February 6, 2011

Grad School

by Kate Djupe

It is odd to take a picture of most of the information that I dedicated years of my life accumulating.

So romantic, I know.

And then I remember how long I will be paying for it.

February 3, 2011

Oh, the color

by Kate Djupe

After finding a case of blood oranges in my car (oh my! How did that happen!?!), I set out to make enough blood orangecello to drink and share and gift until the next time this lovely fruit is in season.

Vodka is still being filtered and added, but this is all of those zests after 48 hours.

We have 8 pint containers full of blood orange juice in our freezer. It feels too decadent to just drink straight up although I did just that while I was juicing the oranges.

What would you do with 1 gallon of blood orange juice?

The only sure thing we have planned would be the blood orange margaritas.

*Update*: Anne suggested making a blood orange curd and this immediately jumped to the top of my list.

I've been pricing out all of this cello. By filtering cheap vodka, we have kept the cost of the cello to just a little over $5 a quart.

Since I drink mine with 1 part cello to 1 part club soda, that cost breaks down into a whopping 30 cents for 1 cup (total of 16 cups).

Why yes, I will have that second glass!

In the next week, I need to clean out our freezer to fit *gulp* 25 or so quart jars, find 25 or so quart jars and buy all of that Snowville Creamery milk.

Can I do it? Yes, I can.

February 3, 2011

The cost

by Kate Djupe

Without even opening the box, I can tell that the contents are going to be quite impressive and full of love.

Twitter and Facebook and blogs don't deliver quite the same impact, do they?

February 2, 2011

I am a cowgirl

by Kate Djupe

And you too can be thisclose to being a cowgirl (or cowboy, if you prefer) if you sit in these chairs.

I need to go back to Los Guachos soon.

Not just for the food (which was delicious) but because there are at least ten photos I want to take and five more dishes I want to eat when I have calmer dinner partners.

I loved the heft of the chairs and tables - I bet they age into something as awesome and smooth as butter.

I love butter.

Therefore, Los Guachos is extra delicious.

February 1, 2011

Stuck up

by Kate Djupe

I have a habit of looking up.

This is not something that I have been aware of doing until recently.

I discovered it while decluttering my life (which includes hard drives). There was a picture of chandeliers here, a ceiling there, clouds - and then I noticed that there were photos of up everywhere.

I recognize others' tics - my husband takes photo after photo of snags, my dad clasps his hands and inserts pauses for dramatic effect, Carrie (SJP) starts every sentence with "I couldn't help but wonder" - but I depend on others to point out my own. Like how I start many responses with "Yeah, no" or something that my loved ones call "polar bearing".

It feels novel to identify my own tic.

Now that I know I do it, I see it everywhere. I did it here twice and here. Maybe you already noticed?

Do you have pixelated tics?

February 1, 2011

My extensive whiskey collection

by Kate Djupe

Since we have boosted our blood orangecello production, I'm going to have to reevaluate our whiskey inventory.

Wouldn't it be great if that pen were just super sized?

February 1, 2011

Icicle prints

by Kate Djupe

I know snowflakes are unique.

I never thought about icicles having their own markings, scores and patterns before.

I'm going to have plenty of time and opportunity to check them out,

since ice has swallowed everything else.

January 31, 2011

Turn the page

by Kate Djupe

Break time is over.

February means it is time to start prepping for the best garden we have ever planted. It is no longer time to be wistfully paging through seed catalogs or dreaming up new things to can and freeze in 2011. Well, I suppose I can keep doing those but seeds must be ordered, a garden map sketched and an inventory of our totally reasonable and not at all out of control pantry taken.

When I turned the page on my perpetual calendar (gifted by the always incredible Cameron), I saw that something can even be planted this month. So I should really get going already.

Oh, yes, that calendar is one of the most awesome things I own.

I had been pining for my very own Krank Press calendar for some time but had to wait until they got around to making a Midwest version. When it seemed like that might never happen, I tried to move my family to any growing region that already had a calendar. Last month, a surprise package arrived with my very own midwestern dream come true.

I can put down roots now. Literally.

January 28, 2011

I'll trade you

by Kate Djupe

I have stacks of books that I should sell to Half Price Books or on amazon.com. I probably won't (too many to carry into a store with kids in tow; no interest in going to the post office in a timely fashion).

Want to trade?

Before I show you my offerings, you need to know that I read anything I get my hands on. So don't judge a list that puts Chuck Palahniuk by Jodi Picoult, okay?

These are the hard cover books (all have dusk jackets and little to no wear):