While I Was Gone (WIWG) #1

Does anyone remember that TLC TV Show, “While you were out?” where the one person would sneakily redecorate the other person’s home or “space” while they were gone for the weekend?  It was on during the height of the “everyone is a talented decorator capable of creating art out of found thrift store objects, fabric, paint and copious throw pillows” reality tv phase.

In hindsight, that phase was really just glorified stupid crafts, but at the time… entertaining! inspiring! creative! I always had big dreams of transforming my “space” (aka my student-rental bedroom) into something unique! and bold! that represented ME! but then when I realized I had no on-call carpenter, my dreams began to fade.  The nail in the coffin was that I also lacked the $1000 budget those shows relied upon, since this was the period in my life when I had about $30 a week for groceries…

Anyways, what I meant to say, before the reality tv tangent, is that I realize I disappeared from the blogosphere for 7 months or so.  Oops.  It got to the point where I felt so guilty about the abandonment that I didn’t even bother checking anymore.  While I wasn’t redecorating my home with throw pillows, found objects or chicken stencils, I occasionally took on a project worth sharing.  So, I present to you, “While I Was Gone” or WIWG, a series of recaps from these “lost months.”

WIWG #1

I don’t even know where to begin with this one.  It was one of the best things ever, so much fun, so fulfilling, but so completely unreasonable.  I mean, yes, that is the whole point of this blog, to celebrate the meaningless activities that make life fun, but I feel like I can’t explain why this particular adventure was so incredible.  Ok, here it is.

I met Joy the Baker.

The real thing.  Joy who I have been worshiping and following for years, the Joy who creates all the recipes I bake from and shares true vulnerability about her life and her thoughts every week on her blog (*cough*not leaving seven month unexplained hiatuses like other bloggers*cough*).  She published her book, and had a book tour, and the closest she planned to come to our town was Chicago, an eight hour drive to the south.

L and I google-mapped, we budgeted, we checked hotwire, we hesitated, and then, two days before we would have to leave to meet the real.live.Joy in Chicago, we booked the hotels.  We left after work on Friday, spent a night in Kalamazoo, Michigan, then on to Chicago Saturday morning.

We got there early.  We browsed.  We bought our books.  We sat in the front row.  We waited.

Joy arrived.  Joy talked.  Joy asked us real questions about our real lives.  Joy signed our books.  Joy hugged us and posed for a picture with us.

It was awesome!  I have never been much of a celebrity follower– I never really felt I had anything in common with the run-of-the-mill Hollywood celebs, but with Joy the Baker, I think her efforts to be truly honest and humble and kind and vulnerable allow her readers to feel like we know her, and we share something real with her.  So for L and I, it was an amazing day.  Thanks Joy!

 

The Breads of Good and Evil + Monotonous Monday

I enhanced my love affair with Joy the Baker this weekend and baked not one, but two of her breads.

First up, the droolworthy orgasmically delicious, extraordinarily unhealthy Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread on Saturday, which ended up replacing the planned healthy dinner.  This recipe looks hard but is totally easy.  My Tuesday book club will be benefiting from Sunday’s creation, Apple Raisin Flax Bread, which looks easy but takes a long time to put together.  I don’t feel quite so guilty about this one, but it is certainly not a veggie replacement.  I give you the breads of good and evil:

While I waited for my breads to rise/bake, I got a lot done on my cross-stitching project. See that bluish line at the top?  That is the real top of the pattern!! I’ll finish this panel this week and be officially 1/6 complete.  Exciting new stitching adventures await, my friends.

I was trying to think of a new craft I’d like to experiment with this week, and loyal to my true literary love, Jane Austen, I think hat making would be an ideal new hobby– fanciful yet practical, feminine; lace, feathers, bows and ribbons… yes.

Hat making is my new calling. I’m not sure there is much call for this type of apparel nowadays, and I don’t know how to make the hat part of the hat, but I’m all over the bows and ribbons.  I might try it anyways.  I’ll keep you posted!

 

Monotonous Monday(s) and the Bonus Prime Minister Game

Not only are my crafts mediocre, my blogging skills are even less impressive.  Sorry about missing the last monotonous Monday, three to five blog-reading friends.  I know you were eagerly anticipating a cross-stitching update.  Missing last Monday has one definite advantage, though.  Now you get to see two Monday pics together, so you can really compare the progress!  Unfortunately, I am currently on the “clouds” portion of the pattern, meaning that I fill in empty white space with tiny white x’s.  What a thrill!  I hope you’re sitting down for this.

Feb 14:

Feb 21:

There you go!  Wasn’t that exciting!  I don’t know how you all waited a whole extra week for that.  Whew!  Better go get a glass of water.

I baked these cookies from Joy the Baker this week.  This was the first time I’ve made sugar cookies in my married life, because I just got a rolling pin this year for Christmas. (I know.. rolling pins cost like $10.  Why did I wait to get one for Christmas?  I think I probably had a spare ten dollars sometime in the last 5.5 years.) They were pretty good, but I made them a little too thin, so they were slightly overbaked, I think.  They were a bit too crispy for my liking.  I made my husband take pictures for me while I baked.  I’m pretty bossy, but he doesn’t mind too much.

I am about to write a special MID-WEEK blog post for you to read!  That is what happens when I get a three-day weekend– I get all productive-like.

BONUS: A wintry sunset picture.  (There is a vent in this picture that looks like Stephen Harper’s head.  See it?)