Annie Anderson | Blog

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I enjoy cooking - for the most part. Well, no, I love to *cook*. The part I don’t like? My kitchen sucks. It’s old, out of date, not near enough counter space and the poor oven has been better days. We keep thinking we’ll go ahead and get new appliances . . . but then something else happens. Like, the kids need new clothes. Or the plumbing goes berserk. You know, “fun stuff.”

So I have a kitchen I really dislike but I like to cook so when I can clear enough counter space to make it happen, I like to bake bread, cookies, muffins, and other good stuff. We’ve had some really great meals lately - crockpot chicken that the kids loved!, a noodle casserole they all gobbled up and apple muffins among other things. I still have some recipes to try and I’ll try to post the crockpot chicken recipe and the others either here or over at The Weight Loss Papers sometime this weekend.

Right now, there is 10 grain bread (the recipe is at The Weight Loss Papers) rising in the pan on the counter. About 10 more minutes until it goes in the oven. There is also a basic sandwich bread in the bread machine. It’s got about two hours until it’s ready to put in the pans to rise before cooking in the oven.

I know - it’s summer. What am I doing using the oven?? Well, I live in Seattle (that alone should explain it) and it’s only 70 today. Just right for baking bread.

Maybe if I can find the SD card for the camera, I’ll take some pictures when everything is baked and post them.

Do you bake bread? If so, what are your favorite bread recipes?

In the arena,

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Annie Anderson is a freelance copywriter and graphic designer specializing in the small business and real estate markets. Her tagline “Making your business, my business” means that she’ll take the utmost care when creating words and images for your business - just as if it were her own.

As I haven’t gotten many new books recently, my Reading List this week is rather short. Nonetheless, it’s got some great books on it.

• Bragg Back Fitness Program by Patricia Bragg
• What a Great Idea! 2.0 by Chic Thompson
• Notes From the Backseat by Jody Gehrman
• With or Without You by Carole Matthews

Yes, that’s actually some fiction works! You may have noticed that my Reading Lists are usually non-fiction material and though I really do prefer non-fiction books, once in a while it’s good let loose and read something fun and mindless.

And Notes From the Backseat is hilarious, btw. If you like chic lit, get a copy. One of the best fiction books I’ve in a while.

That’s it for now. See you again soon!

On the Reading List this week is:

• What a Great Idea 2.0 by Chic Thompson
• Double Your Income Doing What You Love by Raymond Aaron
• Brag! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn by Peggy Klaus
• Awakening the Entrepreneur Within by Michael E. Gerber
• Rules for Renegades by Christine Comford Lynch
• CSS: The Missing Manual by David Sawyer McFarland

What are you reading? Post on your blog with a link back here if you’d like or feel free to comment below.

But, I thought this was Spring? The calendar says March 21st was the first day of Spring and we did have a couple of nice, warm, sunny days last week. It was very nice. I even turned off the heater.

So, why then, is it snowing today? I don’t like snow. It’s cold, wet, distracting and makes things messy. And how are those flowers that started blooming already supposed to stay pretty?

Mother Nature, please tell Old Man Winter he can rest for a while. Until something like November. I’d even settle for October. But please do leave the rest of March and April alone. I want to go outside and work in the garden - plant flowers, get the vegetable garden in and mow the lawn (because it’s starting to look like we live in the jungle).

Thanks,

Annie

If you read my previous post today, you might have noticed that I said I was working on a song for a contest. Well, I’m working on several, actually, and one of them is ready! It’s instrumental, mostly piano. I wrote, composed and recorded it myself and you can listen to a clip of it on last.fm!

Just click the link - Reason to Dream - within the post on that page and you’ll get a clip of the song. If you like it, click the artist profile box on the right of that post page and that will take you to my artist page. You’ll have a chance to get it for yourself.

Or have a listen right here -

Let me know what you think!

~ Annie

PS - BTW, I’m incredibly nervous about this! It’s the very first time I’ve ever shared my music with anyone but my family.

Keali’i Reichel singing Hanohano ‘O Maui. My uncle went went to high school with Keali’i in Honolulu - he has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard.

I hope you enjoy the song.

~ Annie

PS - I’m currently in the middle of writing a song for a contest. I might be in and out over the next week as a result. When it’s done, I’ll post it here for you along with a link so you can go vote for it.

I’ve been working on desktop wallpapers for Easter just for fun. These were made for my computer so they’re 1440×900 as I have a widescreen monitor.

Anyway, you may go ahead and download any of them for your own personal use but you may not alter them in any way or sell them. However, please do feel free to share them with your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers or whomever might like them.

Happy Easter!

So, enjoy the backgrounds and have fun!
Speak soon,
Annie

PS - I am available for design projects if you’re looking for a graphic designer. I can also write copy and other materials. Just give me a shout!