Just Like The Number

Coming Alive at Blissdom 2010

Just a few short days ago I was surrounded by nearly 500 women who get me.  Women who know what social media is and aren't afraid to use it.  Women who blog, and who see their blog as their baby.  

I was at Blissdom, a blogging conference for women, and I was at home.  

It was my second time at Blissdom, and my third blog conference in all.  Now that I have a few of these things under my belt, I'm noticing a consistent progression of feelings that come along with subjecting oneself to a blog conference.

The first feeling is panic.  It didn't matter that this was my third time around, or that I'd been looking forward to this since the last Blissdom was over.  Once I walked in the doors of Opryland, the panic set in.  It's equal parts "I so don't belong here" and "Everyone will finally discover me for the true social reject that I am."  I fight every urge to run into my hotel room and spend the rest of the conference there in my pj's, raiding the mini-bar.

The second feeling is relief.  I always manage to stumble upon that one person in the room who seems as lost as me.  Then they turn out to be wonderful and charming and beyond kind and I wonder where they've been all my life.  Last year it was Amy from Outdoor Dogs.  This year it was Rebecca from Country Fried Mama.  Suddenly I can relax and soak up everything the conference has to offer.

The third feeling is euphoria.  Before I know it, I'm immersed in workshops and panels with people who know things and are willing to share.  I don't have to google them, or look for a Missing Manual, or wonder aloud to myself.  These people are here in real life and speaking a language I understand.  And it feels good.

The fourth feeling is overwhelmed.  The knowledge pours over me and the next thing I know I'm drowning.  I'm drowning in confusion and self-doubt.  Everyone seems so assured of themselves and their blog.  They know their passions and purpose, and oh God I hate the word so much, but they know their niche.  I'm floundering, not knowing which direction to go, what the purpose of my blog is, and why on earth anyone would ever want to read it.

It takes a few days for the last feeling to dissipate, but it always does.  I come home and I take a break from blogs, and blogging, and slowly it comes back.  My passion for this blog, for my words, for my pictures, for my readers.  My purpose slowly  becomes clear again and I formulate ways to make this space better - more me, which hopefully translates into a more authentic experience for you.

As I was sitting in one of the panels, this quote from Howard Thurman was shared:

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. ”

That's the final feeling: alive.  New friendships, new ideas, new sights for my lens to find, new words for my fingers to convey: all ready to come alive.  To all my Blissdom friends, and to all my readers, thank you for giving me the space to come alive.  I hope a little bit of what you get here makes you come alive too.

King Arthur Flour Lemon Squares

I had a few lemons hanging around my produce drawer for the last couple of weeks.  For some reason, Eli was quite taken with them.  Like a cat hearing a can of tuna being opened, every time I opened the fridge he came running.  He'd make a beeline for the produce drawer and pull out the lemons.  Only to him, they're not lemons, they're "lemonades." He would then commence lemonade playtime: rolling the lemons, "cooking" the lemons, trying to smash the lemons in the potato ricer.  The lemons were hanging on for dear life, and it was high time I put them out of their misery.

I pulled out my brand-spankin' new cookbook The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion.  It's a hefty book: 500 pages of cookie recipes along with tips, hints and troubleshooting advice for nearly every cookie imaginable.  I won the cookbook through a contest on one of my favorite food blogs, Serious Eats.  One of their recurring features is a series called "Cook the Book," where they choose a popular cookbook and cook several recipes from the book.  I love how it gives you a peek into a cookbook along with real experiences of using the cookbook.  Raise your hand if you've ever purchased a cookbook and then realized the recipes were impossible to execute or terribly impractical.  You too?  Anyhow, whenever they feature a cookbook, they also giveaway a few copies of the book.  Lucky me, I was the winner-winner-chicken-dinner.  

There's an entire chapter dedicated to Bars & Squares.  I don't know about you, but I'm a big fan of bars and squares.  Sometimes I want to make something cookie-like, but I lack the motivation to go the extra mile and actually, like, roll out the dough or drop it onto a cookie sheet.  Sometimes the option to throw the dough into a bar pan is the only thing that prevents me from just whipping up a batch of dough and eating it raw.  So let's pause and give thanks for Bars & Squares.

By now I imagine you'd like me to just shut up already and tell you what I made with the pitiful lemons.  Behold the Lemon Squares:

Please make these.  They were wonderful, like biting into sunshine in the middle of winter, and came together in less than 45 minutes.  And that's 45 minutes with a toddler helping me, which means you could probably whip them out all by yourself in no time flat.  My helper is a disaster in the kitchen, but he sure is cute.

I hate to be a snob about these kind of things, but this is a recipe where you'll only want to use actual lemons.  The lemons are the star here, so bottled lemon juice just won't do the trick.  Don't worry about using the prettiest or freshest lemons - my old, abused lemons were more than fine.  The recipe also calls for lemon zest, for which there is no substitute as far as I'm concerned.  If you don't have one of these handy Microplane zesters, please go get one now.  They're cheap and fabulous and everyone will think you're the next Iron Chef when you whip one out.  I've had mine for five years now, and just the other day I came across Pioneer Woman's tip to run the Microplane upside down over whatever you're grating or zesting.  That's life-changing advice right there.

Lemon Squares 

Adapted from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion

Makes 16 squares

These can be served immediately after cooling.  Any leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator.  If you can summon enough willpower, these taste even better the next day.  And probably even better the day after that, but I wouldn't know.  They were long gone by then.

Crust

    1 1/2 cups (6 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

    1/4 cup (1 ounce) confectioners' sugar

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

Topping

    4 large eggs

    1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar

    1 1/4 cups (4 ounces) lemon juice

    1/4 cup (1 ounce) unbleached, all-purpose flour

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    2 tablespoons grated lemon rind (zest)

    Confectioners' sugar

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Lightly grease a 9 x 9-inch, 11 x 7-inch, or similar-sized pan (I used an 8 x 8-inch pan and it worked just fine)
• To assemble the crust:  In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.  Using a pastry blender, your fingers (or a toddler's fingers), or a mixer, cut in the butter, mixing to form coarse crumbs.  Press the crumbs into the prepared pan.  Bake the crust for 20 minutes, or until it's light brown.
• To make the topping:  In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the eggs, granulated sugar, and lemon juice until smooth.  Stir in the flour, salt, and lemon zest.
• Pour the topping over the hot crust, return the pan to the oven, and continue baking for about 25 minutes, or until the top of the squares appears set.  Remove from oven and cool in the pan.  Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar just before cutting and serving.

Project 3(Six)5

New year, new project, new blog (kind of).  I've been tempted to tackle Project 365, in which you commit yourself to taking a photo a day for a year.  Some people stick to a theme (self-portraits, kids, food), but I'm just hoping to make it out the other side in one piece, with 365 photos under my belt.

Nearly two years ago, I did 30 posts in 30 days.  It really pushed me to think about my days and I'd like to think it improved my writing a bit.  Looking back, I enjoyed having a snippet of each day recorded.  I'm hoping Project 365 will accomplish much of the same thing: improving my photography and providing a glimpse at a year's worth of the extraordinary ordinary.

I wanted to find a way to share the photos in my project beyond the handful of people who look at my flickr page.  Theoretically, I could do it here, but I didn't want to bog down this blog, nor change its feel, with daily photo posts.  Enter Typepad's newest service, the microblog.  Nothing fancy, just a slick little blog to quickly upload photos and perhaps a few words.  I call it 3(six)5.  My mantra for 3(six)5 is "More photos. Less words."  I'll let the pictures tell the story.

I hope you'll check it out now and then.  You'll always be able to link directly to it through the navigation bar at the top of this blog.  If you're feeling adventurous, you can subscribe directly to its feed.  There's a link on the sidebar of 3(six)5 for you to do just that.

Happy New Year!

The Gift That Sparked a Craving

One of my favorite things about Christmas is the sweet surprises.  This beauty came to me from my friend Jen.  You can't really tell the scale from the photo, but it's a ginormous rice crispy treat topped with oreos.  It's from a cute little company known as The Crispery, and they have all kinds of variations on the good ol' rice crispy treat.

For the record, I didn't eat the whole thing myself.  I was good and shared a few bites with my kids and husband before I hid it the pantry for safe, late-night solo enjoyment.  And enjoy it I did.  In fact, it seems to have sparked a whole new craving for rice crispy treats around here.  If you find yourself craving them too, give this recipe for Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats from Smitten Kitchen a whirl.  You won't regret it.  At least not until bathing suit season.

Friday on Every Other Thursday

I'm over at Every Other Thursday today.  The fellas over there were kind enough to let a little estrogen onto their blog.  Of course, I blogged about football - it's not a craft blog, after all.  Pay them (and me!) a visit and hang around awhile.  Those guys write some really good stuff.

C is for Cookie

Looking for me?  I'm not here today, but you can find me over at Inexpensively.  They asked me to do a guest post about my upcoming Cookie Exchange, and I was happy to yammer on and on about the big event and why you should host your own.  Come on over and say hi!  Extra points if you leave a comment over there about your favorite holiday cookie and the story behind it.

The Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever. The End.

Everything about this recipe told me I probably wouldn't like them.  Not a whole heck of a lot of butter or sugar, ingredients I consider crucial for a pleasant eating experience.  ALL whole wheat flour, not an easy-going mix of whole wheat flour with the more palatable, un-PC white flour.  One measly egg.  And then, get this: a whopping 3 cups of oats.  Cookies for horses, I tell you!

Two things convinced me to give this recipe a try. Number one: chocolate chips.  I would eat tofu encrusted in flax seed if it had a few chocolate chips sprinkled in there.  Number two: this recipe came from Lisa, the genius behind the blog Homesick Texan.  She is single-handedly responsible for my gluttonous addiction to homemade ranch dressing (it's crack disguised in buttermilk. For real).

So here's the short version of what could be a long and rambling post: I made them.  They were out of this world. I took them to a party. They were gone in 15 minutes.

I love to read cookbooks, and love to look at food blogs filled with gorgeous photography as well.  While I could wander through those kinds of blogs all day (can anyone say food porn addiction?), there are a handful of blogs that I've grown to love and trust.  They have beautiful, mouthwatering food, and the recipes behind them actually work.  I'll try highlighting those trusty favorites in the next few weeks, but for today the spotlight shines on Homesick Texan and her trusty Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Make them now!  You won't be sorry!

Mom’s oatmeal cookies 

Courtesy of Homesick Texan

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cup of oats (I used the nice, thick oats from Whole Foods, but I think any kind would work here. Just don't use instant oatmeal from packets.  That would be disgusting.)
1 cup of whole-wheat flour (I recommend King Arthur flour for any and all baking. It's a bit pricier than your typical flour, but I can tell a difference in the quality of my baked goods.)
1 tsp. salt (I recommend organic sea salt harvested by small children.  Not really.  It's salt, people, use whatever you have.)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups of chocolate chips

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cream together the butter, sugar and egg. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Place 1 teaspoon-sized balls of dough on a greased or parchment-paper lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.
Makes four dozen.

Indiana's Favorite Blog Contest

 

This little ol' blog has hit a milestone:  I've been nominated for my very first blogging contest.  Linking Indiana is hosting "Indiana's Favorite Blog" contest, and I'm nominated in the Family category.  I'm up against some stiff competition.  Which means to say I have about as much chance at winning as Jet's quarterback Mark Sanchez has at getting some cotton candy on the bench next Sunday. 

The good news (beside the honor of just being nominated - that's what I'm supposed to say, right?) is that I'm the leader in the Family category. Still, I'd love to give those sports guys over at The G2 a run for their money.  I may be a mommy blogger, but I cover sports, too!  Well, Peyton, anyways.  That's gotta count for a couple of votes.

All kidding aside, if you're a fan of Just Like The Number I'd appreciate you taking the time to visit Linking Indiana and voting for me (as a side note, the site does require registration to vote, but you do not have to be an Indiana resident to vote).  Thanks so much!

Weekend Links

A few of my favorite things from around the web this week . . .

• An updated version of the Top 10 Trader Joe's wines for summer via Jason's Wine Blog
• A manageable guide to batch cooking for the freezer via wisebread
• This adorable 5 Good Things printable booklet from Whisker Graphics.  I can't wait to incorporate this into our routine!
• My new favorite use for the overabundance of Roma tomatoes in our garden: Fresh Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter via flamingobear

Hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

BlogHer 2009

Last weekend I went to Chicago to attend my first ever BlogHer Conference.  Fifteen hundred (mostly) women all under one roof, all there because in some way, shape, or form, they are involved in blogging.

I bragged to Mike beforehand that I wasn't nervous at all.  Even though it was my first BlogHer, it wasn't my first blogging conference. I saw multitudes of posts in the weeks before trying to help me shed the supposed nerves I should be wracked with.  Posts on what to wear, what not to wear, how to fit in, how to not stick out like a sore thumb. 

"I'm so not sweating this." I told Mike the day before.

The next afternoon my family dropped me off at the lobby of the massive Sheraton.  I checked into my room, surveyed the lobby filled with bloggers in cozy groups, and I went right up to my hotel room and cried.

I was so sweating this.  I didn't recognize a single familiar face, and I couldn't bring myself to introduce myself to anyone new. Suddenly, spending most of the conference curled up in my hotel room seemed like a very good idea.  I'm not sure what changed in my thought process, but after about an hour of this nonsense, I decided to put on my big girl panties and just get out there.  I walked to a party hosted by the very nice ladies of the Social Luxe Lounge ALL BY MYSELF. And I didn't die.  The room did not part into a sea of women laughing and pointing their fingers at me and my teeny little blog.

I mingled and I met people and before I knew it I was having a blast. I met some of my blogging heroes and I met people who I know will become my blogging heroes.  I laughed my ass off and then turned around and cried as women shared some of their deepest, most personal stories in front of all of us.

At one point I was sitting in on a panel titled, "Have You Found Your Mommy Blogging Tribe?"  One of the panelists commented that after BlogHer, there's a significant number of bloggers who quit. It's too overwhelming, they don't know where they fit, they're not well-known and probably never will be. 

I was sad to hear that, but it also made me reflect on how lucky I am to be here. I don't know quite how it happened, but I've found my tribe. Those of you who have read me from the beginning, because you know me in real life and care about me and my family? Thank You. Those of you who found me through my friends and family, and have chosen to stick around? Thank You. Those of you who I've met at Blissdom and BlogHer, who have followed me here? Thank You. Those of you who have stumbled upon me once, from God knows what you searched in Google, and read something? Thank You.

I don't do this because I ever think it will bring me money or some kind of bloggy fame. I do it because I have a running narrative inside me, stories that I feel compelled to tell. 

I do it, quite simply, because I was:

 

* Teeny disclaimer here. Yes, this shirt is part of the dreaded swag that has sullied the name of BlogHer09. Rest assured, dear readers, that no babies were elbowed in the head in pursuit of this swag. I even said Please and Thank You, and might have let a few others cut in line.

Thanks to all of you for being a part of my dream and my tribe.