h. m. pocket

one of these things is not like the other...

2010-08-26T17:29:00.003-06:00

And the correct temperature is...

indulging my inner 13 year old boy...

2010-08-05T23:33:00.002-06:00

kitties and sunshine...

2010-04-18T16:31:00.005-06:00

I haven't written a proper blog post in a while, but I figured I should post some pictures (I've been taking lots of those lately)

Luna on her perch

Uno basking in the sun

Also, I had a couple job interviews last week...keep me in your thoughts!

update

2010-03-13T13:11:00.002-07:00

I've been working a temp job the past few weeks, but will have to find something more permanent in the next week or two.

I've knitted a few scarves now and am looking for a more challenging project...I found a beautiful silk ribbon yarn but only have a small amount of it, so I'm still trying to decide how to use it. I'm also planning to start a baby project for a friend of mine who, after some difficulty, is expecting her second little one. Maybe a receiving blanket with matching booties and cap?

monday melancholy

2010-01-25T16:42:00.005-07:00

I have depressing news...I'm not taking classes this semester. As a result, I don't get to work at my on-campus job since I'm not a student for now.

I'm pretty bummed about the state of my life at present and I'm hoping that a knitting/chocolate binge will cure my mood. As for now, I'm job hunting and trying to stay positive.

But don't let my mood keep you from enjoying your day...here's something to brighten things up a bit:

2010-01-14T15:00:00.002-07:00

downtown missoula (autumn 2009)

2009-12-27T16:56:00.002-07:00

A herd of bison at the National Bison Refuge in MT.

2009-12-26T00:15:00.001-07:00

Walked around downtown with the boyfriend tonight. We looked at all the lovely art through the foggy shop windows.

2009-12-25T12:18:00.002-07:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I'm in love with...

2009-11-12T10:24:00.004-07:00

...Anya Marina's cover of T.I.'s "Whatever You Like". (Thanks to Metalia for mentioning this song in your latest post...you always have the BEST music suggestions!)

...snow! Now if it would only last a little longer here.

...cheap wine. Actually, this is more of a love/hate thing. I love it because it's cheap and I hate it because of the inevitable hangover that comes with cheap alcohol.

...Montana! The past six months have been full of changes, expected and unexpected, but I absolutely love our new home.

2009-11-11T17:13:00.002-07:00

snow!

2009-11-11T12:20:00.001-07:00

Thank you to all our servicemen and women...Happy Veteran's Day!

2009-10-27T10:58:00.001-06:00

In unrelated news, the knitting thing is going swimmingly so far. My "scarf" is about 21 inches long now and growing. Yippee!

2009-10-27T10:56:00.001-06:00

I just realized I can post from my phone. Sweet! Be prepared for random pocket musings, mwahahahaha!

excrement is...

2009-10-13T17:17:00.003-06:00

...poop
...shit
...caca
...this blog entry (or lack thereof)

So basically I forgot about the land of pocket for a few months while I moved across the country. Sorry about that. I've missed it.

The past few months have been slightly hectic. We moved from the Sunshine State to the Treasure State. So far, no treasure. We do have snow, though! Snow...and single-digit temps...in the first week of October. So much for a transition period!

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!

2009-07-29T09:47:00.001-06:00

C. Beth Blog.: How important is it?

2009-06-19T15:12:00.000-06:00

C. Beth Blog.: How important is it?

Be the Match!

2009-06-19T14:55:00.002-06:00

The National Bone Marrow Donor Program is currently having a “Be the Match Marrowthon” through June 22nd. You can join the registry for free online (cost is normally about $50) and they will send you the registration kit to complete and return. This is a great cause and you could help save lives!

Go to the Be The Match website or check out this post over at c.bethblog. for more information!

Funny Cat Friday

2009-06-19T11:04:00.000-06:00

This cracks me up...

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

How to completely f*** up a cookie recipe (and still create something tasty)

2009-06-12T19:34:00.014-06:00

Yesterday was my day off from work and I was feeling froggy, so I decided to make cookies. Actually, that statement is only half true.
Yesterday was my day off and I did make cookies, but only because I panicked about the amount of clutter in my pantry. Boyfriend and I are moving across the country in two weeks, yet our pantry is still fully stocked.
So yesterday I, in a rare moment of domesticity, decided that firing up the oven was the only logical way to clear out our pantry.
I was wrong, but somehow this cookie recipe (borrowed from Giada, Food Network goddess) yielded extremely delicious brownies. Don't ask questions about how it happened, as I'm really not sure I could answer them. Just follow the directions below and behold chocolate espresso toffee deliciousness. Oh, and feel free to f*** with the recipe some more...just be sure to tell me how it turns out!

Toffee Espresso Brownies
*inspired by Giada De Laurentiis: Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

The stuff:
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups (packed) light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup brewed espresso, cooled
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (or hot cocoa mix)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup toffee candy (I used Mocha Roca), chopped
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
The “how to”:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Mix the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars in a large bowl until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla, cocoa powder, and espresso. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in the toffee, chocolate, and walnuts.
Spray two 9”x13” cake pans with nonstick spray. Spread half of the dough into each pan, spreading evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center of the pan comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool the brownies in the pans for 5 minutes. Cut into bars, then allow to cool completely.
Note:
This recipe yields A LOT of dough. If you only want to make enough brownies for your family and not, say, your entire block, you may want to make half the recipe.

A really exciting giveaway!

2009-06-08T14:44:00.002-06:00

I don't do this often, but I was so excited when I read about this giveaway from c.bethblog. and xtra xtra!!!

the post where I admit to being a slacker

2009-05-07T21:24:00.009-06:00

I haven't posted anything since March. This isn't an issue if you haven't seen a calendar or stopped by this blog in the past two months, but it is now May and the guilt has finally set in.

So here goes...

Last month I found out that the bf and I were both accepted to the University of Montana. Awesome awesomeness if there is such a thing, and we are both terribly excited for this new adventure...BUT...now we must figure out how to get ourselves, the kittens, and a limited amount of our clutter across the continental United States sometime before August. *stabs self in eye with pencil*

So there's that.

My sister also visited us last month, which was fun for all! It was a wonderful visit; we made a beach weekend of it. Which brings me to the topic of the cleanliness of beach condos. Ahhh, we stayed in a lovely condo. It was bright and cheery, full of typical white wicker beach furniture and a seashell-themed bathroom. Oh, and a bag of vibrators, right next to the standard hotel-issue Gideon's Bible. Yes, dear readers, vibrators that did NOT belong to any member of our party.

Photographic evidence:

The discovery of said vibrators went something like this:

K-YOU GUYS COULD HAVE WARNED ME!

H. Pocket-What are you talking about?

K-Your vibrator...you could have freaking warned me!!

C-H!!! That's gross...you had to bring them?

H-*laughing* Ummmm...are you joking?

K-Seriously guys?! Just TELL me not to look in the drawers and I won't! I really don't care that you brought them, but you could have warned me.

H-*giggles hysterically* Ummm...so THESE vibrators? Yeah, so, ummm...NOT MINE!

Please note: we are not a shy bunch, and all found this hilarious...but I was a bit worried about what other hidden treasures the housekeeper might have missed and/or forgotten to clean. Also, we made the bf take the package to the front office the next morning. They were VERY apologetic. We only made the bf do it because the rest of us couldn't stop laughing about the whole situation.

So that's pretty much all I've got for now...Montana and vibrators. Until next time!

Because it's been almost a month...

2009-03-18T21:07:00.001-06:00

This past month has been a bit crazy. Crazier than the trip back home last month? Yes, crazier than even that. The other half and I had another last-minute wedding to attend. If one does the math, that would have to equal TWO insanely planned weddings within the last 30 days. So, much like the last wedding we went to, I had only a couple weeks to mentally prepare myself and find an outfit.
Sigh.
It's over now and I have to say that, much like the last one, it was a lovely wedding. It was outside at a park, the day was perfectly sunny and breezy, the music, food, and company were great. The couple looked happy and in love, birds were chirping, etc.
Having said that, I have to say this: I don't want to go to another wedding for at least another couple months. Friends that are reading this blog, hear me well...you can't get married until at least June. Any sooner and I'll need a sedative before I can RSVP.
Thank you.

vacation or not?

2009-02-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

My other half and I just got back from "vacation". It deserves the quotation marks because I'm not really sure if it can technically be called a vacation. We spent a whopping four days in my home state visiting as many friends and family as possible in that short span of time. This visit was complicated by a wedding, a family dinner, and various other obligations while we were in town.

By my definition that was definitely "Not Vacation".

Bright spots during this non-vacation included: lunch with an old classmate, the afore-mentioned wedding and family dinner (they induced both stress and happiness), post-wedding drinks, breakfast with good friends.

We got home last night and slept in a comfy bed with our own fabulous pillows and slept in late without any disturbances from housekeeping this morning. We had a late lunch and spent the afternoon taking advantage of our local theme park passes, which had been gathering dust for about six months or so.

Tonight was Taco Tuesday with his brothers at our place, no shoes required. Dinner was followed by café cubano, a trick I recently picked up from his family. Ah, what did I ever do before after-dinner café?