Hello my friends, I’m still here.

I have one more day before the project goes live. Tomorrow is when things start going back to normal (hopefully). I think this will be a smooth transition. It will not be perfect but it will be something to show for all the hours of sweat and tears. I don’t think any blood was lost. I am actually starting to breathe slower and deeper a little.

My best friend C is arriving this afternoon for a week of girly adventure and company.  I’m so very excited because she has never met Scarlett or been here to Seattle.

Mike left for his clinical rotation 2 days ago and I will be without my other half for a while. I’ve been too busy to feel the real gap in my life but I will do my best to cope and find things to distract me. I think some extra hours of sleep will be a good start.

The chilly weather that we have been getting doesn’t feel at all like spring. I hope this will change shortly because I’m looking forward to more spring dishes and lots of gardening.

This is a picture from last year’s dwarf sunflower patch but this year, I have plans for some more taller varieties as well as some of these golden cuties. I am most excited for these breathtaking and velvety Moulin Rouge sunflowers.

Most of my garden plans will include golden & yellow blooms (lots of black-eyed susans!) and perhaps some more whites. White flowers make my garden look crisper on a cloudy day and we do get quite a few of those here in the PNW.

With the busier schedule I’ve been keeping, I have found myself looking for cooking methods that don’t take as much time. Thus, my recent fascination with Nigella Lawson’s quick cooking ideas and desire for a pressure cooker.

Friends have always pegged me as a “take my time, make from scratch” type of cook but I think of it as diversifying my repertoire.

Yesterday, I found this pressure cooker at one of those discount stores for $39 and couldn’t be happier. The first thing I’m planning to make in it would be red bean paste – a homemade filling (recipe from my sis in law) for my microwave mochi (more on that later, I promise!).

One more week to relief, I can’t stand it!

Oh, and check out the finalists in the Peeps Show contest 2008! Love them!

The very little time I have these days, I find myself watching Nigella Express episodes on a popular video sharing network online. The speedy meals that she comes up with, really inspires me. Despite the maddening schedule I keep, I have found myself trying to cook a meal or two.

One of my favorite episodes is when she makes mustard pork chops with a gorgeous cream cider sauce and gnocchi. Who does not love gnocchi? Tender soft dumplings that are so quick to cook if brought home in a package.

This same episode also has me crushing on this beautiful Alessi Mami fry pan. I have decided that it will be my post-project madness gift to myself.

Our Japanese maple has really grown. Even though the buds are just appearing, the branches tower above me as I walk about the garden, discovering life reappearing here and there. I really need to get to a pruning workshop soon because I think it will need it soon.

In other news, I have 3 more weeks before the project at work will be over and was glad to have my first real weekend in weeks. I think it’s going to get more busy for a bit more but the end is in sight.

With my new Macbook, I have started surfing in bed. Mike and I have his and hers Macbooks now and we love it. It has helped me immensely to be able to work from home (in bed) after a 12-hour workday. Before long, I found myself looking for a good support for it in bed.

Today, I tried my luck at a office supply store and found this laptop Cushtop from Belkin. It provides firm, lightweight yet durable support for me and keeps my thighs from burning up.

I cannot believe that it’s only been one year because it feels like Loobylu had stopped blogging for a long time.

Welcome back! (from a longtime reader)