I wasn't kidding about more daffodils. I love the ethereal quality of this pale apricot variety. They are nearly always two to a stem, and have a lovely, light fragrance. After a cursory internet search, I still don't know the name of this particular variety. I should keep better gardening records.

I am very lucky to have a lot of thinking time. I spend a lot of time in my car every day, and when I'm driving I come up with a lot of really brilliant ideas. If only I could write them down to remember later. I also think a lot while I am swimming, but swimming-thinking is usually about the things I need to do. I plan elaborate to-do lists for the evening when I get home. Seldom is more than one to-do completed when I actually do get home, but still, it doesn't hurt to be ambitious. Anyway, the point of all this is that this morning while driving to work, I thought that since this is Birthday Week at Hey Lucy, there should be some presents, don't you think? Only these presents will be from me to you. So I also thought up a list of some of my favorite things, which also happen to be quite small (I don't want to break the bank here, after all), and I'll do my best to have a post each day with a little giveaway. I might make you work a little for these giveaways, and I'm sorry I can't send a present to everyone, but I think we can have some fun! Are you in? Spread the word, if you have a blog.

Now, on to the first giveaway. I love music, and I love my family, one member of which happens to be a very talented musician. I know I make you watch his videos and download his music, but it's all so good, I wouldn't want anyone to miss out. Today I have an autographed copy of his brand new, very excellent CD, Goodnight Human. Big things are in the works, and you will probably start hearing his music on the radio soon and he will likely be appearing in a city near you this Summer. Despite the fact that Cary likes to tell everyone the story of how I laughed at him when he first told me he was going to be the lead singer in a band, I've always genuinely liked his music, but this album is really something special. I know he's poured his whole heart and soul into it, and it shows. Don't ask me what my favorite song is, because I love every single one.


So, here's what you have to do if you'd like this CD: just share your top five most favorite albums ever. I know it's probably hard to narrow it down, but if you could only listen to five for the rest of your life, which five would you choose?

My brothers tagged me on facebook to do a list of 25 albums, and that was hard, I already want to add a few more. If it helps, here are my 25:

In no particular order:

1. The Cars – The Cars
2. U2 – War
3. Lucinda Williams – Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
4. Dar Williams – Mortal City
5. G. Love & Special Sauce – Philadelphonic
6. Cowboy Junkies – Pale Sun Crescent Moon
7. 10,000 Maniacs – In My Tribe
8. They Might Be Giants – Flood
9. Andrew Bird – The Mysterious Production of Eggs
10. Gillian Welch – Time (The Revelator)
11. Annie Lennox – Diva
12. REM – Out of Time
13. The White Stripes – White Blood Cells
14. Barenaked Ladies – Maybe You Should Drive
15. Tom Petty – Full Moon Fever
16. Billy Joel – Glass Houses
17. Yann Tiersen – Les Retrouvailles
18. Toni Childs – Union
19. The Sundays – Reading Writing & Arithmetic
20. Sufjan Stevens – Illinoise
21. Styx – Paradise Theater
22. Rogue Wave – Asleep at Heaven's Gate
23. Richard Thompson – Rumor and Sigh
24. Matthew Sweet – Girlfriend
25. Indigo Girls – Indigo Girls

I think I'll leave comments open for a couple days for each giveaway, so you'll have until Thursday night to enter this one. And don't forget to come back tomorrow for another birthday present!

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I pretended to be a pioneer this weekend, except for the electricity and indoor plumbing, oh, and the washer and dryer and gas stove, but other than those little conveniences, it was just like being a pioneer.

I haven't been cooking much more than dinner lately, so I decided to spend a little more time in the kitchen this weekend. When the Angry Chicken mentioned making butter, and 70-some comment-ors shared their enthusiasm, I had to jump on the bandwagon and try it too. I did it in a more pioneer-like way, and shook a pint of cream in a quart-sized mason jar. It was fascinating how the texture changed. First it just got all thick and frothy, and I was worried my jar was too small. Then I could hear it sort of thunk-ing around, and then suddenly it was a solid mass and finally, it turned pale yellow and there was a chunk of butter sitting in a pool of milk. This would be a great home-school science lesson! I recently scored a bunch of mini jello molds, which will soon be turned into pincushions, so I pressed the butter into one of them and let it harden in the fridge for a while and then turned it out on a plate.

The pint of cream made that-which I would estimate is 3/4 to 1 cup, plus another half a stick. I salted it very lightly, really just a couple shakes of kosher salt, and when I tasted it right after it was finished I was worried that I put way too much in, but today it's much better. And I have been eating a lot of slices of bread and butter.

So that was my weekend to-do list up there, and I didn't get it completely finished, but I did make quite a lot of progress. Make Butter: check!

Next up was Make Pickles. I will not be able to tell you how successful that venture was for two or three months, however. Here's a little more pickle backstory: Mr. HeyLucy loves a good antipasto salad, and the last time we had pizza the salad was a little disappointing. We are also trying to be more thrifty and not eating out, so this will be a good thing to try and make ourselves at home. Summer garden plans are in the works, so if the homemade pickling thing works out, we'll plant lots of pickle-friendly vegetables. Also, I was talking to a couple Persian friends at work who told me all about torshi, Persian pickles. One of found this recipe and sent it to me. I modified it a little, and made it a bit more Italian style (because I'm such an Italian cuisine expert). Here are all my vegetables, ready to be mixed and put in jars. The bowl is full of herbs and vinegar, and it smelled delicious, although now I need a break from the smell of vinegar for at least a couple days.

 

Vegetables are pretty! Clockwise, from the top left we have green pepper, cucumbers (the little persian ones), herb-y vinegar, cauliflower, carrots, cooked eggplant (not too much of that, I wasn't sure if we would like it), whole garlic cloves, and celery. I ended up with five quarts and one pint. Now it has to sit for a couple months and then we can enjoy it! Make Pickles: check!

Next up, Sew Skirt. Didn't happen. I have some pretty grey linen for a Summer skirt, and I want to sew lots of rick-rack around the bottom, but the fabric store I went to on Friday only had purple, so I will have to go on a rick-rack hunt next week. Sew Skirt will move to the top of the list for next weekend.

Gather Moss. I don't think I'm ready to take the dogs out again, my hand should be healed by next weekend, however, so that stays on the list. The dogs each got a little brushing, and therefore quality one-on-one time with me instead, and it's not like there was a moss emergency. My terrarium in the little house studio is doing quite well, I will have to take a progress picture so you can see how pretty and green it is.

Sew Blouse. Well, it's cut out, so that one gets a partial check. I hope to work on it this week, so expect to hear more about this later.

Sweep Driveway. We have a big driveway. Between dogs digging and chickens scratching, and wind blowing, it gets messy. I got a lot swept, so I'm giving myself a check mark, but there is one more corner to do, so it will be back on the list next week too.

Do laundry. Done! Although not yet put away, at least it's all folded. Maybe tomorrow I will finish putting it away, and then I will get my check mark.

Make Pincushions. Well, I tried, but more experimenting is needed. I did make a strawberry with emory sand, so I'm kind of excited about that. I made one attempt with the aforementioned mini jello molds, but I have to try again. No check mark, back on the list.

 

I'm excited to make some new little sets, with wool-stuffed pincushions and emory-filled strawberries, and maybe even matching needlebooks.

Bake a Cake. Specifically, Nigella's Clementine Cake. I've been wanting to make this forever, or at least for the last three months. So forever might be an exageration, but I finally did it today. And it's good, but not quite as outstanding as I was expecting. She does say that she prefers it the next day, so maybe my opinion will change tomorrow. I think I might like it more with a simple orange glaze. It's flourless, so it might be a good recipe to add to your reportoire if you need a gluten-free cake. Also, it's not all that exciting to look at:

 

So that was my weekend to-do list. I should have included Pick Flowers, because that would have earned me another check mark.

 

I hope you won't mind just a few more pictures of daffodils and grape hyacinth, but we have to enjoy them while we can!

 

I love that bright orange center, and how about that extreme bokeh, eh? 

 

I just love these tiny things. That photo is worth looking at full-sized. This version is straight out of the camera, but I played with some Photoshop actions and added those versions to flickr.

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Spring is my favorite time of year. My birthday is in the Spring, my favorite flowers bloom in the Spring, things turn green, the sky is bluer, it's just the best. Tomorrow the pool opens after being closed for 3 months and my swimming stuff is already packed and ready to take along to work for a lunch hour swim.

Saturday I declared an official pajama day, and I spent the morning with the bedroom window open, and enjoyed the fresh Spring air along with a little breakfast in bed, followed by a little knitting and hulu.com watching (while still in bed). I would have just stayed in my pajamas all day, but around 1:30 I decided I had better get dressed and go to the feed store, or I was going to have to deal with some grumpy, hungry chickens.

I've worked some more on my skirt, although I have to finish off the yoke facing, and I may sew another row or maybe even two of ruffles. Two might be too much, but I think I really will do one more. I'm wearing my boots, obviously, but once it's a little warmer, I think these cute shoes will work well with this skirt.

The skirt is made of a cotton bamboo fabric I got at JoAnn, of all places, and the ruffle is bias-cut silk dupioni. I like the cotton bamboo a lot, it's very nice to sew with.

I was also working on the mushroom tutorial, as promised, and Sally came for her usual visit. I took some pictures and then played around with them in Photoshop, using some Pioneer Woman Actions.

I like this 70's action. The sunshine one is fun too:

And then I went out and tried to take photos of flowers without dogs or a goose in them. I am trying to teach them to respect my personal space, but it's not sinking in. Still, I got a few flower photos without any animals in the frames.

I love all the bulb flowers, but grape hyacinth are one of my most favorites:

And the lilacs are getting their big fat buds:

I hope you don't mind all the pictures! But did I mention that I love Spring?

P.S. Mushrooms winner will be posted by tomorrow, if not later tonight, and the tutorial will be up soon too! I'll also have a few mushrooms for the shop, if you don't feel like making your own. Now I'm going to go make some soup!

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It might be time for a numbered list, as I have several unrelated items to post.

1. I'm still slowly going through my fabric. Here is some helpful information if you need to de-clutter your fabric stash (I imagine it would work well for yarn or other craft supplies, too). The only thing I don't agree with totally is the part about doing it all at once. It can be an overwhelming task, and I tend to subscribe to the FlyLady philosophy-you can do anything for 15 minutes at a time.
2. Miep Gies turned 100 this month. I love her story, and all those stories of people like her who helped so many people during World War II. Also, Miep is the cutest name ever.
   This is a good opportunity to once again recommend The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It's not a true story, but still, it's so good, and just joyful, and it has to do with World War II. I think it's my favorite read of the past year.
3. I've been sick all week, so the only studio project I've managed to complete is the hanging of this sweet little clock from Decoylab.
4. I completely forgot to mention that the U.S. version of Softies is out (it was originally published in Australia). The new version is called Softies Only a Mother Could Love: Lovable Friends for You to Sew, Knit, or Crochet.
   It's such a great little book, I'm so glad even more people will get a chance to buy it.
   
   
   To see more of what's inside visit the Penguin Australia site, you can visit the sites of all the contributors and even upload your own creations to a gallery. I've also amended the Flickr group to include both versions of the book, so please join and show off your softies!
5. Sally came for a visit today while I was puttering in the little house. Please do not notice the dirty floor and scratched up door (you probably wouldn't have if I hadn't pointed those things out). I can't be bothered to vacuum or paint at the moment (see #3, above, for my excuse).
   
   

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Today's blog, in list format:

1. Sally often lurks around the back door, peering inside like a nosy neighbor who wants to be invited in for the latest gossip and a cup of tea. Sometimes we let her come in the kitchen for a visit. The cats are fascinated and terrified at the same time. Here they are investigating a little goose poop.
2. Soup season is here to stay, it seems, and I have three recipes in regular rotation right now: Kale and Sausage Soup (I doubled the amount of stock and added a little cream at the end, delicious!); Albondigas (I will have to share my recipe for this one, we've already made this four times in the last month); Italian Sausage, pasta, bean and vegetables (I don't have a proper name for this one, but I've been making it a long time). What are your favorite soups?
3. I've been holding steady with my 25 lbs. lost this year, but haven't lost any more over the last couple months. Starting this past Monday I joined a weight loss pool with 15 or so (mostly male) co-workers. Everyone put in $20, and the one with the highest percentage of weight loss gets the whole pot. So I'm back on the losing-weight track, and I'm competitive, so I'm working hard to win. I need some new pants, most of mine are on the large side, and any loss will mean that I need to go down a size. So I need to win so I can buy some new pants. Extra motivation! 
4. Here is my weight loss tip of the day: I try to designate one day a week as a Free Day, and I don't worry too much about what I eat that day. I don't track the calories, I don't measure portions, I just eat what I want. Sometimes it ends up being just one meal, sometimes it's all three meals on the chosen day. I don't see it as a binging, free-for-all kind of thing, just a, 'I've been craving a cheeseburger and fries all week, so I'm going to Wendy's and having one' sort of day.
5. I've made a lot of progress cleaning out my studio. I hope to be able to paint it later this month, which will make a huge difference. I consolidated various boxes of photos and letters and cards into one bin, so if we have to evacuate due to a fire, they will all be in one place, and I can grab it quickly. I bought a nice Martha Stewart photo album at Michael's, so I'll gradually put all my pictures in there, but I'm at a loss what to do with all the letters and cards. What do you do? I have a couple friends that have been wonderful letter writers, so I know I want to keep a lot of them. I also found all the letters I wrote home when I was in college. I haven't read any of them, and I'm pretty sure they are mostly requests for more money and complaints about roommate, but at least some of them might be worth saving. 
6. Also, as part of my cleaning, I've listed some rubber stamps on ebay. So if you need to  add to your rubber stamp collection, there are a few good deals to be had.

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I’m still trying to learn how to use my zoom lens, and I was practicing this morning. Sally kept walking closer and closer. I think I have a picture that is nearly all beak. In this one you can see her pretty blue eyes. Er, eye.

The dogs run through the dew and drink out of Sally’s pool in the morning, then go lay in the dirt, so they’re always a bit disheveled looking in the morning. Here’s Winston’s dirty face:

There has been quite the chicken soap opera going on around these parts, but it will take several entries to share that tale. In the meantime, meet Colonel Sanders:

Something I really need to work on: check the white balance before taking pictures! I was so concerned about my aperture and shutter speed that I forgot that the last time I used my camera I was taking pictures in the kitchen in the evening and had the white balance set on incandescent. Doh! So that’s why everything is blue. That’s also not the first time I’ve done that. When will I learn?

And now, a list of movies that should not be viewed on an empty stomach:

• Big Night
• Eat Drink Man Woman
• Howard’s End
• Mostly Martha

Do you have any to add to the list? I’m just trying to serve the public here at Hey Lucy, and prevent any unnecessary hunger pangs.

I watched Mostly Martha last night, but it was after dinner, so I was okay. Next on my Netflix queue is No Reservations. I’m going to see how it compares to Mostly Martha. I usually hate Hollywood remakes (for example, Shall We Dance, the Japanese version, is far superior to the U.S. version), so I have very low expectations.

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