getting ready to garden!

a new attempt at starting seeds indoors! this year i forwent the "self-watering" seed trays as...they pretty much just molded before. burpee in a moment of genius decided 72 seedling pockets were too much for one tray and split them into two. both were then labeled with sides A, B, C, D with a corresponding sheet that you can label by hand. no more little tabs that keep the lid from closing and get smushed down to the point of complete illegibility! unfortunately, they still use the "magically expanding" pellets of compressed annoyance that sometimes, even if you make very carefully obsessively sure are sitting flat in their pocket, still expand sideways and get compacted harder than concrete. but i digress

heres a sampling of what i planted. the tins below contain all varieties of herbs, including 3 types of basil, oregano, lavender, and i think 4 more of something.

frank helped by smashing himself in uncomfortable places and yowling.

my first daffodil about to open!

oh the forsythia. so temporarily beautiful and yet so highly allergy prone. and the whole growing like a demented weed gets to be annoying. offshoots of a bush should not pop out into the yard 2 feet away. seriously.

sewing creations

you cant see so well from the picture, but there are pleats all around the top to avoid so much fabric bunchiness but still have a full bottom. i really like the fabric, but its almost in the mail to a friend. i say almost cos its in a box waiting to get mailed. but im lazy.

this fabric is called "in the garden". it looks like the creepiest fucking garden ever. but it makes for an interesting skirt. i made this one before the previous and only did the pleating in the front. it is a bit odd and takes some adjusting before the back stops poofing out.. but what can you really expect from a 20 minute skirt made up off the top of my head. i mean cmon.

i had finished this skirt ages ago. or so i thought. except i tried smocking/ruching the top and it basically fell off all the time. so whilst engrossed in yet another episode of NCIS [is that like CSI? only if youre dyslexic], i ripped out all the elastic threads and rolled the top over into a simple seam.

the fold over top skirt is the easiest thing to wear. and make actually. no elastic, no bunching, no zippers, no nothin. so obviously i had to do something to make it overly difficult. like add contrast panels! but i think it turned out surprisingly well especially as i bought both fabrics out of the remnant bin at joanns..and then decided they matched.

trying for spring

it annoys me this picture is quite a bit blurry. but kind of squint one eye just a tad and its all good

• long studded cardigan: macys INC brand [super clearance for a modal sweater!!!]
• tank: h&m
• skirt: h&m
  

• navy cardigan w/ black lace: forever 21
• blue tank top: kenneth cole
• black strappy dress: target
• jeggings [gasp]: uniqlo

in my defense... the jeggings in question were originally bought by the sister. they are stretchy thin denim... not cotton leggings with an acid wash "jeans" print. they have pockets and a fake fly, with elastic/tie waist like maternity pants. and they are insanely comfortable and much much easier to put/keep on than skinny jeans. im not a total convert and wont actively seek another pair... but im not getting rid of them.

• white shirt: ann taylor
• white tank: h&m
• floral skirt: forever 21
• black half leggings: h&m
• shoes: bought long ago and far away
  

what i want to buy

im pretty much obsessed with kenneth cole. and i think he used my foot as a sizing guide for shoes. ::sigh::

• where: rue la la
• brand: kenneth cole
• description: stainless steel watch with leather panel in bracelet
• price: $59 from $125
  

• where: rue la la
• brand: kenneth cole
• description: hammered silver-tone necklace
• price: $25 from $48
  

half bushel of daffodils?

who the hell buys half a bushel? 150+ bulbs? of the same frikkin flower? oh yea. i did. and then coerced a roommate and the boy into helping me plant ALL OF THEM.

and they lived through the winter and sprouted up thru the freaking snow!

bed #1 alive and well. bed #2 was about the same so no picture. except that it also contains a nice variety of tulips. when it all blooms it will look like holland or insanity. either will be more interesting than waiting until april to plant!

tuna noodle fixarole

while trying to find a recipe including both ricotta and pasta, i came across this recipe. i have never heard of food services of america, but feel as though they try really hard. unfortunately, i like the idea of the recipe...but not the exact ingredients or directions. plus they forgot to list how much milk is required to mix in with the ricotta.

after retyping the recipe in my usual format i added the bread crumbs and baking step, and guessed on pan size. [actually used 8x11] if the point of the bread crumbs was to stay crispy, they were a rousing success. if the point was to not be boring... they failed miserably.

but all in all it was pretty tasty. a little too much pasta for the sauce and i should have mixed it better... but it was decent for a randomass experiment.

i also made noodle kugel which was...lacking. i cut out the raisins as i despise grapes in any form but white wine. little did i know, the raisins add necessary sugar and some flavor even once you pick out their squishy offending beetle-like blobs. oh well.

i also made crinkley molasses cookies with candied ginger chunks. as stated many times before I CAN NOT BAKE FOR SHIT. i wasnt paying attention and im 95% sure added an extra cup of sugar. 3 instead of 2... granted the cookies are rolled in sugar before baking so i hoped the entire batch would be salvageable. especially as i had made a double batch. aside from the crumbliest most awkward cookie ball rolling process ever... and the fact that i forgot a timer on the last batch and they burned horridly, the cookies turned out pretty damn decently. although not as good as mom makes... damnit.

skirt weather?

worn to the mall [i am still a teenage girl at heart] on a 70 degree day!

• dress: gap outlet
• shorts: ny&co
  

what i would have worn to work

• tailored shirt: kenneth cole
• tank: esprit
• skirt: dkny
• boots: steve madden [$43 from macys!!! instead of $150]
  

but it was friday

• sweatshirt: pac sun [in high school?]
• tank: esprit
• skirt: dkny
• shoes: birkenstocks [from rue la la]
  

to and from work this was paired with my brand new non-leaking $20 target boots!!!! buy these. then encourage others to do the same. none of this $150 hunter knee high bullshit molded rubber crap i bought cos im a big stupid tool. THEY ARE BOOTS. MADE OF RUBBER. WITH A LOGO YOU PAID $130 TOO MUCH FOR YOU ASS.

• coat: calvin klein [from von maur ..back in hs]
• shirt: uniqlo [the back reads "hug me" in very small letters"
• skirt: kenneth cole
• leggings: uniqlo
  

cedar and oak beaches

after the "hurricane strength" nor'easter... the south shore beaches have been all but wiped out. in my quest for a porta-potty.. i visited several.

cedar beach. the poles are to hold volley ball nets. not boats

cedar beach used to have more boardwalk and significantly less water...

other side of cedar beach. to the right i just cropped out the front loader trying desperately to move around sand. idk where to exactly...

lifeguard chairs waiting
wondering where they went wrong
mother nature was pissed.

weird seal tree at oak beach-home of the lone standing porta-potty. and the nastiest one i have ever seen. fortunately my car contains a roll of toilet paper and a carton of lysol wipes.

oak island

rainy nyc

probably the worst weather ever. followed by a 5 hour trip home

gigantor yarn balls. possibly made out of clay or some kind of polymer. about 3' in diameter

matching dead umbrella. sorry leah.

60 degrees...still wearing black

• purple shirt: h&m
• black dress: saks off 5th ave
• black shiny leggings: forever 21
• black shoes: kenneth cole
  

• lace teeshirt: target [$5.50 clearance]
• black tank: forever 21
• denim skirt: ny&co
• lace leggings: target
• black slides: target [bought in high school?]
  

happy bday ali!

drew this at work in .25 seconds. good thing sanrio characters are ridic easy to copy

the cupcakes getting ready to travel in their makeshift carrier. ie two tinfoil pans rubberbanded together. gheeeetto. but functional

cupcakes after their removal from silicon baking thingers. the shocked and angry ones have the right idea. shortly after taking the picture, i tried to plastic wrap the top and smeared 5/6 of their poor little faces

the last cupcake waiting to be stored somewhere. and the remnants of my horrible decorating induced mess

oddly enough after finishing i opened a box from the parents and found two seasons of boston legal and a coloring book! hours of fun? fuck yea!

pleated clouds?

drizzle clouds over the expressway on thursday

they look like they were folded pretty uniformly and i have no idea what kind of cloud they are. buuuut they eventually became the worst frikkin sideways deluge on saturday...causing power outages, flooding, downed trees, and canceled LIRR trains. bahhh

the best of tobay beach

tobay beach, town of babylon, south shore of long island

random bit of hay?

dune fencing

some of many crab bits on the beach

agua

i have no idea what this plant is but i lorve it

its probably just some grass/weed/non-native pest

weird berries

the making of...

...leah's bday extravaganza!

cupcake fabric strips

since it was after midnight i sewed a wrong side/right side seam..and then got angry and cut it apart really badly. and then had to do repairs. i still abhor hand sewing

but i think it will hold pretty well

first cupcake row and the backing

the backside which will never be seen again. but still looks pretty cool

step 1 of baking with liz: find boxed cake

hello kitty without features. kind of odd and lumpy looking