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![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) jenova_silver | |
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Tomorrow morning, heavy early wake up. Need to be on the road early to get to Mayo on time. *sighs* Dad and I finished the outside pens, and latches. The dogs are spending their first night in the doghouse. Siding yet to do. Mom and I did laundry this morning, she didn't have to go in to work. It was sunny, windy, and chilly today. Frost all over the windows. Time for bed. *hugs*
He filled the journal with tristful remembrances. Word of the Day for Monday November 30, 2009tristful • \TRIST-ful\ • adjective : sad, melancholy Did you know? The Middle English word "trist," from which "tristful" is derived, means "sad." Today, we spell this word "triste" (echoing the spelling of a French ancestor), whereas "tristful" has continued to be spelled without the "e." Is there a connection between "triste" ("sad") and "tryst" ("a secret rendezvous of lovers")? Not exactly. "Tryst" can be traced back to a Middle English "trist," but it is a different word, one that was a synonym of "trust." This word eventually fell into disuse, but before doing so, it may have given rise to a word for a station used by hunters, which is in turn believed to have led to "tryst." Tags: dad, dogs, mom, stuff, weather
Current Mood:  tired
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aigeanclarsair | |
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Well that to-do list I posted on Saturday was a complete and total bust. We had a really lazy relaxing weekend and I didn't accomplish much of anything. Phooey.
I've realized that when I get home at 2pm during the week, what ends up happening is that I sit on the couch while Ian finishes making his lunch and getting ready for work, and then often we have a few minutes to sit and snuggle before he leaves, but the process of sitting down like that and getting comfy gets me out of work mode, so then I end up going and sitting on the computer for the rest of the evening and don't get anything done.
So I've decided that I'm going to do a test, and for the month of December I am going to work a 4-day week every week, so I have a 3-day weekend every weekend. This will get me home after Ian has left for work, and I'm hoping I will be able to remain in productive mode when I get home, and get some stuff done. Plus the 3-day weekends will be really nice. I have to work 4 day weeks for the last 3 weeks of December anyways, due to the trip to see my parents, then the Christmas and New Years holidays, so I might as well do it for the whole month. We'll see how I like doing it every week.
I have an appointment booked for a hair cut on Friday, too. I'm WAY overdue for a hair cut, and I'm going to talk to the stylist about fixing the really messed-up boxed dye job that I gave myself in October, that was supposed to be auburn and last 3 weeks and ended up going almost black on the length of my hair and lasting like a permanent dye job. Blech.
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jenova_silver | |
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So we had our turkey dinner today. Yum. Plenty of leftovers, too. Lots of dishes to clean. Progressed on the outside pen for the doghouse. lots of details. Need to get more siding done. Cold, cloudy, and the wind has picked up. Dad and I went in to pick up some stuff from the grocery store. Tylenol, low dose asprin, multi-vitamin, iron pills, newspaper, and cool whip. Time for bed. *hugs*
Police were called into the stop the imbroglio in the parking lot. Word of the Day for Sunday November 29, 2009imbroglio • \im-BROHL-yoh\ • noun 1 : a confused mass 2 a : a complicated situation b : a painful or embarrassing misunderstanding c : a violent or bitter altercation : embroilment Did you know? "Imbroglio" and "embroilment" are more than just synonyms; they're also linked through etymology. Both descend from the Middle French verb "embrouiller" (same meaning as "embroil"), from the prefix "em-," meaning "thoroughly," plus "brouiller," meaning "to mix" or "to confuse." ("Brouiller" is itself a descendant of an Old French word for broth.) Early in the 17th century, English speakers began using "embroil," a direct adaptation of "embrouiller." Our noun "embroilment," which also entered the language in the early 17th century, comes from the same source. Meanwhile, the Italians were using their own alteration of "embrouiller" : "imbrogliare," meaning "to entangle." In the mid-18th century, English speakers embraced the Italian noun "imbroglio" as well. Tags: dad, stuff, weather
Current Mood:  sleepy
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nyar | |
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Originally published at Starry Wisdom. You can comment here or there. 
Well, it’s actually fruitcake, but that word has some bad connotations, thanks to the radioactive studded substance we find at the grocery store this time of year. For the past 6 or so years, I’ve been baking fruitcake annually around Thanksgiving. Around Thanksgiving because it takes several weeks for the cake to mellow and age (with many spritzes of brandy) before it is ready to be eaten. This way it is ready just on time for Christmas gifting or parties.
This is basically Alton Brown’s recipe from I’m Just Here For More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking, which is subtly different from the Good Eats recipe from the episode “It’s a Wonderful Cake” (although I do recommend watching that episode, you can find it pretty easily on Youtube).
Fruitcake
(Makes one 9″x5″ or two 6″x3¾” loaf pans)
Note: The original recipe calls for the single larger loaf. But I had come across a pair of smaller loaf pans, and it turns out the smaller size is perfect for gifting, and doubles your unit yield. Instead of doubling the recipe, prepare multiple batches of the dried fruit mix, as it is hard to split into proper portions.
| ¾ C |
Golden raisins |
| ¾ C |
Dried cranberries |
| ¾ C |
Dried blueberries |
| ¾ C |
Dried cherries |
| ½ C |
Dried apricots, chopped |
| ¼ C |
Candied ginger, chopped |
| 1 |
Lemon’s zest |
| 1 |
Orange’s zest |
| 5 |
whole cloves, ground |
| 3 |
allspice berries, ground |
| 1 C |
Dark rum |
| ¾ C |
Unfiltered apple juice |
| ½ C |
Hard apple cider |
| 1 stick |
Butter |
| 1 C |
Sugar |
| 2 |
Large eggs, lightly beaten |
| 5 oz |
All-purpose flour (1 cup) |
| 5 oz |
Whole-wheat flour (1 cup) |
| 1 tsp |
Baking powder |
| 1 tsp |
Baking soda |
| 1 tsp |
Ground cinnamon |
| 1½ tsp |
Kosher salt |
| ¼ tsp |
Black pepper |
| ½ cup |
Pecans chopped and toasted |
| |
Brandy, for spritzing |
- Mix together dried fruits, ginger, zests, cloves, allspice and rum – you can do this in the pot you will be using the next day (see step 2). Soak overnight.
- The next day, stir in the apple juice, cider, butter and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring every few minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes
- Remove from heat and cool ½ hour until it is room temperature. Stir in the eggs.
- Put oven rack to lower middle position and preheat to 325°F. Either butter and flour your loaf pan(s) or spray with “Pam for Baking”.
- Whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in the pecans.
- Pour the spiced fruit mixture into the bowl and fold in until it is just combined. Do not overmix.
- Put the batter into the prepared pan(s). Bake for 1 hour. Check for doneness by poking a skewer into the middle of the loaf. If it comes out clean, it is done baking, otherwise let it go a few minutes more before testing again.
- Set pan(s) on cooling rack and spritz top with brandy. Cool completely before turning out onto wrack and spritzing with more brandy.
- Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then foil.
- To age, unwrap and spritz with brandy and re-wrap every 2 or 3 days for 2 weeks, and then once a week for the next two weeks. After one month of aging and spritzing the cake is ready to be eaten.
Serving suggestion: toast lightly and spread with marscapone cheese. Tags: uncategorized
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jenova_silver | |
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Burlesque-ish Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Venus, Sailor Neptune, Sailor Uranus, Sailor Pluto, Sailor Saturn, Sailor Chibi-Moon by CandyRobot (these would be so cool as icons. *nodnod*) Dad and I got haircuts. Dad decided to keep his very short. Almost buzz cut short. Enough length for it to lay down on top. Now, Dad and I have to figure out how to latch the gates we put inside the doghouse. Recycled some wire gates we had inside the barn. Weather was sunny. The wind stayed down and it got close to 50 degrees. Tomorrow, we finally have our turkey. And cherry pie. *hugs* Time for bed.
Their plans were congruous with the local building codes. Word of the Day for Saturday November 28, 2009congruous • \KAHNG-groo-us\ • adjective 1 a : being in agreement, harmony, or correspondence b : conforming to the circumstances or requirements of a situation : appropriate 2 : marked or enhanced by harmonious agreement among constituent elements Did you know? "Congruous" has been used in English since at least 1599, when it appeared in the following description: "All the parts of his bodie were in good proportion, and congruous as a man could wish." It has remained more or less true to its Latin roots: it is derived from Latin "congruus," an adjective that comes from the verb "congruere," which means "to come together" or “to agree." Another familiar "congruere" descendant in English is "congruent," which first appeared at least a century earlier with the same meaning as "congruous." We also acquired "congrue," a verb meaning "to be in harmony" or "to agree," from "congruere," but it has since become obsolete. Tags: dad, stuff, weather
Current Mood: sleepy
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calledisrael | |
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i am thankful for:
coffee and my sister's homemade chocolate chip kahlua pecan pie.
my new job, which will be like a deepening and an opening up, a refreshing.
the chance to travel internationally again, which will totally awaken the sleeping parts of my heart.
the ashoka people who are out there, heroically just doing their little piece of life, making it better.
moving in january, which will be like a new beginning.
the allen hood sermon on growth through mistreatment, which nails my heart every single time.
a good and reliable car that i trust, and that i like more every time i drive it, even six months later.
a new moleskine ready to start a new journal.
greg, who teaches me resilience, perseverance, forbearance, and to allow myself to be loved.
andrea, who teaches me that everyone needs to be loved without measure. everyone.
people who are able to be humble, who have been made meek.
brian germain, who gives it all away.
my sister, who is witty and smart and so beautiful. and doesn't even know it.
beaver nuggets. (no, i'm totally not kidding.)
a community that believes in prayer, even when they aren't sure they can do it.
a few days ago i pressed something random on the keyboard and ended up enlarging everything on my desktop. the fonts were twice as large, the icons were twice as large. all of the sudden everything was just bigger. that's how i felt after we worshipped tonight. interesting.
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jenova_silver | |
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Rude awakening this morning. The car door wouldn't latch. So, I had to start the truck and take Mom to work. barely got her to work on time. What was annoying was when I got home, I was able to latch the door. *sighs* Lubricated the latch so hopefully this doesn't happen again soon. We'll see tomorrow morning. Clear, sunny, windy, and cold today. Gas Price: $2.49/gallon More progress with the dog house. Need to finish the interior gate for the pens and to put up the outside pen. Plus more siding. Dad and I have a lot of work yet to do. Time for bed. *hugs*
The shot inoculated me against the seasonal flu. Word of the Day for Friday November 27, 2009inoculate • \ih-NAHK-yuh-layt\ • verb 1 a : to introduce a microorganism into b : to introduce (as a microorganism) into a suitable situation for growth c : to introduce immunologically active material (as an antibody or antigen) into especially in order to treat or prevent a disease 2 : to introduce something into the mind of 3 : to protect as if by inoculation Did you know? If you think you see a connection between "inoculate" and "ocular" ("of or relating to the eye"), you are not mistaken -- both words look back to "oculus," the Latin word for "eye." But what does the eye have to do with inoculation? Our answer lies in the original use in English of "inoculate" in Middle English: "to insert a bud in a plant." Latin "oculus" was sometimes applied to things that were seen to resemble eyes, and one such thing was the bud of a plant. "Inoculate" was later applied to other forms of engrafting or implanting, including the introduction of vaccines as a preventative against disease. Tags: dad, dogs, gas, mom, stuff, weather
Current Mood: tired
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hiro_antagonist | |
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 An off-the-cuff scene: "Don't fuck with the gods? Guess what. You're stuck on dry land in a dark alley in a nasty neighborhood in NYC. What are you going to do now?" "You forgot something little man... You're on an island" he said smiling. "Is that... A train?" As the ground shook, the sound of a single train off in the distance grew to a roar of a million trains thundering down on them. The ear-splitting noise of buildings and concrete being crushed in by an implacable force beyond imagination was drowned out by the deafening roar of water, so loud that it became incomprehensible as a sound. The waves rushed in with terrible fury and all the concrete and steel around them became as nothing more than tissue paper in the wake of an avalanche thundering into a valley. As they receded, he stood there completely dry in front of something so mangled that it was hard to guess what it could of been, if it hadn't been for all the blood now mutely staining the wet ground around it, "I told you little man. Don't fuck with the gods." As he walked away, the city lay in utter ruin. Tags: writing
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jenova_silver | |
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Sailor Rouge (burlesque versions of Sailor Mercury and Mars) Picked up Vanessa at 10:45, gassed up the car and picked up newspaper and drinks. On the Interstate at about 11:05. Made it to Rochester after noon. Lots of good food. We'd brought along some veggies. Yellow and orange carrots, scallions, cauliflower, broccoli, radishes. and two types of dip. Plus there was turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, rolls, jam, jello with fruit, mixed fruit. Waited a while before dessert. I got dragooned into helping with the dishes. Which doesn't bother me. Much. Played Uno with the card launcher thing. It was silly when lots of cards launched at people. The pumpkin pie was good, the other desserts offered...not as good. Vanessa slept on the way home. Rochester driving is aggravating. On the way in on US 63, had a driver that didn't know where they were going. On the way out, same thing, but added swerving and having to stay in front of us if we switched lanes. Gas Price: $2.51/gallon (Rochester $2.52/gallon) Time for bed. *hugs*
A scrumptious feast lay before us. Word of the Day for Thursday November 26, 2009scrumptious • \SKRUMP-shus\ • adjective : delightful, excellent; especially : delicious Did you know? First appearing in English in 1830, "scrumptious" is a mouth-watering word that is used to describe what is delightful and delectable. It probably originated as an alteration of "sumptuous," and it carries the elegant and wonderful connotations of its parent. ("Sumptuous" derives via Middle English from the Latin verb "sumere," meaning "to take or spend.") British author Roald Dahl had some fun with “scrumptious,” and created a delightful coinage, when he inserted the infix “-diddly-” into the word to make “scrumdiddlyumptious,” the word that chocolate magnate Willy Wonka uses to name his best-selling treats in his novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964). Tags: dad, family, gas, stuff, vanessa
Current Mood:  exhausted
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aigeanclarsair | |
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Hoo boy. Life has been rather busy of late, and I am way overdue for an update here, I think. I had started a big long entry last week sometime, talking about the crap that's been going on in the past 2 weeks or so, but I decided to scrap it. For some reason, this time around, when crap started happening, other than a few posts on Twitter, I've mostly been playing my cards close to my chest. For those on my Twitter list (and if you're on Twitter but not on my list - I'm madylynrose over there - why the heck aren't you?) - things have stabilized, work's going fine, and I'm exploring other options as well. We'll leave it at that.
Far more interesting is the fact that I have finished two, count 'em TWO craft projects this week! Pictures are forthcoming (when I get home from work this afternoon). I finished hand-hemming the tan apron dress I've been working on, which means I have norse garb ready to wear to Baronial Banquet a week from Saturday. I also finished knitting the strap for my booga bag, and then threw the bag and strap in the wash the same evening, and then put it together last night. It's functioning as my new purse, and I love it.
Up next are another apron dress, this time in red wool, a norse underdress in navy blue linen-lookalike, and to continue knitting away at my green Branching Out scarf. I also finally got my beading supplies organized this week as well - and started trying to play with them last night, but I'm finding I'm really not very good at wire wrapping yet. However, there is a bead store about 2 blocks from my workplace, and I've just discovered that they offer free classes - you only need to buy the supplies to make the projects from them that night - so I think I'm going to start taking a few of them.
Also, things are going really well with the car I'm borrowing from the bf's sister (and damnit, we're not married, but I'm just going to start calling them my sisters-in-law, since we might as well be). I insured it on October 31st, and we filled it up with gas that same day, and after a month's worth of driving the tank is just below half full. I still walk to work, of course, and try to group my errands up so that I am not making lots of little trips, so typically we end up using the car maybe twice a week - usually one day on the weekend, to run a few errands all at once and go out to do stuff, and then usually once a week I will drive Ian to work and then run errands while I'm out, since there's a shopping complex with a Petsmart, Michael's craft store, drugstore and grocery store all together that's really close to his work. Considering I used to spend about $200 a month on co-op cars plus another $20-30 on cab fares, barring major repairs being necessary, it's going to be much cheaper to have the car. And while I know that repairs will be necessary eventually, the fact that we use the car so little should make repairs few and far in between, and I already have a repair fund started with the refund coming from the car co-op of my deposit.
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jenova_silver | |
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Rain-snow-rain-snow all day. Not much for accumulation, yet. Dad, Vanessa, and I are going to a Thanksgiving dinner in Rochester with the relatives. Mom's staying at home. We'll have our own turkey and pie Sunday. Time for bed. *hugs*
Her seemingly temerarious moves were deeply calculated. Word of the Day for Wednesday November 25, 2009temerarious • \tem-uh-RAIR-ee-us\ • adjective : marked by temerity : rashly or presumptuously daring Did you know? If you have guessed that "temerarious" may be related to the somewhat more common word "temerity," you are correct. "Temerarious" was borrowed into English in the early 16th century from Latin "temerarius," which in turn derives from Latin "temere," meaning "blindly" or" recklessly." "Temerity," which arrived in English over a century earlier, also derives from "temere"; another descendant is the rare word "intemerate" (meaning "pure" or "undefiled"). "Temere" itself is akin to Old High German "demar," Latin "tenebrae," and Sanskrit "tamas," all of which have associations with darkness. Tags: dad, stuff, weather
Current Mood: sleepy
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Previous 
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