Random Updates–Cycling, Concrete Counters, and Publishing

Wow, it has been a while since I’ve had an update, huh?

The last month or so has been very busy around these parts, with a trip to Bend for the USGP of Cyclocross, home improving, and, of course, working.

We stayed at a great rental house in Bend that was literally across the street from a quirky supermarket, which suits me well. Since we don’t have a kitchen presently, it was so fantastic to cook! We only ended up eating out one time in a week – it has been a long time since we have been able to do that.

2Chili got himself a front row call up for this race, much like last year. And, much like last year, someone (or multiple someones) caused him to crash. He ended up with an okay result considering the amount of times he hit the deck. I witnessed one of them, and it was just a result of a guy doing a stupid thing in a stupid place. Ah, bike racing.

The crash I saw, before the deck was officially hit.

This course was really hard – and I didn’t even have to do it!

We have also decided to form our own cycling team for 2013. Team Brobst Design Works presented by Test Kitchen Tuesday will be coming ‘atcha very soon with these stylin’ kits:

 

While the week in Bend was a much-needed getaway, and when we got back, we had one thing on the mind: Countertops. Before we left, we had installed the bamboo floor ceiling in the laundry room, so it was now time for cabinets and countertops. We are both anxious to get this train moving along so we can have a temporary kitchen in place.

We went shopping for soapstone and, after the sticker shock wore off, decided to pour concrete for the countertops. I am so glad we did! It was a fun arts-n-crafts project, and they are going to be super cool! Here is a sneak peek of the smaller one. It needs to cure for about another week before we can work with it, then we will put sealer on it and wax with beeswax and we’ll be off to the races!

 

It was going to be about $1200 for enough counters for our laundry room. For less than $100, we poured really unique tops that really fit the modern style of the house. If you can dream it, you can do it!

Lastly, in food blog news, I  had a crazy idea to write a book. Thanks to the magic of technology and my favorite website on the planet, Amazon.com, I was able to self-publish Volume 1 of the Ninja Blender Handbook for Kindle yesterday. It’s 50 Ninja-specific recipes plus tips and tricks for Ninja Blender owners. I have worked really hard on this to get it out the door in time for Christmas, and, am so happy it actually happened. Lots of burning the midnight oil to get this done, but, it was worth it. Plus, I am now completely schooled on publishing, which is a decent skill to have in the marketing world.

I know it sounds random, trust me. But, after years of being “The Ninja Blender Lady” on the internet, I realized I was missing an opportunity. I certainly never set out to be the Ninja Blender go-to source, but, that is what people want to read about from me over at Test Kitchen Tuesday. So much so that I am knocking on the door of 1 million page views over there. So, rather than fight it, I have embraced it. We all have a niche, we just may not know it until it punches us in the face.

2Chili is quite amused that I managed to do this fairly quickly, and, that people are already buying it. I told him I know my audience and they are passionate about their blending.

With that, I wish you a happy holiday season and thanks for reading!

About these ads