Non-Food Related Posts | easy. everyday. eats.

Late Updates

August 17, 2011 by Erin Stomber 1 Comment

For the most part I just post recipes {and sometimes crafts} on this blog. However, I figured I’d take a few moments to share some recent happenings in my life over the last few weeks and get you all up to date.

On July 31, Jeremy and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary! We had plans to try out a new restaurant we hadn’t been to before, but they fell through. We ended up at Joe’s Crab Shack, a place we’ve been to several times, which was a little disappointing to me. Jeremy is okay with eating at the same old places. I, on the other hand, am always looking to try new things. It ended up turning into a good thing though. I happen to LOVE crab. One of the highlights of our honeymoon to Alaska was being able to eat a big giant fresh-caught Dungeness Crab. So delicious! I am quite a mess, though, when it comes to eating crab. I just discovered that I liked it a few years ago and everytime Jeremy has had to help me crack it open to get the meat out because I can never do it right and it ends up all over! He doesn’t really do it correctly either, and I never end up with nice big chunks of meat, just little shreds. Well, on our anniversary I finally had a break through! I finally figured out how to do it with no help at all, not make a huge mess, and end up with whole chunks of large meat! I was soooo excited! And it was definitely worth having to skip out on a new place to be able to finally be able to do that! Sometimes the little things in life can be the most exciting! I know… I’m a little weird…

Here’s a picture of my hubby. He hates pictures and I had to beg him for this one!

I was also excited about eating our wedding cake that we had saved in the freezer. My mom wrapped it up nicely for us, and even though the frosting was a little smushed it still tasted great! Although, Jeremy ate the last few pieces without telling me I was looking forward to another piece when I found out it was gone.

Another update is that last Wednesday I finally finished my Practicum in the Master’s Counseling Program. I’m not quite done with my degree yet, I have my internship left to do, but this was a big accomplishment. It was a lot of hard work over the summer, and even though it was a rewarding experience, I’m glad to have it behind me!

The last thing I wanted to share has to do with my cat Ava. I woke up this morning to her bouncing and scratching around the kitchen floor with pools of saliva everywhere. It wasn’t until I touched her that she finally calmed down, but was still panicky and dehydrated. This is the 3rd time something like this has happened in the past year, and it’s as if she’s having a seizure. She throws her body against the walls, runs into things, her body shakes continuously, and her mouth foams with saliva and blood… and it goes on for a few minutes! It’s the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced! After going to the vet the first time it happened, we learned that it’s not a seizure… it’s an electrical shock. She’s a curious kitty and apparently she gets into wires that are plugged into the wall and chews them! We try to leave things unplugged for this very reason, unless it’s absolutely necessary. I don’t even know what cords she got into this time around. But she definitely did because her tongue was burnt like the last few times. Poor thing! I feel so bad for her. She’s okay and is doing well, but it is such a scary experience to go through. I’m always worried that she’s going to do it when we aren’t home.

Here’s some pictures of my pretty kitty:

Isn’t she adorable?

Filed Under: Non-Food Related Posts

Yearly Calendar

March 6, 2011 by Erin Stomber Leave a Comment

These calendars are so cute! And they’re easy to make! Every Christmas we try to come up with ideas of gifts to give to our para-professionals. This year we made these and everybody loved them. Over Christmas break, I needed a project. Even though I had already bought my mom and sister their presents, I decided to make these for them too. These make great personalized gifts for anyone!

Do you have someone difficult to buy for? Do you have a secret sister and run out of ideas to give her? Make these.

Here’s what I did:

I simply took a card and used it as a template to cut cardstock the size of each section, about 5 by 7 1/2 inches, or whatever size you prefer. You will need to cut a total of 6 pieces of cardstock.

{Cut everything using a scrapbook trimmer.}

Then, use the same card and cut 12 backgrounds, the same size, from different themed scrapbook paper. You will need one for each month. Using dot adhesive, place the cardstock in the middle and then match up the months that go back to back – January and July, February and August, March and September, April and October, May and November, June and December. The cardstock should be in the middle to make it more durable, with the backgrounds on the outside. {You can also buy backgrounds that are precut. This makes it a lot easier and ensures that everything matches up. At the time I made these, I didn’t find precut backgrounds I liked, but if you do it’s a great alternative and saves a lot of work!}

Using Microsoft Word, pick out a font and size you like and print out names for each month. Go online and find a yearly calendar, download it, resize it if you need to (about 2 1/2 inces squared), and cut it out. Simple as that!

Using a standard black piece of scrapbook paper, cut out 12 small pieces to mat the background of each month name. Using white paper, cut out 12 pieces as a background mat for the dates of each month, about 3 by 3 inches.

Then assemble each month using the dot adhesive. Decorate each with any adhesive stickers you have that match the theme of each month. Make it as simple or complicated as you like!

Using a small hole puncher, punch the corners of each section. Use twine and tie the months together. Use a longer piece of twine on the top so that the calendar can hang. You may have trouble with the corners bowing in. If you do, use a large toothpick or small popsicle and stuff it in the top between the backgrounds so that it makes it more solid.

Each year you can simply print out new dates for the calendar and switch it out.