Obsession #1: The Joys of Cheesecloth

 

*sigh*

Isn't it beautiful?

Now, I know this isn't technically the first obsession I've blogged about...well, almost every post has been about an obsession of one sort or another...but this is the first one that I'm putting in this new shnazzy category.

So I was hearing tell on many blogs of people using canvas paint drop cloths as curtains because they were simple, industrial looking, pretty and cheap.  I thought that was awesome and looked them up on the Lowe's website (the Home Depot website is cruddy) and though they didn't have much in the way of drop cloths online, they did have an inexpensive cheesecloth.  Now, I wasn't sure I remembered the texture of cheesecloth so I looked it up and surged with glee when I realized it *was* the beautiful, soft-draping gossamer of my dreams.  So pretty and soft, and yet so industrial/distressed looking! *SIGH!*

I can't wait until I can use it for curtains and pillows and bedthrows and shawls...and I bet it's super dyable so it could be in other pretty colors (although I like it white or natural)...and it's inexpensive and...and...well, just look at it again:

 

 Photo from http://www.gourmetsleuth.com 

okay if you're bored of that picture, here:

 

Photo from http://suebleiweiss.typepad.com/

The ones on the top are lovely dyed cheesecloth :)

  

Photo also from http://suebleiweiss.typepad.com/

I loooove these bright ones!

  

This one too is from http://suebleiweiss.typepad.com/ 

I was looking around at her site (I found it from Googling cheesecloth pics) and she really has exquisite stuff, and an Etsy Store so check her out!

Anyway isn't cheesecloth just delicious? Okay, so I can't believe I just used that word, but I just want to squeeze it, drape myself in it, and stare long hours at it.  It has the same strange appeal as the sparkly toy balls that have the almost soft friction to the outside of them...does anyone know what I'm talking about?  No? Okay.  Well, I like cheesecloth.

In the iconic words of What's Her Face from Teen Girl Squad,
"uh, hi. i like music. and um... cloth."

Okay so...

So I haven't posted anything in the better part of a year, because my last post, Pregnant, turned out to be incorrect and I didn't have the heart to follow up on it for so long.  Not going to go into detail about it right now.  But now that I have that off my chest and can go forward without people asking me how old my daughter is, maybe I can get back to some blogging around here.
Sometime I'll do a full post on pseudocyesis or false pregnancy (would have posted a link, but they all make me sound like an idiot) and the kind of emotions that come with it. :P It stunk.
Anyway, I don't know if any regular blogging is coming, but I thought I'd clear the way for it.
(I'm really not as cynical as I sound in this post, this is just a super sensitive subject.)
Thank you for all your sweet comments on the previous post!  I hope that soon we'll have reason for congrats again :)
Calise

Pregnant!

I'm at the end of my 15th week of my very first pregnancy :)  I've wanted to blog about it for months now, but we wanted to wait to tell everyone until well into the second trimester.  Plus, this seemed like a good time since Justin and I are moving to South Carolina next week...finally.  It's been good here in New Mexico, but I am ready to leave this apartment and enter a new stage in our lives.  Anyway, more about this later, but I am glad to finally report our good news.

Here's my ticker from Lilypie, although I don't like how they count weeks :P  Justin and I just have a hunch it's a she so thus the pink and name.

Micro Loans

So I've heard about micro-loans before and I was reminded of them when I read this blog post on Our Evolution.  I think they're an absolutely amazing idea.  And I was so excited to read about Kiva, a website that connects people who need micro-loans with people who want to lend to them.  The greatest part, I think, is that you don't have to have a ton of money yourself.  You can lend as little as $25 toward a loan and your money combined with that of others will help a person to start a business or make money in some other way that will help them get on their feet.  And as they pay the money back, you can use it to help someone else who needs a micro-loan and the good cycle continues! YAY!
Anyhue, so awesome!

Photo from Kiva.org

Guest-casting on the Rational Faith Podcast!

I recorded an episode today for the Rational Faith Podcast, my husband Justin's podcast and I think it's pretty good. I'd never podcasted before and I feel like I stuttered through the whole thing, but like I said in the podcast, the subject is very important to me and it would be great if everyone could check it out. It's about the desire for power being a good thing and that God will give us our desires if they really will make us happy. Plus, it has a reference from the play Wicked and you can't get better than that, right?
Check it out at Lightofar.com or subscribe to the Rational Faith Podcast in iTunes :)
It's almost like being famous...okay, maybe not.

Oh, and my birthday was last Saturday. I am reluctant to tell everyone who thought I was *so* mature that I only turned 19, but that's the truth. *Sigh* There fly all my credentials. It was a good birthday and I got to eat sushi (YAY!), but I'm still going to play the card and say please check out the podcast as your birthday gift to me :) And as a gift to yourself since my voice is so soothing!

Peach Joy

Sorry it's been a bit. You know how it goes. ;)

This week our Wal-Mart had a sale on peaches and nectarines (which are actually peaches) for 88 cents a pound! I'm from Georgia and I LOVE peaches but, living in New Mexico we don't get a lot of peach sales. I floated away into peach heaven and we got ten pounds of nectarines. This may seem a lot to some people, but about 75% of our diet is fruit and it's nice to get something besides bananas and the occasional apple or orange for once (grapefruits are a staple too). So, I'm finding all sorts of exciting ways to eat peaches, though I still haven't gotten tired of just washing them off and biting in. :) Here is the first recipe, a Spartan revamping of the one I found on AllRecipes:

Spartan Friendly Crustless Peach Cobbler by Calise Sellers

4 Peaches--Peeled, Sliced and Pitted (if you use nectarines, there's no need to peel them)
1/2 Cup Natural Sugar
Enough Water to Nearly Cover the Peaches

Put peaches, sugar and water in saucepan. Heat to a low boil. Simmer peaches until they soften and color dulls. Drain liquid into separate container. Serves two.

This recipe seems really simple, and it is, but it's also really tasty and good for you. If you don't do natural sugar, regular sugar or maple syrup would probably work just fine. This would probably taste great with vanilla ice cream, unfortunately I'm still waiting until we have enough room for an ice cream maker or leftovers in our freezer (our freezer is smaller than a shoebox).

Now with the peach liquid left over you can make natural peach soda:

Peach Soda by Calise Sellers
1 Part Leftover Peach Liquid/Syrup
2 Parts Carbonated Water

Stir it up.

If you want to, you can use more peach liquid to make the soda stronger. We liked it just like this. It was nice to have soda after such a long time and know it wasn't going to kill us. ;)

I hope these work and are tasty for you. For me, it's just nice to know I'll be able to give my kids (when I have them) healthy desserts and for me to experience some back-home peach joy.

My Two-Faced Honest Self

If you were to look through my web history or glance through my Google reader, you might be confused or think I was going through an inner war of sorts. Visits to glennbeck.com and green sites, Ben Stein's Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed and organic eating. I'm desperately trying to figure out how to dye plastic bags so I can reuse them and wanted to vote for Mitt Romney.

So why this confused "flip-flopping"? Because I've discovered that when there are good ideas in our country, they usually serve the good causes of any party. The most simple of these is alternative fuel. Use something besides foreign oil--save the sovereignty, save money, save the planet--win-win! (Seems like a no-brainer to me.) Organic gardening-- It's thrifty, it takes our dependence off of other people and the government, it saves our bodies from McDonald's travesties, and, once again, good for the planet. Recycling--same mantra, plus it's rock-awesome!

It really seems like we should apply these principles to as many aspects of government as possible. "It's not who's right, but what's right," is an old bit of wisdom that everyone says and hardly anyone goes by. And maybe people don't believe there is a right answer. If truth is subjective then you might as well twist it to fit your best interests. But I don't believe that of truth. I think truth is perfect. It is the most logical, most fulfilling route that in the end will make as many people happy as are willing to adhere to it. Truth was in place long before we decided to figure out what it was. We can deny there is a wall before us, but that won't stop us from running into it.

In the end, it's truth that honest people seek on either side and truth already has an answer to any problem.

Emotional Throw-Up

Do you ever wonder what would happen if people in separate parts of your life could meet? This is a question I've pondered for a while now. I think the answers say a lot about people, even if they would never understand them.

For example, last year, before my wedding when they met, I wondered what one of my best girlfriends and my sister would think of each other. They are both highly opinionated (in the best sense ;D) with a valuable affinity with justice, fairness and duty. In January, when they met the result was disappointing, though not highly unexpected. Of course they weren't instantly engaged in in-depth discussions--it was a party and they didn't even know each other!

I've also wondered similar things about conversations between Justin and my old Sunday school teacher, Justin and one of my dad's friends, Justin and my high school friends, and Justin and my extended family (this last one is actually supposed to happen eventually...long story as to why it hasn't yet). But I fear the results will be the same.

Why should it matter to me that these people will never have long, meaningful if heated discussions on religion, politics and life in general? Because each of these people has had an affect on my life in their own different ways. I've been a drop-cloth of ideas for these not-so-many years and, while I've developed my own ideology from the vast array of drippings, each has had a powerful affect on my life.

It's frustrating to me that meaningful discussion takes either copious amounts of time or anger to be drawn from the inner depths of people. Should it really be that hard for two people to say, "You seem like an interesting person. Let's try not to take offense and talk about what's important to us"?

But I've always been weird in this area. I used to refer to myself as an "Emotional Slut." It may not be the best terminology and people give me strange looks when I use the phrase. I mean that I'm the kind of person who will spill their guts, their innermost thoughts, with mere acquaintances and people I've just met. I get around emotionally ;) It made dating hard since guys weren't sure if they liked that kind of emotional honesty or not. Plus, I asked the same from them in long term endeavors. Justin and I met on a blind-date set up by our friend Andy whom I had dated. When telling Justin about me, he said, "She likes talking about deep stuff... all the time."

When Justin and I went out, it was the perfect fit. We planned activities together only to abandon them in favor of just talking. We talked for hours and hours on end about anything and everything. It was so refreshing for both of us to have someone else who wanted to talk about more than just classes and tv shows.

So why not? Why shouldn't people meet and be able to discuss philosophies of life in a matter of minutes? Is it because they don't have any? In many cases, perhaps, but from years of emotionally throwing up on people, I've learned that if you can get others to open up, just a little bit, even the most shallow or cynical people have things that they really care about in life. So, I think it's probably fear. Fear of offending people, fear of hostility, fear of coming off looking like a nerd, and fear of having the things most precious to you trampled by people who just don't care.

It's a worthy consideration. I wrote, actually after a night with Justin when we were dating, my fear; “I feel like every time it doesn’t work out, a little piece of me gets squished.” I was writing in terms of dating, but I think it's just as true of human relations in general. When people think you're strange or belittle your passions, it really does feel like being stepped on. But I've also learned from experience that it's worth it. For the ninety-nine people who don't get you, there is one who you can develop such an affinity with that it is worth every single squashing.

I really went off on a tangent on this one and there is so much more I could say about both subjects I talked about in this post. Fortunately, there are just too many good things to talk about in the world to stay on one subject.

*Etsy*

I love to make things. I live for ideas and the "ah-ha!" moments in life. Ever since I was a little girl (Justin would say I'm still little :-P. He's just old) and rigged up badly made curtain pulleys from yarn and played "Borrowers" with Barbies--fashioning beds from Beanie Babies and trash cans from Pog containers, I've loved taking objects that were originally meant for one purpose and finding a way to make them into something else. But I've never really been trained as to how normal people make things. My mom did teach me how to use a sewing machine and follow a basic pattern and at church I learned to do the simplest of crochet stitches. But from there I really just learned from trial and error. I'm still learning simple things all the time; the kinds of things that I see on crafty blogs and wonder why I never learned something that seems so basic to others.

I'm finally getting around to making stuff for my Etsy store. I'm really nervous because I don't *know* how I make things...I just kind of *do* it. Once I come up with an idea, it doesn't like to stay in my head long enough to be thoroughly thought out. And, while I think my work is creative and good and I do put a lot of work into it, I'm deathly afraid that I'm going to mess something simple up and people won't be happy with what I've made for them. This is probably not a good thing to post when I want blog readers to be interested in the stuff I'm making and selling. Honestly I do a good job, I've just never actually sold anything before.

*Sigh* So if I could get some feedback as I post ideas and items I'm planning on using in my Etsy, I would really appreciate it.
I desperately need a camera before I start doing all this. I'm already almost finished with my first "Blouse Bag" and "Cuff Wallet" and would love to post pictures of them, but all I have is the iSight on Melvin, my Mac. That might have to do until I convince Justin how much we *need* a camera. :D

Now, my other problem is my store name. My member name is SweetonLife (sweet on, like having a crush on). but I don't know if that's a good store name or not. I plan to sell accessories made from recycled materials, like old shirts, children's books, Barbies and IKEA's blue bags. I could seriously use some name ideas as well as any other tips you experts could provide. :D

The Perfect Shave and Some More Tactful Thoughts

I coined a phrase in my teens that may have been uncouth, but true nonetheless.

"The thing about being an Acree [my maiden name] is that you get this great long, dark, thick hair...the problem is, it's everywhere."

I love my dark head hair, I think it's one of my best features, but it does make shaving more of an ordeal. Anyway, now that you've been enlightened about my personal bubble, we had this jar of mayonnaise that weren't using. We don't do store-bought mayonnaise anymore since we've been eating better (I don't know how to make it yet either, so no mayonnaise at all for us) and it was about to expire so I used it in my hair and to shave with. It's so hard to keep hair moisturized or get a good shave here in NM because of how dry it is. Mayo came through, even with my bikini line which is usually dastardly. I used it just like conditioner and shaving cream. The excess went into the water and made my bath heavenly. My skin is so soft and smooth now. :) I'm pretty sure it's going to help my psoriasis too which has been awful lately. I'll keep you posted on that one.

Baking soda is my other new best-friend. Teeth-brushing, cleaning, fixing my too-much-vinegar mistakes--it does it all-- and so much better than toothpaste, chemical cleaners or...throwing things away. My teeth are squeaky and fresh with the lovely white powder and just a swish of hydrogen peroxide. My stove sparkles too. *Sigh* So perfect.

I've been so back-to-basics lately, it scares me...well, it's weird anyway. I've never had a problem with granola-ish people, but until recently, I never resembled one. Now I'm eating organically (or unprocessed at least), going off medicine, using cupboard bathing and cleaning products, considering cloth diapering my babies (though it doesn't look like Justin's going to go for that one) and recycling all over the place (recycling was always rock-awesome). And the greatest thing I'm finding is that, in most cases, it works! Just because you buy something in a store doesn't make it better, or even cheaper. It often makes it easier, but since when was that a good principle to base your life on?

America was once a society of creating things; of taking what little you had in front of you and producing something better with your own mind and hands. Now it seems that we're so caught up in fitting ourselves into frameworks of premade jobs and risk-less opportunities that we don't really make things anymore. We simply maintain.

I know this isn't true of everyone. There are so many people that reach out of the box in their own way and truly shape the world. I just wish more people would stop waiting for the powerful THEY to do things and change the system and be the solutions themselves.

Chips with Lime

All I have to report today is that I'm eating tortilla chips sprinkled in lime juice.
Mmmmm...
:D

Light of Ar

My sweetheart Justin just started being active on his blog which I bugged him into starting almost a year ago. I love blogging and I'm a bit of a nerd wannabie. I also LOOOOOVE Google and still think, as I said many times on my teenage blog that they should take over the world and I don't think we would be a worse off place for it. So I pride myself on keeping up with what's going on with Google, Gmail, Blogger and any other Google product. I get a wonderful ego-boosting high from explaining how to use Blogger and blogs in general, feeling like I am so smart and tech-savvy (which I'm not).
Justin, however, is new to the blog front and while he's a very talented writer...well let's just say I explained to him what an rss feed was today...and he still doesn't quite get it...which he says is my fault. :P
I'm a mean wife. Really, I love helping him. It makes me feel useful as we really try and get his book out there.
His book. Now I'm not bringing this up because he's cute, smells good and I'm going to have his children, I really believe in Justin's novel, Light of Ar and the others which he will write in the series. I loved it back when it was Light and Glory (we were actually broken up when I finished it) and I love it even more now that it's becoming Light of Ar.
It's kind of a fantasy novel, but like all good stories, it concentrates truth into a more digestible package than real life. It's about normal people becoming heros in ways I believe they really can--Not because they can fly around or have cool technology, but because normal people like you and I have the ability to do great things and make great choices, the ability to save the world. It's all about potential and you know I love potential. ;)
I may be married to him, but I married him for a reason. He is the wisest person I know.
So, if you would, check it out. He's got one chapter for free on his blog now and more to come. On top of the principles in it being wonderfully true, it's got a rock-awesome storyline with great characters and cool battle scenes that even my mom liked! Well...she liked the book...not sure if the battles were her favorite...don't think she's much of a battle person...but she liked the romance :) I liked the battles and the rest of it.
So anyway, check it out, drop him a line. He would love to hear positive or negative thoughts on it (as long as the negative is constructive ;D). Plus, since he's new to the blogisphere, comments are like candy right now...not that I get tired of them :)
Here's the link:

Light of Ar

Thanks!

Lemonade! (Without Pictures :-P)

After several attempts, I finally made rock-awesome lemonade today! My first failed attempt was with maple syrup as sugar. It wasn't nearly strong enough to offset the lemons. Next, I tried honey. Waaaaaaay too strong. It ended up being honeyade. Blech. Then we discovered that at Wal-Mart, all-natural sugar really wasn't that expensive. Sugar in the Raw is kind of pricey, but not awful, and the Florida Crystals kind we got was really cheap compared to honey or maple syrup (I mean c'mon, nothing is going to rival 3 cents an ounce for refined sugar or "white death" as the Spartan guy calls it, but I think the health benefits are worth it. I really don't feel like having my joints corrode this week). And natural sugar tastes so good! I've been throwing it into everything this week including chicken and chocolate (!) without my joints having any problem. Yay!
I actually managed to write down a recipe this time for my successful lemonade attempt today...which means I threw a bunch of ingredients together, wrote them down as I winged it, and the amounts I tried actually worked and were yummy. I got it on the first try today, without having to readjust ingredients or anything!

Spartan Friendly Lemonade by Calise Sellers
The Juice from 4 Small Lemons
1/2 Cup Natural Sugar
3 Cups Water

We blent (Blended?) our lemons this time because our juicer is a fancy, highly involved thing that we bought with our wedding gift cards, but it is more complicated than it needs to be for citrus. The lemonade was still good, but it had seeds in it, something one of those little hand juicers would remedy.
The natural sugar makes the lemonade look brownish because of the natural molasses still in the grains. Also, we discovered, a little bit of natural sugar goes a long way. If you want your lemonade more tart, add another lemon or just lessen the sugar.

I wanted to put pictures on with this post, but we don't have a regular digital camera yet. I took stills with our video camera, but I don't know where the cords are at the moment. :-P

I made several other things this week that turned out good, but I didn't write down how much of each ingredient I used. Like I said, I usually just wing it and if it's gross, I add things until it tastes better. Thankfully, Justin is patient and not picky. He'll usually eat things even when I think they're gross.
Don't worry though, I only post things that work and that I enjoy. :)

Spartan Friendly Miso Soup (With Guesstimated Ingredients) by Calise Sellers
3 Cans Chicken Broth
1 Very Large Clove of Garlic, Minced (Um...the cloves are sections, not the whole thing, right? At this point everyone wonders why they're following my recipe)
Copious amounts of Ground Ginger
Onion to Taste

Simmer, simmer, simmer, simmer :)

Spartan Friendly Cheesy Chicken Salad (With Guesstimated Ingredients) by Calise Sellers
2 Cans Chicken (or use uncanned chicken and it will probably taste way better)
Lots of Cheese (We used Sharp Cheddar in big chunks)
1 Chunk Unsalted Butter
1 Clove (See Above) Garlic, Minced
1 Slice of Onion, Chopped
1 Generous Sprinkle Natural Sugar
1 Generous Sprinkle of Red Pepper

I microwaved it in a glass bowl 1 minute at a time, letting the cheese and butter melt, stirring it in between. It's not the prettiest food, but I was really surprised at how good it was. I think the sugar made the biggest difference. You can probably cook it any way and with any form of chicken. Just (obviously) make sure your chicken is cooked somehow before you're done. Definitely a good thing to do with leftover chicken, just like regular chicken salad.

Lastly, the unperfected, yet most exciting:

Spartan Friendly Chocolate! by Calise Sellers
Alright, I really have no plain ingredient list for this, since I haven't really perfected it yet. I use plain, unsweetened chocolate squares, milk and natural sugar. Seems pretty obvious from the ingredients in regular chocolate, I know. I'm just pleased that I found a way to eat chocolate and not kill myself. So far, the best I've done is making a yummy chocolate liquid. Oh well. It's still chocolate.

I would love to have comments from real cooks with suggestions, tips and recipe modifications. I like throwing things together and hoping they work, but if anyone wants to find a better way to do it, I'm all for it :)

Flickr Game

I found this game on Domesticali and I think mine turned out awesome :)



The concept:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd's mosaic maker.

The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

I kind of feel like I cheated since none of the pictures represent my answers guessably well. But I did follow the rules and it makes for pretty art.

Here are the links to the pictures I used.
1. It's raining light, Hallelujah!, 2. drop in, 3. magic by the lake, 4. I s o l a t e d, 5. Stairs, 6. Memory Map, 7. Church near Alps, 8. coffee and chocolate mousse cake, 9. The Voice of Water, 10. Parting, 11. Inner beauty, 12. PORSCHE

Wedding Photos

While I'm at it, here are our wedding photos so they can stop clogging up the sidebar :)