We Did It! Matt and I biked to Oxford, Ohio and back this weekend, and we reached the metric century mark on the way. For those you who don’t know, and I didn’t until Matt told me, a metric century is 62 miles. We actually did 67 miles total, and it was quite an experience. Five of us set off from Mark’s house at 7:30 Saturday morning, and we reached the Oxford Farmer’s Market at 10:30am. After a tour of the farmer’s market, a nice lunch, and a visit to the Oxford bike shop, we got back on the bikes around 12:30pm and rode back to Richmond. Matt and I got home around 4:00pm. Continue reading this post…
It is only the second week of my baking challenge, and I am already breaking the rules I created. I had a really strong craving for chocolate-chocolate chip muffins this week, but alas Cooks Illustrated doesn’t have a recipe for them. So, instead of making one of the Cooks Illustrated recipes like I was supposed to, I pull out another favorite in our house: ”I’m Just Here For More Food” by Alton Brown. To make up for my transgression, I did bake a batch of granola bars too, though. Continue reading this post…
Whether you are a Photoshop newbie, a consummate pro, or someone who just enjoys funny videos, you will enjoy this installment of Technology Today. College Humor has come out with some surprisingly helpful and totally hilarious Photoshop rap videos. I will give a warning that some of the language is NSFW so you might want to list with your headphones on, but they actually contain some pretty useful Photoshop tips.
Matt and I are biking to Oxford, Ohio, with a group of friends, on our borrowed tandem. It is approximately 60 miles round trip, and we will be visiting the Oxford Farmer’s Market and having a yummy lunch at one of the Indian restaurants. We have been planning for this trip since the beginning of the summer, and we have been going out on long rides to get ourselves ready. So far our longest ride is just over 30 miles, but I am told by local cyclist that if I can go 30, I can go 60. Let’s hope they are right! Continue reading this post…
I decided to start my baking adventure with a peach cake from the July/August 2011 Cooks Illustrated. Peaches are in season right now, and we have a couple local sources so it seemed like a good place to start. For a first dish this turned out to be a little bit more complicated and time consuming than I had hoped, but I have to say I am pleased with how the cake turned out. Continue reading this post…
If you happen to be reading this while standing, let me advise you that now is a good time to sit down. I have an announcement to make that many of you may find hard to believe … I am baking. In fact, it has become my newest project. Continue reading this post…
2011 has been a great year for Loops of Love. We recently did an inventory of all the items made in 2011, and it was quite an impressive number of items. In case you aren’t aware, Loops of Love is a charitable knitting and crochetting group I started in cooperation with Richmond Church of the Brethren and Unwind Yarn Shop. We meet the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month from 5 to 7pm at the yarn shop, and we donate handmade items to a number of local organization including: Birth-t0-Five, Salvation Army, YWCA, Genesis Women’s Shelter, Reid Babies, and Nobel Women’s Circle.
Photo Copyright Jim Hair
Our tally of donated goods for the first half of 2011 is:
A big thank you is in order to all the people who show up every week to knit or crochet, all the people who don’t attend but donate completed items, all the people who donate yarn and needles, and especially Unwind Yarn Shop for hosting us each week.
I can’t wait to see how much stuff we create in the rest of 2011.
I have heard some hubbub around the web recently about Rebecca Black’s viral hit “Friday.” Apparently she was trying to get famous in the same way Justin Beeber did, and apparently it was quite bad. Lucky for us, the web, and in this case traditional media, did what it always does and took an annoying meme and turned it into a fabulous video:
I mentioned in a pervious blog post that I set as a goal for myself to reach 130lbs by my 30th birthday. I have been working at it for almost a year now, and I am getting so close. I am actually about 3lbs away, and I am still hopeful that I will make it. However, staying motivated has been especially hard as I get closer to the date. Last night I got some much needed extra motivation.
I went shopping while Matt was at Community of Song practice and found a pair of shorts I loved that were only available in a size 6. I figured it would be a long shot, but I tried them on. And…They Fit! I couldn’t believe it. I was in a size 10 a year ago, and while there is still a part of me that believes as soon as I publish this post that I will instantly and magically return to my previous size, I wanted to share my joy!
UPDATE: I will post a photo of my cute new shorts later this week!
I thought that since I previously posted some of my cooking fiascos that it would only be fair to myself to post about a cooking success. Matt went to Elgin, Illinois for a business trip today, which meant I was responsible for my own dinner this evening. And not only did I cook a good meal for myself, but I also fed two of my friends.
I made whole wheat penne with a homemade tomato sauce from the Cook’s Illustrated Pasta cookbook. (the pasta was NOT homemade). It wasn’t anything fancy or difficult, but it was certainly a step above pasta sauce from a jar, and it was quite tasty.
Amazingly, nothing was overcooked; nothing caught on fire; I didn’t pour boiling water on myself; all the appropriate ingredients were added at the correct time; no one was bleeding during or after the cooking process; and I am pretty sure all everyone enjoyed their food.
Does this mean I will cook more often? Not likely. Does this mean I will happily feed myself at least a few nights while Matt is in New Zealand this fall ? Probably. But feel free to invite me over for dinner.
