Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Last year I decided to try something different so I signed up for a quilting club with some of the fine folks from MeFi. It's called MetaQuilter, and I'm in the "adventurous" group. Each month a different member (the "designer") sends out fabric and instructions for making blocks. The rest of us all sew the blocks and then send them back to the designer. I've just finished February's blocks so I thought I'd show off what I've done so far:     The first four were for January. The block pattern is called Nonesuch. They were trickier than they look. One of the group members figured out a paper piecing technique that made things a lot simpler. Apparently the finished quilt is going to look something like this. So it'll be a traditional pattern in some distinctly modern colours! The other two blocks are called New York Beauty, and they were definitely a challenge. The pointy bits in the arcs were done with proper paper piecing, and at first it broke my brain. I watched YouTube videos; I read tutorials; and I still did everything wrong. My seam ripper definitely saw some use. But then after setting it aside for a few days - it totally clicked! I figured it out. I even made the second one a bit more complicated just for fun. Sewing the curved bits together was stressful but I didn't do too badly. I can't wait to see what this finished quilt looks like...
Monday, February 27, 2012
Miss our Jamie Oliver posts? Victoria over at the living doing blog is working her way through the recipes as well. (She's using the TV series rather than the book though.) She's got some lovely photographs too. I have a feeling it'll be a while before the Snook and I get around to finishing off the book!
Congratulations, Jennifer! Jennifer's entered a few times before, so it seems like persistence is the key. Thanks to everyone who played, and see you all next year!
And as usual, if you're watching the show live, can you do me a favour and count the dead people in the "In Memoriam" segment? Cheers...
 Achievement unlocked! Paper piecing AND curved seams. I am victorious! Powered by Webstagram Sunday, February 26, 2012
 New basket and bike pump! Powered by Webstagram Saturday, February 25, 2012
 The Dudette abides. (It's too hot to wear my bathrobe.) Powered by Webstagram
 Mega #paleo cheeseburger platter. Nom nom.  Baking PB cookies in a shameless attempt to make my new co-workers like me... Powered by Webstagram
Friday, February 24, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
 Sydney Harbour on a sunny day with a big boat. Powered by Webstagram
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
 These damn socks just aren't growing. #neverending #knitting Powered by Webstagram
 I discovered it *is* possible to eat #paleo at Pancakes on the Rocks. Powered by Webstagram
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
 Australia has some weird-ass chickens. Powered by Webstagram
Well, it's Pancake Day, and man, I'd love a damn pancake. But I won't have one. This is as good a time as any to talk a bit about our current diet. I'm not trying to evangelize here; I'm too lazy to care whether other people do what we do. But I've been mentioning words like "primal" and "paleo" on Twitter and Facebook recently, and a few people have asked me what that's all about. So why not? For the past six weeks or so, the Snook and I have been following a modified primal/paleo diet. We eat meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and dairy. We try to avoid grains, potatoes, legumes, and sugar. We've each dropped a couple kilos, but it's not really about losing weight. We finally realised that eating this way makes us feel the best. It's been a long process to get here... [more...] Monday, February 20, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Yesterday the Snook and I attended one of the City of Sydney's FREE bicycle maintenance courses. To be honest, I was a little scared going in. I don't consider myself to be very "mechanical" at all, and even though all the parts on a bike are exposed, it was still very much a black box to me. There were seven of us in the class (three guys, four women), and when the instructor Carlos said that we were going to be taking our tires completely off our bikes, I had a moment of mental panic. "I'M GOING TO RUIN MY BIKE," I thought. But you know what? I didn't. The class was fantastic. Carlos first taught us how to maintain our chains and why it's important. Then we all went out and cleaned our chains and lubricated them. I accidentally pulled my chain off the cogs, but I knew exactly how to put it back on. Then we talked about derailleurs and how they work, and then we got to tires. My bike has quick release tires, so I had them off in minutes! Then we deflated them and pulled the tubes completely out. Carlos showed us how to figure out the right size tubes to buy, what pressure to inflate them to, how to test for leaks and how to use a patch kit. Then we put the tubes back in, put our wheels back on, and reinflated our tires to the correct pressure. Neat! We also learned how to check our brakes and realign them, and how to make adjustments to some of the cables on our bikes. He also showed us what not to mess with. It was such a great course, and I'm so glad we did it. I walked out with a few grease stains on my hands but also with a much better understanding of how my bike works, and I think I actually could fix it in a pinch! I highly recommend the class to anybody in Sydney with a bicycle. (You have to book in as the spots fill up.)
Saturday, February 18, 2012
 Mr Snook's internal hub gear made things slightly trickier for him.  At today's bike workshop. I took my tire clean off! Powered by Webstagram
Friday, February 17, 2012
 Spotted on Broadway tonight. #hipsters Powered by Webstagram
 It's Friday and it's summer. Good enough excuse to dress like a hippie. #pose Powered by Webstagram
Then I got to the end where they mention that indoor cats don't get the parasite, only outdoor cats. So we don't have it after all. Our weirdness is fully our own.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Yesterday I went for a lunchtime walk with the Snook, where he presented me with a shiny, red, heart-shaped, paleo-approved Valentine's Day treat. Aww, wasn't that nice? I tweeted the photo and a few people joked that he should've gotten me an actual HEART. You know what? Maybe next year.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
 Dinner Tonight: Steak, Steamed Veg, Chinese Greens with Bacon. Powered by Webstagram
Good thing I cancelled the marathon training, huh? Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
 Cranberry-Walnut Chicken Salad Powered by Webstagram Sunday, February 5, 2012
 My annual Oscar Contest is now open! If you pick the most correct answers, you'll win the big prize: The Monkey with the Dragon Tattoo. Yes, I made Lisbeth Salander Monkey. She has piercings; she has a Macbook; she has a golf club; and she has the titular tattoo. I think this is the most work I've ever put into a single monkey! (She's also the first one that's probably Not Safe for Work, given the slogan on her T-shirt.) And remember, in the event of a tie, the person that entered earlier wins. So don't wait too long! Read on for more photos, or go here to enter. [more...]
 Snook as Human Sundial. Powered by Webstagram Friday, February 3, 2012
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
 Dinner Tonight: Slow Cooker Coq au VinThis was a new recipe for us! The Snook made it up in the crockpot in the morning before work. He left out the flour to make it low-carb. We had it with some cauliflower mash. It was a really nice dish to come home to, and it made plenty of leftovers. Highly recommended! |
|
archives
You can search through the archives by post keyword using the form on the left, or you can browse by month using the links at the bottom.
"Moblog" refers to posts and images posted directly from my mobile phone.
"PW Blog" refers to posts recovered from my very first weblog, which dealt with news related to my college dorm. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Created and maintained by Kristine Howard ©2000-2012.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
