Summer Cookbook Reading

Books on my current wishlist:

♦Note: I love the “Look Inside” feature on Amazon. With jewelry, often the authors/publishers prohibit this feature {fears of designs being stolen or used without being paid for} and with cookbooks, occasionally publishers do the same; but how else can I know whether the recipes are ones I need? {Or want, for that matter.}

Good to the Grain; Kim Boyce ♣ Stumbled across this in a gallery in Duluth, MN of all places. Spent an better part of my time in said gallery wandering the perimeter and poring over the recipes, which are straightforward {not always to be counted on among the whole grain-conscious} and paired with beautiful photos of the food to be made. I was especially glad to spend time with this book, since I had previously found it on Amazon and had to move on: no “Look Inside” feature.

Lucid Food; Louisa Shafia ♣ Lucid Food is organized by season, keeping me from finding a recipe and running to Whole Foods only to find that the main ingredient doesn’t push up from the ground until next Spring. {Notably they mocked me a couple of years ago for asking after Spring onions in October. I really wasn’t thinking that day.}

Real Food: What to Eat & Why; Nina Planck ♣ If you read everything Michael Pollan has written, Nina Planck comes up in their database as your next required reading.

♥ Momo

Good Habits + Blogroll.

“Where is my supersuit??”

A collection of links for you, for all the things I like to save up and read at once after a couple weeks:

habit: sometimes this even feels too personal to read.

unruly things: for when my random search mojo fails to find me cool new things.

abby try again: love the name. love it. her photos are always what I’m looking for.

goodreads: still playing with this. source for all of my Milne quotes.

honey & jam: i’m looking forward to trying out the recipe for no knead bread.

fish food blog: two words: s’mores. pie. i love her photography, & i want to make everything she has on here.

chocolate & zucchini: fancy food blog. i envy their chocolate starter bread.

not without salt: i love this site. haven’t made anything from it yet, but i love it all the same.

roost blog: this blog makes me want to be a better person. i am especially looking forward to the spiced apple butter.

honest fare: you had me at cashew butter, ginger & honey sandwich. oh, and quinoa pudding with strawberries.

hungry girl por vida: i am making new year’s resolutions mid year to make everything on this site.

Places to try to pick up better habits, yes?

…aaaand a couple places for shiny stuff, because they’re fun too:

twist: jewelry. we should all be so lucky.

mio: fancy pants clothing. it’s not goth, it’s just black.

vain & vapid: sartorialist clothier blog. love the name.

♥ Momo

The Return of Tuffy

Tuffy I

Remember Tuffy? The original floppy cat!

Tuffy has it pretty good. Chipmunks, birds, lots of sunbeams…never enough food. I don’t think he could ever get enough food. He is a crazy cat though: he won’t eat ham. Won’t eat roast beef, won’t bully you for your deli meats, sandwiches, potatoes, or cereal. This is very un-cat like behavior, as shown by Migi, who not only believes that every scrap of ham in the house belongs to her, but that she’s entitled to a percentage of each of our meals, while we’re eating. “Protection money”. If she doesn’t get it, your books are no longer under her “protection”. It may be extortion, but we’re used to it. So when Tuffy sniffed the ham in my hand, then looked up and asked me “why?”, I was floored. I’ve never met a cat who’s sole purpose is to get you to fill his bowl with something clearly designated as “cat fud”.

He also shows all the signs Migi gives that she’s going to bite you, or kick you, or attack you, then looks up into your eyes, and….flops on the floor for you to rub his tummy. His tail twitches, and his eyes get big and round, and then he leans his head back for you to scritch his chin. He has never attacked me, as much as it might look like he’s going to. He is the floppiest, biggest, Totoro-tailed sleepy cat I’ve ever met. After two weeks with him, I actually miss our demanding, spoiled, biting, yowling, cursing, princess of a cat.

“I have trained you well…”

♥ Momo

Milne.

“Hallo, Rabbit,” he said, “is that you?”

Let’s pretend it isn’t,” said Rabbit, “and see what happens.”
— A.A. Milne

♥ Momo

A Few of My Favorite Things: Ocean Jasper

A close up of a bench pin….

“Oh Tigger, where are your manners?”
I don’t know, but I bet they’re having more fun than I am.”
— A.A. Milne

The Intergem gem show came to Seattle a while back; and I thought I’d share some pictures of my new raw materials. On Jasper: Jasper & Agates have to be my favorite stones. Give me a nice cut of Condor Agate over whatever precious gem is in vogue any day. Tell any child who’s just found an agate on the beach that it isn’t as incredible & precious as a diamond. Jasper has so many faces it can fit any style of jewelry. Some of my favorites look like landscapes, or waves. I have one piece I haven’t set that looks like a sailboat in a storm as Chris Van Allsburg would imagine it. I read The Wretched Stone at a very young age & it’s stayed with me. Then there’s ocean jasper. It’s just cute.

I already have sketches laid out for the tiny green square that looks like an owl peering out at you. When we’re back from vaction {I will be blogging from MN for the next two weeks, because it turns out you can still stalk Etsy when out-of-state} the plan will be to set up a soldering area so I can start working properly again! I have an acetylene tank and torch tips and everything, and wooooow is that a nervous feeling, no matter how comfortable you might be with those things before you bring them into your house. {*Update: sold the acetylene tank & setup, bought myself a mini torch. Same level of heat, much finer control.}

I’ve done a lot of research, taken a number of soldering classes at the studio, & I’ve been working on my own there for three months or so, & I’m not too worried. It just takes practice. I’m looking at some welding tables with steel backs, just little 12″ x 12″ things; but I’ve also seen people who have set up a soldering station on a wooden Ikea shelf nailed into a wall! I know I need a tripod, mesh screen, asbestos-free board, I have tweezers, flux & solder…and I need to find a tiny yet functional crockpot for pickle…thank goodness for Goodwill & their endless supply of barely used crockpots.

I have a nagging feeling that I need a flex shaft.

I have a new favorite supplier on Etsy; she merits a mention here, for anyone wanting to pick up some pieces of their own…or for me! {I know, it’s not all about me…sigh.} I do really try to pass on the love when someone really wows me in the customer service department; this woman was exceptional.

Oh, and go listen to “Television” by Peggy Sue & The Pirates. It’s so cute!

♥ Momo

It’s The Same Thing

"Deep Thoughts"

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?”

“What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”

“I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,” he said.”
— A.A. Milne

♥ Momo

I Need This Grey Wool Felted Owl

Sleeeepy Owl

I need this owl.

♥ Momo

Bag Addict

Layered Pleat Tote!

Fancy.

“Hello, my name is Momo, and I am a bag addict.” …”Hello, Momo.” Right?

♥ Momo

Alice in {Louis Vuitton} Wonderland

Louis Vuitton Japanese commercial. Takashi Murakami is a favorite of mine.

♥ Momo

Ponyo

Your weekly dose of cute:

…I’m sorry that the song will never not be in your head now.

♥ Momo