Emma's Friends

recipes
Hi all. I have a funeral to go to tomorrow for an old neighbor. Their small daughter died after fighting brain cancer for the past two years. :(

Does anyone have a good recipe for something casserole related or otherwise that can can be frozen for these poor folks? I plan on making a bunch of "dinners" that they can just pull out of the freezer and heat up. There are 4 ppl in the house that need to be fed. Anything would be great.

TIA
Tracy

Current Mood: sad

The update i couldn't make yesterday...
My grandpa has been dead a year.

It really doesn't seem like it. I miss him like crazy, but it doesn't seem like a year. It seems like it's been a few months, maybe. I guess it makes sence, though 'cause weeks after he died i still felt like it was just the day before.

Today i'm going to do something involving wood. Maybe i'll make another walking stick. I made one last year, after he'd died and i'd gotten his wood-carving supplies. I picked out a good branch last year, but didn't take the bark off it 'cause a few days after i'd stripped the other one, it cracked. I think because it wasn't dry before i took the bark off.... This one has been in my garage for a year, so i think i may get to work.

I really hope it doesn't crack 'cause it's an awesome shape.

I wish i could ask my grandpa how he did it. And what kind of wood is best for carving. And techniques to use... And have him tell me stories of when he was little. And stories from when he was in WW2. And about my dad when he was little. *sigh*

...I miss you, Grandpa. </3

Current Mood: blank
Current Music: Sufjan Stevens

My survey
~ Membership Questionnaire ~

My name is: Michele

My age is: 22

I live in: Reno, Nevada

My relationship status is: Married

I live in a: apartment, for just a few more days! I am moving into a house

My children and/or pets: no kids, 2 cats

My obsession of the moment is: finding work!

My favorite "guilty pleasure" is: rocky road ice cream

My favorite domestic activity is: entertaining and all clothing related chores (laundry, ironing, organizing closets)

The domestic chore I hate is: DISHES

Are you a beginner domestic diva or an experienced pro?: I have been helping around my house my whole life, and been in my own place for about 4 years but am only recently taking an interest in domesticity (and no, I'm not pregnant lol. we are child free)

I found this community through (referral from member, community promo, random, etc.): a search for the interest "martha stewart"

My favorite recipe is (put behind an LJ cut if it is lengthy): This saved me at Thanksgiving, thanks to the dearies at thenest.com (my hero second only to Martha Stewart) It is for turkey and gravy but I didn't make the gravy part
( Read more... )

I'm new!
My name is: Phoenix (that's my real name, I promise)

My age is: 23

I live in: Portland, OR

My relationship status is: engaged - will be married 2/2/09!

I live in an: apartment.

My children and/or pets: 2 cats - Bella and Mulder.

My obsession of the moment is: perfume oils.

My favorite "guilty pleasure" is: reading girly magazines (like Glamour, Cosmo, etc.)

My favorite domestic activity is: cooking.

The domestic chore I hate is: folding socks.

Are you a beginner domestic diva or an experienced pro?: total beginner.

I found this community through (referral from member, community promo, random, etc.): I was looking at someone's profile and found it. I don't remember who.

My favorite recipe is: ( behind the cut )

Current Mood: cheerful

help with cats and windows

Hey ladies,
I need help with my cats... I know that cats love going near windows, which is fine.. but in the summer when the weather is nice I like to have the windows open. For some reason, the cats love trying to break through the screen. The screen pops into the window from the outside. So, the cats press against the screen from the inside and the screen pops out and then cats have a quick exit.

It totally freaks me out and I am not sure what to do. I want to have the windows open, especially at night when it is cooler, but I can't sleep at night because I am afraid the cats are going to try to escape. Does anyone here have any idea what I can do so that the cats can still enjoy looking outside but also enjoy staying INSIDE?

Thanks!!

Current Mood: irritated

*happiness comes from old books*
I've always loved old books. And used books. I like thinking that someone else has read the exact book I have in my hands. I often buy books from used bookstores or garage sales...

I've always had this crazy dream that one day I'll be reading a used book, and out will fall a treasure map, or SOMETHING interesting. It's finally happened. :)!

Yesterday I stopped in The Book Rack (<3) and bought "Dr. Zhivago". I've been wanting to read this for quite a while, so when I saw it (hardback, no less. I love hardbacks. No jacket, though.) I had to buy it.

I started reading it last night. I sat down and opened it up, to the page that's not even a page. Between the cover and the title page. There's a newsclipping from The Detroit News, dated Wednesday, May 18th, 1960. There's a picture of the author, and a little clipping saying he'd had a heart attack. I was crazy excited just 'cause I thought it was super awesome.

So today, I was in the car with my dad and I had my book with me, and I was telling him about finding the clipping, and I flipped through and another fell out. Same paper, but from Thursday, November 6th, 1958 (the year this book was published). It was a little article about Boris Pasternak saying he wasn't anti-Communist and that his book came off that way on accident, and that to be kicked out of Russia would be "equal to death" for him.

There was one other article I found, from Tuesday, June 7th, 1960. It was about Pasternak being buried just outside of Moscow.

I know it's not treasure, but I thought it was pretty cool. :)

I hope when I'm dead and someone gets my personal library, they'll find something neat in some of my books. I tend to use money as bookmarks, and that's always what I thought would be awesome to find.... But this old paper stuff is pretty awesome. All these clippings (over two years) about the author, stuffed into this book... This HAD to be someone's favourite book. To care enough about a book that you cut out articles about the author and put them into it... and they had to have read it over and over to get clippings from 1958 and 1960. Plus, the jacket's gone and the spine is loose.... That's what happens when I read a book to death.

So awesome.

I'm a book nerd. And I'm not sorry.

Current Mood: optimistic

ZOMG Strawberry Relish

( This is great over grilled chicken or fish. )

I hope you enjoy it!!!!!

Current Mood: full

Help!
I'm playing the "What's for dinner?" game and I need inspiration. I happen to have a pound and a half of ground beef. What are some new things that I can do with it? Looking for any and all ideas.

Thanks a bunch!

I had a doctor’s appointment today, so my daddy took me out to breakfast, then over to the bookrack (YAAAAAAAAAAAAY! I got Dr. Zviago, Across five aprils (which I got because I like the band with the same name… and it’s a classic, I guess. And it was 50cents) and a Stephen King book) before we had to be there. I have to go every three-months for a diabetic check-up, and I’m never real happy about it.

So usually this little tiny woman comes to the waiting room to call me back, but today, I hear my name followed by “Hey, I know you!” and it was this guy I met at a ren faire meeting last year.  I met him for like 30 seconds, then I didn’t see him for a year (last may) where he recognized me and knew that I’d dyed my hair. Heh. So, I guess he works for the childrens hospital in G.R. that my doctor is through. He’s pretty superawesome, and we talked for a while about faire stuff and books…he said he has a present for me ‘cause I’m awesome (O.o?) and have good taste in books (I was reading “The Time Machine” and we both like the classics), so I guess he’s gunna give me a book next time I see him? Sweet. There were come semi-uncofortable moments where i was... hit upon. Kinda. He's just that kinda guy, so it's fun... where if he were a stranger in the store i would scream "That's my purse!" and kick him in the testicles. Kidding!

Then I ended up talkin’ hockey with my doctor and that was fun too. So… yay.

Now I’m waiting for my brother Jason to call so we can go to our other brother’s house and see BabyJeff. Jeff and Shawn have lived there more than three years, and Jason doesn’t know where it is. THAT’S how often we see him. Lame.

Current Music: collective soul- spit me out

Our first apartment!
My boyfriend and I have now got our first apartment :) It is a cozy 60m2 apartment with kitchen and living room combined, a bathroom, a quite big bedroom, a garden, a spot for parking and a porch. We are decorating in the old french café/50's style and I was wondering if any of you had any good tips or tricks?

Thank you :)

Daily
I've decided, and i don't know how many times I've said this over few years that I'm going to try and start making daily posts. I think this will help me in the long run. I have more spare time on my hands and i need to start being more social. That sounds more than a little sad, the day when posting on an internet journal is being social.

My areas to work on:

1) talk more, to every one
2) Call all of my friends who's numbers i still have and see whats going on in their life.
3) Go out side and enjoy sunlight, if not only for the dog's benefit
4) Find my self again

i don't know why but for the last year I've been from time to time in a hermit stage. I'll have a few days where i might talk to people, then it will be a month before I've realized that I've even looked at an im or actually made a call/checked my voice mail. For some reason i just don't seem to care, and then when i get lonely i want to get mopey and think that no one likes me anymore.

I think i have problems.

Natalie Cole- This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)
Tina Turner- Proud Mary
Sugarland- All I want to do
Dolly Parton - Put a Little Love in your Heart
CCR- Down on the Corner
Lynard Skynard- Ballad of Curtis Lowe
Old Crow Medicine Show- Tell it To Me
Bob Segar- Night Moves
Righteous Brothers- Stand By Me
Hall & Oates- She's A Rich Girl

The upcoming days have a heap and a ton of cleaning up in store for me. I am making a playlist of good cleaning music. Please send along any suggestions. Anything happy, upbeat, oldies but goldies, and sing-a-longs are definitley appreciated.

Chicken or egg?
I am moving to a new place on August 29th. In fact, I am moving downstairs, to a much bigger apartment (a lower duplex) with a garden. I am very, very excited about this, as I have never been able to make my current place feel like "home." I'm hoping to fix this in my new abode.

Here is my quandary: I have very little furniture (I like to joke that I have more cats than furniture :D), and fairly little in terms of decorations and what have you. I'm also planning to repaint several rooms in the new place to substitute the cold colours on the walls with some warmer colours.

I am very anxious to decorate the new place in a way that won't scream "college student with no income," since I abandoned that identity a long time ago. I am planning on getting furniture (an actual sofa and a dining room set!), and curtains and lamps and side-tables.

Since I'm starting with a clean slate, here is my question: colour-wise, should I start with the furniture and paint the walls to match, or should I start with a paint scheme I like and then hunt for stuff to go with it? My spider sense tells me that Plan A is more logical, but I'm curious how everyone else goes about planning and executing their decorating.

So, how do you all do it? Ideas, suggestions, tips? Any and all would be appreciated.

Current Mood: curious

Intro Post!
Hey Everyone,
Just here introducing myself. I've been lurking for a bit and I think the posts are great. Anyhow, here's my ( intro survey! )

If anyone is in the South Florida area (or even if you aren't) and want another LJ friend, I'm always happy to have more :)

Have a lovely day!

Current Mood: amused

P-P-P-Pesto!
I like to make Food in advance.
This is doubly so for Foods that are a Pain to make.
While Pesto isn't really that hard to make, I certainly don't want to break out the Food Processor every time. Let's not even start with the Olive Oil coating on EVERYTHING.

So, I want to share with you how I make Pesto. . .

Into your Food Processor (or Blender), put 2c of Fresh Basil, 1/4c Pine Nuts, 1/2c Grated Romano Cheese, and a few Cloves of Garlic. Process until it is a nice green Paste. Then, slowly pour in 1c of Olive Oil with the Machine on.

Now, you are ready for the good Part. . .

Pour the Batch into an Ice Cube Tray. And freeze.
This will take the better part of 24 Hours to really freeze enough to Bag.
I like to make four Batches (Ice Cube Trays) and 1 to eat immediately.

To serve, I use 1 Cube per 1 large Bowl. Pop it in the Microwave if the Cube doesn't melt fast enough with the hot Pasta. Mmm!

You don't want to leave the Cubes in your Freezer for longer than 3 Months, but I seriously doubt they will make it half that long! =)

Current Mood: chipper

Membership Questionnaire
My name is: Katie

My age is: 26

I live in: New York

My relationship status is: very taken.

I live in an: apartment in an old Eastlake Victorian

My children and/or pets: one cat, Maisie...babies, someday (someday soon I hope!)

My obsession of the moment is: design blogs, hunting down mid century modern furniture for cheap!

My favorite "guilty pleasure" is: looking up baby names

My favorite domestic activity is: laundry (ha!) I feel so accomplished! Decorating/redesigning our rooms with things we already have

The domestic chore I hate is: washing the kitchen floor.

Are you a beginner domestic diva or an experienced pro?: somewhere in between. Once I'm done with graduate school and we have a real house, I think I'll head toward pro status.

I found this community through: random

My favorite recipe is: since school occupies ALL of my time and it's hotter than...and there's lots of fresh fruit in season my favorite recipes right now involve the blender.
Chop up a ton of your favorite fruits (right now for me it's bananas, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries) and throw 'em in the blender with a bit of fat free or low fat frozen vanilla yogurt, blend until smooth, pour into a tall glass, add a straw and sigh with sweet relief.
( A few pictures )

Nice to meet you all! I can't wait to read and make more posts here!

New, irresponsible, shiny

I was at the mall with a friend yesterday helping him buy some jewelry as a gift for his cousin. It dawned on me that I’ve developed the girly love of shiny things over the years, and that I didn’t have enough. So I splurged on something I’d seen last year and had filled me with geek girl glee.

Oh so pretty.

Interesting...
I suggest looking up your hometown on wikipedia. You learn things. I've lived here by whole life and never knew Iggy Pop was born here.... or that we're the hometown of Buster Keaton. :)

My favourite thing, though, 'cause i used to watch the show- Muskegon " has caught attention when the character of 'Chris In the Morning' from the 1990s CBS drama, "Northern Exposure" often used a Muskegon Museum of Art coffee mug on the show. It was reported that an Associate Producer from the award-winning show once said that Muskegon was "...as close to Cicely (The fictional setting of "Northern Exposure") as you can get!" " I used to LOVE Northern Exposure, and wished that i lived there, so... heh. I guess i did okay. :-p

Also, i did actually know this... our lumber re-built Chicago after the fire. You're welcome, Chicago.

:)

My hometown- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskegon%2C_Michigan

Current Mood: impressed
Current Music: robert plant- in the mood

New PrincessLeia.com Design!

My friend Jay promised me a bit ago to put his mad design skills to use on a new design for PrincessLeia.com. He came through today as expected and after work I excitedly wrote up the template html, which I installed this evening.

The result? See for yourself:

A-ma-zing!!! Thank you Jay!

It’s about time I had a professional design it rather than relying on my own paltry design skills :)

I am full of Questions:
So I should be packing for my trip to Georgia [to my cousins wedding. Outside in a park. In July... hmmm] And I was wondering:

Does anyone have a list/ article of everything you are not allowed to take in luggage? Carry on, regular, and both.

I don't know about hairspray or if it is allowed in luggage but not in carry on's.. and other such items. I didn't know if anyone knew a website or anything.
Oh and No, I don't know what airport or airline and does it matter because I can ask my Dad if it does. :]

Current Mood: bouncy

Today i went to the zoo with Jeff, Shawn, Skyler and BabyJeff. It was fuuuun. And we saw lots of neat animals and goofed off and saved a child from drowning. Heh. Shawn, Sky and i were in the fish-house thing, and the two of them went to the bathroom while i waited by a tank that had waves coming in and there was this little boy who was probably three. Maybe four years old. Wearing a swimsuit. O.o He climbed up on a rock and hung over the railing so his feet were off the ground and he was leaning waaaaaay over the edge. An old lady pulled him down, and then left. Shawn and Sky came out of the bathroom and we were the only ones in this room with the little boy, so Shawn went down the hall a little to look for his parents and i waited by him while he climbed the thing again and i told him "Hey, Buddy. You should climb on that." and he said "Will they sting?" and i said "Maybe... Don't hang on that though, you could fall in." He pointed at a plant and asked if that would sting him and i said "Yes, so stay with your feet on the floor." and then Shawn came back with a lady that worked for the zoo. She said "Where's your parents?" and the little boy pointed at a couple down the hall and the lady said "Is he yours?" and they said no. O.o

So we left 'cause we handed him off to a responsible ladyworker. *Shrug*

Then we went to applebees, and on the way home i taught my niece to talk like Pauly Shore. *Grin!* When they were leaving, i said "See ya later, bu-uuuuuuuudy!" and Skyler called "Weasin' the joo-uuuice!" and Shawn laughed and said i was gunna get it. :)

We have fun.

New Books
In trying to find new books to read a friend i met introduced me to the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyers. These books absorbed me. I read all of them in 3 days. The first few pages of twilight were a bit difficult to get through i didn't know if i would really get into the series even though i have a soft spot for vampire novels. After about pg 10 i was undeniably hooked. I read all 3 of the e books in 3 days, stopping only for work and rest. They are amazing. Everyone should check them out.

Honestly i hate romance novels but this is so much more than just a romance story. I found my self speed reading (which i haven't done in YEARS) i was so involved. Excellent books.

Any other recommendations for books i should read I'll gladly take because i need more reading material, i now have 4 days off a week and need something to do besides clean.

Hey friends!

My husband and I are first time home buyers and have a little cape cod in southwest virginia. It`s very tiny, but cozy and full of love. We`ve lived here for a year now and are still in the process of gettin' things situated... its tough with haley crawlin' all over the place and with all extra money going to baby formula, diapers, and other spoils. One day i`ll get to purchase all my dream pieces for the entire house without thinkin' twice, but until then, it`s a one room at a time kinda deal. Here is the first room that I am entirely satisfied with. Haley`s Nursery!

Sorry! Had to add this. I changed the picture hanging in the entrance to something a bit bolder because that side of the room is so empty in comparision to the other half. It`s a piece of artwork I splurged on when anthropologie was having a sale that is handpieced and crafted by armenian women. No two are exactly alike. I love it, it reminds me that all different types of people make up this world and that there is beauty everywhere.

( come on in )

So the other day my daddy and i went out for lunch... there were two older gentlemen coming in a bit behind us, so i held the door open for them. When they got there, one of the fellas grabbed the door and told me "Go on, i got it". I said "That's alright, you go ahead" and he told me,

"I am not a lady. Are are. I got it." And he said it like he was offened that a female would DARE to hold a door for a man. I loved it.

What happened to gentlemen?

In other news, My brother is bringing me to the zoo tomorrow. :) John Ball. The only zoo in michigan with a dragonlizard!

bringing home kitteh number two
I'm currently pondering getting a new kitten to add to my family—which thus far consists of me & my eight-month-old female cat, Emerson. My main concern is that I've never had multiple cats before, and thus don't want to end up traumatizing Emerson, the new cat or both. Obviously they'll need an adjustment period to get to know each other & such, but aside from that... what are your best tips for adding a kitten (I plan to get another female, three months old at the very youngest) to the household? What worked for you, and more importantly, what didn't?

Current Mood: cheerful