Just some quick notes on the No Kneed Bread trial...

1. Looks pretty enough...apple pot helps.
2. About 25 min. into first baking (with lid on) faint smell of flour burning.
3. After taking out of the oven, top and bottom were very toasted but inside was slightly undercooked (still edible).
4. Next time will set the oven slightly under the recommended heat.
5. 1 cup of whole wheat worked just fine

Maybe has something to do with the fact that I was using the small oven to bake in? I'll try the large oven next time as well.

Mmm, warm homemade bread with butter....
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Talking about food....I've decided to give the Oil Cleansing Method a go. I mixed mine with extra virgin olive oil, castor oil, vitamin e and some lemon essential oil.

I've been using it for less then a week and more then anything I like that my face doesn't feel so dry and itchy. I'm always a bit worried when trying a new face cleansing regimen since my skin is so sensitive but this is working quite nicely.
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Scott Wade is proof that you can find beauty in anything!

So remember when I wrote that I was having a horrible day because on top of everything, two packages were missing from my door stop? Well, the wonderful people over at Baker's Edge decided to be super nice and send me another pan! Just in time for my friend, Pati's 29th birthday!

I wanted so bad to keep it. The first thing you notice when you open the box (yes, I couldn't resist opening her gift...sorry Pati!) is how wonderfully heavy this pan is and that it comes with a cute little red spatula. Pati is using it for two recipes today so I'll let you know how it bakes.

Did I mention how badly I wanted to keep it?
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Speaking of baking...I am, at this very moment, trying out Not Martha's No Kneed Bread (actually, I think it belongs to NY Times but I found out about it on Not Martha). I will be using my cute apple cooker that I found at Marshall's for 20 bucks! I originally bought it because it was so cute and such a deal but I've actually used it quite often. It perfect for making a stew or soup. We'll see how it works out with the bread.
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I love the spell checker thingy on Firefox. I'm the absolutely worst speller in the the entire world so it comes in quite handy throughout the day. I'm sure Jim loves it because I no longer have to ask him every other sentence how to spell something.

I've got a bit of a phobia with heavy earrings and stretching out my lobes. I'm pretty much a minimalist when it comes to jewelry so my phobia rarely interferes but every once and a while, you just want to wear honkin' big earrings, right? Here is where my new Yuzen earrings from A Planet 4 Creation step in.

They seriously weigh nothing at all and measuring in at longer than 2 inches long, constitute "honkin" in my world.

And they have cute little goldfish...reason enough.
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Did I ever talk about Catia Chien? The artist I saw at Felt Club?

Well anyway, I found the most amazing artist at Felt Club. I'm sure you guys have heard about her but this my first acquaintance with her artwork and I was blown away.

You know how everyone's Mind's Eye sees the world differently? Part of it's based on reality, most of it's based on childhood? Somehow Ms. Chien's artwork captures my "Eye" perfectly. Couldn't pinpoint it if I tried but it definitely touches me. I love her lone, solitary figures. Reminds me of one of my favorite writers, Roald Dahl.

I had a horrible time deciding but I finally bought one of her Paper Planes prints. As soon as it gets properly matted and framed, it's going up in my entryway. Love it!

Tempted to get a Word Commission in April!
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By the way, Zefram is still miserable but his hot spot is healing nicely.
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I've decided to start a list of crafty projects that I want to try. It'll be in the right side column on my website blog, Indie Shopper. First up...designverb's Paint Chip Card Holder.

Isn't this the most pathetic thing you've ever seen? Poor Zefram, if you weren't so intent on chewing your leg off, we wouldn't have to use the Victorian collar.

Three entries in a row about my dogs...I'm obsessed.
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I haven't had Keds in years...maybe 5th grade? My sisters and I would always get your classic white every school year. Come May we were using that "Paint Your Shoes So They Look New" thingy every week. Never really paid much attention to them until I saw The Eleanor Duck Print Skimmers on Mixed Plate Blog.

The cuteness is just too much! I wonder if it's too late to drop the hint to Jim for my birthday? I'm sure it is, boo.

Whoa, it snowed! Clover was very anxious at first but as you can tell, eventually got into the swing of things. You may have noticed Zefram's bandaged leg. He's given himself a nasty hot spot, dumbass. We're doing everything we can to get him to stop licking the spot.
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A couple of days ago I got a paper cut (actually it was a cardboard cut, which is so much worse) under my right hand pointer finger's nail. Ouch, right? It pretty much sliced the small piece of skin that connects the tip of your nail to the tip of your skin. I can't even move the mouse without it opening up and bleeding again. Sounds bad, right? I thought I had won the Worse Paper Cut Award...until Jim came home.

While at work he paper cut his eye. Seriously, his eye. He was trying to take a sip of water while holding a piece of paper and before he knew it the paper flipped over and paper cut his eye. It didn't look to bad, just really irritated. His eye.

Jim's always trying to show me up.
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I have so much crafty junk in this house. Stuff I bought when I had plenty of time to work on random crafty things like soap and candle making, knitting, screen printing...you know. We're planning on having a garage sale but I'm pretty sure people in this area don't go to garage sales looking for crafty things. I do and I know you do too, but not here.

Yet, with this overwhelming plethora of crafty things I still am coveting One Good Bumblebee's Jar of Whimsies. I'm thinking the first 5 minutes of exploring your jar must be as close to crafty nirvana as it gets.

None of my crafty junk is nearly as cute as this!

It's absolutely impossible to describe how much I love my Mohops! Seriously, it's like a game, trying to figure out how to do the ribbons. There's just so many options! Highly, highly, highly recommend them.
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I'm still burning the midnight oil to get all of your orders out. I sincerely apologize if you've had to wait for your iPod cover or bag but I'm working my fingers to nubs over here trying to get it all out. Ok, not really nubs and all because that would get everything kinda bloody but I promise, I'm workin'!
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In addition to the craziness that was Felt Club and the Holiday Season, I decided it would be extra fun to add more stress to my life and invited the crew of That's Clever! into my house. Ok, ok. Not the best idea or timing but as things often turn out, I had a great time with those crazy HGTV folks. Seriously, the HGTV people were super cute and very sweet. They even understood the large Spock image we have hanging over our pool table and the X-Wing embroidered pillow. We'll see just how goofy I look on camera.
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Ok, back to getting these little nubs a sewing!