Is today Yesterday or is it Tomorrow?

Well, did I manage to stave off all distractions and meet my goal? Hell to the NO...but are we really surprised by this? I hope you said "No" to that question because that would be the correct answer. Much to my defense, I did have a lot of work to do, and I didn't even get around to starting one scarf until it was 3-4 in the morning. By then, I had to share art time with coffee time. I tried this new creamer, Italian Cream. I can't remember the brand, but I know I am not sure whether I like it or not. I think it just tastes like sugar with no identifiable flavor to it. But the lack of flavor has me adding sugar to my coffee in addition to the creamer, which I decided some time back was a bad thing. No worries, I have some vanilla creamer I will return to when I get to work tonight.

Yesterday was a spin! My new thing is to get some sort of a sleep pattern. When I first started working night shifts, I just didn't sleep at all. I was working from midnight until 8am, going home to change and then either going to my practicum or to classes from 9-4 and then going to my second job out of town from 5-8 and then coming home for a power nap and hopefully a shower. But then I got laid off and I dropped out of grad school, which also took care of the 20 hours per week at a practicum site. So my sleep habit became crazy because this is literally the first time in my life where I am not doing 100 things at the same time (2-3 jobs, school, relationship, travel, etc). So I would come home, eat, and sleep from 10am-noon. Then I would get up, still exhausted, and hang out with my kid/husband, clean, shop, cook, and Facebook until 8pm. I have sleep issues, so it turned out I was getting 2 naps a day totalling 3-4 hours per day. After a long argum--- erm... discussion with my husband about my sleep issues, lately I have tried something new. Just f-ing sleep!!!! I come home and sleep until I can't, which is usually about 3-4pm. Then I shop, cook, clean, etc with energy and gusto, hence all the new recipes and the new-found joy in grocery shopping.




I also have more energy to work on art projects at home ... like these books I have prepared.

I just need to bind them. These are the covers...

I would have had them bound by now if I were still planning to make that October 15th deadline, but now, I'm just taking it easy. Don't fret. These suckers will be bound and ready to roll before Halloween!

Yesterday, I came home and did some drawing. I really want to design stationery, but when I look at what others have done online, it leaves me scratching my head. How in the hell did they do it? How are they making these amazing graphic designs on the papers & envelopes? In fact, I have been pondering these same thoughts for about.... what month is this? October? That makes 2 years and going on 11 months! I guess that gives a whole new meaning to "over thinking things", huh? I have this terrible tendency to over think and over process until I have overwhelmed and over confused myself. Then, defeated by my own insanity, I throw up my hands and surrender. Well, that's usually what happens when I think of designing stationery, but then something magical happened Tuesday morning...

Background info: I have been writing snail mail letters (another thing inspired by the movie Julie & Julia) since March, shortly before my 27th birthday. I get bored looking at undecorated paper. I have no motivation to write on it. It started out with stealing some stickers from work that had been sitting around for ages. Totally ugly, but it worked. Then, I got more elaborate, decorating papers myself or using a combo of hand-decor, stencils, stickers, and gems.

Now, I just do whatever, but no one should complain about a boring, undecorated letter! Once, I drew pages and pages of amazing animals, fruits, plants, flowers, birds... it was tremendous and so much fun, I smile just thinking of those drawings... if I can say so myself without seeming conceited. But I was impressed that I took the time, had the focus, and finished so many drawings. I haven't drawn like that for the hell of it since I was in 5th grade! In fact, the last thing I remember drawing for shits and giggles was my 5th grade teacher as a witch because she made me angry! Ha!

Tuesday morning, I drew some cute designs for letters going out to two pen pals and then the magic hit.... Why the hell don't I just draw designs, nature, things that interest me and scan them into my computer?! Then I can alter the drawings, cut, and paste them onto paper, gridded paper, lined paper, and even paper that I plan to use to cover books. What a Revelation!

Have I already done this? Seriously? What do you think? Of course not!!! After making my genius discovery, I went to sleep for 6 hours, and woke up completely having forgotten what I planned to do for the day. In fact, I just discovered that my printer no longer functions because my desktop computer is slow, decrepit and has a tech-life threatening virus.

Instead of being artistically productive, I sat on Facebook and Interpals for about an hour. Then, I stared out my balcony window for another hour before deciding I wanted to attempt cooking Boeuf Bourguignon. Unfortunately, I looked at the recipe and was completely intimidated by the amount of work I would have to do. I was very lazy, needless to say. I almost did something terrible and went to ... be afraid.... get ready to scream... McDONALDS!!!! NO!!!! I haven't eaten McDonalds in over a year. I had to stop the violence against my digestive system.

I didn't cave in an commit that food-crime against my family. I decided to use this marinade and bake some chicken. Much to my dismay, the marinade smelled ferocious! It was so offensive! The stench was a mix between rotten garlic, vinegar, something odd and bitter, and baby food. Just terrible! Sadly, I didn't know this until I put it all over the meat. I only went to smell the bottle of marinade after the fact to see what sides would taste good with the sauce. In a panic, I chopped some fresh onion, garlic, and red peppers and sauteed them in some olive oil. Then I threw in some sage, fresh ground pepper corns, sea salt, cayenne pepper, and red crushed peppers. My thoughts: if it's spicy as hell, no one will taste or smell the god-awful marinade! Then, I spooned out the meat, tossed the evidence of the bad food choice in the garbage underneath other trash and fried the meat. Let me tell you... Best Mistake Ever! That meat was on FIRE! It was so good. I cooked it with some cheesy orzo and some raw vegetables & dip. My husband and daughter would never eat veggies if it weren't for me, but I was so concerned about covering the original taste of the meat, I only had time to chop some veggies up. But it was a hit! For the first time, I didn't have to use my powers of persuasion and threats to get them both to finish their vegetables. Raw veggies will definitely be making a reappearance in meals to come!

After dinner, I cleaned and got my daughter ready for bed. I worked a little on the scarf I started... but then exhaustion set in. Without knowing it, I sleep-walked my way to bed and passed out for the night.

Today, I have been obsessing over this meal I dreamed about. Unfortunately, I couldn't find everything I needed to make the dish, so it will have to wait for some other day. I wanted to make Lentil soup, vegetable samosas with tamarind sauce (which is the missing link) and a cranberry walnut vinaigrette salad. Since I have never made them before, I think I will still make the samosas. There is an amazing Indian restaurant near by that opens for dinner around 5. I will have my darling husband go hassle the owners for a semi-free container of sauce.

Tonight, at work, I will finish the one scarf I started..at least! I hope to finish all 3 scarves and hats I planned. I am not betting on it. I have a busy shift on Wednesdays.

But stay tuned to hear about the slave work in the kitchen I pull off in order to tackle the Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon recipe and the samosas... recipe in my mind!