Yarn Bombing: Destruction of Fibers or Explosion of Fuzzy Colors?

    I'm going to basically copy and paste the press release I wrote for my job for this blog post, BUT I'm putting my specific comments in color. Because, there are a couple different things I wanted to highlight, but my boss wouldn't let me suggested against it.

    Fiber artists and enthusiasts will be making their way to Oxford, January 21 – 23, for the first ever Fiber Arts Festival hosted by the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council and Knit1 Oxford. This three-day event is the first event, of its kind, in Mississippi. The Fiber Arts Festival will offer workshops, lectures on vintage knitting, demonstrations in: crochet, lace making, rug hooking, etc., and even “make and take” classes for all ages where you can learn a fiber art in one lesson.

     If that’s not enough to keep the kids interested, the live alpacas definitely will! YES, alpacas are the ones that spit! But not all of them do. They make humming noises when their being friendly or just trying to communicate. And the males sqwack like crazy birds when they fight. The alpacas’ consistency in quality and quantity of its fiber and fineness of its coat has made them a valuable fiber-bearing animal. A look-a-like to a tiny llama the animals will be part of the demonstrations showcasing the vibrancy of fiber arts from the origins of the fibers to the finished product.  Visitors can even take part in the latest fiber art trend - yarn bombing.

    Yarn Bombing is a colorful twist on graffiti.  Artists twist, tie, wrap and roll fibers around anything.  The columns in front of stores on the square and bikes have been yarn bombed transforming them into brilliant, fuzzy works of art. During the fiber art festival visitors can take part in yarn bombing the historic pumps in front of The Powerhouse.  Yes, sign me up for wrapping random buildings and objects in yarn! Ok, I personally have not seen what this looks like yet, but I heard it looks pretty stinkin' cool. YAC & Knit1 hope to make this festival a tradition with the combination of the talent in the area, interest, and support we’ve generated from the community; we’re anticipating a fun, fiber weekend for all! YEAH, and Alpacas!

Learning how to make a felt clutch is just ONE of the workshops available Fiber Arts Weekend

     The festival hours start Friday, January 21 from 5-9pm with the lecture on vintage knitting and crochet with a reception at 7pm. Saturday, January 22 from 10am-4pm, will be Make and Take crafts available all day, a felt clutch workshop, and yarn bombing. Sunday, January 23 from 1-4pm will be the Nuno Felted Scarf workshop and the Hand Painting Sock Yarn workshop.  On exhibit during the festival in the Powerhouse Gallery will be quilts by the PieceMakers Quilt Guild.

Unfortunately, (not really unfortunate because I'm excited to go) I'll be at a wedding that weekend. (See blog post before this one) With one of my all time favorite people, whom I only get to see, basically, once a year.

I'm encouraging you to be at the Fiber Arts Fest, because Alpacs really are adorable and learning how to make a felt clutch is probably one of the neatest skills ever.

Smooch

Here Come the Brides, Dum-da-da-da

In my eyes, it's completely wedding season. As of January 2, 2011. Wedding season (for me) will officially start. Not only in attendance of me going/ being in friend's weddings, but also at work (Yoknapatawpha Arts Council of the Powerhouse Community Arts Center, Oxford, MS).

Upcoming Weddings to attend listed by month:

       January - 2

       March - 1

       May - 1 + 1 wedding reception

       June - 1

Which I guess isn't a TON, but to me- its the most I've ever been to in a span of 6 months.

Also, for the record, Weddings are a BLAST. Are you kidding? Free food, friends, dancing, and booze. Why would you not want to go? It's the best excuse for traveling and getting out of town for a weekend.

I'm around weddings constantly in the Spring. Working for the Arts Council allows me the opportunity to show off our building to potential brides-to-be and help them plan their special day. I'm not joking when I say that between today (Dec. 30) and July 23rd, that's exactly 30 weekends in total, we only have 6 weekends that are actually available for using the building.

Since I've seen many styles of weddings, I'm going to share with you who is the best of the best when it comes to catering/ bartending/ venue space in Oxford.


Venue:

Yoknapatawpha Arts Council of the Powerhouse Community Arts Center

The Powerhouse, (duh). Our rental/usage of building has one of the lowest prices in town. Any tables, chairs, lighting we have available is no additional cost. Our house manager is available and present to help with any and all pre-reception/ during reception/ and after reception setup or take down.

Gallery room

The Powerhouse was built in 1928 as the ‘Powerhouse’ for the city of Oxford. Its vintage style brick and spacious rooms with tall ceilings provide any couple with the ingredients to create a delightful celebration. Located on

University Avenue

, it’s the venue that adapts to the vision for your special day. The Powerhouse features two spacious rooms. For smaller events, one room may be reserved for a more intimate gathering or for larger events both rooms could be connected so your guests can mingle freely from room to room.

Theatre room

Florist: 
My absolute favorite work has always been done by The Twisted Twig. Ashley Daniels is personable, easy to work with, and her work is always exceptional and elegant. She does all of the florist work herself, and she is absolutely my favorite in town.

The Twisted Twig

Catering/Bar service: I have 3 favorites.

For just bar service: The Lyric does a great job and their prices are reasonable.

For Catering + Bar: Party Waitin' to Happen can do both. Everytime I see them cater its always something new and intriguing. Ibby & Wiley are a mother/son catering duo. Always delicious. And they always do a fantastic decoration setup with the food.

Party Waitin' to Happen

For just Catering: Taylor Grocery Catering. Butch- the owner can seriously, probably, make anything. Most people know them for their catfish place in Taylor, MS. Taylor Catering has a cute little catering van that they cook the food in and bring with them on site. I've seen them do buffet style & serving style and their homestyle southern meals have always been a personal favorite of mine.

So to recap, favorite time for brides to get married = Spring and that is Wedding Season, which = fun x10 for all. Polish your dance shoes and save your money for wedding gifts + hotel rooms.

And if you're looking for the perfect gift for a new bride:

Square Table Cookbook is a perfect little taste of Oxford.
Order yours today: www.oxfordarts.com/shop

Breakfast = Most Important Meal

Michael Bluth: What's most important in life?
George Michael Bluth: Breakfast.
Michael Bluth: Family.
George Michael Bluth: Right. I thought you meant in the things you eat.

Breakfast is the "most important meal of the day," or at least that's what we've always been told, right? Besides, Momma makes fabulous breakfast.

Here's why breakfast is the best:

1) It gives your metabolism a boost. (Hi weight loss!) Think about it. Your body has been in starvation mode during 6-8 hours of sleeping. Not eating for an extended period of time causes your metabolism to plummet, (which is why people may feel sluggish).

2) Eating a good breakfast will keep you from over eating later- because your body has probably already started giving you signals of "Hey, I'm hungry" with headaches, nausea, or dizzy spells when you stand up too quickly.

3) Our body runs on glucose, and you get that from FOOD. So eat, be merry.

4) Also, breakfast is the BEST. Are you kidding me? Biscuits, Gravy, Sausage or my fav Turkey Sausage, Hashbrowns, Eggs, Bananas, English Muffins, Pancakes! The list goes on and on..


I made Tiny French Toast for Sunday Morning Breakfast!

I also made pancakes, but I accidentally goofed up the recipe... that's why they aren't pictured. *wah wah* It's also why you should never "wing" a recipe unless you really know what you're doing.

 And just because I love Arrested Development so much...

George Michael Bluth: Don't you always say "family first"?
Michael: Yes, I do. But that is not a family. Okay? They're a bunch of greedy, selfish people who have our nose. And Aunt Lindsay.
George Michael Bluth: She's not my real aunt?
Michael: Not her real nose. Got a picture of her when she was 14 in a swimming cap. She looks like a falcon.
-Quotes from Arrested Development, Season 1. Thanks IMDB.

Birthdays

It's always been my personal tradition- that when someone has a birthday you make sure they have a cake. I mean- come on, who doesn't want to have a cake on their birthday? Ok, so maybe you don't want to eat it, but doesn't it just feel good to know that someone went to the trouble of buying you/making you a cake?

My point exactly.              Exhibit A:

Triple Layered Chocolate Cake

 I made this cake for my boyfriend's really good friend Calvin. His birthday was last Thursday. This was the first time I've made a chocolate cake from scratch- and it turned out pretty dang good, if I may add. Also, this chocolate cake is three layers- THREE. It was so huge, and it was a lot harder than I thought it would be to layer them up just so. For only having an hour and a half to create this, I'd say the icing (presentation) was probably the only place I'd lose points.

I'm not joking when I tell you this. 20 minutes after I had finished icing the cake and we were in transit on the way to give it to Calvin, my boyfriend turns to me, laughs and says, "I don't think Calvin likes chocolate."

Happy Birthday, Calvin.

Square Table on QVC Nov. 14th

Even if you aren’t much of a cook, you still know about community cookbooks. In a sense, it is a compilation of a community’s history that helps to identify their traditions, but with food. 

It’s because of my grandmother’s potato salad that I feel like celebrating the 4^th of July. It’s my granny’s friend Nonie who makes this Strawberry Bread that makes me want to inhale an entire loaf just so I don’t have to share. It’s the food comma my dad puts himself in every Thanksgiving just for my mom’s dressing. These are the reasons that Favorite Recipes® Press has had the immense pleasure of reintroducing many home cooks to their dog-eared; finger smeared cookbooks of long ago, sharing the rich history of the community cookbook form with a broader audience.

Favorite Recipes® Press (FRP) has specialized in helping nonprofits and independent publishers from around the nation create, distribute, market and sell award-winning cookbooks since 1961. When FRP came up with a compilation of these community recipes called Recipes Worth Sharing, the response gave home cooks everywhere something to gaga over. With a feature on America’s shopping network, QVC, it quickly became one of the fastest selling cookbooks on national television.

Original Recipes Worth Sharing Released on QVC

            "Favorite Recipes® Press is proud to present yet another great compilation cookbook highlighting the best community cookbook recipes from its customers.  Included are a few favorites from Oxford's very own award-winning Square Table published by the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council." –Mary Margaret Andrews, Director of Marketing and Distribution Sales for Favorite Recipes® Press.

Thanks to FRP, recipes from Square Table will be featured in their second compilation cookbook More Recipes Worth Sharing. 

This new cookbook will be launched on QVC’s popular Sunday morning show, In the Kitchen with David, on November 14th.

   More Recipes Worth Sharing includes over 500 of the best, most popular recipes contributed by more than 82 community cookbooks from 26 states. Also included are inspiring stories about community projects made possible from the sales of community cookbooks.

More Recipes Worth Sharing provides Square Table with national attention and advertising that they would not have been able to afford without the feature on QVC. The Arts Council is now able to reach larger audiences and expand their market. In addition, all Square Table cookbook sales go towards funding community arts programs in Oxford, Miss.

Communities all over the United States will be tuned to QVC on Sunday morning, November 14, for the unveiling of More Recipes Worth Sharing, will you?

For more information on More Recipes Worth Sharing visit http://www.frpbooks.com/ or to order your copy of Square Table today visit www.oxfordarts.com/shop.

I am my Mother's Child

I was feeling ambitious last Friday night when I decided to cook dinner AND make a dessert, my first cheesecake in fact. My boyfriend and I both have work all day long throughout the week, so when Friday comes we normally just crash and chill out for the night. But not me, I felt ambitious.

It's a great feeling, when you know you can do something that you've never done before and you're just excited to try something new. So for dinner I made catfish fillets with roasted potatoes and asparagus, (I've never cooked catfish before).

And for dessert I made a Pumpkin Cheesecake with Maple Pecan Topping. And yes, it IS as rich as it sounds. Once you get past the sugar shock, the pumpkin and maple taste together are a delightful swirl in your mouth. The hardest part of the cheesecake was making the Graham Cracker crust- I don't know why I decided to use a mortal and pestol to crunch up every single graham cracker until it was tiny perfection, but it sure was fun! And also tedious.



Pumpking Cheesecake w/ Maple Pecan Topping


I never knew that someday I would love cooking/baking as much as my mother does. I am my mother's child, and I love it. Now if I could only be a gardener...

Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping:

• Maple Pecan Glaze:
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1.                        Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2.                        Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter; press firmly on bottom of 9-inch springform pan.

3.                        In large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add pumpkin, eggs, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; mix well. Pour into prepared pan.

4.                        Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or until center appears nearly set when shaken. Cool 1 hour. Cover and chill at least 4 hours.

5.                        To serve, spoon some Maple Pecan Sauce over cheesecake.

6.                        Maple Pecan Glaze: In medium-sized saucepan, combine whipping cream and pure maple syrup; bring to a boil. Boil rapidly 15 to 20 minutes or until slightly thickened; stir occasionally. Stir in chopped pecans. Cover and chill until served. Stir before serving.

Computers in Cars = Stupid

The dumbest thing you ever did was put a computer inside of a car.
So before writing this blog I had to ask myself...

What does the computer in a car do?(Thanks to: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/under-the-hood/trends-innovations/question113.htm )

All cars manufactured today contain at least one computer. It is in charge of monitoring engine emissions and adjusting the engine to keep emissions as low as possible. The computer receives information from a many different sensors, including:

• The oxygen sensor, air pressure sensor, air temp sensor, engine temp sensor, throttle position sensor, knock sensor, oxygen sensor

Using the info from these sensors, the computer can control things like the fuel injectors, spark plugs and the idle speed to get the best performance possible from the engine while keeping emissions low. The computer can also sense when something has gone wrong and can inform the driver with the "Check Engine" light. A mechanic can read a diagnostic code from the computer and fix the problem. Depending on how expensive the car is, there can be all sorts of other computers. For example:

• There is probably a computer controlling the automatic transmission
• If the car has anti-lock brakes, there is a computer reading the wheel speed and controlling the brakes
• Many air bag systems have their own computers
• A car with keyless entry or a security system has a computer for these systems
• Advanced climate control systems often have computers
• Some cars now have motorized seats and mirrors that can remember the settings for multiple drivers, and these contain computers
• Any radio or CD player with a digital display contains a computer of its own
• Cruise control systems use computers

In other words, a modern luxury car is a rolling computer network. It is amazing how many embedded controllers a car can have.

Is it amazing? Or slightly terrifying that technology can do so much these days? I mean if you've ever seen Battlestar Galactica then you know how the cylons (robots) were capable of creating a holocaust and potentially destroying all of mankind. But that's a different story, and a fantastic tv series.

So.. what you've all been waiting for: Why Computers in Cars are a Terrible Idea:

Last night I was going to go hang out with my friend, when I put the key in my car's ignition and nothing happened. Yes, the radio and dashboard lit up fine, but nothing else. Not a crank, not a air clicking sound from the battery, nothing. So my dad deciphers via iphone call to me that it's probably the starter, and my battery is dead. OK. So I get my roommate's boyfriend to check it out to see if he agrees, and he notices a little glowing green key lighting up on my dashboard. "What does this symbol mean?" We all don't know so we look it up in my driver's manual.

Immobilizing Antitheft Device.


(thanks google images)

 Also known as: your car (computer in car) no longer recognizes your key. The key that is specifically made and sculpted JUST for your car, oh and don't bother trying the spare, because it won't work either.

Yes, I was/am completely locked out of my car. Thanks for towing service and paying for a diagnostic test... my car will be "reprogrammed" and I'll be able to access it again.

But can we talk about how bullshit that is?
The same thing happened to my roommate's car a month ago.

So thank you, HONDA, for making my car shut down for no apparent reason. Your immobilizing antitheft device only works against its car owner.