Hey, look, we cooked!

Posted on July 29, 2012 by elizabeth

The passing of my sister’s wedding last week sort of reminded Dan and me that even though we both intend to attempt to get in shape before our January 2013 wedding, neither of us has done much to actually accomplish that goal. Well, other than buying a treadmill and drinking a lot of vodka tonics. (Because we’re trying not to buy beer. Very logical.) After almost three weeks of no grocery shopping (seriously, we ran out of EVERYTHING. Even triscuits. And pasta sauce. There was nothing to eat. At all.) we finally buckled down on Sunday, and since we were at the store, we figured that instead of our standard Sunday burritos, we would cook something, and make it healthy for once.

We really don’t cook much, other than chili a few times, and risotto a few other times, and I just didn’t feel like eating chili on such a hot day. I googled around for some chicken+pasta+veggies type recipes, and had found a few that looked good… until the light bulb went off and I remembered bookmarking Erin’s Roasted Veggie Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad over a year ago. Perfect! I was afraid Dan wouldn’t be interested in the same varieties of roasted vegetables that I was, but luckily we were on the same page.

We roasted grape tomatoes, bell peppers, asparagus, zucchini, and broccoli while we cooked pasta and seared some Mrs. Dash-coated chicken breasts. (We went with a pound rather than just one breast as recommended.) I was kind of shocked that we managed to time it all so perfectly. And it smelled SO GOOD while we were cooking.

We loaded it all into bowls (with four servings left over, which I’m SO looking forward to) and ate it while watching some Arrested Development. It did not disappoint, not even a little – I would say this is one of the best things we’ve ever made, but we don’t cook so much… still. This was so, so so tasty, and healthy, and flavorful, and I can’t wait to make it again.

(This is also counting for week 49 of the long-forgotten Handmade52 – it really has been months and months since I even remembered that I left this project hanging so close to the end. Project Life, my new love, counts for week 48, and I’m going to enjoy coming up with projects for the remaining week to finish this project for real.)

365 x 4

Posted on July 23, 2012 by elizabeth

Oh, Project 365. I can’t seem to ever let you go, no matter how insane you have been making me, on and off for the past six years. (Seriously?) This fourth round was by far the toughest, and despite the struggles, I managed to stick with it, and my last, 365th day, was this past week, the day before my sister’s wedding. (Hence the delay in actually posting anything.)

I went to a party store and bought a giant bunch of balloons. It was very tempting to buy the 3 foot tall silver mylar 3 6 and 5 but I couldn’t figure out why on earth I needed those, so I just went with regular balloons. Squeezing between dinner and bridesmaid manicures, I stopped at my parents’ house, balloons in tow, to get a photo. Except I’d forgotten my tripod AND my remote, so I ended up needing my dad’s help with the final shot. The brightly colored balloons were supposed to go with that whole eight weeks of color thing I started and didn’t really stick with… and it was so fun to be in the backyard trying to get cute, artistic shots with balloons, even though I had to head back out so soon.

But I got my shot, and a few extras for fun that I’ll post tomorrow. And mostly, I can’t believe that I did this again. I’m proud, even though this year contained a whole lot more cell phone photos than I’d like to admit, as well as a few missed days entirely. I don’t think I’ll be doing this again anytime soon, but hopefully Project Life will keep me shooting, so I won’t think I need to start another year sometime soon.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from my 30th year.

The Fourth Time Is Not the Charm

Posted on May 17, 2012 by elizabeth

You may be aware that I’m currently in the midst of my fourth Project 365 – my fourth year of daily photos (although the years have not been consecutive; I’m crazy but not over the top crazy, I guess). I started Project 365 the first time in the fall of 2006 because I wanted to learn how to take better pictures, or, I suppose more accurately: I just wanted to take pictures, period, and practice makes perfect. And I still think everyone who’s remotely interested in photography should try a daily photo project at least once, because you learn SO much in the process.

My creation

And when it was over, I needed a break; it was a relief to accomplish what I had set out to do… except in the few months that followed, I hardly took any pictures at all. And I really, really hated that, and loved having my days documented (especially since that first year saw me go from an administrative assistant in a long-term relationship who lived with her parents to a newly-employed librarian in her own apartment and dating someone else). So I started round two on January 1, 2008. It had always bothered me in round one that I didn’t start neatly at the beginning of the year, or, hell, even the beginning of a month. But by the end of that year? Cole, Summer and I started a “save us from our craziness” mini scavenger hunt and I tagged a bunch of photos with the phrase “help we’re struggling we’ll never make it uuuughhhh year two” … which says a lot.

My creation

And then it was over! And I was relieved. And a few months went by and I hadn’t taken any photos so I did a month of photos here and there… and then sneakily started again on October 1, 2009, saying all sorts of reasonable things like “I’ll only go as long as I want” and numbering the photos straight through, rather than xx/365, because that simple thing would CLEARLY allow my borderline OCD personality to just quit whenever I wanted. And I started telling Project 365 to bite me. You know, the project that I keep signing up for of my own free will. I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense… and yet it does. So Jodi asked one day, surreptitiously, how many pairs of shoes I thought I owned… and suggested doing a month of shoes to limp my way to the finish line of round three. And it was awesome.

My creation

And again I said I’d never do it again, except if you look closely, right after “done forever!!!!” I wrote “probably” … because I’m an idiot. And then my 30th birthday got closer and closer and I couldn’t help but think how nice it would be to have my 30th year documented entirely….

And here we are. Again. And I’m struggling more this time around, maybe because I’m tired of my end of the day back up shots. Or because I’m commuting an hour and working more hours and planning my wedding and I’m just tired. And more of the photos than I’d like are cell phone shots, and there have been days where I just plain forgot. And all of that is okay because this is my project and I say so, even if the only one scolding me is the voice inside my own damn head.

My creation

I love you Project 365, and I just can’t quit you, except now I really, really kind of need to quit you forever and ever. Maybe I’ll test out a weekly project. Or a monthly project. And I know I said this all those other times, and maybe I’ll document every year of my future children’s lives or something but nothing like this. Because honestly. I have some new crafty projects lined up that I’m really looking forward to, and my new camera will still need to be learned and used but… you know.

But first, I have to get myself through the remaining 63 days. And I was again talking to Jodi, trying to come up with something, because having a theme makes it more fun and less pressure, not to mention themes are fun. So starting today and going through day 365 on July 19 (I could have done 366 because of the leap year, but day 366 will be my sister’s wedding day so I think I’ll be a little bit busy for a big deal “Last Photo” type of thing), I’m going to do eight straight weeks of color.

Each week, I’ve got a color lined up (thanks to Dan’s 8-sided die, it’s randomized, even), and I’ll look for that color for the week. Sixty four colors lite, if you will. Without the pesky colors. I think it’ll be good.

Completed: Fall Minibook

Posted on May 15, 2012 by elizabeth

I bought a fall minibook kit from Elise’s shop at the end of the summer, because I can’t ever resist fall colors mixed together that way. I kept notes and printed photos months ago, but somehow never got around to putting it together. But an afternoon of chatting minibooks and Project Life with Jodi and Kelly last weekend got my papercraft-inspiration-juices flowing, and I just sat down to make this book on a weeknight and finished it in a few days. And it felt really, really good. It’s simple, mostly photos and date stamps, but six months late is better than never, as far as I’m concerned.

fall.1

297.365 :: six months late

fall3

fall4

fall5

fall6

fall7

fall8

fall9

(This also counts for week 47 of Handmade52!)

2011: A Year in Photos

Posted on December 31, 2011 by elizabeth

Another year over, and what a year it was. I don’t really know how I’ll look back on 2011. I tend to be reflective around my birthday, and not as much at this time of year, but I’m feeling, well, reflective as the hours tick down toward 2012. I haven’t written here for real in a while, and I’d really like to change that in the new year. 2011 held a lot of good and bad, and as it draws to a close, we’re fully into the good, and I am so glad for that. I have a lot of hope for 2012, and I like that feeling. This past year tested me in new ways, stretched my patience and my ability to have hope that things would get better. I turned 30. I left my beloved apartment to move a whole county north to live with Dan finally, and that has been truly awesome, even if I still miss my beach and my pizza and my bagels. I suppose that other than turning 30 and getting a tattoo, I will look back on 2011 most as the year I made a huge career change, one that I was scared to make. I’m not a librarian any more, and I don’t have any regrets. So here are my favorite photos from this past year… I can’t wait to see what 2012 brings, and I hope you all have a wonderful and happy new year!

Week 41: Salad in a Jar

Posted on November 27, 2011 by elizabeth

A few weeks ago, I was quickly scanning through old posts on Lifehacker, and came upon this gorgeous recipe on fat girl trapped in a skinny body. I’m constantly struggling with lunch at work, even more now that I stay in more often than not. No matter what I do, I can’t bring myself to be very motivated to put a healthy lunch together in the early mornings, and when I attempt it, I sometimes get it done for a day or two, and then end up buying lunch because I’m too lazy. I need something that I can just grab and go, and yogurt doesn’t cut it, and soup gets old.

So those gorgeous jars of salad full of healthy food sounded perfect. And easy, especially after I realized I could get quart-sized canning jars at the craft store for super cheap. I made my first batch two weeks ago, and even Dan wanted in. (When asked if he liked chick peas, he said, “They sound healthy. So sure.”) I couldn’t find quinoa at the grocery store I stopped at, so I went with orzo instead. These six salads fed both of us for a whole week, and it was fantastic.

We’re back to full work weeks this week, so I put another batch together this afternoon. It’s idiotic how easy it is to put these together. The important part is the layering, so that the dressing and lettuce don’t touch, meaning the lettuce stays fresher for more days in the fridge.

For this batch of six salads, I again doubled the balsamic vinaigrette recipe that Julia lists in her post, just olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and honey, although I didn’t blend mine. I cut up two bell peppers, a pint and a half of grape tomatoes, a can of chick peas, a handful each of chopped pecans and craisins, 3 cups of cooked quinoa, and about two bags of lettuce. (You can really jam the lettuce in there.)

They’re portable, healthy, and super fresh, and I don’t have to do anything in the morning. They shake up pretty well, but both Dan and I have found it easier to dump it into a bowl or onto a plate to eat it. It’s a big, filling salad, too, and let’s face it, I could use to eat some healthier food, especially at this time of year.

The Story of My First Grade Bangs

Posted on November 21, 2011 by elizabeth

Every month or so, my much-loved bangs start to look like this and it turns me into a crazy person.

I usually head into the salon to get them trimmed by professionals, but this time, I couldn’t get an appointment and things were getting bad, so I decided (after MUCH debate) to cut them myself at home. They turned out just fine, as you can see…

But there was a lot of unhappiness the night I trimmed them. Thank goodness Dan was around to fix my mistakes calmly. And I’m not sure I wouldn’t attempt it again, despite my freak out. But the reason for this post is that this is actually not the first time I have cut my own bangs. See, back in the early 80s, I had the same bangs that I have now.

And as it goes, it was time to grow them out. Everything was going fine; my mom employed a lot of those awesome 80s plastic barrettes and such. Fast forward to one fateful day when I was in first grade. I had seen Mary Poppins and became convinced that the girl in Mary Poppins didn’t need an elastic underneath her hair ribbon, and so obviously I could wear a ribbon in my (fine, slippery, straight) hair without a rubber band to hold it in place to. My mom humored me, as moms do, and off I went to school. Except as the day went on, bits of hair freed themselves from the ribbon and fell into my eyes. Being the logical and resourceful six-year-old that I was, I used the scissors in my desk to cut the hair hanging in my eyes.

Obviously.

So imagine my mom’s surprise when I came home from school – with a half inch of bangs in the center of my forehead, bangs that I most certainly did not have when I left that morning. I still can’t imagine how my mom reacted. But the kicker of the story is that I REFUSED to grow that half-inch of bangs in or let my mom cut more for THREE YEARS. So I had a half inch of bangs in the middle of my forehead from first through fourth grades. I still remember being REALLY MAD at my mom for making me hairspray them back for my third grade class picture.

So I guess my self-styling instincts will always steer me in the right direction, eh?

Dear Daylight Savings,

Posted on November 5, 2011 by elizabeth

I really don’t like that you are leaving us this weekend. Not just because we’ll get less light after work, but because I will no longer get to see these amazing sunrises and sunsets on my commute thanks to just an hour of difference.

And I think that kind of sucks.

Love,
Elizabeth

Week 33: Wide Angle Love

Posted on August 30, 2011 by elizabeth

I sometimes forget that I built an escape clause into this whole Handmade52 project, namely that photos could count if I needed them to. (Yes, again, that old refrain about how my own rules are too strict and I promise I can stop this project any time really I mean it blah blah.)

But a few weeks ago, I asked my friend Pete if I could borrow his wide angle camera lens, just for something different. I knew I wanted to get some good shots of our new apartment, and I figured it would come in handy during my brief trip up to Cape Cod, too.

I didn’t expect to love it so much that I kept “forgetting” to give it back. I guess I know what’s now at the top of my Camera Lenses I Would Buy Assuming I Had An Extra $700 Anyway list.

The lens is the Tokina 11-16mm, which is great indoors and just all around fantastic. I rarely took it off of my camera during the three weeks I had it, and I think I could do a lot of damage with a wide angle and the 50mm. Here are some of my favorite shots with the wide angle lens.

Week 32: Getting Settled

Posted on August 19, 2011 by elizabeth

I’m sure it’s nothing but obvious that at this point, I’m struggling with this Handmade52 project. Once the move was over and I finally had a moment to breathe, I just couldn’t muster much creative energy. I have a few ideas but following through on them… just hasn’t been happening. I’ve been so TIRED.

And as I was using my borrowed wide angle lens to take some photos of what our new apartment looks like, now that it’s almost at a point where I want to show it off to people, I realized that settling in, unpacking, arranging furniture and tchotkes is creative and handmade, too. It’s a bit of a stretch, but it’s not like I haven’t been doing things since I stopped counting them for this project. So. For week 32 of Handmade52, I’m counting getting settled into our new place, because I think we’re really close to being where we want to be, minus a few wall decorations. And that’s super good stuff.