Amy Artisan

Just in time for my “return” to AmyArtisan, Lolly has re-launched Project Spectrum to explore colors in the coming months. For May, the focus is RED. So, I will start this round of color exploration with a favorite red from the kitchen: Strawberry Pie.

Strawberries have always been a favorite fruit and I’m most partial to California-grown berries. Of course, that probably has something to do with the fond memories of delicious strawberries coming out of Grandma’s garden in Orange County. To me, strawberries are best when enjoyed simply. Beyond sliced berries with vanilla ice cream, my “go-to” strawberry desserts are on the easier side of the prep scale: Strawberry Ice, Strawberry Trifle and of course Strawberry Pie. Saturday’s trip to my local fresh market yielded ripe California strawberries…so it was time to make a pie.

1. Crush 1 pint of strawberries.
2. Combine them in a saucepan with 1 c. sugar, 3 T cornstarch and 2 T lemon juice. Stir constantly until thickened and clear.
3. Cool the mixture.
4. Slice another pint (or more) of strawberries and fold into the cooled mixture.
5. Transfer to a graham cracker crust and chill until serving. (Excellent when served with whipped cream!)

While I planned to take pictures of the finished result, it turned out a bit runny (um, I had just at 1 cup of sugar in the house & just barely 3 T of old cornstarch in the kitchen when I decided to do this…the Artisan kitchen needs restocked now that I’m back home…) – so, there was no “beautiful slice of pie on the plate” shot to be had. This pie is being eaten in bowls. Nonetheless, it still tastes delicious!

Today, I got in my rental and headed south from Marinette for the last time. It has been 535 days since I started this project. The work has been hard; the hours, intense; the stress level, high at times. In 15 years of doing this type of project work, this was definitely a unique project. As I leave, the project is still incomplete and so my departure is bittersweet; however, at this point in time as they are regrouping and planning a new go forward it makes sense for me to transition out of there. I leave “my part” of the project in very capable hands and I know they will do a great job moving forward. I will still be working with them remotely a few hours each week.

a few memories of the time up north

- The people I have worked with are folks I’m glad to have had on my team and many are new-found friends. For the majority of my days up there, I shared an office with my client counterpart (who quickly became a friend). We were in an office that is normally for one person only so it was a bit cozy but we made the best of it. We joked that our team was powered by Diet Mountain Dew, Solstice gum and Advil. But another component of the success was laughter – even when things were especially intense we would find something silly in the midst that would make us laugh. Several people commented that they knew they could always count on us to be smiling. My work was focused on the “people side” of a new system implementation – and a definite highlight of the project was watching my team of trainers evolve from their “current” day assignments into confident trainers of the new system.

- The time “up north” has been good. Being in a small town has meant a change of pace – a time to slow down & refocus. The speed limit in town was 25MPH & I managed to keep to that speed limit and not get a ticket while adapting to that slower speed. While up here, a new routine emerged and a new sense of familiarity. Reading the local paper each day provided insight into the people and the area. After the situation at the high school late last year & being a part of the community in the midst of it, I will always feel a bit “we are Marinette” in me.

- The work days were long.  I had grand plans for knitting during evenings in the hotel – the results were mixed: my Winter Olympic sweater was the biggest project; a slew of small Christmas gifts were knit; some assorted small knits for me; and dishcloths – lots and lots of dishcloths. I hardly made a dent in my never ending “to read” list. But the refocus point that I’m most proud of is the commitment I made to my health and fitness – even while living out of a hotel I made lifestyle changes that will continue (more details in another post).

- Most weekends, I trekked back home to Chicago. But I also managed to spend several weekends up north & being a bit of a tourist: Munising, MI; Appleton; Door County; Washington Island; many hours along the shoreline; and even a tour of “the frozen tundra” of Lambeau Field (indeed I am a Packers fan after this project).

- So now I begin transitioning back to life in Chicago – it’s time to reclaim my apartment from the chaos that has arisen from only being home for a bit on weekends. I look forward to rejoining my book club. I’m ready to plug back into a local church. There are many friends to catch up with. It’s time to think about a bit of gardening & weekly trips to the farmer’s market – both of which will lead to more time in the kitchen!

- And it is time to turn the lights back on here at AmyArtisan – maybe a series of posts from northern adventures that never were shared; definitely posting as the artisan side of life reemerges in the coming weeks. And I’m sure there will be plenty to post after my upcoming summer vacation – 10 days in Italy with my sister, can’t wait!

- P.S. As part of my farewell this week, some humorous stats about my time on the project were shared, among them:

58 round trips = 20+ days in the car
= 29000 miles driven
= driving around the world 1.16 times

(hmm…no wonder I’m tired!)

*Why a curtain call? In some circles, the WI/IL border is referred to as the cheddar curtain. My use of the term in my office brought numerous comments from the WI native that shared the space and became a good friend during these days.

My yarn stash is overflowing with lots of yarns of different fibers, colors and textures. My Ravelry queue is filled with many different projects – hats, scarves, socks, sweaters and more. So how have I started off my 2011 knitting? A return to the basic – the simple dishcloth that first brought me to knitting in 1997.

After a flurry of holiday knitting & a Christmas break knit for me (must blog it) I was wondering what I would knit next. As I was formulating plans for larger projects, I got started on 1 dish cloth and just kept going. Simple knitting while watching bowl games…while waiting for friends at coffee shops…while waiting for weekend events to begin…while watching the playoffs (Go Pack Go!)…while decompressing in the hotel in the evenings…Before I knew it, here I sit at the end of January with a stack of 16 new dishcloths to put into rotation in my kitchen and also gift to friends – well, after I have a “weaving ends session” later today. Next up, I’m starting a new shawl project to be my hotel knitting for the coming weeks – the combination of a good pattern and some beautiful yarn I picked up with a birthday gift card. Sometimes, a return to the simple things is what is needed to recharge & provide new inspiration.

I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again – knitting for babes & kids is fun! Especially when you get pictures of the knits in action.

This afternoon these pics came from Texas via text message. When I was in Dallas in March we woke to a Sunday snowfall & scrambled to put together some cold weather gear for the girls to play in the backyard. So, I decided that I needed to provide some additional cold weather gear – this winter I was on the lookout for snow pants for them & found a steal of a deal on ‘basic black’ just before Thanksgiving.  For Christmas, I knit simple “infinity scarves” for Miss Butterfly & Miss Doodlebug & found some winter gloves to match. Today, they have a bit of snow down south & were adequately prepared to head outside & play.

Most of the time, snow isn’t as fun when you’re an adult…there’s the shoveling to do, getting the car in & out of the garage in the alley, dealing with driving in the bad conditions (I had a horrible trek north in December after a big snow), etc…how wonderful to be reminded of the joy that a bit of snow can bring!

As 2010 comes to an end, I look back and see that most of the year was spent away from home. My Christmas photo card shows that while I may not have been home that much I enjoyed many “home” moments during the year.

While up north this month, I managed to do a lot of Christmas prep work. Many evenings in the hotel were filled with simple gift knitting for some dear kids in my life. One evening I made the paper chain from holiday papers and “O Holy Night” lyrics to loop on the mantel. On one Friday afternoon trek home, I stopped at exit 107 to once again pick up a beautiful wreath from a Boy Scout stand to provide fresh greens for the house. The UPS Store up there was very handy for getting packages mailed. Holiday décor and Christmas gifts were found at some of the local stores.

For the 2^nd year in a row, I didn’t put up a Christmas tree at home because of my WI work assignment. Needless to say, I definitely look forward to having a tree at my home next Christmas! The mantel and fireplace glow with white lights as a back drop for the fresh wreath, the paper chain and nativities. My collection of nativities is on the mantel including the newest addition that I picked up in Door County in August. The top of the entertainment center is a forest of Christmas trees. In the dining room, my Charlie Brown Christmas tree. The Sunday before Christmas I hosted my 5^th annual Holiday Tea for several girlfriends – over plates of tea treats & cups of holiday tea we all escaped the hustle and bustle of the holiday prep to celebrate friendship. The Monday before Christmas I finished up my Christmas cards while enjoying the glow of the decorations in my living room  – it has been a couple years since I had the cards done before Christmas. This afternoon I hosted a friend for lunch and knitting in the midst of the holiday light glow. Tomorrow, the decorations will come down as I watch the Rose Parade.

I’m thankful that the flights to and from Georgia were non events – the highlight of the travel was on my flight down to ATL…the frequent flier in seat 1C gave up his seat for an Army Captain in a middle seat in the back of the plane. At home in the ‘Ville, I think we had the most perfect Christmas tree ever – it took us till Christmas Eve morning to finish decorating it; however, even just with the lights on it was gorgeous to gaze at. On Christmas Eve we enjoyed our family tradition of a movie in the afternoon and “It’s a Wonderful Life” in the evening. On Christmas morning, holiday coffee and Mom’s orange rolls provided sustenance for tackling the mound of presents. Rebecca once again hosted the family for a lovely Christmas dinner – at the end of the evening we looked out to see the car covered in snow & big, fluffy snowflakes falling – it was the first White Christmas in Atlanta in more than 130 years. Other decorations of the time at home included catching up with high school friends – including some that I haven’t seen since graduation – it is nice to be better connected with these friends once again.

Looking back on the month that was, once again I’m reminded that holiday and home can be found in the simplest things – traditions and new things equally contribute to the happiness. As I look ahead to the new year, I look forward to more moments of holiday and home – both near and far.