A place to store and share the things I make.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

A Real Blogger

So I went to this thing. This event. A cocktail hour. For bloggers. I felt a little out of place...more than just the fact I was wearing flipflops and most of the attendees were wearing high heels or blazers. Very fashionable. But they are all bloggers. And I'm...well...yeah, I'm a blogger too. But I like to downplay my blogging, like I'm not a real blogger. I'm a random blogger. It's not my job, I can't even say it is my passion. But it is about some of my passions. And, heck, I blog. I have a blog and I contribute to the blogosphere of bloggers out there. So I guess what I learned this weekend, is that I'm a blogger. Maybe that's part of the beauty of blogging, that there is no code of conduct, there are no rules nor requirements. Just vulnerability at whatever level seems right for the moment, some sense of sharing what I've got. Writing for me, a little for you, but mostly for me. No expectations. No judgement. I didn't feel judged for wearing my Chacos at that party. I guess we're all on the same page. Pages with different urls.
by Jenni
Said party was the Portland Bloggers Meetup, hosted by Jenni and Sam at a schwanky little south waterfront condo. It was in all sense of the word a cocktail party. You get there, scope out the scene, introduce yourself to a few people, talk about your blogs and then bam, the night takes off into random conversation getting to know new people. I went with Megan (a real-life friend too) as her date. I had no idea what to expect, but it was swell.

That party followed the previous engagement of the day, which was a baby shower for our friend Charissa. Baby Lilly is slated to arrive sometime in May. I had grand plans of making these amazingly colorful cupcakes, but that didn't happen, at least not on Saturday. There were a handful of handmade gifts that yours truly is totally going to re-create for other upcoming baby showers, including an adorable tutu made from a stretchy headband and a "bapron".
Princess Punch
Mama to be, Round II
She only has a boy at home--can you tell?
 The theme for the shower was Alice in Wonderland-ish, and I just happen to find a Disney Alice in Wonderland day planner in the $5 bin at our local used book store. The graphics are incredible and completely frameable. I took the book out of the wire binding, put aside the calendar pages for another use, and wove ribbon through the binding holes to make a hanging mobile.

And as if I didn't have enough partying over the weekend, I hosted our Book Club last night. Our last book was Honolulu, which is about a Korean woman who takes a ship to Hawaii to become a "picture bride" in the early 1900's. It was a fun read, but made me want to get my kimchee on. Thus I did. It started with a trip to FuBon, our huge Asian market on 82nd. But, alas, a cranky girl shopping a huge store with few english words on the package, with store clerks who didn't understand what I was looking for, I had to compromise. I brought home a pre-made package of kimchee seasonings (ie. soak your cabbage and mix-it-with-this-style; more than storebought but less than homemade), the cabbage, and some other good cheap produce. Oh, and a bottle of plum sake too, of course. I also followed my original recipe, but since I couldn't find the Korean chili powder I was looking for, I just substituted cayenne pepper. Both were delish. I whipped up some black bean dip for some rice crackers, and we were good to go. The theme party; a lost art. I love it.

And, since I didn't get to do my cupcakes on Saturday, I made them Hawaii themed for Monday's book club. Which means I used coconut milk for the cake mix (boxed, I know, but it was a busy weekend!). I also whipped up some coconut milk and whipping cream to top them. It was fat free coconut milk, so it took awhile to whip up and didn't hold up too well; full fat next time. You will not see any pictures of the finished product because, well, it wasn't that pretty. The colors kind of melded together to look about the color of vomit. BUT. It tasted amazing. So I'll just leave it at that. And, since they're in jars, I'm going to bring the leftover ones when I go to meet G downtown in a little bit for a lunch and art date. Oh how I cherish having a weekday off.
Okay, I snuck one pic in.

Enough! Off to enjoy the day!

1 comment:

  1. I was so glad you came! I felt the same way when I first started attending these things. I actually loved your outfit... I thought you looked adorable in your stripes and skirt! Very spring. I am glad we are getting a mix of all different types of bloggers there as well. We had a blogger who wrote about writing, some fashion bloggers, home-decor bloggers, mommy bloggers, party bloggers and even a beer blogger. You fit right in from this side of the road!

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