also

i am getting married. to a wonderful man who is lucky to have me. i mean him. i am lucky to have him.
xoxox

friend or foe

so we all broke up with myspace and started a hot new affair with facebook. who's still in love? who's filing?

i randomly e-stalk people... and sometimes use it for email with people that for some reason or another i dont correspond with elsewhere.

mostly i just end up being "friends" with people from highschool that i dont give a damn about. then i run into them and they know what i am up to.

hmmmmm...... some people seem really into online networking. i guess i wish my best of friends would all start blogging. for one thing, it's so much more interesting (please hold all comments about how i never post regularly.. because i know it's true)and for another, it gives me something to do at work that sort of looks like work without being a total instant giveaway like the facebook homepage. my boss is even on facebook now. (though to her credit, she is pretty hip. and freakishly good at bowling).

looks like the honeymoon is over.

thank god kin is blogging now: read sweet stuff about cheffing and yachting here

i call bullshit

so who's heard of color forecasting? i guess it's a bit like the weather... or like fashion; with the huge exception that while you may be able to re-invent skinny jeans, you cannot in fact, re-invent the color yellow.

yellow is yellow.

tonight i went to a 'color forecasting preview' put on by the clairvoyant folks over at benjamin moore. the news is out: 2010 is all about cedar green #2034-40. see the really really bad color here

barf. if i ever recommend something this bad, please ask me to pay you an hourly fee as repentance for being such an idiot.

static

this past weekend evan and i traveled south to visit a few of our favorite oregonians. catching up with family is always time well spent. one conversation in particular stuck with me: the idea was to reject the static life. anyone who knows my family knows I am talking about my cousin Travis, who is far from ordinary. or static. in fact he's usually ecstatic.

i think it may have transferred into a dream i had, where i was a surfer. and i was damn good. maybe this is where my life is leading me? or maybe it's just evan flushing the toilet while i sleep.

i believe

do you still believe in santa? or the tooth fairy? i do not. i do however, after today, believe in the pot roast fairy. i woke up this morning and to my great delight found a packaged serving of pot roast. and a heineken. as i type this i am enjoying the delicious bites of carrots, potatoes and spice.... i must have been very nice this year. special thanks to chef 'T'.

dirrrrr-tay

god, what i wouldnt give to be that olive. frolicking in a pool of dirty martini goodness.

huh?

spotted this while standing in the kitchen eating dinner by the stove. it's the newest offering from the design geniuses over at viva terra. it looked even worse in the catalog where the background was also flesh toned. why would i want a buddah phallus? why would anybody? they are described as "each unique". well isnt that the truth.

rough bark shaft: $39
smiling buddah tip: $included
personal 'organic' phallus to worship in the privacy of your own home: priceless

love, love

who doesent love an altar table? they are such a cool piece of furniture and can be used in countless places, mixed in with most any design style. maybe even "brooklyn" style?

the fortune telling birthday book part II

it was brought to my attention through blog comments and happy hour comments that my previous blog was a bit vague.

as it turns out i am lucky enough to have TWO fabulous friends who share a birthday on july 9. and as bad-luck would have it, they both have fled seattle for the east coast in recent years. completely by coincidence, my fictional liberty with the ending of the birthday fortune proved true in both cases.

however, apparently my boston friend is questioning the "likes children" part of her fortune. to which i respond: you are irrevocably in love with your nephew, who is by definition a child. so there.

the fortune telling birthday book

if you've ever been to a dinner party at my house, you've likely seen the infamous little red book. no, it's not a list of hot men i call when evan is out of town... it's a fortune telling birthday book. and let me be the first to tell that you it is freakishly accurate. my quick witted friends will be the first to express how they feel that horoscopes are hooey (and i somewhat agree) HOWEVER last night it proved itself again with two entries for two of my favorite people:

jan 9: you have a frank, energetic and progressive nature and have faith in the good performed by others. those born on this day achieve their greatest success by adhering to the belief that they themselves are the masters of their success.

jul 9: you are ambitious and conscientious in your work and you are calculating rather than enthusiastic. you are original and resourceful in your methods. you have good judgement, and your deductions are generally correct. you are fond of children and your home in seattle, move back.

the captain

and evan will be the captain. eye patch and all. awesome.

the ghost of halloween present

that's right. this year for halloween i am going to be a present. headresses are my costume forte (with Carmen Miranda being an all time fave, and the 'lampshade' a close second). so this seemed totally fitting. i'm not sure how that will fit into the "luchador" party i am attending... but... it will be something to see. trick or treat kids.
and click here if you are curious how to make this super cool eco-bow.

meat loaf

there is no photo for this post. why? because meat loaf looks completely unappetizing. it's nasty. and it turns out there is no pretty way to plate and serve it either. so why the post? because the onset of fall had me jonseing for something home-style hearty. and it's damn tasty.

in my household, there is a person (who will remain nameless: evan c. schneider, email antagonistic rants about the delicious flavors of beef and pork here) who requires "turkey burger". this, while delicious, makes for some VERY pale meat loaf. i'd highly recommend trying it, though would caution that the cook should use generous amounts of ketchup /and/or barbque sauce. bon a petit.

the bird woman

earlier tonight i was at McCaw Hall for the INawards; ... having a wild time with my ONE drink ticket (see our super sweet design skills that won honorable mention here) and it reminded me of my annual visit with the ballet. it's a tradition with the boyfriend's family to see the nutcracker every year to kick off the holiday season. I'm not going to lie, i'm really in it for the bird woman. technically she's a peacock, but she is fabulous: killer outfit, sinuous dance moves; she's art nouveau. homegirl's got it going on. so snooze if you must, but set your alarm clock to wake you up for the bird woman.

beware of the 'yease

many of you are well aware of my obsession with mac and cheese. i could probably write an entire blog dedicated to the best spots in town for mac and cheese. this said, last night was a mac and cheese first...

seeing it on the menu of a new restaurant (who will remain nameless) i popped inside. the first clue should have been the menu, the second and more obvious clue should have been the patrons. something in my head should have said 'toto, we're not in kansas anymore'. deciding against better judgement, we all ordered the 'mac and yease' from the "trendy" new vegan joint on cap hill. it came out looking passably like the real thing. the trouble came with the texture. i couldnt figure out what non-dairy item would lend itself to moonlight as cheese. and so i sat poking at it, while stephanie exclaimed "i am one plate of yease away from going vegan!". the jury is still out here and i would recommend it only with the hefty disclaimer "BEWARE OF THE YEASE".

farm part deux

you may have seen a similar post over on dahlia press, but if you havent yet- here's a little taste of the farm in fall swing. a little bit americana, a little bit delicious. i really love going back home to the farm; it's grounding and my mother's garden makes me swoon. special thanks to mr. scott noble for taking my dad fishing a providing the fresh salmon for a dinner that would have made michael pollan proud: wild salmon, potatoes & beets right out of the ground, fresh tomatoes and peach pie. heaven. funny how when i was 18, i couldnt get out of town fast enough.

wino wednesday

since my dear friend brittany spears also had a 'very poor-failure' rating on the good wife chart, something must be done. and so to inspire her in the kitchen every wednesday, i begin by getting her good and drunk. this makes simple things like remembering to dump the can of chili into the pot difficult at times, but brings so much humor into the kitchen space that it is well worth the effort. for your new and personalized 'art of cooking' cookbook; last nights recipe:

baked potato chili and zucchini (difficulty level: beginner)
step one: boil potatoes - chop into smaller pieces, cook until soft when forked
step two: open can of chili, dump into pot on stove, simmer on med-low
step three: saute (4) sliced zukes in a pan with 2 T. (tablespoons, remember these are the lines of the cube of butter), about 5-7 minutes until tender and golden brown
step four: add my secret magical ingredients to potatoes and zukes- "salt.peppa.garlic"
step four: dish up and top with shredded cheddar and a side of sour cream

cheers chef spears!

real estate lust

i have a new crush. it's a cool new moden house in wallingford. my double-o agent cullen took me to see it this past weekend and it was lust at first sight. the architecture is well thought out and the finishes are a great quality for the list price of $499,950. also it has 3 bedrooms. i can only dream about what i would do with THREE whole bedrooms. i'm sure anyone that has enjoyed a stay in my ghetto basement could appreciate this; you know who you are.

googlie eyes as promised

following up yesterday's post with evan's favortite artist: mark ryden. we saw his show at the frye several years back- wondertoonel, and he also has a few pieces down at roq la rue in belltown. word on the street is that he is a severe insomniac. and an artist, so by default he's a bit of a wierdo. you can check out some of his freakier content here if you dare; this one 'girl in a fur skirt' i might consider hanging at home, if not for it's $75K starting price.

sketch sketch

last night after watching too many you tube videos (a most incredible time suck) i decided to attempt some figure sketching. i havent sketched in a really really long time. aside from not being able to find a pencil sharpener OR an eraser, i did get a few things down that looked passably like parts of myself (though dont think for a minute i would post them here); which reminded me of one of my favorite artists, ethan murrow.

his works are massive (think 12' long by 6'high)and are done entirely with a pencil- so i think he may have carpel tunel or something unfortunate (which conversely makes his art more valuable- a concept that bugs me) but either way, he is fantastic. tomorrow i'll tell you who evan's favorite artist is. he totally creeps me out- channeling creepy fawns and abe lincoln and little girls with googlie eyes- take a stab if you think you know who it is. pun for sure intended.

ornamental ornithophobia

so how many birds is too many for a girl with a fear of birds? could i really sleep with them on top of me? even if i had a fabulous orange jonathan adler thow to distract myself?

this dilemma reminds me of a recent joke: we dont serve beer to bears in bars in billings. maybe better off with no birds on bedspreads in bedrooms for bananas.

nobody puts baby in a corner

yesterday was a sad day. can you believe kanye west? my favorite quote of the ordeal came from katy perry, who said 'it was like stepping on a kitten', which seemed about right. and patrick swayze died. tonight evan and i will be putting on dirty dancing and prancing about the living room saying things to each other like 'i carried a watermellon'. okay, really it will be me doing these things while evan tries not to silently judge my obsession. how do you call your lover boy?

a real gem

ok, so i have recently been a bit obsessed with wedding blogs. this may be a result of the NINE weddings i was cordially invited to this season, or it may just be wishful thinking. at any rate, today i stumbled across this chart from the spirited year of 1939. i rated myself and came up 'spinster'. special thanks to beachy bride for locating this gem. what do you rate? and more importantly, where is the dude chart?

artsy fartsy

if you have been by l'amourita lately you've probably seen this. i got the inspiration from a modern design magazine a while back; they didn't know who the original artist was, and neither do i. my take on the concept is white on white with mixed paper on canvas. 48"x48" with lots of texture. and of course hot glue. i love my hot glue gun. lets call it 'untitled one'.

so what is hot bananas?

funny you should ask; i have the recipe right here:
ingredients:
2 tbsps granulated sugar .
2 large bananas .
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon .
1 c coconut milk

directions:
Step #1 Peel the bananas & cut into bite-sized pieces.
Step #2 In a medium saucepan, bring the coconut milk to a boil.
Step #3 Add the sugar & cinnamon, stirring to dissolve.
Step #4 Add the bananas.
Step #5 Bring back to a boil, then turn down the heat & let simmer for 3 - 5 mins, until the bananas are tender but not mushy.
Step #6 Serve hot, sprinkling extra cinnamon on top if desired.

enjoy your hot bananas
(courtesy of grouprecipes.com)

testing one, two, bananas

since santa has yet to bring me a website... I am going to try the blog format and see what happens. wish this banana luck.