tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57974780389990375052024-03-13T20:31:22.210-07:00Reeja Roo'sI just like to make things out of yarnReeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-60904958271766274382014-02-27T15:08:00.001-08:002014-02-27T15:08:15.821-08:00Woops! Hi!Well. That was a hiatus and a half.<br />
<br />
So this blog is back. My business is back. Things are back.<br />
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I don't have much to say other than sorry for the two year silence! <br />
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As far as an update goes, a bunch of stuff happened. Got married, finished graduate school, had a baby. Now I'm back to doing this - I hope that's good news for anyone reading!<br />
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More good news includes my booties being featured in the March edition of The Northern Collective! You can check that out on Facebook here:<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Northern.Collective?fref=ts" target="_blank">The Northern Collective</a><br />
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While your'e on Facebook, you can check out my business page here:<br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/reejaroos" target="_blank">Reeja Roo's Fibreworks</a><br />
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Until next time!<br />
<br />
LindsayReeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-70723894766832587282012-06-26T19:03:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:08:00.326-07:00How I Lost 10lbsSo my wedding dress doesn't really fit. I mean it does - but it doesn't. I can get it on alright and it looks pretty. But it bunches in places and I probably couldn't consume anything larger than a grape without it bursting. The Chinese lady at the (discount) bridal shop that I bought it at said "Just lose 20 lbs and you won't need to have it altered!"<br />
<br />
And so I started my weight loss quest.<br />
<br />
Or, in reality, re-started it.<br />
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About 4 years ago I was pretty thin due to running regularly and not being able to afford restaurant food. I wasn't skinny, but I felt comfortable in my skin and even wore a bikini that summer. That was the year I met my fiance. Since then I gained about 20lbs and have always felt a little bad about tricking him into thinking he was dating a fairly attractive and active person when really I'm pretty darn lazy.<br />
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Anyways fast forward to a trip to Malaysia where I ate noodles and curry for 2.5 weeks and an imminent wedding and you can imagine I was feeling pretty motivated. And this time I was determined to make it work - because lord knows in the past, I have tried and failed to lose weight more times than I can or care to count. So I was gonna do things differently this time.<br />
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And what I'm about to tell you is not a secret. It's the same thing everyone will tell you when you ask or google "How to lose weight". I knew it back when I failed to lose weight all those times, but I didn't BELIEVE it until I gave up trying to lose the weight as quickly as possible.<br />
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You see, the things you do when you try to lose weight as efficiently as possible are the things nobody wants to do. They're things like eating raw vegetables, and doing intervals and lifting weights and avoiding carbs. That is the WORST. LIFE. EVER! So nobody can do it for very long because it sucks.<br />
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The trick is - do and eat what you love. <br />
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So I joined a spinning class. I had taken one years ago and enjoyed it, but I read that it wasn't "the best way" to lose weight, so I figured why bother? It's a waste of time.<br />
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The next thing I did was join a swimming class with a bunch of my fellow grad students. It is so much fun that the hour flies by and it doesn't feel like exercise at all. But can you guess why I never bothered with it until now? Exactly. Somebody once said that swimming is not great for weight loss because of the buoyancy or something. Bullocks!<br />
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The final thing I did was eat soup. I hate vegetables. I hate them so much and I feel angry when I am made to eat them. And the only thing I hate more than vegetables is RAW vegetables. But I did always enjoy a nice soup once in a while - I even like making soup - so that's what I did. I traded in my dreaded salads for delicious soups and I was so much happier eating my meals!<br />
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And that's it. Find some activity you like doing even if it's not super high intensity or only uses your leg muscles or doesn't require you to wear a heart monitor and ENJOY doing it. And don't eat salads if you don't like salads. Find some other lower calorie food that you like to eat and make that your staple meal.<br />
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Oh - my last piece of advice is this: Eat cheat meals! One hamburger with fries once a week will not throw you off your weight loss goals especially now that you've agreed that we're not in a big hurry. If you are a food lover like me, you will not survive a new healthy regimen without cheat meals. Trust me.Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-329681797283413652012-06-25T16:53:00.001-07:002012-06-25T16:53:07.646-07:00C.O.M. Complains About: BirthdaysIn high school my friends nick-named me C.O.M. That stands for "Crotchety Old Man". I know. Clever. But it was apt because every once in a while I get really crotchety. The following is a crotchety post I wrote about birthdays:<br />
<br />
I've been thinking a lot about birthdays and first birthday parties in particular. Mostly because I was recently invited to one and I couldn't stop asking "Why would I go to a kid's first birthday party?" Sometimes to another person, sometimes just to the wisdom of the universe.<br />
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It seems some people are willing to spend upwards of $5000 on a birthday party for an infant who can't walk or speak, never mind be able to remember how spoiled they were. And even those who think $5000 is a bit much agree that you should still throw a birthday party of some kind for a one-year-old. <br />
<br />
But it seems so silly! Maybe because the child has no friends at that point, so it's not really a party for the kid but for the parents - so why not at least have a barbeque with meat and booze? I think it's rude to force your adult friends to ooh and ahh over a baby and play Pin-The-Tail-On-The-Donkey and pretend to be super interested in dinosaurs or princesses or rainbows or whatever. What they really want to be doing is eating a hot dog.<br />
<br />
And like I mentioned earlier - it's not like the kid will remember it so it seems like kind of a waste. I can attest to not remembering a SINGLE birthday celebration of mine until a few years ago. Actually, that's a lie. I do remember one birthday party as a kid when I ate too much fluorescent green and pink ice cream and threw up all over myself.<br />
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And that's the number one reason why I think birthdays in general are stupid. Having a whole day where you focus on one person gives that person a big head - makes them think they can and should eat all the ice cream they want because "It's my birthday!" Not to mention, getting all worked up and celebrating something that requires no more effort than simply not dying for a year is ridiculous and celebrates mediocrity. <br />
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If you're looking for an excuse for a party - just invite some people over. Don't wait until the one day where your friends feel obligated to celebrate YOU. Make it about friendship and fun instead, not passively growing older.Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-455109417389386122012-06-22T11:44:00.000-07:002012-06-22T11:44:00.283-07:00Zucchini, Curry and Easter CandySo - Grad school is busy! I'm avoiding marking again. But I'm not being totally unproductive. I'm making a <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/281283/curried-zucchini-soup?czone=food/lunch-recipes/salad-and-soup-recipes&czone=food/lunch-recipes/salad-and-soup-recipes&center=856055&gallery=853429&slide=281283" target="_blank">curried zucchini soup</a> courtesy of Martha Stewart's recipe inventing staff. It smells super good, so I'm hoping it'll taste that good too.<br />
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I also finished off the last of my fiance's Easter candy. Honestly, what kind of person leaves chocolate for MONTHS! I have to buy a new bar every week to satiate my choco-hunger. Which is why I had to eat his in the end - I had run out.<br />
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In KAL news, I ordered my yarn online. Not from a yarn store, but from someone's stash on <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/" target="_blank">Ravelry</a>. Any knitters out there who haven't heard of it (I almost don't believe you exist) should check it out. We're talking free patterns up the wazoo, tips, articles and a fantastic knitting community. It really is like a knitter's paradise. As much as a website can be paradisicle. My browser is telling me that's not a word.<br />
<br />
And anyways - apparently, people have yarn for sale and trade. This particular seller is located way out in Eastern Canada so the shipping was a bit on the expensive side, but in the end it cost me less than new yarn. And here's hoping she is legit. Fingers crossed, right?<br />
<br />
And I know the knitters among you are dying to know:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.artofyarn.com/product/product_images/actual/Q251_7811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.artofyarn.com/product/product_images/actual/Q251_7811.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cascade Eco + in Purple Jewel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This just in: The seller sent me a Canada Post tracking number. My yarn is currently in Montreal! Seems she wasn't in it to dick me out of $37 afterall. Who knew.Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-89406328764593530652012-06-18T15:54:00.002-07:002012-06-18T15:59:16.642-07:00Dirty Dogs And Unmarked PapersDays can so easily go by without thinking too much about their contents. If I wasn't forced to think about what to write about, I probably wouldn't have noticed what an odd little collection of things my to-do list consisted of. I mean - the things themselves are not odd, but their juxtaposition in terms of a set of events occurring in a single day is odd.<br />
<br />
Like for instance - on a less oddly juxtaposed (that's twice I've used that word, if you're counting) day, one might vacuum the floor and do laundry. Or bake a pie for a potluck and then attend said potluck. Or watch 6 or 7 movies in a row. Or Pride & Prejudice (the 6 part BBC mini-series starring Colin *drool* Firth) once or twice.<br />
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And then on the other hand you might have a day like I've had today. <br />
<br />
I stayed in bed and watched <a href="http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2012/06/17/a-conversation-about-tam/" target="_blank">an hour-long video about harassment policies within the Free Thought movement</a>. For no real reason other than it was there and available for watching and things available for watching are always first on my to-do lists. Then I walked the dog to the library and picked up <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Kafka-Shore-Haruki-Murakami/dp/1400079276" target="_blank">a book</a> I had on hold. Then we walked to the off-leash park and this happened:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBpxTFTzxjKlzd6P7fy2F_FXN3t1cPanlRrP_rBqbv7T6DpgZyVNrwrq3sESew-IyDx5NcSW5-L0YPAeiml3sAjm8bXnw1fniL2q6U7ZpJnNrs6VdaDa-gmfAj31nfxhzn4McU62RwT5s/s1600/DirtyMili.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBpxTFTzxjKlzd6P7fy2F_FXN3t1cPanlRrP_rBqbv7T6DpgZyVNrwrq3sESew-IyDx5NcSW5-L0YPAeiml3sAjm8bXnw1fniL2q6U7ZpJnNrs6VdaDa-gmfAj31nfxhzn4McU62RwT5s/s320/DirtyMili.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filthy Dog</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMGByYYvDGPHOsJybZtEGy5Ok2Fn5bNeoRrc9vUGKUy-xLs0uChnSjXyAo0NZXygBueLbe7aj79jGV40monT_uzfa0xaaRCYdC3ASSaMtm6qv4-LqWwoF4dHPjYOE4CXwT-GkqfkPMhuo/s1600/DirtyMili2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMGByYYvDGPHOsJybZtEGy5Ok2Fn5bNeoRrc9vUGKUy-xLs0uChnSjXyAo0NZXygBueLbe7aj79jGV40monT_uzfa0xaaRCYdC3ASSaMtm6qv4-LqWwoF4dHPjYOE4CXwT-GkqfkPMhuo/s320/DirtyMili2.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filthy dog wearing expression of "What?"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Call me a push-over, but I cannot deny this creature the intense pleasure that she so clearly gains from putting her face and body in the mud.<br />
<br />
So then the fourth thing I did today was wash the dog. Luckily our doggy daycare, <a href="http://zoomies.ca/" target="_blank">Zoomies</a>, has a U-Wash station so it was relatively painless and now she smells like coconut instead of dog park muck.<br />
<br />
THEN I spent an hour or two scouring the web for ESL learning websites for work.<br />
<br />
And NOW I'm forced to choose between this:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOiEGZAoSsP-u1v8kgeZMWPST47AmsVN-XMHk5vkds7kYNcQYS0Ewi9lmiLcVwqj1za_pj8vrN3LvAdLUodg6so4wDjcElDbCnUkIF053NjRXw1lCEdEdNsJBrQqs1Y2yUGis1M0KXZY/s1600/MarkingPapers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOiEGZAoSsP-u1v8kgeZMWPST47AmsVN-XMHk5vkds7kYNcQYS0Ewi9lmiLcVwqj1za_pj8vrN3LvAdLUodg6so4wDjcElDbCnUkIF053NjRXw1lCEdEdNsJBrQqs1Y2yUGis1M0KXZY/s320/MarkingPapers.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horrible pile of 75 unmarked lower-level Linguistics exams</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
And this:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj560caMLzVk2uCWMRkES355hO3qDYaup4qRkabSy4Aiwz6mihzT99t9Yn8CIiCxbacLpUaDYyCuf8FWXGsU6I9zzTXzJOj6S2TStiJhi35r07pY94kTsr75rFRvujQd-JmwhBsxJgxd8/s1600/ShrugProgressHalfwayFinishedSleeveOne.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj560caMLzVk2uCWMRkES355hO3qDYaup4qRkabSy4Aiwz6mihzT99t9Yn8CIiCxbacLpUaDYyCuf8FWXGsU6I9zzTXzJOj6S2TStiJhi35r07pY94kTsr75rFRvujQd-JmwhBsxJgxd8/s320/ShrugProgressHalfwayFinishedSleeveOne.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious merino/cashmere/silk blend slowly taking the form of a wedding shrug</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
I lead a hard life.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So let's recap:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1 - Random internet video</div>
<div>
2 - Library</div>
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3 - Dog park and mud incident</div>
<div>
4 - Washing of dog</div>
<div>
5 - Find online phrasal verb and English vocab quizzes and neatly organize into spreadsheet</div>
<div>
6 - Write blog post about relatively interesting day</div>
<div>
7 - Realize that, after writing about it, nothing that happened was all that out of the ordinary</div>
<div>
8 - Determine to post anyway</div>
<div>
9 - Work on wedding shrug</div>
<div>
10 - Waste time</div>
<div>
11 - Mark papers</div>Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-44353927413344810142012-06-17T11:46:00.001-07:002012-06-18T14:44:36.852-07:00A Year Late And A Dollar ShortHoly smokes it's been a whole year since I blogged anything! I am a terrible blogger.<br />
<br />
Here's a quick update:<br />
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I'm no longer crafting for money. It's too hard! And I wanted to make the things I wanted to make, while everyone else wanted me to make them something they wanted me to make. It was just not working out. Plus I felt cheap writing about booties on my blog. I'd rather just complain.<br />
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What else . . . oh we finally got a puppy! Her name is Mili and she is from India. Here is a photo:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdmlweve-zgjGlb50gSl6xeCeOWsa0jTvgKJvD8bcTIPFEt95U-5ZYKM9w5b7B-P-aFv9FQj2ZGZvdlK3pjLvvoZQN6mF3Ng8hfl3MWyBbuf6EPdSgXVCZHbin4EOX8CDq8yE-jFlH_M/s1600/LindsayandMili.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdmlweve-zgjGlb50gSl6xeCeOWsa0jTvgKJvD8bcTIPFEt95U-5ZYKM9w5b7B-P-aFv9FQj2ZGZvdlK3pjLvvoZQN6mF3Ng8hfl3MWyBbuf6EPdSgXVCZHbin4EOX8CDq8yE-jFlH_M/s320/LindsayandMili.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Mili</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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She's not actually that small anymore, but still cuter than a button. She's been a lot of fun and we love her to bits.<br />
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I finished a year of grad school already and now I am getting ready to start my thesis and hopefully graduate next spring.<br />
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I'm getting married in October to the <a href="http://reejaroos.blogspot.ca/2011/06/how-hp-lovecraft-made-my-day.html" target="_blank">guy in the Cthulhu mask</a>.<br />
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And the whole reason I'm back here is that I joined my first ever Knit Along! I'm going to make this lovely sweater:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4921058494_431b0199d0_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4921058494_431b0199d0_z.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/idlewood" target="_blank">Idlewood</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The KAL is being run by Shannon over at <a href="http://www.luvinthemommyhood.com/2012/06/summer-sweater-knit-along-announcement.html" target="_blank">luvinthemommyhood.com</a>. Join if you're inclined - or follow me in my sweater adventures. Or both!<br />
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I guess that's it for an update. <br />
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Oh - Also, check out my friend Dot's website <a href="http://bustedbutton.com/" target="_blank">Busted Button</a> if you like out of the ordinary commentary and crafting.Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-43330220371195026902011-07-07T19:54:00.000-07:002011-07-07T19:54:19.893-07:00Giveaway!I've been gone a long time again! I'm such a lazy blogger. Or I could just pretend that I've spent all this time working on these babies:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOi9KjOlUd2Om-GfV3qUWubbsGIDg6bhcMI3Cj93ujFUOzv7vNGyqmFPqwDjI1sM2I17Olgs4phcY8rfw9i0fUxxXY7lazOnxmIydn53jTlMBMnwwCRATHVWtqsQQ2xiQDTzHLWKglkcg/s1600/Booties.002.002.002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOi9KjOlUd2Om-GfV3qUWubbsGIDg6bhcMI3Cj93ujFUOzv7vNGyqmFPqwDjI1sM2I17Olgs4phcY8rfw9i0fUxxXY7lazOnxmIydn53jTlMBMnwwCRATHVWtqsQQ2xiQDTzHLWKglkcg/s320/Booties.002.002.002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Cute?! Yes!<br />
<br />
Fun to make?! Yes!<br />
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Three buttons each?! Unfortunately, yes.<br />
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I hate sewing on buttons. It's my least favorite thing. But these turned out so cute that it was (almost) worth it. Maybe I can figure out a way to do them without buttons . . .<br />
<br />
Anyways - you can win these cute pink garden boots (and a bunch of other awesome products) from my good friend Dana who owns <a href="http://www.thespottedowl.ca/">The Spotted Owl</a>, an online store selling eco friendly baby supplies. She also carries my goodies.<br />
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To win, check out her <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Spotted-Owl-Eco-choices-for-Eco-families/139449579459724">Facebook</a> page. You'll need to like her page and then check out the photo albums. Click on the one titled 1000 Fan Grand Opening Giveaway and look at the first photo in the album - instructions are listed there.<br />
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And good luck!Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-81422365944394211802011-06-24T18:12:00.000-07:002011-06-24T18:12:01.099-07:00The Granny HexWhen I was little, the weight of my blankets was crucial. The heavier the better and I was always piling more and more onto my bed.<br />
<br />
My favorite blanket was a blue granny square afghan my mom made when she was in high school because even though it was fairly small, it was <i>really </i>heavy. And the best thing about it was that it was actually made out of granny <i>hexagons</i>!<br />
<br />
So when, in my search for great granny square patterns, I came across this . . .<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifh846RgMRcKbFFAySx5vr4EeB_4C7tCH4wAE8kJT6T_ue3z18f8pGMPdkDoS8v6hxw0JPmjpcYO3GJH-tbtZIBGI1SgCntNmMQL4tNMeYevbLnZNblQCzo86Ob0aEicRKnZlLKx8zq2Q/s1600/hex+quilt_035_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifh846RgMRcKbFFAySx5vr4EeB_4C7tCH4wAE8kJT6T_ue3z18f8pGMPdkDoS8v6hxw0JPmjpcYO3GJH-tbtZIBGI1SgCntNmMQL4tNMeYevbLnZNblQCzo86Ob0aEicRKnZlLKx8zq2Q/s320/hex+quilt_035_0.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://crochettoday.com/crochet-patterns/graphic-granny-afghan">Granny Hex</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
. . . I was pretty excited! It brought back a bunch of fabulous memories and was just the comfort I needed on such a rainy, dogless day. <br />
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I think I'm gonna start a hex right now!Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-43243129082088360062011-06-23T21:42:00.000-07:002011-06-23T21:42:13.722-07:00Disappointment And The Resulting BoredomWell, in predictable fashion - our adoption fell through at the last minute. And I really mean the last minute. I actually drove the 45 minutes out to where she was to pick her up, only to basically be turned away. So no dog for us today. Only a house full of unused dog supplies.<br />
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And since I had planned to take the next four days to acclimatize our new addition, I now have nothing to do. So you guys gotta help me! Any crafts you wish you had time to make? Recipes you always wanted to try? Anything that can take my mind off of this huge disappointment would be greatly appreciated.Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-9075852922851755482011-06-22T09:28:00.000-07:002011-06-22T09:28:39.375-07:00Woe Is MeFirst of all, let me all remind you that I'm still sick. I think it's the flu or strep throat or something because I don't have any cold symptoms. Just a sore throat, achy muscles and a mild fever. It's really the achy muscles that's getting me though.<br />
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Anyways, I hope you will all pity me.<br />
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And this whole dog adoption thing is turning me into a ball of stress. I don't want to get into too many details here, but I'm honestly completely exhausted with this whole process and I'm soured to the point where I don't think I will adopt a dog again. <br />
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While there is definitely something to be said for adopting an older dog who's already trained, I honestly think it would be easier and less stressful to buy a puppy from a breeder and spend a year training it and then another year going through the adolescent phase.<br />
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Sorry for the downer. I'm hoping that all will go as planned tomorrow and I won't be sick and then you can all enjoy the fabulous photos of our new pup and I will be back to my cheery old self.<br />
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In the mean time. Humbug!Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-61730147035893695262011-06-20T21:53:00.000-07:002011-06-20T21:53:42.376-07:00Wash Hands After ReadingWell it finally happened. After almost two years of being illness-free, I caught a cold. I've been in bed all day on one of the sunniest days we've had all year. What a nuisance!<br />
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Hopefully I'll be better tomorrow because I need to go shopping for dog supplies!<br />
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Also, I think I'm going to crochet our new pup her very own granny square blankie. Do you have a favorite granny square pattern? If so - pass it along - I'm gonna make it with a variety of square designs.<br />
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Now go wash your hands before you catch it, too!Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-81241806161771900122011-06-19T14:57:00.000-07:002011-06-19T14:57:50.915-07:00Fingers Crossed . . .Well - I've been away for a while. Too long.<br />
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Mostly because I've been working on this new project. My boyfriend and I have been looking for a dog for a few months now and for the past week or so we've been going through the adoption process for this Formosan Mountain Dog currently named "Sam" or "Sitka", depending on who you ask.<br />
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And what a process its been! Which is why I've been AWOL - it has pretty much been taking up all of my time and mental energy and I haven't been feeling up to writing anything - until now.<br />
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This morning we met with a volunteer from the organization - <a href="http://www.penniesfordogs.org/">The Penny Foundation -</a> and it sounds like it's all good to go. So without getting my hopes up too much, as far as I can tell we'll be taking home our new family member on Wednesday. <br />
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So wish us luck!<br />
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And help us find a name! Because honestly, we don't care for either of her current names. Here she is:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKlV1fXwowQ06qtcgFhBtgzPyMGn1_yOfrlwVRJKyO4Pjwp2EROW9DMLInSM7O9slmgdqRRux2nhZ66P50Ct_k6qKNNjiBcuypZvwVgQmHkEO-i_sgjKgjGYZwUbCiDzhYtTSCuKpwgZY/s1600/Sam_Sitka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKlV1fXwowQ06qtcgFhBtgzPyMGn1_yOfrlwVRJKyO4Pjwp2EROW9DMLInSM7O9slmgdqRRux2nhZ66P50Ct_k6qKNNjiBcuypZvwVgQmHkEO-i_sgjKgjGYZwUbCiDzhYtTSCuKpwgZY/s320/Sam_Sitka.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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I'm thinking Suki. Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-43274378289537592172011-06-12T20:59:00.000-07:002011-06-12T20:59:08.869-07:00How H.P. Lovecraft Made My DayThis past week has been full of ups and downs! I'm looking forward to a new week - maybe one less emotionally draining.<br />
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Anyways, I thought I would share one of the ups with you. I got requests from two friends/friends of friends for crochet work. One of them requested this for her cousin's new baby due in November:<br />
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And one requested this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmPZN7gjTYsKmg-d-wxYWS9KHBUTAwTcrzNzUQgmCRbfWHaUrT8bWU0HmUys3ThvEgriehrtJX2lgwv_wQ8XHAkb6ZQdXaPLJcJ8mIy8grFQuerJSOGtkJ5KBk_7QIfz2mffqIkcjUDo/s1600/200782_10150522782295641_668305640_17883021_4554842_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmPZN7gjTYsKmg-d-wxYWS9KHBUTAwTcrzNzUQgmCRbfWHaUrT8bWU0HmUys3ThvEgriehrtJX2lgwv_wQ8XHAkb6ZQdXaPLJcJ8mIy8grFQuerJSOGtkJ5KBk_7QIfz2mffqIkcjUDo/s320/200782_10150522782295641_668305640_17883021_4554842_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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While the first one is an adorable bear costume I made several months back for a photographer (<a href="http://www.nikkiscottphotography.com/">Nikki Scott</a>) - the second one is not something I completely understand. <br />
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If you're wondering, that's my handsome boyfriend in the photo sporting a special request he made of me this past winter - a Cthulhu ski mask. Odd, I know, but according to him - something that has potential to be incredibly popular.<br />
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And it turns out that he was right. Because today, one of his coworkers mentioned that he'd like one as well. Go figure.<br />
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So now I've got two projects to work on that I actually know people are going to buy! Huzzah! This week is looking up already :DReeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-51130365055567822132011-06-11T08:34:00.000-07:002011-06-11T08:34:40.824-07:00FingernailsNow that I've spent a couple of days hocking my wares all over my blog, I thought I would take a moment to talk about fingernails.<br />
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When I was little I hated having my fingernails cut. I remember my mom chasing me down with a pair of clippers and her exasperation when I would scream and cry as if in pain. I would let my nails grow as long as possible, hoping she wouldn't notice them - but as is typical of moms, she always did. <br />
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Looking back it seems odd, but at the time I absolutely <i>hated</i> the feeling of that flesh right under the nail touching anything. Not the nail bed, that's giving me the willies just thinking about it, but that part of your finger tip that doesn't touch much of anything when there is a great big long nail on top of it. And I hated the feeling of my nail getting squished and sort of flattened out during the nail cutting process. <br />
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Now things are quite different. Now I hate a totally different sort of weird feeling. This time it's the feeling of having any length to my fingernails at all. You know that white crescent at the end? The <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/25-everyday-things-you-never-knew-had-names">lunule</a>, it's called. My nails never have that for very long. I cut it off as soon as it starts to make an appearance. <br />
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The reason being is that I hate the feeling of having soft nails - like after a shower or doing the dishes - because I'm paranoid that I'm going to touch something and the nail is going to bend right back. Just even writing about it is giving me the willies.<br />
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So from hating to cut them to obsessively controlling their growth, fingernails have been the lifelong bane of my existence. And as I'm typing this, I'm noticing a little half circle of white developing there on the end of my fingers. I gotta go.Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-86979322019571112692011-06-10T14:28:00.000-07:002011-06-10T14:29:48.523-07:00A Brown Thumb Gets Its BloomAs I've <a href="http://reejaroos.blogspot.com/2011/05/mediocritys-mistress.html">mentioned before</a>, I have a great talent for killing plants. It's not something I'm proud of. It's not even something I come by honestly as most of the rest of my family grows a pretty mean garden. I think the problem is that plants don't tend to complain when they're dying. They just sort of quietly turn brown. So imagine my surprise when I went to the window and noticed this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhScJ66exqE_LBRWy4AodW6FDuiIXAQ3T1CyZNww79KMPZYEycHnLh8us58dbhZhVA6gtZELaCMtrfTizPAOtw2afPgFyoUGxG_Lq07FaOIMwj9lQFerds5vcK9GxvxnmkqaZuuUyEDoHo/s1600/Hoya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhScJ66exqE_LBRWy4AodW6FDuiIXAQ3T1CyZNww79KMPZYEycHnLh8us58dbhZhVA6gtZELaCMtrfTizPAOtw2afPgFyoUGxG_Lq07FaOIMwj9lQFerds5vcK9GxvxnmkqaZuuUyEDoHo/s320/Hoya.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
That's right. Not only is my hoya not dead, but it's thriving to the point where it is using its precious resources to produce flowers. This is very exciting news in my world. Very exciting news indeed.<br />
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But what's a little bit ironic is that this is the only plant in the house that doesn't have a name. I specifically gave my other plants names because it seemed like a good way to make the sort of connection which would facilitate my remembering to water them. The hoya slipped through the cracks in this regard because I didn't expect it to grow at all. However, both Pete and Samuel are on their way out - it's really only a matter of time - so perhaps there is some sort of bad luck attached to naming plants....<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://hollywoodhatesme.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/baby-audrey-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="284" src="http://hollywoodhatesme.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/baby-audrey-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Case in point: Audrey II</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-64594777325982874872011-06-10T14:16:00.000-07:002011-06-10T18:12:46.343-07:00Preview - Purple Flowers ReduxSo I made <a href="http://reejaroos.blogspot.com/2011/06/pink-and-purple-flowers-ummmm-yes.html">these</a> yesterday. And they were hugely popular! And by hugely popular, I mean all my Facebook friends seemed to really like them and a few of them actually reposted the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/72882187/ballet-flat-style-booties-in-pink-and">Etsy link</a> on their own walls. Plus, they got 127 views on Etsy and quite quickly - the most views of anything in my shop.<br />
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I was a bit surprised because I made them thinking the colour combination was a bit much. But turns out people like their colours "a bit much". Who knew?<br />
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So, based on a recommendation for another colour combo - I made another flower bootie. Here is a sneak peak:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdF0NVG1y2z4etvd3rfNP_CGKFTqfHD0RXXBQsy9fuBK25jz-fJlhjYJgp-Zq9FbvzlBp2acj5pvfYJbdhKdv-ZHkn0OctNtsFT0LQFvnLWM7y0iUVGIR_syoIUTSXZ-5e7y9MH6l2ADA/s1600/Booties-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdF0NVG1y2z4etvd3rfNP_CGKFTqfHD0RXXBQsy9fuBK25jz-fJlhjYJgp-Zq9FbvzlBp2acj5pvfYJbdhKdv-ZHkn0OctNtsFT0LQFvnLWM7y0iUVGIR_syoIUTSXZ-5e7y9MH6l2ADA/s320/Booties-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
As I'm sure most of you know, with Etsy, timing is everything. So these won't be posted on Etsy until 6:00 pm PST. So if you like them, stay tuned!<br />
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UPDATE: The Etsy posting is now available. Check it out!!<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/75770721/ballet-flat-style-booties-in-turquoise">Ballet Flat Style Booties in Turquoise and Purple</a>Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-20667343895277124712011-06-08T18:07:00.000-07:002011-06-08T18:07:20.129-07:00Pink and Purple Flowers?! Ummmm Yes Please!In an effort to do at least <i>one</i> creative thing a day, I made these. I love pink and purple and when I was finished making the booties I felt they needed a little bit extra. So I whipped up some matching flowers as well.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0gTjDuBDvZiDCzQ6Az5w2eXf-74UQMnK4wR1LP08ETpIiO9fNjh9TfVCo8IBxX97biMZIW9xk9_l_b3x13o6x6xus00jVEfkd9BJWTKE_BFk-ljkvLoEWyiNxgx0TySYXgOSyc3Oca3g/s1600/Booties-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0gTjDuBDvZiDCzQ6Az5w2eXf-74UQMnK4wR1LP08ETpIiO9fNjh9TfVCo8IBxX97biMZIW9xk9_l_b3x13o6x6xus00jVEfkd9BJWTKE_BFk-ljkvLoEWyiNxgx0TySYXgOSyc3Oca3g/s320/Booties-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgul5zCBuDaYgvcOBXzfOJqcMzNffptQAWIjcOG6MbdDPFs2xklLnCE7l_LZCQMHb2Dns3KD04qezxexWCW5RBRVd4AoU76WbAIP85wuvXRM3YFvBt0doQTTc9JrtGm-Pl_3EaJEEJOgJk/s1600/Booties-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgul5zCBuDaYgvcOBXzfOJqcMzNffptQAWIjcOG6MbdDPFs2xklLnCE7l_LZCQMHb2Dns3KD04qezxexWCW5RBRVd4AoU76WbAIP85wuvXRM3YFvBt0doQTTc9JrtGm-Pl_3EaJEEJOgJk/s320/Booties-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUhIXc1Ty3l65Y1n235aEepoxxmO3n9FLbldKolpeQk3MUuVPrgGDz5wR3P-ARzUAj_sUM9FtPDP7Gv5yu8fvurqjo32UuZ83CXqPRVmp7z2URunBNF7PrLiEksae_7BCVuQV9kk5cnE/s1600/Booties-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUhIXc1Ty3l65Y1n235aEepoxxmO3n9FLbldKolpeQk3MUuVPrgGDz5wR3P-ARzUAj_sUM9FtPDP7Gv5yu8fvurqjo32UuZ83CXqPRVmp7z2URunBNF7PrLiEksae_7BCVuQV9kk5cnE/s320/Booties-4.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-faUBjHeZgqWhV7yTp7BB8ij2I6yc1gi62bcb42T0w8aB5WJyHisRhB7Ye-du306IwvnDR7Tjp7p5eDsikWK42Ze8v28VY4gU00bVKOSVdwTAbmEvp-ZFrgomRz94R3edEOdoSp-UuzY/s1600/Booties-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-faUBjHeZgqWhV7yTp7BB8ij2I6yc1gi62bcb42T0w8aB5WJyHisRhB7Ye-du306IwvnDR7Tjp7p5eDsikWK42Ze8v28VY4gU00bVKOSVdwTAbmEvp-ZFrgomRz94R3edEOdoSp-UuzY/s320/Booties-5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghgJF-bCz44h4HFYk1YNLYyLVwffcZrlKyBCRtUfFE8kUUvn4pXxbf1ZGgH-LZ_aJScLzltWaGrxK1UBwZpCbHx3ts9ODBRylNfQtKjYOtqNsTK-BV4xmknlio77zkAQY5i-JYX9SPRbg/s1600/Booties.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghgJF-bCz44h4HFYk1YNLYyLVwffcZrlKyBCRtUfFE8kUUvn4pXxbf1ZGgH-LZ_aJScLzltWaGrxK1UBwZpCbHx3ts9ODBRylNfQtKjYOtqNsTK-BV4xmknlio77zkAQY5i-JYX9SPRbg/s320/Booties.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Yellow Bear makes an appearance in these photos too - he's looking handsome as always. Anyways - the hockey game is on, so this post will be short. If you like the booties enough to buy 'em - you can pick 'em up here:<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/72882187/ballet-flat-style-booties-in-pink-and">Ballet Flat Style Booties in Pink and Purple with Flowers</a>Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-59972498579396110242011-06-07T09:49:00.000-07:002011-06-07T09:54:40.345-07:00A Bracelet With Polka Dots *GLEE*My latest creation which was actually created weeks ago is now available on my shop. And the best part? I've lowered prices on all my crocheted jewelry - so <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/reejaroos?ref=top_trail">check it out</a>!<br />
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Here's some photos:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzeik4OLxNfs7fGCxFfMYtq6fhgDywE0NrgrNcz6Pp7c6g8REIVe6NQzGYOQskil9KxrpcXnl72xhn7trtlMV0wP05eujIYb8wVxICyvEghdB0G8LaPeuCMDt1VPktRiva7QBUc0wc4dY/s1600/Bracelets-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzeik4OLxNfs7fGCxFfMYtq6fhgDywE0NrgrNcz6Pp7c6g8REIVe6NQzGYOQskil9KxrpcXnl72xhn7trtlMV0wP05eujIYb8wVxICyvEghdB0G8LaPeuCMDt1VPktRiva7QBUc0wc4dY/s320/Bracelets-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue and Black Bracelet with a candle</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_vNoUCvMrX-yy1ucTdJbKlYnbPrbDZncCkXr2URh9ILKTbqhN8LTImhvGfh1srIQ9urjKQkNyrCoVA6eHL1DhVZh3pFILE7YNhwSPCtSIH_pm8DKOseK1nf6O4cgVXD100maIkSVt0Q/s1600/Bracelets-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_vNoUCvMrX-yy1ucTdJbKlYnbPrbDZncCkXr2URh9ILKTbqhN8LTImhvGfh1srIQ9urjKQkNyrCoVA6eHL1DhVZh3pFILE7YNhwSPCtSIH_pm8DKOseK1nf6O4cgVXD100maIkSVt0Q/s320/Bracelets-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue and Black Bracelet peeking out the window</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgccr6gj3vMvx05ieuyCdGeqB7AoWh75ppMsU6pDDvOK6iLhwBNJqjCCjVyLn5lyRu6G8Nxo2vFPhs3RupZZL2-YNU6-3PTMxyAuqXVQOkv_t0SILEeN8brRrolQc_-ir7TeFarSTq7Zsg/s1600/Bracelets-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgccr6gj3vMvx05ieuyCdGeqB7AoWh75ppMsU6pDDvOK6iLhwBNJqjCCjVyLn5lyRu6G8Nxo2vFPhs3RupZZL2-YNU6-3PTMxyAuqXVQOkv_t0SILEeN8brRrolQc_-ir7TeFarSTq7Zsg/s320/Bracelets-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue and Black Bracelet up close and personal</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSqM8vDGovyqoqspw_pyGq2a7MhsBuEQoeQ8H8tGw9E1tBlPqP1pmpz3usCWBdx8M0b9laO-MLvnbz6yvk7MJWLXPjxOS_39AEBH67KjwmuReA4KAkbsMiBk1d53_VtPvQ5nQXFAW3Ls/s1600/Bracelets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSqM8vDGovyqoqspw_pyGq2a7MhsBuEQoeQ8H8tGw9E1tBlPqP1pmpz3usCWBdx8M0b9laO-MLvnbz6yvk7MJWLXPjxOS_39AEBH67KjwmuReA4KAkbsMiBk1d53_VtPvQ5nQXFAW3Ls/s320/Bracelets.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue and Black Bracelet takin' 'er easy</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
This bracelet was SO much fun to make because I love polka dots - they are my favorite pattern. I decided to do the crochet parts in a square motif to contrast with the circular dots. I'm lovin' it.<br />
<br />
Actually, even though I did a lot of bracelets with the crochet parts in white, I really like the black. Remember this beauty:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.237718020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.237718020.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think the black creates great contrast - what do you think?<br />
<br />
You can find both of these guys at my Etsy shop:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/75550688/crochet-bangle-bracelet-in-blue-and">Crochet Bangle Bracelet in Blue and Black</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/72578400/crochet-bangle-bracelet-in-black-and">Crochet Bangle Bracelet in Yellow and Black</a>Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-18610609938576461572011-06-06T10:28:00.000-07:002011-06-06T10:28:39.715-07:00Walking Ain't Half So BadYesterday was the annual <a href="http://www.dsrf.org/events/run_up_for_down_syndrome/">Run Up for Down Syndrome</a>. My gorgeous friend Heather and I have done it every year for the past 4 years and it's always a blast! And the past two years my wonderful boyfriend Dennis has won the thing *beams*. <br />
<br />
This year Heather and I both had issues with our knees and decided to walk it rather than run it. In past years it has taken us about 30 minutes to complete the 5Km run, and I wasn't really looking forward to walking that distance just because I thought it would take too long and I would get bored. <br />
<br />
But lo and behold, it was actually a lot of fun. So fun in fact that I walked another 5Km this morning. I never thought I would enjoy walking as fitness just because I usually like to do really high intensity stuff and get it over with as soon as possible, but bootin' it all over town for an hour actually felt great.<br />
<br />
What do you guys like to do for physical activity?Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-90742453436991840022011-06-05T19:24:00.000-07:002011-06-05T19:24:18.205-07:00How Meal Plans Saved Me From Myself.Alright that's IT! No more unnecessarily lazy, non-posting days. Starting today. <br />
<br />
Today I gotta talk about groceries. You might be surprised to learn that I have a slight problem with anxiety. And I mean slight - nothing debilitating to be sure. But one of the things that used to set off my anxiety pretty severely was grocery stores.<br />
<br />
I'd show up with a half-assed list of things I couldn't forget (granola bars, milk, deodorant etc.) and then promptly become overwhelmed by 80 different brands and flavors of spaghetti sauce, and torn between the cheap produce and the organic produce while simultaneously trying to figure out what I was going to eat for dinner the following Thursday. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't function. I had to get out of there!<br />
<br />
This happened every week. And I rarely had anything to eat in my house except granola bars, milk and deodorant.<br />
<br />
And then I discovered meal plans. They seem like a lot of work, I know. And kind of stupid. Because how are you going to know what you'll feel like eating on Friday when today's only Sunday? But you just gotta do it. Meal plans saved me and they can save you too (plus, if you put lasagna on Friday and you want to make it on Tuesday - who's to say you can't switch days, right?)<br />
<br />
So, all you have to do is sit down with your favorite recipe books, pick the dishes you're going to make and write down the ingredients you'll need from the recipes.<br />
<br />
My boyfriend and I like to do it together every Sunday morning. We'll decide on recipes together, and then I send him to the kitchen to check whether we have the stuff while I make the list.<br />
<br />
To do the list, we use a smart phone app called <a href="http://www.groceryiq.com/">Grocery IQ</a>. It's free and the best part is that you can sync with someone else so that when you check off Apples on your list, it gets checked off the other list too. This way you can split up at the store and get things done quicker. I recommend it if you and your shopping partner both have smart phones.<br />
<br />
Anyway, so now when I go to the grocery store I don't have to think about anything because I've already thought about it in the comfort of my own home. I can just mindlessly grab things off shelves and check them off lists. Sure I fret about organic vs. non-organic and I usually send The Boyf to the pasta sauce aisle, but believe it or not, I actually enjoy grocery shopping now. <br />
<br />
And we eat healthier. <br />
<br />
And I have one less thing to be anxious about.<br />
<br />
If you don't already do meal plans, try it for a month. Trust me, it'll be <i>awesome</i>.Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-47739277624571434992011-06-03T15:15:00.000-07:002011-06-03T15:15:12.860-07:00Blah.Okay so it's been a while since I've posted anything substantial. <br />
<br />
I think I have a case of the post-vacation blues. In case you're wondering, that means the reason I haven't posted about anything is that I haven't done anything worth posting about. <br />
<br />
For example - nobody wants to hear about napping, eating cereal and surfing the interwebs. I haven't even crocheted a single thing since we've been back!<br />
<br />
Any ideas on how to get the motivational mojo moving?Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-8288597769456003982011-05-30T11:37:00.000-07:002011-05-30T11:37:40.933-07:00Hawaiian Food. And Why I Don't Eat Mexican.As I've mentioned - I love Maui. I've been trying to pin point what I liked best, but it's basically impossible on account of everything about that place is unbelievably awesome. So rather than picking a favorite, I'll just talk about food.<br />
<br />
We went to a lot of restaurants while we were there. I had so much incredible pineapple and coconut it was like a dream come true. I had pulled pork and fresh mahi mahi and umbrella drinks out the wazoo!<br />
<br />
There was one restaurant that we kept walking past on our way to other restaurants. For some reason my boyfriend didn't want to eat there and we ended up walking right past it most days. I don't know why he didn't seem interested because the whole premise of the place is that you take your seat on the patio and instead of having concrete or tile or something on the ground, there is soft white Hawaiian sand under your feet. I mean - what a great idea! <br />
<br />
Eventually I convinced my boyfriend to take me there. And let me first say that the whole sand thing turned out not to be as awesome as I'd thought. Don't get me wrong, it was still a whole lot of fun but it made the tables and chairs all wobbly and I don't think the waitresses looked very stable either.<br />
<br />
But that would all have been forgivable if it weren't for one tiny detail:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thedailygreen.com/cm/thedailygreen/images/cilantro-for-drinks-lg-49098995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.thedailygreen.com/cm/thedailygreen/images/cilantro-for-drinks-lg-49098995.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><br />
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That's right. Every dish had cilantro in it. Even the ones that didn't explicitly state that they were full of cilantro were just laden with the stuff. And this happens every once in a while. You sit down at a restaurant unknowingly subjecting yourself to the whims of some crazy chef who thinks that cilantro is the new basil or oregano or rosemary or any number of fresh herbs that don't taste like feet and now your meal is ruined.<br />
<br />
And you know, I'm not generally a picky eater. In fact, I've spent most of the last 10 years of my life learning to like foods I would previously have turned my nose up at. I love mushrooms now when I used to think eating one was like chewing on a rubber tire. And after years of telling fast food cashiers "No pickles and mustard" I actually <i>enjoy </i>pickles now and will pick them off my friends' burgers and add them to my own. And a nice Dijon is quite pleasant - although I'm still working on that bright yellow stuff.<br />
<br />
But cilantro I can't even tolerate. Can't even choke it down. And never mind trying to pick it off. That stuff <i>lingers!</i><br />
<br />
For years I thought I hated Mexican food. Every time I ate at a Mexican place I would leave dumbfounded. Meat and cheese and lettuce and tomatoes, wrap it up and sprinkle with hot sauce - how can you go wrong? How could I possibly not like Mexican food? What is going on!? Many years later I was able to make the connection between the vile little green weed and that horrible taste and I haven't been to a Mexican restaurant since.<br />
<br />
And I know I'm not alone either. It turns out cilantro is just one of those things - one of those flavors that some people love, others don't really notice and the rest of us gag over.<br />
<br />
Just ask these guys:<br />
<br />
www.ihatecilantro.com/Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-67153556825627433452011-05-28T22:28:00.000-07:002011-05-28T22:28:12.814-07:00Maui Adventures - A TeaserWell, we made it home safe and sound. Maui was incredible. I'm still trying to figure out how I can feasibly move there. I get the feeling there isn't a big market for crocheted clothing down there, though. I'll have to think on it some more.<br />
<br />
I'm completely exhausted from traveling and still trying to adjust to the time difference. Okay so it's only 3 hours, but I'm a wimp. What I'm trying to say is, here are a few photos to hold you over until I have the time and energy to write more.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmeq_sIjV7YLvyY5yIgrx17TYJUTlVLeb7OG4X57EwvzDOC0ISuPay3wKZcf6tQZss_BlzUMIr26SSYnSPKz3yetNxscOriEiGNNz1tnDkx365wgXtKwrXBGNgzZMWiMmF0SSimsORHY/s1600/untitled+%252837+of+262%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmeq_sIjV7YLvyY5yIgrx17TYJUTlVLeb7OG4X57EwvzDOC0ISuPay3wKZcf6tQZss_BlzUMIr26SSYnSPKz3yetNxscOriEiGNNz1tnDkx365wgXtKwrXBGNgzZMWiMmF0SSimsORHY/s320/untitled+%252837+of+262%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first day at the beach. Check out the little girl bailing on her butt in the background.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjljgUQkS_wwDZAHMH2sQ2tix1QuMUv7P8i7x7tTDk7rrm87Oa6Z16UqirIvSoglGPS4xYmyiQt3X5qiGGXGTmkr9BzB7VdngL9k00AVD0t6ilWiNXo_uSWdfVq_awv-WXkgE2DNkXYKo0/s1600/untitled+%2528108+of+262%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjljgUQkS_wwDZAHMH2sQ2tix1QuMUv7P8i7x7tTDk7rrm87Oa6Z16UqirIvSoglGPS4xYmyiQt3X5qiGGXGTmkr9BzB7VdngL9k00AVD0t6ilWiNXo_uSWdfVq_awv-WXkgE2DNkXYKo0/s320/untitled+%2528108+of+262%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just enjoying a windy, windy day. Actually, it was windy there every day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXuDKbzsfJkHiHrBTsDTjTeeT1x_82y_PGxcgTtyZn6hYkoVWJM2mpTHyGqd1s8jkBU2r_iSa4JzmpVoleWJ38oo9WiC_Pi2RB3hSnQ3Fqi0yixJFrw2RCYJnGXUrDfbqG58gl4NjYQY/s1600/untitled+%2528156+of+262%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXuDKbzsfJkHiHrBTsDTjTeeT1x_82y_PGxcgTtyZn6hYkoVWJM2mpTHyGqd1s8jkBU2r_iSa4JzmpVoleWJ38oo9WiC_Pi2RB3hSnQ3Fqi0yixJFrw2RCYJnGXUrDfbqG58gl4NjYQY/s320/untitled+%2528156+of+262%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Craggy trees and craggy rocks. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDsUWLT8dvWanb5njEiRMDBbAyxRSwZNloyPCs74y7-YEC4ddE8-F1et4NlfAqRMXuBwGwzmZ6rFi3C-vq7x6oKG75y24XLfJSDtPw8kGtYUiOZIIxht_RM4F32V7ZldG38hjwdvaj24/s1600/untitled+%2528176+of+262%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDsUWLT8dvWanb5njEiRMDBbAyxRSwZNloyPCs74y7-YEC4ddE8-F1et4NlfAqRMXuBwGwzmZ6rFi3C-vq7x6oKG75y24XLfJSDtPw8kGtYUiOZIIxht_RM4F32V7ZldG38hjwdvaj24/s320/untitled+%2528176+of+262%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Inukshuk in Hawaii! Who'da thunk it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtIynrsCr3pNDLQSKrOVtTc_qG2_nMX6yuiW3OjWfTrwLrcL5PJihx3SpHS1ABgKZaVVQ7KED3T1LRzVFIjYKU0gGh6dwUDBRvEqg7fr_XPeCle9tSzszKvj6iFkowsJfpsmRCqfP-sH0/s1600/untitled+%2528198+of+262%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtIynrsCr3pNDLQSKrOVtTc_qG2_nMX6yuiW3OjWfTrwLrcL5PJihx3SpHS1ABgKZaVVQ7KED3T1LRzVFIjYKU0gGh6dwUDBRvEqg7fr_XPeCle9tSzszKvj6iFkowsJfpsmRCqfP-sH0/s320/untitled+%2528198+of+262%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red sand at the red sand beach. Which was really more of a red sand tiny cove.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_-UWEub53b4yioX7mItev3ziCkUO01uBAO49YtHWRyfDa-JrrZ-YWP3EpcJGzNMmhILCMaG5YS6qcFaR4bA_G_t2CUcnGXXjYOGfN97dlXBEAGwiIKxtozuPjUzLrXYM_1XW1RPexLY/s1600/untitled+%2528133+of+262%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_-UWEub53b4yioX7mItev3ziCkUO01uBAO49YtHWRyfDa-JrrZ-YWP3EpcJGzNMmhILCMaG5YS6qcFaR4bA_G_t2CUcnGXXjYOGfN97dlXBEAGwiIKxtozuPjUzLrXYM_1XW1RPexLY/s320/untitled+%2528133+of+262%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At some point there was a woman selling pineapples from a van. $7 USD. But the best seven bucks you'll ever spend.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Stay tuned for more stories, adventures and photos from Maui.Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-48034363399296005792011-05-20T14:03:00.000-07:002011-05-20T14:07:32.596-07:00What I'm PackingI'm going on vacation today.<br />
<br />
I won't get back until next Saturday.<br />
<br />
I'm going to be in Hawaii.<br />
<br />
I couldn't be more excited!<br />
<br />
<br />
These are the books I'm bringing:<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Yourself-Live-True-Story/dp/0743264452">Killing Yourself to Live: 85% of a True Story - Chuck Klosterman</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Naked-David-Sedaris/dp/0316777730">Naked - David Sedaris</a><br />
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And the bracelet I'm wearing to the wedding? It's pictured below. For the colors, I was inspired by this cute little french restaurant we visited in Nanaimo a few weeks back. I'm loving the blue and red with white details.<br />
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And I also made a quick case for our new camera!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjDmaWHV89BS5lnieU82MbZq51s8PQgcWsRRyxY4kUMgvlGPdk3TuwXh3xdmEgrmOyfaopywC0CXqI0s3MfDgOUBygMFh-OmMBfPYDNI9ke6hz7tid5Gryhpksn5N79eCrmYu5Bz6bF8/s1600/pre+trip+blog+post-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjDmaWHV89BS5lnieU82MbZq51s8PQgcWsRRyxY4kUMgvlGPdk3TuwXh3xdmEgrmOyfaopywC0CXqI0s3MfDgOUBygMFh-OmMBfPYDNI9ke6hz7tid5Gryhpksn5N79eCrmYu5Bz6bF8/s320/pre+trip+blog+post-2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Because why would you <i>buy</i> one when you've got a little leftover cotton yarn and a great big fabulous button?<br />
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I don't know whether there will be internet access on the beautiful island of Maui. It is just so remote. They may not even have electricity there! Or . . . we might be too cheap to pay the hotel for a wireless internet connection. Either way, there may be a lack of posts for the next week.<br />
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The good news is - there might be some AWESOME posts when I get back. So stay tuned . . .<br />
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Aloha!Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5797478038999037505.post-76588427699450097122011-05-18T18:43:00.000-07:002011-05-18T18:45:10.865-07:00Minestrone. Not Mediocre.As promised here is my minestrone:<br />
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I have made minestrone enough times that I don't use a recipe anymore. You don't really need one because it's the easiest thing ever. Here's what I threw in mine this time:<br />
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1 onion<br />
2 cloves garlic<br />
2 carrots<br />
2 stalks celery<br />
1 zucchini<br />
1 tomato<br />
1 red pepper<br />
A couple of handfuls of green and yellow beans<br />
1 can of kidney beans<br />
1 can diced tomatoes<br />
3 cups of <a href="http://reejaroos.blogspot.com/2011/05/tuesday-already-heres-some-stock.html"><i>homemade</i></a> chicken stock<br />
A few dashes of thyme, marjoram and rosemary<br />
1 cup of little pastas - I like orzo, but you can use whatever shape you like. You can also break spaghetti into smaller pieces or use quinoa even<br />
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So that's my recipe. All you really need to do is chop everything up into bite sized pieces, sautee the onions and garlic for a few minutes on medium heat until they're soft and add the other veggies.<br />
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I like to add the spices before I add the really wet stuff (stock and tomatoes) and let them sweat in the pot for a minute or two.<br />
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Once the spices become fragrant you can add the tomatoes, beans and chicken stock. You should simmer on low for at least 20 minutes, but it doesn't seem to matter if you simmer longer. Just make sure you put the pasta in near the end. Small pasta usually takes about 7 minutes to cook. <br />
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I have a love of soups. This is probably my favorite one because it's the only time I ever enjoy eating vegetables.<br />
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What is your favorite soup recipe? I am always on the look out for new and interesting soups.Reeja Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07401096900856128431noreply@blogger.com1