One Letter a Week Projcet

After reading a bunch of the "52 Projects" projects, I came up with one of my own. I am tired of being a bad communicator with my friends and family by phone, and even worse by email. So I have devised a plan. I will write one letter every week for a year. One of the beautiful things about this is I have been a collector of addresses since I was a kid, so even if people don't write back, I can still find someone in the old book that has not received a letter.

I am really quite fond of this little endeavor because not only will it let me start keeping in touch with long lost friends and family, but hopefully it will bring a smile to others' faces when they get a letter in the mail instead of a bill. I know I am always quite happy to get a card in the mail. The fact that letter writing is a lost art makes it oh, so much more enjoyable for me. (If you know me I have a keen sense of doing things that others don't, whether I mean to or not.) I have also been reading a lot and seems like letter writing keeps coming up in my books.

I think my idea is quite ingenious and am really quite excited about it! I have already received my first reply. I think the hard part is not going to be to remember to write once a week, but to keep up with anyone who decides to write back. I guess there could be worse problems to have.

Until next time....

Awesome, and I love it!

Ok, so I realize this is nothing I have made or created.... but I love it and thought you would too. The song is "Home" by Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros. I have loved this song for a while, but this topped it off. If you have never heard it, the title of the post is a link to the original. I hope you enjoy!

Fettuccini Alfredo with Shrimp

I am on a mission to clean out the freezer. I know there are so many things in there that I need to use up so instead of buying more stuff to add to the mess. I have challenged myself to get a little creative and use things up. The selection is good right now so tonight's dinner was delicious. We'll have to see what happens in a few weeks!!

4 0z fettuccine

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup margarine (divided)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
8 oz peeled, deveined shrimp
1 clove minced garlic
pepper to taste

Cook noodles. When almost done, saute shrimp, and garlic in 1/4 cup margarine just till shrimp are pink. Drain noodles. Put noodles back in hot pan and add cream, remaining 1/4 cup margarine, parmesan cheese and shrimp mixture. Stir until cheese is well mixed in and melted. Serve immediately. Yummm!

Holiday Wine Notes

Thanksgiving and Christmas brought several great gift bottles of wine this year. Many acquaintances know that I enjoy a glass of wine with dinner or in the evening and that I like to try new things. I am not too worried about pairing the wine with meals except for special occasions or when we are entertaining. When I am having a glass during the week in the evening I am always up for something new. I like to try new flavors and types frequently and keep track of what I like and well as what I don’t. I make notes on what I like about a particular selection and what I feel it might go with. That wine diary can come in very handy when I am trying to pair wine for a dinner party or a special meal.
I have two recommendations from the new varieties that I sampled over the holidays. The first is a medium dry 2009 Riesling from Zephyr Cellars in Fort Collins, Colorado. It has wonderful floral aromas but the distinct crisp flavors of golden apples and Asian pear. I liked this well enough to serve it to my mom and husband, who both like the same favorite zinfandel. They really enjoyed the freshness of this Riesling and I am very glad that I had another bottle on hand for our Thanksgiving meal. The second recommendation, for those that like a bolder red wine, is a full bodied 2009 Malbec, Carlos Basso Reservado. The first thing I noticed the smoothness which was accompanied with a very slight oakiness and subtle fruity overtones. I was pleasantly surprised. This great bottle was imported from Argentina but is very moderately priced and available at Town and Country Discount Liquors in Cheyenne. Feeling adventuresome? Give one a try. Cheers!

The Watering Can

So I thought it would be really cute if we had a more personalized title than just the typed stuff. I painted this tonight, but when I went to upload it, it was a big blurry mess. I am really quite disappointed. I wanted to share it anyway, but have no idea if we will be able to use it at the title. I have tried everything I can think of and it still shows up blurry. I hope you enjoy it and if you have any tips on how to make it work better, I would love them.

Favorite book of 2010

I love books. I love to read. I come by it naturally. My mother has been a member of Doubleday Book Club since 1957 so books have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I kept track of the books I read in 2010 and was surprised that I had read 17 (I don’t read much in the summer because I can’t read and garden at the same time). I will admit that some of my literary choices were quick reads, not to be compared with the likes of War and Peace or The Grapes Of Wrath - which might take me a couple of months to finish – but most were lighter and easier on my heart!
Of all the books I read last year my favorite was The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. In his debut novel, Ford takes his reader on a journey through the turmoil, chaos and confusion in the life of a young Chinese boy growing up in Seattle during the 1940’s. While young Henry Lee struggles with the desire to honor his parents and the yearning for a forbidden relationship the bombing of Pearl Harbor suddenly and severely limits his choices. This very poignant story explores the innocence of children who held captive by the constraints of their parents’ biases and the strength of their desire to attain something just beyond their reach.
I was first drawn into the story because I grew up in the Seattle area and was a little nostalgic. I fell in love with it because the story itself was simply - pure. The feelings and thoughts of the characters were full of insecurity, fear, questions, love and longing but most of all hope. The omission of sex, bad language and violence was a refreshing change, making Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet one of my new favorites! This is a book I would recommend to anyone, including younger readers.

Felting fun

Yesterday I decided to take a chance on getting into a felting class that was being offered at Prairie Wind Fiber Art and Beads, in Cheyenne. I hadn't registered ahead of time and didn't get an answer when I called but thought I'd just give it a whirl. I was able to take the class and what a blast! Not only did I get to learn how use the wet felting technique to make a pair of really cute mittens out of alpaca wool, I also met some really neat ladies. The gal that taught the class has actually raises alpacas for the last 16 years just north of Cheyenne. She and her husband belong to a co-op in Peru. They send the wool each year to the co-op where the wool is cleaned and processed for use. It was very interesting to learn about how all of the behind the scenes things actually take place.

The processed alpaca wool comes in long strings about 3 inches in diameter and probably 20 feet long. These "strings" are not woven - just the strands of wool all going the same lengthwise direction. It is surprisingly soft and straight.l We each started with 3.2 ounces - yes ounces for our pair of mittens. We layered half of the roving on one side of the pattern - sprinkled it with hot soapy water and began the felting process of rubbing, pushing and using an electric sander to smash the fibers together. Basically you are tangling the fibers in such a way that they become very strong and dense. ( finally - I have a use for David's electric sander!) Turn the pattern over repeat the process. Add your color if you want -- and do a lot more rubbing and working until you have a mitten that is custom fitted to your hand. It took about three hours - and that included a little repair work on mine. Repairing is actually fun too -- and mistakes are very forgiving.

Now-I don't know about you but I thought why would anyone come up with the idea making felt, a very sturdy, warm fabric by smashing bits of wool together with water? It is believed that the shepherds used to pick the bits of wool off the bushes and branches as they walked behind their sheep and put it in their shoes. The heat and moisture from their feet and the smashing and rubbing from walking would make a dense mat of fibers. I would have never guessed! I am not sure who came up with the electric sander but I know that it was not a shepherd! Thank goodness for inventive minds - we can have felted items with out the sweaty feet method!

As you can tell, I enjoyed my time learning something new and meeting some wonderful ladies. I am already looking forward to my next felting project!

Delicious Baking Tip

Here is a quick tip I picked up somewhere that helps when you are baking bread-y type things. I cut the butter or oil in half and replace the other half with applesauce. It makes it a little sweeter (which I don't mind a bit), a little healthier, and a little more moist... All good things! I use it a lot with sweet breads, but can also be used in pancakes and other goodies. Give it a try!

12 Days of Origami

OK, so I love origami. I teach it to my students every year and they are always thoroughly impressed that they are able to create something awesome out of one piece of paper. This Christmas break happened to come and I was looking forward to challenging myself to some more difficult folds. I checked out a book from the library and found all sorts of fun things to fold: airplanes, nutcrackers, baby Jesus..... Actually there was an entire Nativity scene. Quite clever.

This is called the Reader. 4 pieces of paper, 4 different folds, days of work, and an awesome Christmas present for Mom.

Cheeseburger Soup

Ok, so I made Cheeseburger Soup because I had all but an onion, celery, and chicken broth in the cupboard. I was iffy on it, sounds a little strange. It tastes just like a cheeseburger, so the flavor is pretty good. But then you think, it is soup.... hmmm.... some things should just not go together.

Lets put it this way - We will finish the pot, but I don't think I will ever make it again. I guess you win some, you loose some. :)