camping in wv

sure, i'm sniffly now from sleeping out in the cold, but what else could be expected of me?
i'm a lumberjack and i'm ok. i sleep all night. i work all day.

(yep, that's me. only got through about 3 pieces, then i gave up. i was too slow, also.)
we made spiced cider...

...and thanks to ag, we built a spit and roasted chickens. took a long time, but they were super tasty.

let's see...what else did we do? took a walk and then a little hike in the afternoon. came across some interesting sights, so i filled up my camera. shocking.

(this one is my new desktop at work. sorry josh ritter, you're gone)

this tree was pretty interesting...sort of shaped like an "n" with one side broken and a new top. must have somehow broken as an adult tree and then slowly curved downward over many years. i'll put another pic of the whole tree up later.

i know, i'm usually into texture, but landscapes are pretty. this reminds me of a photo i have hanging in my bedroom that i call "low river" from a tributary of the monongahela river. i took it in the spring of 2001 when the river was dammed as the search for a body began. hm. drunk kids. anyway, it was really pretty and i collected smooth pieces of coal that look like river rocks.

piece o' pie!

my coworkers were pleased with the pie! i got very encouraging reviews, so i am excited to present this pie this weekend at the outing. it's spicy!

there is barely a sliver left now, as public affairs has sucked most of it down.

i'm going to make the other two pies tonight to join the third in the fridge now. i also wanted to make an apple pie, but because willy is coming in tonight, i won't have time to go out and get another crust. i DID, for some odd reason, buy crisco when i went to the grocery store last night so i'm going to attempt to make a crust. stay tuned...

emily has pumpkin instead of brain

so, tonight i cut up the pumpkin, cooked it, pureed it, and finally turned it into pie. still baking now...smells so good. however, getting to this point has been a pain in the bottom. shosh, did you make your pie from the real deal...or did you use the canned stuff? there's a reason everyone uses the can. it's a lot of work to get it ready!

remember, i used this site on pumpkin info.

ok i picked up two packages of frozen pie crust, which turned out to be quite fortunate. got all the extra spices i needed and headed home.
and so it begins!

oo, cut up pumpkin! seeds and guts!

guts and flesh and all...this is after the cooking. it came out easily.

pureed it all...i think i had about 8 cups in all. EIGHT CUPS. EIGHT. remember that number.

i decided that with all the puree, i should make "two" pies. i'd be bringing at least two with me this weekend to an outing. here are the two bowls after spices were added. (observe seeds in the back there. they were soaking in honey and soy sauce. i just toasted them up. super tasty.)

this is when things started to go downhill. first, i got whole allspice berries, not ground. quick fix, pulled out my coffee grinder (not used for coffee, don't worry) and pulverized a few of those suckers. ah, all is well...or is it? i started to pour into the frozen crust...but wait! why does it look like this filling is for two pies? well, because it is...and i made two batches....for four pies. FOUR! i thought there were too many eggs in there...

here i am, watching comedy central and waiting for the timer to ring. i've cleaned up the kitchen. once those pies come out, i'm going to sleep. i'll finish the last two tomorrow, then maybe make an apple after that, but i'll have to go out and get new crusts! all for the love of home made baked goods.

and, crazy will is coming to visit tomorrow!

mmmmapples!

last weekend we went apple picking in poolesville, md. we have been to homestead farms a few times in the past year and always enjoy the picking. it's also still a family run farm in an area that's prized for land...prized by developers, that is.
katie needed a lesson on holding the basket properly after this was taken.

i tried to hide, but didn't do so well.

there were, of course, 756,597 kids there with their families. most of them were funny. this little girl loved feeding this kid, and shreaked with delight every time he took food from her.

also, i thought this was very "wizard of oz" like.


so, i have this 11 lb pumkin from the farm that's all clean and ready to be cut up. it's sitting on my counter. i brought some of my big knives in to sur la table to be sharpened yesterday, realized i didn't have any knives for the next week and a half, so i picked up a new one while i was there. it's so pretty, and i can't wait to use it. i've been eating pumkin seeds in the shell from trader joe's all week at work. once i cut this one up, i'll clean up the seeds and give most of the flesh to katie. kind of like we're killing our own livestock.

i want the snout!

Seriously, people, your teeth are white enough! - More Health News - MSNBC.com

Seriously, people, your teeth are white enough! - More Health News - MSNBC.com

i thought about that "friends" episode where ross bleaches his teeth before a date and they glow in the dark.

ok so i once tried those strips...i got through about a day and a half before i had to stop. i have really sensitive teeth. duh. keep away from coffee and smoke and such, but my weakness for tea is great.

my teeth are white enough. i pick food out of my teeth often, and, uh, sometimes brush a few times a month. what else do you need? why am i blogging a second news article instead of knitting? because i'm at work and if i type instead of plug in my camera, it looks like i'm doing something.

katie and i went apple picking this past weekend. i got an 11 lb. pumpkin. i'm going to cut it up, roast the seeds, give her the flesh. i'll put up pics of that when i start it this coming weekend. also, ran into shed today at mayor williams's press conference (that was cool...my first dc gov't press conference.) though he did not come out and ask for a sweater update, i know i have to put up the latest pic. i swear i'm going to finish it.

WP article about handwriting

yes! handwriting is a craft!
remember that i have a pen pal 3800 miles away!
remember that we send each other letters because handwriting is an art and that the connection that comes with a letter can never be duplicated in an e-mail! sure, my handwriting isn't the greatest, and now i write in emily-script. but if i really wanted to, i could write in proper cursive.
here is the article.
please leave a comment let me know what you think.

violent sweater behavior (alpaca/silk, too!)

ok so the front is not impressive enough for it's own pic yet, but here is the back. it has been sitting in the yarn craft drawer for a while. you know, shed, sweaters can be the kiss of death to a relationship. are you sure you want to lose our glorious friendship?
eh? eh???

also, i got all this alpaca and silk from blue sky alpacas to make this cool silk shrug, but stitch dc doesn't have the pattern in yet. i'm just going to wait for them to e-mail me. it's SOOOOOO soft. you can't really tell what color it is...it's sort of a charcoal/chocolate brown mix. holy cow.

moo

threatening phone call promts wrist pain

so, i got a call from shed on friday.

about 3 years ago i MAY have promised him a sweater. (i don't know, my memory is a little fuzzy from that time.) anyway, i completed the back and started the front, then put it away...nearly two years ago. i don't see him at work anymore since he left so it's not really my fault!

apparently, he's been walking around DC shirtless since the agreement was made.

i have once again picked up the sweater, and i vow to finish it by the beginning of novmeber. check back for weekly updates. i am also sending him a link back here so he can see that progress is actually being made.

grandma's scarf update

here is an update on the funky scarf for grandma's birthday later this month...

it's 50" long. i don't know if i should make it longer, or what. she's a little lady.

shosh, my parents are starting to work on their travel plans. i'll put you in touch with them in a few weeks!

josh ritter is in town this weekend. joy of musical joys!