Script Competition

Willamette Writers kicks off their second Script to Screen short screenplay competition. Scripts are due on March 15th. If you want to read more about it, check out this blog.

The winning FilmLab script will be shown
on Friday, August 2nd at the Willamette Writer's Annual conference.

The deadline for submitting a script is March 15th. Guidelines available here.

Monday Munchies - Marzipan Mania - in bread

Marzipan Bread:


Whisk together:
1 1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 ½ tsp of almond extract

Combine with:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Whisk with:
1 cube melted butter

Bake at 350 degrees in a greased pan for 30-40 minutes

CRAFT FAIL- THIS IS "SEW" HORRIBLE

This is my husband zipping up his jacket (on the inside).

Okay so I can admit it. I make mistakes. But sometimes I think...DUH! How the heck did I do that?

Well let me tell you about this one.

My husband got a nice new jacket for Christmas. It was a thick, warm, hooded sweatshirt material (which means cozy) jacket that he love(d)(s). Unfortunately, after wearing it a couple of times, the zipper broke. So, in his mind it was pretty much useless. But, being the eternal optimist that I am, I thought I can fix that.



Now, mind you, I haven't sewn any zippers for quite a while...meaning dozens of years. Oh, I know, I sew. But my sewing is simple...straight sort of lines. Nothing quite compares with seam ripping the once perfect material and then trying to alter, replace and repair some notion. But, like I said, I thought I can do that.

"Sew" I did, well, sort of.

I ran to the fabric store and bought a new 28 inch zipper ($9.00 but I had a 50% off coupon so it was only $4.50), then I ripped out the old faulty zipper with my handy-dandy seam ripper and pinned the new zipper in place.


I was all ready now to repair the jacket. I sewed the zipper in place and WAH-LAH I took it to my husband for him to try on...

Can you see the problem?

He couldn't either...until the next morning.

Then he thought...what are the pockets doing on the inside? Yeah, it makes him look a little chubby with all that extra material (the pockets) sticking out -- on the inside.

Yep, I sewed the zipper on the jacket (inside out) YIKES! Yep, see that...it's inside out.

It should look like this:

But on the other side :( See the ribbed material...that goes on the inside - not the side people see.

"SEW" I FAILED!

A Pot of Gold

If you want to make a simple treat for St. Paddy's Day, here's the way to do it.

Make a batch of cupcakes. Then take coconut and mix it with frosting, add a couple drops of green food coloring to the mix and blend until smooth.

Frost your cupcakes and use a pipe cleaner as the basket handle. Top with a gold foil-covered coin. WAH-LAH you've created your very own pot(s) of gold. :D

How 'bout a little Green?

This is a simple way to decorate for St. Paddy's Day. Take a long pipe cleaner and a foam shamrock, twist the pipe cleaner around the base of the shamrock and WAH-LAH! You've got the beginnings of a beautiful green bouquet.

I stick these into flowers out on the porch and even into centerpieces for the table.

I think they add a great little pop of color.

VBC13 - City Repair

VBC is Village Building Convergence
Friday, May 24th to Sunday, June 2nd

A 10-Day Community Festival or as they say it an "Urban Permaculture & Grid - Transformation Festival hoping for awakened social ecology in Portland Oregon"

What this is, is a festival to get volunteers together and to help neighborhood communities learn how to participate together in "spaces and places" or planned events.

The theory is if you build it they will come. Or...if you give people a space to come together, they will make a memorable "Place".

I thought this was a cool idea, kind of like building community gardens or parks. 

TUESDAY TUMMY TEMPTATIONS

We've been eating a lot of sweets lately so when my hubby's uncle's 88th birthday rolled around I thought, why not fix something healthy...?

This is what I did.

I used my cookie cutters to cut out shapes in fruit: honeydew, cantaloupe, and pineapple. Then I stabbed shish kabob skewers through the fruit and decorated them with maraschino cherries for an extra pop of color.

I put them in a vase to finish off my fruity "flower" arrangement.

WAH-LAH!!! Happy Healthy Bday!