On my way to an archaeological field school in Kampsville, IL! I’ll try to update when I can, but don’t expect anything very detailed. Maybe a few pictures here and there…

See you in August!

UPDATE: Visit my Flickr to see pictures!

A few photos from my Sunday at Thornwood.

Recently, I found out that a picture of me and my horse Tony (aka Mister Finesse) is being featured on a bag of feed concentrate produced by Buckeye Nutrition. In light of this news, I have decided to share with all of you the story of my horse Tony. It’s a bit long, so I’ll be splitting it up into two separate posts.
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A couple of years ago I was approached by equine photographer Cristy Cumberworth to ask my permission for the use of a photo. The photo in question was of me and my purebred Arabian reining horse Tony competing at the January 2006 show held in Tucson, AZ by the Southern Arizona Arabian Horse Association. I remember the show well because that was the last time I showed Tony. Moments after Cristy had taken my picture, Tony took a wobbly step during our last set of spins. It didn’t feel right and I knew something wrong. It wasn’t until I asked Tony to walk out of the arena that I knew how bad it really was. My trainer, Crystal, had me jump off and slowly hand walk him around the in-gate. He limped at every step and would not put any weight down on his front right leg. Just then the announcer gave the placings of the class. I had won, but with the threat of a severe injury taking shape it really didn’t matter. I walked Tony back to the stalls, wrapped his leg and waited to hear from the vet.

It wasn’t until Tony was home in Scottsdale that we knew exactly what had happened. Crystal called with the news of a torn suspensory. The suspensory ligament and associated apparatus is what keeps a horse’s fetlock from dropping to the ground. It basically acts like a sling to support the joint. While it isn’t the worst injury a horse can sustain, it is serious and takes around a year to heal.

So we put Tony on stall rest and eventually light hand-walking until we noticed another problem: ringbone. I knew that Tony had ringbone, but it wasn’t an issue until he was put on stall rest for the suspensory tear. Since he was no longer being active, the ringbone really had a chance to develop causing arthritic symptoms. Eventually his suspensory healed, but because the ringbone was in full swing we had to keep waiting. By this time, a year had gone by and I wasn’t sure that I would ever show Tony again. It was bit disheartening to think that would be the case. Right before the injury, Tony and I had really hit our stride as a team and were consistently marking 70s and above.
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Stay tuned for Pt. II!

Well, we are officially midway through the Spring Cure! Things have gotten busy here the last week or so, and I haven’t been updating as frequently as I’d hoped. I’ve been slowly going through things and finding solutions for my most cluttered areas. I’m happy with what I’ve done so far, but this unpredictable April weather has left my place looking a bit more disheveled than usual. When it’s 80ºF one day and 55ºF the next, your closet has to be prepared for anything. Needless to say, my bins of summer clothes had to come out of their hiding place and are now taking up the spare bedroom. Before I make the big seasonal wardrobe switch, I have to be sure that the cold spells are done. I know that as soon as I start packing away my sweaters, the weather will change and I’ll be digging them out again. Week 7 of the AT Cure will bring with it the bedroom/wardrobe decluttering, so I might just hold out until then to make the big switch. Hopefully by then the weather will be staying warm for good!

Since my last update, I have found some great solutions for my clutter and general disorganization. The first solution I want to share is this awesome light switch cover. One of my biggest problems was that I didn’t have a proper “Landing Strip”. I would come home and put my keys and mail on the closest flat surface (usually the kitchen counter). When it came time to cook dinner, I would move my keys to the kitchen table and when it came time to eat they would be exiled to the coffee table. Eventually, I would lose track of where I put them and well you know the rest…

Enter the Key Switch by Paul Koh. I installed it on the light switch right next to my front door and it has saved me from having to hunt down my keys in the morning. It’s also great for holding my mail (both outgoing and incoming) and my reusable shopping bag. It simply screws over your existing switch plate, so it couldn’t be any easier to install. I also took this opportunity to clean off my light switch. It was really gross looking. All in all, it was worth the money.

My next solution concerns my vanity. It was a big mess and I could never easily find what I was looking for. Luckily, the Container Store was having a sale and I picked up some great acrylic jewelry racks. Placing it all on a bright white lacquer sushi tray makes my vanity feel a little more pulled together. It’s still a work in progress, but I’m happy with the direction it’s taking.

Oh and I had to include a picture of my hyacinths. They make my whole apartment smell so good!

I finally uploaded the pictures from JigGsaw’s March 13th show at Cowboy Monkey.

Click over here to my Flickr for the rest of the set.

If you like what you see, come check out JigGsaw for yourself at these upcoming shows:

And…

I was in the mood for something sweet and chewy…

My go-to peanut butter cookie recipe adapted from Baking Blonde:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. peanut butter
• 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1 1/3 cups AP flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 cup sugar (for covering dough balls before baking)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. Using a large mixing bowl, cream the peanut butter and butter together until smooth.

3. Add both the sugars and mix until combined.

4. Add the egg and milk.

5. In a seperate bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together.

6. Add to peanut butter mixture in 3 additions. Mix until just combined.

7. Chill dough for at least 15 minutes. This will prevent spreading and flat cookies.

8. Roll about a tablespoon of dough into a ball with your hands.

9. Roll the dough balls in the white sugar until covered and place on baking sheet.

10. Carefully press each ball with a fork to make the characteristic crosshatch design.

11. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until slightly browned and puffed.

12. Remove cookies from the oven and cool on baking sheets for 5-10 minutes.

Something to look forward to…an agreeable forecast!

Other things I’m looking forward to in the coming weeks:

Week 3…the week I usually loose steam. Hope everyone can stay motivated with me and see this through till the end!

Week 3 To-Do List:

1. Vacuum, dust and mop throughout your home.
2. Clean your entrance and any related closets.
3. Arrange to have all repairs taken care of in the next 3 weeks.
4. Declutter your entrance
5. Move old mail, catalogs, and magazines to the Outbox.
6. Look into what you would need to create a Landing Strip.
7. Cancel any unused subscriptions.
8. Identify cool rooms and warm rooms.
9. Apply the 80/20 color rule.
10. Cook 2 meals at home this week.
11. Design an invitation for your party.

Since I don’t receive many unwanted catalogs or magazines, I am going to use this week to go through and unsubscribe from the many mailing lists that clutter my inbox.

I’m looking forward to designing the invitation…that’s always fun!

Week 2 of the Spring Cure is already here (and half-way gone!) Here are the items on this week’s agenda:

Week 2 To-Do List:

1. Fix 1 thing in your apartment yourself.
2. Clean your kitchen and throw away old food.
3. Buy a water filter and use it.
4. Run your hands over every wall in your apartment.
5. Clear space for an Outbox.
6. Clear one surface and use the Outbox.
7. Buy fresh flowers.
8. Determine your style.
9. Find a new recipe and cook 1 meal at home.
10. Choose the date for your party.

A longer list this time around, but nothing that’s impossible.

The biggest thing for me this week will be cleaning out my kitchen. I don’t usually keep a lot of stuff around, so I’m hoping it won’t take too long. I have one drawer in particular that really needs my attention. It’s packed with all of my miscellaneous kitchen utensils and it’s gotten so full that I can’t easily get it opened or closed. To help with this, I decided to empty the entire contents of the drawer into a box. If I need something that was once in the drawer, I will take it out of the box and put it back in the drawer after I’m done with it. At the end of a month, whatever is still left in the box will be thrown out or donated. By knowing what it is I actually use, I can make better decisions on what to keep or discard.

Cooking is something I already do a lot of in my kitchen, so that one will be easy. If you’re looking for something to cook, try your luck at Tastespotting. You can use the search function to find a particular recipe or simply browse the pictures until you find something that looks delicious.

In high school I had two Spanish teachers. One was from Barcelona and the other from Puerto Rico. The teacher from Barcelona called this caramelized milk dulce de leche while the Puerto Rican teacher called it cajeta. I think what makes dulce de leche different from cajeta is the milk: Dulce de leche is made with cow’s milk and cajeta is made with goat’s milk. Some prefer cajeta over dulce de leche and say that it isn’t as cloying, but I think they are both great.

Since goat’s milk is hard to find and I don’t have time to sit and constantly stir a pot of milk and sugar for an hour, here is how I make my caramelized milk:

1. Get a can of sweetened condensed milk
2. Peel off the label and scrape away residual glue (a spoon works well for this)
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil
4. Drop the can of sweetened condensed milk into the boiling water
5. Boil for 3-4 hours (3 hours for a lighter, more syrupy dulce de leche or 4 hours for a darker and thicker consistency)
6. Let cool before opening can

WARNING: Watch your pot frequently and add more water as needed to keep the can covered. DO NOT let the pot boil dry! Your can could explode if you let the all the water evaporate from the pot.

After 4 hours of boiling time, this is what I got:

I found this post on my beloved Tastespotting and thought it looked like a good use for the dulce de leche: Salted Cashew Cookies from Natalie’s Killer Cuisine. I’m a big fan of sweet & salty combos, so these are perfect. It’s like eating a Pease’s cashew in cookie form.