the panda life

September 18th, 2010

2010-06-01T20:55:00.002-05:00

we are getting married, and started a new blog/website:

http://twobirdsonesong.com/

save the date post cards are in the mail ;)

cooking from scratch .. seasonal & local goodness

2009-08-20T20:18:00.004-05:00

seared chicken thighs, sauteed swiss chard, ginger & honey glazed carrots. whole wheat rigatoni with prisco's housemade chicken sausage and swiss chard in a nutmeg-scented white wine sauce. homemade white whole wheat soft pretzels (adapted from an alton brown recipe). homemade white whole wheat pizzas - leave the olives off mine, please! foraged morels, & tonight's dinner: roasted red pepper & tomato soup, arugula salad with sliced pear, shaved parmesan, & lemon vinaigrette, & some sliced grass fed flank steak.

also need to post about our dinner at avec in chicago. mmm, so good.

i like turtles

2009-07-24T07:25:00.002-05:00

the OG...

interview with Bill O'Reilly...

play him off keyboard cat version...

and if you don't know about play him off keyboard cat...then you have been mostly under a rock...play him off keyboard cat

CSA, week 1

2009-07-05T16:50:00.004-05:00

Ended up with lots of good things our first week. Lots of greens the first week, radishes, turnips, the best sugar snap peas I've ever tasted, and some zucchini/squash.

Looking forward to later in the season... some of these greens are so fresh, but just don't last in the fridge. What are we going to do with them all?! I'm taking care of the huge head of cabbage tomorrow and making a hot & sour soup, and have some plans for the gigantic bundle of kale... hopefully we'll use everything up!

bummmmmmmmmeerrrrr

2009-06-30T16:45:00.002-05:00

guess who got laid off today? i'll give you one guess.

you can read more about it here if you'd like.

i will survive, just like that song says. no worries.

where oh where is mom?!?!

2009-06-28T18:44:00.002-05:00

we miss you mom!!!

help polyvinyl and help yourself to some of their music...

2009-06-25T06:11:00.002-05:00

donate using kickstarter and get wonderful kick backs, such as copious amounts of cds...

or help polyvinyl release one of their classic albums that was never pressed to vinyl:

fun and creative ways to use the internet, WOOOO?

buki has a surprise for jess!

2009-06-24T19:15:00.000-05:00

Dusts off the blog

2009-06-22T15:54:00.004-05:00

Not quite dead, just uninspired recently.

We've been biking and eating good food and hesitantly welcoming summer.

The farmer's market has started up here, which is wonderful for getting the creative juices flowing. This weekend we scored some beautiful little organic strawberries, blueberries, baby greens, pencil thin asparagus, baby squash, and local onions & garlic. After the market we biked up the trail a bit and found a nice shaded area to have a picnic, hopefully the first of many for the summer!

I'm particularly excited for this summer because it is our first year taking part in a CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture. We've purchased a biweekly share with the farm, and are eager to get our first box of locally grown, minimally processed, organic produce. We're just now getting out of a take-out/junk food rut, so I am even more excited to have invested in a few months of ultra-nutritious feel-good food. The question I seem to have gotten the most is.. "well, isn't that expensive?" and I guess that the short answer in yes.

We paid $350 for a biweekly share that starts in late June/early July and will continue into November. Broken down over time, however, I would say that if we were buying equal amounts of certified-organic produce at the local grocery, we would probably be paying more. Also, here we have the added benefit of our food coming from 13.73 miles away (no really, I just did a Yahoo maps search!) rather than thousands of miles from California. That alone can make a person feel a little bit better about their consumption, I think, and a lot better about what they are putting into their body.

So yeah, short answer... is it expensive? Sure. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

buki attempts to drown unicorn

2009-05-16T19:34:00.001-05:00

in which buki comes down with a nasty case of the awesomes...

2009-05-07T16:09:00.000-05:00

happy easter bunnyicorn wow

2009-04-12T00:37:00.003-05:00

i love you mom

polaroid saturday

2009-04-04T18:21:00.000-05:00

i guess it's about that time of the year

polaroid saturday

2009-03-28T08:27:00.002-05:00

trains, trains and trainamobiles...

this ones for you brayden.

buki new videos

2009-03-26T20:36:00.003-05:00

buki talking about how awesome she is...

clearly she thinks very highly of herself...

and buki having an "emo" day...

in case you didn't know, "emo" is the fourth most dangerous word parents need to be concerned about.

buki is a very complicated feline.

brayden loves trains!

2009-03-26T12:28:00.004-05:00

last week brayden visited uncle ryno and aunt gesso. we watched the train from the apartment, which he thoroughly enjoyed...

polaroid saturday

2009-03-07T17:59:00.001-06:00

LUNNER!!!!

2009-03-01T20:56:00.002-06:00

polaroid saturday

2009-02-21T18:43:00.001-06:00

just another manic ~~monday~~, i mean saturday.

polaroid saturday

2009-02-14T00:37:00.001-06:00

polaroid saturday

2009-02-07T19:36:00.000-06:00

polaroid saturday

2009-01-31T09:35:00.000-06:00

black & white profanity.

polaroid saturday

2009-01-24T20:58:00.002-06:00

above is a polaroid from ottumwa, ia. where i was born. where my dad is from. where my grandmother still lives. i grew up going to this park, playing on this tornado slide. fond memories.

i love you dad.

doctor brayden

2009-01-22T16:13:00.001-06:00

prognosis:

cutest kid in the world!

anatomy of a meal!

2009-01-19T18:37:00.004-06:00

pictured above: preparation for a modified version of homestyle bean curd from tigers & strawberries. slices of extra firm tofu, chinese black fungus, salted black beans, sichuan peppercorns, garlic, & scallions.

i'm contemplating starting a food blog so i can have a more appropriate & more streamlined outlet for my foodie ramblings and recipe posting. i've been playing around with wordpress & brainstorming some graphic/layout ideas - hopefully i can get the ball rolling before the semester is in full swing.

ps hi dawn!

happy inauguration eve!

2009-01-19T17:48:00.003-06:00

i'm old enough to know that no presidency in the last 20+ years has brought about this amount of excitement and joy. i am awkwardly more hopeful and happy about this than i care to admit, knowing that politics are never a clean business, and there seems to be corruption everywhere. i am generally a skeptic, but tomorrow seems like an opportunity for so much. as i write all this, i am trying to temper all of my hopes and ideals, with a "let's see what happens" attitude, instead of speculating. needless to say i will be glued to the television tomorrow.

a busy day for budget bears...

2009-01-17T21:03:00.004-06:00

in an attempt to tighten our belts just a little bit more, we've declared 2009 the year of the budget bear! we've done the appropriate budgeting, figured out what gets allotted to where, and are having fun doing it!

one of the most helpful money saving-tips i've read has been to comparison shop... for everything, not just major purchases. because so much of my cooking deviates from the typical SAD, i've found shopping at "ethnic" markets to be a major cash saver! asian markets have great prices on quality produce and, of course, tons of interesting ingredients to experiment with. a perk of living in aurora has also been mexican markets where i can find perfectly ripe avocados for much less than the local supermarket.

buying in bulk has also proven a valuable technique... shopping the bulk bins at whole foods for flours, grains, nuts & legumes costs next to nothing. also, forget stale supermarket spices! look for an indian market for lots of spices or check out a retailer like penzeys where you can forgo fancy packaging for high quality, potent herbs and spices!

now... i admit that i probably get much more joy out of grocery shopping than the average person. while i certainly don't think everyone has to turn into a total foodie, i think having fun with food can definitely open up some new doors. i spend my days pouring over recipes, writing my own, & experimenting with different foods... but i also have taken the time to understand what i'm feeding my body & why. this has probably proven the most valuable money-saving lesson of all - taking care of my body and treating it right has kept me away from the doctor, off medications, & feeling great.

after we finished some epic food shopping we grabbed our coupon book and headed over to pita paradise for some delicious mediterranean food!

oh, & one last tip! reusable grocery bags, good for the earth & your wallet... here we are modeling some amazing handmade totes our deadformat buddy mel made us!

polaroid saturday

2009-01-17T00:05:00.001-06:00

polaroid saturday

2009-01-10T22:18:00.002-06:00

2009 the re-cap

2009-01-03T08:06:00.008-06:00

So much has happened these last few weeks, we thought it appropriate to begin the year with a re-cap of all things panda-y and holiday-ish. First off jess and I both got new tattoos at our favorite tattoo shop. Jess went to our place to get a tattoo with her father. Jess got a piece of cherry pie(her father’s favorite) with a dad banner. And jess’ dad got a touch up on an old rose tattoo he had, with jess’ name above it. And a week later I got an amazing panda tattoo, below are pics of jess’ and I’s tats:

We were very fortunate to have great holidays this year. We had a good time with jess’ folks while they visited over thanksgiving. And we had a great time running around on xmas day seeing everyone(even if i did have to work part of that day). we had a great new years eve eating thai food with sean and irene. Jess’ and I present exchange couldn’t have been better, with both of us getting fun and surprising presents that we both adored, below is a composite:

ryno got:
dinosaur jr : whatever's cool with me 7"
modest mouse : good news for people who like..
mountain goats : sweden
nirvana : in utero(clear yellow)
sea and cake : oui
smashing pumpkins : machina | the machines of god
sonic youth : goo lp(first pressing)
pedro the lion : whole ep 10"
sonic youth stocking cap!!!!

gesso got:
himalayan sea salt
saves the day - through being cool
braid - rainsnowmatch 7" original pressing
kung-fu panda dvd
beetlejuice dvd
and lots of cute oven mitts... and a cupcake apron!!!!
money with which she bought an ipod touch which she is adoring so much right now

here's some pictures of us crazy cats:

not to mention dad/bonnie/santa got us tons of fun things from ten thousand villages, and other thoughtful fun things. And jess’ parents got us pjs. And of course our families/santa gave us money for records and or culinary fun things.

Another amazing recent development that I mentioned in my last blog, was that we got our new coffee table. I urge anyone to take the time when they visit us to check out this lovely piece of artisanal carpentry mastery. Here are some pictures, but no justice will be served unless you see this in person:

yesterday we went to Chicago. We met up with ben and his lady friend jenny and had a wonderful time. we met up with them at the chicago diner, and enjoyed brunch. we then went to reckless records (of course), rag stock, urban outfitters, and a few other stores. we finished the night at mac's, where all four of us enjoyed their fish and chips. and we all loved it! next time though, we are going to smoke daddy! we had a great time with ben and jenny, it was a shame the night ended so soon, but we look forward to seeing them this summer, and whenever they visit these parts!

so after all of that bloggery, we are so thankful we have each other and family and friends to share our lives with. we are so thankful and happy that 2009 is starting off so well. this year for us, will bring tight budgets, a fun summer train ride to california, a possible 2010 wedding date, and our kitties will be turning two!

happy 2009!

2009-01-01T10:30:00.005-06:00

well jess and i are relaxing after a simple yet fun new years eve. we went out to eat with irene and sean at one of our favorite thai restaurants last night, which was a blast. and we rang in the new year with records and kitties and champagne corks flying.

sean presented us with a new coffee table that he made us. we commissioned sean to make this table quite a while ago, but now that we have it, it was well worth the wait. it is perfectly designed to sit two lap tops side by side. and it has a drawer that can house both of our lap tops. needless to say we couldn't be happier. the cats have also been enjoying a new piece of furniture to crawl all over.

jess and i had a great christmas. we drove all over the place delivering home made cookies to family members which was fun. jess and i exchanged presents, and we both are happier than panda bears stranded on a bamboo island. jess got me countless records that i wanted and i got her numerous things she desired.

so it's been a crazy week and a half. i've been working tons, and am looking forward to having the next few days off. tomorrow we are going to chicago to meet up with ben and his g/f. much fun will be had.

swedish meatballs

2008-12-22T07:00:00.000-06:00

one package of gimme lean beef
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of bread crumbs
1 T finely chopped parsley
1/2 t granulated onion
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t salt
good dose of cracked black pepper
pinch of thyme
pinch of nutmeg
2 T olive oil for frying

for the sauce:
2 T olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 T sherry
1 1/2 "beef-style" bouillion cubes combined with 3 cups of water
about 1/4 cup of soy milk mixed with 2 1/2 T of corn starch, plus additional soy milk if needed to thin sauce
squeeze of fresh lemon
lots of cracked black pepper
2 T fresh chopped parsley

half pound pasta of choice, cooked according to package instructions. i used whole wheat "egg" noodles.

combine first 10 ingredients and mix until well incorporated & then shape until 12 1-inch balls.

heat olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. fry meatballs in oil until evenly browned on all sides.

to make sauce:

on medium heat, saute onion in olive oil until soft. add garlic & cook some more. raise the heat & deglaze pan with sherry and allow reduce (about 5 minutes).

add broth and allow to cook. add cornstarch slurry & stir to combine. lower heat and simmer until thickened. add lemon juice, parsley, & pepper.

if necessary, thin out sauce with additional soy milk.

top noodles with meatballs & gravy & enjoy.

baby it's cold outside...

2008-12-21T19:22:00.002-06:00

why bother with a blanket of a sweater, when you can use the snuggie? i guess i need to add one more thing to my christmas list.

buy here! act now and get a second one for free(+7.95 per snuggie) plus you get a free book light. whoa!

mmm, sunday brunch.

2008-12-21T11:10:00.003-06:00

there is nothing like a hot plate of delicious brunchy goodness to wake you up on a snowy sunday morning. right now it's -5 degrees (feels like -32!), but ryan & i are both full and happy and ready to stay in the rest of the day.

i made biscuits & gravy, (vegan) broccoli quiche, & breakfast potatoes. mm!

happy birthday to... me!

2008-12-20T22:05:00.006-06:00

aw, today was the best birthday ever! last night ryan & i stayed up late and i got to open my gifts at midnight!

i opened up some early gifts beforehand, but all together i gotttttt:

lifetime - jersey's best dancers lp
bikini kill - cassette version of the first two records
bikini kill - self titled lp
haveans to betsy - these monsters are real 7"
heavens to betsy - calculated lp
saves the day - through being cool lp
frumpies - frumpies forever 7"
frumpies - babies and bunnies test press!
kung-fu panda & beetlejuice on dvd.
annnnnnnd set of three new dots pyrex mixing bowls, the pièce de résistance of my pyrex collection so to speak!

we had birthday pie at baker's square... and for dinner we had tonsandtonsandtons of sushi!

i had such a wonderful birthday... i'm such a lucky lady, & ryan went above and beyond (per usual!) thanks everyone for the phone calls & birthday wishes!

polaroid saturday

2008-12-20T00:23:00.002-06:00

happy birthday beautiful

today...

2008-12-18T22:47:00.002-06:00

today i dropped off jess at school for her last finals of the semester and went to my brother and sister in-laws to do some intense cleaning(for a small nominal fee, if interested please contact, hehe...). i cleaned for 6 and a half hours. goodness it was exhausting. but my brother and sister in-law's anniversary is today, so it was worth it.

in two days it will be jess' birthday. she is very excited about her school being over, i think the prospect of presents may have evaded her since she is so relieved right now. but we are excited to have a long weekend together and not have much of any responsibility. we will be going to swordfish for her birthday dinner. we are more than excited about this.

soon it will be a new year filled with things not known. i cannot wait. i also cannot believe how fast this year has went. the first year of jess and i living together. it's been wonderful. more to come.

polaroid saturday

2008-12-13T06:27:00.000-06:00

galena in pictures, & more!

2008-12-07T18:00:00.006-06:00

i know i'm a little (okay, a lot) late in blogging, but here are some photos from galena!

(note: every time we stay at hawk valley, we take a picture of us jumping on the bad. so silly bed jumping picture #3!)

i've been pretty busy lately... lots of work to do as the semester winds down and when i actually have some time to relax, i take full advantage of it. we've had a wonderful, lazy weekend... i've been cooking and baking and ryan has diligently cleaned up after me.

i made a wonderful leek & potato soup this weekend. simple, but very flavorful and fulfilling.

ingredients:
2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 leeks, sliced into thin rounds
half a white onion, diced
2-3 carrots, diced
2 pounds red potatoes, cut into bit size cubes
vegetable stock (2-3 cups) [** or 2-3 cups of water with one vegetable bouillon cube.]
1 1/2 cups white wine
1/2 t dried thyme
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
about 1/2 cup of soy milk
salt + pepper

1. saute leeks, onion, & carrots in olive oil until soft & translucent. add garlic and saute for another few minutes.
2. deglaze the pot with a bit of white wine. add potatoes, stock, wine, thyme, and parsley.
3. simmer on low-medium heat until potatoes are cooked through and fork tender.
4. transfer half of the mixture to a blender. add soy milk and blend until smooth and creamy.
5. add the blended mixture back to pot and stir to combine. salt + pepper to taste.
6. garnish with chopped scallion and more parsley.

i used some leftover black bean sauce from the local chinese restaurant to make tonight's dinner. i cheated, but it was still delicious and, not to mention, a lot cheaper than ordering take-out.

yum.

polaroid saturday

2008-12-06T03:22:00.002-06:00

polaroid saturday

2008-11-29T08:50:00.003-06:00

we are back.

back to the city.

oh it begins.

puzzles and patches

2008-11-28T22:33:00.004-06:00

back from our vacation, i felt it necessary to tell why we love gelena, il so much. from what i can tell, most people consider gelena a place for yuppies and middle age folks, and people with families that just need to get away. well i am here to tell you why we like it, and what makes it so special.

two years ago jess and i were looking for a place to get away to. we were not looking for a location, we were looking for a structure, a place, a thing that could house us for a couple days and we could be ourselves. all we wanted was a room with a jacuzzi tub, and a reasonable price. we searched online for hours and we either found extremely over priced hotel suites, or we found super sleazy places. but eventually we found hawk valley retreat.

you may follow the link to find the specifics of what makes it amazing, and i will tell you what makes it amazing for jess and i.

this was our third stay. so if you go some where three times, there must be something that draws you. for jess and i the first thing that drew us there was that hawk valley offers four cottages. each equipped with a kitchenette, a king size bed, heated floors and a jacuzzi. each cottage is set apart from the other and is nestled on a hill in the valley of galena(actually about 10 minutes from the town). aside from the accommodations of the cottage, we have found the personality of hawk valley is what makes it remarkable. the owners, jane and fritz, make this place a home away from home. each morning when you make your way to the main house for breakfast, you are greeted by jane and patches(her 15 year old fluffy female cat), as she takes your coat, you encounter the wondrous smells of a delicious homemade breakfast. during our stay we had german apple pancakes, baked pancakes with fresh strawberries, fresh made pecan sticky buns and many other treats. as we chatted with other guests, we took in the warmth of hawk valley. as you enjoy the meal each nicety and decoration that adorns the main house warms you, jane's ever attentiveness as she refills your beverages without a word, or patches bathing in the morning sun. each morning starts this way when you stay at hawk valley.

we make a habit of going to the local antique shops in wisconsin, iowa and illinios. jess found many pyrex finds, and i was able to get to a record shop in dubuque, iowa. what has always helped us so much is jane's knowledge of the local cities and surrounding area. not to mention the local restaurants in gelena. two(111 main and perry street brasserie)of which made our stay extra amazing.

when we say we are going to gelena, perhaps we should say we are going to hawk valley. because that's where we are going. because if hawk valley was in deluth, minnesota i would be going to deluth, not galena. and if hawk valley was in ottumwa, iowa, we would be going to ottumwa not galena. and what makes any place stand out, is it's warmth and personality. the second time we stayed in hawk valley we noticed a for sale sign out front. we were worried. we were panicked. so as soon as we got a chance, we warned jane, that she cannot sell, because where would we go? she said, someone would buy with the plans of keeping the retreat open. but it would not be the same. i told her this. i remind her of this. in fact when we i talked to her this week i said i was sorry that they were not able to sell, but i was very thankful. and she joked, that it was my fault. but i told her that she and her husband are what makes hawk valley so amazing. she laughed it off, not in contempt, but with humility. and to simply state why hawk valley is so great, let me end with this:

every morning after we had breakfast, jess would join patches on the chair and enjoy the moring sun and i would work on a puzzle. after the third morning, jess remarked to me, "when do you take the time to work on puzzles of sit still for that long?" and she noted how she never takes the time to relax and sit with our own cats for so long. jess and i need a place to give ourselves permission to do nothing, we need to get away from whatever stress and busyness is going on. it helps us so. we need it. so to me, puzzles and patches, however simple they may be, epitomize a perfect vacation.

galena here we come...

2008-11-24T07:57:00.002-06:00

we are leaving in two minutes for galena...goodbye cruel world, it's time for a vacation!!!!

polaroid saturday

2008-11-22T10:49:00.001-06:00

monday we go on vacation. finally.

pyrex finds from the past few months... & food!

2008-11-15T14:50:00.007-06:00

we've had some awesome finds at our local antique/thrift shops the past few months... most of these we've been lucky to find locally, but i do admit to order some from ebay & etsy!

i bought a few individual gratin dishes off etsy and had glorious fantasies about making individual pot pies & the like but i've also seen a few recipes for baked pumpkin pasta floating around, so i decided to take a stab at it. i saw paula dean make hers with butter (of course), sausage, heavy cream, & lots of cheese... and i have been eying the veganomicon pumpkin baked ziti recipe for a while, but wanted something a bit quicker & easier. i also only had rotini, but it ended up working out fine :)

ingredients:
1 lb whole wheat pasta (your choice... i used rotini, but would recommend ziti or penne)
1 recipe tofu ricotta. i use this one as a base, but usually add some soy milk to make it creamy and smooth. here i omitted the basil
1 T extra virgin olive oil
half a large onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 can pureed pumpkin
1/4-1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/2 t rubbed sage
1/2 t dried thyme
generous pinch of nutmeg

for herbed bread crumbs:
1-1 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
2 t earth balance
generous pinch of sage
salt + pepper

(preheat oven to 375 degrees)

01. cook the pasta! strain it and rinse with cool water BEFORE it's al dente.
02. make tofu ricotta & set it aside.
03. saute onion in olive oil over medium heat until caramelized. add garlic & cook some more.
04. add canned pumpkin and cook briefly. add soy milk to make a creamy sauce & season with herbs, nutmeg, salt & pepper. let cook a few minutes longer.

(meanwhile, melt the earth balance in a pan. add breadcrumbs and seasoning and toast until browned.)

05. when pasta is done, toss with the pumpkin sauce off the heat. immediately transfer to a casserole, stir in tofu ricotta, & top with bread crumbs. throw it in the oven and cook until sauce is bubbly & bread crumbs are nice and toasty brown. enjoy!

(also, gratuitous weight loss update: 20.2 lbs down, 10% of the starting body weight. still got some ways to go, but feeling really good.)

polaroid saturday

2008-11-15T00:20:00.001-06:00

my artist-friend nathan abels has been busy at work with a new show. one piece he did was a painting of a polaroid i had taken.

here is the original polaroid:

and here is nathan's painting:

"Somnambulism", Acrylic on Canvas, 12x12"

birthday re-cap...

2008-11-08T08:48:00.003-06:00

yesterday my birthday happened(as jess' picture post below eludes to), and it was wonderful.

allow me to break-down the day:

6am: got dressed in my birthday dino-bear-suit(DUH!). wake up jess to open up my birthday presents. my birthday presents had accumulated over the last couple weeks and been placed under our stand up lamp. it had been referred to over the last week as the birthdaylamp. here is what i opened:

tristeza : dream signals in full circles
sunny day real estate : pink lp
early day miners - Deep Harbors one-sided 12"
early day miners - Jefferson at Rest LP
joan of arc/bundini brown split LP
onelinedrawing - The Volunteers LP
bright eyes vinyl box set
nick drake box set w/ skin too few documentry
the album leaf - In an Off White Room 10"
elliott smith : pretty ugly before 7"
cool beans zine #4 w/ 7"(mountain goats, three day stubble and biscuit)
hayden : in field & town
rachel's : music for egon schiele
and
david bazan : alone at the microphone dvd
(very very very happy with my presents!)

7:30am: jess and i walk to our favorite diner. got a delicious breakfast, and received a bowl of birthday-fruit for my day from our favorite waitress.

9am: walked jess to work. came home and cataloged my birthday presents. cleaned the apartment. listened to records, watched david bazan dvd.

3pm: pick up jess from school. we go get our eyebrows threaded. then we go to baker square to get my free piece of pie(if you were unaware, baker square gives you a free piece of pie on yr birthday!)

7pm: we meet ryan 2 and his wife abby, and irene at walter payton's roundhouse for a birthday meal. good meal, great company.

i also got numerous phone calls and emails from family and friends which was very nice(especially the one from brayden!). thanks so much to everyone.

dino-bear birthday pictures!

2008-11-08T08:29:00.003-06:00

polaroid saturday

2008-11-08T06:21:00.005-06:00

my birthday was yesterday. above you see me(about 19 months old)on the right and my brother rubin(about a month and a half) being held by my mother.

Campaign/Barack Obama Art

2008-11-06T11:08:00.007-06:00

one clear community that flourished throughout these campaign months is the art world. it has been so fun to see the works of designers and artists making creative and crafty things in the name of politicking, strong beliefs and sarcasm. as jess posted recently, 30 reasons posted a different piece of art that was designed by someone that wanted to convey the message of why someone ought to vote. here are a couple of my favorites from 30 reasons:

and here are a couple more than i found that i enjoy:

(the donuts and bacon is from here, and the OMG is from here.)

there are far more out there, probably far better ones, but those are the ones that have caught me eye.

and here are some flags i painted a year or so ago:

2008-11-05T07:28:00.003-06:00

this was amazing. IT STILL is amazing. i'm actually proud of america & to be american, and am so thankful to have gotten to vote in this election. oh goodness!

The 44th President of the United States:

2008-11-05T06:49:00.003-06:00

colongratulations to everyone who voted. win or lose, no matter your candidate, it's about being able to exercise the freedom to speak your minds.

amazing.

2008-11-04T22:13:00.001-06:00

i can't even think thing straight. i'm about to cry!

please vote tomorrow.

2008-11-03T20:49:00.002-06:00

“A woman’s ability to decide how many children to have and when, without interference from the government, is one of the most fundamental rights we possess.” — Barack Obama (Statement submitted to NARAL Pro-Choice America)

We can not forget that it was illegal to have an abortion only 35 years ago. The right to obtain a safe and legal abortion is not a guarantee. Your choice this November 4th will affect the choices of so many others to come. Choose Obama.
Artist

Julia Zimmerman
New York, New York
juliaclaire.org via 30 reasons project.

polaroid saturday

2008-11-01T01:23:00.000-05:00

happy birthday sissie.

shots from halloween!

2008-10-31T22:05:00.002-05:00

happy halloween from electric dream machine!

2008-10-31T11:33:00.002-05:00

Day Man!

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

simply the best show...

i believe i would dress up like charlie or dennis if i had the proper materials.

so great.

another happy halloween eve...

2008-10-30T23:18:00.004-05:00

as soon as i saw this flick group, i knew i needed to jump on the cats in hats bandwagon... of course, halloween is the perfect excuse!

tomorrow we'll dress up, but only if we don't get killed in our sleep for the following photos.

i'm pretty sure the photos say it all, so happy halloween from panda panda & buki!

happy halloween eve!

2008-10-30T21:25:00.006-05:00

so tomorrow will be halloween. a day that means very little to me now that i am older. it has been since my freshmen year of college since i went trick or treating(13 years ago, wow). last year i dressed up as jack white of the white stripes. i believe it was a decent costume, but then again i don't think any one that i ran into that day know who i was(which is a factor when you choose your costume, to make sure that the people you will be in the company of know what you are dressing up as). tomorrow i will dress up like a mechanic and jess will dress up like a '50s pin-up gal. she will look smashing and i will look dirty. as usual.

everything is going swimmingly with my new job. i think i am getting the hang of everything, getting to know new clients and new co-workers, learning new processes. i feel like i have so much to learn still, and find myself feeling anxiety occasionally, but by and large i am a lot more comfortable that i was when i began. the commute of two miles is wonderful, especially when i work the 12pm to 10pm shifts. knowing that i am a five minute drive away from parking the car and crawling under the covers with my pandagirl and kitties. my schedule is a lot different, which by and large is great also. working ten hour days isn't too bad, especially when the trade off is 4 day weekends every other week.

tonight i am listening to stars of the lid. their sounds would best be described as ambient and minimalist, and slightly discordant. their music, is sweeping, and epic. it washes over you, and cleans and irks you. it makes you think of the times where you could only here your own internal dialogue and perhaps the sound of distant winds or water pouring so fast from a faucet that it makes a whining noise. it paints a soundscape with a haunting pull, not quite as dark as godspeed you black emperor, but perhaps with a bit more elusiveness and mystery. tonight i am listening to their 2001 release 'the tired sounds of..." and it seems perfect for this night, and the deluge of change and newness that it is appropriate.

goodnight.

autumn bikering we go...

2008-10-26T11:13:00.004-05:00

yesterday we took a bike ride on a beautiful fall morning. it was a bit blustery and chilly, but we were bundled up warm. obviously we do not have the technology to post the lovely smells and sounds of our bike ride. but it was great, to hear and see wild life all around, leaves changing to beautiful reds and bright lemon yellow.

polaroid saturday

2008-10-25T05:30:00.000-05:00

it's fall.
so beautiful.

reconciling my feminism with weight loss.

2008-10-24T22:26:00.005-05:00

i love my body but recognize that i have not been good to it in the past.
for me losing weight is about being healthy above all - respecting, nurturing and doing the things i know are beneficial for my body. while its nice to slip into a pair of jeans that have been sitting in the closet for a bit too long, it's a feeling that pales in comparison to the way your body & mind work when you're taking care of it.

down 4.2 lbs this week, 13.2 lbs total since september 19th. i'm happy.

early votering!!!!!

2008-10-24T14:36:00.004-05:00

well jess and i exercised our right to vote this afternoon. we were super psyched and excited to make our voices heard. to do our part. and all that gobbledygook. i hope all of you get out to vote(early if you can since they are expecting record turn out this year) if you are unsure where to vote, when to vote(if yr voting early), check this google link.

cap'n jazzzzzz

2008-10-24T14:16:00.001-05:00

i love salsa verde!

2008-10-12T20:54:00.006-05:00

i really love salsa verde.
despite my love for spicy food, i actually don't make mine very spicy at all.

(i do prefer my red salsa fiery hot, however!)

i've messed around with several different recipes, and i think this is the real winner. i prefer a chunkier salsa, but i'm sure it'd be just as good blended smooth.

ingredients:
1.5 lbs tomatillos, husks removed, washed & cut in half
2-3 serrano chilies, seeded
1 medium white onion, diced
2-3 large garlic cloves
juice of one lime
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp sugar
salt + pepper to taste

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees. prep veggies.
2. place chilies and tomatillos on a foil-lined baking sheet, cut side down. spray with olive oil and salt + pepper. pop 'em in the oven for 5-7 minutes (or until the tomatillos release their liquid and roast.)
3. ... in the meantime, spray a pan with olive oil and saute onion until softened.
4. add garlic and roasted tomatillos/chilies to pan and cook some more (about 5 minutes). remove from heat.
5. when cooled, transfer to blender and add lime juice, sugar and cilantro.
6. pulse to desired consistency, scraping down sides with a spatula to keep salsa well incorporated. add salt + pepper to taste if desired.
7. serve immediately or allow to cool... its good both ways!

ryan & abby came over for dinner last night and we had tacos with rice and beans. we had found a package of prepared shredded "vegetarian chicken" last weekend at the asian market so i sauteed it up with lots of spices, a yellow bell pepper, tomato, and an onion. totally delicious wrapped up in soft corn tortillas & topped with lots of salsa verde and crunchy purple cabbage. we played poker which was super fun but, as usual, ryno kicked my A and won the $25. boo!!

long overdue ramblings...

2008-10-11T08:17:00.003-05:00

so i finally got my lap-top back last week, and i have been gleefully updating and frustrating over my computer. i basically had to start from nothing. but was fortunate enough to have nearly everything backed up. and when i say everything, i mean tons of music(70+ gigs worth) all my pics and scans[except my most recent ones, so i need to re-scan some polaroids:(], all my word docs and even microsoft word. i also had to download my driver for my printer, and update all this junk. basically my computer is now fully functional and works better than it ever has.

so what has been going on you ask? mostly i have been adjusting to a new job. which means a new schedule. which means new people. which means a hell of a lot. as far as work goes, it is a matter of feeling comfortable, getting your own pace, and learning new processes. those are the typical stresses i have been going through. so although annoying and a bit stressful, also normal. my bike ride has obviously been shorter, which means my commute overall is great. i feel as if i work as much at my last job(time wise) becuz i spend far less time en route(even though my new daily shifts are 10 hrs not 8hrs), so in the end i spend about the same amount of time at work than my last job, just one less day. all in all i would say i have traded up, especially when you consider how much gas i am saving.

jess has been doing superb on watch watchers, and i am so proud of her. she really helps me, because i am doubly conscious of what i am putting in my body and doing with my body. so i have been working on being more consistent with running, even more now that i don't get tons of biking in. and as soon as my work routine sets in(i have trainings off and on throughout the month), i think it will be easier for me to take care of me.

as jess mentioned below, i was able to stop at reckless records a few days ago. it was nice, to shop and buy some records that i have been looking forward to. i won't list them all, because i would get carpel tunnel, but here are some stand outs.

deerhoof : offend maggie[oh my goodness! beautiful pop, great drumming, pretty silly vocals] this is my introduction to this band, and they have been around for years, so i have been sleeping on this one, and need to play catch up, BIG TIME] highly-bear-recommended!

jandek : ready for the house[beautiful folk, dark haunting vocals, sparse arrangements, jandek has released over 50 albums in his 30 year recording career. this is a repressing of his first album. so great. not many of his albums available on vinyl, but this is wonderful. this is great for anyone that enjoys nick drake, jurado, and anyone who appreciate rock/folk music history. and most of all anyone who enjoys timeless music/art. not to mention jandek himself, is a bit of an enigma, being mostly a recluse and not touring much in his prolific 30 year career, and self releasing all his albums. an amazing artist] bear-recommended!

son, ambulance : euphmystic[son, ambulance released this album in 2001, at the height of saddle creek's success and when every teenager wanted to boo hoo to bright eyes. this album may be one of saddle creek's most overlooked albums, if not bands. the mainstay of son, ambulance is joe knapp, who has played drums for bright eyes, and is a brilliant pianist/song writer. each song has pop and rock sensibilities in the likeness of the beach boys, but with a wispy darkness. every song feels familiar, even if it is your first time hearing it. the stories he sings, and the diverse vocal harmonies are pretty and intriguing. just plain beautiful. and for those who are interested, connor oberst has a nice vocal cameo in the last track of the album, which is done very well. so to those who like great piano-layered-folk/pop-rock, check this out.] highly-bear-recommended!

this weekend i have off from work, so that will be lovely. jess and i will probably do lots of bike/running, and relax. we need it, and we freakin' deserve it!

oh, one more bit of great news. amie(my sister-in-law) is going to be having another boy(a brother for brayden), so we are very happy for her. and look forward to being wonderful uncle-rynos and aunt-gessos to him!

introducing... dutchess!

2008-10-10T21:13:00.007-05:00

yeah we're nerds and name everything... so what?!

the first thing i made with her is a simple red sauce - onion, lots of garlic, some whole peeled tomatoes, & fresh basil. i had a mixed green salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette on the side.

& i'm down another 3.4 lbs! 9.4 total since September 19th!

lots of fun...

2008-10-07T20:29:00.006-05:00

today we went downtown, which was super fun until it started raining like crazy!

we went to reckless records first, but i'm sure ryan will cover that. afterward we went to the chicago diner, which was super fun as expected! i had the jerk sandwich with mac & cheese & ryan had the bacon burger & sweet potato fries... and of course, i got a vegan milkshake to go, which is my favorite part of going to chicago diner.

i also got my hair cut at art & science, but ended up having to run the rain after the stylist flat ironed my hair!

i also ordered this baby from williams sonoma in dijon...

lots going on!!

2008-10-06T19:30:00.004-05:00

ryan and i have both been working lots, and i've also been very busy with school stuffs. weight watchers is still going well... i lost another pound at my last weigh in, which is right on track with recommended healthy weight loss. i survived this weekend partly because ryan was working, and i've made some yummy food!

last night we had the leek & bean cassoulet from veganomicon, but i decided to skip the biscuits to keep it core plan-compatible.

tonight i made a super delicious stuffed squash! i adapted it from a weight watchers recipe, and it was surprisingly good.

recipe!

ingredients:

1 acorn squash
8 oz of white mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 shallot, diced
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
2 tsp of soy sauce
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp ground savory
1/4 tsp nutmeg
salt + pepper to taste
2 T dry sherry

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. slice acorn squash in half, or get someone strong to do it for you!
3. spray with extra virgin olive oil. i use this nifty thing, but rub with olive oil before using store-bought cooking spray! salt + pepper.
4. roast face down on a baking sheet for about 40-50 minutes, or until soft.
5. while squash is roasting, heat 2 tsp of olive oil in skillet. add mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid.
6. add shallots and garlic and cook until shallots soften.
7. sprinkle herbs and nutmeg on top of mushrooms and let sit to reconstitute for a minute or so. stir to incorporate.
8. add cooked brown rice and stir to combine. add soy sauce and sherry and allow to cook out for a couple minutes or so.
9. when acorn squash is softened, take out of oven and stuff with stuffing! stick it back in the oven for 10 minutes or so to heat through.

ryan finished his side, but i was unable to finish mine so i'd say each "side" is a very generous serving!

finally, a gratuitous kitty shot!

polaroid saturday

2008-09-27T00:34:00.003-05:00

i am still without my computer, which means i am yet again posting a polaroid from my polaroid blog. i hope that next week i will be getting my computer back, and to step it up.

also, goodness i think i would have rather watched ufc than those GD debates.

i wish i could put mccain in a rear naked choke right now.

first weigh in!

2008-09-26T19:56:00.003-05:00

five pounds! woo!

some (non-core) things i ate this week on the core plan: pumpkin spice lattes, apple cider & cider donuts, chips & salsa, garlic tofu & jasmine rice at the thai restaurant.

right now i'm avoiding drinking myself into oblivion while i watch the debates!

busy, busy bears!

2008-09-26T16:23:00.004-05:00

we've been busy bears, but ryan & i both had today off this week, which has been awesome!

we've been pretty busy today running some errands and doing a bit of shopping. we went to the antique mall, where i found a full set of pyrex primary colors nesting bowls and some other small pieces.

i also discovered that martha stewart now has a HUGE line of products at macy's... many in a beautiful turquoise color, aptly titled "martha stewart blue." i do love martha, and i'm glad that she makes a potato ricer! i've been trying to find one forever, but haven't been able to...

i have my first weight watchers weigh in tonight, which i hope goes well! i've been earning a good amount of activity points during the week and staying on plan... so... fingers crossed! i feel really good, which matters most to me right now.

honey hill orchard!

2008-09-21T15:23:00.006-05:00

today ryno & i went to honey hill orchard to pick apples!

we left early because we wanted to get breakfast on the way, and stopped at a tiny diner in big rock (which, by the way, has a population of 750). ryan had the biscuits & gravy and i had a vegetable omelet & hash browns, both delicious! we picked a lot of apples, had donuts & cider (yes, i stuck to my WW plan!!), and had a ton of fun!

oh and before we left, they put ryan to work!!!

a random entry!

2008-09-20T16:33:00.003-05:00

a couple of weekends ago, ryan and i found some new pyrex at some local thrift stores! it was great to find these pieces so cheaply...

weight watchers has been going well... it was tough towards the end of the week because we were running out of groceries, but i was able to be creative. today i made a quick lunch... baked tofu with korean bbq sauce & fried rice with garlic, scallions, bok choy, and corn. it could have used a bit more veggies, but i was feeling pretty lazy.

last, but not least, a rare photo of panda panda!

polaroid saturday

2008-09-20T15:21:00.003-05:00

the above polaroid is from my polaroid blog. unfortunately my lap top crapped out on me, and is getting a major virus removed at the moment, so it will be a while before i can blog on a regular basis. if you are feeling like every couple weeks it is something crapping out on us, well we would probably agree with you.

tomorrow we are going apple picking, i am sure we will take some pictures!

weight watchers

2008-09-19T06:59:00.002-05:00

so i've decided to start weight watchers again. i had lost my 10%+ last time before falling off the wagon and i've had one or two week "spurts" of healthy eating/exercise since then, but haven't followed through. i think i'm in a much different place this time around - i've learned to cook wonderful, healthful meals in the past year or so and am in an entirely different mindset.

does that mean there's not going to be any more wonderful food pics?!?! no, of course NOT! half of the stuff i eat is inherently core (the plan that i'm on), and some things may just need some tweaks.

no photos, but this week has been my first on core and i have eaten: whole wheat rotini with broccoli rabe and white beans. roasted sweet potatoes with french lentils and couscous. sushi (used points). curried split pea soup. aloo palak.

i'm so excited, because these are things that we've been eating anyway since i've taken an interest in vegan cooking! i just need to be conscious of my portions & not make cupcakes and cookies every weekend ;)

i'm excited and i'm sure this time is for real!

the last week...

2008-09-15T06:40:00.003-05:00

this is my last week of work at my current job. next week i will be starting a new one, that involves a better fit in that it requires a degree, it has a better schedule(10 hour work days, so every other weekend will be a four day weekend), pays a bit more and is much closer(my 32 mile bike ride will soon be 4 miles).

it has been bitter sweet for me, especially as i think about what today may bring. today i will be letting the clients i work with know that this is my last week. as i think about how i am going to say everything, and maybe specifically to a few folks, i get a bit overwhelmed. in the end i know that these clients i have worked with have seen people come and go, and i am certain that they will persevere(what kind of ego would i have to think my leaving would be any worse or different), and i believe the feelings will be a bit mutual. i will miss seeing these clients make progress and learn. i will miss teaching the classes i have taught for over a year now. and i am sure i will be missed.

so what do i do with all this? i am unsure at this point. to be here, in the now, inspires me to just take what comes my way. to know that i can do my best this week to remind each individual of their worth and remind them of the tools they have to continue their recovery. to remind them that they have inspired me. and perhaps to tell them that it wasn't so long ago that i was where they were.

in spite of all this, i know this is the right move for me. i know that this is what needs to happen. i am aware of how important it is to close this chapter in my life and begin something different. and that has made all of this a bit easier. but today and the rest of this week will not be easy.

[pardon the vague terms i have used, considering the nature of my job(mental health professional) i prefer to not go into as little detail as possible. for obvious reasons]

polaroid saturday

2008-09-13T00:12:00.000-05:00

if i survive this election, it will be a miracle.

2008-09-11T19:12:00.004-05:00

really? REALLY?

i don't even have words for this.

at least there's still humor. right?

back to school, back to school...

2008-09-10T19:49:00.003-05:00

now that i'm back to school my concern is cooking quick, healthy meals so that i have time to do homework & relax in the evenings. so we've had some tacos, fajitas, & stir fries...

we also got a bunch of french goodies from remi in our food exchange!!!

woohooo!

sunday mornings...

2008-09-07T10:55:00.003-05:00

this morning ryan & i went for a bike/run in the lovely (albeit unseasonal) weather. it's so nice to see the weather changing so early, because autumn is my favorite! i can't wait to go apple and pumpkin picking soon and look forward to making a bunch of apple pies & lots of savory pumpkin dishes.

here's a look at our post-run/walk meals...

mine was a bit of an homage to apple pie. i sauteed some chopped apples with a bit of brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, and nutmeg & ate them over some plain oatmeal. delicious, & made me crave some warm spiced cider!

ryan made a sandwich with some things we had around the kitchen. he toasted half an italian loaf from last week and threw on some vegenaise, mustard, pickles, onions, mushrooms, and red pepper.

most of those foods were what i prepped this morning for during the week, and have some simple, healthy meals planned.

more sarah haskin, target: women!

2008-09-06T23:34:00.003-05:00

oh sarah haskin, you make me not want to tear my hair out... so much.

and i'm BACK!

2008-09-06T21:25:00.010-05:00

i got my ibook back today & she's running better than ever!

today awakenings participated in an artwalk. there wasn't much of a turn out, but it was still fun.

i also created a postcard for the opening of the new awakenings studio.

(front)

(back)

we went to honey again for dinner, and it was awesome, as expected! this time i tried the double chocolate cupcake, which was delicious.

oh, and here is another collaborative piece for your viewing pleasure...

memories

2008-09-06T20:54:00.006-05:00

two summers ago jess and i attempted to collaborate on some art from long distance. while nothing much came of it, i still have an early scan of a piece i put together(that includes i poem within it).

[click on image to fully appreciate]

ummm...and it's way cheesy, and i apologize for that.

polaroid saturday

2008-09-06T07:27:00.002-05:00

every saturday i will be posting a polaroid that i have taken. this one is from my polaroid blog. i will be uploading new polaroids every saturday going forward.

enjoy.

medium

2008-09-05T23:34:00.007-05:00

i have an obvious fascination with my preferred audio medium. and a couple of months ago i was able to purchase a couple white whales:
[starflyer 59's s/t gold lp and mxpx's teenage politics lp.]
while the phrase "white whale" is used lightly(i mean it isn't as if i had to kill anything or track down these things with a harpoon), i have wanted these albums for quite a while, and was shocked when i was able to get them. great art, and a beautiful medium.

i also was able to complete my damien jurado vinyl collection:

damien jurado
[left to right/top to bottom]

lps:
waters ave s.
where shall you take me?
and now that i'm in your shadow
i break chairs
on my way to absence
four songs[one sided lp w/ b side etching]
the fabulous century

7's:
halo friendly
motorbike
trampoline
vary[clear blue]
big let down
devil in the woods #52 v/a hand #'d 652/666
damien jurado/dolorean split

next week 'caught in the trees' comes out...so i will need to get that, but for now it is complete.

and finally buki is using her scratching post:

blogging out from warrenville!

2008-09-01T18:17:00.003-05:00

so this weekend jess and i house/dog sat. it was good, and really relaxing. we mostly laid around, grilled out tons, and watched tons of cable, and drank some too. but really that is all we could ask for. this was jess' first weekend since starting school, and i have been needing a break from work. ideally we prefer a quiet weekend, so when we can do so, we go for it. today may have been our only day of really running around(aside from friday, where we had to drop off jess' laptop at the apple store). today we went to breakfast at the warrenville pancake house, one of our fave diners. and then drove back home. after we settled and put all of our stuff back(one nice thing about house/dog sitting, is that we get our laundry done!), i rode my bike back to my mom's to finish watching the house/dog. since jess has school and work tomorrow, it would have been a very busy morning if i had to drive her back to aurora before i went to work(in wheaton). so this way, i can just ride my bike to work, and then ride it back home after work.

here's some random things...last week we sent out a package of vegan goodies to someone in france, well he already got them, and we are going to be getting some french vegan goodies soon! also, i got a new shirt and some new deadformat stickers last week: my sister in-law amie is getting her blog on nowadays and recently posted about brayden having a great time at a carnival! check it, he looks so adorable! also, you'll see i added kevin's blog to our list of friends, and he recently posted a good pic of his work(read: my new tattoos, DUH!) this weekend i was lucky enough to touch base with my buddy ben, which i play mean phone tag with. in fact, all my friends that live more than a stone throws away, know i am really bad about keeping in touch now that i have a really weak phone plan(300anytime mins, and only free weekends). so it was nice to hear from ben!

so tonight, jess and i will be reminiscing of the days when we were separated by hundreds of miles and only getting to see each other for days at a time, while we talk on the phone and watch intervention, thankful that we are merely a 40min bike ride apart. life is wonderful.

good news and bad news

2008-08-31T08:50:00.003-05:00

as you may or may not know, ryan has had some issues with the wireless on his computer ever since we got comcast internet. SO i've been trying tons of things to fix the problem (playing around with settings, buying a usb wireless adapter, etc.) so we finally gave in and called comcast to come out. well it turns out when i entered the key for the network, i entered it wrong. goodness, did i feel like an idiot! no wonder the wireless worked on mine & not his!!

but... alas, i said there is bad news. my three year old ibook has been having trouble charging/holding a charge the past few months, so finally i opened it up and it wouldn't turn on. i knew the dc-in board had gotten messed up somehow, so i finally just brought it into the apple store. because they have to order the new part, it'll be a week until i get it back, so i'll probably be blogging a bit less, especially with photos because i can't edit them!

now really

2008-08-27T19:08:00.001-05:00

that's more like it.

republican for thirty minutes

2008-08-27T18:51:00.005-05:00

so today my mother gave jess and i two free tickets to go to a rib fest for local republicans. oh my goodness jess and i couldn't have been more out of place, but when you are on a tight budget and free food is your best friend, then look out red states here we come!

i had two and a half slabs of ribs and three huge cups of beer(budweiser, ewww...), and jess had a smattering of everything they had to offer. and the highlight of the day was when jim oberweis offered us some ice cream!!! i have mentioned oberweis in one of my early blogs, when he lost a recent election. anyway, free ice cream from the man himself.

ok...back to reality.

we love free food, we are the exact opposite of republicans, but this was such a fun time, to just eat our food, people watch, and be thankful we know better than to vote for mccain!

thanks mom!

ryan 2's birthday get-together!

2008-08-24T22:27:00.006-05:00

for ryan's birthday, i made a strawberry kittee kake with strawberry cream cheese frosting! i don't make many cakes so frosting & decorating (if you can call it that) it was an experience, to say the least! oh, and buki helped!

yes, more food!

2008-08-23T13:41:00.005-05:00

this morning ryan & i headed out to the farmer's market and picked up our produce for the week. we got some popcorn, two walla walla onions, big tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, yellow + green long beans, swiss chard, & flat leaf parsley.

we also found some massive avocados at the mexican grocery store!

& we're sending a vegan care package to Remi from dead format in france!

not shown in picture:
ricemellow and teese

tempeh pot pie with biscuit top

2008-08-20T18:58:00.001-05:00

this was delicious!

a productive food day!

2008-08-19T20:26:00.004-05:00

phew! today i made a bunch of things for during the week...

this morning before work i made the filling for a biscuit-topped stew with some things i had hanging around the kitchen. the stew has finely diced onions, carrots, and sweet potato + fresh corn, green peas, & tempeh in a tangy herb gravy. tomorrow i'll top the casserole with some fluffy biscuits... mm, comfort food!

today i also made some chocolate chip cookies and some butternut squash wontons!

for the wonton filling i roasted and mashed two medium butternut squash and then sauteed it with some sage, garlic + onion powder, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. i fried them in some canola oil... which i never do, but i just couldn't resist! they are so so rich and i think i may pair them with a chili-plum sauce later this week.

ellen & portia!

2008-08-19T10:53:00.003-05:00

so adorable... makes me so happy...

& all of the food at their wedding was vegan, and they had a red velvet wedding cake!

so great.

bike-apaloza

2008-08-17T19:09:00.007-05:00

last monday i finally got a new bike. my old bike was old and not well engineered for long travels. so we decided that it was high time that i got a new bike. although the picture does not do the bike justice. it's a specialized
globe sport. i have cut my biking travels by about 15mins, which is great(my trip is now about 1hr 5mins). i also got a helmet and some riding gloves. especially since my most recent blog about the lady that we witnessed get hit by a car, it made it pretty clear to me that i need to be safe when i am biking as far as i am.

last night we had a great night. we enjoyed our first night with cable tv. we felt remarkably normal and strange. although jess has been extremely annoyed at my following of the olympics and cubs, we have been enjoying our freedom of changing stations and not dvds. also buki has a problem worse than chicken, she is now a full-blown beer box-aholic

we also decided last week that we are going back to our favorite vacation spot. here is a polaroid from a past visit to hawk valley:

so psyched for november!!!!

a lazy sunday

2008-08-17T18:32:00.005-05:00

we've been having a bit of a lazy sunday hanging out and watching tv & the kitties have been lounging around the living room all day...

last week we made reservations at hawk valley retreat in galena, il so we're trying to hard to stick to a strict budget before our vacation in november! we're trying to drive the car as little as possible and i'll be biking to and from school come august 25th! i'm excited for classes to start back up and hope i can find that balance between school, work, and everything else...

for dinner we made bbq baked tofu, cumin/lime fried jasmine rice, and some more local corn.

the tofu was baked with some sauce out of the bottle and the rice was stir fried with extra virgin olive oil, onion, garlic, lime zest, cumin, and cayenne. we just ate the corn with a squeeze of lime juice and some salt. simple, quick, and delicious.

birthday parties & a heart shaped breakfast!

2008-08-17T08:09:00.006-05:00

yesterday brayden came over! we played cars, had a "birthday party" (aka: ate cupcakes), & went to the mexican restaurant for lunch.

this morning ryno & i made heart shaped biscuits to have with gravy... it was delicious and adorable!

i also wanted to share the great surprise ryan brought home on friday! when we were in DC for polly's wedding we went to a book store & i found this great book but we both agreed to pass it up. when i got home, i searched and searched for this book online but had completely forgotten the name... well, ryan found it for me & it's just as great as i remembered! so great!

getting over being sick... or convincing yourself to

2008-08-14T10:11:00.003-05:00

i'm on my fourth day of my five day antibiotic regime and am still feeling pretty yucky. i've gotten my voice back for the most part, but i still can't fall asleep at night without at least an hour of violent coughing... not to mention how wacky the antibiotics have made my belly feel.

so today i'm going to work at one and hope that i'll be able to do it without falling asleep or coughing up my insides!

right now i'm watching the simpsons, eating some plain brown rice, and hoping to feel better. lovely.

good news....not as good news...

2008-08-11T05:39:00.004-05:00

so we never told you the best/worst part of this weekend! jess didn't have to get "mouth raped"[pardon our rather lurid euphemism for wisdom teeth removal] this weekend because the doctors were being a bit persnickety about payment. jess isn't out of the clear for long, she is working on finding a doctor that she prefers. so for now her mouth is safe...wellll sort of.

three days ago she began getting a sore throat. complete with mouth squeakiness and ouchiness. it wasn't long before she began to sound like our cat panda panda. while most of you have yet to meet panda panda,[panda panda juniper chacey to her parents when she is being silly] she has yet to learn how to meow in what would be considered a typical cat sound. it sounds more like a squeak. and since i am not that great at onomatopoeia i cannot describe it particularly well. anywho...at this point, jess is not well, so we have to see if we can get her into the doctor today. which is poo, 'cause who wants to be sick on such a nice day?!?! but she definitely wants to be well when her school starts, which is only two weeks away!!! i was looking forward to getting back into the swing of things with work(since this is my third day in two weeks), but a bear has to do what a bear has to do.

the panda life

September 18th, 2010

cooking from scratch .. seasonal & local goodness

i like turtles

CSA, week 1

bummmmmmmmmeerrrrr

where oh where is mom?!?!

help polyvinyl and help yourself to some of their music...

buki has a surprise for jess!

*Dusts off the blog*

buki attempts to drown unicorn

in which buki comes down with a nasty case of the awesomes...

happy easter bunnyicorn wow

polaroid saturday

polaroid saturday

buki new videos

brayden loves trains!

polaroid saturday

LUNNER!!!!

polaroid saturday

polaroid saturday

polaroid saturday

polaroid saturday

polaroid saturday

doctor brayden

anatomy of a meal!

happy inauguration eve!

a busy day for budget bears...

polaroid saturday

polaroid saturday

2009 the re-cap

happy 2009!

swedish meatballs

baby it's cold outside...

mmm, sunday brunch.

happy birthday to... me!

polaroid saturday

today...

polaroid saturday

galena in pictures, & more!

polaroid saturday

polaroid saturday

puzzles and patches

galena here we come...

polaroid saturday

pyrex finds from the past few months... & food!

polaroid saturday

birthday re-cap...

dino-bear birthday pictures!

polaroid saturday

Campaign/Barack Obama Art

The 44th President of the United States:

amazing.

please vote tomorrow.

polaroid saturday

shots from halloween!

happy halloween from electric dream machine!

another happy halloween eve...

happy halloween eve!

autumn bikering we go...

polaroid saturday

reconciling my feminism with weight loss.

early votering!!!!!

cap'n jazzzzzz

i love salsa verde!

long overdue ramblings...

introducing... dutchess!

lots of fun...

lots going on!!

polaroid saturday

first weigh in!

busy, busy bears!

honey hill orchard!

a random entry!

polaroid saturday

weight watchers

the last week...

polaroid saturday

if i survive this election, it will be a miracle.

back to school, back to school...

Dusts off the blog