reading:
Boss of You: Everything a Woman Needs to Know to Start, Run, and Maintain Her Own Busness
I have a proof of this book (so exciting!), but it will be available to order April 28th and you can pre-order at Amazon. This is written by Emira Mears and Lauren Bacon, the two women behind Raised Eyebrow Web Studio, and whose old site, Soapbox Girls, I used to read while working at my first job where I had a computer ane internet access, this is before I had my own computer and internet access at home. Also check out their site Boss Lady.





sipping:
coffee made in a Clover
The Clover is a hi-tech coffee maker that allows the barista to adjust grind size, dose, water temperature and contact time for each cup of coffee. This means good coffee. You can find a coffee shop that has a Clover. Happily, there are a bunch here in Seattle, I had coffee made it on at Trabant Coffee in the U-District last weekend.





making:
tissue paper flowers
I bought a kit from Martha Stewart Crafts because I still regret not buying the Crepe Paper Flowers kits from years ago. Also to see: crepe paper rose bouquet and double-sided crepe paper in spring flower colors, autumn flower colors, and red rose colors.





watching:
Juno
Great little movie, with characters you want to hang out with and story with a happy ending. Hooray.





listening:
World War Z
This audiobook contains "unabridged selections" so it's not the full book, but the readers, including Alan Alda, Carl Reiner, and Mark Hamill, are stellar. This is the story of the zombie war as told by the survivors and it's surprisingly rich and engaging, while still being creepy. I'm also going to read the book as I find myself eager to read the parts that didn't make it into the audiobook.

sipping:
Rising Moon Spring Ale
With Kieffer limes leaves and lime peel. I get what they are trying to do here, but I'd skip it unless you're really into special ales.





playing:
Chain Factor
Back in December I had finally, finally gotten over this game only to get re-hooked when Kottke mentioned it last week. Apparently it has something to do with the TV show Numb3rs, but it doesn't really influence the game play.





loving:
1-Day Acuvue Moist contacts
These are the only contacts I've found so far that aren't stuck to my eyeballs at the end of the day.





using:
teeny tiny bobby pins
I'm fairly sure these 1.25-inch bobby pins were meant to be decorative, but they are tiny and lightweight and work with my fine hair when I need to pin my bangs out of the way. I've been losing them one by one and hope these at Sally Beauty are the same size. Or maybe these rubberized mini bobby pins would work even better?





buying:
titanium drill bits
This weekend the combination of an old house and new Ikea ceiling light fixtures required that we drill a few new holes in the metal back in order to secure it in place. Then we discovered the Ikea low energy bulb did not fit in the fixture we'd bought. Why? Oh why?

liking:
L'Oreal High Intensity Pigments Cream Eyeliner
I have never had luck with pencil eyeliners, and was considering getting some MAC Fluidline when I stumbled across this in a store. It comes with a small brush but I prefer my fine Sonia Kashuk eyeliner brush. It's a very dark and true black and I find it easier to apply than liquid or pencil eyeliner.





using:
Cover Girl Lash Blast
This comes with one of those new types of brushes, and a few coats makes decent lashes for daytime. Cover Girl mascaras are the only drug store brand I've found so far that don't run on me, and it comes off cleanly when I wash with my usual Cetaphil. I like it but I'm not overwhelmed with joy that it exists.





dabbing:
Rosebud Salve
I've been rubbing this on a rough spot on my ankle before I got to bed and I like the gentle scent.





loving:
Hollywood Fashion Tape
I used this on my low cut dress and was expecting to have to figure out a way to get the adhesive off the fabric at the end of the night. But, happily, it held securely and came of cleanly. I got the Red Carpet Assortment that comes with five different shapes. You can find it in Joann stores as well as at Amazon.





finding useful:
Post-it lined 4x6 pads
I, um, borrowed one of these from Scott and find myself using it for all those lists I like to keep all over the house.

using:
KitchenAid 750 food processor
This is the model that was recommended by Cook's Illustrated magazine. This photo was taken shortly before I used it for the first time and it will never look this shiny or clean again, I'm sure. Verdict: it rocks. Homemade hummus here I come.





reading:
Subversive Seamster
I love what they are doing with pin tucks in this book. Like the first book, there are great instructions on how to alter thrifted clothing or turn it into something else completely.





buying:
Apex mechanical pencil
This is my favorite mechanical pencil which I stumbled upon after buying a few brands in a frenzy of new mechanical pencil neediness. It's also been given the stamp of a-ok-ness by Cool Tools. I found some of these on sale the other day so I have a stash of them in silver and black, they come in 0.7 lead as well.





reading:
Postsingular
Scott and I have been recommending books to each other and he keeps asking if I've finished this yet so we can talk about it. I'm only a few chapters in but the earth has nearly ended once so I suspect there will be a lot to discuss.





buying:
a dress for a party
Besides fighting the post-holiday let down, a good thing about a fancy party after the holidays is shopping for a dress during all the sales. This dress is very flattering and was 70% off, yay!

sniffing:
Yosh Luxury Elements collection
Scott got me the Yosh perfume sampler for Christmas and I've been trying on the scents. You can read my initial notes here at Flickr. The reviews on Makeup Alley are mixed but my impression so far is that these are made with really, really good oils. I like them a lot, though the ginger ones don't do so well on my skin, sadly.





eating:
chocolate chip cookies
Scott made these using the Toll House recipe but with one cup of nuts and half the amount of chocolate chips, which is a nice balance. We scooped out the dough onto cookie sheets and froze it, then put it into bags in the freezer and now we can bake one cookie at a time, or as needed.





reading:
Vampirates
I'm not very far along, but a great title, no?





trying:
to make Scotch Eggs
Interesting. Maybe they're best eaten with a hangover?





making me happy:
hand shaven noodles from Shanghai Garden
The barleygreen handshaven noodles are good as well. This is work-some-magic comfort food.

reading:
The Daring Book for Girls

I wish this book exisited when I was young. It's a hefty book full of information (complete with charts, illustrations and pictures) on a huge variety of topics - historical figures, karate stances, tide charts, how to paddle a canoe, how to build a campfire, the rules of all sorts of games, and profiles of modern princesses. I cannot think of a better gift for every single girl you know, no matter what her age.





sipping
hot cocoa made from Green & Black's Cocoa Powder

Unable to find a hot chocolate mix at our small local grocery we settled for cocoa powder. This is the first cocoa I've made by mixing cocoa powder, milk and sugar that tastes like a yummy drink and not cocoa powder, milk and sugar mixed together. It's good.





baking:
lemon poppyseed icebox shortbread cookies

When making large batches for cookie swaps, I find that freeze/slice/bake cookies eliminate the potential for holiday frustration-fueled feelings of inadequacy.





loving:
large painted canvas tote bag from Old Navy

I use extra large tote bags to carry packages to the post office. This painted tote offers a bit of waterproofness to the bottom. The handles and stitching are that yellow green, and it's very sturdy. Happy me. (p.s. I could not find this one in the stores.)





playing:
Ico

This game was made by the same people who did Shadow of the Colossus, but it came a few years earlier. I'm glad I tracked down a copy, the setting -- a huge castle you need to find your way out of -- is breathtaking. It's one of those rare games that is well put together, completely engaging and sweepingly romantic.

seeking:
a good under eye concealer
I'm wondering about Laura Mercier's Secret Camouflage, maybe Benefit's Boi-ing. I know I know, nobody has found the perfect under eye concealer yet but that can't stop a girl from trying.





needing:
kitchen scale
I want to use it for baking as well as buying postage online and avoiding those inevitable Post Offices lines (and broken automatic postal machines).





seriously considering:
Hairdo extension
One of the reasons I'm upset about my recent way-too-short haircut is that I have a fancy dress event to attend in January and I was really looking forward to being able to do something with my hair. So, yeah, I'm seriously considering buying some fake hair for the night. And yeah, it's Jessica Simpson-approved fake hair. So, yeah.





trying:
Bumble & Bumble Curl Conscious
As long as I'm growing out my hair I might as well play with it. Bumble & Bumble's Curl Conscious has been recommended by a few people, and I'm starting with the travel sized set for loose waves.





researching:
quinoa
Did you know it's pronounced keen-wah? Did you know it's a very old grain, it's full of protein and it's really really good for you? Quinoa keeps coming across my radar and I give, I'll learn how to cook it already.

loving:
Flip video recorder
This little thing is super easy to use, the results are fantastic and it downloads video to your computer via a built in USB connector. The videos are already in Quicktime format ready to be watched or loaded to YouTube. It's brilliant, it's like the benevolent web gods have smiled upon us, it's like somebody loves you. It also comes in colors like orange and pink. Ok, I think I need to calm down a little bit.





cooking:
roasted chicken from Gluten-Free Girl
I've roasted chicken by stuffing a lemon in the cavity before, but this recipe was divine. Next I'm making the Roasted Cauliflower with Smoked Paprika and Cocoa Powder. Oh yum.





deciding:
on a Sigg water bottle
The little handle thing is just too convenient.





wanting:
Pomaire Yarn by Araucania
Pima cotton, hand painted. I'm very curious to touch this. Thanks for the note about it Heather!





sipping:
Stumptown Coffee
Holler Mountain Blend, so satisfying.