Merry Christmas, Readers & Friends!

Photo taken from a Christmas Village displayed at The Seattle Center

My Ugly Christmas Sweater

This year, for one of my work Christmas parties, my boss wants to have an Ugly Christmas Sweater contest. I could not find what I wanted in the area I live in, but when I went home for Thanksgiving... I found the one!   With the help of my dad, we found 3 possibilities, then narrowed it down to the one we thought was the ugliest of the three. 

Knowing how creative some of my coworkers are though, I know the ugliness of the sweater alone is not enough.  I need more embellishments!  So, off to another store we headed for bobbles and inspiration. 

I bought some tinsel.

A weird little ornament that sort of resembles a reindeer.

Some unusual bows.

Some odd-looking bells.

And finally a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer headpiece with blinking noses.

When I took all my items up to the cashier, she picked up the weird little reindeer ornament, and asked, "What is this supposed to be a little reindeer or something?"

"I don't know," I replied, "I am trying to win an ugly sweater contest."

"It makes you wonder who would actually buy a bunch of these things (indicating to the ornament).

After seeing and ringing all my items she said, "I think you are going to win."

It was particularly funny because the whole time she was ringing my items, she expressed no enthusiasm  whatsoever. I could not blame her however, the day after Thanksgiving is one of the worst days to work.  I probably sounded just as enthused as she did, but inside I thought the whole conversation and manner was pretty funny.

She wished me luck, and I thanked her.

Then I went to tell my dad what she had said, and we both laughed.

I tried on the sweater when I got home.  I felt like Bridget (played by Renee Zellweger) in Bridget Jones's Diary when she thinks to herself, "Great.  I am wearing... a carpet."  Or maybe more like what Bridget thinks of the outfit Mr. Darcy (played by the ever-so-handsome Colin Firth) is wearing.

I came home, modeled just the sweater vest to my mom and she said, "Oh cute!"  She was totally serious.

"No mom, it's NOT cute, it is supposed to be an ugly Christmas sweater!"

She showed me one of her sweaters of almost equal ugliness that was not Christmas related, and asked, "Is this ugly?"

Looking to side to side, I finally told her the truth..."Yes, it is!  But it is okay, because older ladies tend to wear those things!" (It's true, they tend to do that.)  Luckily, she was okay with that answer.

I later showed her the items I was going to put on it.   I am pretty sure she thinks the sweater will be a good contestant for the Ugly Sweater Contest now.

Ugly Christmas Sweater Parties are pretty popular these days.  Here is a segment from CBS This Morning I found after collecting all my items:

Even if I don't win this Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest, the process of finding it and making it even more ridiculous has been fun.  Wish me luck!

At this point, I tried on the sweater, and felt a bit like Elton John from the 70s, but I wasn't finished yet.

I also decided I needed pom-poms!

The finished project!

...and the back.

Laser Light Shows

An excerpt from the Grand Coulee Laser Light Show uploaded by Gary Stebbins on YouTube

I have seen two different laser light shows here in Washington state.  One, at the Grand Coulee Dam, and the other just last night at the Seattle Center.  Both were impressive in different ways.

The Grand Coulee Dam show is always the same.  It gives a history of the dam, then ends with a light show accompanied by Neil Diamond's classic song, "America."  The graphics are very well done.  The history is interesting.  You bring a blanket and sit outside and watch the show at night.  It can get chilly, so you need to dress warm or bring layers.  It makes a great date night.  Best of all, it's free.

The Seattle Center has a choice of shows to choose from.  A coworker of mine gave me some free tickets to see the show, so I invited another friend (at last minute, because the tickets were soon to expire).

I heard that the Pink Floyd show, "The Wall" is supposed to be awesome and the longest running.  There is another Pink Floyd show with songs from Dark Side of the Moon, I kind of wanted to see that one.  However, my friend, being a huge Lady Gaga fan wanted to see that show instead.  It was an earlier show, and we were able to get there in time for it, so we went to that one instead.  I have to say, it was pretty awesome.  There was no history lesson, just music with psychedelic lights throughout the entire show.  There are chairs to sit on, but it is really best to bring pillows and lie on the floor for the best view (we brought our pillows in plastic bags, because it was raining like crazy).

The Laser Gaga show starts off with lights that make you feel like you are traveling through space, or a vortex of bright lights.  There are some abstract images throughout the show, as well as some real simplistic images.  One of my favorite parts of the show, started off with a star-like sky and some very abstract images of color like moving cloth in space.  Another favorite had what kind of looked like Lady Gaga in a Picasso-type form of Cubism.  Since I am not too familiar with Lady Gaga's music, except for the popular tunes, I could not tell you what songs those two parts were played too, but it was definitely cool.

Both my friend and I agreed that our least favorite part of the show was done to the song "Telephone."  It is a great song, but it shows the same image of a very simply drawn cell phone flying in the air over and over again.  One cool thing about it,though, is the image seems to get closer and gives you a feeling that the huge cell phone is falling on top of you.  Unfortunately, it is overdone.  There should be more graphics in the song.

I only recognized 3 songs in the entire show, but that is okay, because some of the songs I did not recognize had a better light show.  My friend was disappointed that they did not play more songs from Lady Gaga's more recent album, but I am thinking it was because the light show may have been created before it.

Overall, we had a good time.  We did both wonder if it would cause epileptic seizures, however.  Parts of the show are very intense spinning and flashing.  So if you are sensitive to those type of things, I would probably suggest you stay away.

It is kind of funny, despite the fact that the Seattle laser shows have been running for over 35 years,  my friend, who has lived in the area all her life, had never heard of the laser light shows over in Seattle until I invited her.  I have lived in the area for several years and only heard of them recently.  It must be one of Seattle's best kept secrets, we think.  On the other hand, both of us have known and have been to the Grand Coulee Dam show.

In comparison, the Grand Coulee Dam show gives you a history lesson, the picture graphics are better, I think the show is slightly longer,there are fireworks, and parking and the show are both free.  However, it is outside, so it can get cold sometimes, mosquitoes might be out, so you want to dress warm  and wear bug spray.  It also does not run year-round.  It is easier to socialize with someone as it is not totally dark.

Laser Gaga "Paparazzi" uploaded by averywjohnson on YouTube

The Laser Gaga show in Seattle has great abstract graphics, but many of the other graphics are very simplistic.  It has a great 3D-like quality to it.  It is indoors, which keeps you warm.  It is especially nice if you like the music that is playing. Some possible downsides are that the best view is on the floor (if you do not like laying down or cranking your head to see, it may not be for you).  It is incredibly dark during the show (of course the lights stand out better that way).  It could be problematic if you are prone to epileptic seizures.  The show and parking both cost money.  Unless you are lucky and have someone who gives you free tickets.  It does have a variety of shows and times to choose from, and I believe it does run year-round.

Both shows are an enjoyable night out, despite the downsides.  I am eager to see more of the shows the Seattle Center has to offer.  I definitely want to see the Pink Floyd one that plays "Dark Side of the Moon."

For more information visit these sites:

*Grand Coulee Dam Laser Show

*Laser Dome, Seattle

My Not-So-Random 100th Post - More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Me

I knew my 100th post was coming up soon, so I decided to do something special for it.   First of all, I want to thank all of you for reading my blogs!  I am very flattered when I see various countries represented in viewing my posts.  I am also very thankful to my friends who have said some very nice things about my writing.  

While doing some research, I noticed one blogger did 100 facts you may not know about her for her 100th blog post.  She claimed it was a thing, but I only found her blog on 100 things.  I have to say, it was pretty challenging to come up with so much stuff I was willing to share about myself, but here it is.  I hope you enjoy!

1.  My blogger name was inspired from a favorite song of mine, called "Drops of Jupiter," by the band Train.  Part of the lyrics say, "I'm afraid that she might think of me as 'a plain ol' Jane...'"  I decided to get rid of the "ol'" part.

2.  My logo is actually a sticker off of a tomato from the grocery store.

3.  The black and white photo on my blog with the apple is a shadow of my profile that I took myself.

4.  When I started this blog I titled it "Fill a Blank Page."  I decided later I hated that title, so I changed it to "random blogs and postings."

5.  I named it "random blogs and postings" because I did not want to be held to a high standard of daily blogging or weekly blogging. 

6.  I also like to be spontaneous.  I want to blog what I want, when I want.  I am like Jack FM radio, they play what they want.

7.  I used to read many other blogs, now I tend to watch vlogs more.

8.   My favorite vlogger (besides my own sister) is Charlie McDonnell (charlieissocoollike).  He is very creative and funny, and seems to be a genuinely kind person.

9.  My favorite band of all time is Daryl Hall & John Oates.  I love other bands too, but this band has stood the test of time for me.

10.  After becoming a huge fan, I found out that Daryl Hall shares the same birthday as I do (October 11).

11.   By the time I graduated High School, I had collected every album they ever made, including special release albums and Daryl's first solo album.  I would save up my money, and buy them for cheap at used record stores.

12.  They both have released more albums since, some which I do not own, but would like to eventually.

13.  I have always been afraid of heights and ladders.  Especially after falling off a ladder when I was young.

14.  When I was little and taking swimming lessons, my parents promised me they would buy me 10 Big Macs if I jumped off the high dive. 

15.  That was enough to convince me.

16.   I thought I was going to get 10 Big Macs all at once. 

17.  When we went to McDonald's shortly after, I finished one Big Mac, and said, "Okay, I am ready for more!" 

18.  They were shocked, explained that that was not what they meant, but that day, I got to eat 2 Big Macs!

19.  I never ate more than one Big Mac in a day after that.

20.  I still like Big Macs, but I very rarely have one anymore.

21.  Standing on the glass balcony of the Sears (Willis) Tower did not really scare me, though I was apprehensive at first.

22.  I have been cooking since I was ten years old.

23.  Around that time, my parents had invited some guests over and I was so excited to have them try some custard I was making for the first time.  They never got to try it, because I forgot to turn on the oven!

24.  I used to be able to eat a ton of food without gaining a pound.  People used to wonder where I put it all.

25.  I eat more wisely now... most of the time.

26.  I have a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Art.

27.  I am still wondering what I am going to be "when I grow up."

28.  I was given my first diary when I was 12.

29.  I had to laugh, because my first entry in it was about food.

30.  My first diary entry ever says, "Today I prepared half of the meal.  I made chocolate topping for ice cream, peas, and apple sauce topping for ham."

31.  I got distracted from writing this blog, because I was reading things I wrote when I was 12.

32.  The diary is set up for daily entries, but I did not always write daily in it.

33.  I did keep a daily journal for at least a year at one time in my life.

34.  I had to stop writing as much because I had no more room to keep all the books I wrote in.

35.  I had to quit my book club, because my work situation changed.

36.  I am not a morning person.

37.  I miss sleeping in.

38.   When I was really little, I was scared of cats.

39.  When I was 5, I got my first cat.

40.  She was an amazing cat.

41.  I loved cats after that.

42.  I would draw little cats at the top of all my papers in grade school.

43.  My desk-mate and I got in trouble in 2nd grade at school one day for drawing an elaborate cat vs. mouse war over the entire desk, in pencil.

44.  The teacher made us wash it off after school.

45.  I wish I had a photo of that desk drawing.

46.  I used to sing to the radio all the time when I lived at home.

47.  I probably drove my parents crazy.

48.  I get pretty self-conscious when singing in front of people.

49.  Every once in awhile I surprise myself though.

50.  In the 6th grade, I was one of the winners of a contest for rewriting some lyrics to "This Land Is Your Land."

51.  The winners had to sing their lyrics at concert in front of all the parents.

52.  Luckily, two other classmates got to sing beside me.

53.  I also won the contest for the artwork to go along with my lyrics.

54.  It flashed on a screen behind us, as we were singing the lyrics at the concert.

55.  My best friend also won the lyrics contest (and maybe the art as well?), so she got to sing in a separate group, during the same song.

56.  I also auditioned for a solo in Jr. High in front of all my classmates.

57.  I received many compliments after trying out.

58.  I was actually relieved when I did not get the part, I would have been too scared to sing a solo at a concert.

59.  After college, I went to a Karaoke Bar with my sister and her husband.

60.  I actually got up and sang two songs!

61.  One of the songs I sang was "Brass In My Pocket" by the Pretenders.  I know that song pretty well, and it is in my range.

62.  I would never sing a Hall and Oates song at a Karaoke Bar.  Daryl's voice range is much better than mine, and the last thing I would want to do is butcher one of their songs.

63.  I only went to a Karaoke Bar once.  Once is enough.

64.  When I was 7, my friend and I went to the playground.  A little girl "read my palm."

65.  She said I was going to die in a car accident.

66.  I was probably the least excited of my classmates to get my driver's license.

67.  I was one of the first in my class to take Driver's Ed, but probably the last in my class to actually obtain a driver's license.

68.  My parents only had a stick shift, which did not help matters.

69.  My grandfather helped teach me how to drive with his automatic.

70.  Years later, I drove for a living.

71.  Then I stopped for awhile.

72.  I am doing a little of that now again.

73.  I actually really like it.

74.  I still won't drive a stick shift.

75.  I used to avoid parallel parking.

76.  Now I have to parallel park almost daily.

77.  I am still not crazy about it.

78.  I am a bit ambidextrous.

79.  I consider myself to be dominantly left-handed.

80.  However I only can use scissors with my right hand.

81.  In 5th grade, I broke my left arm.

82.  I was roller-skating in the house, trying to do a fancy jump.

83.  I taught myself how to write right-handed after that.

84.  I once dropped a class because I found out I had to give a speech.

85.  That, and the first class session showed a movie of an actual cow eye being poked out with a pin, which grossed me out.

86.  To my dismay, the class I replaced it with also had the speech requirement.

87.  The class I wound up speaking in was on Celtic Manuscripts.

88.  Most Celtic Manuscripts are of a religious nature.  I picked one of a non-religious nature. 

89.  It was some Celtic Manuscripts about Aesop's Fables.

90.  I have always enjoyed Aesop's Fables.

91.  The book I had to study for my speech had some fables I had never heard of before.

92..  The manuscripts were really neat.

93.  I designed and painted several sets for a play my first year of college.

94.  They had to take the canvases down to lie on the floor so I could paint them without using ladders.

95.  I sacrificed my whole Spring Break to paint them.

96.  I drew a comic strip for a class at school.

97.  I was surprised to hear that my roommate at the time thought it was about her, and she was upset.

98.  It wasn't about her at all.  It was about someone else I knew.

99.  I had to draw a daily comic strip for another project.

100.  That may have been my biggest challenge.

Wow.  That took much longer than I thought!  If you are still reading this, congratulations!  This is the end of this post!

My First Crock-Pot and Butter Bell Crock

I have been thinking about buying a Crock-Pot for awhile now, since I felt it would save me some time in preparing meals.  So, last month, when I saw this cute little 2.5 quart Owl Crock-Pot for only $14.99, I could not resist.  The owls had me.

It took me awhile before I would use my new appliance, because I have never used a slow-cooker before.  My mom used hers when I was little, every now and then, but I really never had the desire to use one till recently.  Now, it seems there are many recipes that call for a slow cooker.

My Crock-Pot came with a few recipes, but I really wanted to adapt my own recipes, right away, so I decided to "wing-it" and use the booklet recipes as a guideline.  The first thing I tried was a roast.  I seasoned it and seared it on all sides, put it in the crock pot with a half cup of water, and set it on high.  The recipe I was using as a guideline said, "on High 6-8 hours, or until tender."  It was tender after about 3-4 hours.  I also noticed after an hour of cooking, bits of water were spewing from beneath the lid.  That was quickly remedied, once I realized the lid was not quite on perfectly.  The book did say that the Crock-Pot should be 1/2 - 3/4 full.  I thought it was, but maybe it wasn't quite.  I also did not add vegetables, so I am sure that had something to do with my roast cooking more quickly.  It turned out real tasty!  The meat was so tender, it was falling apart!  Good thing I did not cook it for the full 8 hours, it might have ended up as beef soup!  The juice from the meat made a nice gravy for the next day.  (Helpful tip:  Since I was worried about my counter-tops, I put a pizza stone under my Crock-Pot just in case.  I don't think now I really needed it, but if you are using a slow-cooker for the first time, it could not hurt).

Last night I made Chicken Chili.  I had some frozen chicken breasts I wanted to use from my freezer, so I cooked them in my Crock-Pot first, until they were tender enough to be shredded.  After shredding the chicken and removing the excess liquid (used to help cook the chicken), I added all my other chili ingredients and cooked for about 3 more hours.  My Chicken Chili was also a success!  I made a taco salad with some of the leftovers today.  That too, was delicious.

Another nifty kitchen gadget I acquired recently, was a gift from my mom.  We were shopping in a specialty kitchen store and we came across a butter bell crock.  How it works is you put the butter inside on the top, fill the base with 1/3 cup of cold water, then put the top back on.  The butter is suspended upside-down, surrounded by the cold water.  It keeps the butter spreadable and fresh every day!  It is so nice!  I honestly did not think I would get much use from it when I first got it, but I love it!  The only thing I have to remember, is to change the water every couple of days.  My particular one is called the Original Butter Bell Crock by L. Tremain.  It holds a half cup (one stick) of butter.  After doing some reading, I guess not all hold the same amount.  I really have to say though, it is quite cleverly made..  

My Carved Pumpkin - October 2012

I have not carved a pumpkin in years, but this year I felt inspired to do so.  I bought a new carving kit, that worked better than the last one I bought.  It came with a bunch of cool designs, but I decided to draw up my own, trying my best to make it look like the Sailor Moon's cat, Luna (a Japanese anime/manga character).  I used a Sharpie to draw on wax paper first, then taped the wax paper to the pumpkin.  I think it turned out pretty well!  At least I am happy with it.

Halloween Traditions

Excuse me, but does Linus live here?

When I was little I loved Halloween.  I liked to use my creativity to dress up however I wanted.  I loved going to different neighbors houses and seeing their carved pumpkins and various decorations.  I also loved getting the candy, that I liked so much, I would save it in my drawer for "a special day."  Often, most of the candy would still be there by the next year.

These days, I like to see what little kids come up with for costumes.  I still like seeing pumpkins carved into Jack-O'-Lanterns, and other decorations.  As an adult, I if I allow myself to buy candy, it is very possible it will be gone by the end of the month, if not sooner.

One of my first years as a young trick-or-treater, I remember dressing up as a princess.  Walking around with my mother I saw this one door that had a skeleton on it, that opened his mouth, and maybe moved his eyes. It was extremely scary to me. I did not want to go to the door, but at the same time, it intrigued me, and I wanted to knock on the door.   Actually, I think I wanted my mom to go knock on the door for me. She made me come with her. The lady who answered was super-nice. The skeleton still scared me, despite the fact my mom and the lady tried to convince me that it wasn't. I am not even sure I took candy from that place, but going up to that house, and meeting the nice lady with the scary decoration, remains a fond memory of mine.

Now that I am an adult, one thing I find fun to do on Halloween is to watch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."  So when I got a little off course driving around one day, I was thrilled to see a house (pictured above) with a pumpkin patch right in front of it!  At first, I thought someone just bought a bunch of pumpkins and put them all over their yard, to decorate for Halloween.  Then, after I stopped my car, I was in awe.  I had to take a photo!  It was just too awesome a place to pass up.  I was almost expecting to see Linus and Snoopy wandering around in that pumpkin patch.  Later I thought to myself, how cool it would be if all those pumpkins in their front yard were carved into Jack-O'-Lanterns for Halloween.  I wonder if the owners do that?  I will never know.  I have no idea how to get there again.  Still, it was an amazing sight to see.

Another good Halloween movie is one I just saw for the first time yesterday.  A few weeks ago, a friend of mine invited me to see the movie "Frankenweenie."  I had seen previews, and thought it looked cute, so I decided I would go.  It made me hungry for frank and beans for some reason.... so I made "Frank and Beanies" for lunch that day.

Above:  cooked hot dog in a bun, with ketchup, mustard, and onion.  Van De Kamp's Pork and Beans on the side (photo in black in white, food is not the actual color it appears to be in this photo).

At the movie theater, they passed out these really cool cards, that promoted the movie even more.

I really enjoyed the movie.  At first, I was not absolutely sure how much I was going to like it, even though I have liked some Tim Burton movies in the past, most of his movies can be kind of out-there.  This one was so funny, it had a little suspense, and had some near tear jerker moments.  I think as a little kid, some things might have scared me, but so did some things in the Disney movies back in my day.  It is probably my favorite of the Tim Burton movies, and having it in stop-motion and 3D made it even more awesome.  A few people even clapped after the movie was over.  I may have to, if more people had clapped.  I really thought it was that good.

Halloween is a great memory from my childhood.  Lately, I have seen some things that remind me of those days.  There is this one place I often drive by that has paper pumpkins placed on every business door or window.  It is so fun to see the various faces that each kid has drawn on their pumpkin.  Here is one of the many below.

I like this ghost decoration (below) as well.  Though, it kind of reminds me of Slender...don't you think?  Bwha-ha-ha!  Hope you all have a Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Spice Cocoa - Single Serving Size

 

So, after writing my last blog, I started to look at the recipe I was going to make from Pinterest.  Some of the ingredients listed are white chocolate and orange food coloring.  Since I would have had to go to the store for white chocolate, I started to wonder what might happen if I use the Pumpkin Spice Hershey's Kisses instead?  They are, essentially, white chocolate, but they have that extra spice taste in them.  They are already orange, so I would not need to add extra coloring...  So, I decided to grab about seven of them.  I unwrapped each one, then I chopped them up finely, like this:

 

 

Put the chopped kisses in my favorite mug.

 

 

Pictured above:  mug by Sandra Boynton - she is one of my favorite cartoonists, who used to focus on greeting cards and merchandise, but now seems to be doing more children's books, which are also good.  Now back to cocoa!

 

I added a half teaspoon of vanilla (then later changed it to a full teaspoon, because 1 teaspoon is better). I also added a dash of salt, which enhances the flavor of the beverage.

 

 

Heated one cup (8 oz.) of milk in the microwave, using my beverage button, which on my microwave is 2 minutes and 50 seconds (microwaves all vary). Then, I poured half of the milk in my mug, and used a wire wisk to blend all the ingredients together. Then I added the rest of the milk.

 

 

I finished mixing my beverage with a spoon. Then I tasted it! Success! I made Pumpkin Spice White Cocoa! The extra vanilla and salt really made a difference for me.

 

 

After tasting the first version of cocoa I made, I decided I wanted to make the cocoa more like regular hot chocolate (instead of white hot chocolate), so I did all of the above, then added some Hershey's Chocolate Syrup, and that was good, as well. 

 

After tasting each of the cocoas I made, I decided to add a Ghost Peep, as suggested by the other recipe, to see what it would be like.  It was a nice touch.  It just depends if you want a sugary marshmallow in your cocoa or not.  Whipped cream would have been nice as well.

 

Here is my recipe below (Makes 1 serving):

 

7 Pumpkin Spice Hershey's Kisses, chopped

1 teaspoon Vanilla

a dash of salt

1 cup of milk

Hershey's Chocolate Syrup (to taste - optional)

 

Place chopped kisses in a mug. 

Add vanilla and salt.

Heat milk to desired warmth.

Pour half of the milk in mug, and mix with a wire wisk, using two hands in a spinning back and forth motion.  Add rest of milk, then stir.

If you want a more traditional chocolate flavor, add Hershey's Chocolate Syrup to desired taste.  Stir again.

Garnish with marshmallows, marshmallow Ghost Peeps, whipped cream, or whatever else you desire.

Enjoy!

 

Trick or Treat! These Are Sweet! - Chocolatey Fall Flavors

Above (clockwise):  Chocolate Italian Soda, a cat I made in a pottery class one year, Carmel Apple Milky Way Mini, Pumpkin Spice Hershey's Kiss, Kirkland Signature Almond Cherry Cluster, (and a cute skeleton napkin).

A coworker of mine always seems to find interesting food items. This year, she found Carmel Apple Mini Milky Way candy bars, and Pumpkin Spice Hershey's Kisses.

I like the Carmel Apple Milky Ways best. They are just like regular Milky Way, but have a bit of a apple and nutmeg taste that is mixed into the carmel, that makes them extra tasty. Along with the Pumpkin Spice Hershey's Kisses (which is white chocolate, with a pumpkin spice flavor on the outer layer, and what seems to be a cream cheese flavor in the middle), it is like eating Halloween and Thanksgiving together!

Another treat I was introduced to this fall, was Almond Cherry Clusters! Dark chocolate, with dried cherries, and almonds. So addicting.... but dark chocolate is good for you, right? My dad bought them, but he is not as impressed by them as I am.

 

Along with the other candy items, I found some Ghost Peeps for a hot cocoa recipe I found on Pinterest.  I have not tried the recipe, because where I live, it is not quite cold enough...yet.

 

To not be beverage deprived, I decided to try something different using some of my Sugar Free Torani Chocolate Syrup, some soda water, and some heavy whipping cream (since I don't have any half & half on hand) to make Chocolate Italian Sodas! I have to say, they have turned out pretty well. I have often made Raspberry Italian Sodas, but never chocolate ones before.  Chocolate ones are delicious!  May even be my favorite beverage, as of now.

 

If all that does not prove my addiction to chocolate, I just tried a new place that serves Double Chocolate Cake Dougnuts.  It is called, "Top Pot Doughnuts."  I was drawn in by the huge doughnut that is displayed on top of the building.  It has nice patio seating, and is charming inside, with a bunch of old books for customers to read.  A very nice hangout, indeed.

 

 

With all these new tempting treats, it looks like I better plan to excercise more regularly, and keep up with a good diet.  Still, it is nice to indulge once in awhile.

Annual Salmon Bake 2012

My church group just had their annual Salmon Bake again.  The weather was perfect this year.  I was able to bring my parents and a friend that had never been to the event before.  My parents and I went out on one of the boats, while my friend decided to stay on shore, due to her tendency for motion sickness.  I asked her to hold my purse, so I would not lose my keys at the bottom of the lake this year (it only happened once, but I have been skeptical about going boating since).  I was a little concerned leaving her around people she had never met before, however - she is quite outgoing, so it really turned out to be no problem at all.  She said everyone she spoke to was really nice.

The salmon, as always, was cooked to mouth-watering, melt-in-your-mouth perfection.  I just found out this year, that it is caught that morning, and flown in from Alaska, and lands on the lake in a bi-plane, right in front of the house that we have it at every year!  Wow. 

There were a variety of potato dishes, salads, and desserts.  Everything was so good!  I always like the salmon with the mayonnaise on top of it.  For years, I had no idea that it was mayonnaise, because it tastes so different than what mayonnaise normally tastes like.  I thought it was more like an Alfredo sauce at one time.  They also had one done with a mango chutney, and another with corn salsa.  The salmon was all so well prepared... I cannot decide which one was best!  I think my favorite of the desserts this year (though all I tried were delicious), was the cake pops.  Whoever did those... wow.  They were both pretty and tasty!

Everyone I brought had a great time at the event.  My friend, who is not a member of my church, went to her church today, and raved to everyone about what a great time she had, the food, the view, and how friendly all the people were!  So if you were part of the group that made my family and friend feel welcome, thank you!

Sorry - no photos of the food this year.... as the author of this blog was too hungry to remember to take one!  Instead, here are some photos of the lovely view!

Autumn Owls - Raindrops in the River

I came across this song today.  I really like the sound of it.  It is a bit ominous and depressing, but I really like it!

Mad Hattress

Mad Hattress by jackie-s-eyeslikeacat featuring a flare dress

Like I wrote in my last post, I did not know my Polyvore account was automatically blogging my Polyvore sets.  I have changed my settings, so not every one of them will go automatically to my blog now.  I figured since I created the "Alice" part of "Alice In Wonderland," why not make a "Mad Hattress" outfit?

Don't Come Around Here No More

Don't Come Around Here No More by jackie-s-eyeslikeacat featuring high heels

I did not realize I had set my Polyvore settings to automatically post on my blog!  Anyway, I will just leave these two posts here since it looks like it has had some views.  For some reason some "Alice In Wonderland" items were recommended as I was creating an this particular set, so I decided to go with it.  A long time ago Tom Petty did a song called, "Don't Come Around Here No More," which he did a music video based on "Alice In Wonderland," hence the title of the set I put together.  I changed my settings back so not every set I create winds up on my blog.  Every once in awhile, I might put something up.  Hope you enjoy them!

Sigh... I Will Miss "Jane By Design"

I just found out earlier today that one of my favorite shows, "Jane By Design" got cancelled after only one season!  I really liked it because it was sort of like "The Devil Wears Prada" meets "Pretty In Pink" and other John Hughes-type films.  It was humorous, and had a great cast.  I think it would have done well if the network gave it a chance.  Anyway, I am going through my weekly fashion withdrawals from the show, so I decided to put a couple of outfits together in Polyvore that kind of give me the sense of what the Jane's style was in the show.  The colors are probably not what she would wear, but I think the style is similar:

Possibly Jane's Closet? by jackie-s-eyeslikeacat featuring peplum tops

Jane's style seemed to get more sophisticated as the show developed.  The outfit on the right shows how she may have dressed earlier in the show, while the style on the left might be how she would dress later in the season.

Current Music Favorites!

I have been enjoying this song while at work on the radio for awhile now, called "We Come Running" by Youngblood Hawke.  So, I was excited to see that it is offered free this week on  iTunes (through Monday, the 20th of August)!

Some other tunes I have been enjoying this month are:

"Too Close" by Alex Clare

"Feel So Close" by Calvin Harris

"Overkill/Hold Me" by Delta Heavy (Originally because I saw this video with a clip of it in it, it only has a small segment of the song, but you get the idea.  The video is funny, too - my favorite part is when he jumps over the fence).



I also regained the love for "Rule the World" by Take That, a song that originally played in the ending credits of the movie "Stardust."  I thought they did a great job at the Olympics performing it, and it was probably my favorite performance at the closing ceremonies.  The Pet Shop Boys performance of "West End Girls" was good as well.  Did it remind anyone else of The Hunger Games, though?  Not that that is a bad thing, really...just curious.

Bellvue Arts & Crafts Fair 2012

Above:  One of Karen Olks Magna Memo Decorative Themed Memo Boards

 www.magnamemos.etsy.com  info@magnamemos.com   www.facebook.com/magnamemos

I swore to myself that I was not going to buy anything this year, as I headed out to the BAM (Bellevue Arts Museum) ARTSfair Saturday.  I almost made it out without buying anything, when I spotted this piece, shown above.  It is a dry-erase/magnetic board, with the coolest magnets ever!  It's original, it's colorful and fun, and best of all, it is useful!  I was able to hang it on my wall right away, and start using it!  I had to make a potato salad immediately after the fair for a BBQ I had to go to, and it really came in handy.  I just used the magnets to hold up my recipe!  For the future, I can leave notes for myself or others with a dry erase marker.  I'm excited!

  

A new artist appeared to be doing the chalk-art outside the museum this year.  Her name is Gabrielle Abbott.  Below, she is working on a rendition of Picasso's "Girl Before a Mirror."

Kids of any age can also leave some chalk-art for others to enjoy.  I like the bubble-gum machine (as shown below, upside-down).  There were some cool-looking cats drawn, and one person appeared to be working on the Huskies logo a little further down.

 Here a dog is enjoying the festivities!

There seemed to be a lot of artwork with crows in it this year.  Are crows trendy?  I guess they must be... at least around here.  It almost became a game to me... "okay, where is the crow piece in this booth?" I even heard and spotted a couple of crows watching the crowd from on top of the Bellevue Square Mall.   When I first heard them, I honestly thought it may have been a sound effect from one of the exhibits, till I looked up and saw the actual birds watching everyone.

Some booths made it quite obvious that they liked crows as their subject, others may have had only a couple of crow pieces.  Of course, there were some booths with no crows at all.  They must not be in the loop.  :)

One of the more humorous crow pieces, I did not catch the name of the artist.  It had several black crows standing on this one branch, cawing at this little red bird in front of them.  The little red bird, had his head turned towards all the black crows with a funny look on his face, as if it were saying, "Hey, what are you doing here?"

Even though I am not really into crows, some of the crow art was really cool.  Vicki Banks had a booth of "Vulture Sculpture."  There was one piece with a crow sitting on an old-time radio, another piece with a crow sitting on a cat. 

The first booth of crow-art I came across was by Dianna Shyne.  Her paintings had a single bright colorful background, with outlines of crows and branches in front.  Looking at her website, it appears like she does paint more than just crows.  It seemed like her booth was mainly crows at the festival this year.  You can check out some of her crow-art under Bird Notes on her site.

Above:  artwork by Dianna Shyne NWWS

http://www.diannashyne.com/

Jana Grover also had several crow pieces at her booth in Bellevue.  There was one crow piece called, "The Ten Crowmandments," that I liked.  As I entered the booth, the artist was telling some customers a funny story about that particular piece.  I don't remember all the details, so I am not going to try and repeat it, but here is a sample of some of her other work below. I really like her style.

Above: artwork by Jana Grover

http://www.janagrover.com/

Someone who did not have any crow art (that I know of), but who's artwork can be just as ominous as any crow-type artwork is the art done by Justin Hillgrove.  I always like to see what new stuff he comes up with.  I would have loved to have purchased a print of one of his new pieces called, "Crossing Wonderland."  The original was there, it looked awesome, and, of course, it had already sold.  There did not appear to be any prints of it either.  I guess that piece must be pretty popular.  I am not surprised.

His booth was set up very well this year,with some free coloring sheet hand-outs, and  cool business cards with a scanning-thingy on the back, that takes you straight to his site (I found that particularly cool -- not many booths even had business cards this year).  There were t-shirts to buy, a few prints (which seemed to be selling very quickly), as well as some art on canvas.  Below is the front of his business card he was handing out.  It is one of his more friendlier pieces, which also makes me feel a little sad at the same time.

Above: artwork by Justin Hillgrove

www.impsandmonsters.com

The highlight of Justin Hillgrove's booth this year, was watching him and another artist, Mike Capp paint side-by-side on a couple of small canvases with paint.  They would answer customers questions while painting, some of the conversation being pretty funny.  One customer commented that they really liked the "Good Grief" piece, a Peanuts mash-up with zombies.  I guess that one is not a very popular piece among most, but that particular customer thought it "had to be done."  She also mentioned she wished they would all get the Peanuts gang together for a High School reunion.  Justin Hillgrove then made a quick comeback, "If they did that, all you would hear them say is 'wah wah wah wah...' <-- (the way adults talk in the animated Peanuts cartoons, which is illegible)."  So true!

One other booth that stood out to me was one with chairs made from water skis by Pete Gratama!  I did not sit in them, so I don't know how comfortable they were, but they looked really cool! 

Above: Water Ski Chair (and photo) by Pete Gratama.  See this, and other chairs at: 

http://s704.photobucket.com/profile/petegratama/uploads

The weather at the festival was pretty close to perfect this year.  The temperature felt mostly pleasant.  Sometimes it would get a little warm, but then the temperature would drop just slightly again. 

I did not eat anything at the Arts Fair this time, but I was kind of hoping to come across a booth that served the Deep Fried Pepsi Float to try it out.  No such luck.

I did not stay as long as I probably would have, after all I a BBQ to go to, and a salad to make.  I did get a chance to get around all the booths, fairly quickly before I had to leave, and that was nice. 

Overall, it was a good experience this year.  I had even contemplated on skipping the festival this year, and waiting again till next year, but I am really glad I went yesterday.  I might even start getting into the whole crow-trending thing!  At least I know I will get a lot of use out of my newly purchased art piece this year, and that is exciting.

The Bite of Seattle 2012 and the new Ferris Wheel!

Pictured above, clockwise from top left:  German Bread Dumplings, also known as Semmelknoedel, with Rye Bread, Parsley, Onions and Garlic (Belltown Pub), Mini Strawberry Cupcake (PinkaBella Cupcakes), Taiwan’s Famous Hand-Made Steamed Juicy Pork Dumplings Filled with Soup (Din Tai Fung), Mini Salmon Braut with Fennel Kraut and Walla Walla Onion Mustard Served in a House Made Brioche Bun (Salty's), Flat Iron Steak with Tomato Salad and Blueberry Vinaigrette (Palace Kitchen), Bruschetta con la Muffoletta with Olive Salsa (Al Boccalino), and Pulled Pork Slider (Fremont Fire Pit).

It has been sunny for a few weeks now in the Seattle area, so when I woke up to pouring rain yesterday, I was concerned that it might last the whole weekend.  My favorite weekend of the year has got to be The Bite of Seattle weekend.  Pouring rain would not have stopped me, but I checked the weather just to see what day might be best.  Fortunately, it was today, the day I planned to go.

The menu for The Alley, hosted by Tom Douglas again, looked especially good for today.  I have to say, everything on my plate tasted equally good this year.  The flat iron steak was cooked to perfection.  The salmon brat was subtle in flavor, but tasty.  The pulled pork slider complimented the rest of the meal nicely.  The pork dumpling was surprisingly flavorful, I really liked it.  The German bread dumpling, had a very unique flavor.  When I first looked at it, I thought it was some kind of meatball, but it was made from rye bread, parsley, onions and garlic.  Then there was the Bruschetta con la Muffoletta with Olive Salsa.  Normally I do not like the taste of green olives.  However, with the other flavors combined, that too, tasted really good, and unique.  If I had to pick a favorite this year, it would be the Mini Strawberry Cupcake, though everything else was a very close second.  It's textures and flavors just made it so.... mouthwatering. 

After eating at The Alley, I decided to look around for awhile.  I sat down in the shade.  A band started playing.  A guy with zebra spandex and hot pink accessories started singing.  They were playing covers of Hair Metal bands from the 80's.  They were doing a good job, so I stayed.  The band's name is called Platinum Spandex.  The main guy was really hamming it up for anyone trying to take a photo.  He even got off the stage and started running around and singing to the audience.  He was also posing with quite a few girls who ran up to him to get their photo taken with him.  It was quite entertaining.

I walked to another stage after Platinum Spandex was finished.  This band, called Verlee for Ransom started playing shortly after.  They are an alternative band from Seattle.  They have a nice sound.  It is unfortunate that on stage, the music drowned out the vocals a bit, but listening to samples online, the balance is much better.

Being curious to see what else was going on at the Bite, I decided to get up and look around a bit.  I came across this place, that basically has fried everything!  Deep Fried Twinkies (okay, I have had those before, somewhere else, the first ones were good, the second ones were disappointing), Deep Fried Double Stuffed Oreos (I hear those are really good), Deep Fried Pizza (isn't pizza oily enough?), Deep Fried Pickle Chips (I think I have that recipe pinned to Pinterest), Deep Fried Pepsi Float (...What????)  I guess if I were to try just one, my curiosity would go for the Deep Fried Pepsi Float, but the line was long and the cost was $5.  Maybe next time.  We shall see.

If there was any day to go into the International Fountain, this would have been a good day.... I was quite envious of these people today.

There were some fun things set up for kids, too.  If I were a kid, I would like to slide on the one that goes from King Kong and then under the dinosaur!

Another thing going on in Seattle, is the new Ferris Wheel!  At 175 feet high, is a little taller than the one I rode on in Chicago (which is 150 ft), and it has air conditioning (and heat for the winter). 

It is well under half the size of The London Eye (443 ft), which I also hope to ride someday.  I rode this great wheel last week with my sister.  We also went and saw The Amazing Spider-Man.  Good movie!  Lots of action. 

Needless to say, July has been a busy month, as it always is.  The Bite of Seattle is still going tomorrow till 8pm, in case you missed it.  The Alley is $10 and closes at 6pm (which is really the reason I go every year).  I will not be going tomorrow, but if you do, you may want to check the weather to be prepared.  Have fun!