Back to Boondoggle (Gimp)

Boondoggle is gimp.  I didn't know that...but when I was getting back into the gimp groove I needed some guidance as the instructional packet included with the gimp just wasn't quite cutting it and I found boondoggleman.com.  Yes, it is a man, who will very kindly go through each kind of pattern that you can make on a youtube video and also has detailed step-by-step pictures on how to make the different patterns. Here's my new collection of gimp 

I like it because it's very colorful and happy and nostalgic.  Honestly though I'm not really sure how I figured this out when I was little.  Maybe it was easier because my hands were smaller back then, but some of the patterns are kind of complicated and I had to look at multiple websites to figure it out (the internet wasn't even available back when this was popular - I seriously don't know how people figured this out back then).  This all started because I lost my car key - which I don't keep on a key chain and this drives my boyfriend crazy.  When I was looking for my car key, I looked under the refrigerator (just in case) and saw an old gimp key chain that I had made when I was in grade school (I have no idea how it got down there but I'm sure it had something to do with the cats).  Then later when Steve was telling me how crazy it is to not have a key chain, I decided that I would make a small, understated gimp key chain.  I was only half motivated to do this until I found a pack of it at Walmart for less than $6 and then I was inspired.  I started off with the design I can remember making - which is the square stitch.  

The square stitch

Actually, I can't remember doing any stitches besides this one, and I also have a strong memory of begging the child care worker at my day care to do the starting stitch for me (which is a little more complicated).  Besides being a little difficult (once again, maybe due to my ogre hands) I'm surprised that children like making these because it takes some patience, which might be why all the gimp I can find from when I was little had gaps and kinks in it.  Anyway, I decided to tackle the cobra next...

The cobra stitch

I like this stitch because it is very easy and very fast (and it looks nice).  But then I wanted to make something very special for Steve's backpack (we are becoming a completely gimped out couple - he already has a key chain) so I wanted to tackle a stitch that was the next level up - THE TWIST STITCH!  It's two circle stitches next to each other (which is just a diagonal square stitch) so I thought, can't be too hard...WRONG!  Lots of boondoggle going in every direction (not really sure if boondoggle describes the string or the product??).  This was quite tricky and my hands hurt a little when I was done, but I was pleased with the finished product.

The Twist Stitch

Now I'm practically a professional gimp stitcher!  Actually there are people out there that make crazy stuff like this...made in 2008...not in the 1990's as I would have suspected.  People are still doing this - I'm not the only one! 

Made by Yonatan

People are also making some classy jewelry out of gimp which I would love to figure out how to make.  It's the ending part that would be tricky to make look nice.  

Boondoggle is back baby!

Falafel Pitas with Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing

Coming to you from Pullman

 

I have been exploring some new food options and I stumbled upon falafels!  A fun new word (except I'm having trouble getting it mixed up with the word frittata) and pretty good tasting as well.  I've never had one before so I don't really know if I'm making it right, but I thought it was pretty good.  I got the recipe off my recipes.  I'm really into garbanzo beans right now so I would probably like anything made with them. 

 

Falafel

•  1/4 cup mined red onion
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• can of garbanzo beans
• 1 slice of whole wheat bread torn into pieces
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white

So, I know it's weird that it asks for an egg and an egg white, but might I suggest making hollandaise sauce?...that calls for an egg yolk and then you will have an extra egg white laying around.  I coincidentally had just made hollandaise sauce and saved the egg white in the refrigerator wondering what I was going to do with it - well thinking that I would eat it with toast, but that it was a little silly to save.  Then, 30 minutes later I go to make falafel and BAM! - It just worked out so perfectly.  Anyway, you put this all in a food processor and then fry in olive oil.  I just used cooking spray so it didn't cook through correctly (I think), but it was good enough.  Then I just popped it in a pita with some lettuce and cucumber-yogurt dressing.

 



 Cucumber-yogurt dressing

• 3/4 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup diced seedless cucumber
• 1/8 cup minced red onion
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix all this together in a food processor and that's it.  This is the recipe halved and it still makes quite a bit for one person.  I'm sure I'll find a way to use it all up.  The 3/4 yogurt is a little more than it called for (proportionally) because it didn't look thick enough so I added more...it didn't help much, but really the texture is good and it could have been because I put the watery insides of the cucumber in (I don't have time to cut that out!).  Anyway, happy to have discovered this food and I think it's pretty healthy.

-Michelle

The Big Mac Conquered

Coming to you from Portland

For awhile now I have been trying to duplicate the McDonald's Big Mac, but I never advanced beyond the assumption that the secret sauce was mayonnaise and ketchup. (Turns out there is no ketchup anywhere in this recipe). I finally stumbled on a website where this guy reveals a bunch of secret recipes from famous food joints and has a great accompanying video as well. Neither the video or the recipe actually gives you measurements for the ingredients used, but someone left a comment under the video with the measurements they used and those worked perfectly.

 

 

They actually turned out wonderfully, and the sauce was SPOT ON. The only thing I forgot to do was toast the buns slightly which would have made the burger hold together better for eating. Also, the buns sold at the store are a little larger in diameter than the McDonald's buns so they end up being much more of a mouthful and the patties were a little small.

A few tricks that are mentioned in the video:
Only use a golfball-sized amount of ground beef for each patty and then really flatten them out.
Freeze the patties on a cookie sheet between two pieces of wax paper so that they keep their shape during cooking and are easy to flip. They are so thin that this would be very difficult if not frozen.
Use the bottom of another hamburger bun for the middle bun. Unfortunately they don't sell just middle buns at the grocery store.

 

I also found these amazing fries at the grocery store called "Fast Food Fries." They were fabulous and after showering them with a ton of salt they tasted very close to the real thing.

Closet makeover

Coming to you from Pullman

I read Real Simple this morning while I was waiting for my snow tires to get taken off (also had regular tires put back on in case you were wondering).  There was a space makeover article and it was just the push I needed to finally get going on my closet.  3 main problems that I have with the closet: 1) it was sagging in the middle...a lot.  I was worried that the whole thing was going to collapse.  My closet in Portland collapsed once when I was younger - it was loud, scary, and very messy.  I didn't want that to happen again.  2) I only had one shelf - I can only stack boxes so high. 3) where could I put all my shoes!!??  So, first things first - the most important thing was to stabilize the middle of my closet so that it would not sag and I could put as many clothes on it as I wanted.  (yeah, this is what I did with my first day of vacation since 4th year started).

Look how it was "stabilized" in the middle.  What were they thinking in the 60's???

New hard core shelf support.

New hard core rod and rod holders.

equals stabilized.  The next thing was to add an extra shelf to get some more storage. 

Double Decker storage - see my "hat person" hats!  probably will need more than 2 hats to become a hat person.

Finally, time to upgrade the shoe storage situation.

Before and after shots shots of the left side of the closet.  Please note the efficient shoe storage, the shirts arranged by color, the boxes looking nice and organized up above, and you can even see the "I want to believe poster" in the corner there. (secrets: boots that are out of season are stashed behind the shoe cubby and will reappear when fall rolls around and baseball hats that I rarely wear and hanging behind the hanging shoe cubby). 

Before and after shots of the right side of the closet.  Please take note of the absence of cluttered pile of shoes, the dresses arranged by color, and my special plastic drawers that will hold only clothes that are appropriate for clinics so that I don't have to search through everything to get ready in the morning.

Things I had to buy: a variety of screws, one closet bracket, 4 shelf brackets, one stud finder, one 6 foot shelf, one 6 foot curtain rod, set of heavy duty closet rod hangers, 2 hanging shoe holders, 1 shoe cubby.  Home supplies from Pullman Building supply and ACE hardware - thank you ACE hardware workers for helping me every time I came in (I think 4 times).  Both the shoe holders are from Walmart (I have Walmart shame...it's similar to Kardashian shame). 
one thing you really need to do projects like this is a drill.  you don't need a saw!  most home supply stores will cut things to size for a small fee.

Things I got rid of: a couple of old posters from undergrad that were stuffed in the back, so not really anything.  I was just organizing, but that doesn't mean I'm not still a hoarder.

I'm just glad my closet isn't going to collapse any day soon.

Oregon Plaque

Coming to you from Portland

This is another idea I got from Pinterest. The idea came from this website where someone sells these for $65, but I thought I would try to do it myself.

I bought a little wooden plaque from Craft Warehouse for $2, some green paint for $1, a roll of crochet thread for $3 and some 1/2 inch nails for $2. First I painted the plaque. Then I found an outline of Oregon online and cut it out. I taped this on the surface of the plaque where I wanted it and then nailed around the outline. This was the hardest part, because the nails are really tiny and it starts to hurt your fingers after awhile from holding them in place. Then I nailed the heart, which is approximately where Portland is located. Finally, I wrapped the crochet thread around the nails on the outside to connect with the heart on the inside. This was kind of difficult, because the heart has so few nails and the thread starts to stack up pretty quickly after wrapping around the same nail so many times. I also didn't know how to tie it off so you can see a knot at the bottom of the picture. I'm sure there is a cleaner way to do that. It only took me about two and a half hours to make and $8 for the supplies. The final product was just okay - worth $8 but definitely not $65 even if it was better than mine. In the end it's just something to hang or lean against your wall.

Summer goals

coming to you from Pullman

you might feel like spring has just started and are thinking that my summer goal making is a little premature - but i am still a student, and as such measure the seasons by when my breaks are.  my last semester of lectures...in veterinary medicine... at WSU (...because who knows where my life will take me and i love school so much i will undoubtedly go back [somewhere] listening to more lectures [about something] eventually) is over in a week and although i do not actually get a summer break this year (or ever again in my life unless i really switch things up and become a K-12 teacher) i will still measure the beginning of summer as starting the minute my last final is over. 

so!  making goals.  i have some for this summer.  because summer and break have always been an inseparable idea in my head, i am having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that i will not have extra time to get stuff done (that stuff that i usually put off..."i'll have time to do that in the summer...").  nevertheless, i'm going to make some summer goals with the intent of having a little extra time, and maybe just having the sun out will make me more productive.  some things about goals that i have been told: write them down (i'm doing that now and in a very public manner, which equals more accountability - even though these are sort of silly goals i expect you to hold me to them), they should be attainable, specific, measurable, realistic, and there should be a deadline. 

Deadline: August 27, 2012

Goals:

• find a one piece swimsuit that looks good on me...like these

poka dots; stripes and bow; black

• stop twirling my hair (seriously, i'm practically an adult.)
• start a joy jar (i have a joy journal, but the thought of reading random cool things at the end of the year sounds fun, and i would be more likely to make a "deposit" every day)

sorry, uploaded by user on pinterest so i don't know where this idea came from

or should i make this instead...?

unique calendar seen here

• finish my quilt: it's much further along than when i took this picture, but i still have a lot of work

look how cute ellie is!

• see a dermatologist: before my good insurance expires!  Dr. Travis Stork told me today that i shouldn't ignore things about my health - doctor's orders!!
• go through all of my clothes and decide if it stays or goes - sex in the city style.  maybe i'll decide that it all stays (i doubt it) but i at least need to remind myself what i own. 
• plan a trip to go skydiving: like actually book an instructor because just planning it in my head and saving some money didn't do the trick - but i guess i'm half way there.  i just have to convince someone else to go with me - a few months ago, i realized that skydiving is something that i imagine i will do in my lifetime...you know how when people find out they are going to die they have to do certain things...like skydiving...and i just decided i don't want to wait until i'm dying to live. 
• make something like this...anything really.  just be a little crafty at least one time. 

  

  "A"; marriage is...; what a perfectly stupid time we would have; i love you...; maps

• go to Glenn and Yasmin's wedding: obviously i'm already doing this, but i wanted to add something to the list that i know i will for sure be able to cross off :)

i guess we have a while to see if i'm successful. 

m.

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

Coming to you from Portland

I got this idea from Pinterest.  There are no directions so I just kind of guessed what was going on in the pictures.  I don't know what that mesh stuff is, but I went to the craft store and they sell rolls of tulle for $4 - I'm pretty sure that's what it is. 

I picked some small clovers and flower petals from the garden and placed them on the eggs and then wrapped them in the tulle.  I tied the tulle in a knot, becuase I was lazy and didn't feel like sewing the end together, which made it kind of loose around the egg.  This resulted in my plant stamps not leaving a super clear print on the eggs, because some of the dye was able to get underneath them. 

Then I dyed them using brown onion peels.  I have used these before for dying and I love the natural, warm brown color it makes.

And here is the final product!  Again, my designs don't have hard lines and aren't completely white, but for something you are going to crack and throw away, I think it is reasonable to take a couple of shortcuts.