The Pottery Run-down

I signed up for a "Clay Club" at our local Arts Center in September. I had done some ceramics in high school, and really enjoyed working with clay a lot, but I shied away from anything that was seriously challenging and ended up dropping the class once I was pregnant with Ian, because the clay dust made me feel sick. I never picked it up again until I joined the club this fall.

Turns out....I enjoy working with clay even more now. And apparently I've gained a modicum of maturity over the last twenty-so years, because I went in with the intention of becoming proficient on the potter's wheel, and I've stuck to that goal even though it's probably the most difficult and time-consuming goal I have ever set for myself. THROWING POTTERY IS HARD.

Seriously. So incredibly hard. I mean yeah, even a kid can learn to make functional wheel-thrown pottery...but there's functional and then there's beautiful-light-symmetrical-functional, you know? Turns out, making pretty pottery is something you have to PRACTICE at. It's something you will waste clay on, trying to achieve. I'm not used to having to do either to get to decently proficient, so starting this whole endeavor got VERY frustrating very fast.

Pottery Stamps

So, last fall, about when I started taking pottery classes, my friend Tom decided to upgrade his cable-drive rotary tool arsenal. He very very very generously gave me his old set. And stand. And table. And accessory box. Seriously, this was a HUGE gift. Blew me away!

Lifetime Achievement Quilt

Ok, so it hasn't been achieved yet. BUT!! I've finally started and made (very very small) headway on that yo-yo quilt that I have wanted for my entire life, from the time my Grandma Marge told me what the heck yo-yos were and how they were made and what you could do with them. Besides make creepy clown dolls.

I had started making yo-yos ages ago, like when Davey or Bobby were babies? Anyway, I found a whole bag of them all gathered up nicely....but not nicely enough. They were pretty lumpy looking and not very perfectly round. I compared them with the couple test ones that I had made using my impulse-purchase Clover Yo-yo Maker (size Large 45mm) and they were a touch too big to be compatible. So I strung them all in a rope on a sturdy thread and gave David a yo-yo lei. It looks pretty stupid. Then I decided to give that yo-yo maker a workout!

Short Update

So....I've been depressed most of the last year. It happens.

I started following the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol diet in July to try to get my unexplainable body pain under control. It works. So far I know that eggs, tomatoes, and potatoes cause me pain, and I have problems with wheat and milk to some degree as well. My weight dropped to 123 lbs when I was following the diet and feeling well, then jumped right up to 145 once I succumbed to the depression and desire for holiday / comfort / sugary foods. The awful pain came back, too. Live and learn. The pain is gone and I'm back down to 130. It's a start.

I started learning how to make pottery in the fall. It makes me happy when it works. I gave a piece of pottery to most of my friends and family for Christmas. I'm in the process of making a set of mugs as a gift for a local restaurant. It's slow going because I chose crappy clay and have to test out how the glazes interact with it. I also have my own potter's wheel at home. It's a good thing.

AIP-friendly Breakfast Hash

I just started myself of the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet, and will likely be sharing some recipes as I discover them.

This particular one-dish meal started as an attempt at a potato-free breakfast side dish, created by my friend Jenna. She threw together some bulk sausage, sliced parsnip, green onion, and parsley and served it up as an accompaniment to eggs. It was love at first bite.

At home, we would make it and serve it with eggs (yellow) and green veggies (green) to make a pretty, well balance plate. But after a while, we realized that we could get pretty and well-balanced just by varying the vegetables we throw into the pan.

So, without further ado, I present my Breakfast Hash Formula.

The Superawesome Jeans Rescue, or: Not Your Grandma's Pull-on Jeans

Oh. My. Gosh. I did it. I can't believe it worked. It worked!!
Ok, you know that pair of jeans that you have at the bottom of the pile? The ones that you have to constantly tug back up in back, that has the half rolled-over waistband in front because your mama flab keeps trying to escape because the rise is just a bit too low? The ones that fit ok 3 years ago, until something happened and your bulges inexplicably shifted? THOSE jeans.
Know what you can do with the dang things? You can, my dear reader, execute a Superawesome Jeans Rescue. Not only will you be able to wear them again, but you won't have to hitch them up EVER, there will be no muffin-top at all, and you can wear those form fitting tops that go down over your hips without the stupid waistband button making a big old lump in the middle. For serious.

Magic Mayonnaise

What's so magic about this mayonnaise? In a nutshell, it's so fast and easy, it practically makes itself. No joke. All you need is a pint mason jar and a stick blender, and you'll be able to astound yourself with how magically you can make mayonnaise with good oils, good eggs, and lacto-fermentation to naturally preserve it.