Tryptophan Funtimes

Our post Thanksgiving party was a massive success.  There was barely room to fit all the people that showed up.  Tons of delicious food and great company. Thanks everyone!  I was too busy to take many pictures but I did pause to get a few.

TYLER!!!! and friends:)

Yay! Seth was in town!  Hugs with Sasha and Nicole.

Rare Tish sighting. Was great to meet your lovely wife!

What a great smile. 

That is the face of a woman who just successfully fired two whole free-range, hormone free turkeys!  Glad she fried two because we barely had leftovers as it was.

Main man Mitch and Hanna.

Blurry smiles.

Christmas Day Swan Treat

 Every single day on our way to work I pester my wife about how much I love the swan and how I want to go meet him/her and how beautiful it is.  I'm sure she is sick of hearing about this stupid swan! But she patiently honored my one Christmas wish: to feed the swan.  It was disgustingly cold out so we only stayed a few minutes.

 Maybe I'm a "little touched" but watching that swan makes me so happy.  He/she really enjoyed the bread but, contrary to internet advice, swans don't like greens.  At least not iceberg lettuce.  Maybe the Nichols Hills swan doesn't want any peasant fodder?

 

I'm so outrageously lucky to have someone who puts up with my childlike idiosyncrasies.

Matcha Mayhem!

Picked up a few ounces of sweet matcha at t, an urban teahouse before Christmas.  Love that place.  So minimalist and chill. This cookbook: "New Tastes in Green Tea" had been tempting me for awhile so I just had to try some experimenting with a new ingredient.

 Matcha butter. Simply butter blended with matcha. It didn't have a strong flavor. Just left the butter tasting a little bitter and slightly of green tea.  I've enjoyed it on toast in the mornings.  I imagine that it would compliment a mildly sweet scone or muffin because it needs a little sugar.

Spinach, marinated tofu, carrot and red onion salad with matcha dressing.  This was so simple but one of the best salads I've ever made  You'll have to pick up the book for this amazing tangy matcha dressing recipe!

Garden Harvest

Here is just a small example of what we get to enjoy:

 The initial work of building the raised bed, hauling the dirt, researching and planning was an investment that will payout for as long as we bother to spend a few minutes in the backyard every other day.  And even though the garden isn't providing the lion's share of our food: it reminds me every day that food is precious and sacred. 

Garlic Galore!

GARLIC!!!

Finally received my order from Burpee.  First time I've ordered garlic through the mail and this will only be the second time I've planted it.  This online article was what I based my garlic variety choice on: http://www.motherearthnews.com/grow-it/red-heirloom-garlic-zb0z11zsch.aspx.  I wanted to try an heirloom of both softneck and hardneck variety and see which one performed best overwintered in Oklahoma.  Chose organic Inchelium Red and Organic German Red. Overwinter in Oklahoma and planted a month late according to most of the online advise I've read so far. Wish my compost had turned out better.  I basically have two large trashcans full of maggots at the moment.  Absolutely disgusting and something that I have not informed my wife about. Made the mistake of not turning it often and letting it get way too moist over the not-so-brutal summer. But I'll have to add some nitrogen rich fertilizer to the recently planted garlic before I mulch it for winter.

Custom Wallet Project Completion

I recently posted some photos that I was using as reference for a custom wallet project.  Well, it's done and it got a great reception.  In fact I am even getting work from all the good reviews it got! Here are some photos of the beginning wallet and the finished project:

Glad I could overcome my horrible procrastination and performance anxiety to just jump in a get this project completed.  Here are links to purchase the painted cow skull design and the dream catcher design. Want a different style/color wallet/purse or a custom colors?  Contact me and I will be happy to create exactly what you desire!

St. Simons Vacation Slides

More St. Simons pictures. 

Micro hand crab.

Happiness.

Sidney Lanier Bridge.

Bicycles!!!

A functioning lighthouse.

Leaf impersonator.

Ice cream point n' clicks.

Older than the dinosaurs.  Horseshoe crabs be lurking in your serums!

 Best food we had on the trip was from The Crab Trap.  Shrimp, oysters and fish that was caught that day!  So fresh, I could really taste the difference and I don't have a sophisticated palate.

Brunswick paper mill.

 Annie the dog.

St. Simons - The Tree Post

St. Simons vacation with my wife and her best friend.  Such a great time.  I'm so glad we got invited to stay at the condo and lounge around.  Wish I could afford to take my wife on vacations like this more often.  Here are some trees that threw shade at me.