Buon Giorno!

We've finally done it! We've planned our trip to Italy! It's only been in the works since September 2005!! (Not ones to rush into anything...)

We'll be gone for 8 days, flying into Venice, and taking trains to Florence, the Cinque Terre, Pisa, and ending up in Rome.

I plan on taking lots of pictures and eating lots of good food, and maybe buying some special Italian something-or-other! (I've always wanted a something -or-other! Haven't you?)

Grateful Fridays

Fridays seem to come around so darn quickly!

Here's what I'm thankful for this week:

1. Spring Flowers: I wanted to open with a photo. :o) I know you all know that my crocuses are blooming (still! like 3 weeks later!). Earlier this week, I snapped this shot of a row of them.

2. TV/Movie Bloopers: these just crack me up! Especially when there is physical comedy involved...like people accidentally falling over. I think the world would be a better place if more of these were available.

3. TV/Movie Voice-overs: (I prefer the not-so-obvious ones)...like when a commercial was originally made in Germany, but they have done a v.o. with English words, but they don't match the mouth! :o) There's one for a sucker that is completely off! It makes me giggle.

4. New TV shows: Like Friday Night Lights, which is apparently a fairly popular show in the US, but just had it's UK premier last night. We enjoyed it, and since we've both lived in The South, and since I taught high school in The South, we could both totally understand the emotions and the stress of the scenes! We plan to watch again. Unfortunately, the time (right now) conflicts with ER. That's a shame because if I have to pick between FNL and ER, my loyalties are going North to Chicago. And, seriously, the last thing I need to add to my calendar right now is another TV show! Thank goodness NCIS and Grey's Anatomy are on hiatus right now!

5. Friday cleaning: Last Friday I cleaned. Today I cleaned. I like having a clean house -- but don't especially enjoy being the one to do it. :o) But by 12:30 I had most of it done! Yay Me!!

(I had to put another photo in!)

Well, have a great weekend!

Icing = Love

Tuesday was our friend Natalie's birthday. She has, unfortunately, been exiled to France for a 4-month stint, but they let her come visit for a few days. She was really looking forward to spending her birthday among friends, so we decided to provide her favorite cake -- Carrot Cake. Sounds simple enough. If you live on the other side of the planet!! I looked for a week, consulted with various cake afficionados that I know, and I came to the stunning realization that if we were going to serve Carrot Cake on Tuesday night, it was up to me to make it.
Scary! I'm not a cake-maker. Cookies? Yes. Brownies? Mmm-hmm. Cakes? Not so much, no.
So I got all the cookbooks I have and only found 2 C.C. recipes in them. One was the old faithful, everyone-has-one, Better Homes and Gardens red gingham check cook book, and the other was one my mom sent me that is a compilation of recipes from Cooks Magazine. It's a great one, too, because they've tried tons of different versions of each recipe and combined the best of all. So I read the 2 page spread on C.C. in the Cooks mag, and decided (a) they have some really great ideas, and (b) I don't have the patience for all of that faffing about! (=British for "wasting time"). So I took what seemed like the critical "this will make the cake better, and it seems reasonable enough" piece from the Cooks mag book, and proceeded to start shredding the carrots for the BHG recipe.
This was my first cake ever, I think. (Not counting the ones I probably made as a kid that people had to eat because I was a kid and I baked a cake!)
Cakes intimidate me. They're three-dimensional. They take a lot of time. And if you've screwed it up somehow, you don't know it till everyone knows it! (With cookies you get to taste them before you force them on people you love!)
I've put pictures of each stage for your viewing pleasure (and giggle-inducement!) I'm sure some of you have had the same troubles!

Layer 1
See the blobs in the middle? What you are seeing is the bottom of the first layer, and it didn't come out of the pan so easily. I greased and floured and cooled, but it didn't want to dislodge from it's home...that's why this is a 2-layer cake! :o)

Layer 2
I realized as I set out to start making the icing that the vanilla I was planning to use was, um, dried up. Hee hee. No, I don't use vanilla all that often. However, unlike some people I know, I didn't try to substitute vanilla ice cream instead of vanilla extract!

The impossible-to-remove blobs from the top layer are hidden by the icing in the middle. Nice, eh?

Icing Overkill
The recipe said to keep adding powdered sugar until it got to the right consistency. O.M.G. I must have approached 5 cups of sugar! You people that can go to your corner supermarket and buy a tub of Pillsbury Cream Cheese Frosting are so lucky!! I envy you. Can you see how much frosting I have left over? I still had to do the sides, but there was still a lot left over!

At about this point I had to break for my first big stretch. My spatula-hand was cramping and my muscles ached from all the tension!

Finished!
Whew! Two breaks later, it looks almost official, huh? :o) I've learned that icing is a wonderful picture for love because both cover a multitude of sins (1Peter 4:8)

Now I had to figure out how to get it to our friend's house without destroying it! I don't have one of those Tupperware Cake Carry-all thingies that most married women I know have! But I made it work...nothing a little duct tape couldn't handle!

The Birthday Girl
Here she is, posing with her slice of birthday cake and her fiancé.

Here's the recipe. I'm sorry that it looks like the recipe was printed on a beach ball, but I can't figure out how to post anything other than a photograph to Blogger with the technology I have and know how to use. :o) You should be able to click on the image and it will open in another screen, then you can print it or "Save As..." directly from this image. If that doesn't work, let me know and I'll email you a copy!

Happy Birthday Natalie!

Sans camera -- so sorry!

Yesterday I had one of those "Dang -- where's my camera?!?!" moments! I'm sorry I didn't.
I was in the Guildford town centre, and out of the corner of my ear, I thought I heard a tambourine. While we do often have buskers in Guildford in the town centre on a Saturday, one doesn't often hear tambourines!
I scanned the crowd and saw a group of people, each wearing between some and too-much orange...not that it matters, it's just what I noticed first. Then I noticed that the tambourine sound was matched with singing/chanting. Then I noticed a man wearing an orange shirt running to catch up with the Orange Julius crowd. That was it for my attention span (not much more than a fish!), and I went into a store to look at pretty dresses (mmm...pretty dresses...polka dots, cinched waistlines, yummy fabric...mmm).
About an hour later, on another street of our town centre, I heard the tambourines again, and this time I focused my attention so I could really see what they were doing. I also tried to listen to what they were saying...and I figured it out! (You probably already have. You're smart like that!) I (and half the town of Guildford) were in the presence of Hare Krishnas! Real, live Hare Krishas! But what about the guy rushing to catch up, as though he was late? Do Hare Krishnas believe in govenment-imposed regulations like "being on time"?? Can one really be late for Krishna Koncert?
This time I got a much better look, and wished upon wishing that I'd had my camera! I saw various instruments, men and women, jeans and skirts, some wearing shoes (tennis shoes, no less!) and some not (And it was cold! 50*F at most! No shoes?!). The funniest part, though, was seeing one man wearing what I am sure is a tablecloth that I'd seen on sale at Marks & Spencers during the January Sale! Oh, and he was wearing it instead of jeans...I'm sure glad it wasn't a windy day in Guildford!
I know George Harrison sang about them in My Sweet Lord in the early '70s, and I know I've seen them fully-oranged-out in airports, but I've never really seen them mingling with civilians like this, and I've certainly never seen them wearing civilian clothes...or civilian table coverings...

Grateful Fridays

Another one bites the dust! Wow! For being "unemployed" for almost 2 months now, I'm sure busy and sure working (for cash money) more than I expected to be! (which is a good thing, don't get me wrong)

So, late on a Friday night, here are some things for which I am thankful this week:

1. Miele Vacuum: We were given this wonderful vacuum when some friends of ours moved back to America, and I just love it! Is it wrong to love your vacuum cleaner? Are there proverbs relating to loving your vacuum cleaner?
2. Victorian Airer: This little gem is a dream! When we first found the house, I thought it was one of those racks that fancy cooks use to hang their pots and pans on, but I was respectfully enlightened to its real use! There are 4 rails held together by an iron rack suspended from the kitchen ceiling by pulleys, and it is in front of the stove/oven so that when you hang your wet clothes or linens on it, the heat from the cooker will dry them! I love it!
3. Squidgy: this is a British word that I like. It very aptly describes Alley Phat's belly...well, it aptly describes most of her, not just her belly!
4. Café Melacino: Okay, I admit it...I've crossed over the line. The line that separates the Can's from the Cannot's. Those who can resist Starbucks from those who cannot. Of late, I have become one of the Cannot's. They have a lovely drink called a Café Mocha, and it costs about £2.75 ($5.50) for a tall. I think they taste dreamy...especially on dreary British days. However, I just hate the fact that I'm spending a lot of money on hot milk and a shot of coffee!! So, one day, after about 3 months of thinking about it (never one to jump in!), I decided to try to make my own! And it turned out very dreamy! Especially considering it's nearly free! (It's definitely better than non-Starbuck's imitations, and almost as good as Starbucks!) And since it's so dreamy, I wanted to share it's dreaminess with all of you!! Here's the recipe for Café Melacino: One packet hot chocolate mix + one spoonful of instant coffee + hot water + 3 large marshmallows (or lots and lots of whipped cream). Mix together and enjoy!! If you don't do instant coffee, you can put the hot chocolate powder in the bottom of your cup before you pour your brewed coffee in, and then add the marshmallows or whipped cream. Stir and enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

The Paintings

I promised a couple of weeks ago that I would eventually put photos of my paintings up on the blog...so here they are!

I designed it as a set of 3 with a gradient shade of turquoise, and the top colors are varying shades of brown.


Coral Reef

This one is why I say a 6-year old could do it...it's called "straw painting" and I learned it when I was 6 in Mrs George's 1st Grade Class at Woodland Park Elementary! That's the year I married Scott Connor (don't tell Mom. Or Dave), and John Lennon was killed, oh, and Joseph Farmer fought Scott for my love...so I married him next...in the ultra-romantic spot of inside the climbing tires. Aw, good times.

Cherry Blossom Tree

For this one, I actually found an image that I liked on a rubber stamp and blew it up on the copier to about the right size, then I painted it from that. There are no deep-seated memories associated with that technique. Sorry.

Curtain Call

The inspiration from this one came from designs I found on another blog. She has cool and funky things that she has made, and it seemed like something I could do. It's certainly not as good as hers, but I'm an amateur.

I don't consider myself an emotional artist, more like a functional artist...like "Hmmm...I've just re-decorated the guest bedroom, and have nothing for the walls. Maybe I'll try to paint something to incorporate all the colors and the style...and cover the big blankness!"

This trio was actually made as a Christmas present for a friend.

Waverley Abbey

One of my snow shots from last Friday shows an over-the-lake shot of Waverley Abbey, which was built in 1128 BC by the Bishop of Winchester, and was occupied for about 300 years by Cistercian monks. It is now managed by English Heritage.

A clear-day shot of the nave, taken in March 2006.

During WWII, some (don't know what you would call them) British Defence Engineers (sounds good, though, eh?) felt that the land around Waverley Abbey would be an ideal place to defend against German Tanks that might possibly advance towards London. There are still remnants of the "dragon's teeth" and gun emplacement from that time. You can find them really easily when you walk the property.

A photo of some of the Dragon's Teeth:

A photo of the gun emplacement:

Here is a Wikipedia link to Waverley Abbey, and also a Heritage Trail link.

Here is a photo taken of Dave and I on Christmas Day, 2005 in front of the nave.

T.M.I.

...seriously...
They call this "news"????
One hour and 5 minutes ago (GMT) (Or "Zulu Time" for JAG fans and military folk) it was announced by Clarence House (a place, not a person) that Camilla Parker-Bowles-Windsor (a.k.a. Mrs Prince Charles) is now scheduled to have a hysterectomy.
Is it me, or is that just a smidge too much information? I know that this country (and others) have an unhealthy fascination with all things Royal, but her uterus? Why do I need to know that a 59-year-old woman is scheduled for a hysterectomy? Is this good news? Bad news? Because if it's none-of-the-above, then why is it "news"??

Oh, and I'm loving Wikipedia...which just informed me that she is no longer referred to as Camilla Parker-Bowles (although that's what they call her on the news...), her real name is now Camilla Rosemary Mountbatten-Windsor...and, wow, if you look that up, you'll see a whole spider-web of complicated name-assigning! This royal-family/monarchy thing is confusing to me! I'm glad we have presidents and governors and stuff! That's so much more straightforward than royalty is!

Grateful Fridays

Here we are again, weeks just fly by!

Things I'm grateful for this week...

1. Sky (satellite): magically gives me an important link home. Like
Ugly Betty, CSI, My Name is Earl, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, ER, and more. I've been here 2+years, and I have yet to find a British TV show that I like. I still prefer US TV shows.

2. Brach's Conversation Hearts: these are yummy, and have words that make me giggle.

3. Basement Bargains: Like the one at Woolworth's last week where I got 6 CDs for cheap cheap! Like The Carpenters Gold for £3, and A Tribute to Abba (2CDs!) for £2, Duran Duran Greatest Hits for £4...good fun!

4. Digital Cameras: How did we live without these gems?? I'm all about instant, and my Olympus does me proud. Here are a couple of photos taken during yesterday's snow-storm (yes, another one in Guildford!)

Crocuses in the snow

Waverley Lane, Farnham
Waverley Abbey Ruins

Have a great weekend!!

Dramaaaaatic Change!!

Reese, Cameron, Uma, Renee, Melissa. I now count myself among those that have done it. Those that have made a decision. Made a commitment. Thought about something and did it. For the betterment of all humankind.

This Saturday I did something I've been thinking of doing since August. Never one to jump lightly into a decision of this magnitude, I had to weigh the options, consult the experts, take a "test drive", muster up the courage, and tiptoe into the salon and whisper to the hairstylist these famous last words: "Make me a brunette."



See, I've always been a blonde. Since birth. Toe-headed, even. In recent years, it's gotten slightly darker, but never so much so to be called brown. I've never done anything this dramatic to my hair (perms, yes. color, no.) My entire wardrobe is based upon "what goes with blonde?" (lots of stuff). I'm used to not finding long brown hairs in the shower drain, or on the floor. So why do it now? Maybe to cover the little-bitty gray hairs cropping up around my ears? Maybe just for a change of pace since there have been so darn many other changes in my life of late and this, this I can control? Maybe it was seeing my twin, Uma, as a brunette (again) in "My Super Ex-Girlfriend"? Who knows why girls change their hair!

In hairstylist logic, though, they had to add extra red to cover the blonde to make it brunette. I don't get that. Therefore, my hair is redder than I would like. Angela says that the first week doesn't really count, and that I'll love it by the second week. Ang is very smart. I trust her on this one.

It's definitely a shocker, but so far I like it...and, I admit, the comment about "for the betterment of humankind" may have been a little over the top...

Grateful Fridays

This week has been quick-like!

Here's what I'm grateful for this week:

• Millimeters: can you see the welling knot to the right of my eye? (actually to the left of the real thing, but it's camera-magic) Thursday I head-butted the corner of a shelf at work, and had it not been for a millimeter or two, I would likely have been visiting a British eye doctor that night! Instead I just get to post a pic of my unruly eyebrows and a lump on my brow!
• Bananas: normally, I'm not a big fan -- it goes back to junior high when on an all-night church "lock in" I had to eat a large quantity of bananas in order to win a competition...and, well, champions often pay a price for victory! But, today, I am grateful for bananas because I read this week that they are good to eat if you have trouble sleeping (which I have since quitting work)...and this week I've eaten a banana every night right before bed, and have slept like a sweet baby! Yay!
• Spring-time: My snowdrops have already bloomed, and the crocuses are coming up now! Pictures to come soon. I love spring! LOVE spring!
• Safe travels: Dave has safely returned to my side of the planet. He had fun excursions...including 2 presentations on Tuesday when he thought he was presenting on Thursday (shock!), and an up-and-back trip to the Grand Canyon (but it was cloudy). He spent some good time with my mom in Phoenix (she lets him eat whatever he wants!) And he had a good time and great conversations with idols and contemporaries. I think the thing he loves most about conferences is that you never have to "close the hanger doors" -- everyone is talking shop all. night. long. zzzzzz. :o)
• Fat Kitties: with The Papa gone, the Kitties have to get all their human affection from me! They keep me warm at night, and wake me up in the morning with the incessant "I'm staaaaarrrrvinggggg" meows. :o)

Well, have a great weekend! ~M.