Oh no, Papa! Staples and a surgery smorgasbord.

Last week Papa had some lumps near her eye and a wart on her paw removed. And the vet cleaned her teeth. He performed these a la carte procedures because he thought it prudent to remove and analyze a lump near her belly. (It's probably just fat.)

Papa got 15 staples and is recovering nicely. No Elizabethan collar, either. Here she is convalescing on the couch. She was back to her usual hijinx almost immediately.

Big briolette necklace

Here's my big briolette necklace on the January 2009 BeadStyle cover. I bought those beads in March at the JANY show after much deliberation — and encouragment from Jean Yates.

Yes, that necklace is super heavy (better suited for display than for regular accessorizing), but I'm proud to say that I finally used the beads.

I did make an alternate that I love (and wore to my high school reunion). The clear quartz necklace is less dazzling but definitely more wearable. And right now, I'm liking gold more than silver.

Check out the issue for instructions for both projects.

Oh no, Papa! Not the garbage again!

Papa got into the hinged garbage can in the kitchen. She pulled out Sunday’s Chinese food — the cardboard from the bottom of the carryout bag, the sleeve that held a couple of almond cookies. Sigh. The photo makes me laugh, though. She looks bloated (like she ate a lot of Chinese food) and even a bit repentant. Maybe she is trying to find the words for an apology.

Another bedroom redesign

Yesterday I went to Sherwin Williams to gather ideas and paint chips for the guest bedroom. I'm exploring my color options. Eggplant? Midnight blue? Deep periwinkle? Berry? Just not Verve Violet (fuchsia), which would be too much like the master bedroom.

The bedroom will also require new bedding and pillows and light fixtures. And it’s desperately in need of a dresser. Again I’m back to the same questions as when I redesigned the master bedroom. Do I get the duvet cover first, because it's harder to find? And should I go with a print or a plain, high thread-count cotton?

Some backstory: when I first bought my house, I didn’t know how I wanted to use this room. I had competing visions of an office, library, and spare bedroom. Now that I have a laptop, I don’t need to use the room as an office. And bookshelves in the bedroom is bad feng shui, apparently. Now that I can finally commit to the purpose of the room (sleep!), I'm ready to paint over the icy blue that's on the walls.

More to come on this. I still need to collect paint chips from Benjamin Moore...

Oh no, Papa! Not the Tupperware!

Last week I came home to find my (clean) Tupperware on the floor. Papa had pulled it out of my tote bag and chewed it. Oh no, Papa!

It's understandable. That was some good soup, and the smell probably lingered in the container, even after I washed it.

This is one of my favorite soups. I first had it when Linda, my co-worker at BeadStyle, brought it for a Kalmbach potluck. So here's the recipe. Those are her comments, but I would also add: I use Breakstone’s sour cream (the best!), 1% milk, and sharp cheddar. Also, I never add milk to thin it out, but that’s a matter of personal preference. And if you add an extra potato, the soup will be thick, like a chowder.

Baked Potato Soup
4 large baking potatoes
2/3 c. butter
2/3 c. flour
6 c. milk
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 green onions, chopped and divided
12 slices cooked bacon, crumbled and divided
1 1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
8 oz. sour cream

Bake the potatoes. Cool to handleable. Remove the pulp.

Melt butter, add flour. Stir. Add milk, simmer until mixture thickens. Add potato pulp, salt, pepper, 2 Tbsp. green onions, 1/2 c. bacon, 1 c. cheese. Cook. Stir in sour cream. Add extra milk to thin, if necessary.

I often make this in the morning and put it in the crock pot on low for the day, but I don't put in the sour cream until the end. I usually serve it with bowls of bacon, sour cream, cheese, and onions, so people can add extra. This fills my crock pot, so I'd say it's about 2-1/2 to 3 quarts of soup — about 6-8 meal-sized bowls, but that's just a guess.

Birthday stuff

I had a busy weekend celebrating my birthday. After Thursday's smoky Sluggo's revelry, I took Friday off. Yesterday, I ate broccoli and burgers at Elsa's with Katy and Sarah, my childhood pals (we've known each other for over 30 years!). After that, we had dessert while they worked on German paper stars. Katy talked about collars and the numbers 3 and 12 while Papa and I respectfully kept our distance.

Finally, tonight, I went to dinner with my parents. I had fried food for the third time in a week! (Though, that might explain why I'm so tired.) I hope your weekend was also filled with friends and french fries — and puppies and babies and a new pair of shoes!

Oh no, Papa! Only if I say it’s okay.

I now allow Papa on the couch. (She’s a good snuggler.) Here is her approach:

Step 1: Sit on floor politely, without being asked.

Step 2: Inch closer. Rest chin on couch and give best soulful gaze.

Step 3: When soulful gaze is ineffective, stealthily place front legs on couch. Avoid eye contact.

Step 4: When invited, lift back legs slowly, slipping off couch a few times as if unsure of footing.

Step 5: Make self comfortable.

Yes, I took some of the photos at different times. But trust me, we do this routine daily. I think she skips some of the steps when I’m gone.

New York hotels (and expectations)

In January, I'm going to New York to scope out jewelry trends at the winter JANY Show. I got my flight and just needed to book a hotel room.

Well, maybe not "just."

Booking a hotel room anywhere can be an ordeal, but New York has so many hotels, it always takes me a while to figure out the best strategy. Even after five business trips, I don't have a surefire way of getting a decent room at a reasonable rate.

With the imploding economy taking its toll on hotel bookings, I thought I'd have a decent shot. Also, I hoped that there wouldn't be many tourists visiting during the coldest time of the year.

How to do this? Should I research the TripAdvisor reviews and call a hotel directly? Or try a discounted booking site like booking.com or Quikbook?

A few years ago I stayed at The Gershwin for $119 a night — their regular rate. It was more of a hostel than a hotel, but I didn't mind the hardwood floors or the lukewarm-but-never-hot shower because I didn't expect a luxurious room. And expectations are everything.

Now, being able to research and compare hotels down to the tiniest of details can be a curse. Until I saw someone's review, the speed of the elevator, for example, had never been a consideration. I just want a clean, quiet room. I don't need a rooftop pool or a monogrammed robe. I would, however, like a working thermostat and free wireless.

Anyway, here's what I did: I went to Bidding for Travel, checked the winning bids on Manhattan hotel rooms, and then gambled at Priceline. I bid $170 for a 3.5-star room in Midtown West. After that got rejected, I bid $175 and added Midtown East as a parameter. Bingo!

I know it might have been smarter to reserve a hotel on my credit card and then cancel when I found a better rate closer to my trip. But, in case you haven't noticed, I don't like to leave stuff up to chance.

By the way, here's where I'm staying. Looks nice, doesn't it? After my trip, I'll let you know if this "treasure of rare distinction" lives up to the hype.