cheapart

Jack and I bought a national geographic kids paper making set and made a soggy mess. But we will try again soon.

So,I didn’t buy a gallery. But I did start renting studio space at the Beloit Fine Arts Incubator, which has gallery space in it. So, I feel like I can remove this goal, since that is pretty close.

I might go back, but probably not alone again.

Keegan has challenged me to write a book of poems this year. If I write the poems about traveling and/or places I have been, then maybe I can cross this “to do” off the list. Hmmm…..

Today I finally found and made the perfect bread recipe. My food scientist husband assures me it was the most bestest bread he ever saw with an exceptional even and open cell structure.

I just bought my single ticket and rented my single bed in Paris. I have scheduled the trip so that I will be there the first Sunday of the month, due to the Louvre being free that day. Also have plans to visit Pere Lachaise. I may have spelled that wrong. Very excited.

The Musichs took me with on a tour of Alpaca farms in the Minneapolis area. The alpacas are so freakin cute….

This weekend I planted tall grass, milkweed and black eyed susan on the east side of the tool shed. I plan to add additional grasses and weedy type plants until fall, in the hope that next summer it will grow into a butterfly garden. It can also be a place for the birds, toads and caterpillars that have begun to move back into the neighborhood.

So apparently Alpacas cost something like $25,000 each. And that’s for a run of the mill Alpaca. But I’m not willing to take it off my list just yet.

Today we ate the first of our cucumber crop. Yum!

Our garden is pretty small, only two cucumber vines, one watermelon vine, three tomato plants, one yellow pepper plant, a couple different herbs and a pot of carrots. But a vegetable garden it is, and I am crossing this off my list. Yipee!

Built a homemade compost bin out of an old garbage can out behind the new shed. Should have some nice compost next year for the veggies and flowers.

I did it. I baked a good loaf. And even my bread crumb makin’ food scientist husband agrees.

Two attempts, both horrible. Will try again soon.

In 2008 Steffanie, Matt, Optimus, Jack, maybe Keegan, and I will attempt to climb Mt Fuji. No concrete plans yet, but I know I want to spend at least 2 weeks in Japan this time.

I started out with the book Learning Hiragana and Katakana. I have somewhat mastered the Hiragana and Katakana pronunciations and know about 30-40 words (all of which are probably completely useless except maybe subway).

I started on my second book Japanese Step by Step in an effort to learn A. More words B. Better pronunciation C. Conversation skills.

I have also purchased Kanji In a Day, a cool little paper cube that teaches you Kanji characters. I am suppose to learn one a day, but I think I will do more than that each day until they get harder.