2008 January | Runaway October

January 14, 2008 | Filed in: Life

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So, as usual, something I’ve said in one of my blogs has made someone angry. To be frank, I really don’t care. It’s not like someone took offense and was adult enough to talk directly to me about it. Oh no. The story I’m gathering is that a still anonymous person found the comment, alerted the person that the comment was about, then the person the comment was about spoke with Matt’s dad who asked Matt who finally told me about it. Pretty lame considering Matt and his Dad are completely innocent to the whole situation.

I understand that what I put on my blog is public and anyone can read it, but I’m getting really tired of people always spying on me and then going behind my back about it. The same thing happened when a certain family member discovered we were trying for another homebirth. This person even had the audacity to approach other family members about it and ended up sending an email to Matt asking him to reconsider. Yes, you read that right - I’m the one birthing the baby and they wrote to Matt like he really has any say in it. (He does, as we throughly discuss all major decisions, but in the end he can’t call trump on me just because.) Anyone that’s known me for longer than 5 minutes knows that I can’t stand confrontation, so if you were to come to me with your concerns it’s highly unlikely that a argument or fight would ensue.

And to sum this nice little entry up, I still stand fully by the comment I made. 1000%. If you have any question, comments and concerns, please feel free to contact me like an adult in one of the bazillion ways I am available for communication.

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I’m a total slacker

January 13, 2008 | Filed in: Crafting, Parenting

I still haven’t finished those stuffed cotton balls I was making. I made a stuffed cube too. In the end, none of the points on the ball met up correctly and that totally took the wind out of my sails. Well, that and having to hand sew something. And Viva Piñata… Yes, Viva Piñata. My mom bought me a used copy of it and I’ve literally played two days straight - while not nursing, cooking, cleaning, Internetting, or keeping up with Declan, Rowan and Matt anyway.

Friday completed my first whole week of daycare and it was pleasant. Still work, but I had a good time as long as all the kids weren’t crying at once. I’m still trying to add more kids to the ranks because we need the money to squeak by, but all I get are people that need like 5 hours a week. Seriously. I thought we were weird jst needing three full days a week. So if you know anyone who needs childcare in the Northern part of Gilbert, please please please send them my way.

And here’s some cool stuff I’ve stumbled across lately to keep you busy:

Oh and I have a Photoshop goodie coming up soon. Stay Tuned!

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Sewing Woes

January 10, 2008 | Filed in: Crafting

Okay, my faithful blog readers, if there are any…

This is where I admit that I obviously don’t know how to use this particular sewing machine. The good news is it’s not broken!! I had decided that since were super low on money I would see if I could find a user’s guide for this machine. While browsing around I came across the Singer Operation Basics page and realized that not only was I winding this bobbin incorrectly, but I was also threading it wrong too. My first machine was a Brother and I guess there are some differences between machines. So if you’re having issues with a Singer definitely check out this page.

I’ll have some pictures up of my completed project soon. I’ve still got to stuff them and hand sew them shut. I came up with a new source of “recycled” stuffing too. Yay me!

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Irish Stew and Oat Bread

January 9, 2008 | Filed in: Cooking, Pictures

Dinner tonight was an Irish Stew with a loaf of fresh Oat Bread. We also had some Chocolate Chip Cookie/Brownie bars.

I’m still upset over this stupid camera. I can’t determine what causes most pictures to be blurry and fuzzy, but others are okay. The picture above is after messing around with it in Krita, a Linux equivalent of Photoshop.

Anyway, both recipes were wonderful and I adapted both of them as usual, it seems I never have all the right ingredients. The stew was hearty and filling and the bread turned out fluffy with a crusty top.

Irish Beef Stew

1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/4 pounds stew beef, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 large garlic cloves, minced
6 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
I cup of Guinness beer
1 cup of fine red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 7 cups)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add beef and sauté until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add beef stock, Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

2 While the meat and stock is simmering, melt butter in another large pot over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion and carrots. Sauté vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes. Set aside until the beef stew in step one has simmered for one hour.

3 Add vegetables to beef stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Tilt pan and spoon off fat. Transfer stew to serving bowl. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. (Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Salt and pepper to taste. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before serving.)

Serves 4 to 6.

Light Oat Bread