Let them eat (cup)cake!

Anyone want a cupcake?

It's my mother's birthday today so I whipped up a cupcake for her. Cute, isn't it? No fat, lots of fiber, much less messy than a traditional cupcake. Can't go wrong with that!

(Ravelry link)

I've been looking through some of my many, many queued projects (seriously, way too many on there!) and chose one to knit one up over the past couple days.
 

Super simple and pretty brainless knitting - I barely had to glance at the pattern. I'll have to get a better shot on a day that's not windy and rainy... even if the name of the pattern is Hurricane. lol

(Ravelry link)

I also started a sock for my iPad.

I've had this pretty, elasticized cotton in my stash from the charity knit shop in Seattle, but only one ball. Not enough for a pair of socks... but should be enough for this... I hope!

(Ravelry link)

I'm planning to cast on for my own Saroyan scarf/wrap. Just deciding which yarn to use. Looking through the projects, it looks good in just about anything as long as the yarn isn't too textured. Even variegated yarns look great as long as they're not too loud. Time to dig through the bins and see what calls to me, I suppose...

Happy New Year!

Wow. 2009, already! How the heck did that happen?! Time has flown by the past 6 months. I suppose living out of a suitcase in a hotel, feeling like you're always on vacation doesn't help. It all just blends together. I've been home nearly two weeks now for the holidays. Oddly, I feel more at home in a hotel than in the place I pay way too much for just to call it home - maybe because I have more space in most hotel rooms... or maybe it's that I'm alone in the hotel rather than sharing the space with someone who's constantly cranky (to put it mildly). Ahh, can you tell it's been a loooong two weeks? Yeah, ready to head back to Seattle to my nice, quiet hotel room. I saw my sister over the weekend. She wants me to move down to Kentucky and get a place with her. Not so sure it would be a great idea to be tied down with a 6-12 month lease in KY though. I kinda have another plan in the works. It doesn't include another (expensive) move in the next couple months.

It's resolution time! There were lots of changes last year, some expected, some not so much. So, what's in store for this year?

1. Cook more often and choose healthier foods. I've been eating out and buying junk way too often! I usually have a kitchen in the hotels, I just need to use it more often! New, healthy recipes will be popping up here...
2. Exercise! Again, the hotels nearly always have a mini gym... I need to get back to using it again!
3. Knitting! Lots more knitting! haha Yeah, I was gonna do that anyway. But I will be sticking to knitting things I want to knit and for those I know will appreciate it. No obligatory knitting!
4. Along the knitting vein, I plan to knit my 2nd pair of socks and my first (non-infant-size) sweater this year!
5. Stash containment - I will contain my stash to only what will fit in the suitcase I'm currently using for yarn storage (not including the yarn in storage across the country - yarn I can't get to without a plane ticket doesn't count!).
6. Save, save, save! Money, that is. I have a vague plan I'm working on. I need to prepare. Paying off my debt last year and getting decent paychecks will help this plan along. =)

It'll be another year of big changes! =)

Now for the Food!

So, I cooked a bit for Thanksgiving. =) I made the sweet potato biscuits I posted last week and also tried a few other new recipes this year. I started out the night before, making a batch of cornbread (click on the pics for the recipes):


Which I made into yummy stuffing the next morning:

I also made a loaf of Pane Alla Cioccolata (chocolate bread) in my bread machine:

Of course, I also made an apple pie like I do every year. Somehow, I missed taking a pic of this year's pie before it got cut into... so this is last year's just before heading into the oven:

Baking success all around. The leftovers are all gone now and the fridge looks decidedly non-festive. Ah, only a month to go before Christmas! =)