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Doughy and Soft

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Last night we made homemade pizza for dinner with homemade dough and sauce, alongside store-bought (We’re not that good) sausage and cheese. I have a horrible track record with baking anything with yeast, so you can imagine my hesitancy about making our own dough. Husband wanted to use a recipe that was in the newspaper and it turned out just fine with a nice bready crust that our daughter ate up like there was no tomorrow. But note to self: store-bought, fresh pizza dough… only 99 cents!

While I was eating my little slice of ‘za, I said, “Huh, this is good. Doughy and Soft”. Husband, not sure what I was referring to, said, “What exactly are you talking about?” And I replied, “My stomach.” You may grimace and wince now. Also you can be thankful I did not post a picture of my stomach.

I will admit, I am not athletic, never have been… and working out regularly has only been a recent activity, only the last two years. Even then it’s only once a week. Here, let me put it this way, and my husband will attest to this. I am soft. This is not an overstatement, and this was before I had two kids by c-section. The c-sections just make it more difficult to get back any strength in my “core”. And, I emphasize the words “ANY strength”.

It’s not that I’m upset about it or freaking out about being overweight… I’m not. I’m just a little less than fit, and there’s a little extra softness around my mid-section. Not my favorite part. So here’s the thing – I’ve been doing sit-ups every day since New Year’s. It innocently started out as a joke with someone asking if I could even do a sit-up, ONE sit-up. Yeah, very funny, but I got down on the floor, Jaunary 1, and did one sit-up. So, to continue the “joke”, I did two sit-ups on January 2. For every day that has gone by this month, I’ve done exactly that number of sit-ups.

Sit-ups may not be a very big deal for a lot of people, but it’s movement in the right direction for me and as much as I despise sit-ups, it’s probably a good example for my daughter to see me do something somewhat active at home. She’s even joined me with my little exercise experiment, so my husband and I told her that once she gets to ten sit-ups a day, she could stay at number of repetitions if she wanted to. (She wants her reps to start over at February 1 with one sit-up.)

I’m planning on continuing this for the rest of the year, so by the end of the year, I’ll hit 365. Crazy? Probably. Possible? Yes. Who’s on a journey with me?

A Favorite Game: Restaurant City

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I’ll admit it. I’m addicted to this game on Facebook. It only makes sense. I like food, building and design, enjoy the multi-tasking and managing. All the fun and none of the risk. You pick the menu, get food as awards, decorate your restaurant and if you manage it well, it grows. At first, my kids were really into it, so naturally, I named our little cafe “Ollie’s”, then “Abby’s” and “Julie’s Cafe”.

It looked like this many, many months ago. And now, the place is “SereniTEA” and has grown by leaps and bounds. I gave it an Asian feel for obvious reasons. The graphics are just so darn cute, from the furnishings to the food. These designers are doing such a nice job with it.

This might make you wonder if all I do is sit around and play video games all day. I can assure you the answer is NO. After a long hiatus from Sim City (another virtual world game that I played years ago.), I found this to be just a fun way to decompress from everything else I do. Anyone else out there play this game?

Unrelated and random thoughts

  • The Chicago Craft Social last Friday was another hit! Lots of first-timers, lots of familiar faces, too. Check out my review on Craft Critique soon!
  • The T-shirt quilt top is so close to being done! I probably have a few more hours on it. Now if I could just stop blogging, playing, doing chores, etc. and finish the darn thing. *grin*
  • I can’t believe Christmas is less than three months away, which means, our cookie exchange is about 2-1/2 months away! Planning will begin soon!
  • There’s a new writing opportunity at my door… more on this soon! *** UPDATE! The online newspaper has launched. My articles (like you need more of me?), mostly on food and cooking, will run every two weeks. Thanks for all the support! ***

To Do Around Town this Weekend

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There’s so much I could do IN my house… so much I’d like to do OUT of my house. How do you choose?! Fortunately, some of these “things-to-do” are in town for a while.

Tonight, have fun with make-and-takes at Chicago Craft Social.

I SO want to see Jim Henson’s Fantastic World at the Museum of Science and Industry! I don’t mind admitting I’m a big Muppets fan, and love the Jim Henson empire. I remember when he passed away, and feeling like a part of my childhood went too. The exhibit runs from Sept. 24 (today!) through January 23, 2011.

If you’re around Millenium Park, this gastronomic event might be something to check out. Chicago Gourmet runs Sept. 25-26. Food. Wine. Tastings. Celebrity chef demos. Wheee!!! It would certainly be delicious and fun for me, and what I’d give to meet Rick Bayless. Don’t know what I’d say to him, but I’d love a chance.

There’s a jazz festival in Hyde Park this weekend, too, and closer to home, the Polish Art Festival in Park Ridge.

Did I Hear My Kids Singing?

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Alright, my kids really don’t perform in front of people. With the older one, it’s definitely not her style, she doesn’t enjoy it (she’s quite talented when it comes to drawing, though). I still have a chance for a fine arts performer with the little one… maybe. But the other day, my husband and I were sitting at the dining room table and all of a sudden we heard Ollie’s little voice singing to the tune of Smash Mouth’s “All Star”:

Somebody once told me the world’s a macaroni/so i took a bite out of a tree
It tasted kinda funny so I spitted out a bunny/and the bunny started pooping on me

Apparently, it was his older sister’s creation and she lovingly taught it to him. Precious. I can only imagine what I have to look forward to as their music tastes develop.

Unrelated updates

  • Some of my recent article postings at Craft Critique can be found here and at this search results page.
  • I’ve finally restarted my t-shirt quilt and am happy to report it’s shaping up nicely. Pictures soon!
  • The garden has survived the crazy 90+ degree weather we’ve been having. We’ve even had a few tomatoes.  Unfortunately, I haven’t put as much time into the garden as I would like because of the heat, rain and vicious mosquitoes. (Sounds like we live in the tropics or something.)
  • Lastly, the compost barrel is working out nicely, but I’m afraid to look inside it. I just open the hatch, dump my scraps, latch it back up and run.
  • School starts next week for my daughter!

Paper Folding on the Airplane

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On the return flight home, I was feeling a little fidgety. No crafting for about two weeks… but since I went to Urban Craft Uprising and saw lots of handmade goods around Granville Island, Canada, I was antsy. So, to pass the time, I started thumbing through the airline magazine. The semi-finished sudoku and crossword puzzles didn’t capture my attention that much, and I had read through the steakhouse directory too many times. Onward to the Sky Mall magazine! I enjoy virtual shopping as much as anyone else especially when one magazine has business books-on-tape, concrete garden fountains and pet gear under the same cover.

But that didn’t last too long either… without scissors, glue, knitting needles, or even a crochet hook, what was a girl to do? (Incidentally, these are all probably unsafe or inappropriate things to bring on a plane now.)

I made a paper tree! Actually I made two: one on the way to Phoenix and the one in the picture was on the way home. I both cases I left them on the plane. Someone (cleaning crew, probably) might have found it interesting, or at the very least, amusing? My husband called me the “(paper) tree bandit”. I thought of it as free art. Want to make some on your next plane ride? It’s really easy, and the instructions are here.

A Little Rest and a Little Online Game

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I’m taking a little break from the blog to relax with my family. It’s been a fun week in the Seattle-Tacoma area (it’s NOT raining, ha) and I can’t wait to share some great places, food and finds.

While we were sitting around having a lazy morning, I heard my little man squealing with laughter mixed with screams from the laptop. Of course, I wanted to know what was going on and my nephew showed me this game. I found it slightly disturbing, but I couldn’t help but laugh. Tell me, am I sick? Warning to those in an office – turn down your speakers and try not to laugh out loud.

Cheers…I’ll catch you readers next week!

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