posted by: jennifer
we had a summer shindig on saturday night. good company, good vibes, and a good time.
while we didn't have tons of leftovers, we did have among other things two pieces of lavash. so when it came time to figure out dinner on monday this is what i came up with. flat bread pizza using the lavash. it turned out wonderful.
two of the items i used on the pizza came from the day after the party. you see, neither my husband or myself ate any of the tandoori chicken and veg skewers, or the chicken shawarma wraps on saturday night. by the time we got to the food table, they were gone.
which is good... it means that they were good. and it also meant that i went and got more chicken shawarma from our local mediterranean market on sunday. thus, we recreated a bit of our party menu for sunday dinner. i also made more tandoori marinade, and skewered up some chicken, onions and bell peppers. that took care of sunday's dinner.
monday took advantage of what ever leftovers i had from both saturday and sunday. and this is what was born.
on the first pizza i used:
-chicken shawarma
-
greek feta
-
fresh mozzerella
-
onions and garlic sauteed gently in olive oil
on the second pizza:
-pesto
-sliced meatballs
-fresh mozzerella
-chopped bell peppers and onions (leftover from the grilled skewers)
here is the bread i used.
here are the onions and garlic in olive oil ready to be added.
i baked the pizza at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until done. they need to be watched however, because the lavash will start to brown fairly quickly.
happy pizza making!
and cheers!
posted by: jennifer
the penny wall is complete.
you might remember that on a weekend getaway trip last year my husband and i went to santa barbara. while on this trip were inspired by a penny wall. or i should say a penny covered building. it was finally time to jump into this project a couple of months ago.
it took about $250 worth of pennies, give or take a few rolls. this amounted to much explaining down at ye old credit union.
we decided to use all kinds of pennies. the only ones that got put off to the side were the ones that looked like someone had taken a file to. but oh my, the variation in pennies.
so beautiful and cool. we put our favorite side up. sometimes heads, sometimes tails. pennies that had been painted on, pennies that appeared to have spent time at the bottom of the sea, pennies that hailed from canada, pennies that we couldn't help but wonder how many hands, what interesting people might have handled.
and we did share all the cool pennies with each other. my husband and i. for the first 3/4 of the wall at least. it did get to the point where we were done with the sharing... our eyes were on the prize of getting the last row done.
we used construction grade adhesive to put each penny up individually. we then grouted, using sanded grout in charcoal gray. i told my husband that it is a good thing that we are both messy people, because the amount of grout that rained down on the cement below would make a weaker spouse blanch.
we added a light from barn light electric , and spray painted the vent with hammered copper spray paint. we found pennies from each of our birth years, and inset them in the trim along the bottom. we took down the scaffolding, and now we can't stop staring. and smiling. we are so happy with how it turned out. and proud.
get inspired.
act on that inspiration.
make a wish.
and cheers!
posted by: jennifer
a huge (nervous) smile on her face as she goes airborne
-just for a bit on the goliath slide.
the sky ride
a.k.a. the ski lift death trap.
complete with a woman passed on our descent and her ascent, eyes shut, seemingly
saying hail marys.
stalking clowns.
green hair
screwdriver in his hands
music box monkey watching.
seeing the backside of thing one and thing two as they race to the swing ride,
squealing as they run.
a vitamix demonstration (a la costco) in the exhibit hall.
and in the same exhibit hall dozens of people laying on mattresses being sold.
hearing "hey mom" by game booth hecklers as they try to convince me to get swindled...
er, i mean to play their game.
a 9-11 memorial
questions from post 9-11 born children on why mom is crying while looking at a pile of
metal debris. a mom who was taken by surprise by said display. who didn't think twice
when two seconds before she passed by a firefighter standing next to a NYFD uniform...
and then as she looks at what she is really passing by is completely overwhelmed with
emotion.
and as she is trying to explain her tears, a group of 20- somethings
pass behind one loudly announcing "single women. hot stuff coming through"
and when she finally turns her head, seeing one of the men from the group
carrying a man sized inflatable siracha sauce bottle, there is laughter mixed with the
tears.
the ninja knife.
the del mar fair
(san diego county fair officially)
a bunch of random shit.
thrown together.
wrapped in bacon.
deep fried.
served on a stick.
cheers!
a poem by: jennifer
a blistering day
and i'm
taking refuge from the sun
by
sitting in the right side of the car
to avoid the burn.
and i have
the sliding door open
to let in the hot breeze.
while waiting to gather a babe.
from school.
an ice cube shifts in my tea
as it melts.
and i am watching a pincher bug...
or earwig if you will..
frantically crawling up,
down
up
down
pausing at a crack, on a weather beaten,
once orange
traffic cone.
i could only imagine he was desperate for water,
on his sun baked plastic island.
bordered by a swath of asphalt
and
cracked earth and dried foxtails.
and one wouldn't think
that the very next week,
the same she
who would fish out an ice cube
and give it to him
by placing it on his miserable island
(to keep him alive)
would step on his brethren.
intentionally.
seedlings to protect and all.
N ot
I n
M y
B ack
Y ard
am i.
guilty.
a poem by: jennifer
tikki masala,
homemade baklava and chicken marsala.
a rich, creamy, tart lemon curd
and a perfectly roasted thanksgiving bird.
exotic curries,
a humble stew and a flaky pie crust i can do.
a moist and tender
(be it slightly lopsided)
3 tiered wedding cake...
and yet,
a complete failure at a simple pancake.
raw in the middle, black on the top
i try and try, but they are always a flop.
i often concede, and pass the job,
to the ever successful pancake god.
but when given a request by a sweet, sweet babe,
i will try again, always their slave.
and surely one day i will serve
the stack of cakes that they deserve.
but until that day should arrive at my door
can i offer some pear frangipane or something more?
posted by: jennifer
it is the day after Saint Patrick's Day... my youngest went out into the living room first thing this morning and looked around. (just like she had done yesterday morning, and when she came home from school yesterday)
she came to the kitchen and announced "leprechauns don't like our house."
I didn't say a word.
then "you know why they don't like our house? because it's not clean, and so they can't mess it up."
hmmm.
when did Saint Patrick's Day get so out of hand? I have never particularly like the day. I hated the whole "you are going to get pinched if you don't wear green" shenanigans when I was in school, and still do. But I think when I was growing up, that is about all involved in the day.
By the way, my kids asked yesterday morning if I was wearing green. I said no. and then I said I don't like St. Patrick's Day.... but as I thought about it throughout the day, it is more I don't celebrate it.
these days though, the leprechauns come into the classrooms at school, and overturn trash cans, leave green footprints all over desks.
I have heard that they even go to houses, pee in the toilet (did you know they have green pee?) and forget to flush. well, that's the word in the hallways at the elementary school.
now, in all honesty, for a couple of years, I felt the pressure. The leprechauns did show up here a couple of times... they sprinkled some glitter and left some chocolate coins.
but I think they have got the point. this is not a good house to hit.
and it is okay. Because I don't think ankle breaking size holes, that have been covered with grass, in hopes of trapping a leprechaun, that are dug in the backyard (in the pathway no less) should be encouraged.
so, long story short, if you want to keep leprechauns away from your house, keep it messy.
thank goodness they don't like messy houses, because all I need is another creature reeking havoc up in here.
word!
posted by: jennifer
it is
a crazy morning.
breakfast for three
lunches for two
no work space on the countertop
s
cat ed
ter
dirty dishes.
should have
would have
.....but Downton
and
wet laundry sits in the washer.
so now,
random thoughts bubbling to the surface
of my brain
s
c att
er d
e
and
i yell out
to no one in particular
or maybe just to me?
BAGEL!
LITTER BOX!
P.E. CLOTHES!
LAUNDRY!
EPSOM SALTS!
it is.
posted by jennifer
Ocean in the sky
Churning swirling
Clouds above...
Horizon lines blur
coming home from the river
near boulevard, ca
cheers!
posted by: jennifer
so it always good to find the positive in a negative situation right? and let's face it, life has a good way of throwing shit your way every now and then. usually, they are little dingle berries of shit... like fortunately in my case. but i do think that if you have practice not letting those little dingle berries stick when they come flying your way, you might have a leg up when and if a dump truck full of shit lets it load out on top of you. wow, mrs. daly would
love that run on sentence.
here are a couple of my negatives that i feel i am navigating in a positive way.
first, i mentioned recently about going bald. so i have found out more about it. alopecia areata is its name, reeking havoc is its game. no really. what i have learned about this condition is as follows:
-it is an auto immune disease (white blood cells attacking hair follicles)
-it does not make you physically sick. just fucks with your head. ( ha! i didn't even mean
for that to be a pun)
-it is unpredictable. you could have a quarter size bald spot or two where the hair grows
back and then you never experience hair loss again. or it could grow back only to fall out
again in a year. or 5 years. or whenever. you could have a massive bald patch (me raising
my hand) and then a quarter size bald spot on the opposite side of your head (me raising
my hand). the point is, this is one fickle disease. you just never know.
what i do know is that i love to wear scarves. i have worn them for years. and if i have to start wearing them daily, or to wear larger ones to cover more or all of my head i will. yes, i am going to keep taking my evening primrose oil, and eating more essential fatty acid rich foods.... but i am determined not to let this get me down. and if i can face the day with a smile after my 12 year old tells me upon waking that my bald spot is "really showing this morning" i am doing okay.
secondly, our sweet cat blue was hit by a car last week. such a sad discovery... and we all lamented that he didn't ever have his first christmas. so sad. we all cried, and still look for him sleeping on one of our beds, or on the deck waiting to be let in the house.
but, we also know that when we head to the san diego humane society today, we will likely return home with another sweet ball of fur that will brighten up our days.
here's to looking for the bright spots.
cheers!
*
in the creative sense that it
posted by: jennifer
while flipping through a recent Anthropologie catalog last month (making a dog ear corner every other page.... so many things from calling to me), i came upon a page where a table had been set for a feast. and while looking at the picture, i knew that i had to make my own version of it come to life.
the main thing on the page that jumped out at me was a bunch of grapes, hanging down from above. suspended over the table. i thought what a great idea. have a hanging center piece. table space is so precious.
i decided to expand on the grape idea. along with the grapes, i added eucalyptus boughs and
vintage rhinestone baubles.
this is what i ended up with:
i loved the way it turned out. in fact, after i took everything down, it just seemed something was missing. so i returned the rhinestones above the table. they are now hanging among the snowflakes.
when i host book club next sunday, i plan on adding some greenery, maybe grapes again, or whatever strikes my fancy. i highly recommend when decorating for a meal, if you don't want to use table space for your centerpiece, look up, and your probably won't look back.
thank you anthropologie for letting me steal inspiration from you.
as for my many favorite pieces of clothing from your store.... those were always acquired quite legally. i am a good girl after all.
cheers!
posted by: jennifer
the last day of November... the eve of Orwell's arrival from the north pole.
Orwell being the elf on the shelf who lives with us for a few weeks in December.
what? your elf doesn't have a name?
well, we three who call this blog our own, put our heads together and came up with a fun game to help you with your elfin name decisions.
i give you the elf on the shelf name chart:
naturally, you begin at start.
from there, choose either nice or naughty.
from nice:
sugar or spice
from sugar:
dine or dig
if you choose dine: your next choice is popcorn or bacon
if you end on popcorn, the ideal name for your elf is Orville
if you end on bacon, the ideal name for your elf is Wilbur
if you choose dig: your next choice is rock or fossil
if you end on rock, the ideal name for your elf is Jasper
if you end on fossil, the ideal name for your elf is Leakey
from spice:
walk or gather
if you choose walk: your next choices are boots or bare feet
if you end on boots, the ideal name for your elf is Patton
if you end on bare feet, the ideal name for your elf is Gandhi
if you choose gather: your next choice is bucks or beads
if you end on bucks, the ideal name for your elf is Trump
if you end on beads, the ideal name for your elf is Lennon
from naughty:
stage or bedroom
from stage:
sing or dance
if you choose sing: your next choice is alto or soprano
if you end on alto, the ideal name for your elf is Jerimah
if you end on soprano, the ideal name for your elf is Kermit
if you choose dance: your next choice is Vegas club or yacht
if you end on Vegas club, the ideal name for your elf is Elvis
if you end on yacht, the ideal name for your elf is Magellan
from bedroom:
fashion or passion
if you choose fashion: your next choice is leather breeches or loincloth
if you end on leather breeches, the ideal name for your elf is Fabio
if you end on loincloth, the ideal name for your elf is Tarzan
if you choose passion: your next choice is brain or brawn
if you end on brain, the ideal name for your elf is Newton
if you end on brawn, the ideal name for your elf is Claude
so.... who is arriving on your doorstep to spend the holiday season? is it Wilber? or Patton? or does your elf have a name already? i know that my kids are looking forward to seeing what antics sneaky little Orwell will be getting into the is year.
happy last day of the month.
cheers!
posted by jennifer:
holy shit balls! i am going bald. kind of.
yesterday, when getting myself presentable before the afternoon pickups, i went to pull back my hair into a barrette. i was shocked to find a kind huge bald spot behind my right ear. i
mean truly, skrillex came to mind.
you know skrillex. i do because i am a wee bit hip and read rolling stone. skrillex is a dj known for his bass drops.
me... well it appears i mostly am dropping several hundreds of hairs a day.
now mind you, i had to leave to get the girls minutes after i made the discovery... so i didn't have time to do anything but start to worry.
-brain tumor on the right side?
-wacked out hormones (still a possibility)
-what kind of wig will i get? a realistic one... or a brilliant blue punky style. and if i do get
a realistic one should i go with one with emerging gray hairs or just a rich brown?
driving to the schools, i had more time to think....
holy shit balls!
showing my husband when he got home from work.
me: "i just discovered something kind of crazy"
him: "oh yeah"
me: "yeah. i have a bald spot on my head"
him: "yeah. tell me about it"....."is mine getting bigger"
side note: i don't even think his hair is thinning
me: "no really. look."
him: silence
me: " i told you."
calling my sister to tell her. her "holy shit" or something like that. i love how she agrees with my freaking out. then her telling me. "don't google search it. it is only going to freak you out." she did the google searching for me. called me back, and told me to stop running my hands through my hair. "no really. you need to stop."
you see, i have this habit of running my hands through my hair... when i am bored. maybe when i am stressed. and in thinking about it, it is usually on the right hand side... behind my ear and upwards. the last few weeks, a lot of hair is between my fingers after doing so. i actually thought the other day "i am going to go bald" hahaha! good one jennifer. you were so right. hahaha. you see, i am laughing, because i want to cry.
so now i have a list of things to try:
cedarwood oil
evening primrose oil
biotin
rosemary essential oil
lavender essential oil
and i have been doing all i can to not touch my hair. i saw a sign today. the san diego river runs through our city, and there is a sign near part of it that reads: habitat restoration in progress do not touch. and i couldn't help but think of my head. but switch out habitat for hair.
so um, yeah. a bit like skrillex.... only not quite as hip.
cheers.
posted by: jennifer
so, i have been totally inspired on the tote bag front lately. it had been on my to do list for the past month.
to do 10/2 - 10/10:
- photograph/list remaining ornaments
- decorate front arch for fall
- planting in front yard
- make 1+ tote
- clean chicken coop
to do 10/13 - 10/20:
-chicken coop
-start on halloween costumes
-make 1+ tote
-dentist appointment
- blog post time mismanagement
finish halloween costumes
-make 1+ tote
- clean chicken coop
do you notice a trend? the tote bags never got crossed off the list. (well sure, neither did the chicken coop... but one of the girls is now molting, so i think it is good i have waited. all those feathers!)
but, this past week, i am now getting very little done but tote bags. and i wanted to share.
i have made 3 new totes in the past week! sure, the house is suffering a wee bit, but you can't deny the creative juices when they start to flow now can you? i say no.
i am so please with how this tote bag turned out. the colors, the textures, the contrast.
i used scraps of a scrap of an antique crazy quilt, vintage clothing labels... all great britian referenced, and some super soft and cozy faux fur. i call it "great britian glamour" . as i was making it, i thought, if scotland had broken away from being part of great britian, i wouldn't have been able to use the mac intyres of strone argyll label. i am glad i was able, because i think it looks fabulous next to the pride of england label.
and then jumping to the opposite side of the pond....
"a nod to the union army"
i think one of the reasons i like this tote bag so much is that it is not the normal direction i would go creatively. military style jacket feel. i was flipping through an instyle magazine, and saw a picture of chris martin... of the coldplay variety. it was an older picture where he was wearing that great military style jacket. it inspired me.
and this is what i came up with:
cheers!
posted by: jennifer
recently i have come across a few things i am loving... and they happen to all originate from australia. and you know i am practically an honorary australian.... having an aunt and uncle and two cousins there. in perth to be exact.
and no, i have never been there, and have met one cousin once, the other never, and have not seen my uncle in over 20 years... but you know.
and, i practically was a pioneer on bring the slang "no worries" to the west coast... i mean i started saying it regularly a few years back. and now you see and hear it everywhere. there is a billboard in our town for a bunch of personal injury lawyers.... you know the type... top notch ambulance chasers... they have a billboard and above all there heads is "no worries" spelled out in big, bold letters. i think of myself whenever i see that billboard.
hmm.
but in all seriousness, i need to share some discoveries. the first being courtney barnett.
i first heard about her on npr. here and now, dj sessions. this was back in march of this year. she is from melbourne, australia. and she is sweet as*.... and deep, and hilarious. she was described on that npr segment as tellling the ultimate slacker stories, the lyrics are great.
it is one of those albums where you can listen to a song 10 times, and then pick up on a line you have missed the previous 9 times. and it makes you like the song even more. here are a few lines from one of her songs, avant gardener:
i'm breathing but i'm wheezing
feel like i'm emphysem-in'
my throat feels like a funnel
filled with weet bix and kerosene and
oh no, next thing i know
they call up the triple o
i'd rather die than owe the hospital
till i get old
so good. but you really have to hear it because the delivery is where it is at. the album i have is the double ep: a sea of split peas. you can find it here.
the second thing is a new author i was introduced to. liane moriarty. she is a brilliant author, and has a great voice. the plot of her book, the husband's secret, is gripping, like break the rules (my own illogical rules of no pleasure during the day) gripping, and i would plop down on the bed to read whenever it suited me. i love a book that i can't put down. but i think the thing that made it even more enjoyable to me, were the subtle nods to as what life is like, as a wife and mother and a woman. here are a few of my favorite bits:
"She could not meet another brand-new group of mothers. She'd found socializing with
the school mums difficult enough when her life was in perfect order. The chat, chat,
chat, the swirls of laughter, the warmth, the friendliness (most mums were so very nice)
and the gentle hint of bitchiness that ran beneath it all."
".....it occurred to her that if Polly was having PE today, then Liam would be too,
because weren't they in the same class? And of course he wasn't wearing sports shoes.
Nobody had told Tess it was PE day. Or perhaps they had, but she hadn't registered it.
She wondered if she should stop at her mother's house and pick up Liam's sneakers.
She wavered. Nobody ever told you that being a mother is all about making what
seemed like thousands of tiny decisions."
"She wished she could give Isabel a shield, like the ones riot police held, to protect her
from male attention, that feeling of being scored each time you walked down a street,
the demeaning comments yelled out of cars, that casual sweep of the eyes. She'd
wanted to sit down and talk to Isabel about it, but then she hadn't known what to say.
She'd never quite gotten her head around it herself. It's no big deal. It is a big deal.
They have no right to make you feel that way. Or, just ignore it, one day you'll turn
forty and you'll slowly realize you don't feel the eyes anymore, and the freedom is a
relief, but you'll also sort of miss it, and when a truck driver whistles at you while
you're crossing the road, you'll think, Really? For me? "
you can find the book here. or, as i did, check it out from your local library. i know i will be recommending it to my book club to read. and it will not be the last book of hers i read. oh, and one more little thing i read about liane moriarty:
"Liane fits writing in between chores: between pick-up and drop off times of her children,
working the dishwasher, talking to her mom, and drying clothes."
no wonder i like her so much. i can relate to her, and the parallels that so many women share come across in her writing.
and to bring this post to a close, a few terms i think we should bring here to america:
*sweet as: good. you mentally fill in how good/sweet it is
fairy floss: cotton candy.
poo tickets: toliet paper
knackered: pooped; tired
we can do this people. i mean if i can do it with "no worries" we can eventually have everyone going to costco to buy a 30 roll pack of poo tickets. come on... are you with me??
cheers!
posted by jennifer:
being a slightly crazy person, i feel it is important to take on time consuming, and unnecessary projects..... especially during those times in your life when you are feeling overwhelmed with all the things that need to get done.
this last week, i worked on two such projects.
..... while waiting in the wings was a birthday party for my now 12 year old baby girl....
a camping trip....and a pile of laundry that continues to grow to this day.
but, in the process of completing them, i was able to cross two things off my to do list. always a satisfying feeling.
the first project was making about 40 felt flowers to decorate my front arch for halloween/fall/day of the dead.
i ripped off the idea from target. i saw similar decorations there and loved them. after an initial attempt to make some felt flowers without instructions.... having them turn out a bit sad looking... and then finding a great youtube tutorial, i ended up with these beauties.
i like love them so much i already have plans on making about 50 cream colored ones...with snowy glitter for my winter decorations. love! love! love!
i think they look just smashing. and do you remember these crows? i think they look right at home next to the flowers.
the second project was making pomegranate molasses.
we have a longtime neighbor, who we finally met. he approached us with a trade offer. he would take the fruits from our prickly pear cactus, and in exchange he would bring pomegranates over every day or two. who could resist...i mean i honestly had thoughts about making prickly pear jam this year. but in all honesty, they were the same thoughts i have had for the past 10 years. i figured that i could put it off for another 10 years or so.
and who could say no to pomegranates. the first 5 days or so of him bringing over 2 or 3 pomegranates at a time, we were ready for them. the kids were plowing through them. what a great afternoon snack... not to mention the beautiful spray of pomegranate juice on the gray wall behind the couch. pink and gray compliment each other dontchaknow.
but all of a sudden i had a pile of pomegranates.
and, i had a brilliant idea. pomegranate molasses. i have used it before when making salad dressing. you can find the recipe here. i also like to use it in marinades for chicken. so i decided to learn how to make it.
i watched a youtube tutorial on juicing pomegranates.
i found a recipe for the molasses.
and then the pomegranates sat on the kitchen table. and the pile kept growing. and a half dozen or so started to mold. who knew they would mold...they just don't seem like fruit that would, but i guess if you leave them sitting for a couple of weeks, it happens.
well, on tuesday, i finally got to it.
if you have a lot of time to kill. and aren't opposed to stained fingers...and splatters on your walls, kitchen utensils, and kitchen curtain... then this is the project for you.
it takes 4 cups of pomegranate juice to equal 1 cup of pomegranate molasses. i ended up with more like 5 cups of juice, so i have in my possession about 1.25 cups of precious pomegranate molasses. and it only took about 6 hours. i am not saying i will never make it again. i am a bit crazy that way... but let's just say, i have an appreciation for pomegranate juice.... and understand more why it costs so much. the same goes for the molasses made from it.
i just realized that i hadn't taken a picture of the completed molasses. and thought i should probably take one to show how much it cooked down. but really people, this to do list isn't going to take care of itself. how can i expect to get things done when i drop what i am doing to take a picture?
i have a lot of time mismanagement to get to.
and i plan on having fun...and making a bit of a mess, when i am doing it.
cheers!
