My Little Orange Kitchen

A Little Less Conversation

Hello Kitchenettes! I am literally hopping and chirping over here with so much to share! I feel excited and like this may be one of my most important posts.

First: Heather's 30 Day Vegan class was fantastic. I just finished and lost 26 pounds eating wonderful food, connecting with women from all over, pouring over all of the delicious recipes, coloring (yes, coloring!) and all around being inspired. I cannot say enough about it. If you need a shift and some focus...this class is for you and is professionally and incredibly well done. Heather was so inspiring and I know the women in the course with me felt the same way.

I did better the first half of the course than the second...but I hung in there. I had some non-vegan meals mostly because of convenience. It's easy to be vegan, but usually you have to have some clean dishes with which to cook and last week our kitchen? Not so cool.

Second: Several months ago I began working with some inspirational cards I created about nine years ago. I had abandoned them a long time ago and what a mistake. I think I felt shame about creating such a health and body affirming card pack, but still being overweight. What I didn't realize then, that I totally get now, is that my issue is one of fear of vulnerability (more on this later) and that the cards were not meant to make me thin, but were meant to give me the clarity to make some decisions about what is best for me and the energy to take some action. I had been lost, but now I feel found. (How's that for drama!)

I signed up for Heather's class during a moment of clarity. I finally decided to tell my friend Sandi how in awe I am of her athleticism and state my need for some help in one of those guided moments we all have and often ignore.  Sandi lives in Seattle, but within one day of talking with her on facebook, I had a moment of clarity and  the next day I set up training with not one, but two personal trainers!

My neighbor Sule got me in touch with a local woman named Heather. Sandi and her pal Jake got me to look into the Crossfit box in Green Bay where I have connected with Grant.  I start in mid-April with Heather and in May with Grant. I'm so excited! 

This is a big investment for me. I am using money from my own wallet sales and couldn't be more proud. I am a little nervous, but happy.

Pop! Chirp! Hop!  Peep! That is happy and excited me!

I finally feel like I'm doing less contemplating and more taking action...and you all know me...I LOVE CONTEMPLATION!

Why two trainers? Well, one to help on the fitness side in a seriously intense way. I've got 100 pounds to lose and it's really affecting me physically now. I can't coast anymore.

The second one (Heather) is to help me develop some body confidence outside of the gym. We will be hiking and doing some boot-camp together outside. I love being outdoors, but realized that I don't trust my body on steep climbs the way I used to. Heather and I will start on the lake trail and then graduate to more rugged terrain.

OK. I'll share my cards later, but here is a mini-preview for those of you who have not seen it on Facebook.

OK...the next big step.

I have gone, for lack of a better term,"balls to the wall" on work lately. I am stressed, but finding a groove. I hired a temporary helper (wow!) and the ideas are not just pouring in...but I'm acting on them.  I made the hairpins above and they are part of a bigger project involving not only hairpins, but paper jewelry. They are water-resistant and I love them!

I also made some journals out of game pieces that will blow your mind (let me believe) because they are so little and cute (1.5 by 1 inch!).

I am starting a holiday recycling project (details later) and have some friends already on board to help me! Wait....did you read what I JUST WROTE? I wrote, "to help me". This is crazy insane because if you know me...help is something I rarely admit to needing or wanting. It's the vulnerability factor again.

I have someone helping me starting on May 2nd to get my studio painted and in order.  I also asked for and got an extension on a deadline and didn't feel like a failure. Instead I felt like I was being professionally responsible. Nice shift. Of course this puts me a little behind on some other important commitments, but I had to do it.

I will be attending a local art retreat in July and have put myself out there and offered to help if I can (usually I fear offering my help because I'm afraid I'll disappoint the person by not being helpful enough-crazy).  Here are the retreat details.  The classes are a la carte and very reasonable considering the caliber of the organizing hostess and teachers coming from all over. 

I also decided to apply for a show even though I had decided last year that shows are not for me since I get too nervous beforehand and overwhelmed. Wait...I take that back...I've applied for two shows! One is in Wisconsin and the other is in Manhattan!!!!! I said yes to an almost free trip and this show opportunity came out of nowhere. We shall see. It's a small one (about 2000 people expected), but really...this represents a huge shift for me.

Well, as is evident by this post, I can still carry on quite the conversation, but I am definitely taking some action and wow...I am loving my life now! It's not perfect...it's not easy...I'm not perfect, I'm not easy (hey!), but it's coming along. 

Before I leave you with a video, I encourage you to check out my studio facebook page and share it with your friends. I'll be doing a wallet give-away when I hit 100 likes! Like me, please, for the love of God, like me! Agahahahaha!

I dance like this at every party!

Madeline

The little Madeline puzzle piece pendant sold today. I'm so pleased! Those adorable French girls knock me out.  I wrote in the description that long before we had  Amélie we had Madeline, but you never know...maybe Madeline grew up, reinvented herself and became Amelie. I'd live to think it so! You know, I wonder if anyone ever thought to look for an appendix scar since certainly you remember that Madeline had hers removed. Hmmm...

I loved the traveling Gnome in Amélie. I've got a thing for gnomes anyway so when Angie over at Gnomeangel asked me if I wanted to participate in her Gnovember giveway I was happy to say yes.:)

She's having giveaways every day for the whole month of November and my ice skating in the moonlight puzzle pendant is one of them. He kills me!  I can't stand how cute he is with his little gnomey arms clasped behind his back. I shouldn't talk about him as if he's a child because we all know that gnomes are very wise. He might be contemplating economic recovery or the carte du Ciel for all we know.

He'll be up for grabs on November 13th, but in the meantime, please check out her site because the giveaways are grand! 

By the way, this is one of my new favorite shops...I find her work inspiring and love her colors. I also like that her art isn't overly finished and I plan to keep that in mind when assessing my own. Sometimes it ready before you think it is.

Living Beige

I've recently realized I'm not a very good cook. It's insane. I have the reputation of being a good cook or at least a creative one and perhaps I once was, but when it boils right down to it I'm careless.  

I've had a million meal disasters and I cannot tell you how many times I've served things that were not what they were the first time I made them etc. Too prone to ingredient substitutions without much thought, not paying attention to how long the salmon has been grilling, handfuls of spices because I love their scents, but not much consideration to how they'll blend in the pot. I overdo, under-do and my food is heavy.

I realized that carelessness in general affects so much of my life. I'm careless with my possessions, my body, my time, my friendships. I'm not light. The funny part is that I can be an extremely intuitive person and cook.  I'm changing, but my spirit still moves like it's wearing concrete shoes while my mind races and my body keeps bumping up against the walls.

I talk a lot about keeping things simple and have an honest desire to do so, but I still clutter up my world and over complicate things. I think my spirit essence is lovely and brightly patterned, but in order for me to live there I need to develop some comfort with my inner neutral color scheme. I might navigate the world a little better if I became a pro at "one thing at a time" rather than two hundred and "oops I lost count and it's not going to get done anyway."  Is anyone understanding my language on this? :)

So, it's back to basics for awhile with the hope that if I take life one dish or one minute at a time that eventually I'll manage in the kaleidescope of a world I long to reside in. 

Basically, I'm going to live beige until I can handle hot pink, purple and turquoise.

I'm starting with routine. Actually, I can give myself some credit here, because I've been resting, sleeping, eating, meditating and healing for awhile now. It's helping and I'm being gifted with some clarity. 

The other day Mark surprised me by bringing up a movie we both like a lot. He said (out of the blue), "I'm like Albert Brooks in Defending Your Life."  I looked at him and softly said, "I know."  He went on to elaborate a little and I won't share what he said, but it was an interesting talk. I will tell you that there were no statements about me being the highly evolved and fun Julia! :) 

I'd like to get there.

I've determined that in many ways, it's now or never.  I either learn to "cook" or I don't. if I don't, fine...but, I have to be OK with it. I went to the library and picked up a few cookbooks and decided that I'm going to bite the bullet and actually follow a few recipes for success before I begin adapting.

Today is a day off. I walked, I wrote, I meditated, I ran errands and this afternoon...I want to finish the last Twilight book.

Trust & A Give-Away

I know I haven't posted in awhile, but it's not because things haven't been happening over here...they have. It's an exciting time and I want to share.

As you regular readers know, Mark and I also have a place in Eau Claire and we've been supporting two households...our condo in Green Bay is finally going on the market and hopefully that will help, but in addition to the added expense of our place in Eau Claire (Mark works there), we've had to watch it!

With our strict budgeting, there isn't much for extras right now, but recently I learned of a class that I felt more than compelled to take. I signed up and then agonized over how in the world I'd pay for it... but something felt right...so I did it.

The first night of the class (more specifics later), the instructor talked to us about releasing and clearing things out of our lives (people, objects, beliefs) that are no longer relevant. While listening, I had this profound realization that I'm attached to many of my natural health reference books even though I don't read them anymore.

I made a decision right then and there to embrace the fact that the teacher/healer (in that mode) part of my life is over and the artist/crafter part is just burgeoning. I sifted through my books and kept some favorites for reference, but pulled out over 70 titles that can hit the road...along with my massage table and numerous household items.

I realized that while I love to give away books and no doubt will give away many more soon, that this clearing out not only provided me with a sense of renewal and confidence (realizing that I know and remember a lot and the books aren't needed), but also a practical way to help pay for the class. I listed the books on craigslist and they are on their way to being sold-for a steal I might add!        

My guitar, a much wanted present from Mark years ago has remained unplayed, so I listed that as well. About ten minutes ago a guy came and picked it up as a gift for his friend. We have more resources than we realize, but isn't that always the case?   

Another source of pride for me is my gemstone and crystal collection. I used to be quite the rock-hound and in my Reiki practice I incorporated them into the healing. I do not believe that stones are just  dense inanimate objects that just sit around looking pretty (or not), but believe that each one holds an energetic or vibrational charge.  Stones have meanings and have always been meaningful to me. 

However, I looked at all my babies in bowls, on trays, in corners and along shelves and realized that it's been a long time since many of them got the respect and attention they deserve.  I decided to pull out favorites (PLENTY) and then list the rest in one big lot on eBay.  Here's what it was looking like:
 

As I was sorting them and beginning to take some pictures, I realized I didn't want to sell them, but I needed to pass them along to my friends here in town...and of course, I second guessed myself because I was thinking about some work Mark needs on his car and of these extra thick eyebrows of mine that haven't seen wax in far too long...but, I knew in my heart my collection  the earth's offerings needed to go directly into the hands of people I love. 

So, in that spirit...and knowing that blogging friends and fellow Etsy sellers need love too, I decided to do a give-way for the four crystals at the top of the post...here is a close-up of one...

There will be four winners.  I have a special knack (if I do say so myself) for knowing who gets what, so I'll use a random number generator for the winners and then after that decide which piece goes to which person. I'll include a note that explains the attributes associated with each piece.

Just leave a comment on the blog (this post or another) by Monday at 11:59 p.m. and I'll do a drawing.

I trust that the car will be dealt with and the eyebrows will be taken care of and the quarterly condo dues will be paid on time...I'm not sure how, but I know it will happen.  I know this as sure as I knew I was supposed to enroll in that class.

Bright Blessings Kitchenettes!

P.S. A new post on Sweets For the Sweet should be up sometime tonight. 

Slipping in through the back door....

I'm creeping very quietly back in...tiptoeing...hoping no one noticed I was gone...and now I'm going to act like I just woke up and was here all along...

It's been crazy busy folks. Preparing for Arti-Gras. If you're local, I hope you can make it. I'm in booth#16. I only have twelve days left to prepare. I'm more relaxed than I was last year though, not as freaked out about stock. I'll bring what I have and it will be good enough. Om.  I'll bring what I have and it will be good enough. Om. Deep breath. I'll bring what I have and it will be good enough. Om. Exhale. See? I'm not worried at all. :)

OK, from my last post it appears to be that my sense of humor is painfully subtle...I thought for sure that everyone would know I was joking based on my 153rd of an inch line! Yes, I was kidding. I love that wallet and there was no way it was going anywhere but my own purse.

OK, there's nothing like receiving blog honors, awards and tags...and it's probably in very poor form to wait weeks to acknowledge them publicly...but, hopefully those who have bestowed them upon me will forgive my tardiness.

First we have the Noblesse Oblige award from Nancy...she's always offering her readers such good advice, tips and how-tos. Plus, right now she's off in New Zealand on a Scrabble Tour!

Here are the reasons for the award:

• The Blog content inspires; it strives to encourage and offers solutions. 
• There is a clear purpose at the Blog; one that fosters a better understanding on Social, Political, Economic, the Arts, Culture and Sciences, and Beliefs.
• The Blog is refreshing and creative.
• The Blogger promotes friendship and positive thinking.
• The Blogger manifests exemplary attitude, respecting the nuances that pervade amongst different cultures and beliefs.

Here are the conditions:

• The Award Conditions must be displayed at the Post.
• Write a short article about what the Blog has thus far achieved- preferably citing one or more older post to support.
• The Blogger must present the Noblesse Oblige Award in concurrence with the Award Conditions.
• The Blogger must display the Award at any location at the Blog.

OK...I don't know that I can provide other posts to support Nancy's reasons, but I can say that I do try to live up to them. Though, let's face it...sometimes I'm not always refreshing...especially when I'm on a "when will this year end?" jag like last year, but I do try!:)

Thank you Nancy! I want to pass along this award to one blogger who doesn't post enough (in my opinion and who is a knitter like many of you...so she should!) Hopefully she'll post some more of her projects!

Then I received this nice award from Amanda Davie.  Thank you Amanda!!!

I love Amanda's work...her jewelry is gorgeous and she's here in Wisconsin. She just got an item that I've wanted for ages...and am saving for. I'm so envious!!!! I've been convinced for months that this is the thing I need! My paper scraps could be put to such good use.

This award is given to bloggers who have great attitude and gratitude. Jeez, can I live up? Before I pass it on, I want to say that I am eternally grateful for Freecycle...I hope you check it out in your area. I am doing a lot of cleaning and clearing out, so it's great to have people who really need the items come and pick them up and it saves me the gas and driving to Goodwill. 

I want to pass this award on to my new blogging friend Arlene with only one condition...that she name something she's grateful for...which shouldn't be hard for her since she's very generous of spirit. 

And then, I was tagged by Liz for six random things about me. Liz is a local artist who turns out work like you see at the top of the post regularly...I always envy people who really buckle down and work and wish I had their focus.

Here's another favorite:

Thank you Liz! Here are my six random things:

1. I just recently started drinking coffee...after years of never understanding why people like it. I received french press for Christmas and laughed about how it doesn't matter how many cups I drink since it's decaf and I can't tell the difference between decaf and regular since I'm new.  Well, let's just say that ... now, I can tell the difference.  Great, a new bad habit for the new year!
2. I have a counselor named Jay who is the bee's knees. I've been seeing him for about 2 years and last year decided to stop... coincidentally I had the worst year of my life...HA! It seems that as soon as we were getting close to a breakthrough, I decided to go off on my own and disappeared. Lovely. I'm back in and it's helping. If you're local and want a kind counselor, but one who won't let you pull any crap, he's the one. He's busy, so it may be hard to get that first appointment, but once you become regular you can schedule out.  
3. I still race around the house in my underwear despite my body image issues---the other day I ran out to get the mail and put on a coat...that only came to my waist...I forgot that I wasn't wearing pants...and worse, I had slipped on Mark's size 12 shoes since it would have been a hassle to open up the coat closet to get mine...I realized as I was outside in a short coat, underwear and giant shoes that I looked fairly ridiculous...especially since it was 2 degrees, but my neighbors are used to it.It's happened more than once.
4. I'm pretty fond of the phrase " Oh for balls sake!" when I'm exasperated.            
5. I've just begun wholesaling my first item...condom cases! They will be making their first public appearance at Arti-Gras.
6. I've been watching House and Rock of Love-one doesn't embarrass me to admit and one does.

I've love to pass this tag along to a new blogger...Erin. We met at the WI Etsian trunk show and she floored me with her metal-work. This tag is perfect timing since another blog is having a give-away of one of her pieces...stop by and check out Erin's work and then you can hop to the blog to enter the give-away.  So, Erin...whenever you are ready, just list 6 random things about yourself.

Ok...and I have to send a special shout out to Kai...This is just one of the lovely items that arrived on my doorstep...and was supposed to be saved until my birthday...but, I couldn't resist opening it... A pin-cushion cupcake...So sweet. Thank you Kai. She's also doing a give-away post.

More Handmade Holidays

I know this theme could be getting old, but I can't help it...I have stockpiles of pictures I haven't shared yet.

Several months ago I found a beautifully soft gray cashmere sweater set at a thrift store. I think it was $1.00 or $2.00. It had a few holes in it and was the smallest large I've ever seen, but I knew someday I'd make something with it.

I was kind of stuck on what to make my two-year old nephew and had finally decided to make him a soft bunny or bear with the cashmere, but when I pulled it out, a new idea came to me. I saw the ribbing at the waistband and imagined a pair of tiny soft mittens! I figured if I cut and pinned along the seams on the side, my hand sewing would be cut in half and the ribbing (or whatever it's called) would provide a finished look for the wrists.

So, I got to pinning, cutting and hand sewing (the machine and I are not friends-in spite of lessons, I never got the hang). I can't do justice to their cuteness and softness here...even Mark had to hold them and smiled the way you do when something is unbearably cute. I love that little Kyle will be wearing cashmere courtesy of his Tita (Auntie) Laura. My friend's baby boy is due in the Spring...I think Cashmere booties (with ribbed ankles) will be the next project.  

Then, I made these paper stars adorned with vintage buttons. The stars came from a kit, but I decided to save a few pieces to use as templates when I make some out of maps next year.

Homemade marshmallows taking a bob...

I was off the plan for the holidays...and indulged in treats, but am getting back in action...a little more slowly than I wanted to. By the way, I DON'T suggest following Martha's instructions to wet the top of the marshmallows before you rub in the powdered sugar...it results in a shell-like cap which some family members (and friends) might mistake for eggshells on first bite! Though, it all melts away instantly in hot drinks.

I love this paper, but the images are too big for a wallet. I'm going to save it until the perfect idea comes to me.
 
By the way,  Los Angelista is having a give-away sponsored by Nintendo for a Wii console and Wii Fit! Stop over and leave a comment.

Leigh is also having a give-away!

I've been enjoying listening to this courtesy of Mr. Mark and his uncannily good memory at the holidays for things I've mentioned I like over the course of the year.  I'm loving it even if Amazon reviewers aren't. 

I've been working on some projects for for Arti-Gras. I can't wait to show you my hand-cut (no template) envelopes.  I've also got a thrift post coming up!    

Enjoy your Sunday!

Josephine

Lorelei, the woman who does my hair gave me the gift of all gifts a couple of weeks ago. Her grandmother died and while she and her mother were going through the house, they found tons of vintage sheet music.  I walked into the salon one day and Lorelei pointed to an ENORMOUS box and told me it was all mine!

Can you believe it? How generous. At Art Street this year I unveiled a new creation...my "Origami Songbirds".  Cranes with crystal drops and baubles made from vintage sheet music (hence...Songbirds). They were a hit and now I have enough sheet music to last me a lifetime!

As a gesture of appreciation I wanted to make Lorelei a wallet (I made her mother a Songbird).  I was looking through the sheet music and books and found this image on one of the covers titled Josephine. Oh my. I love her. I knew Lorelei would too.

I brought in the cover (tattered and torn, but so charming) and asked her what she thought.  I offered to do a wallet with the image, but also brought along a pretty green drop to show her in case she wanted a Songbird instead.  She couldn't decide, so we combined them.

In all honesty, I wasn't so thrilled with the green drop tassel/wallet combo because the green didn't seem to match, but Lorelei thought it would make the perfect holiday clutch and she convinced me. And, of course, the recipient is always right! The woman who does ones hair gets whatever she wants!

Here is Josephine in all her glory:

 
I am off to Chicago for the week. My grandmother is having surgery and can use my help. I hope to be home by Saturday

This is my 300th post. Can you believe it? When I come back I'm going to do a give-away! I'll post several new paper patterns...the winner can select one and I'll make her (or him) a wallet! Stay tuned! 

I also have some exciting news to share about Little Orange Kitchen arriving on the scene in two new shops!  First, though, Petal Pusher, One By One and the Urban Frog are due for restocks.

Have a wonderful week and I'm sorry to disappear for a week after just getting back!

Half Is Good

Today I began in full force to try to get my items listed on Etsy, but for two days now, Etsy has had intermittent technical issues and this means it takes a million years long time to list. I stopped that project and started another, but midway through realized that something was off...I didn't feel productive. I realized that I haven't had a day off in weeks and weeks...so guess what? I decided to take a half-day off. I worked until about two in the afternoon and then turned my attention to some  fun things.

First on the list was to finally use my felted soap kit (purchased here). I loved her bars when I bought them before the holidays and gave them away for Christmas, so shortly afterward, when I saw she had a kit prepared, I decided to go ahead and get one.

My plan is to give everyone felted soap bars for the holiday, but this time they'll be my own!  The idea is to cover the soap with wool and then as you add water and follow the directions, the roving shrinks and you end up with a tightly covered bar of soap that can be used just like normal soap, but the "washcloth" is attached.

It's such a generous kit because once you use it, you know how and then can pick up wool roving and soap and begin making bars in whatever quantity and shape you like.

I made the first bar without reading the directions...as a result, my roving didn't cover the soap.  Oops.

The second and third bars before I started the process of felting...I just wrapped the roving around them.

I got the hang of it by the third bar (at the top of the post). Leah makes such a great kit. Everything is included and there's enough roving to make another bar. I plan to keep these and make more for giving in browns, oranges and greens.

After making soap, I decided to finally get to those agave sweetened muffins. I used this recipe and substituted about 1/2 cup agave for the sugar (I could have used a little less, but this seemed perfect).  Agave worked well, but when I beat the "sugar" and butter together, instead of becoming fluffy, it became creamy.

I reserved a tiny bit of the butter and agave mixture and mixed it with cinnamon and then made a piece of the world's best cinnamon toast.

The muffins turned out just fine and I'm officially an agave over sugar in any recipe convert.
 

It's important to note that agave isn't lower in calories than sugar and it isn't sooooo much better for you than natural organic unrefined sugar, but it doesn't cause the same kind of immediate blood sugar spike that sugar (in any form) does. It is better than honey in the sense that it mixes well with cold or hot beverages, so you can mix it in iced tea or iced coffee with no problem and it has no aftertaste.  Agave and tequila are made from the same plant so I'm slightly hungover as I write this. :)

I used raw agave because it is processed at a low temperature and this preserves the enzymes.

It should also be noted that agave is very high in fructose and even though the glycemic load is significantly lower than sugar and honey (I'm not as big a stevia fan anymore because of the aftertaste) it should still be consumed in moderation (she wrote after having cinnamon toast and two muffins for a late lunch).

Later, I headed over to the Urban Frog to hear Howard Lyman speak. It was great to see the place packed, though my photos were not a success and don't do the crowd justice.
 
There had to be 80-100 people there and it was a great talk. I learned more about the gross things factory farmed cows are fed that I ever wanted to know. Did you know that cows are fed ground up cats and dogs that have been eunthanized? Howard was sued along with Oprah for saying so...they were found not liable, because he spoke proven/verifiable truth.

I was sick to my stomach when he said that cows (naturally herbivores) are also fed ground up road kill collected off the highways and sold cheap. Cows used to be fed other ground up dead cows and while that practice is over, chickens are still fed ground up chickens that died of illness/mistreatement. 

He said he knows that people aren't ready to give up everything, but that we can choose to eat better tomorrow than we did today.

I give Terry (the owner) a lot of credit for bringing Howard in from Virginia to speak because after all, she has a restaurant that offers dairy and meat choices. Terry addressed this and said she wants people to be educated about food and that she does all she can to get her food locally grown and organic. Even if it isn't all organic, she wants people to be aware so they can make good choices in their comfort zone, whatever their comfort zone may be.

Howard got me thinking... no big statements about becoming vegan here yet, but he did get me thinking.

So, you can see that I made the most of my half day off and had a pretty darn good time.

Oh, by the way my good friend Christine is doing Kai's Pay It Forward and you might want to get in on it because word has it that some of her greeting card art might be going to new homes!  

Wares...

Just a few of the offerings I'm taking to the market today.  I am seriously in mad crush with the vintage typewriter pattern.

I hope to get more berries tonight. I canned more jam last weekend...low sugar strawberry and extra-limey strawberry lime. Now I'm done (until the sour cherries are ready).  I'm also picking up beans and blueberries to freeze for next winter. I'm really going all "pioneer" over here.

Liz over at Primo Originals is doing a give-away...she's a local artist and I just love her work.

Take care all! 

The Perfect Crime...

I don't know why I had to title this post "The Perfect Crime", but when I saw the strawberries I picked up at Farmer's Market this morning cleaned and all waiting patiently in their vintage bowl of a home to be transformed into more jam, I said it in my head. I say that all the time (Mark does too) when something good happens...we say it in a real sinister tone...like we're getting away with something.

Tonight's all local dinner was: meatloaf made with beef from Seifarm Grassfed Beef (they are a really nice couple), sweet baby carrot medallions (scrubbed, but not peeled), fork mashed new red potatoes and sunflower sprouts...all of it was locally grown or raised...including the egg for the meatloaf!

When I posted about Schoolhouse Gems a few weeks ago, I didn't realize these nice people have a website...They were at the Saturday market this morning and for some odd reason I felt compelled to purchase one of their gemstone grab bags...I have so many stones that I rarely buy new ones, but something told me I had to buy one and it was a fierce urge. I'm glad I did...isn't this amazing? Only $2.00 for all of this earth heart richness. Stop by and get a grab bag if you're local...you won't be disappointed.

That's all for now...I've been up for over 24 hours and need to hit the sack...but, not without reminding you that Dyan is celebrating her 100th psot anniversary with a give-away! Go visit her and leave a comment and a nice gift could be yours...plus, her blog is always a nice read.

Sweet Dreams everyone...      

And The Winners Are...

Hello Kitchenettes!  I'm sorry to have been gone for the weekend, but on Saturday morning I wrote a post announcing the winners and BOOM! It disappeared!!  I read in one of their updates that people who use Firefox like me are having a hard time with images and spacing...they say it will be resolved soon.

I didn't have a chance to recreate it until now.  Our weekend has been fairly laid back, except that yesterday I sliced my finger open with our electric hedge trimmer. Ouch!  It's DEEP, but small and if I did need stitches it would only be one or two anyway, so I'm seeing how it goes. 

Tap, OUCH! Tap, Ouch! That's me writing this post!

Before I get on to who won, first let me say that I love blogging and love connecting with so many of you. I would blog even if I didn't have a single reader (I find it therapeutic), but having readers and being a reader of other blogs is so much fun. I appreciate all of you who visit this blog and it makes my day to know you're here.

My girlfriend teased me about doing the give-away to bribe people into coming back to my blog, and while Midori thinks this is a grand idea, I know that it's because I love sending small things out to people. Nothing makes me happier than to stand in line with a bunch of envelopes filled with cheerful things given for no reason. So, thank you so much for your visits!

Tap, OUCH! Tap, Ouch! That's me writing this post! :)

OK. I used this number generator and here we go! 

Midori (she couldn't make up her mind and opted for the generator too) will be headed off to live with Kai!  Kai, it's not like I didn't warn you!

The winner of the Lush-ious bath bomb is Becky and I might as well say it now, but she also won the Breathe rock too. Now, don't get up in arms, it's not like I know her outside of blog land and it certainly isn't as bad as the time my mother won my very first give-away!  Mom isn't allowed to comment on give-away posts anymore per L.O.K.E.I.B.C.  (Little Orange Kitchen Ethics In Blogging Committee!).

 Tap, OUCH! Tap, Ouch! That's me writing this post! :)

The organic honey goes to Nancy!

And last but not least, the grand prize of any wallet in my shop (now or in the future) goes to Christine Marie. Christine Marie, please message me now or in the future if you see one you want and it will be yours. If you decide you want me to send it to someone else as a gift, just let me know and I will.

Ok....we're not done! I three more jars of previously un-posted about honey and they are going to: Emiko, Sierra Pelona Crochet and Jenny! Congratulations all.

Please message me with your mailing addresses everyone!

To those of you whose numbers didn't come up, take heart...you know I'm a firm believer in teeny tiny consolation prizes so Michele, Kelli L., Kelly M., Bunny, Susan, Brenda, Rosanne, Mary Ellen, Karin, Mandy Bee, Fiona, Brownington Forest, Autismtymz2, Michelle and Rebekka...please send me your addresses!  If you commented on any of the give-away posts and I forgot your name, please don't be shy...just let me know. I want everyone included.

OK...SHOUTS out to Vista Print. Three substantial orders so far, not one mistake and the prices can't be beat. I haven't tried them for post cards yet, so if one of you have, please let me know what you thought.

I'm looking for a good printer/source for postcards. I like the quality of the ones offered by Marmee Craft, A Fanciful Twist and Brownington Forest.  If someone has some tips, let me know.

More shouts out to Liz at Primo Originals for letting readers know about this company...you've never seen such good prices on organza bags and ribbon.

A final shout out to Kelly, who sent me this little package to brighten my weekend!

Yellow Poppies

I've been loving some new color combinations lately...pinks with orange and yellows with blues. The poppies are from my garden and were the only two poppies flowering, but I broke their stems while weeding, so inside they came. The tablecloth is an Ebay find...the only thing that would make it even more perfect for my new phase would be if it happened to be trimmed with pink or orange pom-poms (pons?) or heavy fringe. I'm loving pom-poms lately too.

I want to share some shocking news with you.

Pepperidge Farm lied to us!

I know. You guys already knew this, but even being the label reader I am and ever suspicious of corporate marketing strategies, I still bought the whole Pepperidge Farm is like good old fashioned homemade song and dance for almost thirty years.

Maybe it's because of those 70's/80's  commercials...."Pep-ridge Faaaaaaaam remembuhs" or perhaps because the cakes and cookies seemed so natural looking compared to Oreos and Hydrox, I just assumed the products were all natural with the exception of a few preservatives. HMPF! I knew they were owned by a corporation, but had no idea that they put such crap in some their products!

I noticed a display in the grocery store today and picked up a frozen cake, turned it over and was floored to read that not only does it contain high fructose corn syrup and Lake number 5, but it also has three grams of trans fats per serving! It has partially hydrogenated oils! And not in such minute quantities that it gets to skirt the labeling and put 0 on the box. I was stunned.

I came home and went to the website and sent a horrified message.  They do have some natural crackers, but it's the cakes that were such a special treat when I was a kid. My mom would pick one up once in a blue moon and my brother and I loved how perfect and square they were, the icing super smooth and the best part was eating our pieces slightly frozen. Oh well. I had no business even looking at the frozen cakes anyway, but I'm glad I did (it was their key lime cake that pulled me away from frozen berries). Does anyone else remember those commercials and how they made it seem like everything was so pure and old fashioned? 

OK...Blog Anniversary Give-Away Number Three! Remember this?

Well, I've loved it long enough and now think it needs to be passed on to someone else who needs to remember to "Breathe" now and again too. You know the drill...just leave a comment by Friday. You don't need to have a blog and you can be a first-time commenter...really, it's OK. I know there are many lurkers out there!  Don't be shy! Comment early and often (agaahaha). 

You can comment on any of the Giveaway posts by Friday 11:59 pm central...I'll do drawings for everything on Saturday. 

Now for more good news! My Etsy shop is being featured on Rachael's Miles Away in France blog on Tuesday!!!!! Please go check it out. I love it when sellers and bloggers help other sellers and bloggers! Thanks so much Rachael. She makes such nice things herself...this little lady came all the way from France to amuse Mark by doing yoga on our DVDS.  Oh, and Rachael's daughter happens to be named  Laura...what's not to love?  :)

I love her dress and it reminds me of the kind my mom made for me when I was a girl. 

   

Make Love Not War

It should be easy enough with Blog Anniversary Give-Away item number two! It's a Sex Bomb by Lush and as it fizzes away in your tub it'll leave you soft, scented and feeling very secure!  Because, after all...the  wars we wage with ourselves over body image must end too.  Did you know many women won't take baths and prefer to shower because they are uncomfortable looking at themselves naked and reclining in the tub?

When I had my shop, I wrote an article about this for our newsletter and many women approached me  later and told me it made them sad, because as much as they told themselves it was about not having the time or privacy, in truth, it was because they didn't feel comfortable in their own skin...even alone.

Another reason many women don't take baths is because they don't feel their tubs are "spa-like".  We don't need deep antique tubs or whirlpools to have a nice relaxing bath. My tub us tiny, stained, the caulk is yellowed  and the wallpaper is peeling...it's not at all spa-like in a 197O's era bathroom, but I get in, ignore it all and just soak. 

Another tip...avoid the temptation to have a long hot bath...warm is best. Hot water dries out your skin and is the reason people get out of the tub and barely have energy to dry off, plus it makes you perspire and unless you are detoxing you don't want to get out of the tub dehydrated. The ideal bath temperature is 97-100 degrees. If you slowly lower yourself in or if you notice that a layer of skin floats off of your calves when you first step in...it's too hot!!  Though, maybe I'll do another post on hydrotherapy where you alternate between hot and cold water.   

OK...so just leave a comment on any of the giveaway posts (or all of them) by 5/23 and you could win!

                                           Thanks for being such loyal readers!

P.S. I'm pretty impressed with myself...I think the bath bomb picture came out clear for once!      

East Or Bust

The truth about my side of the family is we never do things the normal way and this goes back to my great-great grandmother traveling East by covered wagon.  She left her husband, packed up the kids and made her way to New York to start a new life...which makes me laugh because it sounds very typical of the women in my family. Not the leaving husbands part, just going in opposite directions.

Though, last week, Mark and I did make it West. This was our second trip to Arizona and we stayed with Mark's aunt and uncle.  The first visit was stressful for my in-laws because they were prepared to  run interference between Mark's Uncle Gary and me because Gary has a bit of a thing for collecting machine guns and strong views on immigration which they worried would offend me terribly. 

The funny part is that Gary and I got along very well...we were careful and respected one another enough to not become adamant about expressing our beliefs and we actually found common ground. Gary is a hardcore animal person and he and Connie basically run an operation rescue on their land. Fifteen cats, three dogs, a rabbit and three horses. Gary is the one people call when someone has abandoned yet another litter of kittens.  I respect Gary a great deal. In fact, the first trip was such a success that Mark and I chose to visit his aunt and uncle on our own for this visit.

Of course the animals were everywhere.  I wish my pictures had turned out...here is Ollie, whose pen I helped clean (except for the afternoon I fell asleep and missed my start-time!).

Here he is with his mask on  backwards...to me he looked so cute!  Ah, the indignity.

   

And even though I am not a small dog person, these little guys were endearing (sort of...the bigger one didn't like us! Connie said she was happy to see us go!):

They have a lovely house and Mark and I had a lot of privacy on our end of place...but, my favorite spot is this...it's the doors off of one end of their bedroom...I love the bouganvillas and how they almost match the stained glass roses on the mini bell tower.

Connie will kill me for posting this photo...but as she was trimming the umbrella with tiny colored lights, I couldn't help but think that I wish my 39 year old legs looked as good as her 61 year old legs! I guess sixty really is the new forty!

We ate out most of the time we were there and the hands down favorite was Joe's BBQ in Gilbert. I'm not even a BBQ nut like Mark is, but my brisket and hot links did the job!  Joe's is only ten years old, but has a great reputation and is being featured on Guy Fieri's Food Network show on May 19th.

I was enchanted by all of the flowers and flowering shrubs we saw along the highways and roads, but Connie's flower pots were gorgeous...so many cheerful yellows....

This blew me away. I had no idea that in certain places people irrigate residential land...We had to get home one day so that Gary could flood his property and horse pasture...

The water flows in from Colorado and costs $18.00 per hour of "floodtime"....they drink well-water because the water that flows to Arizona is basically coming in by way of open ditch and people worry that so much of it evaporates that it leaves some concentrated "bad things" behind. Yet, many people do drink it.

I have to report that the most idiotic thing overheard on the trip was when Mark was wandering through a Ralph Lauren Polo store and saw a girl showing her boyfriend some shirts he might like and the guy, demonstrating how much of an idiot snob he is, noticed the sale price, scoffed and said, "I don't ever buy Polo on sale."  Mark had to laugh out loud.

All and all it was a great trip and we so appreciate Connie and Gary opening up their home to us...Plus, I came home with a new HOT PINK camping knife courtesy of Gary, which I guess is the benefit of having an Uncle in-law who is prepared for any emergency you could present...No hot dog stick will be safe from me n' my blade! Notice the vintage book endpapers it's resting on...they''ll be a business card holder soon. 

OK....AS PROMISED.  This is just Day One of the giveaways that will begin today and end next Friday.  The rules?  Just leave a comment and you'll have a chance at winning the item I offer up!  Enter again and again!! Ha! How's that for blatant comment wrangling! I have no shame! But, you guys are such  loyal readers! Plus, I like giving things away!

Item One:

The eight ounce jar of Andrew  Weil's Organic Manuka Honey pictured above. It's infused with extracts of astragalus root, schisandra berry, elderberry and amia fruit.  Two to three teaspoons a day is said to help your immune system, plus it's sweet and so good.  Origins has ticked me off for using excess shipping packaging, but because Andrew Weil is donates all of his after tax profits to an organization that supports Integrative Medicine, well, I made an exception. Plus, Origins has taken some good steps and was named one of the top 30 "greenest" companies by the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership.   And they are working on getting  the parabens out of their products completely.  And all of their packaging is at least 50 percent post-consumer recycled.

Stay tuned for more One Year Anniversary Hi-jinx!  And some bath and body give-aways courtesy of my trip to Lush.

                                          

If You Only Buy One Book This Year

We're back and we had a great time on our whirlwind trip to Arizona (Sorry Michele M., but it was too whirlwind to plan even a lunch!). I have pictures to edit and then I'll do an Arizona post, but for today, the news is about Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.

When I read one of Barbara's earlier books, The Poisonwood Bible, I was in a state of deep depression for at least a week. Not because it was a sad book, but because it was such a complex and well written story with character development surpassing anything I'd ever read before. I felt like throwing in the towel on my own writing aspirations.

It seemed that nothing I'd ever write could be so compelling and I knew I wouldn't have the patience to do the kind of research necessary to write a novel with the parallels between history and story the way she did.  It made for some blue days over here folks! I eventually rose up from the pits of despair and settled into happily (and without envy)...admiring her writing.

When I saw she'd written a non-fiction book about her family's experience eating only locally grown foods for a year (and now a lifetime), I was interested, and used the vacation as an excuse to take a break from BBB 2008. 

It was worth my weakness. 

This book is a must for anyone intrigued with the concept of eating local or with the Slow Food movement in general.

I must confess that I only recently learned what the Slow Food movement actually is.

Because it started in Italy and has been embraced by Europeans, I assumed it literally meant eating your food more slowly, savoring every bite and spending more time relaxing over long slow meals (the way they tend to in Europe anyway)! AGHAHAAHAHA!  I was wrong (mostly) and you can laugh, but I know I can't be the only one! 

The Slow Food movement has certain objectives (here are a few):

• Forming and sustaining seed banks to preserve heirloom varieties in cooperation with local food    systems
• Developing an "ark of taste" for each eco-region, where local culinary traditions and foods are celebrated
• Preserving and promoting local and traditional food products, along with their lore and preparation
• Educating citizens about the drawbacks of commercial agribusiness and factory farms
• Educating citizens about the risks of mono-culture and reliance on too few genomes or varieties
• Developing various political programs to preserve family farms
• Lobbying against government funding of genetic engineering
• Lobbying against the use of pesticides
• Encouraging ethical buying in  local marketplaces

Basically ... Slow Food is not fast food by any stretch.

Barbara, her husband and their two daughters left Arizona and moved to rural Southwest Virginia to live full-time on the farm they usually just spent summer vacations at. They decided to only eat locally grown food (including their own) and the book is about how they handled the difficulties of finding and existing only on local fare. They made very few exceptions, but each family member got to pick a "must have" item that could come from somewhere else and unfortunately they couldn't get their wheat for bread baking locally, but they did a great job with everything else (including meat). They made their own cheese and the easy recipe is included...Michelle over at Vanilla Icing....I can so see you doing this!  Mary Ellen...you'd love the canning and harvest descriptions.

I was totally enchanted by the family. Oldest daughter Camille gives us short essays with recipes throughout the book and youngest daughter Lily blew me away with her chicken raising entrepreneurial spirit. No news for any moms out there, but Lily's own family ranked low on the priority customer list!

The Slow Food movement gets a hard knock now and again from people who claim that eating organic and locally grown foods is elitist and not financially feasible for the average family.  Barbara totally debunks this and shows that even in a big city the cost can be less, but the planning is obviously more complex than heading over to Burger King when you're tired on a Friday night after work. 

Not everyone (my condo-living self included) can go as far as this family did, but the book inspired me to make some hard and fast decisions.  Really. If I want strawberries in the middle of winter in Wisconsin, then I'd better stock up and freeze them when I see them at Farmer's Market this year (Hey, it should be easy since I'll be selling wallets at the Wednesday night market anyway!).  I can do this. I can make a small difference by growing a few things, buying from local growers and by making some of foods I'd incorrectly assumed would be too "involved" like mozzarella cheese. 

Barbara is as thorough with her non-fiction as she is with her fiction.  In addition to humor, recipes, great family exchanges (Lily dramatically realizing that she has to sell an awful lot of her eggs to get a horse), fun information about plants and canning you'll find some hefty statistical information and lots about the history of family farming. 

Let me emphasize the fact that this book is not preachy at all...not one iota....but, it does make you think. When one of eighteen year-old Camille's girlfriends visits and asks for bananas, it's gently explained that the resources used to get to them to Virginia make them an environmentally costly purchase. Good news...she was totally cool with the fresh blackberries they had on hand.

The book is about Barbara's family's total conversion, but it isn't about converting anyone who doesn't want to or who can't go 100%.  It shows you how exciting small steps can be.

For example, I went to the grocery store here (Copps East) and asked the produce manager to point me in the direction of all produce that's locally grown. 

Guess what?

Potatoes. 

That's all.

In a huge grocery store during asparagus, rhubarb and green onion season. 

I decided that from this point forward I'm going to ask every time and when the check-out person half heartedly asks me if I found everything I needed...I'm going to say, "Actually, I didn't. I was looking for locally grown produce and you don't have any." 

I know how this makes me sound, but so what? Normally, I usually just say yes...and not because I did find what I needed, but because it's a habit and answered in the same half paying attention attitude as it's usually asked.  Maybe I'm not ready to give up bananas or mandarin oranges just yet...but, step by step...we shall see!

WHEW! So...in a nutshell....I like this book. :)

In other news:

• Red Belt: A good movie with a few holes, but I love David Mamet.
• The Breadsmith has begun selling fresh baked gluten-free bread on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. If you have them in your state...check to see if they are offering gluten-free too.
  
• My newest set of hearing aids are being "worked on" and I hope to have them next week.  Say hello to my little friends (mine are black to blend in with my dark brown hair).

• I'm horrified that I thought my one year-blog anniversary was at the end of the month...but was last week!!!!!!!  Give-aways and events coming soon!!!          

Arizona Post Preview:

Slow Food Info:

http://www.slowfood.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_Food

      

Vintage Buttons

I stopped at the bead store yesterday and was shocked to learn that Tara had been holding out on me! Yep, it seems that for a couple of years (in plain view) she's had drawers filled with vintage buttons for sale! How could I have missed this?

I'm in love with vintage buttons and was happy to add to my collection...I see a ring class in my near future.

Here are some favorites... Can you see these as rings?

In other news, Ambika (unknowingly) has done it again. In her book Shelter for the Spirit, Victoria Moran writes of how sometimes we need to make little life upgrades.  She explains how simplest of things in our lives can be "upgraded" and can be viewed as good self-care. These things do not have to be expensive and can be free. For her, it was receiving a gift bag lined with brown tissue paper. 

My mother and I talked about that chapter and we both agreed there really is something luxurious about chocolate colored tissue.  Well, this came from Ambika...

and it happened to be wrapped in brown tissue paper...it reminded me of these little luxuries people often take for granted (me included).   

Speaking of little luxuries...it warmed my heart to package these last night...

I sent a batch of tiny consolation prizes out this morning to those of you who commented on the 200th and Modigliani posts...Note: If you did comment, but haven't sent me your address, please do!

Have a sweet weekend and thanks for all the comment love lately! 

Modigliani And The Daffodils

We don't get much natural light in our living room, so though I wasn't overly hopeful when I took this picture, I think it came out fine. It was such dreary gray morning and I realized that from the right angle, the inner bloom of the daffodils matches the hair of the woman in my Modigliani print.

My father was a big Modigliani fan and once when I visited him, I saw this print and raved. The following Christmas it was in a box under the tree. This was a huge shock because in all honesty, as generous as my father probably wanted to be, he had a lot of insecurities that prevented him from giving freely. He had about as bad a childhood as one could possibly imagine and this left him very protective of himself. I could see that with any gift he chose, he had to detach from it...completely. He distanced himself emotionally from any reaction, because if he allowed himself to become invested in a gift, it was almost as if the potential for disappointment if the recipient didn't like it would be too much for him to handle.

As kids, my brother and I thought my dad was really cold about stuff like this and we felt he didn't get much joy in giving and that maybe it was because of the bad childhood we heard about once in awhile. As adults we began to understand he was afraid to be generous, to put much thought into a present, because it left him unprotected and in a position to be hopeful that he had pleased, which, frankly was too much for him.

On my very first birthday he saw a giant bright red stuffed animal rat with a long white yarn tail at the department store, got a big kick out it and bought it for me.  However, I was one and when I saw it (according to family legend) I was very afraid of it and it was not well-received.  The story of my fear of the rat was relayed to me when I was about eleven and it included my father's genuine bewilderment over why I didn't love it and of how even though he brushed it off and joked about it, how he felt bad that his gift scared me.

My father and I were at war with one another at the time I learned of this story. He didn't understand puberty and the emergence of my smart mouth and this, coupled with his alcoholism finally reaching an all time worst, made for very ugly scenes.

However, I was overly sensitive and had caught on that as a kid my dad had suffered some incredible pain and no doubt severe emotional torture. He was abandoned by my grandmother at Children's Village in New York for three years and she'd write to say she was coming to get him and never showed...more than once. He sat on these very steps sixty years ago all day long waiting for her until it was clear she'd blown him off again.

So, when I was eleven and learned of the rat story, I felt guilty. Even though at that time I hated him more often than not, the love was there and so was this overwhelming sense of responsibility for his childhood pain.  It plagued me, even though it wasn't my fault. I remember lying in my bunk (we lived on a boat) wishing I could have been a better one-year old. As if somehow, if only I'D reacted better, that he wouldn't have extra pain and that our family wouldn't be falling apart that very minute.

It was awful. It made me physically sick. It seemed there was nothing I could control, but I fiercely warned my little brother that we had to react well to every gift no matter how disappointed we were (gift giving was a nightmare in my family as holidays and birthdays were the only times gifts were given and they never ever came close to anything our friends received.). Adam learned at my coaching that we had to act happy or "dad would be hurt worse".

It was an odd contrast...me screaming at my father when he was drunk that he was an alcoholic and I hated his guts and wished he'd die versus my determination to never hurt his feelings by reacting poorly to a gift and this illustrates how the family dynamic was a mess.

The good news is that, as I've written before...all of us healed...in our own ways before my father died.  My parents had divorced, (but remained friends) and my father and I really got it on the table so when he did die, there was nothing unresolved or to have regret about.

The best part was that because of a girlfriend he had late in his life, he learned the joy of giving and receiving.  She threw him his first real birthday party, with balloons, streamers and hats and a million presents. He joked about it and yet, we all knew that somehow she reached that little boy in him who had never had that kind of "star of the show" attention. And he received it...accepted her gesture to fill an empty place in his heart.  I'm crying hard about it as I write this, because I'm so grateful that he got what he needed even if he was fifty-nine. It's never too late. Interestingly enough, my grandmother was there too and they had healed the best they could. Seeing my father open his presents and a cake with his name on it touched me so much. 

Joan made it easier for my father to take gift giving risks and the Modigliani was a risk. He was taking me at my word that I really did love it (an artist he loved) and  giving me something with the hope I'd be happy.  I was and I let him know it. 

So, this morning, as I saw the flowers and the Modigliani together  I was reminded of him...I posted about his late life love of flowers here.   It made me happy and so grateful that the "mess" is ancient history.

Ok...now on to other gifts...Risa is the winner! Sox Trot socks are coming her way along with Numi Tea!

My favorite pattern!

Now all of you regular readers know that I love to give gifts! So, very small consolation prizes will be sent to anyone who left  a comment on the 200th Post post....just message me your address. Risa? Do you have a blog?

Hey, you know what? I'm feeling super "givey"...so anyone who leaves a comment on this post gets a small consolation prize too! Just leave a comment and email me your address!

I did make meet the challenge...I posted 32 posts in 30 days! 3/7-4/7!! Yay!   

Learning To Drive At Thirty-Five (OR "You put your foot on the gas to go and your foot on the brake to stop."

Kitchenettes....this is a long one....I hope you can stick with it!

People are usually stunned to find out that I've only been driving for four years.  I got my first learner's permit at twenty-two and renewed it (without practicing at all in-between) eight or nine times.

Sometimes I'd panic when I let it lapse and freak out all worried I'd be required to take the written test again...not that it was hard...in fact, my score was perfect, but I didn't want the psychological hassle. 

Once, when I went in to renew my permit, the DMV accidentally issued me a driver's license! I was honest and turned it in (only after I showed it to Mark and he convinced me that the "symbolism" wasn't as important as not driving with an illegally issued license). People always ask me if I wish I'd gotten it sooner. Nope. I've never felt any regret.

It used to amaze me how often people would learn that I didn't drive and then without even asking, make all kinds of insulting and wild assumptions:

1. It must be because my husband wanted to "keep control over me" (?) and keep me in the position of always having to ask for rides. This was insane because while he was very patient with me and did drive me when he could, he didn't like my account with a local cab company and the $400.00 a month spent on cab rides. It made our lives more difficult even though we managed.   
   
2. Overweight women who can't control their bodies also fear they can't control cars. Umm...OK? So, it's perfectly fine to assess someone as overweight and out of control?
3. Surely it was because we'd been in such a horrible car accident that I was traumatized and "just needed "hypnosis".
4. Maybe I had had a D.U.I. and wasn't allowed to drive, so I just LIED said I couldn't drive.
5. My favorite and least offensive was when a customer at my old shop privately and hopefully said she believed there was "another way" I got around. This was said in such an intrigued and admiring tone that I hated to disappoint her by confessing that, "No, I haven't learned how to astral project myself to the shop every morning."  But, it did make for a few good jokes about my magic broom!

The truth is that I don't know why, but I do believe that for many years, I was subconsciously trying to tame myself and tone myself down.  My teenage years were spent getting myself into all kinds of trouble. I took a few Greyhound bus "rides to freedom" and usually the results weren't so hot. As I've written before, my mom and I thank God there was no Internet then because I would have been one of these girls who connects with some 50 year old in Germany and thinks the whole being sent tickets to come visit thing could be a great "adventure".  I wasn't naive, I just liked pushing the envelope...hard.   

I spent my whole life (from about six years old) fantasizing about getting on planes and trains and just taking off to see what's out there.  Not because I was miserable (though sometimes I was), but because something out there might be better and "more exciting".  Yet, many of my freedom quests were poorly planned and wound up with me needing to borrow money or make quick exits out of abandoned buildings  or...worse...one of my quests to help someone else wound up with my mother scared to death after opening up my closet door (she heard a noise and yes...she actually investigated like you see in horror  movies) to see a young homeless (but very cute) guy I was hiding, crouching among my clothes...I came home from work and they were both sitting in the living room waiting for me. Yikes! 

I didn't have a good track record. What if I got my license and got into a car and just took off? I was a reckless teenager who redeemed herself (to myself mostly) through hard work and  "stable"  living...what if I got my license and wound up calling Mark from Alaska because while it had seemed like a good idea, it turned out that parking in front of the prison and offering rides to any convict who could escape was a bit of an error in judgment even if pretty adventurous?   

I can't say for sure, but I think I didn't trust myself with the freedom driving would give me. That somehow I'd end up being as reckless with the privilege as I was with my body/sexuality as a teenage girl and with my money as a young adult?  Who knows?

I only know that one day, waiting for cabs, asking for rides and not being able to be a helpful friend (picking up the kids if a friend needed me, racing out to meet someone on impulse for lunch, my in-laws having to drive my husband to the emergency room etc.) just stopped working for me.

I began, for the first time to want to drive, not feel I should want to drive.  It was about this time that Janice and I began to forge a friendship. I'd ride as a passenger in her car and see her relaxed and casual way of holding the wheel and gallivanting about town with a real coffee mug that miraculously never spilled and I was filled with admiration. Her car was always comfortably cluttered with odds and ends and strands of sparkling beads and charms hung from her rear view mirror (more on this later). I loved that she drove around seemingly oblivious to the world and yet had never ever been in an accident.  It was the opposite of what it was like driving with most people...she made it look so easy. Her driving style was "unconcerned."

We're about the same age, but I was in total little sister mode when I rode with her and went over to  her cool apartment (the upper floor of an old Victorian with a turret room and everything!). She served me tea and cookies and made me dinner.  One night I even sat on her ginormous couch and she served me spiked eggnog!  As crazy as this sounds, I felt a real adult, but I was still like a kid...listening wide-eyed at her tales of dating life (some heartbreak too) while I crunched away on meringue cookies and drank enough of her eggnog (without much effect) to have her accuse me of having a hollow leg. Of course I'd be exaggerating if I said I was like Lily Tomlin's Edith tucked back on the deep couch, my feet not touching the floor as I pressed for more details, but that was exactly how I felt. 

I had my perfect spot on her couch and her cat liked me and of course, it was easy to get caught up in her single life and perhaps a little envious of her freedom. On the other side, Janice liked listening to me talk about my marriage and hearing of how Mark and I dealt with conflict.  She was amazed at how Mark and I could openly talk through our conflicts and of how the bloom didn't go off my rose when Mark saw me at my worst and vice-versa.  It was fun learning about one another and this is odd, because one of my least favorite parts of developing new friendships is that part where in order to explain one thing...you  have to explain another...the whole life history thing...but, with Janice it was fun.

One weekend we ended up vending at a psychic fair together...we both had jewelry and she was giving readings too. A few of my other friends stopped by and Janice was quiet and busying herself by pricing her necklaces while the other women and I talked about my newfound interest in getting my license.

Everyone was supportive and as I was expressing some doubt, Janice sighed heavily and said. "Why are you making a big deal out of this? Driving isn't hard! You put your foot on the gas to go and your foot on the brake to stop!"  Then she shook her head and went back to pricing. 

At first I was stunned into silence.  My friend Kim jumped to my defense, but it wasn't necessary. My personal Swami, Janice Cusano, had broken it all down for me.   She made it simple.   You put your foot on the gas to go and your foot on the brake to stop. Wow, what a concept?  This was as big a revelation  as  "chop wood, carry water before and after enlightenment" was to the Zen movement.   

I came home and told Mark that I now knew the secret. I'll never forget Mark's expression as he listened to me lay out Janice's advice. He said it was a bit more complicated that that, but I barely heard him and called to schedule my driving test.

This is the page from my desk calendar that marks the day my appointment was scheduled. I took a few lessons from a professional driving instructor, went out with my mom to learn parking and my father in-law stepped in and became my super-hero driving coach.

My mother took me to the test site and waited with another "mom" as I went out and when I got back I had my license. I couldn't believe it!!!!

All of my friends were thrilled and Janice was on the scene right away to present me with a special bead that I turned into my driving bracelet. One of the best new driving moments was when I got to be the kind friend I'd dreamed of being when Janice was headed to Boston.  I was able to offer to pick her up and drive her to the airport early in the morning! That was my most proud moment. I was thrilled to do it because it seemed like the kind of thing adult women friends do for one another and that I had never been able to do for anyone.  I think it's fair to say that I was beaming with happiness as I watched Janice walk into the airport.

Since then, I've driven everywhere. I've driven in the Loop during rush hour many times, to Indiana to visit this friend, and to see family all over.  I haven't abused my freedom (too much) or been reckless (unless you count things like my five-year old passenger sternly reminding me from the backseat that "Yellow means slow down, not go faster Tita Laura!"). 

I think, in light of the Dr. Janice Cusano driving mantra, it's fitting that she'd be the one to design and trademark a line of car mirror charms called "Car Bling".  I've supported this idea since I first heard of it and have been blown away by some of her beautiful pieces, but it wasn't until she sent me my very own that I truly realized how special these pieces are. 

I saw this in her shop and fell in love. "Write Hard, Die Free". 

Little did I know it would be headed my way...there's a long story behind the circumstances of its arrival, (including its fake reserve on Etsy for someone else as a way to throw me off the trail!) but that's another post. I had no clue it was coming and when I opened it, I was stunned...not just at receiving my very own Car Bling, but because the piece I had admired so much in pictures was even better in person!!!

I knew it was pretty, but nothing prepared me for the gorgeousness of the charms and even more so...the energy of it. I know that Janice puts a lot of work into charging and clearing each bead as she's designing, but it isn't until you hold a piece that you can feel the buzz and it isn't until you see it hanging from your rear-view mirror:

or your plant:

or from a hook in your hallway or windowsill that you can grasp how magical they are.  Each one is a mini mandala, altar piece, talisman and multi-charmed good luck piece. Mine is special because it's meant to help me with my writing and this charm is one that Janice used when writing her dissertation.

I'm not normally a skull kind of gal, but this little carnelian skull is a reminder to me to "get the words out of my head and onto the page"...

The green drop reminds me that heart centered writing is what works best for me (green is a heart chakra color) and the silver peace sign reminds me to be at peace with my pace...my plays are important to me and often I can't just turn them out the way some writers do.

There is a rose in the the top glass bead that I couldn't get a good photo of, but it's a crucial addition because it's soft and feminine and reminds me to be gentle with myself...that writing hard is actually the most soft and gentle gift I can offer myself...because it's in writing about hard things, that I find the most healing.

I love how the little topaz rests over the skull's forehead like a bindi!

Car Bling can hang anywhere, but mine will stay in my car...its length is perfect and no matter how hard I stop, it just sways gently and reminds me of how far I've come and of Janice's advice. Could it be that the driving mantra is similar to the writing mantra? Basically, just do it?

In a beautifully written note she included with the Car Bling, she said this about passing on her writing charm to me, "It reminded me that I was fierce and resilient and that I would call upon those qualities to realize my dream and my goal, which was not to finish my dissertation, but the acquisition of FREEDOM!"  She did it again. Step One: Learn to Drive...Almost four years (to the day) later, she gives me Step Two: Write Hard...it equals freedom.

Now, I have to say that normally, I'm not a "hep to the jive, bling-talking kind of gal", (as is illustrated by that last line), but I have no problem joking with Mark about how Xzibit has nothing on me because with my Goddess Findings Car Bling...I have definitely pimped my ride.

Oh yeah. I said it. Because...I'm cool like that. It's my favorite driving song, though it annoys many!

Here are my other favorite Goddess Findings Car Bling Mirror Charms:

Manchurian Bunny Foo-Foo...

Asian Money Pot...

Buddha Ball Lux:

Knocking My Socks Off!!

Imagine my shock when I opened my Typepad statistics to see  that this is my 200th post! If I'd known it was coming I'd a  baked a cake! Aghaha! Well, not really since I'm not sugaring it up these days, but even so.

Coincidence would have it that earlier today I took a little spin over to ScatterJoy and saw that my favorite socks were on sale. I love Sox Trot...the patterns and colors comfort me and make me feel cheery.  As a celebration of my 200th post (and 898 comments!!!!!!!) I'd like to offer up a new pair of Sox Trots to one of you readers who knock my socks off on a regular basis! Plus, you know me, there'll be a little extra something-something in with the socks too!

Just leave a comment on this post and I'll do a drawing on Saturday.

Thanks for reading and here's to the next 200! You guys are the best!

A Winey Post

OK.  It's after midnight and I'm still up. Why?  Because I had to try another weird cheese. I know. My name is Laura and I have a problem. 

I was intrigued by this Cabernet infused cheddar and unlike the fudge cheese fiasco, this is actually natural and even made with raw milk at that.  I'll admit when I saw the block of deep purple cheese called "Purple Moon" , I assumed it would be purple all the way through.  Well, you know what happens when you assume don't you? (I always hate it when people say that!!!!).

It turns out it isn't infused with wine, but soaked in wine (the label states this clearly, but I didn't pay attention) so the inside was normal white cheddar. I'm like a little tantrum prone kid when it comes to things like that, "Hey! I thought it was all purple...the whole thing...how come it isn't purple!!!!"

Though, I settled down and enjoyed it with some rosemary crackers. At first I wasn't sure because it is rather winey and this makes the cheese taste extra sharp, but it grew on me and I can say it was a win.

Speaking of wine. I have to share something with people who are nearby...My friend Nancy is knowledgeable about wine and happens to be an excellent aromatherapist as well.  WineStyles invited her to host an event on November 14th that combines both! She'll be pairing up wines with essential oils to help people identify the various fragrance notes in both. She'll also use scents to help you recognize the hints of similar flavors in wine. See the website for details. Also, I just heard that my friend Ann has a wine blog...but, I can't find it and didn't want to call her at 1:14 am! I'll post when I learn more.

I'm not really a drinker (I used to be about as out of control as you can go without being alcoholic), but once in a blue moon (one a year) I imbibe.  I can't handle more than that anymore. Just eating the cheese practically put me into a drunken stupor...One more slice and I would have come up here to post and been all like "I love you guys man, you guys are the best hiccup blog readers in the whole, hiccup, world man..." Aghahaha!

Ok...on to the drawing. I assigned everyone who commented a number and used the random number generator and prayed that my mother wouldn't win again. Sorry mom, but if you'd won again I might have been carried out of blog-land on a rail!   

The winner is number 1!  Vanilla Icing! Maybe it's the Universe's way of rewarding her for putting up with all my tags when I first started blogging, for giving my wallets a rave review on her blog and because if you've visited lately you know that her dog has basically chewed up almost everything she owns and she has the pictures to prove it!  In addition to the wallet, she'll be receiving a bunch of magnets I made with my vintage children's books!

Folks, here at Little Orange Kitchen I firmly believe in consolation prizes. If you posted a comment, please email me your address and I will send you a tiny tiny tiny prize. Really...as small as a postage stamp, but much cuter.  I'll send everyone's envelope out by Monday. I'll hand deliver to the locals!   

Sweet dreams!!!               

A Soft Opening & Giveaway!

Good morning!  Some of you may remember when I posted about making and keeping commitments several weeks ago. Well, the time for an update has arrived.

I finally added items to the Etsy shop I set up in June. I'd created the shop, but had never listed anything or spruced up its appearance. Well, I still haven't spruced up my banner, but at long last I have finally opened for business! I've been torn about it because I'm behind on my "orders in hand" and felt uncomfortable listing product when others are waiting for theirs. However, most of my pre-ordered guys are of the recycled newsprint variety and not made from the contemporary papers I listed in my shop.

I also took into consideration from everything I have read that the road to your first Etsy sale can be a long one, so I figure it's best to take the first step as I can. I wish I had more stock listed, but I'll be adding more as soon as I get the pictures taken.  I feel good about it and have to say that I screamed at the top of my lungs when I saw my wallets start coming up in the recently listed section on the main page!!!!!! Woo-Hoo!!

My second commitment was to my body. I wanted to finally get below 200 pounds before my shop opening.  Well folks:

   

 

I just missed it!!!! One pound away from 199. However, I'm still glad the trend is downward considering  all the fall treats around here lately. Plus, I weigh 44 pounds less my all-time high. Note, I had to cheat on the scale and hold it with my hand since I couldn't stand on it and take a picture at the same time without creating some kind of gi-normous shadow!!!!!!!!  I can't wait to move that 200 bar to 150...1 pound to go.   

So, the next goal is 195. I have some gluten-free brownies and butter cookies to contend with in the meantime...wish me luck. 

I want to do a giveaway!!! I'm doing two items, but the second item is a teeny surprise for the person who wins this:

It's paper and vinyl with a velcro closure and a vinyl sleeve so you can have easy access to your I.D. (or Office Depot card in my example !) It came out a little larger than my normal size and I wasn't happy with one of the folds, but it is by no means a reject!!! If you want to win it and the little non-wallety extra item it comes with, just post a comment. I'll pull do the drawing on Wednesday. This is the perfect excuse for lurkers to come out of hiding!

The million dollar bill you see in the pocket means a lot to me. I put one as seed money in most of the wallets I make.  I put it under the paper and seal it.  People will never see it or know it's there (unless I tell them), but I like the symbolism.  Hey, spread the wealth I say! Sometimes a fortune cookie or prosperity symbol will find its way in before sealing too.

Hey, thanks to all you cheerleaders out there who have been so supportive of my blog! I'm still having a blast with it and the scary part for all of you is that I'm afraid I might never run out of things to say!!!!!

Happy Day Kitchenettes!!!!!

An Easy Win

Sometimes, I want to release a little creativity, but not spend all day painting or messing things up by leaving paper scraps all over the place. I don't want to haul out supplies or know that if I work in the living room instead of my messy office studio that I'll have to clean it up...whatever the it is on any given day.  I just want to finish a project in a short period of time with no mess. Simply put, I want an easy win.

WeIl, I certainly hit easy-win gold the other night folks!   

I've seen all sorts of cool fabric covered buttons on Etsy and lots things made with them.  Everything from bookmarks, hairpins, purse buttons, wall art...you name it.  I always wondered (not obsessed, just wondered) if you needed a machine to make them or what. Well, the answer is simple (and inexpensive as well). Go to any fabric store, head over to the notions section and pick yourself out some snap in place upholstery buttons and go to town. How did I learn of this? By visiting this beautiful blog and viewing the tutorial. 

WHAT?  All of you know about this and can't believe I didn't?  Oh. Such is the story of my life.  Fortunately there exist generous souls like The Ruby Crowned Kinglet out there for people like me; people who want to be in the know, but who are often way behind.  The best part is that since you choose your fabric, every button is an original mini work of art!

I had a satisfying evening making a few. And just what do I plan to do with them? Hey, I haven't gotten that far in my thinking process yet, though...sewing them onto my backpack just for sheer adornment could be fun. Hey, what about ponytail holders!!!!!!

OK, speaking of easy wins...the two winners of the stamps are Lucy over at Sweet Repeats and um....well... my mom. Hold on people!!!!  Before someone gets the ethics committee involved, please know that I used the free number generator over here and well, up...she...popped!  I cringed because I was afraid of how it would look, but what can I do?  I didn't have the foresight to post something in tiny print about family members being excluded...and I must confess...I even went as far as to order tell my mom to "go ahead and post a comment." My face burns with shame.  Not to change the subject, but has anyone noticed that I've discovered the CROSS OUT strike through feature on my tool bar?    

So, congrats mom and Lucy.  Thanks to everyone for playing along.  There'll be another give-away soon.  Hint...I've been making wallets!   

Have a great night!  Sweet Dreams Kitchenettes!

Over-Postage Means A Give-Away

I've been posting a lot lately and some of them have been rather lengthy...just who do I think I am anyway?  I get such a kick out of this you can't believe it. Thanks to everyone who stops by! 

I received a package in the mail the other day and my mind was blown (my new favorite exclamation)!!!

Leah over at Homework has an abundance of old postage stamps and she had offered to send them to people if we paid the postage costs. Even though the post was old when I found it, I emailed her and after receiving my payment, she sent me an envelope of stamps.  Look at this stamp richness! The ones above are my favorite! All these were in a small manila envelope and when the contents spilled out I was floored by the volume!

 

I tried organizing them in my thrift find jewelry box ($1.50 by the way and it came with a key and everything!), but I kept stopping to examine the colors, countries and dates. The next thing I knew ...hours had passed!

I want to share the wealth---so I'm doing my first blog giveaway! Leave a comment with one line from your favorite song by 11:59 p.m. Sunday night and I'll number them and then randomly draw two names using an on-line number generator.  Two lucky crafty artists or artsy crafters will receive a small envelope of stamps in the mail (overseas is OK too!). More than enough to make a few projects!  Most are from Australia and many are vintage. These are perfect for collage artists and scrap-bookers! Or, just let the kids go to town to make whatever they want.  Even if  you've never commented before or don't have a blog, don't be shy...now is the time!

This is one of the things Leah made...she covered a vegetable container to make a holder for sewing notions.  You could decoupage them to a small box, picture frame, a flower pot, greeting cards or anything!

Check out her blog if you can.  It's never boring and she always has a new project going on.   

Warning: If you're a winner, you'll have to do what I did, which was to sort through many of these...the most common ones seem to be sporting events and the Queen(s)...

To get to one of these (or your equivalent of a favorite). I love this one.

You might remember how I collect the cool patterns on the inside of banking and security envelopes?  Some of the stamps Leah sent are still attached to pieces of the original envelopes. Sigh. They just don't make them like they used to.