dish washing extravaganza

I have been noticing these last few weeks that I have been avoiding my blog because there wasn't any thing exciting enough to write about....Silly-ness! From now on, I plan to write at least one blog a month about the very mundane things of life! Here is your first installment.

DISHES

When my Dad did dishes in our home, growing up, Mom always left the kitchen. This was because her blood pressure rose at the sight of his precariously leaning towers of plates and bowls, saucers and coffee mugs. He believed his efficiency grew out of his system of piza tower-like organization. And as far as I can recall, he was completely successful.

We children were also banned from the kitchen when Dad did the dishes. This came after a series of personal dish-washing disasters, which involved the largest serving bowl and an especially cacophonous fall of dessert plates from a great height. I think my Mom hoped that this would nip our attempts at imitating his impossible feats in the bud. Unfortunately, it is in our blood, and my brothers and I have all been working at perfecting our skills ever since.

I got lots of practice last weekend--and even if I have inherited the trait honestly, I must admit that I was especially proud of the sheer number of dishes I fit into our drain rack. (Jonathan calls these creations of mine 'little dish bombs waiting to explode', since something always falls when he tries to put the dishes away!)


And, now you have pictorial evidence of what happens to our kitchen when we go a whole week without hand-washing our dishes. I'm sure we have set a record!

Small Stripes, Big Fun

Well, if you read my blog looking for craft projects, here's finally something for you! I started a tradition last year of knitting a baby sweater for each of my close friend's shower gifts. The Wild Rumpus last weekend was no exception. Here's a picture story of the silly striped number that I made for it.

Choosing the Yarn: I wanted it to feel kind of woodsy with lots of blues and greens. I also choose a blue-green skein of wool that our friend Megan gave to me. She bought it in college with the intent of making Cameron (the baby's father) a hat out of it. It seemed appropriate to use it for their son's sweater!

Starting the body. I've started keeping track of my patterns and the sweaters I knit in this little notebook.

One arm done...


Second arm needs to look like the first one!

Two arms done!

Finishing the yoke with a mock turtle neck.

Weaving in the ends. I think there were at least a hundred strings because of all the color changes...definitely a record for me. Yikes!

Almost done..just the buttons left! Buttons!

Ta DA!!!

Rumpus Cakes

Every Wild Rumpus needs Rumpus Cakes! Sugar is essential to rumpusing! Our Wild Rumpus last weekend had two.
There was a cheesecake for the more genteel participants. This is my first cheese cake ever! It was surprisingly easy. Here I am looking proud.

And I put Max and a Wild creature on a chocolate cake too! I think most people could use the technique I used and put their own pictures on cakes. Read along and I'll show you how it works. Then you could put Buzz Light Year on your cake if you want, though I usually would recommend that for a six year old!

If you want to try this as home you will need an iced cake, scissors, toothpicks, two copies of the picture you want to put on the cake in the exact size you need it to be, a box of powdered sugar, food coloring, cocoa powder, water and several hours.

First bake the cake, cool and ice it. Let that frosting dry and harden slightly. (1 hour or so)

While you are waiting, cut out the outline of the picture you want to put on the cake.

Mix powdered sugar with water to make icing. (It should be thick enough that it doesn't run off the spoon when you pull it out, but should still melt into itself when you put the spoon back in. ) Study your picture to see what colors in has. Divide your icing into as many little bowls as you need, one for each color you intend to make. Mix the colors in each bowl. Use cocoa power to make brown, and cocoa powder and blue to make black and grey shades. Spoon each color into a ziplock sandwich bag.

Touch the cake to make sure the icing doesn't stick to your fingers. Then position the cut-out picture where you want it on the cake. Using a toothpick, trace around the outside of the picture.

I noticed this after I took the picture, but isnt' it funny how the wild thing looks scared of the toothpick I am holding?

Next, look at the picture and notice all the lines you need to draw. Choose the lines closest to the outside, and cut along those lines. You will cut off the parts you have already traced to reveal the new lines you need to draw. Replace the paper on the cake, line it up with your first trace marks. Trace the new lines your cutting revealed.

Repeat this process until you have all the lines you need from your picture traced onto the cake. Your picture should be in little tiny pieces by now.

Now comes the fun part. Using the second picture as a guide, choose the color for the first section you want to outline. Pick up sandwich bag with that color, and squeeze all the icing into one bottom corner. Cut off the tiniest piece of that corner that you can manage. The size of your hole will determine how fat your line of icing is. (You can always make it larger if you need to, but can't make it smaller.) First outline the shape you want, then fill it in with the color. You will find that the icing melts into itself.

Note: If you want two colors right next to each other, you must wait for the first to harden before you fill in the next color. If you don't wait for it to dry, the colors will melt into each other. If you want your picture to have a cartoon appearance, you can use black to outline all the lines. Again, make sure you wait for it to harden, then fill in the spaces with color.

Here's Max and a Wild Thing. They are not exact, but still pretty recognizable! I used the left over icing to decorate the cheese cake too.

Endorsing All Auto Mechanic Conventions!

By an odd coincidence greatly beneficial to all, my husband works as a software developer for High Road Automotive. Since his job description involves more data bases than oil changes, he was not required to attend the convention his shop-mates went to this last week.

This meant he had all of Friday free to visit the Seattle Sculpture Park with me!

We started out with a lazy morning of scones and tea.


And then I was almost late! No, actually I ran inside to get something I forgot and Jonathan snapped this picture as I came around the bush. But don't I look funny?

Here we are in Capula XVI by Pedro Reyes.

It was a cool woven hanging basket sort of thing that you could climb into.

Wake by Robert Serra

Perre's Ventaglio III by Beverly Pepper--very shiny!

Eagle by Alexander Calder...are we about to be eaten or sat on?

Here is Jonathan studying Stinger by Tony Smith. (He is silly)

Split by Roxy Paine was my favorite! This time of year, you can't hardly tell the difference between it and other trees that have lost their leaves.

All that walking and looking made us hungry, so we grabbed a late lunch at Spaghetti Factory.

And now you know why I think automotive conventions are an important part of our economy and ought to be supported, endorsed and attended widely by all auto mechanics...as often as possible!

Four Marzinkes In Seattle

In August, Mum and Dad Marzinke drove their RV from Florida to visit us for ten days. We had a blast seeing them as much as we could. When you don't live with any family in the area, just having dinner together can be such a treat.

Here we are lounging in the RV while Mum makes dinner for us. (It's a rough life we lead...I know... )

One Friday, Jonathan and I took the morning off from work and we all visited the Museum of Flight.

It was so fascinating that one day there did not feel like enough time to see all we wanted to. I loved this room of hanging planes! It made me feel like I was in the air too.

The second weekend we took a ferry to Friday Harbor. It was supposed to pour rain on us all day, but instead we got this sunshine!

And more than a little bit of wind on the ferry…



After lunch in Friday Harbor, we drove around to a whale watching point on the west side of the Island. There were no whales so we soaked up the sun while we waited. I took a nap.

Dad took a nap too!

Then, just when we had given up hope, a whole pod of whales swam by. It was very exciting. We even saw a baby!

On the way home, we tried to convince Mum and Dad to take up residence in the Seattle area. Unfortunately this attempt was not as successful as our outing, and all too soon our visit was over. We miss you guys!