Snagged

The lovely Kimberly Monaco tagged me and so I must oblige.

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Write 6 random things about yourself
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them
5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up

So here goes, 6 random things about me. Hope none of these are repeats from past tags, but then again I haven't done one of these in a while so who cares, right? Anyway, this is a rather embarrassing list, so please be kind. Please.

1. I have a terrible weakness for balding men. My friends and husband can’t figure it out at all, but, well, it’s true. Receding hairlines and the little pink spot at the crown are ideal. To put it simply, Ed Harris’ head = sheer perfection.

2. I don’t drink. I used to drink like a fish in my 20s and one day I just decided I was done. Not sure why, but I know it’s probably for the best. My liver thanks me.

3. My biggest fear in life is the dentist. I’m sure my teeth are in the worst shape ever, but I don’t care. The second my butt hits the chair I’m already hyperventilating. And yes, I’ve tried those “anxiety free” dentists. The man yelled at me for god’s sake! If I had my way I’d have a dentist knock me out, pull all of my teeth out and throw a nice set of dentures in their place. I don’t fear spiders or snakes, and hell, I don’t even fear death, but you mention the dentist and I’m gone.

4. I wear vanilla extract as a perfume. I love the smell of vanilla and would bathe in it if I could. I can’t seem to find a vanilla perfume that doesn’t smell artificial so I wear vanilla extract. And because of this, everywhere I go, people tell me I smell like cake.

5. I have a horrific obsession with Beverly Hills 90210. There, I said it. It’s not something I’m proud of, and I rarely admit it. Although, there’s no hiding it now, right? I will more than likely give the new spinoff a shot, but then again, why beat a dead horse?

6. I drive like a maniac. If you live in this area you’ve probably flashed me the finger or cursed me out because you were disgusted by my aggressive tendencies on the road. I can’t help it. I love to drive fast and if you’re in my way I’m going to pass you and I don't care how. The funny thing is I married a man who drives like a grandma (and he totally admits this) and who holds onto the “oh shit” handle like there’s no tomorrow when I’m behind the wheel. Good times.

I guess since I'm playing along, I have to tag 6 more people, eh? Hmmm, okay, how about:

My mom over at Moon and Stars
Mike over at Piss and Vinegar (even though I know he won't play along)
Bronwyn over at The Artful Life
Jo over at Good Girls
Maggie at Secret Boy Fiend
And Matt at Lean Cuisines and Baby Wipes, even though he's totally given up on us

The sweetest thing

She's so damn cute, and I love seeing her from this angle in the morning on my way to work. Someday she'll figure that hood out.

Aside from absolute cuteness, there's not a whole hell of a lot going on around here. We're getting ready for another Troy Night Out. Mike is our featured artist this month and he's got his photos all ready to roll. Very exciting. On the menu we have:

Onion dip (of course)

Sundried tomato dip (again, of course)

Homemade salsa

Cheese platter with crackers

Antipasto platter (assorted meats, olives and artichoke hearts)

Cookies out the wazoo

Brownies

Assorted breads

Fruit

Wine

Not as big a spread as we usually offer, but I think we need to tone it down just a bit. We've been feeding all of Troy and then some these past few months and it's just total madness. This time around I'll be selling the two dips and salsa (in addition to serving it for free) for a small fee. What do you think is a fair price for knock-your-socks-off dips?

newish things and melty balls

Just an FYI:

We now have gift certificates available in the shop, made for me by the lovely Adrienne Money. They're so cute and they've arrived just in time for those shoppers on the hunt for holiday surprises (yes, they're out shopping for Christmas already...in August).

And coming soon, a website! Finally!!! Details to come.

***

Anyway, enough of that. We've invited some dear friends over for dinner tonight and I can't wait to get out of work so I can get home and get to work on the meal. After months and months of empty promises of feeding them my famous "Melt Your Balls Off" Jerk chicken, I'm finally coming through. This stuff is hot, and when I say hot I mean I put an entire habanero pepper in the marinade last night (yes, seeds, pith and all). Honestly, it's not that hot, but you know how habaneros can sneak up on you. Yeesh. If you're interested in giving it a shot, I'm including the recipe below. I've tried this with chicken, tofu and seitan. It works well with all three. I strongly recommend that you make a double batch of the marinade, remove half before putting the chicken in, and reduce it in a saucepan before serving. It makes a tremendous dipping sauce, and tonight we're going to drizzle it over the chicken once it comes off the grill, and the garlic mashed potatoes (with caramelized onions) might get a touch, too. Hungry yet?

***

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (you can use legs and thighs, too)

1 tablespoon allspice

1 tablespoon thyme (I use fresh, but dried is okay too)

1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons sage

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons garlic (let's be real, throw much more in than this)

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup orange juice

1 lime, juiced

1/2 habanero pepper (you can use jalapenos)

2 green onions, chopped

1 cup onion, chopped

***

Throw everything but the chicken in a food processor or blender and puree until completely smooth. Put your chicken in a large bowl or a large Ziploc bag (my personal choice) and refrigerate overnight (stirring/shaking as often as you can). Cook the chicken any way you'd like, and again, think about doubling the marinade recipe and reserving half to reduce and use as a drizzle or dipping sauce for the meal. Good stuff. Of course you can completely eliminate the cayenne and hot peppers and keep things savory and mild, but who wants that? Apparently my dinner guests like the idea of "Melt Your Balls Off" Jerk, so the hotter the better. If you try this recipe out, let me know what you think!

Let's take a vote, shall we?

In my endless search for a dress to wear in my sister's wedding (I'm the sole member of her bridal party) I stumbled upon this little number and I'm totally in love with it (minus the flower which is only pinned on).

What do YOU think? Please take a moment and vote by clicking on your answer in the right sidebar. Thanks!

Eddie who??

Anyone remember this dude?
Yep, that's right, it's Eddie Money. Troy hosted a small festival last night, mostly for children, and Eddie Money was the featured performer. I had the chance to hear about one and a half songs before I had to head back to the shop, but what I heard was great! He still sounds exactly the same. And hey, he pulled in quite the crowd. Downtown Troy was jammed, which was both a good and bad thing depending on who you were. We made some money, though. Thanks, Eddie!

My mom and dad were thrilled. They used to see Eddie Money live quite a bit back when they were dating, and not surprisingly an Eddie Money show was my very first concert as a kid.

Ahhhh, memories.

Murray Rocks!

I've taken this idea from Murray because her latest blog entry totally cheered me up. I feel inspired, so I've decided to follow her lead and list the things that make me happy lately.

1. The sudden onset of Autumn.

It's coming, folks and it's coming quickly! I'm noticing subtle changes in the leaves and in the air and I love this time of year with a passion that burns so bright you can almost see it. And even though it means me turning another year older, I still love it.

2. This (not so)little glom of a girl.

Olive is one of the best things to come into my life and sometimes I think I love her more than I should.

3. The latest birthdays of both of my grandparents.

Their lives together are such an inspiration to me and I love them both dearly. They've been through amazing times together, and even when things are bad they make the best of it. I am incredibly lucky to have them in my life this long and I hope to spend many, many more years with them.

4. This new work that made its way into the shop.

I first met Matt a few months ago and after seeing his work on his blog, I invited him to bring it in and hang it for everyone to enjoy. It's truly amazing and I can't wait to have the opportunity to tell him "I told you so" when (not IF) it sells like mad.

5. Lola.
I'm not a huge fan of children as you all know, but never before have I been so in love with a baby. This little girl is so incredibly smart, charismatic and easy to please and I can't possibly spend enough time with her. I feel so lucky to have her in my life and am still grateful that I was able to be there when she was born. That said, she's going to be trouble when she's a little older, so Carly, watch out!

***

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this list as much as I've enjoyed Murray's. I won't tag anyone, but if you feel so inspired, please make a list of your own and feel free to share it!

Promises

On days like today when it's miserable outside and no one's out walking around, or more importantly, shopping (the ONLY downside to not being in a mall setting), and I'm not particularly in the mood to sew a damn thing, I take advantage of the "Watch Instantly" service on Netflix.

Today's movie was D.I.Y. or Die: How to Survive as an Independant Artist and it was really inspiring. Check it out if you have the time. Lots of great Ian MacKaye footage (along with lots of other oldies but goodies), and lets face it, it doesn't get much hotter than Ian MacKaye.

The old Fugazi/Minor Threat footage made me miss my youth terribly. Thank goodness for The Evens or else I might just curl up and wither.

love from afar

I miss my family and friends in Florida very much.

We took a vacation last fall to visit with them and it was one of the best times I've had in a very long time.

Having family and friends who live at a distance really sucks sometimes.

Mmmmmmmeat

Homemade burgers on the grill might very well be proof that god does exist. Although, I bounce back and forth between being a die-hard carnivore and being a strict vegetarian, so this opinion may change in the future.

Ben picked up four and a half pounds of ground beef on Saturday and brought it home so we could make burgers. I can't remember exactly what we mixed in there, but imagine garlic, parsley, onion, pepper, chipotle seasoning and a shot of cayenne (with a few other ingredients I can't recall) and then slap those babies on the grill. Heaven.

There were four of us eating, plus the dog, and we made eight burgers to share. Ben, Gary and Mike each ate two, I ate one and Olive had no problem scarfing hers down. So good.

In other news, I scored some hot bangs over the weekend. Thanks, Taryn! Like 'em? I adore bangs, mostly because they hide my movie screen forehead, but also because I think they're cute. What'cha think?

I can't seem to manage to get decent photos of the shop window to share with you kids. I think I'll give it a shot tomorrow night when I'm here after the sun goes down. Too much glare when I'm dealing with daylight. If you live in the area, though, stop by and check it out. Our customers seem to really approve. Very cool.

ladies and gentlemen...

...we have a winner!

YASMINE!

The actual number of leaves is 196 and she guessed closest without going over. Congrats! Oh, and Jaimee, I loved your t-shirt idea. You were soooo close...

Can you please send me your address (thepapersparrow@hotmail.com) so I can send you your prize, please? Thanks!

I'll post shots of the new window soon. I forgot my camera yesterday so I wasn't able to take any pictures when we finished it.

P.S. To those of you following my weather rampage (read: Jo), we're only looking at temps at the 70 degree mark today. Almost there!

free stuffs

It's time for another giveaway! Wanna play?

The leaves for the window display are finally done and before I start setting everything up, I counted them all. The object of this game is to guess the total number of leaves we've made. Price Is Right rules here, folks...closest without going over.

Are you in?

I'll give you a few hints:

1) Looks are deceiving here. There are far more in the pile than you might think.

2) The final number is an even number.

There, that should do it. I'll leave the details of the prize out for now because it's more fun if it's a surprise.

Have your guesses in by the end of Sunday. I'll announce the winner on Monday morning. Have fun!

Oh, and Mike, you can't play...cheater.

More spankins?

(Keith is second in from the left. And yes, that is, in fact, Pocahontas looking all sultry standing with my friends)

[I actually wrote this post yesterday and in the madness that made yesterday the whacked out day that it was, I forgot to post it. So sorry!!!]

Just wanted to wish another great friend a very happy birthday! Our friend Keith turned a year older today and I so wish I had the opportunity to give him birthday wishes in person. So Keith, I hope the air conditioning is working well for you in Florida! We love and miss you very much. Happy Birthday, Killer!

A very happy morning

I'm still laughing about this post. Not sure if you have to be an avid reader of her blog to find it funny, but still worth sharing nonetheless.

a brilliant idea...

...that turned into a ton of work in a very short period of time.

I'm in the process of redesigning the window in the shop (thank god!!!) and had all these plans that sounded so wonderful I couldn't wait to get started. Reality has settled in, though, and this is going to be a buttload of work.

So here's where I ask for help, dear friends.

If you happen to live in this area and have nothing going on tonight, feel free to stop by the shop and get messy! I'll be here until 9:30 because tonight marks our very first knitting class, but I'm not taking the class this time around so I'll have hours of empty time to make these little leaves. Interested in taking part in the creative process? If not, stop by anyway and make funny faces at me or something to keep me from going mad. I'll need the laughs, trust me.

I'll be sure to post pictures of the finished window when it's all done. I've been ashamed of it since I first opened my doors, but it's all we had time for and I'm just now getting around to fixing the problem with something permanent. If all goes as planned, I'll have it done within a week. Fingers crossed.

Heather Ross, you're killing me

I swear you can hear my bank account groan every time the name Heather Ross comes out of my mouth. Poor thing.

I would seriously kill for this fabric. Why must she do this to us?

You can find this little piece of magic here.

And for those of you into tattoos, I give you:

http://www.divingswallow.com/marie.asp

Amazing work and just what I'm looking for. Take a peek at the images there, namely the flora and fauna sections (links in the bottom left corner). I suddenly wish I lived in California.

birthday spankin's

Sorry for the whole double post in a single day deal, but I wanted to wish our dear friend, one of my oldest and dearest friends in the world, Mr. David P. Geurin, a super happy birthday!

See you tonight, killer!

p.s. I stole this picture from god knows where, and god knows how long ago, so I can't take credit for it. If it's yours, my apologies, and thanks.

Somebody better call Rob Reiner!!!

I've had this song stuck in my head all...day...long. Please help.



I've tried flushing it out by listening to this song...a lot, but Mike yelled at me and now I'm back at square one.

Green sweater

I've been writing a letter in my head to my winter wardrobe.

I'm getting sick of waiting for fall. Patience is not my strong suit.

I've grown so tired of clothing that's supposedly appropriate for this time of year. If I wear anything I'm comfortable in people stop and balk at my attire. I can see where someone wearing long sleeves over two other shirt layers and long pants in the middle of a 98 degree day might seem a bit, uh, bonkers, but hey. I'm one step ahead of everyone. My winter wardrobe never goes into storage. It might get pushed back a bit in the closet, but it's always there, ready and waiting for that moment when I may get chilly in....July. Right.

What people don't seem to understand is that these particular articles fulfill my need for comfort. I'm not the kind of person who is comfortable in their body. Heavier clothing helps a little. My matronly upper arms never look okay, I know, but snuggled up and hidden under a wool sweater, well, I can deal with that. They hide all the horrific parts of my body that I find so hard to forget about. What other piece of clothing provides a nice hug like a warm sweater? I've taken to wearing skirts from time to time this summer and I almost feel like I owe complete strangers an apology for exposing them to the whiteness of my legs. It's bad. I don't do sun and I certainly don't tan (hell, I barely do the outdoor thing). I look like the damn Pillsbury Doughboy. And besides, the yarn sales at the local craft stores are making it harder and harder to resist whipping up a new scarf or ten to match my favoritest of winter clothing.

So, yes, as I'm sure you've figured out, I have self-loathing issues. What else is new?

Someone in Michael's the other day commented on the weather and actually called it "pleasant". She went on to say that she thinks this bullshit summer weather might stick around until November. Say it isn't so! Sweat + sunburn does not = hot. I long to pull my ten (plus) year old sweaters over my head and pull the turtlenecks up over my nose. Comfort is key, my friends, and sweating is anything but comfortable. Needless to say, I could never live in the south.

Anyway, this post was all about ranting. I don't feel sorry for myself, not one bit. I know any optimist would say that I need to learn to love myself and be a happier person, but that's just not me. And I'm okay with that. I just like to take one day at a time and deal with it as best as I can. I just prefer to do it in wool.

Anyone else sick of summer?