Now we're cook(book)in'!

I have a slight obsession. I love neat cookbooks, mostly in vintage. I found some funny books at a second hand store and snatched them up. For 25 cents, who could resist? The Magic of Microwave Cookbook, The Meats Cookbook, Budget Saving Meals, and my favorite, The Art of Jewish Cooking. I haven't used any of these, they are just for show and as a conversation piece. I find them really fascinating, especially the microwave cookbook because It does have some helpful hints but the sad part is it was made so long ago, things probably changed. For example, the book mentions ways you can defrost based on how much you have and what it is. The settings for a microwave back when this was produced versus the settings now are probably quite different. And who doesn't have a microwave with the defrost button?

Like it? I made this GIF in Flash and Photoshop!

Want to know how old this book is? There is no scan code (barcode) and upon investigating, based on the ISBN number included in the insert, Amazon says 1976. That isn't old if you are a human, a piece of furniture, or a piece of clothing, however if you are a cookbook (which I suspect you are not as you are reading this and to my knowledge books can't read) Then this is considered fairly old.

My Jewish cookbook was published in 1958, and originally sold for 60 cents. The Meats Cookbook also does not have a barcode, but the inside tells me nothing. Well, except that it has a catalog number in The Library of Congress. 

Better Homes and Gardens Lunches and Brunches recipe book was created in 1963. My Budget Saving Meals cookbook is circa 1980, so only a couple years older than me. 

I'm sure you didn't come to this website looking for a list of my vintage cookbooks, and you certainly didn't want to hear me ramble on about how much I want to indulge in my sushi cookbook, but here we are anyway. 

Here is some information I can pass on to you which is very relevant: if a lawyer changes his profession to become a cook, he is considered a sue chef. 

And here is a nice photograph I took earlier with most of my cookbooks included. I hope you are well and searching through your shelves, and maybe others' shelves, to find a cookbook which offers a little slice of heaven.

Not pictured: 1001 Slow Cooker Recipes, and American Pie

A GIF from me to you

Yes, this is what I have been doing lately, aside from fiddling with Flash on my own. I am working hard to boost my skills, and since I've been using Photoshop since Windows 95 (for real), learning how to make GIFs was a breeze. I much prefer Flash when making an animation, but sometimes you need to know several ways to do one thing.
Here is my Sea Legs animation in GIF form, which is essentially the same:

Want more? Here is a link to my YouTube playlist with a couple of variations on this same idea. Questions? Just ask!

Cloudy with a chance of spaghetti and meatballs

I'm boring, but I love this meal.

Tasty sea salt, lots of pasta, and a glass of merlot. Mama's happy.  

What's on your menu? Besides making a tasty meal to satisfy my carb addiction, I've been planning a birthday party. 

The event is this Sunday, and I have a lot to do!

 

I was busy collecting things to do for my daughter's third birthday party. The theme this year is princess. I found cute foam tiaras with a bungee to make them fit any sized head. To glue on, I found beads and fake diamonds. The girls will look great!

Aren't they adorable? These were purchased along with some candy sprinkles, candy melts, and Popsicle sticks to create cake pops. Together I spent less than $20. I could have spent much more, but restrained myself. I shouldn't be allowed in a craft store with no chaperone. Honestly. 

I will take photos of the finished pops and tiaras. The girls will decorate them at the party Sunday, and the hope is the glue will be dry in time for cake cutting. What could be cuter than toddler girls wearing custom decorated tiaras? Only thing I can think of is maybe a fuzzy kitten in a tiara. I happen to be a sucker for kittens though. 

Sweet Apron

The fabric I had purchased long ago has finally made itself into an apron! Well, kind of. I did it, the fabric didn't magically appear in front of me as a finished apron. Sadly, I had to do the work. Here are some pictures to prove I did something this week:

Here's a picture of the complete apron. The ties are extremely long, and I believe it will fit just about anyone.

The next picture is a closeup of the bib. I am not much of a fan of the heart bib, but hey, to each their own.

The rest shows the detail, such as rick rack and zig zag stitching. I really like the black trim along the hem.

As always, items can be purchased or special requested via my Etsy page. Happy Sewing!

Poor Cinderelly

I am not made of money, so I found a used set of Cinderella toys on eBay. I looked at the pictures and asked questions like a good buyer, and received the items very quickly.

I did research on how to detangle doll hair and when took one doll out of her box, I set to work. The other doll wasn't bad at all, so it wasn't necessary. 

Here is the doll's hair after washing and rinsing it. 

Mess!

According to one blogger, hair conditioner works great. Alas, I am not a big conditioning gal, so I only had one small bottle I'd taken from a hotel (I had used a little of it and figured I'd take the rest with me instead of letting it go to waste). I used the entire contents of the tiny bottle and I hope it helps. If it isn't enough, I do have detangling spray I can use. 

Here is Cinderella with her conditioned hair, stewing in the miracle cure. 

My intent is to let her sit for an hour or two and see what happens when it rinses out. I hope the hair isn't too fried. 

Wish me luck! I will update when the results are in!

UPDATE: I let the potion sit for a couple hours and brushed for 15 minutes. I am happy to report that she looks much nicer. 

I rinsed her hair after I brushed it, and I gave it another quick brush before leaving her to dry. I think it's safe to say conditioner is the way to go. 

Today we also wrote a letter to the lady in blue herself. It is my understanding if you write your favorite Disney character (typically one who does meet and greets at the theme parks), they send either a picture or postcard in four to six weeks. There are two addresses people suggest for writing, one is the Burbank, Calif., location (Attn: Fan Mail), which we used, and one care of the Fla. location. I am hoping to receive some correspondence back from Cinderella in a month or two. I will let you know how it went. 

In the meantime, here is a picture of what I made for dinner tonight. 

With yummy chicken breast ...

And brown rice! Tasty!