Early Morning at the Park

This morning I finally got out of my warm soft nest of a bed to go for an early run in the park. At half past six in the morning today you could find me trotting the trails at Piedmont Park. Was it chilly? yes. Was it kinda dark? yes. Was it deserted? hardly.

Yes, my friend, before seven in the morning the park is packed with various bootcamp groups. Out of the fog, disembodied voices yell and chant and scream. Bootcamp is one of those extremely popular fitness crazes that involve calisthenics and sprints at crazy early hours while a former drill sergeant, football player or coach (depending on your bootcamp preference) yells themself hoarse. It definately made my run feel like fun times.

And speaking of running; nothing beats running around a lake or grassy knoll, listening to your favorite tunes while watching the sun rise and the fog disperse. I just may do a morning run more often.

Adventures in Groceries

There is nothing like grocery shopping; cruising down the aisles, marking things off a list. Best of all is the people watching involved. Since there is no store loyalty that beats within me, I shop everywhere. I tread down aisles at Whole Foods searching for obscure ingredients for recipes with the dreadlocked, tattooed and pierced as well as the well-heeled soccer moms. I scout inexpensive cheeses at Trader Joes with hip urbanites searching for a quick meal. And then I scout out the local wildlife at Kroger.

Now, my local Kroger is the largest and closest grocery store to me. Open 24 hours, you run the gamut in variety of people, especially at a Kroger referred to as "disco Kroger". Now, part of my job description includes running errands, to Kroger included, and so I've been able to observe people in the daytime, as well as late night food runs. Late night, you mostly get the drunken folks getting a bit of this or that to help stave off a hangover. But every once in a while, you get the guy on the vespa. Now vespa guy rides a bright pink vespa with matching helmet (of course) and is usually spotted wearinng gold lame hot pants and a matching halter.However, in midtown, you almost expect people to dress interestingly, so it almost becomes ordinary. Today, I must say, I observed something just a tad out of the ordinary. A nun buying lottery tickets...

A Destination in My Mind

I am one of those strange people who actually enjoy the airport run. Odd as it may sound, as I approach, I actually imagine that I am the one taking a trip and jetting off to faraway places.  I watch the planes scream above me and I feel a little bit of that excitement and anticipation that I , yes I, will be GOING SOMEWHERE. Then, I quickly jolt back into reality and realize that it was only in my imagination and, alas, I was merely the driver this time again, as my situation in life (superbly broke) does not allow for impromptu flights to far off places and exciting destinations.

So, I reconcile myself to the fact that any trip I take right now will only be in my mind and try to be content with watching the Travel Channel yet again.

Yummy delicious soup

Yesterday I was in a quandry...what to eat/ make to eat. Then I remembered that I had an amazing recipe for Kimchi soup that had been brought to my potluck engagement party months ago. Thanks to Shanna, I whipped up this delicious concoction.

14oz Jar of Kimchi (I used the spicy kind - use what you can find)
1 lb package of tofu

Put a large pot on your stove with the heat on Medium. Dump in the jar of Kimchi and add 3 jars full of water to the pot. Take the tofu out of the package and pat it dry with paper towels. Cut the tofu into chunks and add to your pot. Simmer for about an hour so on low heat.

Eat this deliciousness with a pile of rice or noodles....yum!

Romantic Paper Flowers

Well, today I've been working on some crafting for my upcoming nuptials. Yeah, i know, wedding crafts. But these flowers turned out pretty awesome, so I thought I would share.

First you find yourself a book you don't mind pulling apart. Mine, I got for 10 cents from Atlanta Books.
Next, tear out the pages you want to use

If you are using a newish book, tea dyeing the pages will make them look old. Here's how...
Get a pan or dish with some depth and black tea bags. I used a glass loaf pan.

Pour boiling water over the tea bag into the dish and steep the tea bag until it's very dark and strong.

Place the pages into the tea and let them soak until they are as dark as you would like them to look. When they have reached their desired levels, take out of the tea and let air dry on some paper towels. This is what they will look like when dry.

Once they are fully dry, cut off the corners and any roughly torn edges so you have a large oval shape.

Next, fold in half, then fold over another quarter to half inch or so. Secure under the fold with a bit of rubber cement or glue in the center.

Now, fold lengthwise then fold over another eighth to quarter inch and secure in the center with a bit of rubber cement or glue.

Open and flatten slightly. This is what it should look like...

Make a fan-like  fold in each corner. This should make the flower have an almost cup-like appearance.

Take a shanked button or large bead and a needle and thread and stitch your center in place with three or four small stitches and knot. Alternatively, you could also hot glue this into place or secure with jewelry wire.

Next, curl under the edges of the flower by rolling up the long sides first.

Flip over your flower and either rubber cement or hot glue a floral wire stem that is bent slightly into place. These are easily found in the floral department of craft stores.

After the glue is dry and/or cool. Use floral tape (also found in the floral department in craft stores, it usually comes in either green or white) to wrap the base of the flower and the top part of the stem to secure and give it a more aesthetically pleasing appearance.

Now, the only thing left to do is adjust the curl of your edges and make a ton of them! Another option is to singe the edges of the flowers to give it a worn in appearance. I haven't decided if I want to treat the flowers this way or not. If I do, I'll post the how-to and results later.