Just Yesterday Scrapbooks

Sweet Potato Pie

2011-12-14T02:49:00.000-08:00

It's always sounded sort of yummy to me, but I am typically not enamored of Southern cooking.

Enter my darling Matt, who took me out to the Delta Cafe and Bar in Portland, OR.

I am suddenly in LOVE with Southern food, and my interest in Sweet Potato Pie is renewed.

Given the opportunity, when I am stressed, I cook. It doesn't matter so much what it is, as long as it's for someone else. I've had a lot to be stressed about this week. Well, maybe the last few weeks, or months. It all hit me as much too hard to deal with yesterday. An open to close shift and too many days in a row at work, lots of the little "things" that get in the way of life, and to top it off, a mass text from my dad notifying me that my grandma was headed for an emergency surgery. Prognosis? Not good. Likely that either the surgery would kill her, or the infection would. No option to leave work, so I needed something to focus on so I wouldn't cry. Unfortunately work was slow, painfully so. So I baked.

Started out with the crust. Making it by hand takes focus and hard work, good for time spent thinking, or not thinking, whichever you choose.

In a large mixing bowl, combine approximately 5 cups white flour,
1 pound real butter, (softened)
1/2 cup white sugar,
2 teaspoons salt

Mixture will be dry, but hold together if squeezed hard. Works best if you mix with clean hands,
or a fork, otherwise you over-manipulate it. If it's not dry, add more flour, a little at a time.

Slowly sprinkle water, one teaspoon at a time, over the mixture until you can form a large ball.
It will still be dry, and will break apart rather than stretch apart if you try to split it.

On a well-floured surface, roll it out to the desired size and thickness. I suggest a quarter inch
thickness, as this crust is really yummy (think butter shortbread), and will add another flavor
dimension to whatever you use it for.

Bake at 350 degrees for about ten minutes, or until light golden brown. Remove from the oven
fill with your favorite pie filling. You don't need to worry about foiling the edges of this crust,
unless your pie of choice requires over an hour of baking time.

Then I made the filling. Never having made Sweet Potato Pie, (and I haven't a clue why I continue to capitalize the term...), it was an experiment, and luckily, one that turned out quite successfully.

In a large mixing bowl, cream approximately 2 pounds baked sweet potato,
1 pound real butter, (softened)
1 cup white sugar,
1 cup brown sugar,
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon,
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg,
1 teaspoon Anaheim chili powder

Once mixture is smooth and well incorporated, add 4 eggs, mixing well after adding each egg.

Pour into pie crust and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the
center comes out nearly clean. This Sweet Potato Pie filling rises akin to a souffle, but will settle
a bit as it cools. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whip cream, or just eat on its own.

I doubt that this will pass muster if any of you reading are a true Southern chef, but it made a passable pie, tasted amazing, and the primary ingredient was sweet potatoes, so I'm calling it Sweet Potato Pie.

Some of you can attest to the means by which I cook and bake, so the measurements listed above are my best approximations. You should get an incredibly yummy pie out of the deal, but if my measurements fail you, let me know. I'll make it again and pay more attention to the amounts needed.

Oh, and I got a Christmas miracle a bit early, my grandma came through her surgery and off the ventilator sooner than anyone thought she would. She's in pain, and still sick, but lucid and alert. Thank you for the thoughts and prayers.

Liz

PS ~ Pie filling recipe makes enough for two 9 inch pies.

The Nanny Nightmare

2011-09-09T00:18:00.000-07:00

How in the world is a middle-income family supposed to pay for childcare? No matter how I arrange the numbers, it always comes down to either eating, or paying for daycare. We make "too much" money to qualify for state-funded daycare or assistance programs, and the cheap daycare centers are scary!

So far we've resorted to juggling family members and the occasional unlicensed nanny, but that juggling act causes no end of stress. And now that both Johnny and I's schedules have changed, the availability of the sitters we did have doesn't match our current needs.

I'd love to do some sort of childcare exchange, but I work so many hours it's hardly plausible, I feel awful always asking a friend to watch Caelan for free, and I feel even worse about the pitiful amount of money I'm able to offer even an occasional babysitter.

Waking up every night from the same nanny nightmare is no fun at all.

Until I find a solution....

Liz

PS ~ Christina McGee! Get your rear in gear and move back to Washington!

Pretty, Pretty Pictures

2011-09-07T23:13:00.000-07:00

Finally put some of Caelan's photos in frames today. Went to hang them up and discovered that there are no hanging apparatus on these particular frames... So now I just have stacks of framed photos on my table. Not enough surfaces to place them all, so I think I'll be purchasing some museum putty or something to that effect.

If you are looking to get photos taken of your little one or family, I highly recommend Deb Rumpza Photography. (Email me for contact info.) The day of the shoot, Caelan was extra contrary. She didn't want to wear the outfits I brought, she didn't want to smile, she didn't want to hold the green parasol, she didn't want me to do her hair, and on and on. Deb managed to capture every bit of attitude and nuanced expression; her photos are a perfect snapshot of Caelan, and she got her to smile! I cannot wait to have her do some family portraits. These are a few of my favorites, but it is hard to choose, they all are amazing!

More tomorrow :)

Salted Caramel Popcorn

2011-09-06T23:21:00.000-07:00

Well I've been horridly neglectful of my blog lately, but I'm turning over a new leaf. Once a day, new habit to form :)

In a sort of reverse honor of the "Game on" inspiration for my new habit, here is my newly developed Salted Caramel Popcorn recipe.

Ingredients:
8oz Real Butter
1.5lbs Light Brown Sugar
1/4 cup 2% Milk
1-3.5oz bag Microwave Popcorn, your favorite variety will do
Sea Salt

Butter a sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle with sea salt, set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Add brown sugar and bring to a boil. While waiting for it to come to a boil, pop corn, and put off to the side in a large bowl. Once butter and sugar mixture is boiling, add milk. Boil until caramel hits soft ball stage. Mixing after each addition, pour caramel over popcorn in small amounts until all popcorn is evenly coated. Spread popcorn over buttered and salted parchment paper in a thin, even layer. Let come to room temperature and ENJOY!

Another installment coming tomorrow :)

Frugal Papercrafting

2010-03-05T00:11:00.000-08:00

Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably have felt the effects of the down economy this past year. And if you scrapbook, make cards or other papercrafts, you KNOW what an expensive hobby it can be! It can be overwhelming to walk into a craft store on a budget and try to walk out with everything you need for your project without breaking that budget.

Here is a recipe for a 12x12 twenty page scrapbook album that is so gorgeous, no one will believe you only spent $20!!

Supplies:
"Claire"* 12x12 Paper Pad (24pgs) $9.99
"Claire"* Designer Brads $3.99
"Claire"* Diecut Designs $2.99
5 sheets Gray Cardstock $1.25
5 sheets Cream Cardstock $1.25
1 sheet Chocolate Cardstock $0.25
TOTAL $19.72

Now I'm assuming that you already own adhesive, a paper trimmer, and archival pens, so their cost isn't figured in to the above supplies, but you will need them to make this project!

Buying supplies that are specifically created to coordinate will save you time and money. How often have you come home from the craft store with what you thought were the perfect red rhinestones, only to discover that they are three shades different from your cardstock? When you buy products from the same line, you are guaranteed they will compliment each other.

The trick to using only the above supplies to create the following beautiful twenty pages is to cut frugally and SAVE your scraps! I essentially used every square inch of each piece of paper by the time I was finished.

Take a look at the slide show below; all twenty pages created for ONLY $20!

*"Claire" is one of SEI's current paper lines. If you are interested in purchasing the products depicted or any other SEI products, please let me know!

~ Liz

Snowy Photos

2008-12-22T11:19:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos of my little goofball and her first time in the snow:

And this one couldn't be ignored either, the little Christmas elf:

Coveting for Christmas...

2008-12-21T23:24:00.000-08:00

So really, I'm not all about the gifts for Christmas. I like to make the gifts I give when I can, and don't like buying pointless "wants" for others. However, I have found a few things recently that I may be coveting, just a bit.

Fire Engine Red is my favorite color, but Oranges of all shades come a close second, so I may actually have drooled a bit when I came across this gorgeous Ginger Twisted Scarf by the fabulous female of UrbanKnit. She's based in London, so we have a passing "tweet" acquaintance. And I truly mean *passing.* As I'm heading off to bed and bidding all "good night," she hops online and says "morning!" And so we have short little chats about what have you, and I go into her shop and fall in love with all of the beautiful knits she creates. Take a look: http://www.urbanknit.etsy.com

Since we've been accumulating snow at record rates over the last week, I have begun to realize that I am severely lacking in the area of my closet dedicated to warm coats, sweaters and such. This discovery prompted me to find not only the gorgeous scarf above, but also this incredible, classic redingote. Vigilante Labs creates some fantastic clothes, some that appeal to the superhero in us all, and each and every piece is absolutely artful! This coat though, now this I could flaunt:

Check out Vigilante Labs other amazing, unique work at: http://www.vigilantelabs.etsy.com

And then there are Jenifer Glagowski's Cairn Pendants. I want one, (or two!), in every color! I'm not entirely sure what it is about these pendants that I just adore, but they appeal to the outdoorsy, primitive girl inside of me, who only comes out occasionally. Many of my best memories from highschool involve a crazy, cold, injurious, did I say crazy? backpacking trip. We came across many cairns during the trip, and though remniscient, Jenifer's pendants are by far the more fabulous! You can see them all at: http://www.jeniferglagowski.etsy.com

That's all for the moment, I'll post snow pictures tomorrow. For now, it's time for me to go finish Christmas gifts! I only have two more days!

~ Liz

A bit of randomness

2008-11-12T00:35:00.000-08:00

Ingrid Michaelsson is an incredible performer! My best friend and I went to her concert on Monday, and had an amazing time :) She truly knows how to flow with and connect with her crowd, taking a few requests, involving people in announcing the next song, having a bit of a sing-along; it was great! She has such a beautiful voice, you should go listen to her: http://www.ingridmichaelson.com

I swear my cell phone bill keeps getting higher and higher even though we haven't added any services or gone over our minutes at all. Joys of an economic downturn...

My first show was a small success. The show itself was not something I will ever do again, as it was poorly organized, even more poorly advertised and although full of wonderfully nice people, I don't think more than 60 people walked through the booths who were not also selling a product at the fair. Hardly worth the time and effort, although I did make a few sales and made a few new connections. Hopefully the next one will be a better use of my time.

~Liz

Onto the Show...

2008-11-08T02:06:00.000-08:00

After a distinct lack of communication, I am actually participating in a craft show today! I'm excited/nervous, hoping I don't have enough product made :), and wishing I would have some help. Cross your fingers that there is actually a decent amount of traffic, and that people are actually buying! I'll post pictures afterwards.

~Liz

It's really fall now...

2008-11-04T23:40:00.000-08:00

The weather finally cooperated here in Washington, and we had a beautiful fall day! It was that perfect moment, when all of the deciduous trees are incredible colors, but haven't quite begun to drop their leaves, the sun is bright, there is a crisp breeze and it's just cold enough to require a sweater. In honor of the "beginning" of fall, here is a fall layout! If you want the kit to create this layout, it's $5 and includes everything to make this layout plus 2 A7 cards.

We took my 9month old out trick-or-treating on Main St. in one of the local towns for less than an hour, but it only took her 12 minutes to polish off a blue raspberry dumdum :) Had to fight her for the stick when it was all gone! She was going to be a hippo, but I never got around to ordering the costume since we thought her Johnny was going to be working, so instead she wore her Seahawks cheerleader outfit complete with pompoms. Not that her adorable "cheerleading" has helped at all this season... What a dismal showing by our hawks. But hey, there's always next year, right? Of course, Johnny keeps tell me that they could make a comeback if they win such and such game and so and so doesn't get injured again, etc. Personally, I think it is hopeless, we need to chalk it up to experience and try again next season :) Here she is working on slobbering that sucker to death:

And hey, way to go Obama... Did anyone else think that Mr. Jackson might not have been crying just tears of happiness? Maybe a little jealousy.... He did try it himself, twice :) Just a little tongue-in-cheek! Now we have four years to see if any of the "change" he promised comes to bear. He has a lot of promises to live up to, and I for one, hope he can manage it. I did have to chuckle though, the networks were scrambling for anything to fill in the several hours they still had reserved for watching and waiting for polls when McCain conceeded the victory. Not in my memory has the president elect been declared before the midwest is counted! :) Have to love it.

Night all!

~Liz

Shows

2008-11-04T03:46:00.001-08:00

I'm getting excited, and nervous, about the upcoming craft shows I will be participating in. Trying to build up my inventory so I have enough of everything is getting overwhelming.

I just keep hoping it will be worth it; I want to sell out, or come close, and end the day having made some money. I need a little affirmation as to the fact that I can actually make this whole business venture profitable. In my brain, I know I can. I have the creativity and the knowledge to make it all work, but an emotional part of me is doubtful. Hopefully my drive to be able to stay at home with my daughter will make it happen!

I'll post new pictures of product later today.

~Liz

Green?

2008-10-31T01:41:00.000-07:00

Lately 100% of the cardstock I've been using in my projects has been recycled, and I'm going to stick with that. It's definitely more expensive, especially because I buy the kind not treated with optical brighteners and other chemicals that can harm the ecosystem, but I think my customers will absorb that small price increase in order to be more eco-friendly. I've always loved repurposing items from one project to the next, creating my own embellishments out of leftovers from a prior project, and am now starting to upcycle, using chipboard and such from old furniture, using the wire from old electronics to embellish, etc. My goal is for all of my supplies to be 100% earth-friendly within the next year.

My nine month old daughter, oddly enough, inspired me to start looking further outside of my supply box to find project pieces. I've been watching her over the last few months, enjoying by proxy the fun she has with a wooden spoon, the lid to my coffee cup, the laundry basket, and old cardboard boxes. If these things can be come treasured (if only for a moment) toys, why not treasured parts of my scrapbooks?

~Liz~

Nonstop.

2008-10-30T00:31:00.000-07:00

Well good grief! It's taking my poor little Mac fourteen years to upload photos of my latest work onto Picasa... This is probably due to the rather unreliable satellite internet I'm resigned to use out here in Hicktown USA. Granted, I am undeniably grateful for the satellite internet, as for years we've only had access to AOL. Bleh. I had given up ever using the internet from the house until the satellite came along. Here are a few pictures of my latest projects:

A bright and cheery summertime layout with a pull tag, raised elements, coaster tags, and a slide in frame.

This one is a fall-ish layout, I love the little bird, and creams and browns are my favorites right now.

This "Greatest Mom" chipboard frame turned out so beautifully! The color in this photo is a little off though, the greens are more grassy.

The three lunch bag scrapbooks I made yesterday. I love how much color you can pack into them and they are the perfect size for a brag book!

I've been working nonstop for the last week or so, attempting to build up my inventory. I have a few craft shows/bazaars coming up this season, and I'm trying to get enough put together to have a decent looking display :) Since most of the work I do is custom, I don't often have many "take and go" type projects so I'm concentrating on that. I will also have some of my custom work on display, hopefully to generate more interest/sales there.

Now if I can just get my Etsy store to take off.... I'm working out a swap to get some graphic design pieces done, I'd rather pay/trade someone who already has the programs available, than have to buy a design program or go borrow a computer that has one available to do it myself. It's been so long since I've tried to use a design program, it would take me more hours than it was worth :) So hopefully this trade works out and I get some great branding for my business :)

Order a custom Christmas photo card set from me, get a $10 gift certificate for use in my shop!

~Liz~

My "Day" Job...

2008-10-27T23:05:00.001-07:00

I'm running as fast as I can away from jobs in the "real" world.

Unfortunately, I still have a "day" job; I need it to pay the bills until my business can hold it's own.

And now I'm counting the minutes.

Oddly, I enjoy, even love, customer service. Seeing someone walk away satisfied with their experience gives me joy. There is enough disaster and heartache in everyone's life, their experience with me should not add to it. Working in the restaurant business can be trying. People come in grouchy from their work day, hassled by their kids, worrying about the economy, fill in the blank.

In the past, I've been pretty good about letting in roll off my back. I simply smile and give them the best dining experience I am able to, so that maybe, by the time they leave, their world looks a little brighter. Now, I'm not naive enough to think that setting their food in front of them and making small talk will be a catalyst for life change, but I hope for it to cause a moment of respite.

That was the past.

Oh, I still enjoy customer service, and am hopeful for that smile, but after yesterday, I think my tolerance for restaurant customers is at an all time low.

It wasn't a full moon, and tomorrow is the new moon, but boy oh boy, the crazies were about! Every table was so, well, so unique? And it all began with running into an old friend.

Many years ago I worked with children, occasionally alongside a wonderful man. I loved working with him, as his passion for helping kids through play was absolutely contagious, and his joy for life was unmistakeable. Sadly, I did not keep track of him. So when greeting one of my first tables yesterday, I was surprised to find that I recognized one of the ladies at the table, but absolutely could not place her. A little chit chat and I found out she recognized me as well; restaurants are great for reconnecting! This seemed like a great omen, I was going to have a good day!

I was wrong. Completely, utterly, terribly wrong.

First "The Pastor." He called himself "the pastor" repeatedly. A seemingly nice, jovial man, if slightly patronizing. Then it was time for me to drop off the check. Now throughout their dinner, "The Pastor" and the younger man at the table had been fighting over who would pay. The younger man would tell me to put it all on his tab, and then "The Pastor" would tell me to ignore him and to put it on separate checks. They went back and forth about this nearly everytime I stopped by the table. So I came out with the check printed both ways, all on one slip, and on two separate slips. As I was holding them in front of me and explaining what I had done so that they could choose, the younger man solved the disagreement by grabbing all three checks out of my hands and saying "I'll take care of that." Then the tables around me turned to look as "The Pastor" began to yell at me. I had made him "so angry" and he "couldn't believe" that I had "disobeyed" him. He went on for a bit, letting me know that he was going to talk to my supervisor. As he took a breath, I interjected, "please do, [my supervisor] will be happy to chat with you, but sir, this man wants to buy your dinner, you should graciously say thank you." And with that, it was off to the next table.

Picture if you will, a man in his late forties or early fifties, rather unassuming but well educated and well spoken, out to dinner with his much older and heavier parents. Greeting the three of them, I pointed out the specials, talked them through our menu and asked if they would like something from our bar. When the son asked about our wine list, the mother interrupted me to remind her son that he wasn't allowed to drink. So he ordered water and his parents ordered wine. Then I offered an appetizer, and she promptly reminded him that he shouldn't eat that many calories. When I brought out bread, she slapped his hand away when he reached for a slice. Ordering dinner, she told him he couldn't order the prime rib he'd asked for, it had too much fat and ordered him broccoli, telling him that he was going to eat it this time too. He ate all his broccoli and finished his steak, drank his water all while watching them drink the wine, eat the deep-fried appetizer, plow through four loaves of bread, and finish off their calorie and fat loaded entrees, only for his mother to pat his hand and tell him "good boy" for finishing his broccoli. Never have I seen someone put up with such verbal abuse; what mother treats her grown son this way? (Barring developmental disabilities.) The woman ended her time with me by asking me if I was single, referring to her son as "quite the catch." Maybe he was, but who could put up with her as a mother-in-law?

Then it was the table where no one said more than two words to each other throughout their dinner, the forty year old wife who dressed and talked like she was fourteen, the young lady who put all of the silverware and linens in her purse when she left, the older couple who asked if they could take a few of our coasters and then proceeded to take all the coasters from five other occupied tables, the man who switched tables every fifteen minutes or so, the bitchy woman who's first name was actually "bitch" (spelled slightly differently), and the list goes on...

I celebrate the diversity in our world, and love meeting and interacting with people from all cultures, backgrounds, social situations, etc. But really, some of the "social norms" are in place because they help us all function in society together. Flouting them gets you nowhere fast; maybe at least you'll be remembered for it?

Dreaming of the days when my customer service is only for the crafting industry I adore...

~Liz~

Buy Handmade! And other miscellany...

2008-10-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

Take the handmade pledge! Go to http://www.buyhandmade.org/ to pledge to buy handmade gifts for the holidays. Everyone is touched by a handmade gift, even if it wasn't necessarily your hands that made it :) Buying handmade supports your local, (and national!), economy by supporting small family businesses. Many handmade products are ecologically friendly in addition to being budget friendly and will last for years to come. Handmade projects are made with longevity in mind, from quality materials that will withstand the test of time.

Almost time to start thinking about those Christmas Cards you need to send. Save time and energy, let me do it for you! Let me create and send beautiful handmade cards for you! Email me if you have questions.

I'm contemplating new and interesting photo projects.... There is one that I would love to get started, but I really want to license it first, since I cannot find anything like it (in over 20hrs of research!) I've also been playing with a pattern for a new style of scrapbook, or rather a box, and it's coming along quite nicely, so hopefully I'll have an example made up soon.

Trying to be your own SEO expert is difficult. I would say I'm a very savvy, advanced internet user, not fluent in HTML or any other languages, but with a good understanding of how the whole system works, and yet, it is HARD to get your website indexed, ranked, etc. Anyone know a SEO who would be interested in a trade for a custom scrapbook? :) Not likely, right? Well, keep your ears open, you never know who you'll come across! I'd love the help, maintaining my webpage is not the problem, getting and keeping it visible is.

If you are in the Enumclaw/Auburn/Buckley area, you can see my work and available product at the Enumclaw SDA Holiday Craft Bazaar, 3333 Griffin Ave Enumclaw, WA 98022 November 6th, 7th and 9th. NOT Saturday!

Hope to see you there!

~ Liz

And we're off...

2008-08-29T13:13:00.000-07:00

Well I'm off and running... so to speak.

My beginning marketing strategies seem to be working well, and I'm attempting to put more in the works, my business cards are almost finished and people seem interested. So now I just have to keep working, and cross my fingers that it all continues to pay off. I've been acquiring some great new products, and now I'm excited to create some new pages for my own scrapbooks. Of course, I'll post them on JustYesterdayScrapbooks.com for everyone to take a look at!

My daughter has inspired some of my new page ideas lately, (as usual...), and boy are the pictures adorable! Her papa bought her a little Seahawks cheerleader outfit, and although she wasn't particularly happy to have the little turtleneck pulled over her head, she did look absolutely adorable tottering around in it.

I'll write again soon! Thanks for your support!

Messy, Messy...

2008-08-18T01:04:00.000-07:00

So What?

I'm a bit of a messy person by nature. Messy when I scrapbook, my hair is messy, my room is messy, my purse and the diaper bag are messy; but somehow, through it all, still rather organized. You may not be able to read my handwriting, but my planner has every obligation I have written in it. That pile of papers may look like a mess to you, but I know exactly what is in it, and why it is sitting where it is. You may not be able to find anything in my purse, but I have exactly what I need and can find it too :)

Slowly, I am becoming a much more "organized" person in the traditional sense of the word. This is due, mostly, to my DF, who sometimes wants to pull his hair out at sight of one of my messes. Being a mom, working outside the house, effectively running a business, finding time for my DF, and juggling all my other relationships and committments have all coalesced into a great motivator for being more organizationally inclined.

My leaps and bounds in organization became apparent to me this weekend, as I have been driven to distraction by several hitches in my latest design project. A particular client needed an EXTREME rush job (7 days from first contact to album finished and in hand), and after some discussion, I agreed to accomodate the time constraints. Then the first hiccup: overnighting the materials was pushed back by a day, client was sick. Second hiccup: overnighting delayed again, client was having trouble sorting her photos. Third hiccup: my cousin was killed, we have to leave on Tuesday for the funeral (design project due on Thursday). Fourth hiccup: Package was overnighted, but was not delivered on the corresponding day.

So now, here I am, trying not to tear my own hair out while I decide how to divert from my previously tight schedule, and finish a 22 page album design in less than 24 hours. And all this while upholding my committments as a mother, an employee, a business owner, a fiancee and a friend...

Creation Mode...

2008-08-17T00:39:00.000-07:00

Bienvenido a mi blog!

I'm in an extreme creation mode...

In the last 7 days I have created:
-a business!
-a professional website
-a business card
-a logo
-a marketing plan
-38 new scrapbook pages
-2 unique photo projects
-3 things that require copyrighting
-1 full scrapbook for a client

And last but not least, a new blog! :) This blog will be where I write about and post some of my new layouts, talk about my business and express my thoughts on the development of my scrapping style.

Check back often for step-by-step layout instructions and examples, specials on my products, and discounts on scrapbooking materials.

~ Liz