Wednesday's Wonders 4.28.10 Cooking

I have recently picked up a wooden spoon and began cooking. I have NEVER had the urge, want, or need. (Someone else always cooked.) But within the last year and a half, the need arose. I was terrified! One thing I can not do is see a list of ingrediants and determine if I will like it. It just boggles my mind to no end. And I just HATE spending an hour or more cooking and then it all be gone in 10-20 minutes. So I began simple. Simple recipes, simple ingrediants, not a lot of time. And to my suprise, I'm not too bad!

I began with just a few cook books and recipes from the internet. Above is one dinner of stuffed tomatoes. I have always wanted to make stuffed tomatoes with some sort of meat in it. I finally found a recipe and it turned out wonderful!

Even Jack, my cat, thinks I'm pretty good! This is him eying the Thanksgiving turkey!

And my FIRST pumpkin pie turned out 'just like mom's'! I have always been a baker. I love making cookies, cakes, cupcakes and pies. But one can't quite live healthily on cakes and cookies alone. darn.

And this above, I know, doesn't look like much. This is my first Sheppard's Pie. It lasted all of two meals between me and my boyfriend. I was AMAZED how good this came out! And get this... I only used a recipe as a guide. I didn't have one thing (other than the piece crust and the potato topping) that the recipe actually called for. I think I may be getting the hang of this!!

Now what shall I make for dinner....?

Clutter Creations

I have a.... hmmmm, issue, problem - weakness (that's it!) for clutter. Even though it may not seem like it to some, I do try to be neat, it just doesn't work a lot of times. It is a strong family trait we all have for hoarding. I know exactly where everything is. No matter how deep in the pile, or exaclty which pile. Now, mind you, I am NOT one of those people who have piles to the ceilings or rooms that are not even accessable.

I have been trying very had the last few months to use things I have, rather than buy something new. It's been working, slowly. But I have a lot of things to get through and use!! I will not bother you with images of my clutter - I've done that once already. Anyway, here are some of the creations I've been working on, using all my clutter and stuff.

Wednesday's Wonders 4.21.10 Getting There

Today, I rode my bike to work. It was a beautiful spring morning here in Santa Fe. The birds were chirping, the flowers are blooming and the sun rising over the mountains. I happen to be fortunate enough to live close enough to work (3 1/2 miles) to be able to bike to work or into downtown Santa Fe. I absolutely love this! I've always wanted to live close to a downtown, no matter how big or small.

This is my first bike ride of the year. I know, a little late getting started, but I've started!! My bike has weathered the harsh winter and was raring to go. I, on the other hand was a little hesitant. I had injured my foot last week and thought it was broken. It's still a bit tender and I didn't know how I would do pedaling a bicycle. But I took my time, and I was ok.

This is where the Wednesday's Wonders come into play ~ Getting there, the journey. I love taking my time. I see things I don't typically see. Experience things not typically experienced. I've lived here in Santa Fe now for 7 years. And there are still wonders not yet seen.

Here are some great little wonders found today ~ getting there.

The Oldest Church in the USA - San Miguel Church, circa 1610.

The Oldest House in the USA circa 1646.

Vigas coming out from a gallery wall. Notice the handcarving and painting on the sides....

Verticle Gardens

With spring on it's way I have been getting the itch to start planting. I have a wooden fence in the backyard that would be perfect for these! These ideas can be used indoor and out and are perfect for small spaces and gardens.

Book Review - One Yard Wonders

I have been on a kick to use up my stashes of all sorts. At a stop at the bookstore this past weekend I found this book - One Yard Wonders by Rebbecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins. After a quick flip I thought this may help diminish my fabric stash. I ran home and looked over each project twice. And finally settled on making Steggie, below, for my first project. All the patterns are provided with the book and the instructions were easy to follow. The book has a wide range of projects that will surely help clean up my fabric stash. There is something for everyone here. I see tons of handmade sewing gifts in my near future!!

Isn't he the cutest?!

Wednesday's Wonders 4.14.10 Twilight

I'm going to stray a bit from an actual wonderment 'wonder' and write a bit about how I am completely amazed and left in total wonderment about the movie Twilight. Yes, I just got around to watching it, I guess I'm a bit behind. But I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. And I must say, I absolutely hated the whole thing. The acting - awful. The drama - contrived. The music - horrible. The story line - eh. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to get up and turn off the DVD player and watch something, anything else! I am left wondering how and why so many people are so addicted to the movie and its sequels.

Now, I have to admit to my weird taste of movies. Most movies that I absolutely adore, many people question my sanity for. And I have a massive amount of tolerance and will keep watching a movie hoping it will get better or try to redeem itself. I've only walked out of one movie in my life. I have fallen asleep a few times during a movie, but that's why I put that certain movie on in the first place.

Overall, I think I was more astonished at the fact that SO many people liked this movie and thought it was so good and now they are all biting their nails waiting for the next one. I know there are millions of die-hard fans out there. I am not one of them and will not waste my time on the sequels. What do you think of the Twilight series? Did I miss something?

Wednesday's Wonders 4.7.10 Twins

I know, strange topic. But let's see if I can pull this off. It is my cousins' Birthdays today. Yes, they are twins, and could not be more different than each other. Aren't twins supposed to look, act, think just (mostly) the same. Well, not these two!!! Either way, I love you guys and Happy Birthday! Here are some picks of things that are the same, yet uniquely their own..... salut!

1. GlazedOver

2. AWEshop

3. drowsySwords

4. polkadotmagpie