Backwoods Babble

Ever feel like you are having one of those kind of days??? You know the ones.. Where you start out with such a great idea and then you are eaten by your dragon?? Now that is a rotten day... I just couldn't resist learning a new trick, hence the wizard being eaten by his dragon. I found this little gif and a ton more ... HERE This would be a very random post, but I'm a little out of control with this new funness now! That's right I used the word "funness" in a sentence.

I am sure you may have noticed my obsession with gadgets. I saw a commercial with this one the other day and just about died. I can draw a straight line fairly convincingly, but I cannot cut one. Even with a paper cutter, I somehow manage to make the lines all wonky and it just is not cute. Ta da! The machine for the untalented such as myself! Yes, I know it's completely expensive and totally frivolous, but that does not make me want it any less! Like how I added the softer focus to make it look more dreamy???? I know you want to know more... Head on over to AMAZON to see more... or even better check out the Cricut website. Happy Swooning!

I finally found the little attachment thingy for my phone so the pictures could be added to my computer. I took this one day while playing around. I'm also trying out the post date options to see if it will work a few days out. As I am trying to be a more consistent blogger, I am hoping this will help out during the school year when I most definitely will not be able to sit down and post everyday. That's my black lab/blue heeler, Abish. I was sitting in a pizza place with a few friends back home in Alaska when a bum wandered in and wanted to trade a puppy for a pizza. We told him we'd give him the pizza, but no one could take the puppy. He said that he would just drown it! One of my friends said she could talk her husband into taking it, but he would flip out if she just brought a puppy home. So, the stinky, smelly puppy came home with me "just for one night"... 10 years later, she's still a little stinky and has trouble getting up and down due to some ...

I know... I know... I just posted a sunset pic a few days ago. But.. but... this is just so pretty! I hope you enjoy it too. I am less than a week away from my first day of class and I'm super excited! I had the chance to go school supply shopping, which is one of my favorite things ever. I also have all my books, folders and notebooks labeled to give my label-maker something to do. Now, just waiting for the financial aid office to get caught up and cut me a nice fat check! wooohoooo! It's a good reason they are a little behind. Enrollment is up by almost 40%! Which is great for this little campus and hopefully means they will keep us around at least long enough for me to finish my degree! Another woohoo for that! Happy Picture Making!

I am a lover of kitchen gadgets. One of my happiest days was when I got a nice deal on my Kitchenaid stand mixer. I had been drooling over it for a few years and finally felt the price was right. I have been happily baking bread and trying out all kinds of recipes. I was able to choose an attachment pack as part of the sale and selected this lovely little set for making pasta. So far, I've only made macaroni, but shall soon be embarking on a fettuccine experience with fresh noodles. At least, I will once I rig up a way to dry the noodles in lieu of a fancy pasta drying rack. Now I have my heart set and will likely purchase soon this little lovely below. This is a sausage stuffer. I was watching Top Chef the other day - one of many cooking shows that I love and one of the contestants was making their own sausage. I thought... huh.. I could do that and the dream for a new gadget was born. Luckily this little beauty is super cheap over on Amazon . Happy Dreaming!

I am addicted to anything artsy, vintage or otherwise when it comes to blogs. Lately, I have been adding and adding to my blog roll. It is amazing that I am able to get anything done with all the wonderful things that are out there.. Take this fabulous find, for instance, discovered on Just Something I Made : I mean, how fabulous is that. She also has fabulous instructions for creating your own embossing that I may just have to try.... Happy Blog Hunting!

While I had some fun playing with Wordpress, it really is much more than I will ever need. I'm not that fancy. So, I'm back to play here at Blogger. This is mixed media creation that I did awhile back - watercolor, colored pencils and an ink pen. I like the mixing of the different media and especially like how the ink stands out here. I am really going to have to get a few more cool pens to play with. Maybe even some colored ones! You know what that means... another trip to Blicks! Woohoo!

It's been a bit since I have made my own post - I know I'm such a slacker. I have been enjoying so many other wonderful blogs this summer that I just keep forgetting. A couple of quick updates. The crazy Praxis I that I was stressing about most of the summer has come and gone. AND I passed with flying colors. I will also stress out for the big tests, but I always manage to get through them. Just one my many little neuroses. I also found out that I will be able to finally have my Associate of Arts degree by the end of this semester! After so many years, finally something to show for it! I am still doing a little happy dance about that one! The best part being that my new found love of art classes actually contributed to this moving up of the estimated date of graduation! Yay for following what I wanted to do! =) The picture above is from about a week or so ago. The fires in California are sending us hazy days and gorgeous sunsets. Amazing that when things are so crazy ...

I don't really like meat. I mean it's okay, but it is not my favorite thing. So, I've been thinking maybe I should learn more vegetarian dishes to make up for my lack of protein and general poor eating. Also, beans and rice and most ingredients for the dishes are cheaaaaaaap... and I'm a total cheapskate whenever possible. I have eaten curry dishes before and thought it was about time that I tried to cook one. This was surprisingly easy and would be great for leftover rice. I think when I use some of the leftovers instead of a hard-boiled egg, I'll try a poached one or a fried one with a nice gooey yolk. I think the extra goo would be delicious. This would also be great (I think) in a stuffed pepper, baked with a little shredded mozzarella... oh the possibilities. Here's the recipe. I swiped it from this book called Vegetarian that I found on the sale rack at a bookstore a hundred years ago. Spicy Lentils and Rice **serves 4 though possibly as a side dish...

I'm always looking for ways to improve my photography skills and these photo contests are a fabulous motivation to just get out there and get going! If you want to follow along you can go HERE and get the rest of the details! My first post will probably be in a couple of days since I'm fighting another nasty cold - ugh! Happy Snapping!