In honor of April Fool's Day, I'd thought about preparing a food fake, but being a pastry chef, the first thing that pops into my mind would be sweet foods, like decorating a cupcake to look like a cheeseburger or a crab, but sadly today I just don't have the time to bake, frost, and decorate. It's the kids' last day of school before Spring break, so we have a few things to get accomplished that aren't as much fun as cakes would be.
Surprised to hear from me? I've been a very absent blogger. It would appear I started this project a month earlier than I was ready for it. I pushed this back when I decided I'd had enough of the only-slightly-organized state in which my crafting room had reached, and spent a LOT of the past few weeks consolidating photos, memorabilia, etc. from our travels into their own scrapbooking plastic boxes and getting MUCH use out of my P-touch labeler.
I also decided it was time to heave out tons of recyclable papers, including Outdoor Photographers from 20+ years ago, and even school papers from when I was in elementary school. How sad is THAT?! Now, I may be leading you into believing that our home should have been on Clean House, but it was an organized amount of papers.
It's fantastic to know that at any time, I can now actually pull out a box, sit down at my table, and work on a scrapbook page, easily reaching behind me for paper, embosser, stickers, brads/eyelets, etc. Or, reach forward for my writing utensils box which has individual slots for each item, like gel pens, markers, colored pencils - you name it. And my Cricut Explore is just to the left of me so I'm ready at a moment's notice to cut a dolphin for a beach page, flowers for a gardening scene, or even a penguin for my Galapagos book (yes, we swam with them on the equator - SO COOL!).
I even finally bit the bullet and bought a hanging wooden shelving unit to display various glitters, beads, ribbons, etc. on - it's a beautiful rainbow on display now! I'm so jazzed to finally sense that I can get some fulfillment and enjoyment out of my crafting/art projects, besides the time I create in the kitchen.
Probably the longest part of that project was gathering all the info from the multiple trips we've taken to the Finger Lakes since 2000 - there were quarterly wine gazettes and brochures in places ALL over the house - in the craft room, great room, dining room, and master bedroom. We're talking about well over 20 visits, so the amount is impressive.
In revealing another of my passions, wine, you can expect to read about wine pairings with some of my future posts. This is how much we enjoy wine and traveling to wineries, if it wasn't obvious by the # of our Finger Lakes trips - for Christmas this year, we got (another) wine refrigerator (to go with our first one in the wine cellar that is accompanied by the now several racks of wine bottles) and a faux marble table with two stools.
This became the center point of what we now refer to as our wine tasting area. Those items are set off by a wine server, complete with sliding cover for a cheese/charcuterie board, and glass and bottle racks. And for décor on the walls, a metal vine with grapes, a poster-board-sized piece of art that one of our daughters made out of corks which appears to be red wine pouring out of a bottle and into a glass, and two photo collages of visits to our favorite wineries (including McGregor on Keuka Lake, Stag's Leap in Napa, M Cellars and St. Joseph in Ohio, and various wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake) complete the scene. Soon we'll be hanging grape cluster lights from the ceiling, and we'll probably consider it finished.
Beginning in January, I decided Wednesdays we would be enjoying Hump Day wine bar tastings, opening bottles that we know we'll enjoy and that will accompany our dinner that evening, or using the Rabbit to pull the cork on older bottles that have (sadly) probably gone a bit longer unopened than they should have. Hey, gotta keep making room on the wine racks for new purchases, right?
Regardless, it feels GREAT to have rid myself of such unnecessary papers, and streamline my life so I can now throw myself into THIS project, and get COOKIN'!
Ciao for now!
Nice blog entry. I learned a few things about you. You swam with penguins? What was that like? Did they nip at you? Were they curious or timid? How close did they get to you? As for the cooking, I agree: GET COOKING, SISTER! I'm looking forward to reading your next blog entry, which I am certain will contain an illustrated description of your latest culinary creation from one of those cookbooks in your ginormous library. Wow, ginormous is actually a word now? Huh... the things we learned from spell check.
ReplyDeleteWell, they're much smaller than the Emperors or others. I assume that is due to the fact they live on the equator where the ocean temps are a bit more moderate, tho I need to clarify that that simply means the WATER temp was about 70 degrees, and hence the need for wetsuits for we homo sapiens who ventured into the Humboldt current off South America's western shoreline.
ReplyDeleteIt was a thrill to see them period, let alone have them near you in the water, but I have to add that there was a bit of a ménage a trois (sp) of one observing two mating on shore (apparently ensuring the penguins will be around another year) - dirty little creeper! Maybe just waiting his turn (or hers, as it's impossible to discern which sex you are watching).
It's so great in the Galapagos because it's one of the few remaining areas in the world where mankind (kind? - not always) has not interfered with animals, so they "trust" that we are not enemies, and you could literally walk up to most animals and touch them without them trying to avoid you (tho you are most certainly NOT supposed to touch them). The seals are very friendly and curious, and nearly brush you as they swim with you - what fun to try to imitate the maneuvers their supple, seemingly boneless bodies can perform.
On to cooking - yep, you know it and I know it - it's time to bust-a-move - time to start crackin' some eggs! If ginormous ISN'T a word, that's too bad, 'cuz I use it like a gazillion times! LOL