If ONLY!

Hello, my name is Anne, and I make People.

... that should count for like, 5 aprons and 2 softies.

-A

Distractions

Instead of languidly succumbing to my normal post-lunch nap, today I've decided to post. ...about nothing earth-shattering (remember, I'm doing this to stay awake, & not to entertain you).

I just reserved myself an eMailorder from Kingpod. Maybe you'll receive a special X-acto Valentine from moi.

A tut. on how to make an old spice tin pretty & usable for other functions besides holding spices has been swimming around in my mind. Oh - but I'm sure that's already been done, and besides, there's a cat on my lap. So here's what they look like when they're all done! A cinch.

Pencil Tins, originally uploaded by apkoski.

And finally, mild proof that there might actually be someone inside of me. (Don't expect these updates frequently).
-A

Good Source for Time Wasters

Check out the ASC Blog for some rainy day entertainment, particularly the Jan. 10 "Best Cover Tunes," (see how many seconds it takes you to recognize them), and "What is this song?"

-A

Signs

So it begins... er, continues...

1. "Go over by that thing between the ceiling and the floor."
2. Substituted orange juice for milk in my tea this morning.
3. Brain needed a re-charge at 7:30 am last Friday.

Isn't that a pretty quilt square?

- A

sweetness

Collecting, originally uploaded by apkoski.

The start of a bird collection for the nursery; from etsy, specifically marmee craft and ashleyg.

Think, "Hmmmm..."

EAT FOOD, NOT TOO MUCH, MOSTLY PLANTS.

"For thousands of years, people ate healthily without knowing what an antioxidant was."

"On average, Americans used to spend 18% of their income on food and 5% on health care. Now we spend 10% on food, 16% on health care."

"The experiment of outsourcing the cooking of our meals has failed miserably."

- Favorite quotes from today's Talk of the Nation, Science Friday guest Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

or mmmmmm...

Very Merry

Hope yours was too!

Woo, woo!

Zoo Train Ride, originally uploaded by apkoski.

We took the Zoo Train, we took the Zoo Train!
Zoo Lights on Sunday night was fun and flashy, and busy. Someone could put their kid through college by setting up a hot chocolate stand next to the station.

A:

Last Night I dreamt that I met my ho self from a parallel universe, and she was really tall and pretty. We were at a library-slash-hair salon and I got my hair colored but it was still the same color afterwards. Then a bomb fell onto the telephone wire outside and made all the library shelves fall down.

What do you think it means?


P: I think it means you're pregnant.

BABY ALIVE!

"She eats and poops just like a real baby! Feed her or give her a bottle, and then get ready to change her messy diaper! She's ready to play, laugh and talk with you, and you will love taking care of her! When she is hungry you can mix up some of her special food! She really eats and tells you how she likes it with fun phrases like, Mmm..good! She'll even tell you it's time to change her diaper when she says, Uh-oh, I made a stinky! When BABY ALIVE is tired, she gets drowsy and falls asleep! Doll comes with dress, 2 doll diapers, bottle with nipple and cap, bowl, spoon, 4 packets of doll food and bib."
Gee, thanks, Doc. ;)

- A

The Answer

OK, apologies. There is no porridge. There is a spoon... but no porridge. That's right, you've been duped into another one of my rants. For several years now, I've been eating my 'light meals' and portions (soups, beans, yogurt, ice cream) out of our lovely how-did-we-ever-like-that-pattern Pier 1 mugs. Assuming they petite, I felt comfortable filling it more than half full of whatever I was attempting to have 'a bit' of. WELL.
Last week I got the bright idea to actually measure the volume of each dish; soup/pasta bowl, cereal bowl, and mug. Guess what? They all hold the same amount of liquid: 2 cups! Sonofabitch, if you pardon. Actually, the mug held just over 1/8 cup less than the others. Still, gaa! So mystery anonymous person, you were right - it was a trick question. Isn't it amazing how easily any innocent person can be deceived?
Stay tuned for further research into the nutritional content of 2 Cups of various foods. Maybe this portion control issue - and not baseball - should be brought before congress. It's a crime, I tell you!
Isn't ignorance bliss?

Cabinet @uiz

How much porridge do you think each dish can hold?

Last Tuesday Night

~Tori Amos is Badass~

Fred Meyer Breakfast Sausages are Possessed.

Wii Sore

A: Yeeks, my obliques hurt.
P: Mine too.
A&P: Hmmmm.... boxing! (+ light bulb)
A: Right here?
P: No, more over here.
A: Close enough. I've gotta get my uni. in the wash.

... and ended well

So here we are eating breakfast on some morning in September - let's pretend it was yesterday, for the sake of showing that we did survive the great turkey smoke out. Gobble-gobble!
The little bird smoked for 9 hours, taking its sweet time getting up to 165, so it went in the oven for the final 2 degrees. He/she tasted very moist, tender, and smoky (to a certain depth), and looked nothing like this. Unfortunately we don't have a picture to share, so you'll just have to believe us; if we were looking at the bird, it was done so in order to eat it (not take pictures)! Leftover Day is officially over, so turkey has been dismembered, partitioned, and neatly tucked away in the freezer for turkey soup and gumbo later this year. We love soup! Who's volunteering to start a Winter Soup recipe exchange - with samples?

So it Begins

Thursday morning, 4:30 am. The turkey is all hooked up.

Getting Ready

New Scoops!, originally uploaded by apkoski.

Beginning this Thursday, the official holiday season will be officially upon us. Well, that's what Mr. P. says. I, on the other hand, have already begun making my lists, cutting fabric for gifts, considered our wrapping paper scheme, and shopped for gifts (once)!
Oh wait, Thanksgiving, the forgotten step-child of the holiday season retail machine! We have finalized the menu, gotten all the ingredients, and fished out the 'real' napkins. We also got some handy-dandy new flatware (!!!!!!). We're very excited to have silverware that we didn't lift from Kirksville restaurants, and doesn't bend when we try to eat ice cream out of the carton. Ahh, simple pleasures.
A

What we did this October

Jeez, October is over? Guess we haven't been doing anything extraordinary enough (for our high standards, heh) to tell you all about. But alas, here we are; we are here! Last month was nice. Here's some of the photoables:
Catching up on reading/enjoying some unexpected free time (business is slow).

, originally uploaded by apkoski.

Bagged 24 pounds of apples & pears at the annual Apple Tasting. Have subsequently made apple pie filling, apple & cheddar salads, & an apple crunch pie.

We took two hikes, one at Saddle Mountain, shown here. The view was beautiful, and the hike was thrilling - just less than scary.

Speaking of scary, we enjoyed Halloween at a friend's house who sees up to 400 trick-or-treaters every year. Loved all the cards we got too, thanks :)


Also been focusing our intake quality - as you know, our bodies are temples (and because fall is normally when our waistbands seem to tighten) ... So we've been trying to get more bang for our buck in the grocery store and in our menus, but less bang on the plate, which is not easy to balance!

And finally, one step closer.

The Aaaahhhnniversary

Halfway, originally uploaded by apkoski.

Well, we made it through #7! Saturday night we went out to Lauro Kitchen for dinner, and then picked up a yummy dessert from Pix. It was a romantic evening.
We exchanged cards on Sunday, and Paul added a stack of beautiful chocolates to mine. (We'd already agreed to go together to get a 'gift' for ourselves - no, not lame!)

Yesterday, on Paul's day off, we hiked in the Gorge on a new trail: the Horsetail Falls Trail. We passed 4 waterfalls, I think. Good hike. :)

In other life, we have almost settled on a new accent paint color for the doors. Actually, I should say that we're lobbying one another for a particular color. Agreement is coming soon... that's what 7 years of marriage has taught us, right?

I'm also hoping for my first real Personal Training Client. I've opened up the idea of virtual training, for those farther away who may be looking for a reliable, knowledgeable trainer. Paul has urged me to continue pushing the web page and helping web crawlers find it, so I'm putting the link on my blog. If you want, you could do the same!

I'm also working on a couple potential ideas for and Etsy store, including a name (AGAIN!). No picture-worthy ones yet. I know, exciting life.
-A