Hedgehog necklace

Not only did I make a necklace, I actually wore it! As opposed to hanging it on the wall, which is what I've done with my other jewelry pieces. This is super simple - it's just purple and natural wooden beads and a cute little hedgehog strung on red wire. I woke up my friend Sara to borrow crimps from her to finish it, but she was very good-natured about it.

Bead curtain; or, What you can buy me for the foreseeable future for all occasions

This is the beginning of what's going to be a bead curtain. It is almost impossible to photograph, especially with my poor photography skills, but the top 6-8 inches are crocheted copper wire with small fluorite gems and then the longer strands are oval fluorite (it's all in shades of green and purple). I'm going to need a LOT more rainbow fluorite....

Also, that bare white wall is just waiting for my newly ordered art to arrive and be framed.

Popcorn cake; or, Sometimes you can never go back home

I was talking with our circulation staff one slow evening and somehow we got onto the subject of food (well, that actually happens quite a lot) and from there I was talking about a bunch of recipes belonging to my grandmother that my mom had found and given me. And then I remembered when she made popcorn cake. I remembered this as a sticky and delightful confection, with peanuts and gum drops. The staff were eager to taste this delicacy, so I made it for the last leaving party of the year (seriously, we had 10 staff out of a total 16 leave this year, although not all had parties).

I found this recipe online, as it wasn't in the recipes my mom passed on to me. I replaced the M&Ms with gumdrops (I'm not going to admit how many I ate first). I don't have a Bundt pan so I just used a square tupperware.

It was gross. Like rice krispie treats but with stale popcorn (I swear it was fresh). Alas, childhood memories can never be relived.

Personality Leakage

This was a pretty good year. I've been working up to it for a couple years though. I had major personal and professional crisises in 2011, that bled over into 2012, at least major to me. I've always had crisis every three years, from minor things to major stuff, but I came out of this one stronger, happier, and more at home with myself than I've ever been before. I've spent the last three years expanding into my new life, and although this year has been exhausting and stressful at times, it's been pretty good. I always told myself when I was a teen that it didn't matter if I just conformed to everything around me as it wouldn't be long before I was out on my own and could be myself. I always felt like I just had to wait and then that core self could pop out and I would be the real me.

But once you're in the habit of following along with whatever is around you, even if it's not you inside, it's hard to break. Especially when everyone around you is a bit, well, cultish. It took me three years out of graduate school, and binge-reading Ursula Vernon's LJ (hey, this is me. I have epiphanies with Ursula Vernon) to suddenly realize that....that time is now and I can let all of that old, outer self go and be myself. It's very freeing to be thinking something and then suddenly realize "hey....that's a thought from old shell-self! Off it goes!" And I've been settling into Real Me ever since. She turned out to be a pretty fun person that I'm going to be happy to live with for the rest of my life.

2014 was pretty good. I think 2015 will be better. Just watch me grow - there's no wall around me anymore.

Pumpkin Bread

Technically, this should probably be called pumpkin cake, due to the amount of sugar involved. Also, I usually make muffins, not loaves, with the recipe. I have no idea where it came from - my mom probably.

3 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp allspice

3 cups sugar

1 cup oil

4 eggs

3 cups pumpkin

2/3 cup hot water

Bake at 350 for an hour, or until toothpick comes out clean. You need less time for smaller muffins and loaves. This freezes well.

Pumpkin Pie

This is my grandmother's recipe for pumpkin pie. Sadly, Grammy passed away many years ago. However, this means that she does not know that my pie crust skills degenerated to a point where I am no longer willing to even try (and premade pie crust is an abomination that I will not allow in my house) so I make...pumpkin custard! Which is basically pumpkin pie without the crust. It gets a tad soggy at the bottom, but that's not a big deal. Unless I'm going to eat it right away, I bake it in foil pans b/c they can go straight into the freezer.

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 cups pumpkin

1/2 tsp cloves

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 tblsp butter

3 cups milk

Melt butter in milk and scald (i.e. you don't want to boil it but wait for the little bubbles on the side)

While it's cooking, beat the eggs and sugar, add the pumpkin and spices, and then pour in the milk mixture.

If you do have a crust, it's a good idea to put foil around the edges. To freeze with a crust, just stick it in the freezer and then wrap it in foil. It lasts about two months that way.

Oh, and bake at 450 for 40-60 minutes. I usually turn the temp down a little for smaller pies.

Macaroni and Cheese

This is adapted from the Eating Better cookbooks which do have the occasional non-healthy meal which does not taste like it was made of cardboard (I'm looking at YOU whole wheat noodles).

2 cups macaroni (I can never remember if you're supposed to boil covered or uncovered so I tend to do it differently every time)

Sauce

• 3 tblsp butter
• 4 1/2 tblsp flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 cups grated cheese

There's an actual way you cook white sauce, but I've forgotten and it's too much work anyways. I melt the butter, mix the flour in a little at a time, then the milk, stirring so it stays smooth, then add the cheese and stir until it melts.

Mix with noodles and bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes.

My mom always put bread crumbs on top and I tried that this time, but there must be some trick to it that I don't remember - probably a lot more melted butter in the crumbs.