an Exacto knife. On your computer or free hand if you are talented like that, draw or trace the design or words on the contact paper. Using the Exacto knife cut out the design/words and place on the jar or glass. I often make customized frames this way. Make sure the piece of contact paper is large enough that you do not get the etching cream outside of the contact paper. Follow the directions as stated above and you will have etched letters with clear around.

Dining in Style

2009-11-15T16:52:00.000-08:00

This weekend my friend Justin Riordan of Spade and Archer Designs came over to style my dining room. The room has grown stale and I was beginning to hate it. I just couldn't figure out how to solve all the issues without spending a bunch of money. And I found myself no longer entertaining in that room. But Justin was able to breathe new life into the room using stuff I already own. He also took some things away. Editing is so important. Now I have a whole new room and it didn't cost a dime.

Before:
After: Justin moved the buffet from a side wall to the main wall, now visible from the living room. He emptied my buffet of all my pottery and picked out the green pieces to create instant interest on the top. When I get tired of it, I can switch it out for the red pieces, or the white, or whatever. He said to just stick with one color. He re-oriented the table across the room and put all six chairs along the side rather than one at each end, two on the sides. The peacock picture, the lamp and mirror were taken from elsewhere in the house. And finally, he took down the very tired white drapes leaving only the existing shades. He even repurposed three of the curtain holder brackets to keep the shade cords out of W's reach. The changes he made are wonderful. We keep commenting on how the buffet's new position somehow makes our whole living area feel more like a home.

I do have a few little projects to finish off the room. I am going to replace the mirror with a gold gilded framed mirror. Justin tipped me off to the Hotel Liquidators who reportedly have gold mirrors in abundance for about $20.

I do not love my light fixture. I will be looking to replace that and am pretty excited about finding just the right piece. Let the hemming and hawing begin!

I also have a large wall (where the buffet used to be) that definitely needs art and that's what I'm going to tackle first. My plan is to hang plates and/or platters. I have a few but I'm going to raid Linda's cabinet and maybe visit Goodwill too. I'm not sure if I want to do all white, patterns, solids, or a mix of both. I also need to come up with a layout. The internet has been busy providing lots of inspiration.

You'll be the first to see the what happens in my dining room so stay tuned!

I Totally Would

2009-11-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

Wear this, that is. This is a 1970's Malcom Starr gown. The print is actually an applique. On sale from The Way We Wore for $2,500 (aka way out of my league).

I love it! I think I'm a little young just now but I can definitely see me rockin' this somewhere circa 55 years old.

Where's the Beef (From)?

2009-11-12T08:13:00.001-08:00

Nicolette Hahn Niman asked herself a very important question one day. "Where does my food come from?" The answers have been frustratingly hard to come by and resulted in her book "Righteous Porkchop: Finding a Life and Good Food Beyond Factory Farms."

This has been on my mind a lot lately. I've become increasingly uncomfortable with not only the amount of meat that my family eats but also where it comes from, how it has been raised. I don't have a moral problem eating meat. I believe there is something to honoring the spirit of another animal in taking it into my body for sustenance. But that doesn't work if the animal is raised in inhumane conditions, which the vast majority of them are. Then you are just feeding your body a legacy of sickness, pollution, and in my mind, despair.

With that in mind, I've become resolved to eat less meat and better meat. The big obstacle for me is cost and access. Food purchasing in this country is all about convenience. We go to one huge grocery store and get everything. And I like that, saves me time. But most grocery store products have been transported from all around the country and, in some cases, the world. Not only does that mean this food has a large carbon footprint, you have to wonder about it's freshness or what has been added to preserve it. And we all know that organic products are more expensive. I don't want to spend more money on groceries.

Ultimately though, I can't come to any other conclusion than that the health of my family and my moral obligation not to support the inhumane treatment of animals is worth a little money and time. So the plan is to buy better meat and animal products, which means buying less. Of course, that's a healthier choice in itself. Americans, in general, eat far more meat than what is good for our bodies.

Huffington Post features an article today by Hahn Niman. Avoiding Factory Farms: An Eaters Guide is super informative. She also has a blog which is not updated very frequently though it has some interesting food news items posted.

In the meantime, I need more meatless recipes. Please share your favorites in the comments!

** Ok it's been cracking me up all day that the next thing you see below is "Turkey Time!" And that the picture prominently shows factory farmed ground turkey... This is new for me, a work in progress....**

It's Turkey Time!

2009-11-11T14:08:00.000-08:00

With Halloween '09 in the bag, it's time to talk turkey. Of course my mother in law/bestie, Linda, and I are planning a big Thanksgiving dinner but we don't have to go to all that trouble to get some turkey in our mouths. I got to thinking, how could I translate a full T-giving dinner into something that works for a weeknight dinner? The answer: Thanksgiving Meatloaf.

I got the idea from a handy little site called Mama, What's for Dinner? which is basically just a recipe database. But I didn't really follow their recipe, I went my own way. I'm a renegade like that.
.

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground turkey
1/2 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
3/4 cup cranberry sauce, I used the jellied kind but pureed would work too
1 TBSP soy sauce
1 tbsp worchester sauce
1 egg
1/3 cup chicken broth
1.5 cup Stove Top stuffing unprepared
3 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine cranberry and soy sauces, separate into 1/2 and 1/4 cups.
3. Mix all wet ingredients - egg, broth, garlic, worchester, and 1/2 cup of cranberry mixture.
4. Add meat and mix (your hands are the best tool, gross but true).
5. Add celery, onion, stuffing, salt and pepper, and any herbs you might want to add, mix.
6. Transfer meat mixture to loaf pan or shape a loaf in a 9x13 baking dish.
7. Cover the top with remaining cranberry mixture.
8. Bake for about 1 hr.

I served with mashed potatoes and broccoli. And leftovers made fantastic sandwiches the next day. Yum!

Not Buying It

2009-11-10T08:03:00.000-08:00

I love the false choice here. If you have to have a crappy sugar filled faux pastry make sure it's baked! Also, I'd like to know what their definition of "good" is because I find it really hard to believe that Pop Tarts are a good source of anything besides empty calories. I can't blame them for trying, obviously they want to sell their stuff. But I wish they had the balls to compare themselves to an apple.

Banana Republic Jewelry Designers are BR-inging It

2009-11-09T08:08:00.000-08:00

Banana Republic Jewelry 2009 by KateofallTrades featuring Banana Republic jewelry

I want all of it! Are they totally reading my mind? I've always felt that Banana Republic does a good job offering unique and quality jewelry but this fall I'm a little blown away. Though not pictured, the bracelets are great too. Need it, want it, must win a $1,172 shopping spree at BR.

Soup's On

2009-11-05T07:20:00.000-08:00

I've been making this soup on a pretty regular basis lately. It's perfect for fall and my man loves it. One batch is enough for a dinner for three and 4-5 lunch servings during the week. I serve with a little cheese on top, crusty bread and salad.

Hearty Lentil and Sausage Soup

Ingredients:

1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed (sweet, mild, or hot)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
4 carrots, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz crushed tomatoes
6 cups chicken, beef or vegetable broth
1 cup red wine
2 cups dry lentils, rinsed and sorted
4 bay leaves
course salt and ground pepper
1-2 TBSP curry powder
1/2 cup red wine vinegar

In a large pot heat oil. Add sausage and brown, about 4-6 minutes. Add onion, celery, garlic and carrots, season with salt and pepper. Stir occasionally, cook until onion softens, about 3-5 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth, wine and water and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and add lentils and bay leaves. Cover but tilt the lid so air can escape and let cook for about 45 minutes, until lentils are soft. Add red wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves and serve.

Two Ways to Skin...

2009-11-03T07:15:00.000-08:00

It would be selfish of me not to tell you about two make-up products I've been loving lately.

A little background. I have nice skin. Not perfect, but nice enough to feel lucky. So I don't need a foundation which is good because I can't stand wearing it. But I do need some coverage, those tiny red veins on my cheeks are not hot, the dark circles under my eyes do not flatter and neither do my ever expanding pores.

Tinted moisturizers are nothing new but I've never used one I like better than Olay Definity Color Recapture. This nearly sheer moisturizer gives me just the right amount of coverage with the promise to even out my skin tone over time. I've been using it for a few months now and it's working.

To battle those sad under eye circles, my sister turned me on to Boi-ing "industrial strength concealer" available at department stores. I've never used a better concealer. I cannot overstate this: run don't walk. You'll be so glad you did.

Firefly

2009-11-02T13:18:00.000-08:00

My sister made the costume. She used an adhesive tap light for the light covered with wire and yellow cellophane. A lot of the neighbors didn't get it at first but that's not too surprising when you consider that we don't lightning bugs or fireflies here. But more than one person said it was the best costume they saw that night. Thanks Aunt Callie!

Uh oh

2009-10-29T21:08:00.000-07:00

I have screwed up my blog template and I can't go back to the old one. In the long run, this is a good thing but, please hang in there while I work it out. It's gonna take a minute. Ugh...

Skele-tons of Fun!

2009-10-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my mother in law, the amazing Linda P., and I collaborated on a Halloween wreath. Neither of us are particularly crafty but we figured this project would be easy enough. It was.

We assembled our supplies; a plastic black wreath, large plastic spider, six small skeletons, colored glitter, spray adhesive, spray glitter, and wire. We prepped an outdoor table with newspaper. Couldn't possibly do this is inside, the fumes were bad.

First step was to glitter the skeletons. We covered them on all sides with purple, silver or orange glitter after coating them with the spray adhesive.

Once they were dry, we used wire to attach them to the wreath. We strung the spider from the middle and then gave the whole thing a healthy coat of silver spray glitter. Done! Could not have been easier to custom make this cute (and TERRIFYING, mwaa aa aa) Halloween wreath.

Ta da!

Thanks for Holding

2009-10-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

Hello? Are you there? Wow, sorry. You were on hold a long time. Thank you so much for your patience. I hope the music wasn't too annoying. So, where were we?

After all this time off I am finally ready to pick this blog up again. I'm really excited about it. I've got my motivation pinpointed, my goals established and my priorities set. I'd lost my way for awhile there, or maybe I should say that life's winds changed my course for a minute (or a year). I've learned a lot about pacing and expectation, balance and acceptance. Stepping away from the blog helped me figure out exactly what it is to me. Simply, it's a place to organize and express my ideas, recipes, and plans while simultaneously acting as my writing practice. Somehow along the way, last year, I let it feel like something more than that, something with pressure. And since that was no fun, I didn't want to play anymore. But, I do want to play so pressure has been banned from the playground. Cause I make the rules.

So much has happened since June, like, the whole summer. But instead of reading about it, just sit back and watch this.

Please Hold

2009-06-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

I don't think I need to officially announce some kind of break on this blog, you have eyes. But I do want to acknowledge that I am not posting. I am doing well, still thinking up great problem solving solutions to all kinds of life's obstacles, making yummy things to eat, taking on projects., and honestly clothes are better than ever. But I just haven't felt compelled to blog about it. Or rather, on a daily basis, I haven't made the time to pull everything together.

For awhile I was trying to figure out why, often wondering what exactly my problem is. But I don't think I have a problem, I'm just doing other things with my time. I'm definitely not interested in pulling the plug permanently because I hope my path will lead me here again. But for now, please hold.

April Showers, May Flowers

2009-05-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

After a long wet winter my flower beds were a-shamble. I don't really like gardening but I cannot abide a junky looking house. So I buckled down, visited the nursery, dug out the weeds, and did some planting. It only took about two hours. Not too bad for such a huge improvement. See?

And in breaking news, my first rose bloom has opened up!

It Was Mother's Day Yesterday

2009-05-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

Ugliest Mother's Day gift ever? I think maybe. No offense to W but it's just not that aesthetically appealing.

Ben and W gave me flowers and cards which suit me just fine (W signed his own name!). The only thing I wanted was one of these rotating cheese graters. But how could Ben know that I'm on the market for a gadget that will get cheese into my mouth faster? Well, maybe it's a given.

W treated me to a day of sassy obstinance. He was definitely making me earn my "special day." Let's just say it's a good thing he's cute. And smart, and funny, and awesome...

Bitten

2009-04-14T15:11:00.000-07:00

Like teenage girls all over the land, I've got a crush on a fictional vampire. And it's kind of taking over my life. I've been reading the Twilight Saga. Every spare moment for the last two weeks has been devoted to reading...and sighing. (Edward is just so dreamy...)

I have lots of thoughts about why these books have become so culturally significant and I'm looking forward to sharing them. I think there's something interesting going on here. And obviously there is something super hot going on. See?

Yeah....you understand, right?

My Mind on My Money and My Money on My Mind

2009-03-31T07:21:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago I caught Ben throwing away a half full box of Frosted Mini Wheats. When I protested he wondered what the big deal was. As I pointed out, there's a depression on and there might soon come a day that he would give anything to have those stale mini wheats back. And I was only kind if joking.

The state of the economy has definitely changed the way I value pretty much everything. I am careful to not waste food and to keep our clothes in good shape. (Though I did throw out a pair of W's jeans that did a poor job of containing some explosive diarrhea last week). I'm careful to visit the discount meat section at the grocery store and have identified what items should be purchased at Costco, showing great discipline to avoid the numerous money traps there. I shop around for bargains and really think about what I want (materially and in life) before I make purchases. Even small ones.

Neither Ben nor I feel insecure about our jobs. We're paying the bills, we're staying afloat and we're extremely grateful for that. So much so that we realized that we needed to work harder at managing our money and coming up with creative ways to save more. We feel we have a moral responsibility to be good stewards of the blessings we've been given. I'm not sure we really understood that until things got so bad for the country (and world) as a whole. So in a way, the recession has been good for us.

We are now budgeting very carefully and tracking every dollar we spend. I found a great Excel based budget planner online that I downloaded for $9.95. It allows us to set a budget, accounting for all kinds of different expenses, track actual spending and compare. It's a great value for the cost, far cheaper than Quicken and other home accounting software. Daily tracking takes discipline but the accountability that it creates is super helpful. Whenever Ben or I spend anything, we send the other a text. Both to have a record of it so we remember to enter it in, but also to make our spending transparent.

Money was always something that scared me and in my life I've had the tendency to hide from it. But that's a mistake and one that I'm hell bent on fixing. If you are disengaged from your finances, I urge you to take control of it ASAP. There aren't many things we can control in life but your money is one of them. It's very empowering to face it and make your money work for you, instead of the other way around. And I truly think that working hard at this with Ben has been great for our marriage. It solidifies our partnership and reinforces our shared values.

I'm sure I'll be talking about bargain hunting and thrifty living a lot around here. I'm actually beginning to see it as a game that I intend to win. And if you've got any great money saving ideas, please share.

Colors for Spring 2009

2009-03-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

Each season Pantone, the global authority on color standards for the design professions, releases their color trend report. These are the colors you'll see all over the racks as you shop for your summer wardrobe. Picking up a few inexpensive items in these colors is a cost effective way to bring your look current or dress up neutrals. Here's a little inspiration to get you started.

Wedge Pledge

2009-03-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

As I start to figure out what clothes I will need for Spring I have two major problems. One, I'm way out of touch with fashion right now. I haven't been to Forever 21 in months, like maybe five of 'em. Two, I have very little spending money. Our pennies are pinched, our purse strings tightened. So not only do I have to figure out what to buy and where to buy it, I have to find it for like five cents.

The first item on my list is a wedge sandal in light brown or tan. Going for the crazy long legs look. I've been scouring the internet for all my options and especially at the best price. There are lots of great sandals out there but not many for less than $50. But I'm developing quite the nose for bargains and I found my sandals at Victoria Secret. Should have known, you can always count on them for a cheap pair of four inch heels. Their strappy wedge will set me back just $35.

But I do have one concern. Four inches? They do have a one inch platform so they won't feel so high on my feet. But that would still make me 5'10"! I like being tall in shoes but I'm concerned I'll feel wobbly and look ridiculous walking in them. If it were the economy of the 90's, I'd just buy them and see if they work. Instead I'm going to make a trip to Macy's and try on shoes of a similar height before I buy. Time is money (saved), is appropriate wedge sandal, is me looking cute this summer. And since I know you'll be anxiously waiting, I'll let you know how it all works out.

One Ticket for the 12:30 Show Please

2009-03-23T10:32:00.000-07:00

Do you ever go to the movies by yourself? If you don't, allow me to make the case.

Since having a kid it's become clear that the only way Ben and I will get to see a movie more than twice a year is to go alone. Last month I saw Slumdog Millionare in the morning, he saw it that night. We like movies, we don't want to get a babysitter just to go see one together, so we pragmatically go alone.

I've done this several times now and I'm beginning to notice something wonderful. I always seem to have the best conversations with myself each time I head out on my own. Something will be on my mind and invariably the movie will relate to that in some way and there in the theater I have the opportunity to experience my emotions in a nice safe, contained, private space.

OK, I know that might not sound all that appealing. And it definitely sounds like therapy talk (it is like therapy). But I've always felt that feeling the emotions of life (good and bad) are what make us feel alive. Those feelings create awareness if you sit with them for a minute and being in a movie theater kind of forces that. You might think the movie would be a distraction but I don't have that experience. Movies are supposed to draw out emotions, that's kind of the whole point. Instead the actual movie just helps me move through the story of my own thoughts.

Let me give you an example. When I went to see Sunshine Cleaning yesterday, I was thinking about W. He's been doing this thing lately which to me is so symbolic of youth, innocence, and childhood. A huge fan of all things airplane, he pretends that he is one. He puts his arms out, runs down the "runway" to take off, and then flies serenely around. He makes noises, "Those are my sound effects guys" he said yesterday, just so we'd be clear on that. Seeing him fly around with his arms out, pretending he's up in the clouds is just the sweetest, sweetest thing.

It got me thinking about childhood and how precious it is. A time in your life where you can be an airplane (not the pilot by the way, he's specifically said he wants to be the airplane). And as his mom it's my job to protect his childhood as much as possible (and still let him grow up, such an impossible task). Sometimes it feels like there are so many threats to childhood, to innocence. And I fear for him because I know I can't control what happens all the time. I know a divorce won't pre-maturely mature him like it did for me but there are just a million things that could happen.

So this was on my mind as I watched the movie with main characters still working out the trauma of their mom's suicide well into adulthood. Flashbacks designed to recall the very moment their childhoods ended. I know about losing a parent. So the tears I was wiping away were for myself and for fear of W ever knowing a feeling similar.

But the movie moved on towards a tidier ending and so did I. I can't control everything and I don't want to worry about any of it. I can do my best to protect W's bubble for as long as possible, and I will. I can love him and teach him to love himself, this being the most important part of preparing him for the big world out there. As I left the theater it occurred to me that I might not have let myself really explore and release those feelings if I hadn't gone to the movie. Instead I would have just pushed down the nagging fear of things I can't control as I busily cleaned the kitchen with one eye on the TV.

When I got home W was wearing brown pants and a white shirt, flying around the kitchen, being a UPS plane, "carrying boxes not people mama." Soon he came in for a landing and a big hug from mom.

So Clutch

2009-03-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

I'm loving these adorable hand-embroidered clutches. Found them in an Etsy shop called MISMA. At $75 each, they're not in my Spring budget. But somebody should have one of these. So cute with a sun dress or jeans! Buy it, let me live vicariously through you.

Yoga on a Shoestring

2009-03-18T07:44:00.000-07:00

Yoga is really expensive. Rates per class in my area are about $14 at most studios, monthly rates from $125-199. In New York City you're looking at $20-25. Per class. That's nuts.

But I want to do tons of yoga. So what's a penny pinching aspiring yogi to do? Well, if you're me you research all the studios in town, building a spreadsheet listing all the introductory specials offered to new students. Most studios will give you a week free, or two weeks for $20. I found a few that offer new students a month of unlimited classes for $29. When I'd finished my spreadsheet I added it all up. I figured out that I could have six months of yoga for $255!

OK, so it would be a lot of work, switching studios every week or two. And not all of them are conveniently located for me. But besides the savings, visiting so many would expose me to a variety of yoga styles and teachers. That will help me choose the right place for me.

Another thing I learned, perusing all those websites, is that many studios offer community rate classes. Reduced to $7 or $8, there are only a few offered at any one studio each week but if I'm willing to make the rounds, I could have yoga every day and save a bunch.

I guess this proves I'll bend over backwards for a good deal! (I love puns. I should be locked up in the punitentiary!)

Book Club: The Menu

2009-03-14T13:10:00.000-07:00

Recently I decided to start a book club. I saw it as a way to counter balance the isolation I experience working from home. I specifically approached women that I had met but didn't really know. They were girls that I wanted to get to know and I liked the idea of getting to know them by reading books together. For our first book we chose Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants and had our first discussion this week which I hosted at my house.

We'd set the time for 6:30p so I wanted to provide snacks substantial enough to feel like dinner but without the fuss. This is what I came up with:

Antipasto pasta salad
Cheese plate (goat, swiss, white cheddar) and crackers
Fruit
Oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies (thanks Ben!)
Wine

I'd never made this pasta salad before. The idea came to me last week when I was wondering how I could get more salami, pepperoncinis, and cheese into my mouth. Despite being a bit of an oxymoron, I thought pasta would be a great conduit for the antipasto staples I love. I googled up a recipe and found one by Emeril Lagasse which I used as the base for mine. I always tweak stuff like this so I changed some of the values in the recipe to match what I did. But in short, I cut the oil in the vinaigrette to just a quarter cup and increased the vinegar to cut fat. I also added half a cup diced red onion and a quarter cup pepperoncinis.

And it did turn out well, crazy well. I think this might be one of the best things I've ever made. Even now, days later, I am still giving myself high fives and pats on the back. As a side or a main dish, this salad is sure to please. It has a bit of heat so leave out the red pepper flakes if you want something milder.

World's Best Antipasto Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

* 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 pound rotini pasta
* 2 teaspoons minced garlic
* 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* 1 teaspoon dry Italian herb mixture
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 1/2 cups 1/4-inch cubes provolone
* 1 cup thinly sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
* 1 cup thinly sliced salami (1/4 pound)
* 1 cup thinly sliced prosciutto (1/4 pound)
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil leaves
* 1/2 cup diced or finely sliced red onion
* 1/5 cup sliced pepperoncinis

Directions:

Combine 2 tablespoons salt, the olive oil, and 4 quarts water in a large pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the rotini and cook, stirring occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking together, until just al dente, about 9 minutes.

Meanwhile, mash together the garlic and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the balsamic vinegar, Italian Essence, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Whisk to blend. Gradually whisk in the olive oil.

Drain the rotini and rinse under cold running water until cool. Add to the vinaigrette, along with the provolone, tomatoes, salami, prosciutto, parsley, and basil. Toss to mix. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Let the salad return to room temperature before serving.

It's amazing. Trust me, you want to eat this!

Somethin'

2009-03-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

I probably would have written several days ago if I could have come up with an opening line. I still don't have one but I'm tired of nuffin' and want to do somethin'. It's hard to start again after so long, how do you bridge the gap? I don't really know but one thing is for sure, whatever this post is, that's it.

Does such a long break require an explanation? Of course the answer is only if I want to give one, which I kind of do. If for no other reason than to organize myself. And possibly bring any lingering readers (there can't be many) in on my story. This is a personal blog after all.

I've sort of talked in circles about my "difficult Fall" with regard to stress. It was actually more like a flare up of the anxiety/depression that I've dealt with for many years. Most of the time I manage just fine, my life is not greatly affected by it. But once every 8-10 years something seems to trigger more serious anxiety. That happened for me on September 29. Was just working and a non-issue work situation arose that just triggered panic. I'm still not totally sure why it happened but it has taken months to work out some theories. It's very unfortunate that it was a work related trigger because work is so inescapable. And after I panicked once, I was extremely nervous about it happening again. Which it did...a bunch.

It's been my experience that anxiety kind of takes over. When I'm in it, I can't feel happy, love, joy or really anything besides fear. When the fear subsides, I just feel sad for being taken out of my life. This is especially hard as a mom. I generally did a good job with Will but a few times it was clear how clued in he was. One day he asked me why I was so scared. Then he told me it would be OK. He was right, of course. But that made me very sad.

From the very beginning I knew I had to face this. My whole life couldn't fall apart, that just wasn't an option. My first step was to begin seeing a therapist. There I began to unravel the larger issues for me. The things that made me so upset at work were all about making mistakes, not doing a flawless job. I was really afraid of being in trouble. I felt overly responsible for things that were outside my control or not even my job. This is not something I've knowingly struggled with at work before though in my life I've always had a hard time with making mistakes. I can be really hard on myself in that way. Therapy has helped me learn to notice the beliefs and thoughts I have about myself, the mean things I tell myself. And it's helping me replace those things with something true.

I also decided to stop going to boot camp. After more than a year, I'd lost 40 lbs and essentially accomplished all the goals I had. And I felt that the energy required for that kind of rigorous program wasn't what I had to give, or even wanted to anymore. So instead I began a yoga immersion course - hatha five days a week for a month (my course is over but I am still practicing several times a week). And at the same time I took a meditation class at the local new age bookstore. The idea around both was twofold. First to learn more about controlling my thoughts instead of just letting them carry me a way. And second, to be "in my body" enough to notice that anxiety (for me) is a very physical experience. I generally have a physical sensation first (cold sweats, racing heart, upset tummy), and then my mind begins thinking of ways to justify the feeling. Both practices help me notice the early signs of an anxiety attack and then refocus before my mind and body become entrenched in it.

The one area of my life that I did let go was this blog. Throughout I kind of wondered what role this blog may play in my perfectionist tendencies. For certain, it was one more area in my life where I wanted to perform well. And where I held very high expectations of myself. Letting it go was like exposure therapy...what if I failed? But it was also a relief, letting myself off my own hook. In some ways it was just impossible to maintain it. I mean, I really haven't cared about fashion or entertaining at all during this. My interests have gone to the wayside, hard. And I've also felt intensely private and even now, sharing this story is challenging. Even so, I've been hoping that when I began to feel better I would have the space to pick it back up.

And I am feeling better. I've come to understand that anxiety/depression is an actual condition I have, like diabetes or asthma. It's been very difficult for me to accept this, it's mental illness after all. Nobody likes that label. But the fact is that it's all over my family tree. Many of us are treating it in healthy pro-active ways and for others it shows up as alcoholism and other addictions. I've spent a lot of time talking to my family about their experiences and symptoms which was great because I ended up feeling less alone and freakish. This also helped me understand that in addition to the spiritual, emotional, and dietary methods I'd been using, I also needed to consider a chemical component. I was just really resistant to using medication but after 4 months, it was clear there was something missing from my treatment plan. After much research and debate, I've been on Wellbutrin for a month and I finally feel like I'm on a well rounded course of treatment. I still have a mountain to climb (we all do) but at least now I have shoes on.

So that's my story. I'm on my way to feeling less like this:

And more like this:

And that's somethin'.

Nuffing

2009-01-21T08:28:00.000-08:00

Ask W what he's doing up there, or what he wants for dinner, you're likely to get that answer. Nuffing. And if you asked me what I'm up to, particularly on the blog, the answer would be the same. Nuffing.

The sharp drop in posting this fall was directly correlated to the dramatic increase in stress at work. The amount of hours I had to put in for the past four or so months was just unreasonable and to be honest, the stress of that was pretty tough to deal with. But as it does every year, January has brought the slow season at work and my load is much lighter.

I knew things would slow down and I had hoped I would jump right back into the blog once they did. But it hasn't turned out that way. I have to admit I feel guilty about that, a little bit. I mean, I have a healthy over achiever streak, at least when it comes to my own expectations. I should be able to post every day. Or three days a week. Gotta retain my (awesome) readers, don't want to look like a slacker. That's what the voice says anyway.

I've spent a lot of time in these months reflecting on what the purpose is of this blog. In the end, it all comes down to me just having a place to share what I'm interested in at any given moment. Well, in the past few months, what I've been interested in is defying that voice that keeps me feeling guilty and not good enough. It would be cool if I wrote about that journey more often because if my blog is proof, I love to share tips and ideas about almost anything that's on my mind. And I know a lot of us struggle with this. Personal stuff like that is a challenge for me though, so let's file that under work in progress for now. That's good enough.

I can say this, one of the best strategies I'm using right now is "nuffing". Instead of muscling through, I'm sitting with it. Right now, doing the thing I'm afraid of (not taking action) is forcing me to focus on an internal sense of value and not on anything I produce. I think I'm on to something with this. But I'm also scared that I'm just being lazy and rationalizing it really well. That voice isn't going down without a fight.

There's no tidy ending here. I'm not there yet because I'm still in it. But I wanted to try writing about this. There's truth revealed when you see your own thoughts in writing because at the very least, the words you choose mean something. And I guess that's not nuffing.

Chilly? Make Some Chili!

2009-01-13T11:04:00.000-08:00

During the Winter months I like to make soups and stews on the weekends in large batches. They make a quick warm lunch during the week. They also tend to be diet friendly, especially those that are bean or lentil based, rather than pasta or potato. One of my faves is good old fashioned chili. My recipe evolved from Callie's, which probably came from my mom. The great thing about recipes like this is that you can pretty much customize them however you like. But here's what I do.

Ingredients:

1 lb stew beef (cut into even smaller pieces or use ground beef if you prefer)
1 15 oz can kidney beans
1 15 oz can black beans
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
half white onion, diced
2 cups V-8 (use spicy if you want more heat)
1 packet chili seasoning
1 lime, halved (not pictured)

Steps:

Combine beef, onion, and juice from one half of the lime in a skillet over medium-high heat until the beef is browned. Do not cook the beef all the way or it will get tough later.
Drain the beans and combine with V-8, chili seasoning mix, juice of remaining lime half, diced tomatoes, and meat/onion mixture in a large pot.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for at least 30 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste to thicken.
Serve hot. Refrigerate left overs.

But the chili is only half the story here. The toppings are where you can really get creative. My mom always served chili with shredded lettuce, cheese, and Fritos. It was awesome. When I got older, I added a dollop of sour cream. But nowadays, I can't really feel good about having Fritos in the house, for obvious reasons. My favorite topping now is diced onion, shredded white cheddar, and mustard. But Fritos on top of that would be awesome. Damn, now I'm thinking about Fritos.

Friday Funnies

2009-01-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

It's the Friday of the first full week of work in a long time. I think it's safe to say you need some laughs. Follow this link and read the customer reviews.

http://www.amazon.com/Playmobil-3172-Security-Check-Point/dp/B0002CYTL2

Guaranteed to bring the LOLs!

New Year, New Kitchen

2009-01-07T10:34:00.000-08:00

Ben's office was closed for the entire week following Christmas and I was able to take some time off too. W had daycare and that was awesome! We had planned a week of seeing movies and pretty much jacking around. But we ended up spending almost every minute (including New Year's Eve until we passed out at 11:20p) working on our kitchen.

We've been planning a minor remodel for several months. The plan was to have a cabinet piece built for what is essentially an empty wall in our kitchen. We couldn't use pre-fab cabinets because the unit had to be high enough for our portable dishwasher to slide under. Then we'd need to put counter tops on, replacing existing counter tops on the other wall, and get a new sink. But as we began to understand what a custom cabinet piece would cost, we got nervous. We were looking at $3,000 for the carpentry work alone. Without much hope, I pulled up the Ikea website to see if there was something there that would work and allow us to do this project ourselves. What I found was a Christmas miracle!

But before I get to that, let's see the "before" kitchen.

Freestanding shelving and a butcher block island provided a lot of open storage, which I like. But it wasn't safe for W which is why we had a gate blocking entrance into the kitchen. The island, while useful, was definitely a road block when moving around the room. We also needed to get rid of that high chair, W just looked silly in it since he's so tall. But that meant we had to replace it with a different eat-in option. Once I found the Ikea units that would serve as the cabinets and counter tops, I drew up a scaled plan.

Using two Giman butcher block islands, side by side, we would be able to create a cubby for the dishwasher and install a cabinet to hold our recycling bins. To the left of that, we would have an eating area at counter height, perfect for placing two scoop back chairs from West Elm. Total length of the pieces side by side is 106". Total length of our wall? 107"! Wall mounted shelving would hold our dishes, pots/pans, and other kitchen necessities. The price tag would end up being about $1,300, a huge improvement over $3,000 for the cabinet alone!

But as we began assembling the units, we saw how big they were. Considering the fact that when you walk in to our house, you see this wall immediately, we were concerned it would just look overwhelming. So we decided the best thing to do is shorten the legs on the eat-in side to regular table height. Getting those cuts was definitely the hardest part. Turns out not that many people have table saws. After a marathon expedition, Parr Lumber on NW 19th made our day and only charged us $4. Shortening the table also allowed us to get regular height chairs which saved us $50.

Still a few minor things to do like hiding the Direct TV cord in foreground, and choosing and hanging an art piece on the big blank space above the table. We might also add a third shelf at the top, on either side of the pot/pan rails. The counter tops and new sink will wait until phase two (aka more money gets saved) but now that we have much less area to cover, we can afford a better material. And finally, some day in the future, we will resurface the existing cabinetry. They are perfectly good, just need a bit of a face lift.

We are thrilled with the outcome. It is a delight to cook and entertain in our new space. And W is still complimenting us. Last night he said "I like this work you did mama." So here are the results!

Yay!

Comfort Food Hack: Cauliflower

2009-01-06T10:50:00.000-08:00

Baby, it's cold outside. And that means I'm craving warm comfort food. Stews, pasta, potatoes...yum. But those starchy foods are exactly what I need to avoid as much as possible. So I substitute pasta and potatoes with cauliflower, which is crazy good for you.

Cauliflower is a member of the 'white' family in terms of fruits and vegetables. Included in this group are other natural foods such as bananas, mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Cauliflower contains allicin, which can improve heart health and reduce the risk of strokes, and selenium, a chemical that works well with Vitamin C to strengthen the immune system. Cauliflower can also help to maintain a healthy cholesterol level.

Folate is also found in cauliflower, which is a B vitamin that is needed for cell growth and replication. This is especially important for women who are or might become pregnant. Folate is a fetus superfood.

Of course, cauliflower is an excellent source of fiber, which helps to improve colon health and can even help prevent cancer. And, most recently, it has been discovered that cauliflower, as well as other cruciferous vegetables, such as brussel sprouts and cabbage, contain indole-3-carbinol, a substance that can affect the metabolism of estrogen in the body, and prevent breast and other female cancers.

So now you're a cauliflower expert!

One of my favorite easy dinners is spaghetti with meat sauce. Replacing the noodles with steamed cauliflower accomplishes the goal of getting the sauce into my mouth while boosting the meal's nutrient contents considerably.

Another great option is Cauliflower Puree. Use this anywhere you would normally serve mashed potatoes...with stew or as a side. It's so good, you (and your kids!) may not even realize you're not eating potatoes. Just as satisfying, tons healthier.

Recently I wanted to see if I could figure out a way to make a Mac and Cheese without the mac. I found this recipe for Cauliflower Gratin at MyRecipes.com. I did make some substitutes like using white cheddar instead of Gruyere. I wanted a stronger cheese flavor. I also added more spices because many of the comments suggested the recipe was a little bland. And I used regular breadcrumbs because I didn't have any panko and did not use parsley because I forgot about it. It turned out great, very rich and flavorful. It felt very decadent.

Do you have any tried and true comfort food hacks? Please share!

O Christmas Tree

2008-12-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

It's the perfect afternoon to write what will probably be my only holiday post. We've got fifteen inches snow, a half inch of ice on top of the snow, and more snow and ice on the way. We're stocked up on food and movies. But if we do have to venture out, the chains are on the car. Assuming we could pry the doors open. I've got my Fireside Reflections DVD set to flickering flames with realistic sound. It doesn't get cozier than this.

When I was little, my mom collected those Hallmark ornaments that had the year on them. I liked this tradition, it's the mixing of different and same. The year I got married, I started my own collection of yearly ornaments. But instead of bulbs, mine are frames holding a family picture from that year. I love that as the years pass, our Christmas tree will be our story.

I have six ornaments so far, having started in 2002. Do you want to see them?

Happy Holidays to all!

Shoes and Cube News

2008-12-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

Marshall's is putting a new spin on the crumby economy. They're branding it a shopportunity. They point out that as department stores struggle to move their stock, Marshall's is getting good deals on great labels. And they are featuring these finds in their newest department The Cube.

The Cube is a boutique within the store geared towards younger women where you'll find more contemporary labels like Marc Jacobs, Gucci and Juicy Couture. You'll find shoes and accessories in The Cube too.

I set off recently to see what I could find. There were lots of great deals but nothing really jumped out at me. Trying not to buy things unless I really want/need them. So I'll just have to come back and check again soon! But The Cube is kind of interesting, it really is organized differently than the rest of the store. Definitely feels younger/cooler.

I did wander over to the Mega Shoe Store, which I've mentioned before. And there I found both the black ankle boots with a reasonable heel AND the tall brown high heeled boots I've been needing. I was pumped!
OK, so I probably won't wear these boots with tights or leggings. I wear them with pants though I couldn't picture them that way without covering them up. I do like the look, it just doesn't feel like me. These boots are super comfortable by the way.

I haven't had the chance to wear the tall boots but I can't wait to.

Thanks Marshall's, you done me right again!

Holiday Cheer

2008-12-09T07:12:00.000-08:00

I can't seem to embed the video here without screwing up the whole layout on my blog. Which is kind of ba-hum-bugging me. But you can use the link below and you will not regret it.

T'was the Night Before Christmas

Enjoy!

Yummy in the Morning

2008-12-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

I've been stuck at my current weight for about 2 months now. The whole time I've been losing weight, I've been careful to just let it unfold naturally, not pressuring myself to do this fast. But it's clear that I need switch it up diet-wise and get out of the habit of eating sugar of most kinds. I'm not really down with detox diets but I am a huge fan of the South Beach Diet plan. The first phase of that plan is excellent for breaking addictions to sugar and getting cravings to pretty much go away.

For two weeks there's no sugar, no starch, no fruit, and no alcohol. That means lots of lean meats, eggs, salad, vegetables, and water. But there are lots of creative ways to use the allowed ingredients and still eat well. And I think it's important to make the effort. Fats, sugar and alcohol make things feel special so easily. If you remove those things, it takes a little more work but food can still be special. And finding good recipes isn't hard at all.

One of my favorites is what I call "breakfast cups" though it's really a variation on the "veggie mini quiche" recipe in the South Beach Diet book. I make a big batch and keep them in the fridge for a fast breakfast all week. Yummy and fast. That equals diet success for this gal.

Since anyone would benefit from what is essentially a delicious protein muffin in the morning, here's my recipe for...

Breakfast Cups
makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

8 ounces bulk sausage or crumbled turkey bacon*
2 TBSP chopped fresh chives
5 large eggs
1 1/4 cups egg substitute
1 cup shredded low fat cheddar cheese, halved
salt and pepper, other seasonings you like

* I'm not sure the 8 oz of bacon is really the equivalent of 8 oz sausage. Sausage is heavier. Wonder if 8 oz of bacon would be way too much? Just something to keep in mind.

A word about my ingredients. I used a mild Italian chicken sausage I can buy in bulk (without casing) at my local New Seasons. For eggs, you could double up on either egg option if you wanted. I like to use a mix of both because real eggs have better texture and using some substitute cuts the cholesterol. And for this batch, I used regular cheddar cheese. There's a depression on people, I am not buying new low fat cheese until I use up what I have.

Of course there are all kinds of variations on this. If you like vegetables, use spinach, onion, peppers, or mushrooms. Other breakfast meats like ham work great. I've used leftover salmon once, that was good too. The point is, you can do whatever you want.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Coat a 12 cup non-stick muffin pan with cooking spray or line with foil baking cups.
In a medium non-stick skillet, cook the sausage until browned, about 5 minutes.
Evenly divide mixture into 6 muffin cups; Sprinkle with cheese.
In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup cheese and all other ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Add sausage and mix
Spoon mixture into muffin cups, not quite full as they will puff up a little
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until egg is set.
Let sit in muffin pan for 5 minutes before removing

Yields 6 servings. Refrigerate and heat as needed for up to a week.

As you can see, I used paper cups. Didn't have any foil cups and thought this would be better than not using anything. Mistake. Don't do that. The paper is hard to get off.

And So It Began

2008-12-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

Ten years ago today he finally kissed me and I've been looking at this face ever since. Lucky me.

Funny Kid

2008-12-01T10:26:00.000-08:00

W's been saying lots of funny stuff and in an effort to remember, I've been writing them all down. I've compiled a few here for your reading pleasure.

W for President!

The other day Will came to tell me that someday he was going to be famous. Those were his exact words. Someday he was going to be famous like Barack Obama, he added. I asked him if he was going to be the president and his "yes" implied "duh."

That would be so cool! It would be so fun to be the president's mom. I'd get to do a lot of dress up stuff. I could sleep in Lincoln's bedroom. I could have an amazing heart to heart with the president at a time of great challenge and play an integral role in the courageous leadership he would provide the American people in a crisis. Sigh...it would be awesome.

****

Knock Knock!

W made up a knock knock joke the other day.

Knock knock!

Who's there?

Me!

Me who?

Me, two, one blast off!

Ugh...so cute and clever.

****

Birthday Buddies

W and I both celebrate birthdays in January. We've been discussing this a lot lately. And as he pointed out, he is going to be 3 in January and Mommy is going to be 20,000.

Indeed.

Wardrobe 101

2008-11-21T11:28:00.000-08:00

I'm not a math person but for the past few years, as I've worked hard to understand fashion better, I've wanted an equation for the perfect wardrobe. I wanted someone to tell me what the variables are that would equal the kind of collection of clothes a woman needs to look her best. The equation itself looks like this:

X,Y,Z variables x 2 seasons + shoes = I always have something to wear.

Yesterday there was a Tim Gunn's Guide to Style marathon on and since I'd never really watched that show, I didn't realize he very simply lists out the variables in every episode. I'm happy to note that I already have many of these items. But this is a topic that requires a lot of discussion so stay tuned. In the meantime, here's the list.

Basic Black Dress
Trench Coat
Dress Pants
Skirt
Jacket
Classic Shirt
Day Dress
Any Occasion Top
Jeans
Sweatsuit Alternative
Indulgent trendy item

Obviously shoes are not included. I know we have more than one very fashion forward reader here. Can you ladies gives us your list of the must have shoes?

Real Audio...sort of

2008-11-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

Dad: Hey W, what do you want to have for dinner?

W: Um...junk. I want junk.

Dad and Mom: Ha ha ha, that's so funny.

W: I want to eat junk food!

We had spaghetti and meat sauce and he had a second helping of broccoli. Raisins for dessert.

Challenge!

2008-11-12T07:39:00.000-08:00

As you may have noticed, there are only 42 presidents in the image below. But George W Bush is our 43rd. So who's missing? Name the guy who got dissed and you'll be forever known as a total genius.

History Nerd

2008-11-11T09:04:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned it more than once, I love history. It was my favorite subject in school. I still think it was lucky that I grew up in Oregon because we studied the Oregon Trail extensively in the 4th grade. I also did some reading on my own, of course. The Oregon Trail rules.

Mr. O'Donnell was maybe 47 the year he was my AP US History teacher. Rumor was he'd been a therapist before he began teaching high school. He was a quiet but steady guy who laid out his subject in a thoughtful and engaging way. He had a good though subtle sense of humor. And he told me the secret to understanding the world.

It's not about names and dates, history is about themes. Basically, the same themes are working themselves out over time. An example; 'race in America' is a theme found throughout the record of our 227 years as a nation. From the minute those Europeans laid eyes on Native Americans, race was an issue. Tragically in 1860 as a nation went to war with itself. One hundred years later, Martin Luther King, Jr. was organizing stand-ins to protest discriminatory voter registration practices. And of course, last week when we elected Barack Obama. A few other common themes: religion, war, technology, immigration, etc. When you think of it this way, knowing that current events are just an unfolding of what was begun a long time ago, the world makes more sense.

Better understanding the times in which I live is why I'm still a student even though my school days are long over. So when I had a fantastic 'lifelong learning' project idea last week, I got really excited. How awesome would it be to read one biography of each American president?! Now I know most of you are like "dude, that would not be awesome at all." And I get that. So for you, how awesome would it be if someone else did it and then told you the interesting parts? Now you're feeling it....

My free copy (courtesy of Paperback Swap) of Washington: The Indispensable Man should arrive any day now. Though this ambitious curriculum will take years to complete, it won't be long before I'm dazzling people at parties with my unique historical perspective and interesting tidbits. History nerds are always really popular at parties...

Nerd Bonus: Scroll through this timeline of Civil Rights action in 1960. It's really inspiring.

Lessons in Stress Management

2008-11-07T10:41:00.000-08:00

Dear Blog,

I miss you. I have all kinds of good things to talk about with you and ideas to share. Like about how I found my Fall 2008 riding boots and then came up with a creative way to make them look more like the Marc Jacobs boots I really wanted but couldn't afford. And how to deal with comfort food cravings without stuffing your face with pasta and potatoes. You'll be especially interested in my latest (and super genius) idea for life long learning because I know you are a big history nerd too. I mean, who isn't?

The problem is that right now I'm working on something that specifically requires I get cool with not being able to post every day. Like most other smart, interested/ing, creative, engaged citizens, I try to do too much. I end up feeling like I'm never really doing anything that I want and start to make small sacrifices in areas that are really my first priority...like my family. So I've been forcing myself STEP AWAY FROM THE LAPTOP and just be with my dudes in the evening. I'm hoping that by setting the first priority, the others will shake out in a more healthy way. So far, so good.

It all comes down to this; you can't have it all. We have to make choices and the sooner one accepts that, the sooner one can start making better choices from a place of power and stop feeling like a little bit of a loser.

So blog, hang in there. I'll come back around, I always do.

xoxo

Beautiful

2008-11-05T13:05:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite image from last night. Martin Luther King Jr.'s sister, Christine King Farris, hears the news that Barack Obama has won the election. Those eyes have seen the whole story unfold...how wonderful to see them full of joy.

Finally (and that's an understatement)

2008-11-04T08:06:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you but I am exhausted. I've been following this campaign since January. Way back then, I was sort of interested in John Edwards though not terribly committed to anyone. I took notice when Obama won Iowa, Edwards came in second, and Hillary finished a lackluster third. When Edwards dropped out of the race just a few days shy of Super Tuesday, I knew something was up. Later of course we found out it was a freaking LOVE CHILD! Jeez...

The primary between Barack and Hillary was just brutal. I mean seriously, talk about knock out drag out. To be honest, I don't even want to open up those old wounds. Let's just leave it with this; I appreciate that Hillary forced many of the peripheral issues about Barack (Ayers, Wright) to be aired months ago and made Barack a more assertive and prepared candidate.

The general really only got exciting when I got the chance to declare to my brother that "McCain is bullshit!" with total dramatic conviction. Since I generally find myself sequestered among other progressives, I never get to say that! It was awesome.

And then there was the day Sarah Palin was brought in. That sure was exciting. She completely stole the thunder of Obama's amazing convention speech in Denver. I'll give her that. But that's it, nothing else. Because someone who is touted as the "anti-intellectual" and the "opposite of liberal feminist" as the future of the Republican party is no friend of mine. The shooting wolves from helicopters, winking and totally incoherent interviews don't help either.

Of course, we've all been concerned about voter suppression and various shenanigans on election day. But those kinds of tricks are really only viable if the vote is going to be very close. I watch and read A LOT of political news and from what I gather, it's not going to be close. Even Karl Rove says so. (Can't believe I just linked to that page...I feel gross.) And according to bookies, the most consistently accurate predictors of election outcomes, there is plenty to feel optimistic about.

I've already voted. Oregon is the only state that votes by mail. We got our ballots a few weeks ago and filled them out the other day. As I collected pens, Ben asked Will if he'd like to learn about voting. He replied with an extremely enthusiastic "Yeah! Let me sit next you daddy!" After I took this cute picture, we got down to business, explaining to W that voting is a responsibility and a right. He seemed delighted don't you think?

I voted for Barack Obama. And I am so proud and happy about that. I think that he is the person that will bring the kind of disciplined, visionary, and inspiring leadership we need to deal with the issues created by the Bush administration. It is my HOPE that tomorrow we'll wake up at the beginning of a new American era. And I pray that each of us will care tomorrow as much as we do today. It's our democracy and we've learned the hard way what happens when we allow ourselves to become divided and apathetic. We can never make that mistake again.

I Endorse New Orleans!

2008-11-03T10:02:00.000-08:00

I don't really feel like writing a whole big wrap up of New Orleans. I just don't. So I'm not going to. But I will say this - you should visit. I mean, what we call trail mix, they call fancy mojo mix. Now that's fun!

I've been to 31 states + DC and feel I can say with some authority that New Orleans is a totally unique American city. As a big history nerd I like that it's so old and storied. As a piggie and boozer, I appreciate the amazing food and that this is the birth place of the cocktail. And as a friend of fashion, I was totally impressed with the boutiques I found in all sections of the city. There is excellent shopping in New Orleans. The city has a super friendly and diverse vibe, very much about having a good time, which is practically their motto. Laissez le bon temp rouler, as they say.

Girl, You Need To Get Your Hair Did

2008-10-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

In an interview with CNN, Isaac Mizrahi recently said that the most common style mistake he sees on the street is bad hair.

"I see a lot, a lot, a lot of bad hair. I would say that's the most common style error I see is bad hair.

You know people have excuses for bad shoes -- because you know some people have back problems, it is the street and they're walking and walking and walking -- but I do think that people have no excuse for bad hair. Because you know what? There's a hat, if your hair is really that bad that day.

But I always think that women should be encouraged to spend a lot of money on their hair. It's like you should spend your most money ... on your hair. You'd think I had a chain of hair salons, but I don't."

I have to agree with Isaac. Hair is so important and a few years ago I made a commitment to devote some resources to mine. Someone once told me that store brands like Suave and Finesse are barely one step better than washing your hair with dish soap. Chemically they are pretty much the same thing. So I tried the more expensive brands, like Pantene, but discovered that I am very allergic to it. Currently I use Nexxus and while I don't love spending $13 on a bottle of shampoo, I do enjoy the results of using a quality product.

You all know I'm the first to advocate shopping at Forever 21 or Payless. But I don't think the same short cuts should be taken with your hair. My advice? Find a good stylist and stick with them. Make a relationship with them. They'll get to know your hair and as a result, you'll get much better haircuts. And do invest in good quality products. It's a great way to pamper yourself just a little bit each day.

* That picture up there? That's Risa and she has fantastic hair in real life.

Tiger Time

2008-10-29T06:51:00.000-07:00

Though back from vacation I am still digging my way out of the mountain of tasks that piled up in my absence. I'm working on a thorough review of our trip and of New Orleans. But today a faster post must suffice. The following is exactly what W, who likes to narrate everything these days, had to say when I showed him some of the pictures from the trip.

Dat mama is talking to the tiger. She telling him a secret.
(sweet nothings...)

Dat tiger, he loves my mama.
(cute!)

Daddy's doing dat Tiger!
(Indeed.)

We found this tiger at Pippen Lane, a very posh children's store in New Orleans. Brad and Angelina shop there when staying at their French Quarter home, surely spending lots of money and not molesting the stuffed animals. Ben and Kate? We spent no money and totally had our way with that tiger. Who obviously liked it.

Speaking of Brangelina....here's their house in the Quarter. Just in case you were curious.

Let the Good Times Roll

2008-10-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

If you look closely at this picture, you might get the impression that my vacation to New Orleans will take place in 1981. Wouldn't that be weird? Would I get to be 31 or would I automatically be 4? Being 4 would suck.

As you can see, I really need a vacation. With my man. And without the kid. It all goes down Thursday. Four nights followed by child-free mornings. Leisurely strolls through the garden district. Classic cocktails and romantic meals. Sigh.....

Needless to say, do not disturb.

Man (I need to relax) dalas

2008-10-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

So I need a new hobby like I need a hole in the head. Seriously, adding something new just seems silly. Especially when you consider why I am coloring mandalas - to reduce stress from having too much to do! But the reducing stress part is really important.

A mandala is, very basically, geometric patterns, usually within a circle, that were developed by the Hindu and later Buddhism as a meditation tool. What I'm doing is definitely the fast food version of a real mandala. I bought a coloring book for adults and the images are all pre-drawn. But it really is relaxing to spend time just sitting and coloring. The activity forces you to pay attention to a task and quiets the mind a little. And then there's the satisfaction of doing something creative.

Above are a few I've done recently. My favorite is actually the reverse side of one I colored. The top right is the result of bleed through from the top left. I'm definitely a color-inside-the-lines kind of girl so I would never be able to do that on my own.

What I Wore (to a charity event)

2008-10-20T07:05:00.000-07:00

Outfit:
* Forever 21 jacket (purple!)
* Forever 21 blouse
* Gap straight leg jeans

Accessories:
* Old Navy flats
* Banana Republic bag
* Old Navy gold bangles
* gold earrings

Yesterday I accompanied my friend Siobhan to the 100 Women benefit for Our House, a Portland organization providing residential and other service to people living with HIV/AIDS. The event was to honor a few special women who have been long time supporters of Our House.

It was actually really nice. The food was good and the people were exceptionally nice. Collectively, they just had a fantastic vibe. It's obvious that care, respect, and service are their shared values. It feels good to be around people like that.

Before moving to Portland, I worked for the ALS Association Bay Are Chapter as a Patient Services Coordinator. ALS is an awful, mean disease that always results in death. Working with patients and families was both inspiring and devastating. When I left that job, I knew I wanted to transition into a new field but I also just needed a break from grief work. But lately I've been researching local organizations to find a good fit for my experience and interests. Thinking it's time to get back into it. One aspect that I particularly miss is advocacy work. With ALSA I was able to go to Washington DC and Capitol Hill three times to meet with the representatives of our patients, educating them about ALS and what they could do to help. Anyway, it was great to meet the people of Our House and I look forward to learning more about what they do.

In the meantime, cute outfit right? I love this top. I haven't blogged about winter florals but they are one of the big trends for fall/winter. I've had my eye out for the right piece and found it the other day at F21. Love how girly and fun it is. Paired it with my purple jacket which, I have to say, I'm not loving as much as the gorgeous plum swing coat I saw at F21 the other day. Kind of wish I had some how known something better was going to come along in the purple jacket department. Oh well. Still felt super cute.

To the Rescue!

2008-10-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

Surely you've noticed things are nuts out there. It's pretty easy to wonder who could possibly lead us out of this mess. I find myself looking for a hero. A super hero. And you know who showed up? Wonder Woman. Awesome!

In an interview with Philadelphia Magazine, Lynda Carter addresses one of the more troubling aspects of Sarah Palin.

Courtesy of The Hill's Blog Briefing Room:

Former Wonder Woman: Be Very Afraid of Palin

@ 10:19 am by Walter Alarkon

Lynda Carter, who played Wonder Woman on television in the 1970s, slammed Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin as the "anti-Wonder Woman."

Carter made her remarks in response to a question from Philadelphia Magazine about comparisons between Wonder Woman and Gov. Palin (Alaska), the GOP's first veep nominee.

"She’s judgmental and dictatorial, telling people how they’ve got to live their lives," Carter added. "And a superior religious self-righteousness … that’s just not what Wonder Woman is about. Hillary Clinton is a lot more like Wonder Woman than Mrs. Palin. She did it all, didn’t she?"

Carter said that it was "anti-American" to try to force religious views on others.

"I like John McCain," Carter said. "But this woman — it's anathema to me what she stands for. I think America should be very afraid. Very afraid. Separation of church and state is the one thing the creators of the Constitution did agree on — that it wasn’t to be a religious government. People should feel free to speak their minds about religion but not dictate it or put it into law."

And just for fun, me doing my best Wonder Woman pose circa 1981. I especially love my bigger underwear underneath my "uniform." Shout outs to baby sister Callie lying on the floor behind me.

The Good Book

2008-10-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

It seems like people who cook are always looking for a better way to store recipes. I'm certainly no help in that department. Unless you consider a pile of magazine clippings stuffed into my Joy of Cooking a good system. But the brains over at tastebook.com might have it all figured out.

This site makes it easy to create your own hard covered recipe book using your own recipes and images. You can also pull recipes from partner sites like Epicurious, Allrecipes and Sunset. You choose your cover art (there are lots of great options) and you can use whatever title you want. Completed books will run you $19.95 to $34.95.

The possibilities are endless. If you're a very prolific cook, you can create separate books for baking, soups, pastas, entrees, and so forth. You could also make a book as a gift. A collection of easy healthy meals for a newly married couple. A compilation of Grandma's favorite holiday recipes would be a lovely and easy gift for all those cousins. Of course you could just do something nice for yourself and get your own work "published."

Be sure to check out the tutorial videos and thoroughly inspect the site. I'll just bet it'll get your creative juices flowing.

Photo 1 Credit: product photograph (c) Tom Seawell; cover photographs, left to right (c) Gentl & Hyers / FoodPix / JupiterImages, (c) E. Jane Armstrong / FoodPix / JupiterImages, (c) Leigh Beisch / FoodPix / JupiterImages, (c) Lisa Hubbard / FoodPix / JupiterImages, (c) Rita Maas / FoodPix / JupiterImages.

Photo 2 Credit: product photograph (c) Tom Seawell Photography

Big Man

2008-10-08T07:20:00.000-07:00

This is Big Man. W made this picture at school and it was sent home with us on Friday. As we drove home, Ben driving, me in the front, W in his seat right behind me, I held Big Man and had him peek over my seat at W. Who promptly started wailing. "My scared mama! No Big Man!" I thought this was funny and so I teased him a little, making Big Man appear around either side of my seat and then over the top again.

Suddenly Ben, outraged and appalled, said "You stop tormenting him!" He was so serious, so about to maul me like any self respecting mama bear would be. Normally Ben fills the typical dad role of refusing to coddle, especially on things like this. Seriously, you're afraid of a construction paper gingerbread man? But the urgency in Ben's voice left me no choice but to obey and tuck Big Man under the seat. I didn't pursue it further but I can assure you I thought about how funny and cute they both are all the way home.

Well...What Did You Think?

2008-10-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of hoping tonight is the night that McCain's head explodes. That man is on the edge. But I won't get to watch until after W is in bed. Thank goodness for DVR technology. Anyway, please share your thoughts of tonight's hot man on man debate action in the comments.

Dress by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac

Ziploc Omelet: I Made One, I'm Ambivalent About It

2008-10-07T07:21:00.000-07:00

Last week my sister forwarded me an email with a recipe for making omelets by boiling eggs in plastic bags. The idea being that it's an easy way to make a lot of omelets all at once or quickly in the morning if you've prepared the bags the night before. I have never found myself in the position of needing to make a lot of omelets at the same time, but I do like a quick protein-rich breakfast so I decided to give it a shot.

I gathered my ingredients:

* 2 eggs
* 2 oz. diced pre-cooked sausage
* 1 oz white cheddar cheese
* 2 tbsp chopped mushrooms
* 1 plastic ziploc bag

I set a pot of water to boil on the stove before putting the eggs and stuff into the bag, mixing it all up, being sure to squeeze all the air out before closing the bag.

The water is supposed to be at a rolling boil before adding the bag. The email I got seemed very emphatic about the fact that the omelet bag needs to boil for exactly 13 minutes. So I set the timer, noting that it probably wouldn't take 13 minutes to cook an omelet the normal way. Of course, I have a problem making omelets, they just end up being scrambled eggs with other stuff in them.

When the timer went off, I cut open the ziploc and the omelet oozed right out. And I ate it. It was good, tasted like a normal omelet. A friend of mine pointed out that I'm probably going to get cancer from cooking food in a plastic bag so I guess that's a con. Otherwise, this seems like a decent way to get a bunch of omelets in about 13 minutes.

What I Wore - Anniversary Dinner

2008-10-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

Outfit:

Black 3/4 swing coat - Forever 21
Purple mock turtle neck t-shirt - Forever 21
Jeans - Old Navy

Accessories:

Black buckle flats - Bandalino
Pearl drop earrings - Majorica
Yellow wallet - Mabel & Zora

Grade: A

Ben and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary on Sunday. We celebrated with a late dinner out at one of our favorite restaurants, Roux. I wanted to look nice but still comfortable. This is Portland after all...

I felt perfectly elegant and casual in this. The jacket fits really well and is thick enough that I'll be able to wear it through the fall without anything heavier over it. It's too bad I didn't take a picture of the shirt without the jacket because it's really cute. I'm not sure that I like the yellow wallet with the purple shirt. These are the two trendy colors of the season...not sure they should be paired. It's fine but I'm not loving it. But overall, loved the outfit.

Will You Be Watching?

2008-10-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

It might be infuriating at times, but tonight's debate will not be boring. I'm really excited to see these two go at it. I hope Biden brings it to her doorstep and that she provides more verbatim hilarity for SNL to use this weekend. I'm wondering if I should order out for chicken wings...this is a special occasion!

I Don't Mean to be a Cougar, Butt...

2008-09-29T11:03:00.000-07:00

Last week the USC Trojans played Oregon State and we went down to Corvallis for the game. Ben had scored us some amazing seats which were perfect for watching the Trojans win their third game of the season and continue towards the national championship. Except we didn't win and we were literally front and center for that. Awful. I was depressed all weekend.

But there was one happy distraction for me during the game. All those young athletic booties. They were so close! I'm not normally all that into butts, but they were right there. And it was fun to look. I bet you're a little curious too. I mean it's only natural to assess (ha) the juicy hind quarters of young stallions like these. Number 9 is my favorite, look at that bubble! And I had to throw Pete's in there too. Not bad for a guy in his 50's. I just wish he'd been wearing tight little yellow pants too.

My gift to you:

Kate Approved: Weight Loss Roadblocks Blog

2008-09-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

My friend and trainer, Daniel Iversen has started a new blog called Weight Loss Roadblocks. Here he takes on the mental and emotional aspects of losing weight, particularly what gets in our way. He focuses mainly on losing weight but really it translates to any goal you want to achieve.

Daniel, like most trainers, is busting with energy and it shows on his blog. His approach is deeply rooted in the Law of Attraction theory though he mixes in lots of real life stories, mainly about my friends and teammates at boot camp. Every post has had at least one little point that made me think about my own road blocks in a new way and that's kind of the whole point.

I encourage you to check it out. Even if you're not trying to lose weight, we all have areas in our lives where we feel held back by something. You might find some insight on how to unravel that for yourself there. And if you left a comment, it would totally make his day!

UPDATE: Well, this is ironic. Just after I posted this, I ran out the door to go to boot camp only to find that I had a flat tire. So that's my weight loss roadblock this morning. Boo.

I Love Bubbles

2008-09-24T07:59:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to give up diet soda. It might be calorie free but it's still just nothing more than chemical juice. It's not the flavor I crave, it's the bubbles. Carbonated beverages feel good to drink, so sayeth me. And that's the part I don't want to give up.

Thankfully I don't have to because some genius invented sparkling water. Sparkling water, club soda, bubble water, seltzer...it's all the same thing, though the FDA does require that anything labeled sparking water be naturally carbonated though artificial carbonation is usually added. Carbonated water is nutritionally no different than still water except for a small amount of sodium contributed by the carbon dioxide. But according to the labels I've seen, the sodium is nothing to get uptight about. So I'm sucking this stuff down like crazy.

Peak hydration must be making me smarter because I had the best idea. I was giving W lunch one afternoon and thought he might enjoy some "soda" too. So I mixed a little club soda with apple juice for a healthy soda treat. He took a big sip, made a really funny face and declared "I can't like it mama!" Personally I think he's a fool but to each his own. Even though my own child has rejected it, I still think "healthy soda" is a fantastic idea. I'll try again when he's older. Maybe then he'll decide he CAN like it.

PS - Rumors abound that carbonated beverages leach calcium from your system. Not true of carbonated water products. It's the phosphorus and caffeine combo in soda that does that.

Just Between Friends

2008-09-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

I have a jam packed week. Work is nuts, dentist appointment tomorrow, USC game on Thursday, and the Just Between Friends sale on Friday.

What is this sale I speak of? It's a franchise based resale shopping event (happens all over the country) for maternity + baby/kids clothes and gear. I'm selling a bunch of clothes and other stuff this weekend and will get 70% of the sale price back. That's awesome for consignment!

Selling is really easy too. All I have to do is go online and enter in the item description and the price. Then I just print out the tags with bar codes already on them and pin them to my items. I drop them off on Friday morning and that's it. I will get a check in the mail in a few weeks. Easy!

I get to pre-shop on Friday night because I'm a seller. This is how I am going to outfit W for winter. I'm really excited. If you have kids, you know how barely used most of their stuff is before they outgrow it, so I'm expecting to get great deals on gently used items.

You can find sales in your area by clicking right HERE. I'll be sure to report back with all my great finds next week!

Callie's Corner: Crafting for Change

2008-09-18T11:24:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to announce that my darling sister Callie will now be a regular contributor at Kate of All Trades. Callie is great at a bunch of things I am not at all skilled in. I don't sew, I don't really bake, and I'm not much of a crafter either. Callie's always got some project going on and is full of great ideas for getting things done in a creative way. Today she shares her solution for an understated custom made door hanger to support her main political man, Barack Obama.

+++++

We live in a Southern red state in a subdivision that does not encourage yard signs, but I had to make a statement. I need my neighbors to know that the Bush/Cheney stickers fading on the bumpers of their cars are not okay with me. I asked my husband if we could paint the entire garage door with Barack Obama's face, but he said no, the subdivision would surely frown on that. So I had to come up with something else. I pitched the idea of a door hanger, got the OK, and went right to work.

I gathered:
Wood Round - approx 5 inch diameter
Fimo Clay - blue and red
White Acrylic paint
Copy of logo downloaded and copied (used as stencil)
Wire to hang (I used a staple gun to attach the wire to the back of the wood)

I went online and downloaded the logo and printed it to the size I wanted. I made a duplicate just in case I screwed it up somehow. Next, I rolled out the Fimo. For those of you who are not familiar with this stuff, it comes in little square blocks and when you bake it for 30 minutes, it sets and hardens. Once I had it rolled out (you don't need a fancy tool, I used a can of Pam), I simply placed the copy of the logo on top and used an X-Acto knife to cut through the stencil and the clay. I made sure the pieces were just the right size and then put them in the oven. While they were cooking, I painted the wood white and twisted the wire. After the clay cooled, I used some tacky glue to stick them on, let the glue dry, and then hung the finished goodness out for all the neighbors to see. I think there's a pretty good chance they will all end up voting for Obama...this door hanger is powerful! The results:

It turned out great Callie! Should he win in November, a smaller version of this could be a really cool Christmas tree ornament. Hint hint...

Vote: Do it, Wear it

2008-09-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

I have a big crush on this necklace by Brookadelphia. Not only is it cute, it pretty much sums up my advice to all of America right now. The most patriotic thing we can do is use our right to vote for our leaders. Feeling frustrated by corruption and general crappy job-doing in Washington? Or your state capital? Vote. I'd also suggest picking up the phone and calling your representatives to make your voice heard. That might be kind of hard to squeeze onto a necklace but it really does make a difference.

Kate's Kitchen: Shrimp Mango Salsa

2008-09-16T07:20:00.000-07:00

Ben has an uncle who used to be quite, um, full figured. But then he lost a ton of weight and is truly an inspiration to us all. While he was losing the weight he made up this recipe for shrimp mango salsa. It feels like a decadent treat but is super low in fat and high in lean protein and anti-oxidant rich vegetables.

This is a delicious recipe that is sure to wow crowds at parties or just make a random Friday night spent at home more fun. It's a little labor intense...lots of chopping and dicing, but so worth it.

Here's what you do:

1. If frozen, soak 1 lb shrimp in a warm bath for about 10 minutes. (There are two pounds pictured above...don't use that much unless you're doubling. But then double all the ingredients).

2. Remove tails and cut shrimp into small pieces.

3. Juice 2 lemons and pour over shrimp. I like to let this mixture soak while I'm chopping up the rest of the ingredients. This time I sprinkled Old Bay Seasoning on the shrimp.

4. Dice 2 orange or red peppers, 1 large or 2 small mangoes, and about 2 tbsp. cilantro.

5. Very finely dice half a red onion and a serrano pepper (remove seeds unless you like it hot and spicy).

6. Mix in 1 tsp sea salt.

7. Add a whole bottle of cocktail sauce, stir.

8. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.

9. Serve with tortilla chips.

If I have left overs I might use this on a bed of lettuce for a delicious salad or fold into an omelet.

Gone for Three Weeks, Hair Today

2008-09-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

I'm back!

My vacation from blogging was nice. I had time to read books and have long lingering conversations about politics with friends. I didn't worry about trying to take pictures of the things I cooked or what I wore. I went to bed earlier and got more done at work. Most of all, it was nice to not organize my days around creating interesting content and instead allow myself to be interested in whatever.

But it's time to get back to work. Sarah Palin can't be the only hot mom getting all the attention on the internet. There are important topics to cover, I have stuff to say and obviously the world needs to hear it. So on that note, let's talk about my hair!

First of all, Victoria Beckham stole my look! Never mind the fact that I've had my fair share of sandwiches, who do you think wears it best?

That's kind of embarrassing. Moving on....

I've noticed lately that my hair is changing. As my hair slowly lightens, surely on its way to gray, the texture has gotten coarser and the variation between strands gives a similar effect to salon highlights. Those two things are both a positive for me since my hair is so fine and who doesn't want free highlights? But what's bummed me out is the over all dullness going on, it's not reflecting light all that well. I do believe in growing old gracefully, but not without a fight.

So I headed out to ye old drug store looking for a product that would up the shine factor around here. I figured someone had to make a clear glaze color treatment right? I didn't even check the internet first, that's how strong my faith is in corporations to anticipate my consumer needs. Happily, Clairol had me covered.

Shine Happy is a clear glaze brightener. You use it just like a color treatment and the effects are supposed to last for 6 weeks. I'm pretty happy with the results, definitely worth $8.49. So there you have it. Aren't you glad I'm back?

Just the Facts

2008-08-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

There was an article in the Dallas Morning News today reporting that Texas has the highest percentage of residents without health insurance in the nation at 24.8%. Luckily John McCain has really smart guys like this advising him just in case he becomes the next president.

McCain adviser

But the numbers are misleading, said John Goodman, president of the National Center for Policy Analysis, a right-leaning Dallas-based think tank. Mr. Goodman, who helped craft Sen. John McCain's health care policy, said anyone with access to an emergency room effectively has insurance, albeit the government acts as the payer of last resort. (Hospital emergency rooms by law cannot turn away a patient in need of immediate care.)

"So I have a solution. And it will cost not one thin dime," Mr. Goodman said. "The next president of the United States should sign an executive order requiring the Census Bureau to cease and desist from describing any American – even illegal aliens – as uninsured. Instead, the bureau should categorize people according to the likely source of payment should they need care.

"So, there you have it. Voila! Problem solved."

Mr. Goodman's analysis drew a sharp response from the Center for Public Policy Priorities, an Austin-based think tank focusing on poverty issues. "That is not the same thing as having health insurance," said Eva Deluna, a budget analyst for the center. People without insurance are less likely to seek care, and when they do, the cost to the health system is greater, she said.

You have to wonder if the Republican leadership even takes this issue seriously. Cause this is a joke, right?

--------------

I'm not really back. I'm enjoying the time off actually. But I saw this today and had do something with it. People should know.

Gone Fishing

2008-08-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

Surely you've noticed how much I'm writing about being busy. I have to admit, that really bugs me. Generally it's pretty boring to hear about how busy other people are. There's nothing original about it, everyone as more to do than they can fit in a day. And though I know nobody wants to hear about it, my to-do list is all I can think about. And unfortunately Kate of All Trades has become another item on that list that just stresses me out.

I've tried to muscle my way through but as it turns out, forcing yourself to be inspired doesn't really work. I feel creatively depleted. So I've decided to take a step back for a while with the hope that a break will help restore my joy for this project. I know that's really dumb in terms of keeping my readers but continuing to provide uninspired content and not really having fun is kind of dumb too.

I'm not planning to be gone for long, maybe a week or two. In the meantime, be sure to visit the great blogs listed in my blog roll..lots of good reading there. Please check in every so often because soon I'll be back.

Top Five Friday: 5 Things About Today

2008-08-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

This has been a busy day and it's not over. But this is what's happened so far.

1. Today was fitness challenge at my new (harder) boot camp class. We ran a mile and then did 70 push ups, 80 squats, 40 sit ups, 30 dumbell rows, and 200 turns with the jump rope. It was timed. I ran the mile in 8:15, an improvement of 21 seconds from my last time. I was a little disappointed. I finished the whole thing in 19:36. It was hell and I felt like crap afterwards. But then later, after I ate a snack, I felt awesome. PS: I couldn't really do all the push ups and squats. That quantity is ridiculous. For now.

2. Right after boot camp I had to go to my boss's house to take care of some paperwork. She was very excited to see me in my exercise tights. I love going to Kathi's. We always spend a good portion of our time giggling and telling the other that they're awesome. Her family is so nice and today her husband was around too. They are a good couple, 15 years further down that married road, I like seeing them together.

3. I found out I have to get 16 disposable cameras to Los Angeles by Monday morning. I'm concurrently writing this blog post and getting the package together before the UPS man comes at 4pm. The trouble is, I think he's here right now. More than an hour early. Yep, that was him. Asked him to come back later...hopefully he will.

4. While I ate my lunch I watched Tori & Dean Home Sweet Hollywood. You know, they are good people. Yes, they showed Dean sitting on the toilet with his pants around is ankle playing with the remote control bidet. But it's also clear what a super cute and loving family they are. I have no doubts they would be fun to hang out with.

5. I got a baby announcement in the mail today. I get them a lot these days and I always love them. This particular card is announcing the arrival Lachlan James, the second son of Ted and Ashley of Cambridge, MA. Lachlan is clearly a very self possessed and beautiful child, looking more like dad than mom. His older brother, Samuel, takes after Ashley much more. It made me wonder what W's little sister or brother might look like. A wave of baby fever rolled over me but I think I've regained my composure now.

Naughty

2008-08-20T12:54:00.000-07:00

It was a chaotic morning at our house. Getting everyone out the door is always busy. But this morning another layer was added. The neighbor's dog was in our backyard and their back door was wide open, though nobody appeared to be home. Being good neighbors, we couldn't just put the dog in the yard and ignore the fact the house was unlocked. As it turned out, someone was home though it was not exactly clear how the dog got out and into our yard. During all of that activity, I heard W sing-songing "my drawing, my drawing." I barely took note.

Once the dog was safely back home, I noticed W had something in his hand, a piece of chalk. I caught him as he was about to use it on the living room rug. Later, after the boys were out the door to school and work, I thought I ought to look around and see if there was any truth to his "my drawing" claims. Didn't find anything...phew.

Not so fast. This is what I found in the utility room just now. That's our step ladder. And yes, that's the bucket of sidewalk chalk sitting right there. I have only myself to blame. And Ben.

It could have been so much worse though. Even when he's naughty, he's pretty considerate.

Coat Confessions

2008-08-19T10:46:00.000-07:00

Let's call a spade a spade. I've been talking about clothes a lot on Kate of All Trades. I know that not all of you are interested in the fashion posts. As one friend said last week, "Umm...I'm more interested in the narrative pieces...I just sort of scroll past anything about clothes."

But here's the thing, fashion is just what's on my mind. Not only is it time to be thinking about my fall/winter requirements, my size is changing and I'm having more fun dressing this body. I'm sure I'll get into projects or cooking again sometime soon. But for now, let's talk coats.

In the Pacific Northwest we have a real winter. It doesn't snow often but we have lots of days in the twenties. That's cold enough for a real winter coat (says the girl who lived in LA for 10 years). I've come to the conclusion that one needs at least three winter coats, not including the purely functional super warm puffy one.

I have a black wool dress coat from Banana Republic that hasn't fit me for three years. Trust me, I've been hurting for a dress coat but I refused to buy one. Better I should lose the weight and use the one I've got. A bright red Hilfiger pea coat is sporty and well made—the perfect tailored partner to jeans. The splash of color is a welcome sight on gray days. I'm tempted to trade this one in for something purple but I probably won't.

But one member of the team had to be put down this spring. A Gap camel pea coat. It was the only one that fit me during the pregnancy and then when I was still too chubby to fit in the others. It was so tired. I had to put it out of its misery. I liked the neutral color and the casual but structured style. I'm going to want something that fits that bill. I want to spend less than $200.

I really like this hooded coat by 525 America, retailing for $198. Too bad it only comes in blue, persimmon, and black; I need camel. But now that I see the hood, I need that too. The problem is that I can't find it anywhere. Anne Klein has something similar but there is too much volume in the waist.

This gray wool coat with toggles is listed at $110 on Delia's. It might be something to consider. While I prefer camel, charcoal is also a neutral. And I do like everything else about this coat - nipped in waist, shorter length, hood, detail at cuffs. This could be an option. But do you think I would be left feeling unsatisfied when I know I want something in camel?

If I'm going to start compromising on the color, maybe I ought to consider this navy blue coat, also from Delia's at $89.50. I sort of love the fur. This could be a stylish yet practical every day coat.

Well, I clearly have more work to do. If you know where I can find an option in camel, please tip me off!

Fall Fashion Tutorial: Blue Jewelry

2008-08-18T08:25:00.000-07:00

This one's pretty self-explanatory and straight forward right? Blue jewelry...it's in for fall. I personally don't own anything blue. But I'm going to be on the look out because I think these blues would pair really well with the beiges and camels I favor in the cold months. I'm especially digging the silk thread bracelet (top right) and the chunky Marnie necklace (center).

Top Five Friday: The Reasons I Can't Post Today

2008-08-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

Busy day! Here's my to-do. You know you care...

1. Weigh-in with my trainer:
I know my weight loss will be good but I also have to have my body fat measured. Surely there will be improvement there, but still...body fat measurements suck.

2. Go to boss lady's house:
Doing the bills, depositing the checks. It's a glamorous life.

3. Lunch Date!
My in-laws are coming into town today, yay! We're meeting them for an adult only lunch while W is still safely tucked away at day care. Such a rare treat!

4. Hair cut:
Oh thank god. This day has finally arrived. I've been hurting for a new do for weeks. I'm positively shaggy.

5. Prepare for guests:
Ben's parents will be coming over this evening for dinner. The house? It's not ready. But I get to take care of that in 100 degree heat later today. I'm so looking forward to it. But we must have a nice clean and pleasant space for W to impress his grandparents with all his new tricks.

OK, gotta go. That's all the time I've got. Worst post ever?

Ommm...I Love TV...Ommm

2008-08-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week we switched from Comcast to Direct TV. Umm...it's a million times better. The quality of the HD is amazing, the interface of the program is far superior, and it's cheaper! I can't believe we've been subjecting our super sweet TV to anything less than Direct TV all this time.

Something I discovered after the switch is FitTV. We may have had this channel on Comcast, to be fair. But I didn't know about it and now I do. As the name suggests, it's all about fitness. But the particular show I'm all excited about is Namaste Yoga. It's a half hour yoga flow which is not exactly uncommon on TV. What sets this program apart is the fact that the instructions come from a voice over, not from a teacher talking while trying to demonstrate the movements. That means it's an actual flow, not a series of poses. You can see the positions demonstrated as they are meant to be done, continuously. I'm at a place with yoga where I'm ready to move through each position fluidly but still need guidance on what to do next. So this is exactly what I needed.

Man, I love TV.

What's That Sound?

2008-08-13T08:20:00.000-07:00

It's my horn. I'm tooting it.

In July of 2006, six months after W was born, I was tipping the scales. A lot. Heavier than ever before. In the middle of a mild, but long, post-partum depression. Ben was unemployed and I was working from home with boys in the house all the time. I somehow managed to get myself together long enough to register for Weight Watchers online. Screw those meetings.

Over the next 3-4 months I lost 10 lbs and then stalled out for a while. Holidays and all. The following spring I discovered exercise programs On Demand through my cable. For free. So I started doing those at home and cutting out extra calories. I lost another 10 lbs. And again, I got stuck.

That fall I googled "portland bootcamp" and found a class, but it didn't have any openings until the first of the year. I sent an email and asked to be notified if a spot came available, but that didn't happen. A few months later, while away on a cruise, I noticed that I was avoiding cameras and there were very few pictures of me with Will. In fact, there just weren't many of us together period because I didn't want to see myself.

I had a good long talk with me and it was decided that I wanted to set a better example of fitness and health for W. I wanted to feel good about myself, so I could be engaged in my life to the max. And I wanted W to have some pictures that would help him remember that I once looked so young. I just accepted it—the weight had to come off.

And it has. I've lost 23 lbs since I started boot camp in January. Of course I still have 18 lbs to lose. But I am now officially below my pre-W weight. In total, I've lost 45 lbs! It took me 2 years. I'm not getting any prizes for doing it quickly. But I still did it!

So, toot toot. Yay for me!

PS - Before and after pictures would be cool huh? Well, I don't have an after that really captures the change. The last picture I have of me is from a week ago and I already look different. So maybe I'll post something on the weekend. You'll just have to come back....

Landscape Abstracted

2008-08-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

These landscapes by Mandy Budan at budanART remind me of paint by numbers but in a really good way. I'm loving the colors and shapes used to capture small views in nature. Prints of her original paintings are offered in a variety of sizes in her Etsy shop. I think grouping some smaller prints into a larger display would look really cool. But it would be hard to choose among so many great pieces.

Fall Fashion Tutorial: Fur, Fringe, Feathers

2008-08-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

I started gathering items completely unconvinced about this trend. I think one could make the generalization that I'm not really a fringe kind of girl. Too uptight. But as I dug into it, I found a bunch of things that were very appealing to me, even if I wouldn't actually purchase them.

The Burberry dress is made of ostrich feathers. It's so prim, I love it. The details at the shoulders invoke a military feel. It's totally militant WASP.

The dusty pink Cavalli suede clutch is awesome, I would carry that. I'm also really digging the brown Prada with the fringe detail. That little bit of texture would add something special to casual looks.

The t-shirt and leather earrings take a non-literal approach and I like it. And the faux fur wrap would be perfect if I ever find myself in a snowy chalet with a bunch of fancy people.

The sandals I would wear, and maybe even buy. The heels I would try on at least. But the boots? I wouldn't wear those. My footwear can't be too charismatic. Though I'm sure I'd love these on someone else.

The headband might be worth searching out. I think there are some similar at F21. My short hair makes hair accessories difficult so I don't really even bother looking. I recently remembered that I wore a pearl headband on my wedding day. It was very sweet and understated. That may have been the last time I wore one. I think I'm going to revisit.

I mainly showed accessories today because I'll want just a dash of this in my closet. But there are tons of apparel pieces if you want to go really big on this one. You can see lots of different interpretations at Couture Carrie where she covers both fringe and feathers.

Top Four Friday: Let The Games Begin

2008-08-08T13:27:00.000-07:00

Ben has recently accepted the highly prestigious position of Kate of All Trades Sports Editor. Here are his stories to watch in the next two weeks.

The highly anticipated 2008 Olympics in Beijing are officially underway. I know more than a few of us have summer Olympic memories that stand out for us. Mary Lou Retton and her perfect 10 on the vault to win the all-around title in 1984. Kerri Strug sticking her vault landing on one foot to give the U.S. the team gymnastics title in 1996. Greg Louganis winning gold after smashing his head on the diving board in 1988. Derek Redmond being helped to the finish line by his father in 1992 after tearing his hamstring halfway through the 400 meters – this one kills me now that I’m a dad. Watch this and try not to cry.

Here are the four biggest stories (aside from protests, smog, human rights violations, etc.) for the U.S. heading into the games. Oh, and I tried to come up with five, but I only had about 15 minutes to write this. I have a job, people.

1. Michael Phelps. This dude is about to redefine swimming excellence. He’s going for gold in five individual events (he’ll be favored in all of them) and three relays. Mr. Phelps is a big deal. Now if we could only figure out a way to make swimming more fun to watch.

2. Shawn Johnson battles Nastia Liukin for the all-around gymnastics gold. Shawn Johnson is straight up ridiculous. She makes this gymnastics stuff look easy. Nastia Liukin isn’t far behind. These two American girls will be the favorites to win gold. Unlike swimming, this one should be A LOT of fun to watch.

3. U.S. Men’s Basketball tries to stop sucking. In Athens, the team was cocky, unprepared, unbalanced and ultimately, just not good enough. Settling for the bronze was a wake up call for the U.S. and this year’s team is out to prove that they can handle the challenge. Forward LeBron James (pictured) has publicly guaranteed victory.

4. There's a cougar in the pool! Dara Torres is really old (for an Olympic athlete, not a human). To give you an idea of how old, Dara is swimming in her fifth Olympics. She’s 41 years old and she looked absolutely dominant at the U.S. trials in the 50 meter freestyle.

What are some of your favorite summer Olympic memories? What are you more interested in - the historical/political aspect of these games or the athletics?

What I Wore + More

2008-08-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

When I set out on my little shopping trip last Friday, game plan in hand, I knew I shouldn't be over confident. Forever 21 is a capricious lady, unpredictable and exciting. I never even laid eyes on items two and three from my pre-shopping priority list. But I did find the dress, the jacket and the open knit top. And a bunch of other stuff I should at least try on...I mean, I was already there right? I'm nothing if not efficient.

The polka dot jacket I loved. It fit like a glove and seems a perfect option for the inevitable holiday parties to come. And though I knew I wouldn't be wearing it out on my date, it had to be mine. Want to see it? I hope you can handle the fierce face that goes with it.

This cute little top was not a contender for date-wear but I have a hard time passing up navy and white nautical stripes...I'm just a sucker for them. Me and Jean Paul Gautier. The draw string detail totally sent me over the edge. Unfortch, I can't say anything nice about my face in the pictures I took, so I cropped. It's my blog, I can do that.

But neither of these things solved my immediate need for something new and cute for that night. Luckily, on my third and final trip around the store I found the open knit top (your top pick) but there was only one, a small in black. I needed a medium in gray. I would have to settle for black though. Despite being my second choice color, there were no two ways about it, this was it. I knew it would be perfectly appropriate for what we were doing. And it was.

Outfit:

Black knit top - F21
Skinny Jeans - Old Navy
White tank - Old Navy

Accessories:

Red clutch - F21
Gold bangles and necklace - Target...I think
Gold sling back heels - DSW

Bye Bye Mr. T, Hello Ben

2008-08-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Just a quick programming note. Mr. T doesn't want to be called that anymore. His name is Ben. So shall he be called forevermore.

The Pizzadilla (I'm a Genius)

2008-08-05T07:17:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I was kind of stuck for something to feed W for dinner. I had tortillas and mozzarella cheese and when I spied the bottle of pizza sauce in the refrigerator door, I knew I was onto something. But W didn't seem to agree and that pizzadilla was fed to the garbage disposal (who raved about it for days, by the way).

Last night I tried again. Toddlers are so picky. You really have to try things more than once before writing them off the menu forever. This time, I tried a little harder. I gathered the main ingredients: tortillas, cheese, and sauce. Then I grabbed the Parmesan cheese, some left over grilled chicken (not pictured) and the Italian seasoning.

I'm sure I don't have to tell you how to do this. If you've seen pizza, you already know. Sauce, cheese, seasoning, chicken, Parmesan, fold closed. Cook on Med heat turning once. Make sure cheese is melted through.

Cut into triangles and serve on a cute dinosaur plate with steamed broccoli if you've got the energy.

Will he like it? He did much better this time. After I tricked him into taking two big bites in exchange for a cup of juice, he met my challenge and kept on eating. Mommy wins again!

Fall 2008 Fashion Tutorial: Riding Boots

2008-08-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

I'm personally very excited that riding boots are in for fall. A well loved pair of boots can be extremely comfortable, practical, and sexy. That's exactly what I'm looking for in a winter shoe. Above are a collection of boots that I liked on Piperlime though there are hundreds of different variations out there. And there are two sub-trends for riding boots; white and slouchy, even better at the same time. If you can pull that off.

My personal faves are the Marc Jacobs up there. I like the strap detail at the ankle, I think it would add just a bit of visual balance to my hip. Think bootcut jeans, the slight flare is flattering. But loving these boots is like having a crush on the captain of the water polo team in high school, it's not going to happen. $585 is just too steep for me right now. Not just financially though. I think intellectually I struggle with the idea of spending that kind of money on shoes. However, I'm working on that because, well, I really want some shoes like that. In the meantime, maybe the Bandolino's will do. They come in black, cognac (shown) and dark brown. And I can totally get behind $149.

Riding boots were all over the runway for the fall shows. Here are pictures to help us all understand what kinds of outfits make sense with boots. The short cut answer? Lots of things go with boots.

Carolina Herrera
Yes, you can wear them with pants. You tuck the pants in. Notice the slouchiness.

Anna Sui
I'm not showing you this because I like the outfit. I really, really don't. But I love the shape of all the pieces. Short dress, sweater, tights, boots...love it all, just wish it was totally different.

Phillip Lim 3.1
But this one. This one I love every detail....except the boots. Too slouchy for my taste and I think the Marc Jacobs would make an excellent substitute.

Akris
Okay, these might be more dressy than your average riding boots but I really like this look and wanted to include the picture.

Hermes
While I'm not thrilled with the collar and hat, I love the trench and boots. This totally looks like something Detective or Spy Kate would wear.

House of W
See? Even this guy is on it.