Domestic Geek http://domesticgeek.com/index.php All This and I Can Cook, Too! en domesticgeek@gmail.com Copyright 2011 2011-12-11T04:55:11+00:00 Cross-Stichers Night Before Christmas http://domesticgeek.com/index.php/weblog/comments/cross_stichers_night_before_christmas http://domesticgeek.com/index.php/weblog/comments/cross_stichers_night_before_christmas


'Twas the night before Christmas, and oh, I was weary.
My stitching unfinished, my eyes getting bleary.
The stockings weren't finished, the chimney was bare
And I knew that morning soon would be here.

My children and husband were tucked in their beds,
But visions of backstitches ran through my head.
I'd stitched ornaments and presents and gifts by the ton,
And now, I was finally, almost, almost done.

As I poised my needle for one more stitch,
I heard something outside that made my hand twitch.
I jumped up from my stitching and flew to the door
Pressed my eye to the peephole, tiptoe off the floor.

My stitching forgotten, I peered into the night
When suddenly I got a terrible fright.
On my porch appeared Santa, holding his sack
He knocked softly, and I took a giant step back.

I unlocked the deadbolt, and let Santa in
He entered and gave a mischievous grin.
"Hope you don't mind if I come in the door?
Coming down the chimney can be quite a chore."

He said, "You're up late. Still working, I see.
Do you know how tired you're going to be?"
I know, Santa, I said with a sigh
But I'm still backstitching the stars in the sky

And the fields on that stocking look blobby you know,
I need to backstitch the drifts in the snow.
I've been stitching and stitching and stitching, no rest.
I just tried to finish stitching too much, I guess.

"I know what you mean," he said with a smile.
"This is my busiest time of the year, by a mile."
He stooped down by the tree and he opened his sack
And began to pull presents out of his pack.

"I've got some things here I think you might like.
An oak stitching frame and a brand new Ott-Light.
A bundle of floss and a great big mat cutter."
I smiled and felt my heart go a- flutter.

He put down gifts for us all, then waved his right hand
"Go to bed," he said, glancing at my floor stand.
He gave me a wink and stepped out the door.
I just stood there a moment, glued to the floor.

After he'd left, I turned back to my chair
Picked up the stockings and started to stare.
The backstitching was done! The stars lit the sky!
And on my son's stocking, angels sung on high!

I ran to thank Santa for this final gift,
And watched as his sleigh started to lift.
I heard him exclaim as he pulled out of sight,
"Merry Stitching to All, and to all a good night!"

~Author Unknown

]]> Arts & Crafts, Cross Stitch, Holidays, Christmas, 2011-12-11T04:55:11+00:00 Thursday is a Stupid Day for a Holiday http://domesticgeek.com/index.php/weblog/comments/thursday_is_a_stupid_day_for_a_holiday http://domesticgeek.com/index.php/weblog/comments/thursday_is_a_stupid_day_for_a_holiday some research to find out why we celebrate Thanksgiving a Thursday. I mean, I know why we now we have it on the 4th Thursday of November, but the reasoning I'm finding for why it is on a Thursday at all is lame.

Getting up for work today was a royal pain. I was soooo tired. To make matters worse, there was really nothing to do once I got there. I knew when I left Wednesday that we would have no work, but I couldn't call in or I wouldn't get paid for yesterday. I wandered the building a lot. Most everyone had gone home for the day by the time I got back from lunch. Most of our clients got their work in early so they could have a long holiday weekend, so no new work was to be had. I only managed to drag it out for six hours and then I called it quits. I spent the next 3 hours hanging in a conference room watching television and knitting until Marcus was ready to go.

The good news is that since I actually got to really have a holiday for Thanksgiving, I'm ready for a little Christmas cheer.

]]> Holidays, Internet, Blogging, NaBloPoMo, 2011-11-26T05:22:16+00:00 Thanksgiving 2011 http://domesticgeek.com/index.php/weblog/comments/thanksgiving_2011 http://domesticgeek.com/index.php/weblog/comments/thanksgiving_2011
My Facebook status earlier this evening
Hope everyone out there in American Blogland had a Happy Thanksgiving. For the first time in five years, I didn't have to work on Thanksgiving, so for that I am extremely grateful. Preparing the Thanksgiving meal is one of the highlights of my year. I love to cook, but with just Marcus and I, I rarely get to go all out.

This year's menu included:


]]> Food, Cooking, Holidays, Internet, Blogging, NaBloPoMo, 2011-11-25T05:26:33+00:00 Thanksgiving Eve http://domesticgeek.com/index.php/weblog/comments/thanksgiving_eve1 http://domesticgeek.com/index.php/weblog/comments/thanksgiving_eve1
I even went in early, made the shopping list of the last few things I needed to pick up on the way home to avoid having to shop anywhere on Friday or Saturday and looked like I was going to be out by 6pm. Then, after everyone in the department had left for the night except me, my supervisor called and told me I needed to work this one job before I left. One of the other operators put it on hold (he shouldn't have, the job is worked the same every danged time it comes in). Of course there was a problem and I needed the supervisor's input and she didn't answer my phone call or email right away. Oh, well.

I was going to bake a cheesecake tonight, but it will have to wait until the weekend. ]]> Holidays, Internet, Blogging, NaBloPoMo, Work, 2011-11-24T04:42:27+00:00 Abandoned Bunnies in CO Springs http://domesticgeek.com/index.php/weblog/comments/abandoned_bunnies_in_co_springs http://domesticgeek.com/index.php/weblog/comments/abandoned_bunnies_in_co_springs Colorado House Rabbit Society about approx. 60 white rabbits that had been abandoned by the the roadside down in Colorado Springs. It reminded me of our own rescue of an abandoned white rabbit.

I hope they find the jerk/s that did that. Not only were they left to fend for themselves, but there is probably a lot of inbreeding going on as a result. So not cool.

I wish I could adopt one as my little Flash could probably use a friend, but probably not a good idea.

Here's the story from KKTV in the Springs:

]]> Internet, Blogging, NaBloPoMo, News, Pets, 2011-11-23T05:14:53+00:00 Mmmm…Cheesecake http://domesticgeek.com/index.php/weblog/comments/mmmm...cheesecake http://domesticgeek.com/index.php/weblog/comments/mmmm...cheesecake
Here it is sitting on my friend Tina's counter:



I went to Target on the way to my friend's house to pick up the cherry topping and to see what others were available (in case someone didn't like cherries). I saw the Limited Edition Berry Medley on the shelf and just had to try it. I mixed the two topping together and was it good! For the picture below, I topped a slice off with some of the fresh fruit that was also at the party.

Here is a single slice:



I have a couple of tricks I've picked up over the years to have cheesecakes come out really yummy. Many of the tips are summarized here. First, a water bath is a must. I always put parchment paper in the bottom of the pan. Never open the oven door when a cheesecake is baking. After the allotted time in the recipe, turn off the oven and leave the door closed. After an hour and a half or so, I take the cheesecake out of the bath and put it back in the oven. Once the cake has cooled completely, I'll take the springform side off and put it into the refrigerator over night. Instead of a knife, I use craft wire to slice it.
]]> Food, Baking, Internet, Blogging, NaBloPoMo, 2011-11-22T05:45:48+00:00 Sunday Wrap Up http://domesticgeek.com/index.php/weblog/comments/sunday_wrap_up http://domesticgeek.com/index.php/weblog/comments/sunday_wrap_up
Marcus and I finished up the Thanksgiving shopping this evening. We picked up the natural free-range turkey that we ordered earlier from Sunflower Market. Can't wait to see how that turns out. I spent the earlier part of the day at a knitting gathering at my friend's house down in Castle Rock. I got the body of the amigurumi turkey I'm making finished, as well as several rows of a holiday bag I'm knitting. I brought one of my cheesecakes to share and I was quite happy with how it turned out. I'll post pics tomorrow after I get them off of my camera.

Marcus and I actually relaxed this evening and finally watched Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. He downloaded that from iTunes a couple of weeks ago and we hadn't had a chance to watch it. I'll admit that I missed Orlando Bloom's character just a little.

The olive leaf extract that I wrote about yesterday seems to be doing the trick. I felt so much better today. Still coughing up a little crud out of my lungs, but at least I didn't feel like sleeping all danged day.

OK, I'm off to dig through my stash to find orange yarn for my turkey and then I'm off to bed.]]> Food, Baking, Health, Internet, Blogging, NaBloPoMo, 2011-11-21T05:44:18+00:00 Trying Something New http://domesticgeek.com/index.php/weblog/comments/trying_something_new1 http://domesticgeek.com/index.php/weblog/comments/trying_something_new1 I read somewhere that Olive Leaf Extract was antibacterial and antiviral. I picked up a bottle of the Nature's Way brand today. As I am really sick and tired of being sick and tired, I figured it couldn't hurt. I'll let you all know how it works.

I was at Target today with Dad picking up the Thanksgiving feast and the egg case was totally empty. Hanging from a shelf was a sign that Target had severed ties with its supplier, Sparboe Farms, and they apologized for any inconvenience. People were so upset - you would think that eggs weren't sold any place else. When I got home I searched the news and found a story that both Target and McDonald's had dropped Sparboe Farms after an activist turned over undercover video about the conditions there. While I wished something like this would open people's eyes and change the way food is mass-produced in this country, people will quickly forget. Since Marcus and I have vowed to avoid food produced by the big commercial companies and stick to local and organic when possible, we've found that many people actually feel threatened by our choice. They prefer to not know where there food comes from or how it's produced, as long as it is cheap and easy.]]> Health, Internet, Blogging, NaBloPoMo, 2011-11-20T05:49:44+00:00 THW Via Cup Poster http://domesticgeek.com/index.php/weblog/comments/thw_via_cup_poster http://domesticgeek.com/index.php/weblog/comments/thw_via_cup_poster PGA Presidents Cup theme. See, they have their tournaments coincide with real golf tourneys, so we try to include some reference when possible. I was consumed with thinking about this poster and even my customary hot shower did nothing to clear my block. When I gave in and went to bed, I still didn't drift off right away and I dreamed about this darned thing all night. When the alarm went off at 7:30am, I had a flash and it resulted in what you see below. The guys seemed to like it and now they're getting ready to tee off for their matches.



I guess I should explain the poster for those not in the know. Via Banana Buzzsaw is the concoction that Marcus drinks when he's playing, consisting of either hot or cold Via blended with a banana. This weekend is the President's Cup and Marcus drinks this in the big Starbucks cup pictured in the poster...you get the idea, I hope.

On a sad note, one of my parakeets dropped dead while we were working on this. Marcus was standing behind my chair watching me color when there was a big ruckus in the cage to our right. Marcus is a little traumatized, I think, because he saw the bird fall and then close its eyes for the final time. Poor bird. I got the pair on Freecycle quite a while ago (their names were Luke and Leia - not kidding). I never knew the sex of the bird that died, but since it didn't lay eggs like the other one, I christened him to be Luke. I have no idea how old they were when I adopted them, so I wasn't surprised. Still sad, though. I hate losing pets. RIP, Luke.

]]> Design, Internet, Blogging, NaBloPoMo, Pets, 2011-11-19T03:11:17+00:00 On a Deadline http://domesticgeek.com/index.php/weblog/comments/on_a_deadline http://domesticgeek.com/index.php/weblog/comments/on_a_deadline THW Golf tournament poster. I'll post a finished one tomorrow, but here's a preview:

]]> Design, Internet, Blogging, NaBloPoMo, 2011-11-18T03:54:18+00:00