what's your favorite hardware store?

Three months into the year and I have already made more trips to home improvement stores than I had in the last 5 years. Why is that you never seem to get everything you need when you are doing a project? There always seems to be that second or third trip needed to get it done.  Because of this I am getting very acquainted with my local hardware stores and favorites are starting to emerge.

Home Depot has really just become the go to for supplies for most people. They are huge. They have everything. If you go on the weekdays it is a little slower but still busy with contractors. If you go on the weekends brace yourself for a lot of people that have no idea where they want to be. I suggest going early when the experienced home improvement people are shopping. I don't mind Home Depot. The service is hit or miss. Some of the people they hire are great some not so good. Overall, I try to limit my trips there because it is across town and a little chaotic. They do have the biggest selection so sometime it is just the best option to get it all done in one trip. They really aren't my first choice though.

handmade flour tortillas

I come from a family with a strong connection to food. My parents and grandparents have been trying new things in the kitchen and keeping up with trends for decades. I married into a family that has an equally strong connection to food. They have been passing recipes down to new generations for decades. I am both excited and intimidated by this. I enjoy trying new recipes and new things in the kitchen but trying to recreate something I have never eaten and that my husband remembers vividly makes me frightened and touchy about feedback.

My husband is from a large family and his mom's side is Mexican. Some cultures have a stronger recipe arsenal that gets passed down from generation to generation and the mexican culture is one of those cultures. There are recipes that are always made for certain holidays and are always the center of family gatherings. Everyone remembers their own favorites and if you can agree on nothing else in a large family it appears you can almost always find common ground talking about the recipes grandma made. There are so many great stories about Tom's grandma, aunts and mom in the kitchen together. At some point during any visit with his family the conversation drifts to memories of these recipes. The joy they have telling these stories and talking about the food they grew up on can been seen on their faces and heard in their voices. Some of the recipes are ones that my mother-in-law found on her own and passed on to her daughters. Recipes like the carrot cake, pancakes, and hot cross buns fall into this category. Others like the tortillas, albondigas and tamales are recipes that have come from her mother and have since been passed on. I love listening to the stories he tells about each of his favorite recipes.

honeybees

This tree in the neighboring yard is so full of honeybees that you can hear a constant hum.

feedly me seymour

Witty aren't I? I am just in that kind of mood and every time I think about Feedly I start singing the song from Little Shop of Horrors. Luckily, Feedly isn't a little shop of horrors. I started out this plan of researching both readers and picking the best one thinking Feedly would be the winner. Then I got on bloglovin' and I was so enamoured I didn't think I would go back to Feedly. Then I remembered I am my father's daughter and we research all options. Remember when betamax and VHS came out? Dad waited until some of the big studios backed VHS. Smart man, he never had to replace his out dated betamax tapes. So my reader research continues.

I am glad it has because Feedly is turning out to be a great option and a strong front runner. It took me a while to get used to the layout of Feedly. I am not a fan of feature posts at the top and then rest of the posts below that.

After a little poking around though I realized I could customize the layout and now it looks a little like a Pinterest page which I am enjoying. When I stop enjoying that I can change to another format. I still can't believe I stuck with Google reader when this was out there.

I also realized I can change the theme, which is just a color theme but I am a big fan of customizable. Isn't that a great shade of green? I think all the options to customize Feedly is really it's best feature. That preference link in the sidebar is just full of options.

The main reasons I think I Feedly could keep me fed

• Can you see in the left sidebar the words blogging and inspiration? Those are tags I can create to organize my saved posts. Now I can pretend to be organized online too!
• I can not only follow blogs I can also follow news sources. I don't follow any but the option is very nice
• This seems to be the most popular choice of other readers so if I stick with this I shouldn't need to worry down the road that it will be closing and I have to start this project all over again. 

The things on the plate that just don't fit my fancy

• I am starting to get used to the app but honestly it isn't my favorite. It works fairly well so maybe I just don't like reading blogs on my phone.
• I can't find a help page or suggestions on how to do things. I am getting old and I don't find technology intuitive so following on twitter isn't my idea of a good way to provide help or suggestions.

The pros to Feedly are seriously outweighing the cons at this point. I think I will probably read most things via Feedly but I still love my bloglovin' account. No need to decide a winner. Over time the stronger one will certainly reveal itself. I am sure both sites will be very active in updates and changes to improve their product for their new audience. I do know this though, even if Google Reader wasn't shutting down on July 1st I would never go back after seeing these two sites!

Good luck on your search for a reader replacement. You can follow me on either and keep up with my witty post titles. 

If you didn't see my post on bloglovin' you can find it here. 

bloglovin' loves me loves me not

Last week there was, as bloglovin' put it, a mass evacuation from google reader. The announcement that Google reader would be done on July 1st created quit a stir. I saw blog posts, twitter and facebook posts all mentioning the closing of google reader. I was one of the many that was stunned by this news. Google reader was my morning paper. I would open it every morning and read my blogs with my morning cup of coffee. It felt like a good friend was leaving me. I immediately started researching replacements. After a little research my plan is to use Feedly.com and bloglovin' and see which I like best. For the first few days I really focused on bloglovin' and I was impressed. (A post on Feedly will be coming soon.) The main thing I have realized is how much better either of these options are over google reader. What was I thinking all of those months. 

Overal I like bloglovin' and their Iphone app. 

The layout of bloglovin' is so clean and simple. An image and the first few lines of text from the blog post is usually just enough to get me to click so I can read more. If I am not interested in that post I can mark it as read and it moves out of my main list. If it looks great but I don't have time I can hit the like button and save it for later. Plus the likes are public so it is similar to liking something on Facebook and can give your favorite blogs even more street cred.

As a fellow blogger one of my favorite features of bloglovin' is that when I click on a blog post, like this great one from Kelly at Corner of Main, it takes me directly to her site within the bloglovin' frame. This allows me to click through my other bloglovin' posts when I am done reading Kelly's post but it gives her a recorded visit stat. I always felt bad reading in google reader because I knew people were not getting valuable traffic stats from my reading. I made an effort to click as often as I could but it was never an accurate account of how often I read their blogs. The bloglovin' frame also makes it easy for me to share the posts on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook. 

Bloglovin' has even more features and benefits that would make me happy to switch. 

• They make it simple to connect my blog to Facebook. Now my blog posts are shown on my personal facebook page through bloglovin' and the Wit Wisdom and Food Facebook page via Networked Blogs. I can now reach everyone with minimal work after writing the post. 
• The Iphone app has come in very handy for reading posts on my lunch. Now I can take all the great information with me. I might have to add a few more new blogs now that it is easier to keep up. The google reader app never had that effect on me. 
• Bloglovin' makes it very easy for me to find those new blogs to read. You can search by category and they will give you the up and coming blogs in each category. Up and coming blogs are apparently decided by the amount of new followers in the shortest period of time. 
• I really hope the bloglovin' people are ready for all of the converts. They mentioned having some minor glitches this weekend but so far nothing I would complain about.  

They also have some drawbacks and limitations that make me hesitate to commit.

• While I like the layout I don't have an option to change it to a different one and who doesn't like options?
• They don't make it easy for me to find a previous post unless I have liked it
• I noticed this morning that it didn't display one of my favorite posts of the week that happens every Friday. This concerns me a lot! If I am going to commit to this site I have to know that I am going to get all of the posts I ask for

They jury is still out so stay tuned this week for a post on Feedly and follow along on twitter or facebook for more pros and cons through the transition.

Have you already decided where you are going to do your reading after google reader is gone? Have you tried bloglovin'?  What are your pros and cons? 

make it work

Do you dread that moment before you get dressed for work because you hate deciding what to wear? I envy you. Five days a week I wake up to work and stare at this

Maybe now you envy me because I wear jeans and hawaiian shirts and not dresses and heels. If you have read my in depth about me page you know I work at Trader Joe's. (no I can't get your favorite discontinued product back. I am sorry and I probably miss it too!) Even though I love my job some days I wish I could dress it up a little. Also I must admit that I am suspect of people that wear Hawaiian shirts outside of beach resorts or Florida. I never understood the draw and I would never wear a hawaiian shirt if it wasn't a job requirement or a Halloween costume.

I have never been much of a fashionista but over the last few years as I have become comfortable in my own skin I have expanded and experimented with my style and look. Now that I can look in the mirror and think hmm I look cute today and not augh nothing every looks right on me I wish I had a reason to go out and buy cute outfits. I have instead had to settle for buying classic pieces that mix and match and work well for my weekend errands to the hardware store, thrift store and grocery store. I so badly want to wear cute skirts, loafers and a string of pearls and look like I step out of a J. Crew photo shoot everyday at work. 

A string of pearls or a chunky necklace doesn't really look right with the Hawaiian shirt. I guess I could pick up some necklaces on my next trip to Hawaii, maybe a nice puka shell necklace. That isn't quite my style though. Shoes should be an easier way to spice things up but if you have ever worked a 10 hour shift that requires 90% of that time on your feet you know shoes are the most import thing to having a good day. Needless to say heels would be ridiculous for my 10 hour shift and I don't wear them that often outside of work. That reminds me though the other day I did see an employee in my Home Depot garden center and she was wearing heels and I am talking 3 inch heels not a cute pair of kitten heels. Hopefully she gets to manage from a desk for the majority of her day. I wouldn't wear her shoes to shop at Home Depot much less work there. 

Do you have to wear a uniform to work? How do you spice it up? Do you wish you had a uniform for work? Maybe you just wish you had something without baby spit up on it. 

golden rule to being a better blogger

On our first date my husband and I met in Chinatown and walked around San Francisco and got lunch. I don't know if we both knew that this was the real thing and we might as well get down to the tough stuff, but at that lunch we discussed religion and some other topics that don't usually come up on the first date. We actually talked for hours that day. It was the longest and best first date I have ever been on. Opps...a little off topic. I don't remember the exact question he asked about religion but I remember my answer. "I grew up in the church, I don't go now but I believe everything comes down to one simple rule, treat others as you would like to be treated." This is how I try to live every aspect of my life.

I have become very involved in blogging again. As I have learned more about the people in the blogging community I have been drawn in even more. I have been telling my husband that it would be nice to find some people that are interested in the same things I am and the blogging community is providing that. It has been fun to get to know some of the ladies and follow along on their projects and ideas.

In this community there is a lot of advice that to build your audience such as you should get out and support others posts by making comments, linking to their pages etc. I think we all hope this is what people do for us. I however, think too many times we comment for the wrong reasons. I think more of us could stand to remember how we want to be treated as a blogger and treat others that way because it is the right thing. I would focus this to the little to medium size blogs. We are the ones that probably have more time and could stand to pay it forward, spread it around and share the love. When someone does treat me the way I want to be treated I have been trying to make more of an effort to comment on someone else's  post. If someone new comes by the blog and makes a comment I try and head back and repay the favor. If I am really aware I will add someone on facebook or twitter. I have even tried to get better about finding a board on pinterest to follow after a person follows one of mine. This is how community is built. This is how the community was built years ago when your favorite big blogs got started. This is how bloggers became friends with thousands of miles in between them and how we will continue to build these relationships. It is an unspoken thank you.

What made me think of this is that one of my favorite bigger blogs started following me on twitter and stopped by and commented on my blog. It made my day. I don't expect her or anyone for that matter to stop by every post and comment but it meant so much to me that it reminded me that I want to make a better effort to comment on the blog posts I enjoy. We all hope that on those great posts that someone will stop by and make a comment and it is fun to know that I can be that comment for someone. Hopefully on the days I write a great posts someone stops by and lets me know. Maybe they think to add me on facebook or twitter because there were a couple posts they liked and don't want to miss any more.

Be neighborly, reach out and make the community a little stronger and comment on a post today. Maybe it will come back to you or maybe it will be payed forward to another deserving post. Even if it doesn't come back to you if you treat others as you would want to be treated because it is the right thing to do your personal community will eventually grow and the blogging community will continue to be strong. Don't do it to get the comment back do it because it is how you would want to be treated.



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spring forward

Do you know what this weekend is? It is the weekend that makes me forget a long winter. It is time to spring forward! Quit the complaining about that lost hour of sleep, you will recover and the extra Vitamin D will do you good. When I was growing up we celebrate daylight savings. So until I moved to California 16 years ago I had no idea how amazing springing forward could be. I am not as big a fan of fall back but I can handle it for the pleasure of magically getting one more hour of daylight right when I want it.

For years there were only a few states that didn't participate in daylight savings. Indiana, Arizona and Hawaii. Hawaii makes sense it is pretty laid back and not on a strict clock schedule. Arizona...can anyone explain half the things Arizona does? Then there is Indiana. Farm country, old school farm country. Farmers wanted their daylight in the morning to do their chores not in the evening and for years that stuck. 

Pockets of the state actually did participate in daylight savings prior to then entire state switching a few years ago. The lower right corner, or as others would call it the southeast corner,  stuck with east coast time because it needed to stay in sync with Cincinnati. The upper left, or northwest corner, stuck with central time to stay in time with Chicago. Imagine the dilemma...the time changes and you commute from Gary, IN to Chicago and you have to set your watch backwards and forward to and from work. I am confused just thinking about it. The rest of us in the middle of the state we yo-yo'd from time zone depending on the time of year. Part of the year we were eastern standard time. Then we were central time. For some reason the TV programming didn't change with us and was always on eastern time. I can't begin to tell you how many tv shows I missed because of this.  The Cosby show was no longer on at 8pm instead it was on at 7pm and there was no DVR to help you remember that in those days. Kids have it so easy these days. Enough about how hard I had it as a kid walking up hill in the snow both ways to get to school. 

I am really excited about daylight savings time. There are so many great benefits of springing forward:

• The light will not come beaming into my bedroom until 8am allowing me to sleep in a little on the weekend.
• When I get off work I will still have time to fire up the grill and cook before I am grilling in the dark
• I can garden when I get home
• I will still have daylight to do projects outside when I get home from work
• It signals summer is really around the corner

I really love this time of year. Even if you are currently dredging through what is hopefully your last snow storm, maybe the changing of clocks will put that spring in your step. 

I got featured

This post is both an update and a little braggy.  I started out the beginning of the year with a long list of goals. The baker's dozen which includes the magazine challenge and then I also created The DIY list. 

Here is a little update and a reminder of what's to come. 

The Baker's Dozen 

1. Make money (even if it is only $20) from blogging

surprisingly I am almost there. I will be adding sponsors in April so this one is in the bag.
2. Cook dinner 3 nights a week 

this could be a lot better but we have had some good stuff
3. Shop at the farmers market so often a farmer recognizes me 

with the garden I am going to be the only farmer that recognizes me
4. Learn a new family tradition or recipe 

completed this one the other night when I made flour tortillas
5. Attend an event where I don't know anyone 

6. Learn to network either online or locally 

7. Blog 3 times a week or 12 times a month 

8 posts in January and 10 posts in February is a good start right?
8. Teach someone to cook 

9. Donate money to something I believe in

10. Send birthday cards to family and friends 

missed one already and there have only been a couple
11. Cook one recipe out of every food magazine I get 

getting there! Check out the progress here
12. Read the art of eating by M.F.K. Fisher

this is not progressing all that well only about 50 pages in so far and that is a big book
13. Complete 18 holes of golf 

absolutely zero practice has gone into this. Tom did just build a practice net so now I could practice in my own backyard. 

3 projects complete on the DIY list

DIY LIST 

a few of these are done or really close but most have no progress at all. 

1. baby shower gift

check that off the list! done! completed!

2. frame artwork for the bathroom

3. sew pillows from state dishtowels

4. hang art in bedroom and make it look complete

5. create "laundry room" in garage

we hung up a shelf so at least I have a place to put detergent

6. sew advent calendar

7. back porch ready for summer

I think it is ready but more to come

8. plant a garden

It is ready for planting so pretty close

9. make my first quilt

10. reupholster chairs

11. make side table

12. hang pins from ball parks

13. solve the pile 'o apron problem in the kitchen

Now for the really braggy part. I have posted some of my work on Hometalk and I got featured on their facebook page. I was very excited about this I almost leapt out of bed when I read the email asking if I wanted to be featured. I think I might have even done a little dance when I found out it was for sure.  I want to thank everyone that liked it on facebook and stopped by the blog. I hope you stick around for some of the other projects I have up my sleeve.

pan roast a pork chop

Have you ever had that moment of picking up a magazine and wanting to make the recipe on the cover immediately? When this Bon Appetit showed up at the house I desperately wanted to make it. I also immediately thought that looks really hard and I don't know if I can pull it off. After reading the issue it sounded achievable. Bon Appetit has done this to me before, lured me in with positive talks and instructions that allude to an easy meal. I was suspect but in my goal to cook from every magazine I get this year I decided to go for it. Plus I love pork chops. I usually make them very dry so for a while I stopped making them and only ordered them at restaurants. This magazine claim that I can pan roast a pork chop like the pros had me hook line and sinker though.

I am happy to announce I think I pulled this one off nicely. I want to thank the writers at Bon Appetit that did not lead me astray this time. I have renewed faith in your instructions and my ability to follow them. My ability to follow them was admittedly most likely the problem with the other recipes and had very little to do with their ability to write a recipe. You have to agree with the photographic proof that my pork chop looks surprisingly similar to the cover of the magazine.