Nicole VanPutten

Grandma - August 17th

August 17, 2007 at 7:26 pm · Filed under Everyday

Davidean Lambert

August 16, 2007 at 8:13 am · Filed under Everyday

Whether you call her Davidean, Dee, Maudie, Mom, Grandma Dee, Davie, Aunt Annie, or DeDe, she’s an important fixture in all our lives. I will be starting a new blog for Davidean (hereafter Grandma or Grandma Dee) to involve everyone in her process of rehabilitation and recovery. I’ll post as often as there is news to report or questions to be answered and I encourage everyone to to check back whenever it’s convenient. This blog is comment ready and even though Grandma will have a telephone (I will provide the number on Monday, August 16th), I’m very happy to print out any and all messages, jokes, pictures, etc. and pass them along.

In the meantime, Grandma is doing well. She moved from Borgess Hospital to The Laurels of Galesburg yesterday. The initial solemenalla poisoning was successfully treated with antibiotics and Grandma is on her way to recovering physically with daily physical and occupational therapy.

Cheers!

**My next blog entry here will contain a link to Grandma’s permanent blog as I’m only using this specific space temporarily.**

�Grandma’s address is:

1080 North 35th Street

Room 216, Bed 1

Galesburg, Michigan 49053

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Flowers

June 7, 2007 at 12:32 pm · Filed under Everyday

Michael sent me flowers on Tuesday. Beautiful yellow snapdragons and gigantic orange sunflowers. Truly magnificent and complete unexpected fun. Now, I know what all of you are thinking, and no, there were no arguments, no large secret purchases and no large chunks of unaccounted time. These flowers came perfectly unattached. Everyone needs a Michael.

My flowers made me happy. Really, really glad to just be alive. I got to thinking that everyone should have flowers so I found Flower Garden. Click here then click on the black screen to bring some unconditional flower giddiness into your day.

Cheers!

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Threadless

June 6, 2007 at 7:36 am · Filed under Everyday

T-shirts are the glue that hold my wardrobe together. I have homemade, altered, embroidered, silk-screened, sewn, glued and painted t-shirts. I have a lot of t-shirts. There are some companies I like over others, tshirtsthatsuck.com is high on my list while others, that shall remain nameless to protect the innocent, are always on the bottom. I like homestarrunner.com for the artwork and anything with the Detroit Tigers emblem jumps to the front of the line. I’m a t-shirt snob of sorts and I’ve recently been introduced to a company who put me over the edge.

It all started with National Public Radio. Michael heard an interview with a company called Threadless, a t-shirt company, who makes their t’s from the artwork of the community who supports them. Genius! My first t’s, “Cookie Loves Milk” and “Nuts!”, were gifts from Michael and they’ve started me on a downward spiral of t-shirt insanity. Threadless.com has built an empire and I am single handedly supporting it.

My t-shirt snobbery may prevent me from wearing an Old Navy Perfect Fit T or a Hanes pocket T, but it’s fine with me because without them, I like to think I spread a little fun with me everywhere I go. Thanks Threadless.

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To purchase your very own Threadlessss t-shirt, long sleeve shirt or hoodie, visit them here.

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This to That

May 15, 2007 at 6:44 am · Filed under Everyday

Last week I accidentally dismantled the cover of our digital thermostat. The weather had reverted from spring to winter overnight and I was very cold. Very, very cold. In my haste to increase the frigid temperature inside I tipped the cover up very quickly and the hinge came out of place. In my defense, the “hinge” is an adult puzzle of wit and strength. To fit the cover I had to be clever enough to wedge each side in at an exact angle while perfectly strong enough to simultaneously squeeze the cover into place. Needless to say, I broke it. The tan plastic bar holding the hinge came clean off in my hand. After a momentary pause for expletives I moved to toward the kitchen and started mental preparation for the glue. Ugh.

Liquid adhesives and I have never quite understood each other. They are messy and unpredictable, and their directions are never accurate. Superglue for instance supposedly bonds anything “instantly”. I’ve found the only thing superglue bonds instantly is my fingers to each other. I’m not a big fan of Monkey Glue either, it’s brown and syrupy and the directions insist that the application of one small drop fixes anything. The good people at Monkey Glue have obviously never tried using their product because the applicator tip will give gigantic drops or large strings of glue, but never small drops. Cleaning up excess Monkey Glue is also just as irritating as un-Super Gluing fingers. I needed help.

While hunting down assistance I found This to That, a “How To” website like no other, it’s my adhesive superhero. It’s simple drop down menu asks two questions, what are you gluing and what are you gluing it to. Hit the “Let’s Glue” button and shazaam, sound gluing advice that’s actually effective. The next time something breaks, don’t panic, visit This to That by clicking here. You’ll be rewarded with simple instructions, plenty of cautious tips and a perfectly reconstructed thermostat hinge.

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cho-PEEN-o

April 5, 2007 at 8:06 am · Filed under Everyday, Eating

Michael went to San Francisco a couple of years ago for a work conference on web technology. His visit didn’t produce any amazing insights into the Internet and its future, but he did come home with dinner and a new appreciation for California. Unfortunately, I wasn’t there so I’ll leave Clementine Paddleford from the New York Herald Tribune to fill you in on some of Michael’s favorite eats:

“‘What’s this?’ ‘Your bib, madam,’ said the waiter, tying a cloth of white around my neck. In red stitched lettering the bib announced “I’m eating cioppino.” The words were scarcely digested when the stew arrived. The first fragrant fumes wreathed up to make friends with the nose. I poked into the dish with an exploring fork, a strange gathering of seafare–oysters, lobsters, crab, clams. Then the first rapturous taste of the sauce-steeped garlic bread–ummm, delectable sauce! This cioppino, pronounced “cho-PEEN-o,” is a bouillabaisse of sorts, a kissing cousin of the bouillabaisse of Mediterranean cities, but this a California creation found nowhere else. Don Sweeney, Jr., and Gene McAteer, the Erin lads who operate Tarantino’s, told me the name is a corruption of the Italian word cuoco, which means “cook.” A fisherman’s concoction made first by the Genoese who man the small fishing boats which chug in and out of the harbor.

The dish is made over charcoal braziers, made of whatever the day’s catch supplies. It may be shellfish entirely, or seafood and shellfish, the various kinds washed, cleaned, layered in the pot; then a rich garlicky tomato sauce added and the collection cooked. A green salad is just right with this meal-in-a-bowl and remember to allow at least a half-dozen paper napkins apiece.”

California Chowder

Michael discovered Clementine’s article and the recipe below and was ecstatic when our regular Friday night dinner with my parents turned into Cioppino night. We “followed” the recipe loosely taking into consideration we were hungry and impatient and came up with what Michael called “the real thing”. (I’ve included our small variations in brackets next to the authentic directions just in case you find yourself in the same position.) The photograph on the right is our final product. Cheers!

Tarantino’s Cioppino Sauce -

4 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
1 green pepper
1 leek (with leaves)
3 green onions
3 tablespoons oil
1 no. 2 can tomatoes with juice
1 8 ounce can tomato puree
Pinch thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cups white wine

Finely dice onion, green pepper, leek [no one volunteered for a supermarket run so we left the leeks out], green onions, and tomatoes. In a large skillet saute, garlic, onion, green pepper, leeks and green onions in the oil until golden. Add tomatoes and juice, tomato puree, thyme and bay leaf. Cover and cook slowly two to three hours [we waited a generous 35 minutes - we were starving!] stirring frequently.

Stir in wine and salt and pepper to taste and cook ten additional minutes.

Tarantino’s Cioppino Shellfish Assortment -

**[Some supermarkets carry large bags of prepared and frozen seafood assortments for the timid and/or hungry cook]

16 little neck clams in the shell
4 uncooked medium oysters in the shell
8 large uncooked shrimp, shelled
2 small uncooked lobsters
2 medium cooked crabs
1 each striped bass and halibut, de-boned

Cut bass and halibut [our choice fish was talapia] in generous two inch pieces. Allow clams and oysters to stand in fresh water for one hour then scrub shells thoroughly. Split lobsters and crabs in half in the shell and disjoint the crab legs. Layer assortment in a large deep saucepan starting with the fish. Cover with the sauce and simmer, covered, 15 minutes, adding water if necessary.

Heap into soup plates, garnish with garlic-toast fingers and serve hot. Yields 4 portions.

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Shop Hours

April 2, 2007 at 9:18 am · Filed under Everyday

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Word Nirvana

April 1, 2007 at 9:42 am · Filed under Everyday

Need a word? Unsure of a definition? Trying to win the ultimate Scrabble championship with a word your spouse has never heard of? Try Visuwords. Sure, dictionary.com is useful but it’s not fun. With Visuwords you get your word spelled correctly, defined, labeled, and graphically extended into fancier words to make you sound smarter. It’s word nirvana.

Try it yourself. Click here, type “happy” into the search box and prepare yourself for a dictionary experience like no other. Notice the interactive pull when you drag a circle around the screen, the simple legend leading you to the perfect synonym and the pop up definition action on every individual word. Words are fun.

I felt a little guilty that I hadn’t visited dictionary.com in over a month, replacing a faithful website is difficult. I almost missed it’s no-nonsense approach, it’s cut and dry suggestions and the two toned blue and white design. Almost.

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Wednesday

January 28, 2007 at 4:54 pm · Filed under Everyday

Good afternoon. Today I write with an optimistic message of future blogging wonder - my broken bone is healing and the cast comes off on Wednesday! Although I’ve grown attached to the fashionable shade of purple covering my right hand I’m uncommonly giddy with thoughts of eating cereal without dumping milk in my lap, opening my Burt’s Bees without my teeth, and writing more than one paragraph in my blog without killing an entire afternoon. I will never take my right hand for granted again.

In the spirit of good things and Sunday giddiness, I leave you with Bembo’s Zoo. Click here to enjoy simple alphabet inspired animal fun that requires just one hand.

Cheers!

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Giving is Good

January 14, 2007 at 12:31 pm · Filed under Everyday

Due to the current unavailability of my right hand, Michael has graciously donated his clever post on bicycle helmets to my blog. Please click here to witness his superb writing powers and check out some very cool helmets at the same time.

Remember to use your manners and thank Michael on your way out!

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Nicole VanPutten

Grandma - August 17th

Davidean Lambert

Flowers

Threadless

This to That

cho-PEEN-o

Shop Hours

Word Nirvana

Wednesday

Giving is Good

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