Here is the view from the apartment we've rented, complete with the
horn players who were playing when we arrived.

Here is a second test of posting from my iPhone to this website by way
of Flickr. Cross your fingers that it works.

It worked! Thank you Flickr for allowing the fine tuning of how pictures appear on one's site.

This is the view at the top of the hill that we climbed after filching a cup of tea from a fake chuck wagon after an unexpectedly long hike at Sun Mountain Lodge. That snow capped mountain you see in the way off distance is a corner of the Cascades.

This is a test. You will not be graded on a curve., originally uploaded by not martha.

This is a test to see if I can post from iPhone to Flickr to
Wordpress. Her goes.

Yay it worked. Ok, this is a picture of a very special cup of tea. Scott and I were staying at Sun Mountain Lodge in the Methow Valley of Washington state and went for a short hike around the grounds. Or what we thought was a short hike. Turns out? The grounds are huge. And forested. Creepily forested. And we were there in October so Halloween was in the air. After walking far too long (like Hansel and Gretel!) we exited into a clearing. A clearing with picnic tables and a faux chuck wagon. Nobody was around but the wagon was stocked with coolers that held blissfully cold water and packets of tea. I'm pretty sure we weren't really supposed to take it, it was likely stocked just in case a lodge guest opted in for the twilight horse ride to the Cowboy Dinner, but I was so tired and thirsty. It turned out to be a good thing that I stole the tea because the next part of the hike was straight uphill. But uphill to a good view with a peek at the Cascades.

Tomorrow I'm headed out to the Altitude Design Summit. I'll be speaking, my first time and I'm nervous. Will I see you there?

Thanks so much to everybody who voted and gave personal experiences in my previous entry about shopping online and Paypal, and extra big thanks to those who have or build shops and weighed in with experiences.

I want to clarify one thing -- there was a trick question in my poll. You do not have to create a Paypal account to use it to buy something with a credit card. You used to have to, and I've been finding that a lot of people do not know that the policy has changed. So go and buy things from small independent shops and don't let Paypal stop you.

Thanks again!

Faythe Levine in the New York Times, yay

I like the thread catch pouch that Grumperina has. I still just toss threads to the floor and vacuum up (almost) every night.

According to Angry Chicken Diamond glaze is sort of a cheater's resin. New info, thanks!

Paper tape dress form at Jejune. Very detailed and informative.

Knitmap, at Craftzine

Sewing Kit Essentials - Fabric Markers at The Purl Bee

Cappuccio, hood/scarf thing that looks quite nice. At Swiss Miss.

Hi, I'm the Not Martha plumber. If you can see this post, it means this site has successfully transferred over to it's new home. Yay!

I've been getting lots of recommendations for books on baking, thanks! The most recommended is, understandably, Baking Illustrated by the Editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine. Also on my list now are On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee, The Professional Pastry Chef by Bo Friberg, In The Sweet Kitchen by Regan Daley, Cookwise by Shirley Corriher, and I'm Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking by Alton Brown.

Lavender Week 4, a few buds have opened.

The Inside Scoop, Slate reviews ice cream makers.