I'm back

Hi,
I'm back. And guess what? I'm not giving any excuses. This blog is going to morph into something else, right before your eyes.
I want to write about things--so I will! Don't forget to visit me over at my alter-ego mamatested too. I will post when the mood moves me. And when it doesn't, I won't. :)

This space is for all things non-mommy related. Because, hey, I'm still a daughter, wife, friend, woman.

Do you ever feel like you're just waiting for the next exciting thing to happen? I feel like that a lot lately. I guess I'm looking for something to be a maven of. Am I a maven of crafting? I would like to think so, but then, wouldn't a maven have a space to craft? Its sometimes hard to convince myself to create when creating involves hauling a sewing machine up from downstairs, plunking it down on the kitchen table, and then cleaning up said mess before little hands get into things they shouldn't. Don't get me wrong, I still do it. One of my goals for the year is to carve out a little 'me' space in our house. Our house isn't big. I'm eying up the basement...you know, that cavern I have down there...with boxes full of who knows what? Why do we even have all those boxes? We really need to go through them. But, I have an uncontrollable urge to try and SELL everything I don't want. Most people would just pack it up and bring it to Goodwill. Me? No, I have to think, gee, I bet I could get $5 for that. But then, I never post it to Craigslist, Ebay, etc. So, it continues to sit.

Anyway, join me on my little plight, as I make my way to finding what it is I'm a maven at. I'm already a bread-cutting maven. Just ask anyone that knows me. I can cut bread like nobody's business.

Etsy!

Ok, as requested by some (thanks alauna for making me get my butt in gear), I have opened my etsy shop. Its not perfect, but its a start!
To start with, I've listed a few skirts and a tutu. Soon to come: baby blankets, calligraphy. And hopefully more!

Check it out: Crafting Maven's Etsy Shop

Enjoy!

Unplugged

We are in our 4th week of living/visiting the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Both husband and I grew up here. Is it still just visiting when you're here for 7 weeks?
I thought living (mostly) unplugged for 7 weeks would bring out the creativity. And, it does. But the lack of crafting supplies, lack of readily available internet, and lack of sleep has produced NO projects in the last 3.5 weeks. But, it has unleashed something else.

While we are mostly unplugged, we are both still working fulltime. We telecommute, so obviously, we're not unplugged during the day. But, where we are staying/living: no internet, we have a tv, and it gets a few channels, but we don't really use it. (we have, however, treated ourselves to catching up on Dexter seasons 2 and 3 after baby is in bed). But now that obsession is cured, we're back to reading at night. We both have smart phones, but in an effort to not go over our data plans, the internet is turned off when we leave work. We do have water and electricity, but a short 10 minute drive away, is my dad's hunting cabin, completely off the grid. No water, no electricity. Even cell phone reception is spotty.

So, our evenings are spent visiting with friends and family, hanging out on the lake, reading, talking, playing old-fashioned board games, drinking too much wine, and generally just appreciating life. It got me thinking: would it be like this if we lived here full-time? When the new-ness and novelty of it all wears off, then what? And, what about those severe, 7-months of sub-zero temperature winters? Then what?

In Colorado, where we reside the rest of the year, even in the middle of January, there are occasional days where I can walk the dog without a jacket. Do you hear that, Wisconsin Winter? NO JACKET! We do come to Wisconsin in the Winter for about 2 weeks around Christmas time. And, again, its lovely. Beyond lovely. I take walks across the frozen lake, listening to the crunch of the snow. Take in the whiteness of it all. But, again, would it get old after awhile?
We visited with some friends the other night who live in Wisconsin fulltime. They said they had so much fun, and then admitted they don't have many friends up here. When you grew up in a town the size of this one, you already know everyone.

All in all, being 'unplugged' is glorious. The time spent with friends and family is far better than anything the internet has to offer (even for an internet addict like me). Surprisingly, I get along quite well not knowing everyone's statuses 24 hours/day.

So, perhaps its creativity in a new way. I have nothing to show for it, no material object, no editable object to photograph and post. Instead, I have snapshots of life happening. Raspberries being picked, and eaten faster than the bowl will fill, eating lunch out of a cooler on the dock surrounded by people I care about. And, thats enough for me.

whatever happened to days 21-30?

So, I failed at my 30 days of creativity. Miserably. But, I tried. And then, I stopped trying. :)
We decided to head north for the summer earlier than planned and that really threw a wrench in my crafting/creating. With the exception of several VERY creative dinners (whats that? i have a can of black beans, a can of corn, some cheese tortellini and lettuce?---mix it all together!!) I did not create for the last part of my challenge. Do you count packing everything you need for 2 adults, 1 puppydog and 1 toddler for 7 (SEVEN!) weeks into a VERY small SUV creative? If so, count that too. :)

That being said, we are now up north. Yay! While Husband and I continue to work fulltime, I am enjoying working where baby is. (We have to go to a friends' house for internet access, and she graciously agreed to watch baby while we work along with her two kids). I am enjoying the lake, the boat, the sunsets, the relaxed pace of life, the lack of shopping, the psithurism, the family time. I am NOT enjoying: the humidity. I do NOT remember the carpet feeling wet all summer growing up here. Did I block it out of my memory? Do you just get used to it? ew. and, the grocery prices. seriously. I miss my produce store. and the competitiveness of grocery stores in a city-burb.

Nothing creative to post. But, I'm sure the lack of tv/internet in the evenings will catch up with me soon. For now, I'm enjoying it reading and spending time with family that we only see a few times per year. I HAVE been fantasizing about this amazing store in Breckenridge. The owners sew EVERYTHING in the store. and its all very cute. I could see owning a store like that. We even talked about how much it would cost to try to start up something like that.

Hope you're enjoying summer!

Days 12-20

Day 12: Made a Tutu!
We were going to a baby shower, this is what baby wore!

Day 13: Taggies Blanket
I've made these for each of my new baby cousins. Usually, its satin on one side, fleece on the other. I decided to make this one summer weight, with flannel and cotton. Plus, when I saw this flannel, I couldn't pass it up! Too cute!

Day 14: Another Blanket
The original blanket turned out so cute, I decided to make one for baby. This time, without tags! Not sure I like this one, but for now, she enjoys playing with it. :)


Day 15: Made card for Mom's birthday (sorry, no picture)

Day 16: Worked on picking pictures to hang in our living room that I bought frames for over a year ago....nothing to show for this yet, but I hope to have them printed and hung by the end of the month for another post. :)

Day 17: Worked on editing said pictures.

Day 18: Made a list of chores. Doesn't sound creative? Ok, its not. But, this whole month of being creative is having side effects: Its making me want to be more organized. Weird, huh? So, the list goes: Monday: Laundry, Tuesday: Sweep/Mop kitchen floors, Wednesday: "random" clean for half an hour. (ie, clean basement, coat closet, etc), Thursday: Bathrooms, Friday: Vaccuum. And, that leaves Saturday and Sunday mostly open. We're aiming to also clean for half an hour each day. But, we generally spend all weekend trying to make up for the whole week of doing nothing, so...we'll see where this gets us.

Day 19: Worked on Etsy Banner. What? I have an etsy shop? I DO! But, its not quite ready to be unveiled! Soon...as soon as I get that darn banner done...

Day 20: Worked on pictures to list things on Etsy...

Sorry for so few pictures. Hopefully some of these projects get done next week! :)

Days 3-11

Day 3: Calligraphy...
here is a picture of a sample I made for the client...

Day 4: Learning to make Gyoza!
Here is a preview...more to come in a future blog!

Day 5 and Day 6: Calligraphy until I literally could no longer feel my hand. hello, carpal tunnel.
Here is the style the client actually used. This is one I messed up with wrong name/address, so no stalking! :)

Day 7: More Calligraphy...whew...I'm finally done!

Day 8: Worked on Menu for my parents' restaurant!

Day 9: Worked on Order form for parent's restaurant

Day 10: Made a drawing for Daddy with Charlie
ok, thats not REALLY creative, but you know....

Day 11: Made sausage dip, sangria, and threw a party for husband. More on the sangria to come!

Days 1 and 2

Day 1:
Working on calligraphy for a client. Samples and pictures to come. I'm sure I'll use this at least once more as my 'creative' thing...I have a few more days before its due. The rules state you can work on a large project over the span of more than one day. whew! :) The hard part being, I have to create some fake samples of my work, since I don't want my clients' addresses displayed...

Day 2:
Spinach Roll-Ups
This is inspired from a recipe on Yahoo Shine. I made it tonight for me, husband, baby, a friend and her two-year old. It was a hit with all except the 2 year old. :) I've received feedback that people like to see prices for how much this ends up to be, so I'll continue with that...but, 'pantry staples' will have no price, as I can't possibly estimate how much a tablespoon of olive oil costs. :)
I also added a ciabatta roll as a side. I buy these in bags of 4 for $2.99 from Sprouts, and freeze them. Then, I throw it in the oven covered in olive oil and salt. (thanks for the tip, Keegan!) 20 minutes later, its like I baked fresh bread. Warm through out, with a salty-crispy crust!

Total Cost: $8.50 Feeds 3-4 people (we fed 3 people, 2 toddlers and I have a lunch for tomorrow!) ($9.25 if you count the bread).


Ingredients: Sauce:
1 can diced tomatoes (I used Muir Glen Organic, with basil and garlic)--about $2.50
1/2 onion--$.50
2T olive oil--pantry staple
2 cloves garlic--pantry staple
a few basil leaves--garden staple
dash of salt, pepper, cinnamon


Filling:
3/4c ricotta--$1
1 package frozen spinach--$2
3/4c diced fresh mushrooms--$.50
1C Shredded Mozzarella--$1
dash onion powder, salt, pepper

7-8 lasagna noodles (I use whole wheat)--$1


Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350.
For sauce, heat oil in skillet, add diced garlic, diced onions. Sautee until onions are transparent. Add remaining ingredients (do not drain tomatoes), simmer until desired thickness is reached.
Meanwhile, boil water, add pasta.

For filling: Defrost spinach, drain. Combine with other ingredients.

Lay noodles out, spread filling on each noodle, roll up. Place with 'ends' down in a bake-able dish. Spread sauce over top. Add extra mozz if you'd like. Cover with tin foil, bake for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!
It is nice to have a helper in the kitchen. :)