Wannabe

Let's be honest here, I am not trendy. My facebook status usually calls for a "hoodie day" at least once a week (or more in this crisp weather), and I think in my nearly 2 years at my casual dress code job I've stepped out of jeans a grand total of 3 times. If I ever were to move on and go somewhere that requires a dressier style, I would literally need an entire new wardrobe. All of that being said, I still have my moments once in awhile where I want something a little different than my norm, maybe something to stand out a bit - although "bit" is definitely the keyword there.

Manda and I trekked down to the DIY Trunk Show yesterday, and although a lot of the booths were the same crafters we saw over the summer at the Renegade Craft Fair, we were happy to find a few that we hadn't seen before. My one purchase of the morning came when we met Crafty Lady Anne Holub, who was selling a Kelly-priced version of the Necklush, a fun little necklace/scarf thing that I saw on Etsy awhile ago but wouldn't spend the money on. Anne was selling a soft gray version made out of jersey tees for $7, and although not as thick as the original Necklush, it's a perfect little subtle statement piece for me.

(Images are of the original Necklush)

On another craft-related note, I saw the perpetual calendar from Orange Beautiful that I was completely hooked on and was disappointed to find out that it was much smaller than I was expecting. Manda pointed out that from the pictures she saw, she was expecting it to be smaller than it actually was, so maybe my perception was just off when looking at it online. Regardless, although I love Orange Beautiful, I'm back to hunting for the perfect 2010 calendar.

Have to have it

Don't get too excited, I'm not planning a wedding just yet. But, I'm still fairly convinced that I NEED to have this handy little swatchbook in my possession.


For someone as hooked on color as I am, the thought of being able to plan a color palatte for a wedding based on true Pantone colors - and not on the handful of overused colors at, say, David's Bridal - has me giddy and getting that excited glazed over look in my eyes. Heck, wedding or not, being able to buy a dress (or matching accessories) just for kicks that matches one of my favorite swatches is thrilling to me. In fact, the callout on the cover of the guide looks strikingly close to Mimosa, the Pantone color of the year that I've blogged about before.



Dessy Group is HERE, originally spotted HERE

Beat down

You know those days when everything that could possibly go wrong does, and everything that could possibly stress you out does, and everything that could possibly tick you off or put you on the verge of tears... does? Well, that's how this entire WEEK has been for me, and I couldn't be happier that it will be over after this last long afternoon. I have not left work until around 7 every night this week, I continue to feel like I'm coming down with something although so far (knock on wood) no real sickness has surfaced, I'm worn out and tired, and the winter blues are kicking in despite the mild weather... all in all I feel like I got in some kind of major fist fight with my own life this week.

That being said, I have clearly done a whole lot of NOTHING (like blogging) after getting home from work in the evenings. Dan has had meetings every night, so I skipped cooking and ate things like cereal, Trader Joe's fried rice, and a solid half-pint of my favorite Ben&Jerry's Cinnamon Bun ice cream. Nothing like well balanced dinners to round out the day, huh?

Today, I'm grateful that it's Friday, the casual dress code at work allows me to be in a comfy fleece and flats, and I don't have any concrete plans for the weekend. Hopefully a couple days off will rejuvenate me and I'll be able to snap out of my funk and get back to my usually self AND finally catch up on my blogging. Fingers crossed!

Step by Step Caramel Apples

Perhaps the only thing I like about Dan having overnights at work is that usually means a sleepover for Manda and I. Last month was no exception, and since it was in the midst of my apple encounters, we decided to try our hand at homemade caramel apples. All of the recipes I saw were insanely simple - mix a couple tablespoons of milk in a bowl of caramels, melt it in the microwave, and dip. I think I knew better than to expect that this would NOT be a huge mess, but overall the project was a little more frustrating than I would have thought. Either way, the end product was delicious.

Here's a step by step in pictures of mine and Manda's Caramel Apples.

1. Get out all of your supplies - a large bowl, Kraft caramels, wax paper, popsicle sticks, and apples of your choice (we used red delicious).

2. Have your helper unwrap all of the caramels and put them in the bowl with a couple splashes of milk.

3. Wash and dry the apples, remove stems, and insert a popsicle stick into each on the stem side (so they will stand upright).

4. Melt caramels in microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring once. Meanwhile, line a cookie sheet with the wax paper.

5. Let caramel cool a bit, then dip apples one at a time, rotating slowly so all sides are covered. You can use a spoon to drizzle some caramel over the top of the apple (where the stick is).

6. Immediately roll in toppings of choice, if desired. We used crushed cashews and graham cracker crumbs.

7. Refrigerate until caramel dries.

A couple things we learned while making caramel apples:
1. Letting the caramel cool is an important step. We dipped the first couple of apples before the caramel cooled, and it slid right off and made a huge mess.
2. Patience is key. On her last apple, Manda stood outside on the back deck where it was cool and slowly turned the apple so the caramel didn't drip off before drying. We didn't take this level of care with the others, and it showed with how messy they ended up.


YUM!

Neglecting my blog

Last time I wrote I mentioned that I was bored at work and wishing I had more to do. Well did my wish ever come true. Last week was INSANE and from Monday through Thursday I did not leave the office before 7. I even managed to get myself up and moving early one morning and talked Dan into giving me a ride, which got me here an hour EARLY as well. Wow. Thankfully, this week has been a bit more manageable and I've been getting home at a decent hour, which is good since I feel like I'm coming down with something.

I always get a little bummed out when I realize I haven't written in my blog in ages, especially when I have a bunch of things I want to update about! Here's the list of entries I'm hoping to find time for in the next several days and over the weekend:

- Caramel apples with Manda

- Roasted garlic chicken for Manda's Confirmation dinner

- SUPER easy ravioli bake

- Browsing for new living room lighting

- Finding a creative outlet... designing my own Christmas cards?

and finally... Halloween at 9-oh-6... here's a preview!

Oh, Christmas List... Round 2

I really and truly wish I had more to do at work today... but I don't. Thankfully, the rest of the week does not look to be as dull, since I do get a little stir crazy without much to do. So, to waste away a bit of the morning, here's a few more things I'm definitely putting on my Christmas list. While the first installment of my Christmas list was full of fun items, this portion leans a little more towards things that are actually useful...

First up is the Orange Beautiful 2009 "perpetual" calendar which I have decided I really and truly just HAVE to have. With switch-out cards for each day of the week, each month of the year, and each date, this can be used forEVER, or as long as the beautiful letterpressed 140# heavy cover stock cards hold up. SWOON.

In cheery yellow, this would go great on my desk at work... or perfectly match my hopes for our home office color palate. Although currently listed as sold out in their etsy shop... it looks like there are still some available over at Supermarket. 

Another office goody, I've been eyeing one of these Pantone business card holders for ages. Available in a mess of fun PMS colors and sure to keep all of the cards I collect in one place, the organizational color freak in me loves this.

 

Does the fact that I want a little thermal lunch bag a-la-5th grade make me a nerd? Not having to shove my sandwich and baby carrots in my purse makes me not care, and the idea of having something to tote my snacks along in that is NOT a plastic grocery bag makes me happy. Besides, this fun turquoise color is my favorite and would be easy to spot in the three fridge wide mess in my office kitchen.

Oh look, something else in turquoise! This infinity scarf is a chunky knit and can be worn a bunch of different ways depending on the level of bitter cold in Chicago. 

Finally, ever since one of my first issues of Bon Appetit wrote about this snazzy chef's knife, I've been noticing just how much it would help in the kitchen. Considering I'm no professional chef, I know that super expensive knives are unnecessary and out of the question... but this bad boy sells for a mere $20 and is loved by chefs and caterers alike! 

FINALLY!

I have been looking for a site like this for AGES. Seeing as I am a terribly paranoid person about everything under the sun, it should come as no surprise that I am also veeeery paranoid about food and how long it keeps for. If I take meat out of the freezer to thaw in the fridge and it's not eaten the next day, you'd better believe it goes in the garbage. If produce even STARTS to look wilted we won't touch it, and I'd probably be embarrassed to calculate the cost of all the lunch meat I toss if it's not consumed within my little personal acceptable window of time. For two people that give up a Friday night a month to feed the homeless, you'd think we'd be a little less wasteful, but that is unfortunately not the case. In my own defense, I blame a large chunk of my food paranoia on my horribly weak stomach - I have a hard enough time not getting sick from food that is beautifully fresh, there's no room for experimentation with one-day-too-old meat. However, I'm hoping this handy little tool can help curb a bit of my fear, and ultimately save us some food - and therefore, money!

Check it out -

Still Tasty