Joyful Abode

Things that have been going on around the Joyful Abode:

My friend Liz told me that I needed to cut back my avocado plant (It was about a foot tall, maybe taller, with big healthy leaves) so that it would become a bush instead of a tree. I was kind of nervous for the plant… I thought if I cut off all of the leaves it wouldn’t be able to photosynthesize and it would die! But I did it… and sure enough, it soon sprouted an extra “arm” with a couple of buds for more.

Now, a couple weeks later, the main new “arm” has 5 healthy leaves! I’m proud of my little avocado baby. It’s about a year old now.

Some of the things I’ve been making for Joyful Abode… they’ll eventually be online. I promise!
Annum napkin sets - with four napkins, each depicting a tree from a season of the year.

About a million aprons. Stripes, paisley, toile, coffee prints… something for everyone!

Other Joyful Abode news… you might notice some new links at the top of the page. I’ve added a link to my MySpace, so if you have one, please add me as a friend! I also added my Flickr link, and I’d love to have new friends there too. In my opinion though, the most exciting new link up there is to my portfolio at Trunkt. I’ll be adding more pictures to that, but it will serve as my portfolio to show prospective wholesale customers. So if you have a shop near you where you’d like to see my things, you’ll be able to give them my Trunkt URL so they can see if they’re interested in carrying my line!

I’m also working on a new web shop that will allow me to have more things listed in a more flexible way, and a new homepage for the website, so that is all very exciting!

I also have new helicopter change of address cards and birth announcements to add to the shop, and T-45 Goshawk moving cards and baby cards are coming soon!

Also, I wrote before about where I’ve been, and I mentioned that on May 8th, we’d find out what lies in the future for my guy’s training. Well, we found out that he got what he wanted! We’re going to Meridian, MS for him to train to fly “tailhook” which basically means planes that land on carriers. He’ll be learning on the T-45C Goshawk, which is a hot jet compared to what he’s been flying.

But guess when we’re moving!!

This FRIDAY!. The movers are coming on Wednesday, and we’re driving up Friday with everything we need for several weeks… The on-base housing is full, so we’ll need to stay in a hotel when we get there, so we can go house-hunting. What an adventure! I’ll keep you updated on what happens!

I can’t believe I’ve neglected my blog so much!

But then… given what’s been on my plate lately, I CAN believe it.

Let’s see… I think some of you know that I’m a preschool teaching assistant. For the past month, we’ve been getting ready for their graduation ceremony, and it was on Friday. The kids were all dressed up and SO CUTE. They all got stage fright simultaneously though, so the songs we had been practicing sounded like they were being sung by a chorus of semi-mute mice. It was really sweet.

The weekend before last weekend, my parents came to visit. We took them to the Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola, to the beach, had a cookout, and went to a few restaurants.  It was a pretty awesome visit.

Then last weekend (the one that just finished), I was an exhibitor at the Gulf Coast Women’s Expo! It was a huge thing to get ready for, and I was so nervous. Now that it’s over, I’m a little relieved, but I’m glad I did it. I handed out tons of business cards and free recipes, met some awesome people, and made some sales. But now I have a LOT of stock to add to my online store! It’s going to take me a whiiiiile.

In addition to prepping for the kids’ graduation, my parents’ visit, and the expo, I’ve also started two new writing jobs. I now am a co-blogger at Start Cooking which is quite awesome! I get to write about food-related stuff that’s very different from what I do here on Joyful Abode. They’re more professional, informative, primer-like articles, rather than the trial and error recipes and step-by-step how-tos I do here. I also landed a sweet position as a tea blogger for TippyLeaf, and I’ve been having a blast reading, researching, and learning about tea, and then sharing my knowledge (and awesome tea finds and events) with the world.

So… that’s where I’ve been.

I can guarantee you’ll see more of me in May than you did in April! It’s going to be a fantastic month.  To everyone who’s reading this: Thanks for sticking with me even through my little bit of down time. And to my BRAND NEW 90 subscribers (I’m up from 340 to 430 according to Feedburner), welcome! I hope you enjoy what I have in store for Joyful Abode in May!

Also… the Guy is almost finished with his primary flight training as a student Naval aviator. On May 8th, we’ll find out what track he’ll be on for Advanced, and if/where/when we’re moving!  It’s going to be so crazy. Wish him luck!

…but for good reason. You see, from the moment I got home from work today, I’ve been frantically getting ready for my show this weekend. My dear friend offered to come over and cook for me and my neighbor-friend (who is sharing a booth with me) since she knew we were so busy tonight. How sweet is that?

So I wrapped baby blankets in cute brown paper bands with satin ribbons adorning them, my sweet husband and friends (and friend’s husband) made price tags for me so that I could re-tag all of my aprons (WHY did I take the tags off after the last show???)

My neighbor-friend put together her portfolio for custom orders, and made cute stamped tags for her items.

I made more fabric tags to go on aprons and baby blankets, and ironed them on everything.

My husband printed up loads of stationery and I packaged it…

And now it’s midnight, and I’m going to BED.

I promise I’ll do an “extra” Friday Feature this week, though it won’t be on a Friday. Forgive me. hehe.

And wish me luck at my second-ever craft show! It’s going to rock.

I love you, and I’m happy to be your copilot.

Thank you for being by my side these past 7 years, even when we were far apart.

I’m looking forward to what the next 7 years brings us.

We’ve been married 7 months (and 3 days)… this is only the beginning of our adventure!

“Look to this day for it is life; the very life of life.
In its brief course lie all the realities and truths of existence,
the joy of growth, the splendour of action, the glory of power.
For yesterday is but a memory.
And tomorrow is only a vision.
But today well lived makes every yesterday a memory of happiness
and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore
to this day.”

Is it too late in the day for a Self-Portrait Tuesday?

I haven’t done one in forever and I’ve been meaning to… I’m cheating though, because I took this picture over the weekend.

I’m a generally photogenic person, but I don’t think this is one of the better pictures of me (like, I wouldn’t put it on hot or not. haha) but I think it’s a nice picture. I’m squinting because it’s crazy-sunny, so my eyes are screwed up and there are weird shadows on my face, but whatever.

I like the beach wind in my hair, and that you can see the earrings I’m wearing (I love them!) and my wedding rings. I like all of the beachy grasses in the background, and the blue sky. I wish you could see my necklace, which is the four-leaf clover necklace I got for me and my sisters (there are 4 of us).

The husband and I went to Pensacola Bay to get jars of sediment for my dad-in-law (who is a hydrologist and wanted it for experiments).

The guy got the mucky sediment (knee deep in cold water) and I explored the shore. I found some crazy stuff.

These fish didn’t look like they’d been eaten by anything… wonder what’s up with them.

And acorns are not usually something I expect to see on the beach.

I just noticed, you can sort-of see the 4 leaf clover necklace in this picture.

Lately, I’ve been super-busy at Joyful Abode. I have been trying to determine a plan for 2008  (which almost satisfies my never-ending love for making lists). The plan includes new products, new apron styles, more publicity (or “putting myself out there”), and hopefully more…people…noticing me. Of course, this will happen bit by bit, so don’t expect world-shaking changes all at once!

One thing you may have noticed is that I’ve switched out the ugly and boring google adsense ads in the right sidebar for sponsorships. I’d much rather give other independent crafters and artisans a place to promote their businesses! So, if you have your own business, blog, or even a favorite charity you’d like to support, please consider sponsoring Joyful Abode.

One thing you probably have NOT noticed is that Joyful Abode has been more heavily traveled of late. When someone comments on an entry, I get an email about it no matter what. BUT if it’s a new person who has never commented before, I must approve the comment before it’s posted. Well, I’ve been getting lots of new commenters lately. Welcome, all you new people! Also, the number of subscribers, unique visitors, and pageviews have been inching up quite a bit. It’s pretty exciting!

I am also part of a new team on etsy called Homefront. I’m heading up the development of a blog for the team, and if you take a peek, you’ll see there isn’t much there yet. I’m pretty excited though, because a lot of etsy teams are location-specific, and that doesn’t work out too well for military families who move often.

Besides all of that newsy stuff, I’ve been sewing baby blankets and hand-appliquéing little pictures in the corners. Pictures will come soon, I assure you. They’re VERY cute, and definitely worth all of the time that goes into them. They’re made out of 100% cotton flannel, and the batting is something like 97% cotton (the website says 100%, but the store says 97%). They’re warm and snuggly without being suffocating. Keep an eye out!

I’d like to say goodbye to 2007 by recognizing some of the posts which have served as anchors for Joyful Abode in its first seven months.

1. Solving the Jewelry Storage Problem: My elegant solution to storing AND displaying jewelry in a way that lets me easily add it to my daily wardrobe.
   
2. Applesauce Spice Cake: This delicious (and deliciously simple) recipe is one my mother-in-law shared with me while I was in college. It’s become an autumn staple.
   
3. Ice Cream Bread: A novel idea, but not so delicious… though it would be fun to make with kids.
   
4. Bowtie Ballet (pasta dish): A favorite among my friends from Winthrop University, and embraced by dozens more via Joyful Abode and Craftster.org. Try it. You won’t regret it!
   
5. How to Clean Nasty Drip Pans: A disgusting problem, with a simple, flammable solution.
   
6. Inspiration? Decorate (No.2): My approach to a unified living room, including custom-made artwork (by me).
   
7. Chicken Taco Nachos: A spur-of-the-moment pantry buster recipe that turned out so well we might just repeat it on purpose.
   
8. How to Make a Gorgeous Bulletin Board: Just because it’s called an office doesn’t mean it has to be drab!
   
9. How to Re-Cover an Ugly Office Chair: You know, to match your gorgeous bulletin board.
   
10. Hook Me Up! Crochet: Links to all of my free crochet patterns, from my previous life at hookmeupcrochet.com (You can find me in Stitch ‘n’ Bitch: The Happy Hooker too)
    

Did I leave out your favorite post? Let me know what your favorite was in the comments.

And have a fabulous (and SAFE) New Year celebration tonight!

After posting every day in November, I thought it would be a breeze to keep up the pace in December. It wasn’t.

Things got hectic-feeling… and I scrimped on Joyful Abode a bit.

So I’m going to take an official time-out this week. I’m traveling with my guy to South Carolina, from whence we hail, and we’ll be spending the week with our families. I am looking forward to taking a break and breathing in this:

And possibly snuggling in front of one of these:

I’ll be back in full force in 2008, so watch out! You’ll be inundated with fantastic recipes, fantastic crafts, and more. Big things are planned for next year.

There will also be more shop updates once January rolls around. I’m VERY excited about that. (If you order anything between now and the end of the month, it will be shipped January 3rd, just to let you know.)

Sew, Mama, Sew! has invited all crafty bloggers to take part in the Handicrafters’ Holidays question-and-answer. I’m going to break mine up into two sections and do the Traditions part first, and then the Gifts part later.

Meg, if you’re reading this you may want to avert your eyes for this post, because it might spoil some of the surprises that are in your Holiday Traditions Exchange package!

What is your favorite family holiday tradition?

(Picture taken in 2005)

One favorite holiday tradition is making Zeppole, which are Italian fried doughnuts. Just about every year, we try a new recipe, because we haven’t found a favorite yet… but trying different recipes is almost as much of a tradition as making the zeppole!

Have you started any new traditions with your family that you didn’t practice growing up?

Last year, my then-fiance and I made a huge batch of gingerbread cookies to share with our families. We lovingly adorned each one with frosting, sprinkles, colored sugar, and other decorations. It was so much fun! This year we’re doing it again, and I hope it becomes part of our tradition repertoire.

What do you love most about the holiday season?

I love the holiday smells (gingerbread, spiced cider, cinnamon mixed with the scent of pine…). I love watching The Snowman curled under a blanket on the couch, snuggled with my sisters. I love guiltless mug after mug of hot chocolate, and seeing the look on someone’s face when they open the perfect gift I’ve given them (though, this doesn’t always happen… it’s awesome when it does).

What do you like least about the holiday season?

The lack of cold (I grew up in South Carolina, and now live in Florida). In general, that’s ok, but I think an actual “white Christmas” would be nice. Also, most of the holiday songs don’t make much sense without the snow, except for Mele Kalikimaka. Also, having so many families and such a small window of time leads to an insanely scheduled chaotic hubbub of visiting… which can be more stressful than I’d like.

Anyone close to your heart that you’ll be missing this year?

I’ll be missing my dear friend Meagan, who will be celebrating her holidays in Virginia. But it’s okay, because she’s visiting in the Spring!

What is your favorite holiday food?

Besides zeppole and all of the various gingerbread-ish spiced baked goods, I am in love with my mother-in-law’s artichoke stuffing. It’s so delicious… if artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes appeal to you, you must try this stuffing!

Do you have a great recipe to share?

If the ones above don’t tickle your fancy, try these.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Applesauce Spice Cake

Gingerbread Biscotti

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

(Not So) Simply Shorbtread

Or for a couple of hearty recipes…

Yorkshire Pudding

Green Bean Casserole

Tons more if you browse Joyful Abode, or use the search field on the left side to search for “recipes.”

So far, in the last month or so, I’ve broken two sewing machine needles and bent one (today). This is getting ridiculous! I know I’ve been sewing like a crazy woman lately, and when I worked at Hancock Fabrics there were people who came in and bought needles all the time… but this seems excessive.

Sewers, is this normal? Or do you think maybe I need to get my sewing machine checked?

I guess I’ll be picking up some needles this weekend… and JoAnn Fabrics has a 50% off coupon valid this Friday and Saturday, which I am definitely going to take advantage of (not for the needles though; for something more pricey).

Technorati Tags: sewing machine, sewing, Hancock Fabrics, JoAnn Fabrics

I made myself a schedule for the countdown ’till the Bizzare… and I’m already behind. Hopefully I’ll catch up over the next few days!

I’ve also been going through the motions of becoming a “legal” small business, so that I can try to make Joyful Abode bigger and better! I got my sales and use tax permission from the state of Florida today. Sometime soon, I need to go down to the tax collector’s office and get my business license for the county of Santa Rosa, and apply for my Fictitious Name (DBA, or ”doing business as”).

I was worried about the fees associated with these things because I thought I’d have to start from scratch every time the Navy moves us. But I called the Small Business Development Center today, and found out that the Fictitious Name, which was the largest fee, will follow me for 5 years regardless of location. So I’ll just have to get a business license (usually under 40 dollars) and tax id (free) when we move again. So YAY!

A question for you:

Do you feel like your work and your hobbies are balanced? Or do you wish there were more (or less) of something? Expand on that question as you see fit.

I love my “day job” as a preschool teacher (it’s what I’ve wanted to do since I can remember, and I absolutely adore preschool), but I do wish there were more time for me and my other pursuits. Especially now that it’s winter, and being on the east side of the time zone. It gets dark SO EARLY here. It’s like the middle of the night when I get home at 5:30.

Technorati Tags: becoming a “legal” small business, sales and use tax, business license, Fictitious Name, ”doing business as”, Small Business Development Center, tax id, work, hobbies

I joined. I joined a while ago. I wasn’t going to, but then I realized I was already about halfway through the month and had posted every day. So… I joined. And then I was halfway sort of a little ashamed that I jumped on the bandwagon, so I didn’t tell anyone.

Some really neat people have visited my Joyful Abode because of it, so I’m happy I did! I’ve also read some fun blogs on the Randomizer. So… I’m coming out and saying “I’m a NaBloPoMo…Fo!”

So in the vein of blogging about blogging (meta-blogging?) I want to mention a few other things.

• If you view Joyful Abode in internet explorer, it will probably look weird (You’ll have to scroll down to see the posts). Internet explorer evidently fixed their issue of adding extra padding (and screwing up formatting) in their latest version, so update to ie 7!
• If you read Joyful Abode through livejournal’s RSS feed, please do not comment in the feed’s comment area. If you want me to see a comment on one of my posts, please click to the website. LJ doesn’t notify me when there are comments on the feed, so I might never see them. Thanks!
• I am still overrun with spam… it stopped for a while after I added the “Did you pass math?” commenty thing… but then it came back, especially on my highest-ranking pages. Anyone know what to do about this?
• To the NaBloPoMo people who “tagged” me for the 7 things… I already did it. Sorry!!! I know you just joined in during November, so you didn’t know… but there it is.
• And… you all rock. That’s just the truth. You seriously rock.

And… say goodbye to Petunia! She’s going to her new home in Pittsburgh.

And Allison should be in Georgia by now. Along with three sets of recipe cards. Yay!

Pick up your own recipe cards, aprons, and bias tape at JoyfulAbode@Esty.

Our Thanksgiving get-together was a lot of fun. We had six guests, so eight in all. It was me, the guy, five of his friends from college, and one girlfriend of a guy.

We had some interesting situations, like running out of chairs and sending one guy back to his house to get his roommate’s dining room chairs…

And like the turkey being done an HOUR earlier than we had thought. After only an hour and a half of roasting. I wasn’t even planning to check it for at least another half hour, but on a whim decided to stick it with the thermometer. Again, and again, and again… and every time it read 160 degrees Fahrenheit or slightly higher. So I went ahead and got the sides in the oven and everything turned out well.

So that I remember next year… we brined the turkey in a solution with a cup of kosher salt, 2 cups of lemon juice, and half a cup of sugar. Before baking, I injected the meat with lemon butter and brushed oil over the skin. I also put a few cups of water in the bottom of the pan so the drippings wouldn’t burn.

The turkey baked at 500 for half an hour, then we reduced the temp to 350 and shielded the breasts with tin foil. That is Alton Brown’s idea, and I’m not sure why he does it… but I’m sad the breasts didn’t get all pretty like the rest of the bird. Then after another hour of baking, the turkey was done! 160 or slightly higher in every part I poked.

We also had my mother-in-law’s sun-dried tomato artichoke heart stuffing (mmmm), green bean casserole, pumpkin crumble, cheese balls and crackers, and lots of sides brought by our guests.

Everyone is gone now… and so are the extra chairs. But we haven’t put things back to normal quite yet.

We broke out one of my new big folding tables for dinner and used our regular dining table as the buffet. Also… now you get your first real sneak peek of the dining area and kitchen. More later.

<sappiness>

I am thankful for having a husband who loves me (and washes dishes too), dear friends who may as well be sisters of mine, actual sisters of mine, a huge loving family, a house we have quickly made into our home, food in the fridge, savings for our future, having two “healthy” cars, breezy 70-degree days, and snuggles.

Oh, and for the hundreds of subscribers (I can say that if it’s 204, right?) who read Joyful Abode every time I write. I feel like I’ve made some friends by putting a part of me “out there” and I appreciate you all.

</sappiness>

If you asked me this afternoon how many people were going to be at my house for Thanksgiving this year, I would have told you four, including me and The Man.

Then I extended an invitation to a co-worker, who may be coming and bringing another co-worker. So four, maybe six.

Then I got home, and the guy told me that two more of his buddies said they wanted to come. So six, maybe eight. And actually…maybe nine, because another of his buddies might also come.

Awesome! I am hosting a real live Thanksgiving feast!

Having grown up with my extremely talented, stress-free, and organized stepmother, I decided to use some of the techniques I’ve learned from watching her prepare for big shin-digs.

First, I made out a list of all of the things I could possibly do TONIGHT instead of tomorrow.

Then, I created a schedule of tomorrow’s preparation “events” so that I don’t end up trying to take something out of the oven…that was never actually IN the oven to begin with!

To make the schedule, I started at the bottom, 3:00pm, which is our “Dinner is Served” time. Then, I worked backwards with the turkey, writing down all of the turkey events. Then I did the same thing with each of the other dishes.

(Ohmygod I misspelled spinach!!! I spelled it correctly on the other one though…)

After I did those things, I made index cards with each side’s “name” on them and placed them in the appropriate serving/cooking dishes they will need to use. I also paired up the serving utensils with everything… that way, I won’t end up trying to serve green bean casserole to my guests using, well, a measuring cup because everything else is dirty. Instead, everything will be waiting and ready!

Then I donned my apron and got to work.

Tomorrow, my primary concern is making sure that the bird is decently yum. I actually made the green bean casserole tonight, except for the crunchy toppings and the final baking. They’re ready to just get topped and go in the oven.

The stuffing should be a simple mix-and-bake proposition, and the spinach salad components are all ready (a bowl of chopped egg, a baggie of crumbled bacon, a gladware containter of dressing, chow mien noodles, and bags of spinach) to be thrown together.

The pumpkin crumble is easy enough and will make the house smell yummy when I make it tomorrow.

Now, after prepping and cooking tons of delicious things tonight, I’m going to chill on the couch with my guy and partake in a frozen pizza. Mmm… (Then we’ll get the turkey in a brine.)

What did you do today to prepare for Thanksgiving?

ERROR

The iron survived this incident.

Good thing, too, because I’m working on a lot of things right now.

We were pretty hot pirates if I may say so myself. I made our shorts and hair accessories (my headband, his do-rag).

Simple Jack-0-Lantern this year. And thanks again to Marci for the cute scarecrow wreath.

We got tons of trick-or-treaters tonight. The best costume ever was a hamburger. The girl said her friend’s mom made it for her. I LOVED it.

Almost two weeks ago, I posted about a Halloween coloring contest here at Joyful Abode.

Since then, I have received… zero entries!
So I am amending the contest. If there are fewer than FIVE (5) entries submitted by the deadline (October 29th), the contest will be called off. If five or more entries are submitted, the winner will be announced when one picture receives 13 votes or more, or the deadline occurs, whichever happens later.

I took a few copies of the coloring page to the preschool class (where I am the assistant teacher), and I tried to get the kids to help me figure out the lack of interest.

I said to each child, one-on-one, “I drew this picture and gave it to a lot of people, but no one wanted to color it! What do you think is wrong with my picture? Why doesn’t anyone like it?”

(All children’s names have been changed to protect the REAL kids in the school. Just in case.) 

Nate said, “The bat isn’t black.” Then, when I explained to him that it was the color-er’s job to make the bat black, he reconsidered and speculated, “Maybe ’cause everybody don’t like spiders.”

Aiden plainly said, “It’s too scary.”

Julie-Ann said, “Well I like it!”

Kenny’s answer was, “I don’t know. Hey, I like it! I can draw (color) it for you. Want me to show you how?

Russel said, “Because the ghost can’t move. It’s stuck.”

Samuel’s answer was, pointing to the grave, “I think it’s ’cause that think’s broke.”

Mary Ann, the sweetheart, said, “Nothing’s wrong with it. I like it.”

Basat’s answer was a very grumpy,  “Because you make it not good.” Then he pointed out all of the things that weren’t good in the picture one by one, which ended up being everything.

After these conversations, several of the children asked for their own page to color. Their pictures really turned out well.

We’re moving again. We’ve actually been moving all week. But this weekend will be the final haul. I updated the “About” page to reflect this new development.

So goodbye little row house, or patio house, or whatever it is you like to be called. We’ve enjoyed our two months here.

(ooh a sneak peak of my quilt)

More pictures in my flickr.

We’re looking forward to at least 6 months in our new three - bedroom - house - with - a - bigger - craft - room - that - the - husband - prefers - to - call - the - office.

See you on Monday, blog world! I’ll come back with lots of Halloween goodies for you. I bet you can’t even guess what.

We bought this Whirlpool Duet Sport washing machine and dryer set from Lowe’s. It was delivered to our new house yesterday, and soon we’ll be washing clothes, fabric, and towels with SUPER efficiency! I’m most excited about the quick drying time. Since the washer spins out so much of the water, it takes much less time to dry the clothes. The dryer also senses when the clothes are dry, and it stops so it doesn’t waste energy.

Here’s my vision of how happy our clothes will be, dancing and swimming in the high efficiency waters of the whirlpool washer.

I love Real Simple magazine. Really. It’s always filled with tips for how to declutter or better organize your home. It has home decor tips and lots of pretty pictures. BUT it’s filled with advertisements. So much so that it’s difficult to find an article, even if you know what page it’s on (since the ads don’t have page numbers on them).

Anyway, I taught my latest Real Simple magazine a lesson. Before I even started to read the magazine, I pulled out all of the subscription inserts (hello! I’m already a subscriber) and every single page that had an advertisement on both sides. I obviously left in the pages that had an article on one side.

Witness the aftermath:

Easy clutter control, indeed! I was able to read through my magazine without being bombarded with tens of pages of ads all in a row between articles… much nicer.

However, the magazine is pretty slim without all of the padding.

I recently subscribed to Better Homes and Gardens magazine. It feels like such an old-lady thing to do, but I’ve been reading old issues at work during lunch, and there are some great ideas in there! Delicious recipes, unique decorating ideas (no, really!), and really good articles. I may just let my Real Simple subscription expire this year. Goodbye!

Well, if Consumer Reports gives points for being happy…maybe so! This one is enjoying munching grass and frightening the local flowers.

Since we are moving again soon (GASP! Have I mentioned it in Joyful Abode yet?), this time to a house with a YARD… we went ahead and bought a lawnmower.

It feels like such a boring grown-up purchase. I don’t have any lawn-mowing experience, so it’s a good thing the husband (supposedly) enjoys mowing.

But I’m not looking forward to future deployments or long training exercises… just me and the lawnmower, together. Alone. Anyone have any tips on how to mow a lawn?

Mrs. Dragon tagged me a while ago, and I’m supposed to give you 7 facts about myself.

So here we go:

The Rules
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

My Tagger

My tagger was Mrs. Dragon, who makes some pretty nifty cards with flowers on them!

My Answers

1.  While I am a huge proponent of decluttering and I’m firmly an anti-clutter person, I am addicted to office supplies! When the guy and I moved in together, he had a shoe box of office supplies, and I had a big Rubbermaid bin full. That’s not including the dozens of empty binders and brand new folders (hey, I’m a teacher). I downsized a little, and consolidated our things, but we still have a LOT of office supplies.

2.  Speaking of my downfalls… I can organize almost anything, but I cannot keep my paper stuff under control. I have piles of papers in various stages of action… and I thought I had it contained, but now I know I’ve lost it again.

3.  For a long, long time, I was afraid of cooking meat. I never knew if it was done, and I’d worry about overcooking it in fear of leaving it too raw (chicken, pork especially). After 2 months of being married and cooking for a man, I’ve lost that fear. I can cook anything!

4. I did not really start cooking and baking until college. I could make basic stuff, and deal with a lot of pasta, but baked goods weren’t my thing. This is mostly because my little sister was “The Chef in the Family” and doesn’t share the kitchen very well. So if WE wanted to bake cookies, SHE baked them and maybe let me stir the dough like a little kid. But dang… those are some fiiiine cookies.

5. Autumn is my favorite season, and this is evident in my color choices for many things (mmm…pumpkin, sage, goldeny, salmon). I also love Autumnal flavors like chai, pumpkin, and gingerbread year-round. But I do enjoy hot summer days on the beach. Pensacola’s good for that.

6. As much as I love writing in Joyful Abode, I can’t stand paper-and-pen writing. I also never liked writing papers for school, cover letters for job applications, or any other “official” writing. It was such a pain… I’m not a slow thinker (haha) or typist, but a 1-page paper could easily take me an hour or longer to write.

7. I’m living proof that you can get a guy by semi-stalking him. Maybe I learned that from my oldest sister… hmm… She’s living proof too. And we’ve got some great guys. Ever wonder why the good ones got snatched up so quickly? Stalkers.

I Choose… (and if you haven’t visited these, DO… they’re fantastic)
1. Love and Olive Oil
2. Not Martha
3. Pink of Perfection
4. Montessori by Hand
5. CraftLog
6. SouleMama
7. Make Your Own Damn Dinner!

YAY! It has arrived!

And even though she posted a spoiler post, I didn’t look. I resisted the temptation. And it was all a surprise EXCEPT for the photo album, which she accidentally revealed in a more recent post.

Anyhow… I had SO much fun opening it and touching all of the contents. The guy made fun of me because I was quite literally squealing at the goodies. My very favorites are the place mats and the handmade cards. Love love love them.

I may take Earl to work (preschool) with me, so he can be the new class pet. Even though pandas aren’t bears, I could call him a bear and it would go with “B” week (which is this week).

Thank you so much Jennifreckles!!!

Recently, through blog-hopping (you know, when you click links in people’s blogs to other blogs, and you end up somewhere with no idea how you got there?) I found a delightful blog called Jennifreckles Crafts. I love seeing other people’s projects, so her adorable crafts have really caught my attention. For instance, could this be any cuter?

So, recently she posted and said that whoever commented would be entered in a drawing for this adorable apron. (I LOVE her son’s face… and the really cute fabrics at the top of the apron.)

And guess what? I won! I’m so excited! (That’s my name - Joyful Abode - on the strip of paper.)

She also made a spoiler post with the contents of the package (there’s more???). I haven’t looked, because for a girl who doesn’t much like surprises… I think one now and then might be healthy. So look if you want, but DON’T TELL ME.

And go read her blog too. It’s as cute as its name sounds.

My dear sweet guy is 24 now. I got to make him a chocolate birthday cake today!

His cake has a big “T” on it, because it’s the first letter of his name. I put it in front of him to let him do the birthday-boy pose thing, and gave him a fork for emphasis… he dug in like a 1 year old at his first birthday party. It was pretty great.

Yesterday, I made two delicious applesauce spice cakes. One was for me and my husband, and the other was to take to work.

Last year, I was one of 40+ new faculty members at my school. It was like a huge boot camp bonding experience for all of us. This year, I am the only new member in the central staff of a child development center. Total central staff is less than 15. Most of them have been there 5+ years, and one of the teachers has been there since I was 3. It’s a very different situation than the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year for me.

Well, they all LOVED my spice cake. I said, “I may be the baby here, but I’ve been making this cake for six years.” It got some giggles and a couple eyebrow-raises. I almost raised my eyebrows to myself. Six years?? That’s a smidge more than a quarter of my life!

The recipe was given to me by my husband’s mother, near when we started dating. I made a couple under her tutelage, though the recipe is so easy you don’t really need to “practice” anything. Then, when I went to college, I bought a sifter and some cake pans so I could make them for myself, friends, and co-workers.

Now you can make it too. All you need to do is:

Preheat your oven to 350*F
Butter and flour two cake pans (or use Pam with flour, which is amazing).

Mix:
2 cups applesauce
1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup oil

Sift:
3 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp cinnamon

Add the applesauce mixture to the sifted mix.

Stir in:
1 cup nuts (I use walnuts)
1 cup raisins

Pour the batter into the cake pans.
Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
While it is baking, lick the spoons and give your husband the bowl. Mmmm.
After the cakes are cool enough to remove, cool them on cooling racks, otherwise they’ll get soggy, which is gross.

This morning, I went to take a picture of the cake (the one that wasn’t wrapped up to go to work), but about 1/5 of it was already gone! I guess we know what the husband had for breakfast this morning. Yum!

We’ve been settling in to our new house here in sunny Florida, after *insert long story* finally getting all of our things from South Carolina. We’re mostly unpacked, and we have been using our new pots for some yummy home-cooked dinners.

The first night we were here, we went to Wal-Mart and got cereal, which we ate for dinner on our living room floor. The first full day though, I worked hard to get the kitchen stuff unpacked, washed, and put away, and I made some very tender baked chicken and fresh green beans. The husband remarked, “It’s so nice that after only 2 days here, we can have a real dinner out of our kitchen.” It sure is, babe.

We’ve also made hamburgers and chicken and dumplings (so good). Tonight, I made a variation on a pasta dish I watched Rachael Ray make on her show. The “sauce” is basically made of cooked, mashed cauliflower; garlic; and sauteed onions and garlic… all boiled down in chicken broth and some starchy pasta water. Toss the pasta in it, then top with steamed carrots and zucchini and some cheese.

So the kitchen is up and running.

I still need a table to use for crafts and sewing, before I can start working on any more aprons. I’m trying to find one on freecycle or craigslist before jumping into buying a new one. We just bought a new computer desk and a ton of little stuff, and it adds up pretty quickly.

Let me tell you though… Dyson Animal? Totally worth it. Vacuuming is so disgusting now because you can see all the crap that this thing sucks out. It’s sort of like those Biore strips for your nose, where you can see all the nasty stuff that came out of your pores, and it’s revolting, but you just. can’t. stop. staring.

I’m gonna go spend time with my husband now! We missed our after-dinner walk tonight because we had a pretty late dinner and it was dark when we finished.

I’m going to try to get back on the Joyful Abode posting routine. Encourage me by telling me how much you missed me, kay?! And tell a friend about Joyful Abode!

And pssst… new aprons up soon (I took pictures of them yesterday).

The wedding was fantastic-ly beautiful. Everyone kept telling me at the reception that the food was delicious and all of the decorations and flowers were breathtaking. The food and decorations were conceived and executed by my talented stepmother. The wedding was unlike anything the lady who works at the park (and has seen hundreds of weddings there) had ever seen… surprising and gorgeous. I sadly only got a few bites of food, which I guess is how most not-sit-down-dinner-receptions go for the bride and groom.

My sister did an amazing job with the flowers. I had no idea what she was planning, but I trusted her completely and didn’t worry about it… they were more beautiful than anything I could have picked out of planned myself. My sister’s husband said it was one of her most gorgeous weddings, probably because she had free reign with it rather than putting up with a picky bride. There were cattails and pussy willow, lotus seed pods, pitcher plants, and all sorts of gorgeous stuff that I don’t know the names of.

I thought the DJ was pretty great, but he surprised me with bubbles during our first dance… I’m not a big fan of the bubbles. I whispered that to him later and he didn’t bubble us again. They’re fun in general, but from wedding pictures I’ve seen, they often seem to screw with the focus and stuff in photos…

The photographer was really nice and I like her personality, though I wish she had taken charge a bit more during posed shots, especially since we had talked about what my guy and I wanted beforehand… she kept looking to me for what to do next, and that made everyone else look at me and I feel like I made people mad. Posed pictures was where I felt the most anxiety during any part of the day… besides a snafu with my hair, but Catherine saved the day on that one. Also, I later found out that she didn’t take any photos of just my groom and the groomsmen… she just did me and bridesmaids, and then both of us with the whole wedding party… and me and my guy together of course. Oh well, I’m looking forward to seeing her pictures, because then maybe I can see the wedding the way guests saw it, instead of in a crazy blur.

The honeymoon was lots of fun. We stayed on Tybee Island near Savannah, GA, and mostly beach-bummed around and ate fabulous seafood. We went into Savannah for one day… showed up at Lady & Sons (Paula Deen’s restaurant) at 9am to get put on the lunch list. We got to come back at 11 to eat the best fried chicken I have ever tasted. Ever. And I’ve eaten a lot of good southern fried chicken! I got tickled there too, when my guy told me that he likes my cheesy garlic biscuits better than Paula’s. Woo! I win again! So far my biscuits have beat out the Woodlands Inn’s biscuits (reeeeeally upscale place in Charleston) and Paula Deen’s biscuits.

We walked around Savannah near the river and visited almost every shop. We should’ve started at the museums though, because by the time we got down to that area (around 4:30) everything was getting ready to close. We entertained ourselves until our 8pm ghost-story carriage tour. Pretty fun!

The beach was fantastic, and it was very cool that it was east-facing. That meant we got to watch the sun rise over the ocean from our little ocean-view balcony. I’m really looking forward to getting to go to the beach every weekend in Florida though! Pensacola beach is delicious.

Maybe pictures later? We didn’t take a lot of beach pictures… mostly just Savannah stuff, but there are a few from Tybee.

In any case, we’re back! We’re married!

My mother sent me her flickr album with her pictures in it, and here’s a great one of me and my man, his best man, and my maid of honor. The lady crouching in the background is our photographer.

More later, I’m sure.

Today, we’re packing up the U-Haul trailer, and tomorrow we’re driving down! Not sure when the next update will be, but I’m still here!

I’ve been super-busy lately with last-minute wedding stuff. I’ve been wrapping gifts and calling everyone (DJ, photographer, officiant, parents, etc.) and generally being exhausted.

The wedding is Saturday, and after that we’ll be honeymooning in Georgia until Thursday I think.  Then, a few days later, August 1, we’ll be packing up and moving to Florida!

I may post between the honeymoon and moving, but I’m not sure how the schedule will work out. If you want to make sure you’re notified of updates when I come back, look on the left side of my website for the “bloglines” button and the email subscription service. Pick which one you want, and sign up to stay informed!  If you use Livejournal, there is also an RSS feed you can add to your friends list here.

If you’re lucky, I may even make a post (a real one) before the wedding. Haha. I have many ideas for things to write about, but it takes me a while for those ideas to actually manifest here. I guess it’s better than having it be the other way around though.

I found a house… it’s in “twinsville” aka a neighborhood where everything is exactly the same … but it’s in our price range, and clean and well-kept, so I think it will be really good!
We’re going to send the application soon. Cross fingers for us!
(There are really two. The first one wins because it is cheaper, has a newer fridge, includes a washer and dryer, and has a great screened-in porch. The second one was way better in person without all the ugly furniture in their online pictures, and has an adorable garden in the backyard, with a birdbath. But I figure we can plant some things probably, and make ours pretty too.)

There was also an AMAZINGly beautiful house in the historic district, for cheaper. But the current tenant said the electiricy bills are around 400 dollars. I guess that’s probably because it’s an older house (but in great shape)… so less efficient. Sad! If not for that, I’d definitely jump on that house.

I also got one job offer… waiting to hear about the other, so we can make a decision.

And my friend Joy went down with me… which was awesome! Not only is she fabulous for company and snuggling, but she’s funny and also very observant (”Hey, did you notice all the hooks on the ceiling? So weird!”… in a house we named HookHouse)

We went to the beach one day, and it was really nice! The water was so warm. I can’t wait to go back with my bathing suit on. It was drizzling when we left the hotel, so I didn’t think it would be swimming weather, but it was gorgeous when we got there. The quiet side had little fishes that kept biting me, but the gulf side was amazing and the waves were good and the water is GREEN.

So… August 1 I’ll be living there.

While we were there, we went to McGuire’s and I had a 2 dollar margarita that was quite tasty! And I also got the artichoke spinach dip, which was FANTASTIC. Huge chunks of artichoke!

And we also went to Po Folks… there was one in Charleston, SC when I was growing up, and we went there a LOT. Then they closed, and I thought there were no more Po Folks. So I was SO EXCITED when I found out they still exist and in PENSACOLA! So … I ordered breadsticks,which were just like I remembered them. And so were the hushpuppies. And the other food was good too… AND Tuesdays they have a deal. 2 adults eat for 10 bucks! What luck!

I should have taken more pictures, but I didn’t… I might post a few, but definitely more pictures when I move.