Smiles

Here are a few items to leave you smiling:

Poetry

I have a ton of poetry that I have written over the years. Here are a couple. I'll update often with more...

Dandelion Halos

The wind in our hair

the slight giggles

as we danced.

Danced to the trees

secrets.

Spinning in circles

hoping to land

in Disney World.

Falling over with laughter.

Pure laughter.

And a baby fawns

innocence.

Shining from the

dandelion halos

that bounced

on our sweet heads

to the rhythm of our

joy.

Your eyes

sparkling with the

knowledge of all,

winking with a teasing

nature,

smiles playing on the

curls of your lashes.

Death keeping an eye

on your soul

grasping it at just the

wrong moment.

Sending the crimson

to swirl around my head

causing my eyes to appear

wet.

Falling at the

slightest sound.

The sound of laughter

and dandelion halos.

The sounds of the wind

whispering the secrets

that are not so secret

anymore.

Apathy

Motionless passion

reaching for the clawing

wind.

Stilling tranquility

deadning all sensabilities.

Borrowing the masks of

frenzy,

vehermence,

and sympathy.

Involuntary composure

deafening the eagerness

of feeling.

using faces to hide excietment,

fury,

and suscptibility.

Unconcern for the everyday uses of

anxiety

and violence.

Deciving the forces of disturbance,

agitation, and turbulance.

Stoicism with a distressing

need for sensitiveness.

Demoting a simple absence of

emotion.

Bitter no longer...

I used to be very bitter about Valentine's Day. Every single year I have been single and had no one to celebrate the holiday made for lovers with except for two years. The first year I was in a relationship on this elusive holiday I was unable to celebrate it because I was out of town on installing 3 homes in Casa Grande, Arizona. Last year I was in a relationship and was able to celebrate the holiday and it was the WORST date of my life. So you can see my bitterness.

Last night Ira and I decided to celebrate this holiday with one another even though we aren't necessarily together.

It was great. I fixed an experimental dinner that consisted of a pan seared filet with a red-wine sauce and haricot vert. Below is the recipe:

Pan-Seared Filet with Red-Wine Sauce

2 filets (about 1.5 inches thick)

1/2 cup low sodium beef broth

1/8 cup cooking red wine

1 tablespoon miced shallots

1 teaspoon flour

1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon miced flat leaf parsley

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

salt and pepper

In a bowl mix broth, red wine, shallots, flour and mustard.

Heat a heavy-duty skillet over medium-high heat. Season steaks with salt and pepper then sear for 3 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Transfer to plate and tent with foil.

Pour sauce mixture into hot skillet and bring to boil for 1 minute. Stir in parsley and butter and boil for 2 minutes.

Pour sauce over steaks and serve.

Haricot Vert

3/4 lb skinny green beans, trimmed

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 minced shallot

1/2 cup grape tomatoes

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Prepare an ice water bath.

Boil water in a larger pot then add green beans and cook for 2 minutes. Drain beans and plunge into ice bath to stop cooking.

I a skillet heat butter over medium heat. Add shallots and saute for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook 2 minutes. Add beans, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Cook 5 minutes.

Serve with filet.

Here is the painting that I finished. Super excited how it turned out!

Here are a couple funny photos to leave you smiling...

Update and Design Ideas

So I finally got my car COMPLETELY fixed on Thursday. I had previously put about $200 into it, Amy and Wade but about $250 into it and from the new work done to it about $750. That's a total of about $1,200!!! So ridiculous! My transmission has been slipping for the past 5 years so that should go soon. Hopefully it will wait untill I get a new vehicle!

I start a part-time child care gig on Monday. It will be for two boys ages 11 and 13. I met them and their Mother on Wednesday evening. Seems like easy work. It will be nice to have some sort of income on top of my UI benifits.

Ira's birthday was on Tuesday. I took him to Cucina Colore. It was fantastic! mmmmm such yummy food! We then watched Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist. Hilarious movie!! I highly suggest watching it or visiting Cucina Colore!!!!!!!
I will be moving in with Amy and Wade hopefully soon as well. This will help get rid of A LOT of financial stress that I am having. I am always worrying about where I will get my next set of funds for my bills and how I am going to get a job that seems to just be non-existent.

I know that God has a lot of great things in store for me and that soon I will get an opportunity to have a great Design job.

So speaking of Design here are a few quick fun tips that will help you out in your apartment or home:

1: Clean it up and clear it out - Clutter is always a problem. With so many great vendors that have fantastic storage solutions the posibilities are endless! If you haven't touched it or even thought about it for 4-6 months get rid of it! If you just can't part with it store it away in a clearly marked box. If you have too many accessories put them into boxes and rotate them every couple of months to keep your place looking fresh!

2: Cover it - Slipcovers aren't as lame as they used to be back in Grandma's day. Thay are now made to fit just about any shape of furniture and in many fantastic colors and patterns. Some furniture manufactures have slipcovers made specifically for their furniture as well. You can also put fabric on your walls (who woulda thunk!). If you don't have the budget or the expertise to cover an entire wall in fabric you can hang it with a simple curtain rod and some premade panels or cover foam board with fabric and hang on your wall like art.

3: Paint it - Painting is just for walls anymore. If you found a great chair at a flea market that has great lines but yucky wood...paint it! Color may be a bit tricky sometimes so make sure that you always get samples and paint a little bit of it on your wall first. Keep it there for a few days so you can see it at different times of the day and night to make sure it fits your environment. It could look fantastic in the morning sun but gross in the afternoon dusk.

4: Change it out - Hardware is always something so simple yet makes such a big difference. You can get super cheap ones that are only about a dollar each or some fancy ones that are about $20 each.

5: Lay it down - Rugs can add dimension and that right amount of punch to any room. It is an option that is cheap and can be moved around to any room or changed out whenever your mood strikes.

With these simple, quick, and low-cost ideas you can turn any room from blah to hoorah!!!!

Smile

Just wanted to share a couple smiles:

New painting and cookie recipe

Right now I'm working on a painting. I started it last August and didn't really pick it up again until Wednesday. It consists of three panels and when it is done I am going to put it above my sofa. Below is a picture of it in process:




I made cookies a couple days ago and they turned out fantastic!
I made some for Ira when I first met him back in 2007. They are Chocolate Dipped Macadamia Nut Shortbread Cookies.
This time I didn't have any macadamia nuts or enough chocolate to make them dipped. So instead I put in coconut and then in some of them pushed a chocolate chunk into the top of each. They are so delicious! They taste like Keeblers!! I have the recipe below with a picture.

Chocolate Dipped Macadamia Nut Shortbread Cookies

1 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts

3/4 cup powdered sugar

2 cups sifted flour

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 1/2 teaspoon crisco

In a large mixing bowl beat butter, sugar, and vanilla until light an fluffy.

Gradually stir in flour until well blended.

Stir in macadamia nuts.

Place dough on wax paper and shape into roll two inches in diameter.

Wrap in wax paper and foil and chill for 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Cut roll into slices approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

Bake on ungreased baking shhet for 20 minutes or until cookies begin to brown.

Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl melt chocolate chips by double boiler method and stir in shortening.

Dip one end of each cookie into chocolate and place on wax paper.

Chill until chocolate hardens.

Store in airtight container.

Makes 2-3 dozen cookies.

Blog-a-log-a-log

Todat is the day. The day I start an actual blog.
This blog will consist of many things.
My thoughts.
My rants.
My wishes.
My questions.
I will also post design ideas and tips, my daily doodles, my art, anything I find hilarious on the great interweb, photos, videos, and recipes that I try and actually am proud of.
I doubt I will post everyday but I will post as often as I possibly can.
Make sure you subscribe so you know when I have new postings!!