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Cooking

I love cooking. I really do. The problem is, I am far more in love with the satisfaction that comes with making something from scratch than I am with pouring time and grocery trips into making things from scratch. Luckily, I've figured out recently that I'm not alone in this.

Anyway, the point is that I made really easy cherry jam! After a trip to the farmer's market this week, where fruits and veggies are wonderfully cheap, we ended up with a couple cups of cherries starting to get mushy. A few Google search results later, I land over at David Lebovitz's blog and this no-recipe cherry jam "recipe". You can use as many cherries and you're willing to pit, stir them around while they soften in a pot with lemon zest and juice (I used the zest of one full lemon and the juice of half a lemon.) Once they're totally soft and mushy, add 3/4 of the amount of cherries you have (I had about one cup of cherries so I added 3/4 cup of sugar,) and stir and stir while being very careful not to burn the jam.

I totally recommend making this jam. I've wanted to make jam before, but I really didn't want to go through the whole process and making so many jars that I'd never get to and that powder stuff. Since this recipe hardly takes any time at all (I finished in less than 45 minutes, including time spent pitting the cherries,) you can make as little as you want, and there are only three ingredients. It's perfect. It's perfect without being snobby.

Here's a picture of my jam while cooking:

After letting it cool to room temperature then storing it in the fridge overnight, I had to have some (with crackers) this morning. It's so delicious, and the lemon zest really goes perfectly with the cherries. In fact, I'd like to make some more with lemon and orange zest. Yum (Oh, and my camera is dying, I guess. All the pictures are turning out really overexposed with horizontal lines...?):

I'm really trying to diversify try really simple but delicious recipes, and I'm going to try to add in a little more of this into the blog mix.

Happy Sunday!

Yesterday was not such a good day for me. To make a long story short, I'm a junior at Fresno State and there likely won't be room in my major courses for me to take any of them, and even if there were room, I can't register for classes because the server has me as a freshman so I can't sign up for any upper division courses. Well, after thinking and stressing about it, I've come to terms with this and devised a back-up plan. But really, the thing that brought the biggest smile to my face last night was stumbling across Missa's blog, Thrift Candy. That's where I saw this and two other videos of her and her daughter Clover as the beach!

Sand Pail Piñata from Missa D on Vimeo.

They're both so cute. I'm not sure where exactly they live, but I'm telling you, this is the life I've always dreamed of living someday! Missa seems to buy exclusively from thrift/consignment shops and yard sales, she heads to the farmer's market all the time, gets together with friends for dinner and beers like once a week, and has a huge backyard. I'm in blog love. Speaking of love...

I've had this love for Jessica Biel kinda slowly growing for awhile now. I think I've only seen her act a couple of times and it doesn't really have anything to do with that, but more to do with her demeanor, her love for the outdoors and staying fit (she climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro for charity! How is that not respectable?) she seems very down to earth, and she dresses pretty cute, too. Anyway, I stumbled across this photo of her at the MTV Movie Awards, while I may or may not have been watching The Hills...

As for crafts/handmade projects, I've got to get something on my plate! I've only hemmed a couple of items over the past week or so, but I'm just about ready for a new sewing project. Enter, the amazing peeps at Design*Sponge. Jared and I have been wanting a new duvet for way too long and I think we deserve it. It doesn't seem very difficult at all, and I'm getting pretty excited about it! Since it takes about ten yards of fabric according to the turtorial, I'm going to have to save up some tip money (from work @ Starbucks) and really shop around to find the right fabric that isn't going to break the bank. Wish me luck...

And isn't this pretty? It's some art by Betsy Walton, which I also came across at Design*Sponge.

Happy Friday.

I need these, but the website's been sold out for months! I've done my best to look for them, but I haven't found them anywhere. They're so much prettier than neon highlighters...

Wednesday, Already?!

Hello world! Pardon my absence, but the last week has been such a whirlwind. First things first, I have to talk about the Table Mountain Powwow! Last week was almost entirely spent working on my dress. I still am not sure how I finished the entire thing on my own (mom did come over to show me how to sew on my sleeves and add a zipper, but it was limited to her pointing and looking over my shoulder a few times) given that I'm not exactly a master sewer.

I've sewn a number of things (a couple of laptop sleeves based on One Yard Wonders, a couple of yoga mat bags, a lady bug costume and of course hemming pants) but I've never accomplished such a task before. I somehow, without trying, didn't stress over it either - which is way out of character for me. While making the dress, I thought a lot about the importance of what I was doing. I thought about how sewing is in my blood. I thought "I've never made this before, I don't know how I know what to do next but I just do," and when I'd pause and lift my foot from the sewing machine pedal to question if it would turn out right (something I do quite a bit) I'd think, or something would tell me "just keep going, it's going to turn out right."

I could go on talking about this for a very long time, but I'm sure this isn't the place for it. The weekend was really great, spent with my family and dancing with my aunt for the first time since I was little. Stephanie, Emily and Lucia even came out on Friday night! So that was my entire Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

OH, and I'm very, very, very excited to say that I'm going back to see my family in Montana in August! I haven't been since I was probably in like fourth or fifth grade. As I've said before, I'm Crow (Apsaalooke) and we're around Montana. The third weekend in August is Crow Fair, a really huge powwow and rodeo with hundreds and hundreds of dancers. Everybody camps out in tents and tipis, so many people that it's nicknamed the "Tipi Capital of the World!" The scenery and lifestyle there is really amazing. (I feel like a kid who gets to go to Disneyland!)

The days since Sunday have been spent tending to everything I ignored last week: laundry, cleaning, groceries, laundry, ironing, and laundry. Now, back to all of that.

Round up! June, wk. 1

This week went by so very fast! It was a lot of fun, and I even have a couple of pictures for proof of my life.

1. For the second time in one week, I went to the beach! This time was girls only, with Stephanie and Brittney.

2. My mom and step-dad have been working on their backyard organic garden for the past couple of years now, and it's really come a long way! After refining their gardening skills and learning about methods of planting/replanting/rotating/placement, etc. they have a lot to show for it! So mom dropped by and brought a basket of goodies with her: boy choy, spinach, red spotted and green romaine, red and green leaf lettuce, yellow carrots, yellow squash, blueberries, blackberries, and red and golden raspberries! Oh, and a jar of homemade raspberry jam and a few flowers. Isn't it pretty?

3. Tower district (my neighborhood) has a really awesome set of block sales starting (I think) in April or so, and basically just kinda hits the next street every Saturday for a couple months. Over the years I have definitely gathered a little collection of items including my 35mm Mamiya camera, jewelery, clothing, scarves, books, milkshake glasses among other kitchen items...you get the idea. It's an old neighborhood so these people have good quality items and great vintage selection. Unfortunately, yesterday was the first sale I got out to. Nonetheless, at about $10, it was a success. (Not pictured, a black suede jacket and a pastel striped 80s polo.)

4. I'm just over 1/4 Native American, mostly Crow. I may only be 1/4, but that makes a lot of my family half and my grandmother and much of my family full. Since I was a wee little one, that part of my heritage has definitely dominated my identity and I wouldn't change that one bit. I've spent the last fews years of my life on the academic side of Native America, taking classes and reading books, learning about the genocidal, imperial, colonial history of North America and Europe, and the current issues that Indigenous people face (from the mascot issue - which is a big issue - and the use of Native themes and misuse and disrespect of using things like fake headdresses, to the environmental destruction and its effects on culture)

That brings me to my current project. A jingle dress! As far back as I can remember, we've been involved in the world of powwows. I haven't danced for quite a long time, but my aunt is the head woman dancer of on of our local powwows (next week, ah!) and I decided in late-winter/early-spring that I'd make a new dress for myself! Well, school did get in the way of that and I now have to get down to business on the dress! Here are my materials and a couple of my old dresses that I'm using as patterns.

And here are a couple of links:

The Jingle Dress: Healing Through Dance

Jingle Dress Dance, by Manataka American Indian Council

Jingle Dress Dance Competition Video, ASU 2009 (I won't be competing for the first time! Also, all dancers dress and other items vary by tribe, region, individual style, traditional vs. contemporary, etc. For example, as a Crow woman, I don't wear a feather pointing up in the center back of my head, but rather on the side pointing downward, and likely two together.)

But now I'm off to work! Boo.

Sleepy Sunday

As I've mentioned before, I am doing my very best to make the most of this summer. It's the first time in three years that I have not been taking any classes - including killer summer classes - and I've made a promise to myself to take advantage of every single day! I'm happy to say that this weekend was really no exception. Saturday I went to my family reunion for my great-grandmother's side of the family (which means I get to see a whole lot of extended family) and as usual we spent the day at the park hanging out and playing badminton and volleyball with my cousins and relatives.

Since I was lucky enough to have today off, Jared and I hopped in the car and spent the day at the central coast. I was so very nice to get out of town and spend the day together, which we don't usually get to do. We first hit up the Nipomo Swapmeet (which was a little disappointing, but still fun and we found a couple of things we brought home.) I have to day, I've been on the hunt for lavender-ish nail polish for what feels like FOREVER now. Sure, I've found the stuff online, but I don't usually order online. I've even found some good lavender polishes but they always have a glitter or a glossy or metallic finish. Well, of all places to find nail polish, I found the most amazing periwinkle polish! I love it already. It was a buck and is a brand I'll never hear of again but I'm super excited to wear it. For a visual aid, this is the general idea:

The rest of the day was spent sunning, swimming, on the beach, walking around downtown slo (San Luis Obispo,) and dining.

I hope its the first of many day trips of the summer. Living in Fresno makes them pretty easy, so I don't have any excuses. Now we're back home and ready for some much needed sleep. Goodnight!