It's Been a Hard Day's Night

I feel a binge coming on...

2010-01-26T15:29:00.000-08:00

So I ordered the book Whimsical Little Knits 2, by Ysolda. Its fabulous... the first pattern that I have cast on for is Damson.
I have knit about 30 rows, and already I am in love. I am using the recommended yarn - Malabrigo Sock, color Indecitas. Yarn + Pattern = total Damson Bender.
I have just ordered much more Mal sock to make Damsons for all my friends and family...

now I know what the Yarn Harlot was talking about when she started knitting French Press Slippers....

Quickie...

2010-01-20T16:49:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to say the Flank Steak was not a success.
The wine totally overpowered the other flavors, and it was not something that was tasty.
I have some other ideas, though, on how to improve the flavor and cooking process.
Will post them after I rumenate on them for a while...

...now off to brush a 2 year old's teeth....

Dinner Tonight.

2010-01-18T12:12:00.000-08:00

So Tyler and I tried to make the most of this gloomy MLK day.
We slept in until about 8:30 am. I think Tyler could have slept longer, to be honest, but I feel like getting 12 hours of sleep is a bit excessive, even for a 2 year old. We lounged together in bed until 9, but then I made us get up! We had pancakes and bacon, and then watched Ratatouille. (He pronounces it Rabatooey.)
It was a good morning, considering how cold and foggy it is outside. I thought if it was sunny we may try to do a few laps at the Zoo or something, but today was so not the day to be outside. Tyler did end up getting a bit fussy, though. (He realized his Daddy wasn't home!) So we went to lunch at Sonic and then to Target to buy a new car. I think it lifted his spirits to get out of the house for an hour, you know?
Anyway, so we've been home for most of the afternoon now. Tyler's been playing choo-choos, and is now watching Cars. (He has not let go of his new Doc, either!) I've been cooking. On the menu for tonight:

Baby Spinach Stuffed Matambre, Quinoa and Salad.

1 flank steak
lots of baby spinach
carrots
wine
chicken stock
garlic
bay leaf
thyme
marjoram

Basically, you pound the meat until its about 1/4" thick, and then spread the spinach and carrots over top. Roll it up like a pinwheel, and secure. (I use the Food Loops - awesome invention! Get them at Bed Bath and Beyond) Brown the meat on all sides, and then let it simmer for about 3 hours in a bath of chicken stock, wine and herbs.

I haven't tasted it yet, but the house smells delicious.
Will let you know how it comes out.

Tasty Dinner

2010-01-17T16:36:00.000-08:00

So my friend Rae Carol gave me a delicious recipe for Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole. I changed it a little bit (so as to make it more heart healthy/low fat) but it tastes wonderful.

3 C cooked chicken (I used breast meat - roasted a la Barefoot Contessa)
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup (I used Campbell's Healthy Request - no MSG and lower fat)
8 0z. Sour Cream (Again, I used low fat)
1 T Poppy Seeds
1 Sleeve Ritz Crackers - Crushed (I used Whole Wheat Ritz instead of the normal variety)
4 T butter (I actually used 1 T butter and 3 T olive oil. Couldn't tell a difference!)

Combine first 4 ingredients in a greased baking dish. (I used Crisco Spray in a 9 x 9 glass Pyrex....)
Mix the Ritz cracker crumbles and the butter/olive oil. (To do this, I used a Ziploc baggie - had the crackers inside and poured the oil/butter in, then tossed to evenly mix.)
Top the casserole with the crumble topping.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

I served it with just a side salad and some crescent rolls. Perfection.
Enjoy.

December

2009-12-01T09:56:00.000-08:00

I can't believe its December already! It feels like the older I get, the quicker time goes. You remember when you were a little kid, and it felt like an eternity between birthdays? Or the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas seemed to extend forever? Now it feels like I closed my eyes and 6 months have flown by!

The pregnancy is going well; I am 16 and 1/2 weeks, and have had no major issues to speak of (aside from the normal morning sickness and back aches!). I am debating as to whether or not I should take the H1N1 vaccine. My work is offering it free of charge on December 18. I feel as though I should take advantage of the opportunity, since the vaccine is kind of hard to come by, but I still have reservations. They are not offering preservative free vaccine, and I am a bit hesitant. I have to do some research and think about it more. I have always gotten flu shots, and I have never worried about preservatives in them. I have tolerated them well thus far. Its something about being pregnant, though, that makes me wonder if the shot is necessary? I know, they're saying that I should get it BECAUSE I'm pregnant, but I'm still not sold. We'll see.

In knitting news, I'm about 1/2 way done with my sister's Lace Ribbon Scarf. It is her Christmas present, and I think its turning out beautifully. (I just actually have to sit down and knit it!) The pattern and the yarn (Sleeping Dragon Handpainted Sock) complement each other beautifully, and I'm really quite pleased. I started this pattern (same yarn, same needles) when the pattern first was published last spring, and for one reason or another I found it incredibly difficult. (I couldn't even knit 2 rows in garter stitch!) I don't know what changed, but now it is an incredibly easy and beautiful knit. I plan to make one for myself at some point, too.
My Garter Yoke cardi is also almost done... it just needs another sleeve. I enjoyed working with the Peace Fleece, though it did have a lot of ...veggie matter in the yarn. Bits of hay and grass that I had to pull from the yarn while I was knitting. Its also somewhat itchy; I would never make anything out of this yarn that would go up against my skin. I'm somewhat sensitive to mohair, though, and it definitely has some fuzz.

That's pretty much all in my world; My family was in town for Thanksgiving. Everyone stayed at my house which was nice, but stressful. My sister's kids are a handful! It made me very thankful for how low-key and laid back Tyler is. (Such a wonderful child! I love him more each and every day!!) My online class will be done on Dec. 16, and you can have no idea how thankful I will be for that one to be over. (What a nightmare!)

Anyway, that's about it! Over and out, for now.

Yar!

2009-11-13T05:24:00.000-08:00

I am back. I am pregnant!

I had a really horrible first trimester. I lost about 5 pounds due to morning sickness. I basically abandoned my husband and son. I would not cook dinner and I would go to bed around 5 pm. It was horrible...

but now, Horray!, I am in my second trimester and beginning to feel a bit better. I'm not nearly as ill feeling, though I still get queasy from time to time. I've got more energy and pep, and I'm actually eating breakfast! (Which is a HUGE accomplishment!)

I'm due May 16th, and I'm really excited. (It means I don't have to go back to work once the baby's born! YAY!)

Also: I have decided that I will be wearing a pair of Lakeside Socks when I give birth to the new baby. It is going to happen.

Hiatus.

2009-10-01T06:17:00.000-07:00

I have been on quite a hiatus. ...Didn't really feel like I had must to chat about, I guess.

Things have been pretty good at the Herman Household. I survived the month away in New York and returned to Kentucky particularly unscathed. Jim picked me up at the airport, we went to Tyler's graduation from the infant room to the 2 year old room, and then we packed up and got into the car and drove to Florida that night. We spent a week at the beach with my parents. It was great to have a nice relaxing vacation before returning to work.

Now I've been at work for about a month... totally falling into the grind and swing of things.

Not been knitting too terribly much... I've got to put sleeves on my Garter Yoke Cardi, and I've got 1/2 a Baudeliare sock left to go. I started a Koolhaas out of Noro Kuryeon, but I'm not sure if I like it. (The jury is still out on that one.)

What has been occupying most of my time these days is food, and why most of what is out there is crap. Recently I've been reading the labels on items in my pantry. Things that I considered healthy and absolutely safe to feed my family. HA! Turns out that MSG is hiding everywhere, and no one is under any obligation to warn consumers that their products contain MSG. Soup base, bullion, Progresso Soup, the "all natural vegan" noodles that I bought to avoid MSG - yeah, they all have it. Chick-fil-A? Its the 2nd ingredient listed in their seasoning. (No wonder it tastes so good!)

Anyway, I don't want to sound like I'm insane about what I eat... we don't buy organic milk. (Not because I don't want to, though, we just can't afford $6 a gallon!) But, I would like to be able to feed my family foods that aren't toxic! It sucks, though, because to eat the healthy stuff you have to be able to afford it. We can't really afford to shop at Whole Foods every day... which sucks, because good food is something that everyone should enjoy.

pout.

So Lazy...

2009-07-11T08:13:00.001-07:00

It seems that when I am not spurred on by the immediate needs of a 2 year old and husband, I am quite lazy.
I have decided that if I am going to be alone for the next month, that I would at least take advantage of it and do things that I am unable to do at home. (Or, not do things, as it were...) Here is a sampling of my most recent behavioral transgressions - none of which I feel the least bit sorry for:

Yesterday, I did not get out of bed until 11.
I stayed up until 1 am knitting a sock.
I did not cook breakfast this morning.
There is a pair of scissors on the floor, and I haven't even thought about moving them to a higher location.
I painted my toenails.
I went for a walk with nothing but a small purse.
I haven't done any dishes in a week.

I'm sure I could make the list go on and on... for example, this weekend I am going to relish in the fact that I don't have to clean 3 bathrooms and that someone else is going to wash my sheets.

Granted, none of this can make up for the fact that I am alone... but it does soften the blow, if only a teensy bit.

Today: knitting, reading, coding and dinner (hopefully) with an old friend from college.
Tomorrow: thrifting in Brooklyn with Lauren Miller. Should be good times!

Back To Blogger, and Bitchy New Yorkers

2009-07-09T11:07:00.000-07:00

I have returned to blogger after a brief hiatus at Wordpress.com. I left that domain because I have recently learned how to create blog skins and such, and I wanted to flex my creative hand. Unfortunately, the lovely people at Wordpress.com find it necessary to charge for altering the look of your blog beyond the general themes that they provide. (They do offer the ability to change the css and see your handi-work, but if you want to save the changes and make it so that everyone else can view your pretty blog skin, you've got to pay!) Its not even that reasonable of a price. ($30!) Um, no thanks.

So, here I am, back at blogger. My new blog skin is in the works, and it will be unveiled soon - I hope.

Currently I am in NYC, studying educational technologies at Teachers College, Columbia University. I'm actually finishing this year, and hope to have my diploma by October 2009. Wouldn't that be fantastic? New York has been lovely so far; the weather has been IDEAL and I am getting more and more comfortable moving around the city. Today, though, I really missed Louisville.

People in NYC just have a different attitude towards everything, it seems. I find that people, on the whole, are more self serving and less willing to go out of their way for another. I am speaking in large generalizations here, because I have met some truly wonderful people to be sure; Its just that these souls are far more difficult to come by.

Example: Yesterday I was walking down Amsterdam and I happened upon a lovely little LYS. It had beautiful yarns, and the prices were ...reasonable (by New York standards, at any rate. I mean, I don't want to pay $13 for Malabrigo Worsted, but... I guess everything is more expensive up here.) The owner was pleasant, but also a bit harsh in her personality. She was very talkative and amiable, but there also seemed to be a condescending tone and a hint of arrogance in the way she spoke to me. Anyway, I purchased 2 skeins of sock yarn (Artyarns Supermerino, color 234 - scrumptious!) and a 40" Addi Circular needle, size 2.

I walked home quite pleased, and as soon as I set foot in my room I busted out my purchases and set to work on a new sock.... it was so difficult. The needle is blunt, the cable is unforgiving... all are things I could deal with. But, upon further inspection, I noticed that the needle was the wrong size. (The owner had handed me the needle from off the wall, I assumed it was the correct one.) Saddened, I packed the needle up and worked on something else.

This morning (less than 24 hours after my purchase) I walked back to the LYS and asked if I could exchange the needle, seeing as how it is the wrong one. The owner (same woman) looked at me as if I was a total moron for even asking. "There's not a shop in the city that would exchange your needle. All needle sales are final." And that was that. She walked away... I left the store, and although I know she probably couldn't care less, I am never going to shop there again. I'd rather order from the internet or walk miles out of my way than deal with her again. She was so ...unpleasant! It was like that little side of her that I saw yesterday just took over her whole being. Most displeasing. I mean, I can handle the fact that she didn't want to let me exchange my needle, but she did NOT have to be so damn rude to me. And.... why the heck can't you exchange a needle? I clearly didn't use it. (I am not so magical as to be able to knit a pair of socks in 12 hours. That would be awesome, though...) It was even her fault that I got the wrong size! All I can think is.... bitch.

Anyway, I miss KY very much (Knit Nook... I miss you!!!). I can't wait to come home to be with my family, and all my FRIENDLY yarn friends.