Species Being

Post, Part 1: This gif of a dog getting a crazy birthday surprise! Had to share that today.

Post, Part 2: Some philosophy

I have a sore throat today, so I'm ending my day with my home-remedy for sore throats: Whiskey tea. The recipe is easy- put Jack Daniels in your lemon tea. Boom. As I sit and sip my tea, I'm reflecting on my day. Today made me remember some readings I did in college. I was a Sociology major and obviously we read a lot of Marx, Weber, etc. I remember, while reading a series of selections written by Karl Marx, that there was one philosophy of his that really resonated with me: the idea of "species being" or, what it really means to be a human. I think that reading was paired with several readings about labor and social classes, etc., but what I really took away from that particular set of readings is that being human is really about what you DO with your human-ness.

Before I get too crazy over here, I'll just paraphrase: I interpreted the readings to mean that we feel human when we do things that make us feel human. To each their own, here, because some people feel the need to create; others feel a need to serve, some to think and expand their thinking, some to love and be engrossed in social activity, and still others feel myriad other needs in order to feel human. I am a "create" person- I really like producing things which make me feel my time was well spent. I specifically enjoy producing things that give off positive aesthetic vibes, such as baked goods and useful crafts (hence the darn quilt I've been trying to finish forever...). I feel VALUE in the time spent on those activities, and the finished products give me something to feel positive about. I also feel human in service, which is why I teach, but that's for another day.

The point of this post is really that I am VERY much enjoying my summer schedule, where I can impact a child's education...for a half day, and then go home and craft. Or nap. Or blog. Or whatever I put on my to-do list in the morning. It's been a rather immensely relaxing 2 weeks off school so far, and I'm making the most of it!

Here's to being human! *clinks whiskey tea cup with empty water glass nearby*

Getting There

Today's activity brought to you by Pinterest, where I'm inspired to DO things in my "spare time":

-I have a terrible headache. Whatever, I'll just make these shortbread cookies. (Baking challenge: Unusual ingredient)

-I still have to finish the ties on my t-shirt quilt so I can post about that. Whatever, I'll just start a new project: family Birthday calendar! (I'll post a finished picture of mine. That image is just my inspiration)

-Birthday calendar reminds me my brother's birthday is this week. So. I wonder if Pinterest has a solution for that too...

A Blog Title!

So I've changed the name of the blog! Finally!

I think I may stick with this one. Changing the name, changing the direction a little bit too. I realized that I'm not posting because I keep thinking I need mountains of content to post. I need stories, pictures, full length narratives or recipes or ideas...and then I don't post because it will take so long to get that all typed, edited, and just right. So, until I have more time/stories/full length narratives, or take this blog anywhere serious, I'm going to change direction and make it my goal to just post SOMETHING daily. Whatever stands out. A link, a photo, a story, maybe a longer post now and then. Who knows.

Today's thought to share: My entry into a local brewery's baking contest to promote a new chocolate stout

You're looking at a prize winning setup there. :) 

Here's the process/recipe I followed: 

Step 1- Make the caramels. I used this recipe, http://butterwithasideofbread.com/2012/07/holiday-baking-homemade-caramels.html 

Note: it makes a WHOLE pan...a lot of caramels. You could wrap them and save them for later! Or give as gifts. Or eat them, with the leftover chocolate from Step 5. Mmmm. 

​Step 2- Make the brownies. You can use a box! I used this recipe: ​http://moneysavingmom.com/2013/10/ultimate-double-chocolate-brownies.html and that is probably my new go-to brownie recipe. 

Step 3- When everything has cooled, cut the caramel into squares, slightly smaller than 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch. I rolled them into balls after cutting, then you can see if they are too big to wrap brownie around. 

Step 4- I used forks to smash up the brownies in a bowl, kind of like you would do with cake if you were making cake pops. You should end up with a bowl full of small crumbs. Grab a small amount to just fill the center of your palm and place the caramel in the center, mushing the brownie around it into a ball shape. Place on parchment paper and refrigerate or freeze for at least 30 minutes . 

Step 5- I melted 1 bag of Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips in a double boiler with 1.5 tablespoons of shortening and dipped the brownie ball in. When they were cooling I sprinkled course sea salt on top! You can leave them to set or you can put them in the fridge another 20 minutes to set. 

A Series of Lists

      I completely blame hockey playoffs!! The Caps made it to the end of the 2nd round and that meant every other day for a month I was watching a hockey game in my spare (ha) time. Making it to the 3rd round would have been history in the making and I wanted to be along for every minute of every game.

Things that suffered on account of time spent hockey during the playoffs: 

Hockey memes are okay [source]

- keeping up with baking challenges
- grading student papers
- social relationships
- level of house cleanliness
- any and all exercise
- maybe personal hygiene (but only on the weekends...)




     I also blame the end of the school year! We've got 2 weeks left until summer break. So much to do, so little time. Last week I was at school every day until 6 or 6:30, which means I'm fried when I get home. Any blog post I'd have written would have been utter gibberish last week. And the week before. Come to think of it, this might also be gibberish...

Teacher memes are great  [source]

Things that continue to suffer because it's the end of the school year:
- keeping up with baking challenges
- social relationships
- level of house cleanliness
- most exercise
- maybe personal hygiene (but only on the weekends...)



I'm keeping this short:
- in the hopes that I write another one soon
- to try and reclaim some sort of exercise regimen (I'm supposed to meet people to play soccer in 40 minutes)
- to build suspense...


Here are some posts I hope to write about in the upcoming weeks: 
- I'm competing in a local baking competition for a brewery! It's really nothing major, just for fun, but I'm fairly competitive so I'm obviously playing to win (the keg)
- My summer job is pretty cool, and I'm being trained in something new this year so I hope to describe that a bit
- I need to do some painting this summer and want to share those
- Summer adventures in general!!
- I WILL finish that d%&$ t-shirt quilt I've been working on for 2 years now (actually). I plan to share my process as a moderate sewer who tried to get way too fancy, and how it all turns out


      Stay tuned! I promise I won't be so delinquent now that hockey playoffs are over.