What's Happening

Yesterday I got a few more animal jars listed in my shop.  

 You can hid your treasures in the cat feather jar here.

 Or decorate a space with the mossy dog jar here.

 Or store some goodies in the dinosaur glitter jar here.

 And some other things around my place:

My dearest boyfriend made his specialty the other night, spring rolls! They are our favorite but we don't get them often because they take so long to make.  I'm trying to find simpler recipes because I could eat them every day.

 Recently at work I got to redo our register display case. I love doing this. It's like making mini installations.  Tomorrow I get to do my first window. I'm way mega nervous but I've been thinking a lot about it and have a basic idea to start. I'm excited to see how it goes.  If you are in the are check out Cracker Jax. It's the dreamiest store in the world!

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While I do my computering chores and blog reading I'm eating this for breakfast. I'm not really a great cook but luckily my boyfriend is. He made me a batch of homemade bread and today I'm finishing it off. I made a little dish of olive oil and I'm probably getting it all over my computer. It's so good! I also cheated and got a latte at Starbucks. I had a gift certificate but unfortunately their was only 10 cents on it so I paid for the whole thing. Shouldn't have gone for the Venti.

Last night was my first class. I was a little jittery and a little tongue-tied but I felt more at ease than I did on my first day last semester. Sometimes when I have to talk in front of people I just lose all my words. I hate it! My vocabulary gets dumbed down so much. I hate doing this but for my demo on Thursday I may write a speech and try to memorize it, at least so I can remember key words. I'll grow out of this, right?? I think I'm going to have a great class, though. It feels like there will be lots of energy so that's exciting!

Off to the studio...

Food Rituals

So I had hoped by now I would have gotten those much anticipated student loans so I could purchase my new digital camera. I'm so tired of using photos from my phone because the quality is pretty poor. But! No loans yet! My bank account is looking pretty bleak. I have to pet it and talk sweetly to it so that it knows it should fill up again soon. Meanwhile I've been sort of shying away from my blog because I want to post better pics and can't. But I feel like I've been away too long. I've been away from the blog world too long. I haven't read any of your blogs lately because I've been so busy and I feel guilty guilty guilty because other than Bust magazine, your blogs are what I look forward to the most. I need to make this part of my new semester routine.

My semester is really going well so far. I love my class that I'm teaching, I really lucked out and have amazing students that seem to enjoy what they are doing/learning. My work is coming along which is nice because I can breathe easy over it. Also the people in my life make me smile and laugh all the time and it can't get any cozier than that. Good year so far!

Also! I'm going to the Renegade Craft Fair this Saturday in Chicago! It's my first time going and I can't wait. Maybe just maybe I'll have a camera by then. Everyone cross your fingers for me, please!

So what are these hard-to-see photos I've posted here? I was going through my phone and remembered I took pictures of all the food that was sent to my house when my Granddaddy died. It really got me thinking about the rituals of food and eating and how food is used as nourishment and comfort. So many amazing people came to us with all this delicious food. I love this sort of ritual that happens when someone dies because it's a way to see how thoughtful people are and how much they care. Everyone really chips in and takes care of everyone else. The food really symbolizes how people come together for others and there is absolutely nothing more comforting than that. When I came back to school my friend Emmi made me a plate of cookies and again I felt that warmth and comfort. I love moments like those. It's what keeps me the eternal optimist that I am because I know how good people are.

Just something to think about.

I sincerely hope you are all doing well. Take care and have a great great weekend!

eating and sleeping

Last night I slept in my bed as opposed to my couch for the first time in a long time. I kinda marked it as the beginning of something new in my life. I had restless sleep, though and strange dreams. I think it was because I was reading Geek Love before I went to sleep. I've read it before but it's a very strange book.

Yesterday I made this for today's lunch and dinner. I know the photo does not looking appetizing but it really is. The photo is from my phone so that didn't help in the aesthetics. This is a wheat salad with lentils, chopped tomatoes, chopped cucumbers and every herb I can find in my cabinet. Someone recently took me grocery shopping and taught me how to buy proper ingredients. I'm not normally a cook but with my shopper guide's help I think I might have learned a few things. I cheated and tasted this salad last night and it was quite delicious. It could use some cilantro but all my cilantro was rotted much to my dismay. I suppose I need another trip to the grocery store.