Rubber Ducky Frenzy 6

I keep getting or buying the little suckers all year round and since the infamous time of the year is coming, I must keep my potentional Santa Clauses, Fathers Christmases (?is that even a correct word?), Baby Jesuses etc. posted. So I decided to keep updating this article as opposed to writing a new one every time I get some ducks. So, let's see how many pictures I can fit in before the WYSIWYG thingy tells me to stop ;-)=

Birds hanging from a branch

 Allright, I admit I can't go to any kind of market without buying something. It probably says how inconsiderate and materialistic person I am but I don't care. Even if it's just a little thing I need to buy something.

So, naturally, I couldn't resist the little birds at the annual ceramic market. I had no idea where to put them or what to do with them, all I knew was that I sure would find a way to make them work in my home and that I needed many. 

So I bought seven of them and on my merry way from the market I started forming a plan in my head.

I knew I would hang them (since there were holes in them) but didn't know what I would hang them from. But that was soon replaced by a memory of my forest walks and all those nice branches just lying on the ground. And that's how I knew the rough final look.

So, if you want to recreate this, here's what you're gonna need:

•  winged ceramic beasts
• ropes or some kind of thread thick enough to hold them and thin enough to go through the holes in them
• beads if you want to put more on the ropes
• a branch
• patience of an angel

The aforementioned patience goes first. The beasts are hollow, and therefore the rope is going to tangle inside of them and will never reach the other hole. And don't think you will be able to use a needle. The eye of the needle which is able to take the thickness of the thread is thicker than the hole in the bird so you are screwed and basically you fool around for eternity before you get the thread through. 

This is also when the beads come in. I wanted the birds to perch on something so I put a bead under each of them. A little branch would look cool as well, I'm sure. So you know the drill: get the rope through and put the beads on wherever you want them till you get to the point where you have all the birds hanging on a rope.

You should wind up with a bunch of ropes of different lengths------->

Next, you just take a branch or a piece of wood or metal or just whatever you want to hang it on and prepare it. I found mine in the woods so I cleaned it, treated it with sandpaper and sprayed it with clear paint.

All that was left was to get the ropes on the branch. I wanted to drill holes through the wood but unfortunately I couldn't find the right size of the screw so I was forced to choose the less prettier version of hanging the birds - the knotting technique ;-)=. I just wrapped the thread around and made a knot. 

Then I took a wire and tied it at the ends of the branch to make a loop to hang the whole piece from.

And that was it. I installed it later above the kitchen table (the lousy picture at the top of this article) and that was it.

Why It's Good to Get a University Diploma

You think it's obvious, right? You get a better job, you get a salary raise etc. But the ugly truth of today is that the jobs are scarce and if you take a look at the number of university graduates and the number of jobs offered in the field they just got their diplomas in, you get two totally different figures.

So, ahem, the sense of accomplishment, maybe? Sure, you have worked hard, right? Again, if you compare the hours actually spent studying with the hours spent focused on different activities (drinking new kinds of alcohol, working, sleeping, going to cinema, walking your dogs, etc. - just avoiding lectures in all ways imaginable) you realize that should you had been focused only at school you would have already gotten that damned piece of paper. Let’s face it, the recommended amount of five years for your Master’s Degree could have been shrunk to three if you weren’t fooling around. But that’s how the system works. The University counts on your misbehavior and lack of discipline and that’s why they give you those five years instead of less. So, even though you know you should have worked harder, it wasn’t entirely your fault.

Which leaves us with the gifts you get after you proudly show your diploma to your friends and relatives. I know, I know, giving is more thrilling than receiving but since you’ve been around long enough to appreciate gifts as well, you can indulge yourself in the stuff your loved ones prepared for you. They have known you for long after all and that’s why you know they can only give you the coolest things.

So you actually find yourself drowned in alcohol (good way to go liver! because in your new life doctors are much more expensive since you are no longer a student supported by the state) and surrounded by food because celebrating with everyone is a thing. And apart from going from a restaurant to a pub nonstop for a week or so, crazy people like your brother actually know you will always have an unhealthy relationship with food and will buy you half a frickin’ salmon! And since it's fresh you will find yourself eating the humongous fish every day. Like that can stop you from loving it, though. There is never enough of salmon, ok?

Then, your home will start to look like a funeral home since people will shower you with flowers. And since you love lilies the most, that funeral feeling will spring into a many a mind. But who cares! This is your celebration and you can love what you want despite the general misconception that only the dead can be surrounded by lilies.

You will also get to try new food. Oh, food again, I know. Because someone for sure noticed you talking about macarons and how cute they are and how you want to try them but can’t find them. And when you find them, they are too expensive and you are afraid to buy a whole bunch in case they are too bad. So you get a package now and oh boy! You fall in love with the chocolate and LAVENDER ones. I mean seriously, it tastes just like it smells. You will never look at the lavender in your garden the same way again :-)=

And as the last gift, you get a clue. A crazy cat necklace and a blurry close-up of some city. Sure, that is a no-brainer, actually. Who wouldn't recognize Barcelona's most famous pieces by Gaudí? And since you worked the puzzle out immediately, you get a financial contribution to your dream trip to Spain. So, now nothing holds you away from your artsy trip. I mean, yeah, gotta wait for the holidays but still...

So don’t tell me you wouldn’t feel better after this. People around you always know how to appreciate you and it would be rude not to let them ;-)=

Jaye Wells: Silver-Tongued Devil

I usually hate smart-ass obnoxious heroines. They are fun at first but in the long run they tend to be bothersome. So one would think that by book number 4 in the series I would be hating Sabrina Kane, the infamous vampire/mage protagonist. She is funny, she can kick ass, she is pretty selfish even though she goes through the process of realizing there are others to think of, too. If you think of it, many series with female protagonists have a Sabrina.

But here, somehow, it works. Sabrina has all the qualities I hate in the other self-centered bitches and still can get away with it. Not sure if I am going through some process of less hating/ more accepting or whether the author finally found the balance between annoying and enjoyable. It’s a light read and I can’t wait for the next book.

Oh, but one thing is evil here, I’ve just realized – the cliffhanger. Books in the series should never ever end so because it takes our free will away. Don’t judge before you know the whole story, right? So instead of judging just one book and having a noncommittal relationship with the rest of the series you must buy the next installment for sure to know how it’s gonna end. Aaargh.  

GENRE: packed with action

FANGS OUT: you may actually like the heroine

FANGS RETRACTING: cliffhanger

TOTAL SCORE:

Pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips

Well, you couldn't think I would use a half of a pumpkin and let the other half just rot, right? Naturally, I came up with a way how to use it once the marble pie was gone.

This time it was used to elate the feeling of eating muffins. Because let's face it, the muffins can sometimes be really dry and all they need is something as moist as the pumpkin to become perfect.

Plus, this pumpkin I use (hokkaido) is very pigmented and gives everything such a funny yellow/orange color. That's a plus with Halloween nearing, right?

So, for the typical amount of 12 muffins (at least that's what my muffin pan is created for) you will need:

• 200g flour (we've talked about it: just because I use rye doesn't mean you can'r go plain)
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder (I once used just one teaspoon and they didn't rise to the occasion ;-)= because the pumpkin is really heavy)
• 2 tablespoons of the spice of your choice (I used 1 cinnamon and 1 gingerbread mix)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (for no good reason ;-)= )
• 120g butter
• 200g sugar (or honey, or whatever sweetener you use)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 hokkaido pumpkin
• optional chocolate chips (I used big chunks of 70% cocoa chocolate, you use whatever you want and how much you want)

1) You must peel the pumpkin, boil it till it's soft, let it cool down and then blend it till it's smooth.
2) Mix all the ingredients together.
3) Fill your muffin cups and bake for about 20 minutes at 180°C. 

Lynsay Sands: Vampire Most Wanted

Wow, I’m reading the twentieth book in the series and still like it. I don’t need to mention the times at which I am most likely to reach for this kind of literature because I have already written about it. So, yeah, let us ponder what keeps me coming for more of Ms Sands.

The books are so light and you just fly through them without even realizing. There is enough action to keep the characters appreciate the things they get, there is always someone who is funny as hell (I’m always on the team FUNNY) and it all wraps up nicely. Sure, you may oppose that choosing a partner for all eternity may be a little too hasty since they know each other for only a week or so before they know for sure. Yeah, but there is a little thing in the story which makes all doubts go away, so...

Just like I said, take it on a vacation with you and you will like it. Because when you compare it to the similar stuff this romantic vampire genre offers, it’s one of the best.

GENRE: so rooomantic and sweet you will find yourself in a diabetic coma

FANGS OUT:  funny at times
FANGS RETRACTING: author forgets some traits which appeared in previous books
TOTAL SCORE:

Marble pumpkin cake

The Halloween season is here, pumpkins are growing everywhere and it would be a sin not to use them in our food. 

For us, zucchini lovers, autumn creates the perfect transition between the season in which everything abounds (goodbye eggplants and zucchinis, see you next summer) and the season in which everything is scarce and overpriced. Since I don’t like the subtle sweet taste of pumpkins in salty dishes, I exclusively use them for making desserts (again, I miss the zucchini’s versatility). 

So here you have an easy way how to get rid of one half of a pumpkin. The oil and pumpkin in it ensure the result is moist so if you don't like dry cakes, this one is for you ;-)=

You’ll need (for a 35x25x4cm pan):

For the batter:

• 2 cups flour (again, use any kind you want I used for this recipe I cup whole grain rye and 1 cup all-purpose flour)
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup oil (I use sunflower)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 eggs

For the pumpkin filling:

• ½ hokkaido pumpkin
• 250g curd cheese (or any cheese you are used to bake with)
• 100g brown sugar
• 1 egg
• cinnamon powder

1) Peel the pumpkin, get rid of the seeds, chop it to pieces and boil it till it’s soft. Then get rid of the water and wait till the pumpkin cools down.

2) Mix everything for the batter in one bowl.

3) Smash the pumpkin to pieces with a fork in a different bowl (this way you will have little pieces of it but if you hate biting into “meaty” chunks of pumpkin go ahead and blend it till it’s smooth like a purée) and then add the rest of the ingredients which go in with the pumpkin.

4) Prepare your pan with either parchment paper or with the old-school method: use something greasy (oil, butter, lard) and flour to make sure the cake doesn’t stick to the pan.

5) Alternately pour the two mixtures onto the pan so that you create whatever layering you desire.

6) Bake it for about 35 minutes at 180°C.