Internet Trends, aka "Jumping on the Bandwagon"

 I really try to avoid most internet-based "challenges", as many of them seem quite silly, or useless to me.  However, a recent hashtag came across one of the cosplay sites I like to frequent, #cosplaycharactercosplayer.  In this challenge, you create a photo mosaic of yourself in real life, you in cosplay, and the character you are portraying.  From a character research/personal challenge point of view, looking at my cosplay vs. the actual character gives me a lot of information on where my build/portrayal looks good vs. where I need to improve.  Long after this hashtag disappears into the wasteland of forgotten social media challenges, I will continue to do comparison shots to look at where I can improve.

January 2021

     I was a bit shocked to discover that I hadn't posted anything in this blog since 2015, so I figured it was about time to say something...ANYTHING!!!

     To bring everything up to date would take too long, so here's a summary.  MiniBoo's 13 now. I survived breast cancer in 2018 and I haven't worked since March of 2020, due to Covid.  Finally, McHusband is still at the same job he's held since we moved to Utah 10 years ago. 

     Thanks to worries about Covid-19, we decided that I would stay out of the classroom for an extended period.  This has been good and bad.  I've managed to clear out and complete many long unfinished projects over the past year.  And I've discovered that social media is more of a bane than blessing.  I have two dedicated hobby pages on a platform, but the amount of work to maintain them has convinced me to move more of those posts back here, consolidated onto one page.  I might not get near as many acknowledgements from people here, but I'm writing these posts mostly for my own records and benefit anyway.

     I've also discovered that I feel happier when I'm really "present" for people.  If I'm distracted by a screen, the quality of personal interaction diminishes greatly.  I'll still have some screen time to keep in touch with my peoples, both near and far.  I'll just be focusing on interacting more "in real life" and with "real life".

     

The "Original" McGonagall

     This picture is from the Salt Lake ComicCon's FanX event that we attended at the end of January.  This was my first outing as Professor McGonagall from the Harry Potter movie/book franchise.  MiniBoo LOVES anything and everything Harry Potter, and with Tom Felton (who played Draco Malfoy) attending the event, it made sense that we must have a Potter-themed cosplay for the day we would meet Draco!

    

     After getting MiniBoo's outfit sorted (yep...into Gryffindor...haha!), I raided my fabric and pattern stash to start getting my outfit arranged.  This cloak pattern, McCalls 4340, was the pattern I chose for McGonagall's green cloak.  It's not screen-accurate by any stretch, but it was in my stash, and I had made several other cloaks from the pattern before.  This pattern would give the "appearance" of McGonagall, even if it wasn't built like the actual cloak worn in the movie.  The convention time was rapidly approaching, so I was looking for any way to shortcut the costume assembly process.

     One of the primary concerns for me when making an outfit to wear at a convention is comfort. The hall is warm, so I needed breathable materials.  For the cloak, I chose to order some forest green cotton velour from NaturesFabrics.com.  I am SO pleased with this website!!!!!  Prices are great! Fabric is high-quality and easy laundering care.  Shipping is also super-fast.  I will DEFINITELY order materials from them in the future!

     We don't really see McGonagall's underdress, so I used a black turtleneck and an old Ren Faire linen dress for this go-round.  In studying the pictures of her costume, we can only see that the dress is long and black, with snug, wrist-length sleeves.  In my mind, my first version looks OK, but not great.  So my underdress will be a target for the upgrade process as well as remaking the cloak.

     My brooch that I chose also came from my own personal accessory collection.  I purchased this black and silver brooch in 2000 when I toured Scotland.  Since it's actually Scottish, like the character of McGonagall, I thought it fit well for a first Potter outing.  But again, it's not screen-accurate, so it, too, becomes a target for cosplay upgrade.  (But it will look nice on a suit or sweater for work, so it gets to remain in active circulation in a different role!)

    The wand I originally used was not the McGonagall wand, but a Hermione replica, purchased from one of the vendors at the convention.  Shortly after the convention, I bought a McGonagall replica wand made from resin.  Looked great, but the thing broke in its first 15 minutes out of the box!!!  (see the SuperGlued wand in the above picture) This prop ALSO goes into the "UPGRADE" pile, as I can't carry SuperGlue into the convention to keep repairing it.  Luckily, McHusband knows a guy who's willing to make one out of wood for me that SHOULD be able to stand up to some wear and tear.

    Finally, the McGonagall hat...this is the only item from the original outing that will stay in cosplay rotation, as is.  I found it on Amazon.com for a steal of a price and have been very happy with it.  It's comfortable, and closely replicates the screen version worn by Maggie Smith in the first two Harry Potter movies.

   With the reaction I received from MiniBoo, McHusband, and the convention attendees that I interacted with on the day we wore our costumes, Professor McGonagall has become one of my favorites.  And because she's one of my favorites, I want to do right by her.  Getting as close as possible to replicating her picture below will be the goal of the overhaul! Thus, the next few blog entries will detail the complete remaking of this costume to make her even better and brighter than her first outing!

Delicious Autumn Treats

I haven't posted anything in over a year because my college work has kept me too busy, but I just had to immortalize this yummy surprise my husband made this evening!  He and our daughter carved our pumpkin for Halloween.  They decided, unbeknownst to me, to bake up some pumpkin seeds for me, since I have many fond childhood memories of eating them at this time of year.  Here's the method they used for a most excellently delicious snack:

1)  Clean the pulp off the seeds.  2)  Boil the seeds in salt water, then dry well.
3)  Lightly toss the seeds in almond-infused olive oil (but I'm sure any oil would work fine!) making sure they are coated but not soggy.
4)  Sprinkle a dash of salt and bake in the oven at 400 degrees until golden (about 15-20 minutes).

YUMMY!  I had to really discipline myself to not eat the entire cookie sheet of seeds tonight!  I think this will DEFINITELY become a new Halloween tradition in our household.

Irish Feasting, Day 3

Today was our Corned Beef and Cabbage day.  Overall, it turned out well, although I think the smoked salmon quiche is my favorite so far.  There isn't really a recipe, per se, but here is a method that worked out well.

Corned Beef and Cabbage with Potatoes and Carrots
1 Large Corned Beef Brisket
16-20 Baby Carrots
1 Small Cabbage
2-3 Bottles of Guinness Draft
6-8 Red potatoes (depending on size)
3 Bay leaves
Guilden's Spicy Brown Mustard
Butter
Salt and Pepper

Put the brisket in your crock pot on LOW about 10 hours before you plan to serve your dinner.  Periodically, check the meat to insure it's at least 75% covered in liquid.

About 1 hour before dinner, peel your potatoes and cut them into quarters.  Check the baby carrots for any imperfections, wash them well and pat them dry.  Cut your cabbage into quarters, then halve the quarters.  Bring a broth of 1-1.5 bottles of Guinness, 2 cups of water and the bay leaves to a boil in a large pan, then put the potatoes and carrots in.   While your vegetables are boiling, remove the meat from the crock pot and let it rest on the cutting board.  Let the veggies boil well for about 20-30 minutes, until they are beginning to become fork tender, but be careful not to let them get mushy.  Then add your cabbage and boil for about 10-15 minutes more.  When the cabbage is soft, but still has a snap to it, remove it from the liquid,
drain carefully and put it in your serving bowl.  Allow the potatoes and carrots to boil about 5-7 minutes longer, then drain them well and add them to the serving bowl.  Be careful not to serve the bay leaves in the cabbage--they will make you sick if you accidentally eat them.

Serve the meal with butter, salt and pepper and spicy mustard.  I also recommend serving an artisanal bread if you have one available, such as French bread, soda bread or another option of your choosing.

Until the next meal!!!

Irish Feasting, Day 2

Day 2 of the Irish feast was not so tasty....mushroom potage (a kind of soup from Tipperary) prepared according to the recipe did NOT play to rave reviews from anyone in the family, so I won't be posting that recipe to my blog. I'm not sure I'll even attempt to make the recipe again, even with alterations to suit the family taste buds more.

Making corned beef and cabbage today for Feast dinner, day 3...can't go wrong with that!

Irish Feasting, Day 1

One tradition in my family is having a nice meal for St. Patrick's Day.  Since moving out of my parents' house, I've taken that tradition a bit further, and I make nice meals for the week of St. Patrick's!

We took my daughter to Salt Lake City for her first train ride as well as her first St. Patrick's day parade and party.  She was more impressed with eating at the Gateway food court and riding the train, than the St. Patrick's day festivities, but hopefully that will change in time!

Here's the recipe for Day 1 of my Family's Irish Feast:

Smoked Salmon Quiche
2       9-inch Deep Dish Pie Crusts (you can make them from scratch if you wish)
1       Cup Grated Sharp Cheddar
1       Cup Grated Swiss Cheese
1       Cup Grated Colby Jack Cheese
1       Cup GratedDubliner Cheese
1       Cup Grated Kerrygold Reduced Fat Irish Cheddar
5       Eggs
1.5    Cups of Skim or 1% Milk
1       Cup Freshly Chopped Spinach
1        6 oz package of Smoked Sockeye Salmon
         (I like the "Seabear" brand sold by Made In Washington Stores)

Combine all the cheeses in a large bowl, then add the milk.  Combine eggs together with a fork (as if you were making scrambled eggs), then add to the cheese/milk mixture.  Put the smoked salmon patty on a cutting board and separate it into fine pieces with a fork.  When your salmon pieces are flaked into VERY small pieces, add the salmon to the cheese, milk, egg mixture.  Finally add the spinach and mix all ingredients well.
Spoon the mixture into the two piecrusts, evenly distributing the mix between the two.

Bake the quiches at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Let cool approximately 15-20 minutes before eating.  Do not eat immediately after baking or the quiches will be runny and not taste as good.

Companion drink suggestions:
Always drink and eat with a companion!  Even if they don't like what you've made...it's much more fun to do it with someone!!!


Oh wait....companions to the QUICHE drink suggestions is what you were looking for here, right???

A nicely chilled white wine (not too sweet, but not too dry) or a Guinness draft go well with this meal.  Or if you would like to have a non-alcoholic option, I recommend mineral water (Pelligrino is quite nice) or an iced black tea such as Earl Grey.

Thus ends day one of my Irish Feast!  Slainte!  (That's "Cheers" in Gaelic!)

In With A Whole Lot Of New, part 1

First of all, a rousing "Happy New Year" to anyone who's reading this blog.

At New Year's, people say, "out with the old and in with the new".  Well, I got a whole lot of "new" to start off 2012!  And before you say, "ugh", our story does look like it will have a happy ending.

My husband transferred with his company from Everett, Washington to Salt Lake City, Utah, this fall.  He's always wanted to get back to the Rocky Mountain region after living there 15 years ago, and now he'd gotten his wish.  I wasn't especially thrilled about packing up and moving cross-country.  Although my teaching career had hit a temporary bump (I'd been laid off at the end of last school year) I felt comfortably established in the region and in my school district, where I was still able to be a substitute teacher.  But since I love my husband, and I want to support him in his endeavors, I agreed to move.  So I began the major purge/decluttering of our belongings in September to prepare for this move.

Over the next two months, I would take so many items to Goodwill that the employees would laugh and say, "You again??"  To which I responded, "yep, it's me AGAIN!"  Going through the house with a fine-toothed comb and taking box after box of stuff out actually felt good.  I was rather amazed at how much we had accumulated over ten years in Washington.  By my birthday in November, which coincidentally was the day the packers came to the house, I felt like I had really pared us down to a reasonable load of household goods.  It made me feel even better when they said, "you've hardly got anything; we can pack this place up quick." Despite the fabulous going-away parties that had been held in our honor, it wasn't until I saw my belongings travel on their relentless journeys into wrapping paper and cardboard boxes that the reality of leaving the area that had been my home for the past decade hit me like a freight train on hyperdrive. In the two months since we had gotten notification we were moving, I was telling myself, "it'll be great fun...it's an adventure....you're closer to your brother and your parents.....there's a purpose for you to accomplish in Utah".  Subconsciously, I couldn't get excited enough about the move to believe my hype and I broke down after the packers left.  Yes, I now own stock in the Kleenex company, but I did NOT, repeat DID NOT, contribute to any flooding those who live along the Snohomish River might have experienced this fall!

The transfer yanked into sharp focus all of those things that I had taken for granted in Washington....friends, an incredible school of students/staff (a shout-out to Cascade High School) where I LOVED working, loads of fun things to do in Seattle, Starbucks cafes on every street corner, delicious/relatively inexpensive/plentiful sushi, lots of Asian markets and restaurants, the ability to order anything (wine, clothing, food) and have it shipped directly to my front porch, a beautiful home in a great neighborhood, mild weather year-round and 1001 other things that had become commonplace (and therefore, unacknowledged) in my life over the nearly eleven years that I had lived and worked in Washington.

Reflecting on the wonderful aspects of my life that I was going to miss helped me to also focus on things I wasn't crazy about while living in Puget Sound....days and days of rain, high cost of living, and more traffic jams than I can count.  At certain times of the day, I-5 becomes one gigantic parking lot!  I definitely was NOT going to miss that!!!

So very early on Thanksgiving Day 2011, 3:30 am to be precise, we left Everett and drove to Sea-Tac airport for our flight to Salt Lake City.

The first....perhaps of many?

Well, I decided to enter the 21st century and start a blog.  Not because I feel I'm especially fascinating, but because I enjoy writing and I thought it would be a fun way to remember events for our family over time.  With practice, I'll figure out how to post pictures and respond to comments, but for now....HERE WE GO!!!  (somehow I feel a little bit like I've just begun to plummet over a very large hill on a roller coaster!)