Chocolate and Crochet

No, not chocolate-covered crochet!

My latest finished crochet item:

I decided I wanted to use up some of the partial skeins I have sitting around. I don't know why, but the partials kind of bug me Cotton is always so handy but I wasn't in the mood to make another wash/dish cloth so I went with more of a mitt design, intended to be a face mitt. I started with about a 2" chain and worked hdc in the round until I was nearly out (which nicely coincided with how long I wanted it to be - love when that happens!), adding a loop in the last row so it can be hung to dry. The stitch results in a little texture for a good scrub, but no too rough. =) 

And my latest baking project:

One word: YUM! My sister got me this cookbook for Christmas... or my birthday... can't remember which since I got them at the same time. heh (The other was a knitting book!) Anyhoo, I tried out the chocolate brownie recipe last night and was pleasantly surprised! Unlike the last batch I made, this one doesn't use any oil. =) They came out a bit cake-ier, but still dense and yummy. I mixed up a half batch (should have quartered it) of chocolate mint frosting to top them off. Mmmmm, I think I have a new favorite!

We're finally starting to get some Spring weather too! Yay!

The little guy's on solo walks for awhile though. Poor Mugsy has a tender back - x-rays show severe spondylosis and a compressed disc resulting in him walking like a drunken sailor right now - and is on dog-bed rest for a month. Yep, that means no stairs so... guess who's getting a good workout half a dozen times a day? Thank goodness he's only 37-lbs and not a full-size lab!

Color test your career

I always like taking these test just to see how accurate they are. This one's actually pretty good! Take the Color Career Test... quick and easy. See if your "best" occupation is what you're already doing.


Best Occupational Category

You're an ORGANIZER

Keywords:
Self-Control, Practical, Self-Contained, Orderly, Systematic, Precise, and Accurate

These conservative appearing, plotting-types enjoy organizing, data systems, accounting, detail, and accuracy. They often enjoy mathematics and data management activities such as accounting and investment management. Persistence and patience allows them to do detailed paperwork, operate office machines, write business reports, and make charts and graphs.

ORGANIZER CAREERS
Suggested careers are Administrator, Secretary, Printer, Paralegal, Building Inspector, Bank Cashier, Private Secretary, Statistician, Operations Manager, Financial Analyst, Bookkeeper, Medical Records Technician, Developer of Business or Computer Systems, Clerical Worker, Proofreader, Accountant, Administrative Assistant, Banker, Certified Public Accountant, Credit Manager, Store Salesperson, Actuary, Dental Assistant, Business Education Teacher, Food Service Manager, IRS Agent, Budget Analyst, and Underwriter.

ORGANIZER WORKPLACES

Your very careful, conscientious, conservative nature gives others the confidence to trust you with handling money and material possessions. Structured organizations that have well-ordered chains of command work best for you.

Suggested Organizer workplaces are large corporations, business offices, financial lending institutions, banks, insurance companies, accounting firms, and quality control and inspection departments.


2nd Best Occupational Category

You're a CREATOR

Keywords:
Nonconforming, Impulsive, Expressive, Romantic, Intuitive, Sensitive, and Emotional

These original types place a high value on aesthetic qualities and have a great need for self-expression. They enjoy working independently, being creative, using their imagination, and constantly learning something new. Fields of interest are art, drama, music, and writing or whether they can express, assemble, or implement creative ideas.

I've been a bookkeeper and am now a medical coder (very detail-oriented) and used to proofread a lot of friends' papers. And anyone who has seen my kitchen cabinets (when I have my own place) could easily guess that disorganization annoys me... though my hotel rooms don't always appear so organized. I usually know exactly where everything is though. I do have a creative side too and I think sometimes these two sides fight against each other. heh So, I guess they hit the nail on the head...

It's never too late... practical is over-rated

Seriously. It's never too late to learn something new, to change directions, to make different choices, to dream of bigger and better things for yourself. I had someone today tell me she was too old to learn something new. It's not true! Don't limit yourself. Don't let others tell you it's too late or you're too old or that you made your choices earlier in life and have to stick with them even if you're not happy where you are in life. Remember when you were a kid and thought that pretty much anything was possible? Let your inner child dream of what could be... and take steps to make your life what you've always wanted it to be.

I'm constantly thinking of what's next, where I want to be, what I want to do. Life is a journey and I'm nowhere near settling down... not quite yet. I'm still filtering through my plans for the next big changes in my life, but things are starting to take shape with lots of soul-searching and research and planning. I'm getting excited for the new adventures to come!

So, what have you always wanted to do? Are you doing something to get closer to that goal? Are you already there? Have you made a big decision that completely changed your life? I've always admired those who've thrown out the practical in favor of what they love or are in the process of doing so. I also admire those who are perfectly happy with who and where they are in life. That's what I want! Someday, I'll get there too...

Not huge... but it's progress (for me, if not for the publishing industry)

I'm up to about a 17" square... and I'm liking it so far. I'm alternating the number of rows of each color, though I need to keep larger stripes of the tan multi since I have so many more of those than the others. 

A nice, easy, mindless project to work on while watching more sports these two weeks than I have in the past year! heh Yep, I'm a total sucker for the Olympics.

It's a nice balance for my techy side.

Thankfully, I had a gift card from hotel points and downloaded a few books to my nook soon after I got it... and I'm not a super-fast reader so most are still unread. Publishers are in an uproar over ebook pricing, thinking they're losing a lot of money on hardcover book sales. Apple did their part to screw up pricing with the iPad as well by agreeing to higher prices with the publishers. Ebook prices on B&N have jumped significantly over the past week... and many I've seen continue to rise even after the initial increase. Two books I splurged on (whew) and purchased for just under $10 apiece... are now $18-19 each! Ridiculous. I don't know about others, but I can't even recall the last time I purchased a new hardcover book so they're certainly coming out way ahead on me. I refuse to pay those prices for something I'll read once and give away. I already thought many ebook prices were too high since the publisher/bookseller is already saving in printing and shipping/packaging costs on these electronic files, but now? I'll definitely be watching the mark-downs and occasional freebies offered on B&N... aking with the large number of always-free ebooks available online from various sources. Raising the prices just means fewer sales... from my end at least. The majority of my prior book purchases were either inexpensive paperbacks... or more often, used paperbacks. The only books I'll buy soon after release are occasional must-have cookbooks, but even those are most often paperbacks. We'll see how long this lasts. I have to think that at some point, the publishers will wake up and realize they need to embrace the new technology and cater to their customer base rather than trying to hold onto the past. Times change, businesses need to change too. Have book publishers learned nothing from the music industry?

A beautiful end to a long week

Just happy it's finally Friday.

First shot at granny

Tried my hand at my first granny square last night. I brought along some Lion Suede with the intention of crocheting up a blanket while watching the Olympics. I liked this square and once I figured out that the pattern was using UK abbreviations and not US ones (heh), it wasn't hard at all! This one's still a bit messy since I didn't trim/weave in ends yet. I wanted to be sure I liked the end results before committing with the scissors. =) 

I'm thinking about using this as a center and working out from there. What do you think? I'm thinking some sort of striping in these colors. I have way more of the variegated than anything else.

Chocolate-y Love

Happy Valentine's Day all! Since I was heading back on the road today, I decided to whip up a couple of recipes to bring along. I pulled out my recently-aquired copy of Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar and flipped through until something caught my eye. It didn't take long...

First up... Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies:

Yum! I added a couple of handfuls of vegan chocolate chips. Next time, I'll probably cut back on the oil and sub with some applesauce. These are a little on the crunchy side for my preference, but yummy all the same. Would be great with a scoop of vegan ice cream!

I also had to try the Deluxe Cocoa Brownies:

It's always hard finding a good vegan brownie recipe, but these are pretty darn good! They're not too cake-y and not too gooey so they hold together well. Added a handful of choc chips to these as well. Wow, they're rich, but yum! Just cut 'em small. =)