Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Randomness: Things on My Mind

Here's a random post of things sitting on my brain taking up space at the moment, accompanied by a semi-creepy amalgamation picture because I felt like it.







The fact that it's been a year and we're no closer to getting all our books out of the boxes stacked in the garage. Granted, I guess it's proof we don't need most of them (although I know I've wanted some several times throughout the year but have been loathe to hunt) and should downsize. But we love books so...no. I'd like to do something that looks like this in white


and built more cheaply using Ikea bookcases like Centsational Girl did below. To go along the unused living room wall next to the dining room. Except I think I'd have them go all the way up to the ceiling.


First major harvest! Stupice,
lemon cherry, crimson sprinter,
and lemon cucumber. Sept 2012
Also on my mind: tomatoes. As in the three stacked cooling racks sitting on the kitchen island along with the increasingly large amount spread on the counter. The racks are because some of the delicate skins were starting to split by having any of them stacked. I'm getting a little tired of eating them every night and it's not good for my system to have that much nightshade. So, next is to find a way to use them up in some sort of storable manner. Of course, I've only canned once under the supervision of a friend, so that increases the difficulty. So far ideas include:
  • Tomato Jam - I find this intriguing. This recipe doesn't seem as stable though for the pantry, hoping Miss Sybaritic Pleasures emails me over her recipe STAT.
  • Roasted Heirloom Tomato Soup - tomato soup used to be my FAVORITE until a few years ago. Sadly, the beloved red and white can stuff just started tasting all aluminum can to me. I tried the Pacific brand that comes in a carton, but it was too sweet. Even the fresh ones I tried at the Whole Foods deli were tasty but had too much dairy or were so acidic that I had an upset stomach later. I haven't tried ever making my own from scratch though, and I think roasting would bring a good flavor..maybe even lightly smoking them first?
  • Good ol' tomato sauce - The only time I tried making my own from scratch, it was too sweet and too watery and when I tried cooking it longer to reduce it, it became really bitter. Alternate would be Alton's version.
  • Then there's just oven roasting them and then putting in a bag in the freezer, or packing in oil (which would again require canning)

The box arrives!
My new Canon DSLR EOS Rebel T3i. I have wanted one of these puppies for more than five years and FINALLY have one! Except...I don't know how to use it. I'm actually decent at framing photos, but I don't know traditonal photography as I've only ever had automatics (first 35mm and then digital). I'm aware of the existence of terms like F-stop, aperture, but not much about what they actually mean or how to take advantage of them. My learning curve is HUGE and while I am looking forward to it, at the moment its still just kind of overwhelming.



2011 Leafpocalypse
It's now officially October and fall and "pre-Halloween". This is my favorite month and yet, I'm not quite ready for it yet. We had some beautiful summer weather finally show up, but what with working in cubicle land, somehow I just don't feel like I really had my fill of warmth and sunshine this year. Sure, I had several weeks of poor sleeping before we got a portable A/C unit hooked up the bedroom, but I don't feel like I had enough out in the sun activities during the day. Oh well...now it's time to start tackling the leaves again.

I'm not going to start it this year, but I have started research and sleuthing and idea planning for decor. One of my favorite movies is The Nightmare Before Christmas. Years ago I handmade my own Sally costume (its too small now and time to make a new one). I want some of the pieces from the older Hawthorne Village TNBC collection as i like the aesthetic better than the new glow in the dark one. The primary piece being Cemetary Hill (pictured left). Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday and while the scarier/gloomy stuff is fun, I'm pretty sure I want to work on decking out our yard and home with a TNBC theme. I think I'll just content myself this year with a pumpkin carving.

The first row are my top choices. I made the bottom far right several years ago.
All pumpkins from masterpumpkins
And lastly, clothes. I've been whining a long time about this, but I'm massively tired of my warddrobe. Its time for a serious revamp! Since I bought quite a few pieces at the Nordstrom anniversary sale, I'm on a spending hiatus at the moment, but if I weren't these would be in a shopping cart right now.
  • This Riviera Romance dress from Modcloth has been on my list for QUITE a while. The day I had month in my budget for it, I went to purchase and it was out of stock! It's red, the stripes across the hips are horizontal, it's organic cotton, reasonably priced, with a cute waistband, what's not to love?
  • I have yet to find a cute sweater dress that isn't too bulky looking on me and that also doesn't contain any wool. The Afternoon Reading Dress in Black and White looks awfully cute.
  • Two more pairs of Corso Como Littleton mid-heel pumps. I managed to get the pewter pair on an Hautelook sale and finally wore them to a wedding recently where I stood the whole time. They were comfortable, looked cute, and I could still walk after I took them off! So, I really need to get them in black and nude. I have no black pumps and the nude Franco Sarto ones ended up being too tall. Size 8 if you're wondering ;-)
  • I'm on the hunt for a wide brown belt, "corset style" as they like to call them. When I've come across them, they've either been too small for my widening waistline (boo Anthropologie!) or I thought they were too pricey. The amount of times I've reached for one recently in my closet though to finish an outfit and come up empty-handed means I need to bite the bullet when I find one I like again. This one was from an Ideeli sale that has now ended. I liked how the braiding would echo the detailing on my riding boots.
  • I've had these two outfits below sitting on Pinterest for quite a while. Those brown boots could be siblings with my riding boots! Looking for component pieces to do my own version, I've come across two dresses finally. The lace dress is cheaper but the shirt dress is cuter and more versatile. I already have the sweater in a lovely autumn orange.
Left two inspiration photos from Tumblrs via Pinterest. Left dess with buttons, Gimme an A-piary.
Right lace dress, Lush Lace Dress. Donegal Cable Cardigan in Cedar Green.

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