Bitterroot Mama by the Numbers - And Farewell

This forget-me-not finally bloomed, after almost 2 years of living in my windowsill.
The point here is obviously to forget-me-not.
And that living in my windowsill may not be the best environment for anyone, including plants.

If this were the last day of school, I'd be all nervous about getting everyone to sign my yearbook. Luckily, we don't have to post our dorky pictures anymore -- although that hasn't stopped me or anyone else from plastering their faces all over the internet.

Doing my part to add lots of blackmail
pictures to the world wide web.

It's the last day of June and the last day of Bitterroot Mama. (It's OK. You can cry if you want to.) I'm married to a number cruncher and it's starting to rub off, so I thought I'd share a few stats about the blog with you. Here it goes...

My short journey into
the world of amigurumi

17,989 total pageviews

1,099 visits through http://www.wearethatfamily.com/ 's Work for Me Wednesday feature

745 comments (approximately half are mine)

375 posts

202 visits to the ever-popular Grace Kelly Scarf Tutorial page 

176 pageviews from people in the Netherlands

111 visits to the First Annual Picky Person Gift Giving Guide (unfortunately, there will never be a second annual guide)

80 pageviews from people in China

50 fantastic followers

Before I saw this, I wasn't hungry.
Weird that I am now, huh?

21 visits from people searching for "sad memoirs"

14 pathetic attempts at making crafts

$2.39 - total blog earnings through Google Adsense

AND
1 red velvet cupcake

Thanks for following along with me as I turned into a crunchy Montana mom. I'm proud of this blog and all of the great writing practice it's been. I've enjoyed the friendships I've made and nurtured on this site. I've learned from you, and I hope you learned something from me as well. All of the pages will stay up, so you can reminisce as you please, but this is really the end. No more posts.

You have my permission not to follow me via Google Friend Connect anymore, but please say "Hi" whenever you see me in person.

Love,
Bitterroot Mama
(Bitterroot Mama needs awhile to stop referring to herself in the third person. She will get over it someday.)

Why I'm Ending This Blog

In order to explain the demise of Bitterroot Mama, I'd like to turn to three Christian music artists for a little help (and to date my coming-of-age to the 1990s, when music was music and life seemed simpler, though much more vague).

"Lines of My Earth" by the now defunct Sixpence None the Richer:

"And we in the habit of saying the same things all over again,
For the money we shall make.
This is the last song [blog post] that I'll write
'Til you tell me otherwise.
And it's because I just don't feel it."

Is it just me or are lots of blogs out there just mouthpieces for small or large corporations? It takes time to keep up a blog (how I know!) and bloggers want to be compensated with money or credit or samples or cool giveaways, but it seems that too many blogs are just propaganda. I guess I'm not willing to go that far. (Or I'm really good at hiding from the PR people, one or the other.)

"Adding to the Noise" by Switchfoot (whom I met one time after a concert and lived near the town where I spent my formative musical years. Confession to Switchfoot: I said I'd never wash my hands after shaking yours after that concert but I did. Do you know how many pieces of raw meat I've touched since then? Good. I knew you'd understand.): 

"If we're adding to the noise
turn off this song
If we're adding to the noise
turn off your stereo, radio, video ohh..."

Are you ever distracted by the internet? Say, checking your email 25 times a day or following over 50 blogs because they follow you and you just HAVE to follow them back? Oh wait. Maybe that's me. As much as I enjoy writing on this blog and following certain blogs (you know who you are), it's too much of a time commitment. Instead of becoming a hyper-networked gal, I glory in the fact that I don't have a Facebook account, I've never Twittered, I'm not LinkedIn, and I don't even know how Farmville works. I'm not using that whole living in Montana thing as an excuse not to get started on these online networks...actually I am.

"Seize the Day" by Carolyn Arends, an under-appreciated musical artist and author from Canada:

"Seize the day, seize whatever you can
'Cause life slips away just like hourglass sand...."

"You can do what you will with the days you are given
I'm trying to spend mine on the business of living."

By living, I mean spending more time with my family, actually weeding my garden, trying out new recipes, enjoying friendships, playing the piano, exercising, reading books (you know I can't resist!), and writing for markets that actually pay.


I hope you can now have a few more minutes of your day to do something meaningful. If you want to know how I'm doing (or are dying to know how quickly I'm killing my garden), just give me a call (if we're buds like that) or drop me an email. I'd be happy to talk with you. Or lip-sync old school DC Talk songs with you -- because that's still really, really cool.

Your Favorite Books - Speak Now!

Over the course of this blog, I've shared thoughts and/or reviews on 105 books. (In the beginning, I used to blog about more than one book in a Book Worm post.) It's kind of sad to think that I won't be writing book reviews here anymore. I may just have to post them to Amazon.com instead.

I've read 51 books in 2011, despite my desire to slow down. One just keeps leading to another and another. So, in an effort not to run out of interesting books to read, please share some of your favorites in the comments. I want to hear your favorite overall books, your favorite non-fiction, favorite beach reads, etc.

What are my favorites you ask? (I'm pretending you're reading this and asking that.)

I can't really choose. Don't make me! I still love the Yada Yada Prayer Group series by Neta Jackson. I still love Lauren F. Winner's books. I still love the Wingfeather Saga (On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, North!, or Be Eaten). I love so many books, it's hard to stop at just one. But I will because this last Book Worm post is almost done. (Now I'm trying not to cry.)

Cheesy Crockpot Enchiladas

If you're one of those people who stick up their noses at anything made with cream of chicken soup, just go back to making your own organic roux and feeling smug. For the rest of you who need a potluck pleaser, I have just the thing. Of course, there's no picture because I actually took this to a potluck this week and the people there ate it all. Pity. No leftovers for me. Anyway, this is a quick and easy recipe my mom passed on to me.

Cheesy Crockpot Enchiladas
(serves 4-6)
3 cans cream of chicken soup
1 (medium) can evaporated milk
2 c. cooked, shredded chicken
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. chili powder
15 oz. bag of tortilla chips
2 cups Mexican blend cheese, shredded

1. Mix together cream of chicken soups and evaporated milk in a stockpot. Add spices. Heat until bubbling and thickened. Add chicken and mix well.
2. Layer crushed chips, soup mix, and cheese a couple of times, ending with cheese.
3. Heat on medium for 2 hours, or until the cheese is melted.

Note: I personally think this would look cool with blue tortilla chips. You could serve it with salsa on the side for a patriotic meal.

Wedding Cheesecakes

As I mentioned, this past weekend my sister got married. It was a casual affair, so I begged to make the cake. Of course, my sister doesn't like cake; she wanted a cheesecake. I made a big one and a teeny one and transported it in the car for 7 hours, which apparently didn't hurt the flavor because this is what the photographer said about it:

"This makes me want to be a better person."

I'm not quite sure what that means, but I don't think he liked cheesecake before that day. Of course, the scrumptious toppings may have had something to do with it. I made a caramel topping from this epicurious recipe and strawberry topping from allrecipes.com. In retrospect, I wish I had cut the strawberries up a bit thinner for the sauce. And the flowers on the cheesecake are fake, but they did the trick. Unfortunately, I don't have a cheesecake recipe to share with you, but I'll give you a different recipe tomorrow. Keep on reading...the blog's not over yet.

Guest Posting Today

Check out my guest post on bulk spices today at Small Steps on Our Journey!

Are you happy now?

A week ago, as I was chasing the baby around the library, The Geography of Bliss jumped off the shelf into my arms. Not literally of course. That would be the baby jumping down the stairs for "clap hands" time (story hour). But the subtitle of the book intrigued me: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World. I immediately connected because (A) I am a grump. (B) I thought that perhaps there was something to this and I should start looking at real estate online.

Eric Weiner traveled first to the Netherlands on this search for happiness and searched through the World Happiness Database (WDH). From that information and his own intuition, he planned an itinerary that included Switzerland, Bhutan, Qatar, Iceland, Moldova (for unhappiness), Thailand, Great Britain, India, and the USA. At times profound, at times profane, and at most times hilarious, he provides a window into the things that make people happy. From the WDH, he learned that happy people are most likely to be:

• extroverted
• optimistic
• married
• Republican
• religious
• college graduates (but people with advanced degrees are not as happy)
• active sexually
• busy
• wealthy (but only marginally happier than poor people)

From his travels, he learned that this was only part of the equation. Largely homogeneous societies like Iceland and Switzerland are happy, but so are the racially diverse, less uptight people in the Netherlands. Marginally happy Qatar has plenty of money, but no defining culture. Extremely unhappy Moldova has hardly any money and no culture. Thais regard over-thinking as suspicious and tend to be very happy. Bhutan measures its Gross National Happiness with statistics.

I found much to contemplate in this book. For as long as I've lived in Montana, I've never really felt at home. I've wondered if moving somewhere else would make me happier. What Weiner learned, and I felt was true also, was that there are some things more important than happiness. If you're religious, then pleasing God would mean more than your own happiness. The Guri-ji whose ashram he attended in India told him that love is more important than happiness. And a man from Bhutan told him that "Happiness is one hundred percent relational." Having close relationships (and a good book) means more than the particular address where I live. No matter where I go, friends and family will support me more than the earth's crust. This reminds me of a verse from 1 Corinthians 13: "So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love" (The Message). There. I just saved you a trip around the world and a call to a realtor. You can thank me later. (PG-13, recommended)

Stovetop Sweet and Sour Chicken

I have approximately three wanna-be Chinese recipes in my repertoire. This sweet and sour chicken is one of them. I found this recipe in a book called The Potluck Club. I wanted to like the book, but I actually didn't read it and just looked at the recipes in the back. I also switched the recipe from an oven meal to a fast stove top dinner.

Sweet and Sour Chicken
(serves 4)
1. Preheat a large skillet to medium high. Add a little canola oil.
2. In a large bowl, mix together:

• 6 Tbsp. olive oil
• 6 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
• 6 Tbsp. honey
• 3 Tbsp. white vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 1/2 tsp. paprika
• a dash of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 to 1 tsp. black pepper

3. To the preheated skillet, add 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts OR 6 thighs that have been cut into thin strips. Cook until chicken is no longer pink on the outside.
4. Pour the sauce into the pan and cover the skillet with its lid. Continue to cook and stir occasionally until the chicken is done.
5. Serve over brown rice. Add extra sauce to plate as desired.

Mediocre Garden Update

You know it's time to post about your garden when someone asks you about it in line at Super 1. So, LL, this is for you. :)



So far, I have corn planted in the front third, potatoes and green beans on the left, tomatoes behind that, and onions behind that.



This is from a slightly different direction. This shows the lettuce, spinach, and freshly planted carrots. To the right of this are my sunflowers. I let the baby plant dwarf ones, but I planted really tall red ones.

I haven't had to do much except plant and weed. I hilled the potatoes once and caged the tomatoes. I read that you can put clear plastic around the bottom 18 inches of the cages to give the tomatoes a leg up. Which they need, considering I'm a tomato mass murderer. I started with 20 and now have 5. And one of those I bought at the Farmer's Market. For $2. Next year, I'm buying them. No messing around with starting seeds inside. There's the garden update. I'm still quite mediocre, but I'm OK with that.

How to Minimize a Long Face

We all are born with a specific face shape. The first step is to find your face shape with this ehow.com article. I don't even need to do the measurements. I know mine is long. If you have an (ob)long face too, here are two easy fashion tips that I learned and would love to share. (I know, I know, it's not everyday Miss Fashionless shares fashion tips. But these are good. And involve horrible drawings from Paint.) Here they are:



These make the face look shorter.
And slightly more like a caterpillar haven.



1. Keep eyebrows parallel to the ground. Arches are not your friend.



These just make the face look longer.



2. Have your haircut to add bulk to the sides of your face. Wear bangs to the side. The worst look for this face type is parting hair straight in the middle and wearing it straight down. The other worst look is a mullet.



Why I've always wanted curly hair.
It really rounds out the face.




My high school yearbook picture.























Follow these two tips and you're on your way to getting rid of that noticeable long face. Adding a smile never hurts either. This Works for Me!

This is me.
Sometimes I follow my own advice.

All is Forgotten, Nothing is Lost

Hip, hip, hooray for lilacs!

I found this novel while doing a Google search for "best unsung books." Written by Lan Samantha Chang, an instructor at the famed Iowa Writers' Workshop, All is Forgotten, Nothing is Lost follows two students of a writing instructor through the ups and downs of their careers as writers.

It's not a particularly happy story.

The instructor, Miranda, acts stern and disinterested in her students, who include Bernard and Roman. Bernard is a practicing Catholic who labors on one poem during his life. Roman becomes a famous writer and marries their mutual friend Lucy. Both boys admire Miranda, though. Which angles of this isosceles love triangle will move closer -- and which will move further away? The jacket description asks (more profoundly), "What are the personal costs of a life devoted to the pursuit of art?"

The answer is somewhat dismal in this book. All of the writers fail to engage in normal relationships with others in pursuit of their careers, which I find sad, since most of us find huge amounts of meaning in relationships. They help define who we are and who we become.

Things I learned:

1. I don't want to go to writing school and pick everything apart. (I was the world's worst English major. I'd always go to class, hear obscure theories about literature and think, "Why can't it just mean what it says?")
2. Writing can become all-consuming.
3. Relationships should be nurtured above all else.
4. One caveat: Don't have an affair with an instructor. This is the wrong kind of relationship to pursue.

(PG-13 for suggested sensuality [although she kept it very chaste to her credit], recommended for writers)

Spring Wildflowers

We went to a friend's house for dinner and ended up taking a walk through a gorgeous patch of forest. The lupines are spectacular this time of year.

Lupines

Indian paintbrush

I love this sign on the way up the road.

Publishing

The publication that bought my devotion sent me a complimentary copy of the magazine this past week. I got to see my name in print. I was totally psyched until I read the sentence there and thought:

"I don't remember writing this. In fact, didn't I send over 400 words to these people?"

They took two sentences from my piece and combined them into one. It makes me sound quite smart, but was a shock at first. So this is what being a writer feels like? Edited out of myself?

I read a quote attributed to C.S. Lewis (that I can't find on the internet - imagine that!), but it generally said that having a book published was like scratching an itch. After it's published, all you have is the void of an itch.

In other news, I'm wearing long underwear. In June.

Git 'Er Done

When you live in a certain place, there are certain phrases that certain people use. For instance, you rarely hear "y'all" in these parts, but you hear "crick" instead of "creek" often. And I've heard "Git 'er done!" more than I'd like to admit.

Fine, fine. I'll admit it. It's been 4,217 times. (I'm glad that's off my chest.)

But seriously, this phrase bugs me. Even more than people who don't capitalize anything.

any phrases bugging you lately? leave a comment and just git 'er done!

Hamburger Stew

I adapted this recipe from my Fix-it and Forget-it Cookbook edited by Dawn Ranck and Phyllis Pellman Good. You may be wondering why I'm making heavy stews in June. Frankly, it felt like fall outside yesterday, so it was perfect for dinner. It may look like a lot of ingredients, but I had most of them on hand. It was a hit with the hubby and baby too.

Hamburger Stew
(8 servings)
2 lbs. ground beef
2 tsp. minced onion flakes
1 garlic clove, minced
2 c. tomato juice
2 carrots, minced
4 medium potatoes, cubed
2 c. water
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/8 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 tsp. Better than Bouillon, beef flavor
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

1. Brown the meat and drain it. Add minced onion flakes, the garlic, and the tomato juice. Heat until it's boiling.
2. Put everything in the slow cooker.
3. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or until vegetables are tender. (I put it on high one hour and then on low for 5 hours.)

Chocolate Fish Winner!

Sorry for not posting this yesterday. The days seem to blur together around here. The winner of the chocolate fish is....comment 1 - Rachel R.!


She said:
I can't NOT enter this! Although it will be anonymous because I can't comment with my google account!
I have done the laundry very well today. It's all folded and put away!

Way to go with the laundry! Email me at debittergroot at gmail dot com with your address and I'll get those fish sent over.

Blooming Bulbs

Back when I was basking in my Versatile Blogger award, I mentioned that I tried to plant 100 bulbs each fall. People were like, "Show me sister!" So, I took some pictures. Not all of them are blooming now, but this is a good representation. It's a big yard. It could use a good 2,000 more bulbs. 

Poet's Daffodils.

Poet's Daffodils up close. I ordered these from Holland one year.

A smattering of daffodils, half-eaten Darwin hybrid tulips, and blue grape hyacinths.
And that weird white thing that has to do with my sewage. I think.

The initial goal was to create a river of blue grape hyacinths.
It's more like a perennial stream.



Tulips and allium that have yet to bloom. Or are they garlic?



Pink ruffled tulips.

 

 These are more daffodils and some blue and white grape hyacinths to the left around my patio.

These are neat white alliums I found at Costco one year.

Everything blooms at different times, so I have something going on from March to June or longer. My motto: plant more bulbs!