Finished Craft!

I finally finished this crewel embroidery kit (from 1974). I'm so happy with this sweet little owl. Now I just need to find a permanent spot to hang him. I bought the kit at Knittin' Kitten for $0.50 I think.

New look!

What do you think?

Warning...

I'm in the midst of redesigning my blog. So if it looks really funky, that's why. I'll let you know when it's finished!

Mmm.. Garlic!

So last night I made two of my favorite dishes for dinner. First I made Gypsy Soup, a sweet and spicy vegetable soup that I have made over and over again. It's low calorie and delicious!

The next dish I made, unfortunately is not low-calorie, but it is sooooo good! (If you're a garlic fan). Garlic & Goat Cheese Spread served with Crostini:

I got this recipe from an old coworker. I'm only allowed to make it once a year, as it makes the entire house reek of garlic. Here's how you make it:

INGREDIENTS:
1 head of garlic (about 10 cloves)
2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp brown sugar
10oz goat cheese (I used an 8oz package and it worked fine)
Balsamic Vinegar
Fresh basil (for garnish), chopped
Baguette
Olive Oil & Sea Salt

1. Roast the garlic in the oven. About 40-50 minutes.
2. Saute red onions in butter and brown sugar, until carmelized.
3. Layer garlic and onions in oven-safe baking dish. Top with goat cheese.
4. Bake in the oven @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
5. Next slice up your bread and put it onto a baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt. Bake/broil in the oven until toasted (on both sides).
6. Once the dip is ready, drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and garnish with the basil.
7. Serve hot!

Routine

The first thing on my list of goals for 2010 is to create a new routine for myself. Not having a normal 9-5 job to force one on me, its hard to create my own. I've been thinking about what the best routine would be for me with my new self-employment. This has sorta been my 'routine' lately:

9-10am: Wake up
10-11am: Stare at computer/check email/etsy/facebook
11-4pm: Work (with lunch added in somewhere between 1-3pm)
4pm: Go to gym/go to work
6pm: Shower/Dinner
7pm-11pm: Maybe work more/watch movie/craft/stare at computer

What I don't like about that routine:
-I've only been putting in about 5-6 hours of work every day or I'm working well into the evening after dinner.
-I have a tendency to stay in my pajamas all day
-I also have a tendency of snacking all day
-The gym at 4-5pm is always packed

I want to commit to a set routine because, having a 9-5 job last year helped me to understand that having scheduled work/food/exercise times every day really helped me stay motivated, get things done and feel good. Kristin from the Craft Leftovers blog really helped me to see what my routine needs to be. And as much as I hate getting up early, I gotta do it!

Here is what I think my new routine will be (starting tomorrow):

8AM: Wake up
8:30AM: Go to gym
10AM: Shower/Breakfast
10:30AM: Work
1PM: Lunch (only take about 20 minutes)
5PM: Tidy up/Wrap up projects
6PM: Dinner
9:30PM: OFF
11:30PM: Bedtime

From 6-9:30PM will stay open for doing whatever I want whether its be social/work/whatever. By 9:30PM I want to make myself stop everything that I'm doing. I make a lot of my product at night, while sitting in front of the TV. I can sit there all night until I go to bed! Another thing on my list of goals is to read more. I want to use the time from 9:30-11:30 to read or work on a personal art/craft project.

I recently started working part time at the Rose Garden. My shifts start at 4pm, so this will screw with the above routine. So here is my alternative routine for those days:

8AM: Wake up
8:30AM: Go to gym
10AM: Shower/Breakfast
10:30AM: Work
1PM: Lunch
3PM: Tidy up/Wrap up projects
3:30PM: Eat snack/Get ready to go
3:45PM: Leave for work

Yikes. We'll see how this new routine works out. I've found that it takes me about 6 weeks for something to become habit. I'm going to give myself that much time to get into this. After week six I will evaluate and make any necessary adjustments. Wish me luck!

Goals for 2010

PERSONAL GOALS:
- Create a new routine (w/ exercise at least 3x per week, regular eating times, work, sleep)
- Get my own apartment
- Read more
- Spend more time in nature (go hiking)
- Go camping
- Make my own clothes (I haven't done this since high school)
- Volunteer for local Girl Scouts
- Paint the wooden bowls my grandpa made for me

WORK GOALS:
- Relaunch my freelance portfolio website
- Redesign my blog
- Introduce new product lines (for Camp Smartypants)
- Be featured in a magazine
- Be a guest vendor at the Portland Saturday Market

Blue Moon NYE

photo source

We've all heard the saying, "Once in a blue moon..." and that's exactly what is in store for us tonight! This year on New Year's Eve, while you're toasting your champagne, look up to the sky and take in our blue moon. Blue moons only occur on this night every 19 years!

Don't be fooled by it's name, you won't see a blue colored moon (although that would be really cool!) The name only refers to a second full moon in a calendar month. Most months have just one full moon, because its 29.5-day cycle matches up pretty well with the length of calendar months. But once every 2.5 years, there will be two full moons in a month (the last one occurred May 2007). Having one on New Year's Eve is very rare and you won't see it again until NYE 2028!

Read more at cnn.com