Botched Baking

As soon as I got back to work at VG, I got bombarded with requests for cookies.  After 2 weeks of being back, I finally had time to make some today.  The VG favorite are the chocolate peanut butter no-bake cookies that I make, so I went with those.  And this time, I added coconut...one of my favorite things ever.  EVER. 

 

After the cookies, I wanted to make some muffins.  While prepping, I realized we were out of eggs (although I feel like I just bought some...), and I couldn't find the muffin pan liners.  So I sprayed my pan with Pam & ran across the street to our little Fiesta Mini Mart to get some eggs.  They had liners too!  So I made the muffins, and I used the liners.  A couple minutes before the muffins were done, one of the 2 smoke detectors in our hallway went off.  I shut it off, and then went to take the muffins out.  As soon as I opened the oven, the carbon monoxide detector went off, and then BOTH of the smoke detectors went off in the hall.  We've taken the batteries out of the one in the kitchen.  

Turns out the bottom of all of the muffins are black.  Apparently Pam+liners=burnt muffins and lots of beeping.

At least the cookies turned out deliciously. 

Tumblr

I've created a Tumblr account...so all of my lovely followers should also follow me there!  http://caroleinchicago.tumblr.com/

Much love.

Birthday!!!

Wednesday was my birthday!  25!  Whoa!  Mom came up Tuesday night & stayed with me through Thursday.  Then Dad joined us on Friday & they stayed downtown & left this morning.  Mom and I had wonderful Birthday Brunch, went to my favorite yarn store, saw a photo exhibit at the Cultural Center that I'd been dying to see, bought new makeup at Macy's, and had dinner at Potbelly's.  Here are some photos from the week:

Bookcase Organizing.

I originally found this here.

In This Neck of the Woods...

it's been a very busy week.  Monday, I babysat up in Evanston.  Tuesday I saw a designer run of my current show at VG & then opened my show down at the Chicago Cultural Center.  Wednesday was our second & final performance of my show, and it was at Mayne Stage.  After the show, the music ensemble & cast went out for drinks.  Thursday I went back to work at VG.  And today I had rehearsal at VG & then saw their current show (although it closes on Sunday) on the main stage, The Boys Room.  HOLY COW it was an amazing show.  I cried like a baby, in a very cathartic & connecting with the text/performance way.  Also, I've been devouring my current book, The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown.  It's pretty wonderful, albeit slow moving.  Here's the past week in pictures.

my stack of books to read

look at all those unread pages just waiting for me!

roommate Emmy's Valentine flowers from her students

Valentine's cake i made for rehearsal...the decorating went terribly awry, so i just smeared it all together eventually

chicago skyline from the roof of our rehearsal space

the Pritzker Pavillion from Preston Bradley Hall of the Chicago Cultural Center

the BEAN from the CCC

rehearsal at the CCC

light at the CCC

Valentine!

stage at Mayne Stage

preparing for our show at Mayne Stage

Mayne Stage marquis from inside

Updated! Books!

I've updated my Listal 2011 Books Read list.  Click here for the link.

I also updated my Goodreads list.  Which means my Goodreads 2011 Challenge has been updated.  I've read 5 of 40 book goal.  That's 12% people.  Click here for my Goodreads page. 

Both have been updated because I started (yesterday at 11:15am) and finished (tonight at 10:15pm) that wonderful sequel to "84, Charing Cross Road", "The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street."

Wonderful.  I felt every emotion right along with Miss Hanff (the author), that when she got on her plane to leave London and head back to New York, I almost cried right along with her.  Wonderful, I say.

NEW WORD!

Remember that time I told you about the most amazing book I've ever read?  Well, I got it's sequel from the library a few days ago!  "The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street."  After waiting about 3 weeks for it to come in from my hold request, I had to finish the book I was already reading (One Day by David Nicholls, WONDERFUL, and it had an interesting, irregular structure, which is a characteristic I LOVE in books), but I finally started it.  In "84 Charing Cross Road", one of the two letter writers dreams of going to London, but each time she plans a trip, a random obstacle jumps in her way.  Before she can make it, her pen pal passes away suddenly.  The sequel is her first hand account of her finally making it to London.  I'm 20 pages in, and it's also amazing.  I don't generally like non-fic, but this reads so, well, perfectly, that it's ok.  It's like I'm simply sitting in my lazy-boy, hearing Helene Hanff narrate this story to me in person. 

BUT!  The new word, comes from brunch today.  I had an excellent brunch at place called Over Easy with my director, and I was telling her about my new book.  After hearing my description of "84 Charing Cross Road", she exclaimed "YOU CAN USE ONE OF MY FAVORITE WORDS FOR THAT BOOK!"  Obviously, I got very excited.  "84 Charing Cross Road" is an Epistolary Novel.  An epistolary is a book made up entirely of documents, generally letters, as is the case here.  But apparently diary entries or newspaper clippings count also.  My director said "I can credit my English Major with that one."

So, there you go. 

And here are some pictures I took today at rehearsal.  You can see the skyline out the window.  It's pretty cool.  Of course, the one day I remember my camera, it's overcast and ugly out.  There's also some cool stuff in the building that I took pictures of. 

Sounds About Right...

 

Truer words...

favorites

Since I've started crocheting, I've tried a number of different hooks.  And every time, I come back to these.  These are my preference.  They sit nicely in my hand, the yarn doesn't slide off of them, and the hook is the right angle. 

I was at Joann's the other day getting supplies for a project, and I needed a couple of hooks, and decided to buy this set.  I have a few of these size hooks already, but most of the ones I have are not this type of hook, so not the ones I like.  Plus, I needed at least 3 of these, and with the 50% off one item coupon, this was clearly the cheapest & most efficient way to go.  What are your hook/needle preferences?  Knitting needle wise, I definitely prefer aluminum.  Go on, judge away :)

Now this...

is awesome!  A Valentine's heart shaped box filled with YARN!!!!!  Found here.  Email me, and I'll give you my address so you can send me one :).

 

How To Open A Book & Blanket #2

Saw this picture here today.  Love it. 

Also, progress made on wedding blanket #2 for BFF Sarah.  This picture is already out of date b/c I've made more progress since it was taken.  In this picture, it's big enough to cover my lap and a little more. 

January Yarning

It's the end of the first month of 2011!  I've been pretty busy and pretty not busy.  But I have been pretty busy with my crocheting!  Here's a recap of January in photos, including progress on my 2 blankets:

if this stuff doesn't heal my dinosaur feet, im going to cut them off.