Fishy Hair

Since I still struggle with French braids, I've decided to move on and try learning something else.

ENTER FISH-TAIL!!

I absolutely LOVE doing a Fish-Tail braid on my hair.  It's a great mix of classy and modern.  I follow a blog called Missy Sue where she does some amazing simple hair tutorials, as well as great fashion, style, and DIY posts.  Recently, she posted a french fish-tail braid.  It's uber uber easy and yet it looks like a french braid.

Style of today I found here  http://www.missysue.com/2014/12/fishtail-braided-updo

I'll post pictures soon of what my version looks like

CSP Photography

Lately, I've had a lot of people ask me to take their pictures; whether it's graduation announcements, engagements, or just be the fly on the wall with their kids.  Taking photos has always been a hobby of mine on a small scale, but I never thought anyone else would enjoy looking a what I do for fun.  The result = Curly Southpaw Photography.  You can see the link to where I'll post photos above in "CSP Photos"

As You Go Then You Don't Have To

I learned this while watching my parents.  My mom can and does cook absolutely everything on the planet...and my dad would go along and clean up behind her.  Often, it would drive her nuts that he'd put the flour away right after she'd turned her back to stir in sugar.  BUT, the kitchen was always clean by the time we got to eat.  My dad would always say "clean as you go then you don't have to clean."

To me, there is nothing more frustrating than cooking and seeing the pile of dishes getting bigger and bigger.  It's like a monster that just keeps growing.

Here are a few tips I use while cooking in order to keep things under control.

Keeping a Clean Kitchen While Cooking.

1. Start Clean.  It's hard to start cooking when there is already a sink full of dirty dishes.  When the sink is full it make is so you can't wash a rinse any bowls or utensil while you're going.  It also just creates a difficult atmosphere to cook in.  Try to make sure you start with a clean workspace, it's going to make it easier to end up with one.

2. Get out everything you need at the beginning. Take a minute to plan out what you're making and the order you would like to do it. Get out all your ingredients, utensils, bowls and pots and pans.  This way you have a plan and are not just "winging" it.

3. Garbage Bag.  This is a perfect way to keep your trash off the kitchen counter or just to keep you from running to the garbage can.  As you peel and slice, just toss the scraps in the bag then, when you're finished, just toss the whole bag.  My roommates tease me about this, but I'll never change.

4. Clean up as you go. The mess can pile up fast if you move onto cooking or baking a second item before you get your first one put away.  Lots of ingredients, bowls and utensils on the counter also make it hard to find what you need and you may end up using 4 spoons and extra mixing bowls.

5. Wash off your bowls and cooking utensils as you go. If you are cooking 2-3 things, no need to grab a new bowl.  Do a quick rinse with hot water and soap and you should be good to go for your next recipe in a flash.

6. Make more 1 dish meals.  One dish meals on the stove top like stir-fry and soup are a great way to keep the pans under control.  Ans some of you may not like this idea  but I will often mix casseroles in the same dish I bake them in, why dirty up a big bowl just to pour into the baking dish?  You have to use your judgement, but personally I have found very little sticking issues.

7. Grate cheese onto a paper towel.  Not the biggest "green" tip.  But I don't mind occasionally using paper products when it will save me on a bit of clean up.

8. Double your recipe and freeze for another night.  This one is kind of a bonus tip because it won't keep your kitchen cleaner the 1st time around, but it will the next time when you don't have to cook!

How do you keep the kitchen clean while you are cooking? What are your best tips?

I'm Not a “Plan B” Kind of Girl

I deserve better than someone who is afraid to commit to me. It may seem like enough for now. I'm just taking things slow. Oh, how I know those little phrases of “one day” and“we just need time."  I believe them. I’ve ALWAYS believed them.

But I'm NOT a plan B kind of girl.

I need to know that I'm not the invisible one standing in the back who gets chosen last.  I'm the girl who the team captain will be frantically hoping doesn’t get picked by someone else before he gets a turn. I'm a first-pick kind of girl. And no one worth having sits back and lets those girls wait around.  ‘Cause every good man knows that the good ones get gone fast.  

He should be jumping out of his skin in anticipation to call out my name and say “I pick you.”

“But he’s scared” “…and I’ve got commitment issues” “…and we don’t like labels.”

And. And. And.

Like a fool, I’ve stood there picking at the fabric of my sweater and spinning excuses. I’ve heard them all. I’ve used them all. “He’s been hurt.” “He’s busy.” “He’s in school.” “He doesn’t have a good car.” “He has Momma issues.” “His Dad left.” “His Great Aunt’s second cousin’s puppy just died.”

I'm not the kind of girl who needs to make excuses for him.  Good girls don’t have to finish last.

I must be at the wrong game and with the wrong players. Because I'm not a substitute, average, or second string.  I'm a catch. I am beautiful and funny and fabulous. Rooms light up when I walk in. Heads turn when I giggle and the earth itself adores the kiss of my feet.  I am worthy to be chosen, pursued, adored, loved, respected and informed. This whole “Do we really have to define this thing?” is almost always a delicate way of asking “Will you fill this lonely spot until I decide nothing better is coming along?”  

Stop being afraid that I am not worthy enough to be claimed. Stop thinking “I’ll take what I can get. Maybe I will be enough for him one day. Maybe he will be enough for me.”  Don’t even consider the lie that says; “I can’t set my standards too high, because if I do, I might end up alone.”  Better to be alone than taken for granted. Better to be alone than to be a placeholder.

The one that loves you isn’t afraid to say it. If he loves you, he won’t even blink because the idea of giving another man the chance to swoop in is just unacceptable.He’ll fight and use labels or poems or the Goodyear blimp to show you that you’re just the right fit for that open place in his heart. That no other piece will do.  

You should be nobody’s second choice. And if you are, then they are just that; NOBODY.

He’ll lose his pride to tell me that I make him nervous and he’ll spend his heart to find what makes me laugh. He’ll tell me that I'm worth words and flowers and promises.  And I'll believe him, because I'll see it in the way he watches me across a room. I won’t have to question it by analyzing a text message or deciphering the tone of an e-mail. Because he’ll drive over just because and I'll see it in his face and hear it in the way he asks about my day.  My answer will lie in the memories of nervous beginnings and awkward introductions. I'll know because the questions didn't take long to fade. Because he said what he meant and meant what he said. And even when he messed up; he made up.

I'm not his back pocket plan, fill-in girl, or multiple choice answer. I am fierce and a force to be reckoned with and the kind of girl whose beauty calls for hand-written notes, words like “wow” and car rides to the ocean. Take nothing else and be nothing less.

Note to self:  Be the kind of girl who deserves him and treats him with kindness. Who laughs at his jokes and thanks him when he opens your door. Leave the head games behind you. Encourage him and wear the kinds of dresses that make him respect you. Be the kind of girl who gasps at his surprises and hugs him for his compliments. Be worthy of the kind of man that you deserve and & the man that he was born to be.
Stop waiting for the guy who isn't sure you’re enough and respect yourself enough to wait for the one that knows you are.

Crazy Cuisine

Just a little insight to my current culinary-creations!

Mint Chocolate Chip with Mint Oreo Cookies (and my St. Patty nails)

Cinnamon rolls

Wontons

Crockpot Carribean Jerk Ribs

Rolls

Christmas Sugar Cookies

Butterscotch rolls

Nailed it -- Fun

Since I got home from my mission, I've had this weird fascination with "fun-painting" my nails.  I love to decorate for the holidays, but nails are my newest canvas-obsession.  I'm not a big fan of painting the ring finger differently, but I do like making my thumb different.  I like having the four fingers match, and then BOOM...a cute little thumb design.  Here's my escapades as of yet:

Valentine's Day kiss

Hearts and Kisses

St. Patrick's Day buckle

St. Patrick's Day gold coins

Ready to Cinna-OH-YEAH

Tried my hand at making homemade cinnamon rolls...sans raisins (yucky).  Verdict - - - FAN-TAB-U-LOUS!!

I don't have any mixing pictures, but here's when the magic started.  After rolling out a tablet of dough, I brushed a little butter on and covered with sugar and cinnamon...and more sugar and cinnamon...and more butter.  After the tablet, I rolled it into a log, took some floss and cut it into discs (I felt a little like a ninja with the floss...that stuff is awesome).

Rolled out and read to roll up and cut

Rolled up and ready to rise

Risen and ready to bake

Baked and ready to glaze

Glazed and ready to devour

CINNA-OH-YEAH

If I lived in the past

Here's a little look into what I'd look like, if I lived in the Seventies.

70s glasses

Won-Ton-Time

At the grocery store the other day, I randomly decided to make won-tons.  I'd never even attempted to make them before, and I had no idea how to do so.  That's why this was so much fun.  I just thought of what I liked to eat in a won-ton, and went from there.  It was fun to make up the recipe and not have to worry about anyone else.  This was just an experiment for me...good plan.  They are YUMMMMYY!

Recipe I created:

• Cabbage
• Onions
• Garlic
• Red Pepper
• Green pepper
• Fresh Spinach
• Turkey lunchmeat
• Vinegar
• Pepper (I never add salt to anything, unless it's in a baking recipe)
• Cayenne Pepper powder

Sautee the onions and garlic in a little oil.  In a medium bowl (depending on how much you're making, add the peppers and chopped cabbage.  Add about 1/2cup Vinegar and mix.  When everything has been thoroughly coated, add the spinach, pepper, and cayenne.  Add to the frying pan of onions and garlic.  Shred the lunchmeat and add.  Once everything has been heated, add the spinach and anything else you'd like.  Turn off heat and allow to cool.  Take an egg toll paper and lay it out on the counter.  Spoon some of the mixture onto the middle of the paper in a log shape.  Fold three sides of the won-ton like an envelope and then roll.  To seal it - take a little water on your fingertip and smooth along the edge.  I tried frying and baking the won-tons - - - DEFINITELY fry them!  Serve with a little sweet chili sauce.  I tried it with Sriracha sauce, but the sweet chili was the best.  Baking the won-tons kept them a little too moist for my tastes.  I liked the crunchy outside balanced by the moist inside.  YUM YUM!!

Be Hairy

I love to discovering/creating new ways to do hair.

Celsea concert hair (side)

Celsea concert hair (back)

Crackin' dem Crackers

For as long as I can remember, I've had a little love of Nutcrackers.  I think it all stems to growing up in Germany - the land of the Nutcrackers.

On one of my parents' visits to Utah, my mom and I wandered around some quilt and fabric stores.  Since it was near the holidays, a lot of the quilts hanging around were of snowmen, bells, trees, and santas.  In the far back of a little shop, I saw the most adorable Nutcracker quilt.  I oooed and awwed over it for awhile until my mom joined me and said "we can make that, if you want.  We can create that pattern.  Look at the faces and get an idea of how they're put together."  Those instructions from my mom are some that I'm so used to hearing.  My mom can make anything, just by looking at it.  I truly mean ANYTHING - food, clothes, crafts, ANYTHING.  My task always was, to learn that skill by analyzing to see how I can recreate them.  I took pictures and critiqued the stitches on the Nutcracker eyes, but the idea of making my own quilt from start to finish just plain intimidated me.  

I kept the Nutcrackers in the forefront of the back of my mind, with no sight of starting it any time soon.  My mom wouldn't be in town much longer, and I knew that I would NOT be starting such a project without a mentor - that's disaster waiting to happen.  

Then, came the day before I'd get to go home for Christmas.  My mom called to say that my aunt had the Nutcracker pattern I'd been oogling months before.  I got excited!  As soon as I got home, I was ready to get going.  Overall, it took me 3 days to start and finish my first real wall-hanging quilt.  

Mom took me to this little fabric store in Chambersburg.  We spent a good couple hours browsing.  I knew I wanted a non-Christmas colored quilt so that broadened my options.  One of the first bolts I pulled was this fantastic paisley print in what I call "India colors".  (Sidenote - I've also been almost obsessed with India for most of my childhood).  That was the springboard of inspiration, followed by a really fun "hair printed" fabric for, what else, the hair.  Mom has hundreds of different scraps and pieces of fabric so we only needed to get the larger pieces or patterns I couldn't live without.  After gathering all the fabrics and making the pattern pieces, I was aching to start.  Here's the stash:

As soon as all the pieces were cut out, I laid them out.  Each Nutcracker HAD to have their own personality.  That was my favorite part!  All the pieces laid out and ready to press.  In my limited quilting experience I've learned that Fusible is the best creation ever.  You just iron it to your fabric, cut it out, and iron it down.  Then all you have to do is sew around it.  The Fusible glues the pieces together, and...makes life so easy.  Here, the noses were just ironed down, and I'm ready to get sewing.  Couldn't decide which was my favorite face.  Can you?

By the time I'd blanket-stitched around all of them, I still didn't have a favorite, but I was tired - - 2am.  If my eyes hadn't been burning...and my mentor-mom hadn't already gone to bed, I'd have been able to keep going.  Oh well, day 2.  My mom has stuff for all craft projects imaginable - hence my creative/thrifty nature - so, of course, she'd have tiny black beads for the eyes.  The original quilt had fabric eyes, but that just wouldn't do for a "Ladies Lind craft project".  

Once I was this far, there isn't much visible progress, so I didn't photograph.  BUT, I will give you the rundown.

After adding the borders and prepping the backing, the tricky task was to quilt the quilt.  While I was on my mission, my mom got a 15ft long-arm quilting machine.  This monstrous piece of sewing equipment came in handy.  I'd never used such a thing before, but my mom told me, then showed me, and finally set me loose.  I stayed up uber late working, because I was having so much fun.  My mom was so impressed that she wants me to quilt her projects from now on.

The quilting on the quilt

My favorite block

Finished project