Name, Birthdate, Etc.

Yesterday night I received a new mountain of paperwork to fill out: boxes to fill in, photos to acquire, copies to make. I don't mind it, but I wish I had a huge chunk of time just to do it all. I feel like I'm trying to cram a whole lot of things all into a space ot time they can't quite fit inside. Or, they can't all fit in there comfortably anyway. Despite this, I still pile in other "non-essential" activities: writing letters, knitting socks, making hour long drives to see family on my days off.

Feels sort of like college.

Moving Out, On, Forward...

I got my move-out confirmation letter from my apartment manager today - more and more things are happening that make the transition and move to Singapore and a new job/ministry more and more real. Our next schedule draft at the hospital has me abruptly disappear halfway through the work days. Magazines I've failed to renew have stopped coming. My shopping lists are shorter: what do I need another three rolls of paper towels or five pounds of flour for?

The task of deciding which items to take with, leave behind for later, and give away is becoming more immediate. I'm beginning to realize just how much stuff I have: yards of fabric, piles of papers, cupboards of food, lotion, and dishes. It's a little like a chore, a little like a fun project.

If I ever ask you if you need anything, respond honestly. I might have it, and I'm probably more than willing to part with it.

Recent Failures and Successes

One of my current projects (I have a lot) has been to find a veggie burger recipe that equals or surpasses the frozen burgers in the store. My only attempt prior to the one below involved lentils and is not worth repeating. This one sounded promising: plenty of shredded potato, carrot, and zuchinni - I even photographed the whole process in preparation to share it with everyone.


This is the only picture I'll actually share - if you want a veggie PANCAKE recipe, this one will work. It tastes okay, but it's not particularly satisfying on a bun. I've found another recipe and plan to test it out later this week.

A recent success was this Super Delicious Cake! My sister Jess made a Serbian cake for Easter last year (complete with The Best Frosting Ever), but I'd say mine is a possible contender. Thank you, Taste of Home magazine. This is their Chocolate Strawberry Celebration Cake (with poorly drizzled ganache...but it was oh, so good) from the January 2010 issue.


I've also started cutting pieces for my second quilt. This has actually been a work in progress for over a year: I've been writing on all of the fabric since March 2009. I love the colors, but I've decided to add some blue pieces...which means more writing, ironing, and cutting before I can actually piece the thing.