Finding that Hobby

So, Christmas came and went... and not without some Hobby-hunting related info!

First- Christmas Eve dinner was requested:
Prime Rib (for daddy) and Crab Legs (for the girls).
Now, having never made Prime Rib before, of course I had to ask the butcher what the heck it even WAS... which made me look like "oh lord, this girls out of her league" to everyone waiting on their turn... BUT - I found a fantastic combination of spices (thyme, curry, paprika to name a few) for it, and according to Morgan made "the best Prime Rib ever. I don't even want to go to my favorite Prime Rib place anymore its THAT good" with Horseradish and an Aus jus sauce, with new potatoes from the crab boil and sauted mushrooms with wilted spinach. For the girls, I did a typical Crab Boil, complete with new red potatoes and corn on the cob. Since they only had King Crab and each leg was as big as my forearm, I decided to get 4 legs and a few scallops.

Adventure #2 - I had never made scallops before either! Pan seared, and I created a Sauce for the scallops that involved butter, mushrooms, garlic and truffle oil. OH MY GOODNESS they were the best scallops either of us had tasted; perfectly seasoned, cooked and actually made me debate eating my crab legs!

Unfortunately, the food was so good we forgot to take a picture... but I tell you what... I'm ready for a dinner party now!


SECOND:
Part of Amber's Christmas gift from me was a bunch of Art Supplies. Acryllic paints, and about 50 different brushes... Amber is away for the rest of the holiday, and I snuck into the paints last night.... thinking I would just play around with them....
Here's what came out of that:

I like this one the best.... Feels like Oceanic... maybe seaweed in the current?

This one, I have no clue...



OH - and I remade my green stocking... Amber bought me a sewing box to keep all my stuff in...

Attack of the Crafty Spirit

Again, I believe I've been possessed by Martha... I have been on a search for the perfect stockings to match my Christmas theme (think Dr. Suess meets Whimsical)... its an explosion of color, nothing is traditional... so of course, no one makes the kind of over the top stockings I'm looking for. Well, they do, but at 50 bucks each.... to have the EXACT same stocking for all of us, just doesn't seem right.

So last year I bought a pattern, but lost it. This year, I bought fabric and decided to get funky! After a quick sewing lesson from Billye, (bc other than a button, I do not have a clue how to sew), I sat down this weekend and went to town. I need to put on some finishing touches on Morgan's... and probably remake my green one, bc it is quite narrow in the neck... but I'm really proud of my skill!

Surviving Charity

Wow. I've survived all Charity Events. I believe the Nutcracker will be the end of my Charity work for each year. Its the first weekend of December, and REALLY got me in the Christmas spirit this year. We got to take our first family photo at the tea; and Everyone LOVED the amazing tea I created. Literally went to the Tea Master and said "I want it to taste like this..." It was music to my ears every time someone said they couldn't believe how good the tea tasted... and then we sold them all!

Starting out

So I need a hobby. I look and I really want to be creative. I don't know if I WANT to be creative, or feel pressured by all the stay at homes who create amazing costumes for their children in the school musical production (Kindergardners mind you, the ones who don't even sing, they stand on stage sucking their fingers? yeah... them) and here I am just trying to MAKE it to the production....
I find myself wandering the halls of the craft stores, thinking... I'm never going to make something out of this, except a mess.... I have started collecting art, but find myself drawn to some pieces I'm pretty sure that I could make... So today I bought canvas and some paints... not knowing a THING about painting... but I LIKE art, so shouldn't I be able to Create it? I mean, I pulled off the Wreath Challange when my husband said "you cant make that wreath... " And I'd never done it before... but figured it can't be too hard.

... I've started Decorating like I am Martha Stewart for some reason... Is it the new house?

This quest started because the hobby I love is basically impossible to do anymore. Photography. I love the darkroom. The smell of the chemicals, the sound of the fan... the glow of the red light... watching your pictures emerge in the bath of chemicals... Today there's instant gratification, which is nice when chasing a toddler around trying to catch a cute face... but not as fun to me when I'm shooting something stiller, calmer... or feeling the urge to pull over and photograph an interesting fence post, or tractor tire... or tree... (yeah, I like the ansel adams approach).... I actually went to a photography store, and asked where they kept their Stop Bath, and the kid behind the counter looked at me like I was crazy. I actually had to find someone old enough to know what a Darkroom actually was... only to be told that my best bet would be on ebay.... dying art in the age of digital.... so I'm on my quest.

• Tennis

Pro -everyone plays it
Con -everyone but me. I'm not athletic.... Strike One

• Cooking

Pro - I'm getting much better at it - creating flavors that blend together well... even tackeling a williams sonoma beautiful dinner you think you'd never serve... with
sucess...
Pro - I like food.
Con - I like food. And thus the 30 pounds I could stand to lose, if I ever want to see my clothes again

• Shopping

Pro - I do Like to shop.. and I think I could master the skill... =P
Con - The 30 pounds makes shopping seem pointless... I want to LOSE this weight, not support its habbit by buying things that cloak it...

• Scrapbooking

Pro - I have a ton of photos I could put together, and I always think they look so cute....
Con - ugh... small pieces of paper.. all that work for ONE page?

Lately it seems that my hobby has become agreeing to be on numerous charity committees, and take on events that I'm not getting paid for... tho I'm an event planner.... but its always a good cause, and it gives me something to do... I tell myself... as I don't have time to wax my eyebrows, or get a mani-pedi.... OOOH... could Spa'ing be a hobby?