It's a Girl!

She's perfect! But at nearly two weeks old, she definitely needs a name. She's a Trek 7100 WSD in Robin's Egg Blue with Paisley Detail (really, all she needs are streamers and a basket!). She's a hybrid, designed for both bike paths and concrete. (She really likes the blacktop, okay, I really like blacktop!) She's fast, yet sturdy. And I love her.

So friends, please take a minute of your time and suggest a name for my newest family member via the comments section. If I choose the name you've suggested, you'll win a framed photo of me and my new baby. Seriously.

Score!

Look what I found! Well, John found them... We stopped by my favorite antique shop in the 'Burg, Highway 13 Antiques, where I found my $25 china cabinet, on the way home today. I love looking at all their goodies: glassware, china, linens, and more. Well, John walked up and handed me a long, thin, leather wallet and to my suprise and delight, it contained 24 pairs of knitting needles ranging in size 3 to 15! The price was $20, but this package (Susan Bates Knitting Needles) retails for $59. That was less than $2.00 a pair!

Now I have just the right size to use on the gorgeous Burly Spun wool that I found earlier this summer! I can't wait!

Fun at the Fair!

Friday was fantastic. Friday was fun. Friday's fun spilled over into Saturday. Friday evening, after work, we raced to Sedalia for the Missouri State Fair for a little fun. The weather was perfect- sunny and the temperature was dropping nicely. We wandered, ate, wandered, ate some more, people watched, ate, checked out fair submissions, at some more, rode a few rides, and well, you get the picture! The best part of going to the fair is eating fair food! Foot long corn dogs, roasted corn, funnel cakes, sausage and peppers, and the list goes on. Thankfully we met good friends and were able to share the tasty treats! We left the fair close to 11:00 p.m. and headed back to our friends' house where we played Guitar Hero till 2:30 a.m. Woot!

A Recipe for Tree

Tasty raviolis times fresh spinach and bacon-y goodness equals a very happy tummy. This is a quick and easy recipe and takes just about twenty minutes to make. While I would love to say that I used homemade raviolis, alas, I relied on the Kirkland (a Costco brand) cheese raviolis available in the freezer section. Give it a try! You can't go wrong with bacon!

Kat's Spinach and Ravioli

What you need:

Raviolis
8 - 16 ounces of Fresh Spinach
8 - 16 ounces of bacon (yum)
4 cloves of Garlic, chopped (or more if you prefer!)
1/2 of a Purple Onion, sliced in rings
Parmesan Cheese
Black & Red Pepper

What you do:

Slice the bacon and begin frying in a large skillet. Place a pot of water with salt and a dash of olive oil on the burner to boil.

When the bacon is nearly cooked, pour off the fat, and add the garlic and onion. Add the raviolis to the water.

Just before the ravis are ready to come out of the water add the spinach and stir until just heated through and wilted.

Toss spinach and bacon mixture with the raviolis. Add some Parmesan cheese and pepper to taste.

What's For Dinner?

Just about two years ago I blogged about a potato surplus. Well, this month I have found myself in a similar situation; but instead of twenty pounds, I had roughly thirty five pounds to deal with. Orion and bought a giant bag of russet potatoes when we went shopping about ten days ago. A few days later John picked up a giant bag of tiny, red, new potatoes. And when my friend Jen came to spend the weekend and brought another bag of medium sized red potatoes. That's a lot of potatoes.

Well, so far we've had boiled new potatoes, potato pancakes (one of my favorites), and mashed potatoes. Well this morning, I noticed that the russet potatoes were looking as if they were considering a one way trip to the compost pile. But I knew they'd make a good soup. One of my favorite food blogs, A Year of Slow Cooking, shared a nifty baked tater soup recipe back in June.

I started with Stephanie's Baked Potato Soup Recipe and then shortly before dinner, just after stirring in the cream cheese, John and I decided it needed a bit more of something. So we altered the Stephanie's recipe by adding the following:
*more salt and pepper
*celery salt
*a drizzle of whole milk

As pictured above, I garnished with green onion and lots of bacon (Yum!).

The recipe makes a boat load (about five quarts)! I hope it freezes nicely. Cut it in half and use a 3.5 quart crock if you don't plan to have left overs!

Yum, yum, yum!

Friday and Sunday

Sunday, Orion and I woke up early and headed out to help our friends Manisha and Towino move to Mt. Vernon, Missouri. We headed over to their apartments and loaded the truck up with their goodies. We left the 'Burg at 10:15 and after a swing by the McD's in Clinton and a potty break in Boliver we made it to Mt. V just after 1:00. We checked in, unpacked, and hit the grocery store before leaving at 4:00. Orion and I made great time on the way home and we returned around 6:20.
But before Sunday's adventures, we celebrated Friday!


Friday was fabulous!


Friday was awesome!

Friday was fun!

John made homemade lasagne and gnocchi. We also made the Fried Eggs that Manisha taught me to make earlier the same week. Stacy brought cucumber sandwiches. Orion made a huge chocolate cake. Allie brought a tasty cabbage and seafood stew. We ate (a lot), we chatted, we celebrated Manisha's belated birthday, we ate some more, and we danced.

And danced.

And danced.

Ravelry

My friend Jen (from Arkansas, not Missouri) came to visit last weekend and shared an awesome online community for knitters, crocheters, spinners, and weavers! It's awesome! And it's called Ravelry! Ravelry has just about everything a (wannabe) crafty Kat. Plenty of patterns and project ideas to keep me busy until 3069. I love that I can organize my knitting needles and crochet hooks, message my friends (both named Jennifer- I need some more friends!), share photos of my finished work, and so much more! You can find out more about Ravelry by clicking here. If you want to me my stitchin' buddy, you can find me as katmangione.

Busy Doing Nothing

Holy smokes! Time flies when you're doing a whole lotta nothin'! Since my last post I packed nearly all of my office, snaked the toilet, took a friend on a giant shopping trip to Costco, drove to Conway and spent three days retrieving Orion, snaked the toilet (again), went grocery shopping (I'd forgotten how much he eats!), packed up more of my office, checked out the new paint job (pictures soon!) on the new office, waited for the cable guy and plumber, and knitted with my good friend, Jennifer.

No wonder I'm worn out! And this is supposed to be a vacation!

Tomorrow I plan to return to Costco (they overcharged me about $44), pack up the rest of my office (tall order, I know!), and make dinner! I have to get the "rat killin'" out of the way before I settle back into writing.

I better get some sleep!

What Are Your Thoughts?

Friends, I am in need of some advice. Nearly a year ago I lamented about my G.E. washer needing serious repairs. The repair man suggested junking it as the cost to repair it would come in just under the cost of replacing it. He did tell me I could run it till it stopped working. It's slowing down considerably and I've washed a few loads twice just to get them clean, but it's still chugging along. But the other day the dryer got really hot (too hot) and smelled like all sorts of fiery death (probably more like burning cat hair) and well, we just sort of encouraged her to go to the light.


Well, the weather's been good and I usually use mother nature to dry my laundry, but after a week of off and on rain and nearly 100% humidity, I had to truck my stuff to the laundromat to get them dried. I am going to have to buy a washer and dryer soon.


So I've been shopping.


And reading.


And shopping some more.


And now I wish I hadn't read so much, because now I am confused more than ever.


I pretty much decided to avoid the G.E. and Roper brands because I do not wish to replace the washer and dryer in another five to six years. While front loaders are out of my price range, I have dreamed about them for years and a good friend bought a display set, discontinued color, for a steal! After reading about front loaders' having serious and expensive computer problems, it made those grapes seem less tasty. I found a Maytag that was one or two rungs up from their intro model and thought, "this just might do!" But then a friend told me about Maytag's woes a few years back and I started reading up on them. Oh my! I found a Whirlpool at Coscto, but they now own Maytag. And I believe I read that Kenmore (Sears) are made by the same folks too!

So what I want to know from you (and please, if you're reading this post, take a minute to post a comment!) is: what brand washing machine do you or have you used and what has been your experience! What are your suggestions? Please help! While I am perfectly able to beat my panties on a rock down by the river and hang them on the line to dry, it takes a great deal of time to do so!

The Office

Curious about where I spend twelve to fourteen hours a day in any give semester? Wonder no more! Yes, it is small. Yes, it is full. Yes, it is not very orderly or terribly tidy. Behind the open door on the right is a large bookshelf. You can see my burgundy desk chair harvested from surplus some time ago. To the left you can see the grey edge of a chair for a visitor. I have already used the boxes to pack my things for the move to my NEW office.

Below is a close-up of my desk. What do they say about a cluttered desk? Perhaps I don't want to know. Yes, that's a pile of math manipulatives, a lava lamp, a stuffed Holstein, a Virgin Mary, and a Buddha. (I think most of my bases are covered!)

I spent some time Saturday boxing up the office. While I used all of the boxes procured for me, I have not quite made a dent in the pile. But first, I must find more boxes. I need more boxes!

I am very excited about my new office. It is slightly larger, nearly a square, measuring almost 100 square feet- an increase of about 40 square feet! Best of all, one wall contains a bookshelf that is 8 feet long and another wall contains cabinets above and below the U-shaped counter top. The only negatives are that the window opens into a hallway (at least there's a window!) and there are no drawers for desk items. But boy do I have plans!

I took a picture of the new office (below). Maintenance will be coming to paint the walls a beautiful green (Benjamin Moore, Aurora Borealis) some time next week. After that, I get to start moving in my goodies! I can't wait! I'll make sure I take "after" pictures to go with the "before" pictures!

The Library

The library is a quiet and dark place. Just like a library should be, I think! It is probably the second largest room in the house with the basement "playroom" coming in first. The library is adjacent to the dining room and the foyer and most likely served as the formal living room. It is a large rectangle with two windows on the exterior wall. There are no overhead light fixtures or wall switches. Perfect for nine six feet tall book cases and then some.

I'd like to say that the library contains all of our books, however there are two bookshelves in John's room and two in Orion's room. And if I recall correctly, there might be two or three boxes of books left in the garage. (And a whole bunch more in my office at school!) At one time I could give you a precise number of books owned, but not any more. With every move I have given several boxes away. With every trip to Half-Priced Books in Overland Park a few more books find their way home. To limit my habit, I try to purchase only hard back books. This new approach is working and my book whoring had slowed considerably.

In addition to the innumerable books, the library contains two comfy chairs a floor lamp, a roll top desk, the dissertation table (ugh!), and a lot of tchotchke. One of my favorite items is pictured left, a wind chime from S. Korea that Tree and P.D. sent to Orion when he was born. Below are some additional pictures of the library.

(Letter writing central)

(Children's literature corner)

(Wall of books and dissertation table; view from the dining room)

(Looking toward the foyer from the dining room)

With the dissertation and so many of my favorite items residing in the library one would think I would spend more time there. I wish I did.

The Past Week or So...

The past two weeks have been crazy! I am teaching three courses this summer. And with Orion at his grandparents' house in Arkansas one would think that I have had plenty of time to catch up on whatever it is I need to catch up on, but alas, I feel as if I have run from one fire to another. I feel like a cat chasing my tail. Will I ever catch it?

Roughly two weeks ago we began packing to head to Conway. Orion's birthday was the 25th and we wanted to celebrate his special day with him. The day before we left, Nola became ill and vomited in the area between the library and the dining room. Six or seven times. Seriously. I took pictures; I have proof. We had no time to seriously clean, so we disposed of the chunks and set off to Arkansas. Well, whatever was ailing Nola passed quickly as she did very well to and from Arkansas.

We stayed as long as possible, returning right before the both of us had to return to work. The week before the holiday was crammed with teaching, meetings, grading, and the usual. I had to write a proposal for a conference in Sacramento, CA in January of 2010. (After submitting it, only moments before the deadline, they ended up extending the deadline another week!). I planned and prepared for my last week of classes. Graded some more. Carved out four hours to celebrate the 4th of July. Attended a multiple day Program Revision Retreat (My head still hurts!). Squeezed in some sleep, but not nearly enough. Graded even more papers. Started the process of packing and moving my office. And started (mentally) counting down the hours till the Summer Semester ends for me! Thursday night can't come soon enough.

And somewhere, amidst all of this I made time to rent the Rug Doctor (again!) and scrub all of the carpets and the dog vomit stains. I am very pleased with my clean carpets. I believe Spot is impressed too. (See the picture below.)

Did I mention that it looks like we're going to have to "pull and snake" the toilet in the main bath? Sounds like a fun weekend!

Thrift Store Finds

Much of my house is decorated in family hand-me-downs or thrift store finds. And I like it that way. Each of the items that I choose for my home has a story and purpose. I just might not know what that story was or what the purpose is. Eventually it is all revealed.
The awesome lotion and soap dispensers were found in Harrison, AR at the Junk-Shun. It's a big red barn filled with amazing treasures. My friend, Shannon, recommended it. The first thing I noticed was how well lit the store was. The second was how clean everything was. These groovy retro bottles (and they're glass) were $4 for the set.

The plastic cracker tray came from the Leslie Antique Mall in Leslie, AR. It was a $1.50 and so dirty I wasn't certain I wanted to pick it up to bring it home. It cleaned up nicely and will make a great addition to my collection of Crazy Daisy (a.k.a. Spring Blossom Green) Corelle that I am collecting.


Shannon came up to visit the first part of June and one of the things we always try to make time to do is to visit the antique stores and flea markets in the area. One of our favorites is Those Were the Days- a three story flea market! There I found something I couldn't part with! And at a $1.00 who could blame me! Clothing for my toaster! Don't you just love it?

Banana Bread

What do you do with those bananas you can't bring yourself to eat or throw out? You make Banana Bread, of course! Don't have the time or patience? Give this recipe a try.

I made this bread during the spring semester and brought it to my morning class. We had no left-overs!

Banana Bread

What you need:

1 3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons corn syrup

3 ripe bananas

nuts or raisins to add

What you do:

Grease and flour a Crock-Pot. For this recipe I used a $3 Crock we found at the Salvation army. It is a 3.5 quart Crock-Pot with a removable insert (*See above).

Combine the flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter, sugar, eggs, corn syrup (if you have it), and bananas until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixture. I used the Kitchen Aid mixer for this. At last, add nuts or raisins.

Dump into the Crock-Pot, cover, and cook on high for 1.5 to 2 hours. If yo have a larger Crock-Pot, you will need to decrease the cooking time.

The Dining Room

Just about 18 months ago we were lucky enough to find an abode large enough to house all of our 'stuff' and even luckier to have several great friends help us move.

Over the past year and a half, my mother has asked me on several occasions to share pictures of my house. And honestly, I would love to. My only problem seems to stem from the fact that the entire house is never clean enough for pictures at any one time. Even when we have company, there's a room or three that is piled high with a disturbing amount of crud. In fact, much of the dissertation is in a box behind a large chair in the library at this very moment.

It came to me one day, after putting up my new china cabinet actually, that I could take pictures of each room, shortly after it is cleaned, and not worry about the rest of the house. Eventually I will photograph the entire house and family and friends far away will know what my house looks like.

Now, on to the dining room. The dining room is one of my favorite rooms in the house, yet it is rarely used. As far as dining rooms go, it is rather small. The oak table that I inherited from my mother (First it was my mothers, then my brother's, then it was my sister's, until she gave it back to him and he later gave it to me with the instructions that I could only have it if I promised not to bring it back!) is about four feet in diameter. The dining room is just big enough to fit this table with four chairs. The room shrinks a bit when folks are sitting at the table.

But what the dining room lacks in size it makes up for in storage. In fact, the amazing number of closets in this house just blows my mind! The dining room has two, built-in, dish or china cabinets. They are located on the outside wall and frame the dining room window. The cabinet to the left of the window is picture here on the left. You can see my aluminum canister set as well as my aluminum cake plate. The cabinet to the right is an exact replica.

The one on the left contains my Visita Alegre china that I purchased at an outlet mall in Lebanon, MO several years ago to the tune of 90 cents a piece. Fortunately I found a setting of eight pasta bowls, salad plates, cups, and saucers. I even found some nifty serving pieces. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to locate a full size dinner plate. So I use these brightly colored, make me happy plates, as my pasta ware. The top shelf contains a couple of my teapots, my Japanese dish set from Pier 1 that I found at the Salvation Army for $7 (W00T!) and a couple of very nice, treasured Korean pieces that Tree and PD brought to me several years ago. The bottom of this cabinet contains odds and ends: pickle and relish trays, Jewel Tea pieces, and a set of 12 Corelle dishes Crazy Daisy.

The open part of the second cabinet, located to the right of the window serves as my liquor cabinet (too dusty to be pictured!). On the shelves below you would find a collection of glass pitchers as well as an impressive collection of Corelle baking dishes of all sizes. Above, you will find assorted glassware. Left you will see a picture of my Grandma Josephine's Candlewick glasses with some Boopie pieces tossed in. What a treat. Not pictured are some gorgeous, heavy glass, orange goblets that my friend Shannon found and bought for me one day when we were adventuring south of town.

In one corner of the dining room there is a seven foot bookcase crammed with some of our cookbooks. This bookcase is just right of the pocket door that leads to the kitchen. To the left of that door is the new china cabinet. Due center along the back wall you will find my highchair from my childhood currently being used as a plant stand.

The walls of the dining room are decorated in primitive art from well known artists like Grandma Fran and Katherine Mangione. Funky plates and pottery also decorate the walls. Perhaps this is one of my favorite rooms because so many of my favorite goodies and memories are stored here.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Goodness

In an attempt to stay awake till 10:00 p.m. I decided to experiment in the kitchen. My students and several work-study students in the library reaped the benefits of my tasty labor.

I found them to be quite tasty and without the chocolate topping, they were just barely sweet. Give them a try and tell me what you think!

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Crispy Treats
What you need:
Cooking Spray
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 peanut butter
1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon of vanilla
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup peanuts
3 cups Rice Krispie cereal
1 and 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

What you do:
Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray and set it aside. Spray a large pot with cooking spray. Combine the first five ingredients in the pot. Heat over medium high heat until smooth and bubbly. Add marshmallows and vanilla and continue stirring.

Once the marshmallows have melted and the mixture is smooth you may turn the stove to low. Keeping a little heat under the pot gives you time before the stuff starts to set up! Add peanuts and cereal and stir until everything is well mixed and well coated.

Press into a greased (or buttered, if you prefer) baking dish. Cover with a single layer of chocolate chips and heat in a moderate oven for three to five minutes- just until the chips are melty. Remove from oven and use a butter knife to smooth out the chocolate chips.

Let cool and cut into squares. Enjoy.