Everything in moderation...including gluttony

Yes, those words did come out of my mouth; last night as I was justifying eating four (4) freshly baked snickerdoodles and two (2) scoops of vanilla ice cream.  I don't gorge on sweets all that often, so my gluttony really is in moderation. 
In other food news, I really like making my own, and I have a hard time paying for beef from cows that spend their whole life standing in their own poo. 
A few weeks ago we saw the movie Food, Inc, and it freaked me out a little.  So from now on, we buy the grass fed beef.  My logic goes like this: a healthier cow makes better beef makes a healthier me.  Also, I limit the chicken purchases to Gold'n Plump because I could not find any bad practice claims about them.  They have open barns without cages that they raise the chickens in, and that works for me.  They don't let them out because they want to prevent the kind of flock-destroying diseases that can be spread by wildlife found outside of the barn.  So that is one change we've made.
Another is making as much as I can on my own.  Right now that consists of bread, yogurt and granola.  The bread has changed from something I struggled with into something I can be proud of.  James found several websites that gave instructions for making a proofing box out of a cooler and a light bulb.  So we got a cooler from Dad (thanks Dad!) and a cord and 15 watt light bulb from Menard's, and for less than $5 we had a proofing box.  I put the light bulb in with the thermometer that James uses for smoking, and put the dough in once the cooler temp gets up to about 80.  If the temp is too high, I just prop the lid open.  It works like a dream, and getting bread dough to rise is no longer an issue.  We apparently don't have a single hot spot in our house, so raising bread used to be nigh on impossible.  The great thing is that this box also works great for yogurt!  I am still tinkering with the yogurt process, but this is the most promising route since it is getting colder out and setting the pot outside is not really an option any more. 
I am continuing to branch out (we had fennel root last week) and exploring new foods is, and always has been, great fun.  I learned how to can last month, and I am hoping that we get off our butts in time to put in a veggie garden next spring.  I am trying to get us to eat more veg, but I haven't found a great source/cookbook yet.  I have had one success from the Veganomicon, but need to investigate further before I add it to my library.  (yea, it was a chocolate cookie and not "real food".  so what?)  Stay tuned for the continuing adventures of what I can cook!

Cheap is the new clean

So a while back I read this post on Crazy Aunt Purl's blog, and it got me thinking; why should I use all those chemically expensive things?  So I tried cleaning with vinegar, once in a while throwing some baking powder into the mix if I needed to really scrub something.  And it worked!  And mixing baking soda and white vinegar is still fun!  My grout is cleaner and it is super easy to do.  Perhaps even easier than cleaning with all those chemicals.  The only thing was that the floor dried a little splotchy.  I think that if I had gone over it a second time with plain water to rinse, it would have been fine.  So I was going merrily along with the vinegar cleaning, when I stumbled on this post on a new-to-me blog, and I thought, hey, why not use hydrogen peroxide?  It is just as cheap as vinegar, and probably works just as well, so I gave that a try too.  I think I might like it better.  There is something very satisfying about the bubbling and fizzing action when it hits the dirt.  I did invest in some micro fiber cloths and a micro fiber mop, and they work great for cleaning, easier than a sponge and they can go through the washer.
With the vinegar, I mix one cup vinegar with one gallon warm water, and I get the whole bathroom done that way without an issue.  With the peroxide, I just put it in a spray bottle and use it straight.  I love my new cheap cleaning solutions!  And the smells from either one don't seem to bother me, and the cats won't get sick if they lick the floor (or their feet after walking on a wet floor)  Bonus!  There are tons of resources on the interwebs for both ways of cleaning if you are interested.
What does James think of all this you ask?  He doesn't mind.  He likes saving money.  He told me he thinks it's cute because when I meet someone from his work for the first time, they are not expecting a chick in an AC-DC t-shirt who drops f-bombs.  He says he doesn't talk about me much at work, but there is the occasional mention of new cleaning/cooking experiments.  It makes me giggle a little.

A flurry of blogging?

Hi All!  I actually have a lot to talk about!  I am hoping to do several posts this week on all kinds of things that I am finding exciting.  Like cooking and cleaning and park rangers!  And knitting!  But right now there is a cat trying to pet herself with my hand and doing lots of licking.  But I wanted to let you know that I am still here.  Be back soon!

ok, soon-ish.  and maybe over the next two weeks or so, rather than all in one week.  I don't want you to get too overwhelmed with excitement here.

Neat stuff!

So a little while ago Emily was looking for test knitters for her itty bitty birdies (fancy).  Now I have never test knit anything, but it sounds fun, so I told her I would do it.  I told her that I had never test knitted before, and that I had never knit with beads before, and that I had never knit with double pointed needles before, and so would probably convert the pattern to use two circular needles, but if all of that was all right with her, I'm in!  So she sent over the pattern, and a couple of days (four or five hours of knitting time) I had this:

Isn't he cute?  I had a great time making him, and he knit up quick.  It helped that the pattern made sense and all.

For my birthday yesterday, James took me to w00tstock.  It was awesome!  It went over by nearly two hours, so I didn't get to bed until almost 2am, but it was totally worth it.  Afterwards I got all the autographs I could, and Wil Wheaton and Adam Savage were kind enough to pose with my sock-in progress!  Adam Savage didn't seem to know what to do with it, but Wil Wheaton was totally into it.  Several of the autographers (including Paul and Storm and Wil Wheaton) said how cool it was.  Awesome event all around, and James' eyes didn't even pop out from rolling too far back in his head!

Wil Wheaton!

Paul and Storm!

Adam Savage!

COLD!!!

So the baseball game was cold.  And also, they lost.  How do you sweep Detroit (pretty good team) and then immediately turn around and lose to Baltimore (pretty bad team)?!  The new stadium is really nice though, and the food we had was good.  By the end of the game we were both pretty cold.  But we stayed dry 'cause our seats were under an overhang, so that was nice. 
Tomorrow's ride will probably be pretty cold too.  It looks like it won't get all the way to 50 degrees until after we are done.  I am trying to work out how much to bundle up while riding.  Shedding layers would be a little tricky, so I am thinking zip up sweatshirt over a long-sleeve tee.  That way I can unzip and roll up my sleeves if I actually warm up.  I should also find some sort of gloves to wear.  Regular cycling gloves won't work because it's my fingers I'm worried about.  I'm sure it will all work out fine.  I'll let you know.

So much going on!

Hi there!  I figured I should post since Claudia was so kind as to link to my little blog.  (Thanks Claudia!)  So the big news is that I am doing the Bike MS Twin Cities ride on SATURDAY (yes the day after tomorrow)  I will be doing the 60 mile route, and hoping not to freeze to death along the way (the high is forcast for 57 degrees.  Farenheit.)  If you would like to donate, you can do that here.  I reached my original goal of $300, so decided to set a new one of $500 and see what happens.  It's for a really good cause after all. 
In knitting news, I have finished my very first pair of Rockin' Socks (from the Rockin' Sock club) and started on the second pair.  I plan on working on them at the Twins game tonight.  This will be my first game since 1988 I think.  I am super excited to see the new stadium, and a cold night game seems oddly appropriate for my first outdoor baseball game. 

I told you I would have pictures...

I have knitted things:

Two pairs of socks for me and one for the co-worker giving me fitness advice. The rest are iPod/phone cozies. If you want one, leave a comment. Most of the sock yarn I have ever used is available, so let me know what color you would like, as well as the size of your iPod/phone and if you want a sweater or just a slip on cozie. They are pretty quick knits, but it will probably still take a couple of months for me to get one to you. I have lots of knitting projects going now, but am totally happy to add more.

Tonight, the Wild are killing the Detroit Red Wings and I am loving it! Hopefully they will do as well tomorrow.

Oh, Hai! (Completely Random stuff)

Shortly I shall show you what I have been doing with my time. But not now. I am at work (on lunch) and while the photos I wish to share are online, I have had bad luck with links and would rather upload from home. Yes, there is knitting. And an offer to knit for you if you like. I plan to show you these things this weekend, but I suggest that you not hold your breath, because my weekend plans and goals are ever-changing.
Aside from the knitting I have been watching football (and will do so again this weekend in the hopes that the Vikings will win.) Also hockey (they are getting better!) I have also been reading quite a bit it feels like. We both got Kindles for Christmas, and I LOVE it! Excellent to read on, easy to use. Oddly, the wireless occasionally makes my clock-radio chirp (if I am holding the k to close to the c-r and the k is trying to communicate with Amazon.) It makes the same noise as my heart rate monitor when I am uploading info. Obviously this is the sound of digital communication. I don't mind it, but I don't think I would want to listen to it for long periods of time.
One day I should write a post about Facebook and other such sites. It is only half-formed in my brain right now; I will wait until it is more coherent.
Happy Friday Everybody!

Holy Flying Spaghetti Monster Batman!

The Irish government just may have gone to far.
http://blasphemy.ie/2010/01/01/atheist-ireland-publishes-25-blasphemous-quotes/
I thought everyone should know.