We are not experts, this is just what we did and we liked the result. It’s one of the easiest cheeses to make as long as you get the right ingredients.

1 Quart of half and half or other light cream…Pasteurized is fine, but NOT ultra-pasteurized.  If it’s UP, it will say so on the bottle/carton.  I found some at Fresh Market, I’m sure Whole Foods has it, and if you have a raw milk source…I’m sure that would be amazing..haven’t tried it yet. For the record, we did make a batch with half ultra-pasteurized whipping cream and half regular pasteurized milk, and it worked, but didn’t perform as well.

1/4 teaspoon of Tartaric Acid…NOT Cream of Tartar.  Locally, I’ve been told All Seasons Gardening and Brewing carries it.  We got ours from a cheesemaking kit we had forgotten about!  Some people like to make it with lemon juice, but we decided to stick with what our cheesemaking book told us.

So don’t you like how both of the ingredients involve me getting all bossy about what NOT to get? Do you know how easy it is to typo MasCRAPone? Yeah, I thought so. Moving on…..

Get a double boiler going and heat the cream until the temperature reaches 185°.  Add your Tartaric Acid, whisk, remove from the heat and pour into a sieve topped with moistened layers of fine cheesecloth or butter muslin. Let cool, and refrigerate covered for about 12 hours.  Best used within a week…Enjoy!!

Yum.  I added fresh mint to one batch and it was nice, but not as minty as I was expecting. The cheese overwhelmed it a bit. (Yes, I actually have mint right now..crazy).  Experiment with flavors you like and have fun.

Pics brought to you by my phone because it’s a wreck in here, so let’s not crisp up every detail of the chaos, K?

Otto has already tried to lay claim to the one he’s sniffing up there.

It’s covered in some sad, smelly microfiber nonsense, but I think they will look a little Wearstleresque in this….

He’s sad because he knows when the new fabric goes on, there might not be a place for him up there.  We’re going to try and do this ourselves. The loose structure of the top cushions made it seem like a good choice for our first fully upholstered project. We’ll see. It could go really badly, but we’ll never get the hang of this unless we get in there. Nervous, but excited.

It’s true…Long Liyuan just got a bad batch.

Brandy was the lucky gal who took this console home for $10!!!!

So did I get anything? Yes. Remember this from last month?  Mine for $45. I have NO business buying chairs, but you guys remember how I bemoaned it…it was meant to be.

I also got this knock off Panton Moon Lamp. The Things are in LOVE with it of course.

 Have a great weekend!!!

But then I discovered the quilting room. I don’t quilt, so I had passed it by with a cursory glance on the first round, but there were some great books buried in there. Oh, and an awesome brass bar cart in great shape with smooth rolling wheels. All for $38.00. Totally worth getting soaked for.

Remember how I wanted to find a cool cart for when we have Dim Sunday? I’ll now be the swanky Dim Sum Trolley Dolly of the ranch. A little Noxon will get her gleaming.

There was an amazing woodworking shop in the basement, but the pricing was high on the tools and they were not wheeling and dealing on opening day.

I can fix this without even leaving the house. I loathe rug mats/pads. I know they are a necessary evil with fine rugs, but for a $14 Target rug…Hell NO.

I can’t take credit for this idea…I saw it somewhere years ago…maybe Martha?

Whip out some silicone caulk (you can get squeeze tubes if you don’t want to mess with a gun.) This is the waterproof stuff used in bathrooms etc…I chose clear because, well, it’s clear and less noticeable. Even though it’s on the under side, I’ll know it’s there. Call me Stevie Jobs. I digress.

I used a spreader because I buy them in 10 for a dollar packs, but a piece of cardboard or even your finger will work too.

Hit that baby with a bead of caulk that zigs and zags like Heather Locklear’s drive home and then smooth the bead with your tool of choice.

The point in spreading it is to keep it smoother underfoot and to adhere better to the fabric.  Just don’t smoosh it in too deep.

I go to put it in the bathroom and it’s too damn wide.  Figures.  The kids and puppy have been trashing my rug at the front door, so how about there?

OK, so not a total waste.  I still need a bathmat though.

One day, we would love to be in Asia for the new year and take in the beauty of the festivities to the fullest extent.

Previous lunar new year posts can be found here.

Lion Dance by rlam50

Dragon Dance by barakasin

As you know, I find cool stuff on Craigslist from time to time, but this weekend I found something with serious BLAMMO impact.

I’m sure this is going to be one of those love it or hate it things, but I’m loving.  Behold the new wall adornment in the bedroom.

$10 for a handsome sized framed Walasse Ting “Blue Horse” Poster. I found the exact same one selling online here:

I was all pleased and smug with my bargain, enjoying the splash of color, when Thing One said it creeped him out.  REALLY?!  Why?  It seemed a friendly horse….”NO.  It stares at you when it’s dark and you’re leaving the room.”

Who knew?!  Must I now call him the One Eyed Blue Menace?!?

“But the cobra that sits on the bedside table doesn’t bother you?”

“NOPE.”

Kids these days.

Recaps for previous years here:  Year One, Year Two

Around the house:

We got rid of the dining room chair rail.

I built a temporary patio/firepit.

I made an ass for myself.

Hosted a huge Halloween Party.

We’re always switching things around in the furniture department.

I seemed to cook a lot of food this year.

We contemplated chickens, but opted instead for a puppy.

I talked about my bedroom wishes (NOT THOSE) but didn’t follow up. I did indeed buy that Home Depot drop cloth after all, so now my mattress on the floor issue is gone.  Yay for $30 solutions! I also got new night tables off Craigslist I never showed you.

Otto has decided he must be the supermodel of all my interior shots….every time I’d try and take a photo, he’d settle himself right into the shot.

Yes, that is the Monopoly Man trophy you see. I NEVER win, but managed to pull one out over the holidays so it’s finally my turn to proudly house the trophy…until I lose the next game.

Elsewhere:

We had a big travel year, and while in New England, I had my heart broken at Brimfield. I seem to have better luck within my budget on my local flea excursions.

We hit up the local Rennaisance Fayre.

Had a big sale.

Doesn’t look like we got a whole lot done compared to past years.  But it felt like a busy year…oh yeah, WE BUILT A TREEHOUSE!!!!  And it took a long time.

We still haven’t painted the interior, and are beginning to wonder if we really need to. I realized after the leaves fell that I could finally get some decent shots of it so you can see how it relates to the house a bit better.

In summer, the treehouse is almost completely obscured by foliage….but now, it’s quite naked!

The sleeping bunker/level two building plans are on hold to address some more pressing needs around the ranch.  Namely a pantry, to keep the dog out of the foodstuffs, and if all goes well, a real bathtub.  I always thought we’d do the half bath first, but the lack of proper bathtub in the house is starting to become more and more important to both of us.  The CC has been playing soccer on weekends and as he limps home stiff and sore…he’s starting to want a good soak as badly as I do.  Time and money will tell.  I’ve been pinning ideas for it here.

As for which outlet I should choose to sell my finds? There’s pros and cons to all of them and if I can manage it, a hybrid of the options might be best.  Maybe an Etsy shop for smalls and E-bay for big pieces? We’ll see…I’ve actually been pretty busy this winter redoing some dining chair sets for other people.  Once I get my last set finished and out the door..it’s time to start selling again.  Hope everyone is looking forward to a good 2012…I love the optimism January’s clean slate can bring.