The Back Seat

I must admit with the craziness of work lately and the dog issue at home, pretty much everything else is taking a back seat. One of the things that has done so much more than I intended is my (very, very small) side business, Grey Owl Designs. If you don’t know much (read: anything) about GO, I’ll start from the beginning.

About three years ago, I had a friend that knit beautiful things. She was so talented, and I think I just was in the right point in my life to learn a new craft. She was a great teacher, and then moved back to her home state. (I still had a scarf on the needle.) Putting down the yarn at that time was a really good thing for me, as I had little time to do it. Eventually I finished the first project I started. It was a blacked ribbed scarf that was about 7 1/2 feet long. The feeling of finishing things and working with my hands was really fulfilling. I taught myself a few new tricks and while burning through jobs I hated, I did a LOT of knitting. I had so many scarves and hats that I opened at Etsy shop. And sold nothing in that arena.

But something cool did happen- I started getting a ton of custom orders. Just from friends. How great is it that individuals I know trust me to make something really great for someone they love? A lot of people gave me freedom in what I made, and that made me feel wonderful.

A grand plan came into my head this last fall while working part-time. I’d use my days off to start writing patterns and picking up fibers to create a collection for the next fall. It gave me plenty of time to dream up plans and start knitting. But things just hit the fan. I started working a few more hours per week. Then I was asked to work full-time. I love to knit, but working 40+ hours weekly and having a job where I wrote the description myself is really tough to beat.

I guess the bottom line is that I’m still knitting. I love to craft little things to make for people I know and just gift it to them. Custom orders are definitely something I can still do with enough of a head’s up. I’ve also been asked a few times to donate my goods to raise money for various non-profits. Those types of things always make me feel good. But, my energy is just going to something bigger than that. A field that I never really thought I’d end up in, but is really interesting. Not to mention, I have other small companies that I am on payroll for, and I love to help out when I can.

Ben has been helping me develop a website for Grey Owl for sometime now, we just have not had the time to tidy it up and customize it. My goal is that once it gets to a spot that I like, I’ll integrate this blog and my Etsy shop into one spot. But then again, this blog has to take a back seat sometimes, too, so don’t hold me to that in the near future.

Thanks to all of my friends who ask for donations or custom orders. And keep them coming. I love dreaming up new things.

A Van Halen Musical Theory

There are a lot of debates that will stand the test of time. For some, it’s whether the chicken or the egg came first, some regard legalizing drugs. I just really want to know- who made Van Halen better, David Lee Roth (Diamond Dave, or Libarace) or the most excellent Sammy Hagar?

I will assume that it’s obvious who I like more. But, I’ll tell you why. And I think you really have to look at the song writing here.

For this post, I did some research (on Wikipedia- judge away) and discovered that most VH songs were attributed to the whole band- whoever was in it at the time. And, I’m sorry for this, but have you HEARD the songs Diamond Dave sings? ”Panama”? “Jump”? “Hot for Teacher”? Let me explain what I believe happened when they were working on these beauties.

(In the studio. Eddie is strumming a sweet guitar, and David Lee Roth is drunk, trying on dresses.)

Eddie- “Dave, we have got to get to writing some new lyrics. What have you been working on?”
Dave- mumbles things like ‘pretty dresses’
Eddie- “Seriously, Dave. As the frontman of this awesomely named band, you have to do some lyrical work.”
Dave- “Eddie, have you SEEN this dress? It is bitchin’!”
Eddie- “Yes, it’s bitchin’, or something. Now, let’s talk lyrics.”
Dave- “Do you know what I like?”
Eddie- “Yeah, okay Dave. What do you like?”
Dave- “I like jumpin’.”

Now this is the point in the story where Eddie realizes that Dave is just an idiot, and decides to just go with it. Which is how you get things like “Jump” and “Panama”, ie- “You know what place is cool? Panama.” Don’t tell me that you think Dave never said something like, “Oh, that teacher is HOT!” and thought he had the best song idea ever.

On the contrary, Sammy Hagar was (a little) more thoughtful for the most part. “Why Can’t This Be Love”? Awesome. And that’s a question that I’d assume some of us have asked before. While definitely not the deepest any song has gone, it’s a rise above where VH had been. And “Right Now”?! Do you even remember that awesome video? They said a lot of cool things and had great hair. And my favorite line? “Workin’ so hard to make it easier.” Because we all are. Right now, you should just take five minutes and watch this.

So, when you don’t know the answer to your problem, you might as well jump. Off a cliff. Into an ocean. And remember that time that Rolling Stone gave you an F? (I do. Clearly. Because the phrase, “Diamond Dave got an F” will never be forgotten.) If you’ve written a song about jumping, you’re over the age of ten, and you don’t wear your pants backwards and call yourself Kris Kross, I would just like to say that I think you can probably do better. Maybe you need a life coach. But please don’t let it be David Lee Roth. He wrote this mess.

Of course, all of this is coming from a girl who (still) really loves grunge music and will be driving three hours to see Coheed and Cambria next Friday. Take this one with a grain of salt. And laugh your ass off, because you know I at least have a little bit of a point.

(Disclaimer- This is intended to make you laugh. Not make you mad. I hope that point came across.)

Zucchini Cakes

I wanted to share a cheap, simple recipe for all of you. I know we all have so much going on, and this recipe is perfect for weeknights.

I’ve adapted the way I make zucchini cakes from two different recipes I found- one for “crab” cakes, and one for tuna cakes. Also, as I post recipes, remember- I don’t measure all of my ingredients to perfection.

Zucchini Cakes

Ingredients:

2-cups grated zucchini
1-egg, beaten
1-tablespoon soy sauce
1-cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4-cup minced onion
1-teaspoon creole seasoning (we use Tony Chachere’s)

Directions:

Before you begin, you’ll need to release some of the water from the zucchini. To do this, grate the zucchini into a strainer. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for 15-30 minutes. With a wooden spoon, press out the water from the zucchini. Transfer zucchini to a mixing bowl.

 Preheat oven to 350*. Mix soy sauce and beaten egg into zucchini until well blended. Next, add bread crumbs, minced onion, and seasoning. Mix until blended. 

Divide mixture into four portions. Form each portion into a cake and place on baking sheet. (If using a pan that does not have non-stick coating, lightly grease.) Bake at 350* for 8 minutes on each side. 

I promise it’s really that easy! One of these days, I’ll actually take a picture of them so that you can see the finished product.
 

Homemade Laundry Detergent

If you’re a regular reader here, you know sometimes you can get a mess of random things. If you’re not,- now you know. I have some ideas and things to streamline that, so maybe one day I’ll sit down and run those ideas past someone else and see what they think. For today, you’re getting a recipe, and a little explanation.

Clean laundry is one of my favorite things. Normally I do laundry twice a week- Tuesdays and Saturdays- unless my week is a little off. This one just happens to be the latter. We were pretty busy yesterday, so I put my laundry off until this morning. As long as I have clean laundry on Monday morning, I’m a happy girl.

As some of you know, Ben and I have been trying to pay off debt. When we sat down to make a budget, I started to get ideas running through my head of ways we could cut back on costs in general. One thing that really bugs me is the price of laundry detergent. If I’m buying in-store, I buy the liquid stuff, and here in St. Louis, it can run between $10-20 per bottle, depending on your brand preference. Not to mention, you’re buying it every other month (at least) if you do a lot of laundry. This is why I started the search for a recipe that would cut costs.

At first, I thought I’d make liquid detergent. The recipes I would find just didn’t suit me for one reason or another. After some thought, I opened up to having powder detergent. It took a few tries, but I found a recipe that I didn’t mind. It read like this:

1-4 lb 12 oz box 20 Mule Team Borax (Laundry isle- we found ours at Target)
1-4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (Make sure it’s not baking powder- found in the baking isle)
1- box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (4lb box- laundry isle)
3-bars of soap*, grated
2-small containers of Oxy Clean (Laundry isle)
Other one-time costs, such as a bucket to mix and a glass jar to hold your detergent.

We picked up this huge glass jar at Target for $13.

*Most recipes call for Fels-Naptha, which we couldn’t find the night we needed it. Instead, we used Kirk’s Castile Coconut soap. I’ve also used Ivory in previous tries, but the Ivory brand doesn’t dissolve as well as I’d like it to.

I liked this recipe, and I only had one problem- the detergent didn’t smell strong enough to make me feel like the laundry was clean enough. I pondered this for a few days and did some research. Some people said to use fabric softener, others said to use essential oils. Neither seemed like an option for us for various reasons. When I went back to Target a while later, I came up with a solution that I should have thought of from the beginning. I added three bottles of the laundry crystals. Just those little beads you add to your laundry before you add your clothes. (I felt really stupid for not thinking of that right off the bat.) We used the Purex brand.

The great part about this soap is that you don’t have to use much- only a tablespoon or two- to get your laundry clean and smelling awesome. This recipe also makes a LOT of soap. I doubt we’ll have to make another round of for at least six or seven months. If you buy your detergent in-store, I would say that the average cost of detergent per load is about $0.20. With this recipe, you’ll get over 500 loads of laundry, and if the supplies cost $25-30, you’re paying about $0.05 per load.

Tips: My husband had a five-gallon bucket that we used to mix all of the ingredients. I also had him help grate the soap, mix, and transfer the detergent into my glass jar.

The lighting in our basement is terrible, but here's a close-up of the detergent.

There you have it! Cheap detergent and a feeling that you’re helping your family.

This One’s Not Easy

Dearest blog readers,

I’m sure some of you have gotten my email or have seen the flyer that Ben and I have been posting. Unfortunately, we need our two-and-a-half-year-old lab mix, Addaway, to no longer live with us. This is a decision that we’ve been thinking about for two years. Addaway has aggression and anxiety issues that have been popping up for that long. He’s been to two extensive trainings, and our last hope was to work with a behaviorist. That therapy has been going on for about six or seven weeks, and sadly we haven’t seen enough improvement in him. He would need to be homed somewhere with no children, no other animals, and live his life mostly staying in a kennel. He just isn’t trustworthy. We have talked to the best in the area regarding him, and we’ve done all they say to do. In fact, we have our windows covered in poster board so that he cannot see out. (You won’t hear me say this often, but I’m thankful to not live in the best neighborhood right now. We don’t look too out of place.) 

I am saying these things because this is something that has been weighing on our hearts for so long. And now that the most extensive treatment isn’t helping, it weighs even more heavily. We have given of ourself and our marriage through this. It’s hard to be comfortable in your own home when you have to walk on eggshells to make sure your dog doesn’t freak out and attack you. 

Part of me just really had to get this out. If any of you know someone who works with troubled dogs and is willing to take him in, you can contact me here. 

Website, Dogs and Flying Cats

Hey guys!

I’ve been overly consumed with helping to build a website for work that I haven’t thought about much else. I guess I should say- I haven’t thought about many things not work-related. Our website should be launched soon, and my supervisor and I will be very happy when it’s released out onto the web and we’re not scrambling to make things happen.

We have high hopes for things at work sometimes. I found this on my desk when I came in last Monday morning.

Who doesn't like a cat in a onesie and a cape?

This is a piece of mail that invited us to attend a seminar on gearing social media towards donors- it’s in Florida in June. Alas, I work for a non-profit company, so that ain’t happenin’. Instead, I’ll probably just dress Oshie up in some sort of outfit and throw him in the air, then direct Ben to take a photo. (Okay, I’m really not doing that. Although, I think Oshie wouldn’t mind that much. I’d rather not piss off my husband.)

Pet-wise, we’ve had a busy few weeks. Adda’s appointment with the behaviorist went well, but our actions regarding his way of life had to change. We are trying to keep his environment more “vanilla” to lessen his anxiety. It seems to be working. Now, I must find a way for this to be integrated into my life so that when my ears pull back into a worried position that everyone just throws their hands up and leaves me alone. (Reality check- that ain’t happenin’ either.)

Addaway learning to just chill out.

This is what I see when I'm working from home- One of these dogs is a disturber. Can you guess which one?

I’ve also tried some really good (and, cheap!) recipes lately that make my mouth drool. I’ll post those some time soon.

Losing pounds is happening slowly, but surely. My weight this morning showed that I’m down again, and I hope that tomorrow (when weigh-in counts), that I’m still down. That means behaving myself at a function we have tonight. I shouldn’t have too many problems, as my sinus/allergy issue I’m  having currently take away some of my appetite. If that weight holds, it means I’m down about four pounds in the last month, and about eleven pounds since I started using the My Fitness Pal app on my phone. (Don’t ask me when I started that. I certainly cannot remember.) More soon!

The Randoms For Today

I’m going to have to pick a day to give you the random scoop. Not that it’s exciting or you’re looking forward to it, but it could reign in my desire to post something completely stupid every day.

Work is really busy, but great. We had a meeting this morning that talked about trying to get Andy McDonald to be a sort of emcee. Score.

I saw a picture today of Hines Ward hugging Jerome Bettis. I wanna blow it up and put it on my wall. Love those two.

Co-op pickup is tonight, which is both good and bad- a ton of food for cheap, but a lot of prep to make it accessible to eat.

Tomorrow Ben and I start the Biggest Loser competition through Pelopidas. I’m excited and ready for it, but also worried that I won’t be able to stay on track as far as eating healthy is concerned. I’m preparing by drinking a ton of water today (72oz so far) and stuffing my face tonight.

Tomorrow is a big day for Addaway. He goes to the behaviorist to see what they can do to help him. Last month he bit Ben twice in two days, and we just need to get him under control. Poor guy has fear-based aggression, and we just can’t seem to calm that in him. Ax has to stay home by herself while we head to the appointment, which is said to last between 2-4 hours. She will hate it. Prayers for all appreciated.

We have had something going on pretty much every weekend day or night in March. I think I hit a wall yesterday, and I’m desperately looking forward to a break to do nothing.

What Can You Get for $23.50?

Hey all!

Last Wednesday we picked up our co-op. Here’s a list of what we got, all for $23.50:

One pineapple, a bunch of asparagus, three pounds of red potatoes, one bunch of celery, six bananas, one cantolope, one cabbage, nine pears, seven apples, five oranges, a bag of brussel sprouts, one head of lettuce, three gigantic carrots, two red onions, and four tomatoes.

So far, we’ve cut up the pineapple and cantelope and taken them in our lunches, cooked the asparagus with dinner, ate all but two bananas that we’re saving for banana bread this weekend, used some of the pears and apples, and  used the lettuce and tomatoes for salads for lunch. So, we still have a bunch of stuff left, and it’s already time to order again. Fortunately, the more people that order, the more stuff we get in our baskets.

We use a program called Community Helpings, which is volunteer based. When you’re on the homepage, click the “find a group” link. There are locations in both IL and MO. Pick the one closest to you, order the produce basket for $21.50, pay $2 in services charges, check out and pay with your credit card, then simply pick up on the date specified. Seriously, this couldn’t be easier.

This really helps us stretch our grocery budget, especially in months like this. Last month, we overspent on our groceries, so we’ve got to make up the difference this month. Adulthood really is… um, something.

The Budget and the Bumps in the Road

I haven’t done a budget update in a while, so I thought I’d clue you all in.

The unfortunate part of a budget is that you have to decide where every.last.penny goes. By that, I mean, if we decide we want to treat ourselves to something that we haven’t budgeted for… well, it has to come out of some spot, and preferably not the savings side of things. Another issue- we have two weddings out of town this year that we can’t attend because we don’t have the money saved for it. Total bummer. I’m sad I have to miss them.

Another bump in our road? Taxes. We thought we’d get a refund this year, but I almost had a heart attack when I opened our letter from our accountant. (Sidenote- if you need an accountant, use AccounTax in Saint Louis. They’re awesome.) We actually owed this year, and for a substantial amount. About a week later, we got a bill from my hospital stay over a year ago that totalled just as much as we owe in taxes. That rock hits pretty hard, people.

Luckily, I’ve been promoted twice in a month and we had some money in savings, so we should be okay. It’s hard to sign a check over when you are saving it to buy a house, though. I just have to convince myself that it’s coming soon enough.

I know that God will take care of us, so I don’t want to complain. I just want to point out that a budget is not fool-proof. The bumps come and go- and that’s life. Without the downs, there are no ups.

We are back on buying our co-op this week, which is good. We missed about a month worth of buying a basket, because I was out of town, and then pick-up night coincided with the Jane’s Addiction concert, so we had to choose. Pretty easy choice on that one. I noticed the other day that our bread has reached its limit, so we’re eating a lot of sandwiches this week. (Have I ever mentioned- I’m not big on sandwiches!) I’ve also made a promise to myself to use as much of our co-op basket as we can. Most weeks, we just forget about some of it, or don’t get things cut up and ready, and then before you know it, it’s bad. I’ll spend some time this week posting what we got in our basket so that you guys can help me decide what to make.

Remember- bumps aren’t horrible!

The Randoms

I think the Woodchuck is getting to me.

I really like things to be structured- work, home, my way of thinking. When that structured way of thinking gets off track, it gets really random. Yesterday I started a “best of my iPod” playlist on iTunes. That got my random way of thinking going. Enjoy my music-related thoughts for the day:

-Edgar Winter is awesome. This means a variety of things, including that I am way old and am my father’s daughter.

(Are you really still reading after I said that Edgar Winter is awesome? Hooray!)

-This is my husband’s favorite album cover of all-time:

Edgar Winter's "They Only Come Out at Night"

- My punk-rock love has officially been semi-closeted. But don’t fret- I’ll always blast LTJ’s “Look What Happened” when it pops up.

- We saw Jane’s Addiction this past week at The Pageant. The Pageant is the BEST place to see a show in STL and probably in most of the US. We plotted ways to enter/exit the club and not stay out too late. This, again, proves I’m old. Or smart. I haven’t decided yet.

- Speaking of the JA show, I’m sure you’re wondering about its awesomeness. Those dudes are crazy. This is a quote from our dear friend Jeff, who loves a horrible band that shall remain nameless: “I saw them [Jane's Addiction] in 1988 at Mississippi Nights. They shot dope on stage.” (Now, you can see that I’m really hoping they’ve calmed down since then.) They had. Thank goodness. They had some interesting sets. Played a three-song acoustic run that ended in “Jane Says”. I waited all night to hear my jam, “Stop”, and it was okay. But I got to hang with cool people and had a better seat than Joe Buck.

- Joe Buck has great taste in music. He sat in our section when we saw Pearl Jam. Eddie Vedder dedicated a song to him. Pearl Jam is also great live. Go see them.

- I’d rather see Velvet Revolver again than Stone Temple Pilots. Who doesn’t want to hear “Crackerman” followed by “Mr. Brownstone”?!

That’s it for now. Until next time!