Spencer's Claim to Fame

Let's take a look at the June 1988 Cosmopolitan Magazine. Here's the cover:

That article on the right, "Attention Feminists! Why Some Smart Women Are Getting Off the Fast Track and Going Home" sure looks good. Let's flip to that page.


Who's that handsome child in the yellow jacket?


Oh wow! It's me at one and a half years old, next to my mom and sister.

(In case you're wondering, the caption says "Sharing a library job is Valerie's solution.")



Fierce! I bet even the world's first supermodel, Janice Dickinson, didn't have a photoshoot in Cosmo before the age of two.

P.S. The editor for this issue was the inimitable Helen Gurley Brown, in case you were wondering about that, too.

A Treat for Cold Weather

okay, so as an obsessive knitter (a title that anyone I know will verify), I tend to go a little overboard. The latest manifestation of this has been a ridiculously easy yet extremely gratifying pair of fingerless gloves, found in the summer 06 edition of Knitty (the best online knitting magazine EVER!). For the gloves I was feeling cheap, and instead of the cashmerino blend advised (which admittedly felt like a dream) bought a skein of Lamb's Pride worsted weight yarn in avocado green which is a personal favorite. As an added benefit, I have so much of it left over that I might just make another pair! There was some cabling involved, but it is minimal and easy, and the end result is pure magic. The pattern can be found here, and is definitely worth the effort. The only thing I modified was to extend the knuckles to accommodate my hefty hands, and that was done by repeating the last five rounds again (including the cable).

Also, please note the "Anthrax Kills" mug that I am holding - Spencer found it at Value Village last year, and it adds just the right sense of doom in the mornings... maybe it wouldn't be Martha's first choice, but it works just fine for us!

The Great Waffle Bake-Off

Sierra and I both like to make waffles for our friends, and Sunday morning waffle brunch has become and intermittent tradition for us. In fact, that was how I convinced Sierra to come live with me. My signature waffles are cornmeal waffles that a family friend makes every year when my family visits (for the Logger's Jubilee, in fact). Sierra's signature waffles are made with yeast. She got the recipe from her father. I had never actually had Sierra's waffles before, and we decided that it was time for a bake-off. We invited some friends over and each made a batch of waffles.


Sierra's waffle batter rising in the oven.



Spencer adding buttermilk to his waffles.


Sierra made some hashbrowns in case a vegan showed up.


Just one of many excited guests.

Unfortunately, once the guests arrived, we were having too much fun to remember to take pictures of the finished waffles. In the end, this bake-off resulted in a tie. Every last waffle was eaten.

Spencer's Cornmeal Waffles:

Beat together:
* 2 cups buttermilk
* 2 eggs
Add:
* 1 c. whole wheat flour
* 3/4 c. cornmeal
* 2 t. baking powder
* 1 t. baking soda
* 1/4 c. wheat germ
* 2 T. sugar
* 1/4 t. salt
Blend until smooth
Add:
* 6 T. oil
Cook in your waffle iron.

Sierra's Yeast Waffles

Warm the oven
Mix together:
* 2 c. warm milk
* 2 T. oil
* 2 c. flour (mix of whole wheat and white)
* 2 eggs
Add:
* 1 t. sugar
* 1 T. hot water
* 1 T. yeast
Put into the warm oven for about an hour until it rises, then cook in the waffle iron.

Haloween Costume Biznatch

I was a praying mantis for halloween, and this was the result:

The head was created by covering a baseball cap with green fabric, hot gluing styrofoam balls covered in sparkly fabric onto the sides, with a couple of metallic pipe cleaners to top it off.

Hello

Welcome to the College Student Martha Stewart Wannabe blog. My name is Spencer and I will be writing this blog with my roommate Sierra, who is currently sewing me a tiny flannel donkey. Basically, we are college students who want to be Martha Stewart, and we will write about our journey to becoming amazing homemakers here.