I Must Like This Salad....

I really do actually like the watermelon salad, and it's in season, and is tasty, and doesn't heat up the house. So what did we eat this week....
Fattoush - Jewish (p.86) - It's a veggie middle eastern salad, yummy with pita bread!
Pita Bread - My Own - Yum!
Vegetable Risotto - PB&J (p. 79) - It's made with brown rice so not quite as creamy as real risotto. I also doubled the seasonings, turned out well, though it's better the day of than as leftovers.
Mung Dal Na Poora - East (p. 263) - One of DH's favorites, and it's easy to make. Basically a slightly spicy bean pancake. I swear it's good!
Bibingka - East (p. 259) - It's cake made with rice flour. Pretty good despite my getting lazy with the folding half way through and letting the mixer finish it. It think that's how it ended up with 2 layers instead of one. So the heavier denser cake was at the bottom and it had a lighter, almost like angle cake or sponge cake as a top layer from them separating. Still tasty though! I think I like it with butter and jam over the suggested butter and coconut topping.
Bean, Rice, and Cheese Burritos - My own, It's easy and tasty. Plus I made a TON of tortillas so I'm thinking we will be having more.
Salad with Watermelon and Feta Cheese - Jewish (p.348) - Made it again, because it's tasty and we need to use up the watermelon we keep buying. Since we bought yet another at the farmers market I see it in being made again.

Not Much This Week

I didn't really make a lot this week. I made some just add water and salsa dry tortilla soup. I added chickpeas instead of the suggested chicken. Not bad. Another night I went out so DH ordered a broccoli garlic pizza.

So what did I make.....

Asian Miracle Salad - Vegan Lunch Box (p. 92) We've had this before, love it!
Lentil Soup - My Own Basic and good
Broccoli w/ Sesame Seeds - PB&J (p. 52) Had some left over Broccoli I needed to use up. It's broccoli with garlic and sesame seeds, yum.
Peanutty Peas & Noodles - PB&J (p. 70) Another we've had before. I added some frozen mixed stir fry veggies in with the sauce and peas. Obviously we like this one too.

What We Ate Before Going Back Home

I really should try to get better at doing this in a timely manner......
Anyway....

Spinach and Artichoke Dip - Good Eats Seriously, it's spinach artichoke dip, we love this stuff! I tend to add a bit more seasonings, and used seasoned marinaded artichokes. YUM!
Avolemono - Jewish (p. 117) More of an eh. It's lemony and eggy soup. Kind of odd, not terrible, but don't see making this again.
Beetroot & Potato Salad - Jewish (p. 347) It reminded me of my favorite Ethiopian beet and potato salad. I loved it! DH wouldn't eat it, but he hates cold potatoes.
Bean, Cheese & Rice Burritos - My Own Yummy!
Greek Spaghetti - Better Than PB&J (p. 72) I've made this once before. It's quick, easy and yummy! I double the amount of veggies in it though and add a bit more cheese.
Red Currant Mini Cakes - Here YUM! A great way to use the small amount of currants that I got from my tiny little bushes.
Wild Strawberry Mini Cakes Same thing but topped with wild strawberries picked from the yard.
Strawberry Jam Yummy! Just followed the recipe in the pectin box.
Strawberry Rhubarb Jam Again yum! And went basically off of the box.

I Have Not Been Good About This......

So I need to work on updating this more. Since it's been awhile, and I really liked some things I made, I'm just going to put a huge list down because...
1. It's easier
2. I'm lazy
3. Really these lists are for myself to remind myself of dishes I really liked, and make it easier to figure out what dish I'm trying to think of or in which of my books it's in.

So here goes....
What we ate the week or so before our last trip back to IL.

Fasolada - Jewish (p.112) A yummy hearty bean and veg soup.
Old Country Mushroom, Beans & Barley Soup - Jewish (p. 113) Another veg soup with peas, beans, and barley. Yum.
A Pottage of Lentils - Jewish (p. 122) A lentil soup, I only blended half of it because DH likes his chunky. Good, but I believe DH said a bit too much lemon for him.
Mushroom Soup - Local Newspaper Clipping A good creamy mushroom soup.
Vegetable Saute - Food Network - Good Eats I generally like his recipes, and this is no exception. A basic veg stir-fry, what's not to like.
Sweet Potato Walnut Burritos - 3 Bowls (p. 84) I've made this several times because we both like it a lot, and it's fairly easy to make.
Fava Bean Soup - PB&J (p.37) Good, better than the first time when I made it with dry fava beans. The jarred ones had a completely different flavor.
Fava Bean, Lemon & Parmesan Risotto - 30 Minute Vegetarian (p. 48) I love this, DH though it was a bit to lemony. It wasn't quite as good as a leftover though. Next time I'll probably just make a half batch.
Soba Noodle Soup - My own I made this up as I went along. Basically veggies, braggs, and noodles. I believe I also put in garlic, I should probably write it down when I'm making it up as I go.

After we got back from IL......
Tzimmes - Jewish (p.380) A bit on the too sweet side. Next time if I made it I wouldn't add any honey, it didn't need it at all. We ended up adding the leftovers to our falafels and that was pretty good, better than on it's own.
Cauliflower with Tomatoes and Cumin - Jewish (p. 391) It's similar to Indian food, so we liked it.
Orange & Green Salad - PB&J (p. 39) Kind of weird. Didn't care for the combination of cucumber and oranges. I think this would be good without the cucumber maybe.
Firefighter French Fries - PB&J (p. 46) Sweet potato french fries... Of course it's super yummy!
Lettuce Wraps - PB&J (p. 62) Yum!
Howlin Hummus - PB&J (p.47) I add more garlic and spice. We love hummus though.
Cheese Dumplings - Jewish (p. 378) I seem to be incapable of making decent dumplings, though DH did like these.
Pita Bread - My own It's pita bread, it's simply good.
Falafel - PB&J (p. 58) For the pita sandwiches. Yum!

About 2 weeks ago......
Halloumi & Grape Salad - Jewish (p. 358) Oh dear god this was good! I added extra grapes to mine. Salty and sweet, just oh so good!
Italian Style Potaoes - PB&J (p. 55) We aren't really a fan of this. It's rather heavy, and it's like spaghetti, but with potatoes. Eh.
Bulgur Wheat & Veggies - PB&J (p. 71) Made this with couscous instead since I have aton of that and very little Bulgur wheat.
Greek Spaghetti - PB&J (p. 72) DH and I agree this is yummy! Another plus is that it's simple and quick to make.
Soup with Knaidlach - Jewish (p.134) DH and I would call this Matza Ball soup. It's good! DH loved it, and said it's the best he's had. He's was also really happy since he hasn't had any since becoming a vegetarian.

Last Week......
Fresh Cabbage Shchi - Jewish (p. 124) We liked this, it's pretty close to my Betty Crocker Russian Cabbage Soup. I do prefer Betty's version though.
Potatoes and Onions - Jewish (p. 388) It's just fried potatoes and onions, basic but tasty.
Chickpea soup with Spinach - Jewish (p. 133) Yummy, simple tasting soup.

This Week......
Couscous Tacos - PB&J (p. 76) It's good, but WOW! That's a lot of filling! Next time maybe cut it in half?
Salad with Watermellon & Feta Cheese - Jewish (p. 348) Sounds like a weird combination, but oh is it super good! Num! Num! Num!
Avacado, Orange & Almond Salad - Jewish (p. 74) Another one that sounds like a weird combo, but is oh my goodness yummy!

What We Were Eating

I'm going to try to be better about this so.....
This is what we ate before we went on vacation.

Tomato Soup with Israeli Couscous - Jewish Cooking (p. 121) - Yum! And very hearty!
Lubuya - Jewish Cooking (p. 121) - It's a bean soup, pretty good.
Black Bean and Corn Salad - I made this one up, it was pretty good.
Courgette and Asparagus Soup - You Are What You Eat (p. 109) - always a great way to use up asparagus trimmings, and tastes creamy and buttery despite the absence of both.
Sesame Rice Balls - You Are What You Eat (p. 197) - We've had this before. It's a tasty healthy snack, love her cookbook!
Creamy Rice Caserole - From the web - Tasty, but not very healthy, kind of like mac n' cheese.
Fries - My own - they are cut whole (non skinned) potatoes with paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, then drizzled with olive oil and baked - Always yummy!

When it's time to say good-bye

I am grieving you can’t be the person I wanted you to be, that I wish you could be. I am sorry you can’t grow up, that you can’t see the world though eyes or the perspective of someone else. This has been a long time coming, and I’ve fought it for a very long time. I’ve waited for you to mature, act like an adult, and as I’ve bluntly put it, grow up. I can see now that it is impossible. I mean you are nearly middle aged now, and really if it hasn’t happened by now, it’s just not going to. I go over in my mind so many things you have said and done over the years, and honestly I’m disappointed in myself that it’s taken this long for me to let go. Others have told me you were who you were, and you weren’t going to change, and I just didn’t want to see it.

I go over in my mind the things you have said and done over the years. There have been the little things like when you claimed to have made your matron of honor dress for my wedding, even though we both know my mother and I did nearly all the work on it (thanks for letting me know I needed to do it just 4 days before the wedding BTW). Then there are the really bad things, like when you told me that it was “too boring” to spend time with your father who was dying of cancer. Or when you told me your tinnitus was harder to deal with than people who loose limbs, are dying of incurable cancer, and your father dying (though you couldn't be bothered to stick with the treatment that actually was working). I still clung to hope that you would eventually mature, could see the error of some of the things you had said and done. Even when you told me that it sucked that your mother in law had breast cancer, not because she would have to go through treatments, or could possibly die, but because you would no longer have a free baby sitter, I was appalled, but I told myself she doesn’t really mean that. But you did, you meant everything you said because you are incapable of seeing how another person might feel. It took until you belittled me over being upset over losing my baby. I tried to brush it off at first, but you wouldn’t let up. You had to keep insisting that not only must there be something wrong with me to have lost the baby, and that I wasn’t doing enough to have kept her, you insisted that I “get over it”,and “let it go” because after only a few weeks I was still grieving my loss. You even insisted that I help you find maternity clothes, asking me over and over to help you look and telling me what it was going to be like for you to be pregnant and telling me “not that you’d know”. Later you couldn’t even apologize for your words, and insisted that you meant them. Then you were told by others that what you did was wrong, and you lied. You said the exact opposite had happened. That you looked out for me, comforted me, and even told me I might want to do something else because you were going baby shopping. We both know what you really did, and what you really said. I guess you can live with it, but I can’t anymore. So I’m done.

I can’t keep forgiving you and keep any kind of respect for myself. I’ve begun to think of it like when I left my abusive ex. I kept waiting for him to get better. To be the person he claimed he was. But he couldn’t be that person. He could only be an abuser, he would only take from me, and could never give, could never love, even though he said he did. He simply wasn’t capable of loving anyone. You are like that in a way. You are not capable of really caring about other people enough to see what you have done or said. You can’t act like a mature adult, and see that other people have feelings. I feel sorry for you, and there is still a part of me that wants to keep forgiving you, but I just can’t anymore. I’ve reached my limit. So I have to let you go. You are just too toxic for me to keep subjecting myself to you. If I keep looking the other way, and stay your friend I wonder what that says about me? That I think that kind of behavior is ok? That I’ll accept anything? That I am ok with being a doormat? That I’m ok with how you think of and treat other people? I had to leave my abusive ex for my own sanity, and I see now that I have to let our friendship die for the same reasons. It’s funny in a way because you two hated each other so much, but I think that’s because you were so alike in some ways at least. Since you are family I’m sure I will sometimes see you, and I don’t have a problem being cordial around you, but I just can’t be your friend anymore. So I’ll grieve the loss of our friendship, the person who I have been friends with since we were literally babies, and be sad. Sad you can’t be the person I’d like you to be because I can’t change you, I can only change how I react to you.

Almost Forgot

I forgot to finish writing about last weeks menu so here is the quick update on that......

Dosas -DH loved these I thought they were good, but he totally loved them.
Potato Masala Filling - Good we both liked this.
Sambhar - Again we both liked this, but I think DH liked it more.
Mung Dal Na Poora - I've made this before and it's one of DH favorite things. I like them too. I made it slightly different this time (not as spicy threw in some leftover chives and not as much onion) and DH did say that last time they were better. Of course he always likes thing spicier than I do.
Beet Raita w/ Dill, Lime & Honey - We both agree this is yummy!
Veggie Flat breads w/ Goat Cheese - This is like an upscale, healthier version of pizza. What's not to like? Seriously definitely on the yum list.
Fresh Chinese Parsley & Mint Chutney - I've made this before and we both agree last time was better. This time it had a slightly bitter quality that wasn't great. Not sure if it was the yogurt I used or the cilantro that was a bit old, but last time was yummy and this time was kind of eh.
Paximadia Cookies - Basically like a Greek version of biscotti. Again, what's not to like? I did not make it anise flavored though as DH does not like black licorice. I made mine with hazelnut flavoring and a shot of amaretto.

No Worries

My Dr wasn''t concerned about the rash (it was gone by the next day), so I'm good. Ya!!! It would be just about impossible for a tick to have been on me long enough to transmit anything since I usually take 2 showers a day, and even if I did skip and took one a day it still wouldn't be long enough. So good no antibiotics.

So for this week we are eating.......
Aubergine, Lemon, and Caper Salad - Jewish (p.363) We had this tonight and it was good!
Curried Parsnip Soup - Practical Soups (p.11)
Yogurt and Spinach Soup - Practical Soups (p.17)
Potato Salad - Jewish (p. 154)
Sesame Noodles - Fresh current month (p. 18)
Goat Cheese and Chive Souffles - Fresh /current month (p.28)
Quinoa and Black Bean Salad - Fresh /current month (p.35)
Zucchini Rotini - Flat Belly magazine /current month (p.65)
Potato and Radish Salad - Ultimate Vegetarian Book (p.145)
Courgette and Asparagus Soup - You Are What You Eat (p.109)
Fig and Cranberry Oatmeal
Chocolate Almond Macaroons - Flat Belly magazine /current month (p.77)

We had the aubergine, lemon, and caper salad tonight and it was good! I had to tell DH not to eat it all so I would have some for lunch tomorrow. The courgette and asparagus soup we have had a few times as it's a good way to use up the tougher part of asparagus that you would normally throw away, or in my case compost. I didn't blend one bowl of it because DH likes his soup unblended and chunky. Oh, and even though I made the potato and radish salad last week I decided to make it again to use up some more of the radishes we have, and I really liked it even if DH didn't.

Rash?

Crap. I have a sort of bulls eye rash. I had a rash a few days ago in the same spot, and now I'm getting a little more concerned. I emailed a picture of the current rash to my doctor, and I'm really hoping it's not Lyme disease. I do NOT want to be on antibiotics for 3 freaking weeks! CRAP. I'll give the doctors office a call tomorrow, to make sure they got the email. DH wants me to go on antibiotics now, but I'd rather wait if I can. If it turns out I do have it I'm going to have to wait another month before we start trying for a baby, which also sucks. And I am so not looking forward to the massive yeast infection I will get from being on antibiotics for so freaking long. I'm pissed.

BTW DH did not like the cold chickpea soup because of the cucumbers in it. =( Well, I thought it was fine, although I'd eat it more as a dip than a soup. It's pretty much like hummus with cucumbers. Ah well.

Not Over It Yet

Well, since I was still mad about DH's reaction I told him if he wanted to eat dinner he was going to help make it. So he picked through the spinach leaves washed them, and grated and sliced the cheeses. He said he liked the veggie stuffed portobello's a lot, but I'm not sure if he really did or if he was saying that because he knew I was still mad. He was going to go back for seconds though untill I reminded him we had more food so maybe he really did. We also had corn on the cob, figs with goat cheese and honey, and more of that really yummy salad.

Menu for August 9, 2009

So since I usually don't go on here I figured I might use it to keep track of my weekly menus as opposed to how I usually do it which is keep the paper that I write it on. OK, I'll probably still probably keep the stack of papers, but now I can also add notes about what I cook. So for this week.....
Dosas -India (p.173)
Potato Masala Filling - India (p.174)
Sambhar - India (p.178)
Mung Dal Na Poora - East (p.263)
Beet Raita w/ Dill, Lime & Honey - 3 Bowls (p.119)
Vegetable Bowls w/ Yogurt Lime Dressing - Better Homes and Gardens (p.190)
Chilled Cucumber Chickpea Soup - Better Homes and Gardens (p.195)
Veggie Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms - Better Homes and Gardens (p.201)
Veggie Flat breads w/ Goat Cheese - Better Homes and Gardens (p.202)
Fresh Chinese Parsley & Mint Chutney - East (p.364)
Mushroom & Swiss patty melt w/ Peas - Whole Deal- Aug/Sept (p.6)
Fig and Cranberry Oatmeal - Foodnetwork (Goodeats, Alton Brown)
Goat cheese Honey & Figs
Paximadia Cookies - Lunch Box (p.243)
Honey Bee No-Bakes - Lunch Box (p.241)

Since I can't get curry leaves here I'll be using plain curry powder and am considering buying a curry tree, for the future. I also can't get drumstick vegtables so I'll eather leave them out, or substitute asparagus. Since we don't eat meat for the turkey patties I used TVP and chickpeas and just mixed it all in so we could eat it wrap or taco like with some flat bread. I made the no-bakes with real honey, but about half what was recomended, and more than double the almond butter, and a big dollop of soy nut butter, and more coco powder than called for, and made half with a shot of agave syrup.

So Sunday we had leftovers and the figs ad honey, and we both liked it. It was tangy sweet and tasty!

I loved the no-bakes, DH was ok with them.
Last night we had the patty melts and veggie bowls. I liked both. DH only liked the veggie bowl, he hated the patty melts so much that he actually spit it out onto the table! Which quite frankly pissed me off. He has no problem saying "ewwww", "that's gross", "this is awful" (which, let me tell you, does wonders for the ego), but he's never actually spit it out onto the table! I pretty much wanted to smack him. I'm not sure it was the taste though as the only thing he did say was that he didn't like the texture, which really doesn't make sense as he's had TVP before and has been fine with it. I'm still pretty pissed over his spitting his food onto the table, and I really feel like I'm cooking for a very cranky, picky 4 year old sometimes. He rarely compliments what I make, unless I prompt him as to what he thinks about it. I know he usually likes what I make, and he's always asking me to make things to bring to his co-workers, but it would be nice to feel appreciated. That and when he doesn't like something I've asked him to say he doesn't care for it, not "Ewwww", althought that would be better than spitting it on the freaking table!

I made the oatmeal this morning and used dried cherries instead of cranberries by mistake , but I think my cut oatmeal is old and I need to replace it. I knew that I was putting in cherries, but I thought I was supposed to instead of looking and seeing it said cranberries not cherries.

I am so excited....... about a weed!

Dude! Seriously I am so excited! I was just looking online how to grow artichokes, since I bought a pack of seeds and have no clue how to do it, but was a little concerned when I noticed on the back it said 180-360 days until harvest. Whoa! How long????? I live in a cold place here, our growing season is so not long. Then I found out it's OK, they should be ready in about 100 days and I can totally start them inside. Cool! But as I was reading along I also happened on a site for Jerusalem artichokes. I totally love them, and they are a tad expensive, so I don't buy them often, not to mention the nearest grocery store I know of to buy them is about 2 hours away, and we only get to go there about once a month if we are lucky (DH has a once a month class/conference thing and I go along so I can go to the "big city" and go grocery shopping for all the stuff I can't get where we live). So anyway, I find out Jerusalem artichokes are super easy to grow. As in some consider them a weed, that is nearly impossible to kill. Are you kidding me? I'd love to be overrun with these things! I can even grow them in a big pot, so that means I could have them year round even, maybe. I am so excited about this!
I like gardening, but I grew up with my parents method of gardening, so my idea may be slightly different from the average gardeners. See we planted seeds, and plants, and all that, and we were really good about weeding, at first. But then around the middle/end of the summer, it was like why bother, just step on/over the weeds pick what you want and don't worry about the weeds. Now my dad does try, his newest way of dealing with weeds, and this does work fairly well, is to mulch with all his grass clippings. So anyway how cool is this to find a plant that you can pretty much ignore and you are still going to have a ton of crop!
On a similar note, I am so freaking sick of winter I have decided to grow, just about anything I can in a container. I of course have the usual herbs, but I am now trying salad greens, soybeans, beets, strawberries, peppers, kohlrabi, potatoes, kale, broccoli rabe, avacado trees, radishes, carrots, turnips, pretty much anything I can get to grow. Ha! Take that winter! I will see green things growing! Yes I do know it is technically the first day of spring, but if you look outside my windows you are going to see plenty of snow still. It is finally melting, and I can see grass where our septic tank is, but there is still a bunch of snow out there and honestly, the grass that I do see isn't exactly green and growing. So at least I can have my bit of life inside the house.

So it''s been awhile.....

Well a LOT has happened! We got married! Moved half way across the country, went on our honeymoon, and are looking to buy a house. I am considering trying my hand at a craft show, but I'm nervous. Of course AC Moore was having a sale, and I bought a ton of stuff, so now I had better make something out of it to sell! My husband is getting very irritated that I am not working, I know I should be, but dear god I don't want to start up some crappy job that I will hate. I've done that before (when I was with my ex) just to pay the bills and I know it's a kind of laziness, but I just don't want to do it again. I'm going to have to get serious about subbing soon, and if I do sell stuff at a craft show that would help too. And if for no other reason, soon my money from my last teaching job is going to run out and I will need money for stuff I want like yarn. However, my DH did offer to buy me a wheel, but I think that's because he felt a little guilty buying his bike after getting so upset over money, and I'm not sure he really understands how much they cost, although I'd be happy with a cheap one. BUT I do own a spinning wheel (even if it is an irritating used one), it's just that it got left behind at his parents, and I am hoping to go back and get it soon sometime, so I don't really feel like I can justify the expense right now. Besides I have my two spindles, and I can throw them in my backpack.
By the way on a whole new topic..... it is freaking cold here in ME like seriously. As far as I can tell Maine only has 3 seasons and unfortunately the one I like the best (summer) is the one that is missing. I only wore shorts about 4 times here during the summer. I like the heat, I love the heat actually I think anything below 75 is freaking cold. But apparently I must be getting used to it here because we didn't turn on our heat until just this last week (I finally called and set up the oil delivery, it's comming Monday WHO HOO!) so I convinced my husband to let me turn on the heat (and use our last few gallons) at least a little. I was cold all the time, but now just having the heat on 65 feels nice (60 when we go to bed), I never thought I'd be so excited about having heat before. But all utilities are a LOT more expensive here and I've lived in several places in the country now. So I guess I'd better get used to it because we are here for at least 3-4 years.

THE Wedding Dress!

I am using my grandfather's parachute from WWII(I hope) for the fabric of my wedding dress. I have been really, REALLY nervous about cutting it, since if I make any bad mistakes (are there really any good ones?) I will not have enough fabric to finish it. My wonderful mom actually ripped out most of the seams for me which is HUGE considering the army REALLY didn't want the seams to come apart. So they sewed each seam with these tiny stitches FOUR times. Yes, that's right to rip out a seam it's not like a normal seam where you rip out just one row of stitches. On this thing four rows of stitches have to be riped out for each seam. My mother has the patience of a saint. OK, so as of today the parachute has been cut, but I don't know how well it will hold up since it's cut almost entirely on the bias (it was the only way to fit the pattern pieces). It also took some very creative folding of the parachute to be able to cut the center panel of the dress without it going through any seams. I'm kind of afraid of what will happen when I unpin it from the pattern. I really don't want to have to iron stabilizer to the entire thing (although if I have to I will), BUT at least I am done for tonight! and I'll worry about the rest tomorrow.

The bitching about the In-Laws Blog

OK, I am seriously thinking I should change my blog name to "bitching about the in-laws". Here is the thing. I was told that my fiance's sister would be doing the blessing at the reception with her brother. Now before I was only told that my soon to be BIL was going to do it, and I have no problem with this because he has been nothing but nice to me this entire time. But I really don't want someone who has been nothing but a bitch to me for months to do it too. So I told my poor fiance that there was no way she was going to do it unless she apologized to me for the way she has been acting. Well, after a lot of arguments she finally apologized for how I felt about her behavior. Yes, that right, I believe her words were "I'm sorry if you got upset over anything I may have done". ARUGH! I didn't want an apology for me getting upset over her horrible behavior, I wanted one FOR her horrible behavior. But as it's probably the best (and most likely only) apology she's ever given. I accepted it, and told my fiance fine, even though I wasn't happy, she could do it. Here comes the fun part though, the NEXT day I noticed the emblem had been ripped off my truck. Now for those thinking well that happens there must be a reasonable explanation, sure it does to higher end cars, but not generally a ford pickup. Grrrrrr! Now yes, I know it could have been some delinquent neighborhood kids, but everyone knows how much I love my truck (she is 14 years old and I love her as much as the day I got her), and the timing of it happening is just very interesting. Yes, it could have also fallen off, but I actually found the emblem, and there were stress cracks right in the middle of it (that hadn't been there, just the day before) just like it had been bent a little from being pulled. Oh, and my facial soap that is thick and white suddenly turned to yellow water. Yes, that's right YELLOW and as thick as WATER. Let's think about what that could be for just half a second. EWWWWWW!!!!! I am sooooooo grossed out thinking that I've washed my face with her pee. I have been using this particular brand of soap for about 3 years now and this has never happened before. I brought it to my fiance's attention and he claims his sister is not that petty (um, right) and that maybe the cleaning lady did it. Is he serious here? Also, his mom keeps lieing to me. Such as when I later tried to bring up her daughters behavior at the shower she insisted that not only did a lot of people act just like my soon to be SIL, but that everyone at the party had snubbed them, and despite her trying to talk to everyone at the party, everyone ignored her and her daughter and wouldn't talk to them. Now, I was there and I never saw that (the party was only in 2 rooms of my aunt's house and I could see my soon to be MIL and SIL almost the entire time), and I even talked with my three other people about what she said and no one had any idea what she was talking about, and I never saw her even try to talk with anyone. She also keeps saying she is going to help with the wedding (I am NOT asking or even hinting for help), but then never follows through. Like she said she called for a cellist for the ceremony and claimed to have left my number with 6 places, but after waiting 2 weeks and not getting any calls I finally called a few of the places and got an immediate response (we now have a cellist). She keeps insisting that she did call, but the places I talked to (the ones she claims to have previously called) had never talked to her. Yes, I know, maybe they misplaced my number when she called, or forgot she called, but did ALL of them? Really? Come on here, all of them? Especially when I had no problems at all? Then she said she'd help with the the wedding favors, but she never did, and when my fiance even asked her "oh, are you going to help cut [the tulle]?" she even said "well, no, but I'll help tie later". Um, right. You'll help. Just not now, at some later point you will. Sure. I'll just sit here and hold my breath for that. I mean really, I don't care if she helps or not, I'd certainly never count on her to do anything, it's just annoying that she keeps offering to help, but never does anything. It's gotten to the point that I am having thoughts like "do I really want to deal with this family for the rest of my life? Which is what will happen if I marry my fiance." We only have 3 weeks left until the wedding, and thankfully we will be moving half way across the country two days after the wedding, but do I really, REALLY want to have to deal with this particular family for the rest of my life????? I keep hoping that once we move and I will have very little contact with them that it will get better, but my fiance's insistence that his mom and sister don't act the way they do is driving me nuts.

What a weekend!

Well a little bitchiness, and some happier news.....
Let's just get the bitchy part out of the way. Why do people bother to go to a gathering just to be a nuisance? Seriously, two of my Aunts and my Dad's finance threw me a shower this weekend, and it was awesome. However, my evil SIL came and acted bored the whole time. You know what I mean, the only time she didn't act bored out of her mind was when a childhood friend of mine tried to get her into conversation and she got to talk about herself, otherwise she was pretty much a lump. Then when it was time for me to open the presents she actually sat there sighed, made little comments and rolled her eyes. I mean, really, I would have been much happier if she hadn't come at all. She isn't exactly my favorite person with her slamming doors and getting pissy about the wedding as it is, I would have much rather she just not come. Then, the next day my soon to be FIL told me "so I'm going to stress you out" and then started telling me we were having the rehearsal dinner on Saturday night again. Now this pretty much put me in a whole new level of pissed off. We can't have the rehearsal on Saturday because there is a graduation and party going on where we are getting married, not to mention since we have a Sunday morning wedding I'd really rather not be up really late the night before. We've had this argument and have changed the day back and forth from Friday to Saturday several times now and I thought we were done. I pointed out (again) that we couldn't have the rehearsal on Saturday, that it had to be on Friday, and he said, not a problem we will have the rehearsal on Friday and the rehearsal dinner on Saturday. WTF?! So lets get this straight, my family (that's who is in my wedding party), that lives a little over an hour away, you expect to drive all the way up here and back, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday?! And Friday you wont even give them dinner? I was pissed. Now in his defense he did have a reason. He said a lot of their out of town guests would not be in until Saturday, so thinking he was confused I explained that his son and I had decided to go with the traditional route and we were only inviting the people in the wedding party, immediate family and grandparents. It didn't really seam to matter to him what we had planned though it was going to be Saturday. Needless to say I had a mini meltdown. Just so no one thinks I'm being a bridezilla here lets go over some of my reasons for why Saturday is not a good day.
1. We are having a Sunday morning wedding and quite frankly I'd rather not be exhausted during my own wedding.
2. My parents are going to mass Saturday night and wont be able to come to the rehearsal dinner if it's on Saturday night (why would we have it without my parents???).
3. I've already scheduled our manicures for Saturday early afternoon where my family lives and I don't want us to have to rush all the way back up here to eat dinner.
4. We CAN'T have the actual rehearsal that day, wouldn't it make sense to have the Rehearsal Dinner the same day as the rehearsal?
5. Quite frankly, I think it's unbelievably rude to expect my family to do all this traveling and be so inconvenienced.
6.If I am going to be up late the night before the wedding it's going to be because my dress or veil isn't finished, because as much as I'd like to believe I'll be done in time, I do know how I am at christmas time. If (god forbid) something isn't done I'll need Saturday evening to finish it, and I will not have time for a dinner.
So after my meltdown, where I told (possibly with a raised voice) my poor finance if I had to I would take my family out to dinner on Friday, and under no circumstances would I show up to their dinner on Saturday did they finally back down. I'm still very livid however over the whole thing and how inconsiderate and rude they are being to my family.
OK so deep breath.........
My happier news is that I bought an iJoy chair! I have been coveting this chair for a good 4-5 years now. I found a great deal on one and thanks very much to a bunch of gift cards, I bought one. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. It can even relax me with the stressed out state I'm in.

Bitching and new pics

OK so there was this huge thing with my fiancee's sister. She insisted that we (my soon to be husband and I) should never be in the bathroom together not even to brush our teeth, because it makes her uncomfortable. Personally I think if it really bothered her she shouldn't have followed us upstairs right after we said we were going to get ready for bed (yes it happened on numerous occasions, and then she'd complain). But we had to have a big family discussion over it and after she stomped her feet like a 3 year old and stormed off crying we (her mother and I) decided on some compromises, but mostly that means she got her way as usual. Now she has suddenly taken to going to the bathroom with the door open. And, no, I don't mean when she is home by herself, I'm talking about when her mother, father, brother, and I are all home, and she insists on doing it in the bathroom that there is no way to avoid walking past if we want to leave our rooms. Apparently that doesn't make her uncomfortable at all, I think she is just trying to rub my nose in the fact that she got her way again. Also, I know she is jellouse of the wedding but I think it's a little much for a 21 (about to be 22) year old to slam doors and huff around the house anytime anyone mentions the wedding near her. I mean come on I don't talk about it constantly, but it is less than 2 months away and her parents ask me everyday who responded. I know she totally rules the house and has been getting her way for her entire life, but come one, don't you have to grow up at some point? ARUGH!
OK, now on to some happier news. Like the veil. OK it's not done yet. Ha! I wish! BUT at least I can see the end of it, although I will still probably be knitting on it until I have to block it the day before the wedding. So here are pics again. It's a tiny bit bigger now as these are about one or two weeks old.





Also, Michael's clearanced the little frames I wanted for the wedding table numbers so they are now only 50 cents! That made them a little hard to find, as I went through 5 stores and only came up with 9, but since I have an awesome mom who went out and found 30 for me! I am done with that! Woo hoo!
Aren't they cute! I'm going to make a stand for them with beads and wire. I'm playing around with how to do it now, so I'm still experimenting, but I think it will look cute.

Still going

So it's been awhile! Well, I'm still working on my veil, it now comes down to my eyebrows. Yaaa!


We had a massive cleaning spree, and I am trying to get myself to do all of my mending and sewing. We will see it that all gets done. I am also trying to organize myself, while is a huge task! So I got some photo organizers today that I plan on using to organize my receipts. I have also managed to organize all of my thread which is great as I am no longer using this terrible 1970's particle board bobbin holder I got from my mom. We are getting closer to being done with out wedding plans which is such a relief! I'm down to finding a florist and cellist. I have seen 3 florists so far and I will see the last one tomorrow. So then i will make a decision on that. I can't wait until everything is done!

Car Hat Pattern

So here is what I did for the car hat.
With Wool-Ease thick and quick and US 11 needles
with red yarn Cast on 38 sts
rows 1-3 K1 P1*
rows 4-9 K*
rows 10- 18 string car buttons on black yarn and switch to black yarn and knit for 9 rows (dispersing car buttons wherever you think they look cute).
Change to blue yarn and knit for 11 rows.
Kitchener stitch closed.
for the braids cut about 24 inches of yarn in the 3 colors twice and thread through corners of hat. Braid and add a cute car or helmet button about 3 inches from the end then tie a knot .
Done!

Hats in 3 hours or less, and more cookie pics!

OK, so here is a pic of the hats my cousins got.



The car one I got the idea from here. What is really neat about it is that the pattern is called Charlie's Car Cap, which is what that cousin's grandfather's name was (my Uncle Chuck), and he loved cars! So it was perfect.



The cousin that got the pink hat was excited that it was all her favorite colors (pink, blue, and purple). The blue one went to a cousin that couldn't come, so I don't know what she thought yet. So, I am glad that I did make them all hats, as the two at least I know were a hit!

Here is the hat I knit for one of my aunts, but I ripped it out. I didn't like the shaping, and the hole from one of the increases annoyed me. Well, to be honest I could have probably lived with the hole but the hole and the shaping combined was too much, so I ripped it out.





Here is what I used for a rolling pin because my soon to be MIL didn't have one and I did actually consider buying one, but the only ONE rolling pin they had left at target on christmas eve was $20. I thought about it, and then thought how I have 2 sitting in my storage unit (over an hour away) and thought never mind, I'll improvise. So I used a water bottle filled with ice (kind of like using my glass rolling pin). Oh, those little bits of gingerbread dough is all I had left over.



And here are my cookies iced! MMMMMM!







The guy with the purple buttons doesn't look too happy that he's going to be eaten soon.