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Monday, November 28, 2011

Newest Work in Progress or I Am at the Mercy of my Muses

My newest work in progress is a necklace I started several months ago with hand bent heavy copper wire hammered and wired together.  This weekend the muses were frequenting me quite often, so I just turned on the television, watched a bunch of movies and let them take over.  I find it's best if I kinda blackout while I work, the minute I start over thinking things my mythical friends leave.  They also like wine, so I do my best to appease them. With their help I added amethyst, agate, rose quartz, turquoise, peridot, freshwater pearls, and abalone.  As of right now it is destined to be a very large statement piece.  This piece of the necklace measures 6.5 inches and it's not even done.  Fingers crossed they come back soon, guess I better keep watching movies and drinking wine until they do, just in case.  

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Life as the Bionic Woman or Not All Trees Grow Straight

I like to think of my spine as a tree, sometimes like a snake, but mostly a tree.  Most little trees grow straight all on their on own, but some are creative.  They see themselves as artists and there aren't about to follow some age old truth that straight is better without trying out their own way first.  My scoliosis came early and the doctors and my parents spent years watching my spine twist and contort itself.  I was more preoccupied with my ever growing Barbie population and the ever shrinking Ken population going on in the basement.  My sister was always dismembering the ken dolls.  I wanted to climb trees, eat dirt, catch pollywogs and do science experiments on snails.  Snails don't like broccoli,  if you were wondering.  My back crossed my mind when the headaches came or P.E. teachers expected me to anything more athletic than sitting in left field talking to the flowers.   I just learned to carry advil and cry whenever we had to run the mile. 

Junior High came and because it's just not quite awkward enough being 5 feet 8 inches tall, gangly, and hormonal the doctors decided it would be the perfect time to put me in a brace.  Remember the brace Lisa Kudrow's character in Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion wore?  It was basically an updated version of that.  I was going to post a picture of one, but I got nauseous looking at google images of them.  So use your imagination.  I only lasted about a year in that when I unhappily agreed to let them turn me into the bionic girl.  We waited till I was officially done growing and I was put under, cut open, and rebuilt.                     

Side view x-ray of the bars and screws that hold me together.
This is the happy part of the story.  The surgery went great, they were able to stretch out my spine enough to give me an extra inch of height.  I was now 5'10", but strangely disappointed I wasn't 6 feet.   I recovered, got sent back for the last semester of my senior year of  high school, which I spent most of sleeping in my car instead of going to class.  Somehow I drove on pain meds, but sitting in class was too hard.  I think my teachers and the administration pity graduated me.  My headaches became less frequent and eventually the 17 inch scar started to fade.  After a few years I stopped feeling like my back functioned as a meteorologist and I sounded less like someone in my eighties predicting storms according my pain levels. 

This all came back to me today as I took out my x-rays to show the physical therapist.  The very first physical therapist I ever remember seeing.  It's been a decade since they first filled me with titanium.  I can honestly say I'm glad they did.  I still have pain, but it's livable.  My crooked spine will never be straight, but then again I wouldn't want them to take all the creativity out of me.      

Friday, October 21, 2011

My Fluffy Assistant

Was taking pictures of a this necklace this afternoon so I can get it listed and got more than I anticipated.  My not so helpful assistant LunaBelle made it in the picture too.  She's more trouble than help in the office, she loves to knock stuff over and thinks every spool of ribbon is just asking to be unraveled. On the positive side she gives great cuddles and kisses, so we keep her on staff as emotional support.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Newest Copper Healing Pendants

These are two pendants I've been working on today.  They aren't finished yet, but I'm hoping to have them completed, named, and listed in the shop by next week.  They are made with hammered copper and then wrapped with freshwater pearls, amethyst, rose quartz, agates, and turquoise.  If only one ends up in the shop it's because I've decided to keep one.  I'm always a sucker for wearing amethyst and rose quartz close to my heart.  Who couldn't use a little more stability and love?

Friday, September 30, 2011

Roses & Pearls Bracelet

This is my newest bracelet, made with cream colored freshwater pearls and rose quartz.  The inspiration came from a set of bridesmaids jewelry I just completed for a girlfriend's wedding.  Since then, I have been dreaming and creating in creamy whites, pale pinks, and little splashes of glamorous crystals.  It's all pulled together with a silver toggle, which bares my favorite ancient symbol. 

Rose quartz  is the stone of unconditional love and helps align the heart chakra.  It will not not only help with heart healing and self love, but it will draw more love to you.  If you are already in a relationship it will encourage harmony and unconditional love.  This stone is perfectly complimented by the pearls which also encourage self acceptance.  Pearls invoke a feeling of beauty, calm, and dignity.  They are a perfect example of transformation; a ragged, rough grain of sand growing into a object of great value and beauty.  There is something very raw and yet feminine about this delicately textured piece.  It brings us back to the simplest and purest thing in life, love.     

Friday, September 23, 2011

September Garden Update

 It's the first day of fall.  I would love to write an amazing post about what that means astrologically, spiritually, and historically from a mythological perspective....but I just don't want to.  I'm in a mood and basically I'm just trying not to crawl in bed or open the bottle of wine that's been calling to me all day from the kitchen.  I have a good reason for feeling this way, but I don't want to talk about that either....so let's talk about the garden.  

I'm really started to notice how certain plants are starting to die back while others are at their height.  The beans, which only produced 5 lousy pods, are dying back.  Still scratching my head about why they were so unhappy.  The corn has also finished and I've cut down nearly all the stocks.  I've got two tall ones left standing and I'm having a hard time parting with them.  They just seem so regal standing guard over the garden, it feels wrong to cut them down even though I know its time.  Some of the squash are dying back, which is probably a good thing, since the leaves are so dense it takes me forever to even find the fruits and veggies hiding out underneath.

On the other end of the spectrum the cantaloupe is doing great.  We already had our first one.  The roommates and I all sat down and ate it together.  You would have thought I had brought some strange fruit home from another country the way everyone oohhed and aahhed over it.  It was the very first melon I've ever grown so I am pretty proud of myself.  There are quite a few more out there ripening up as we speak.  Also, we have watermelons that are close to being ready.  My fingers are crossed that they turn out to be the sweet deliciousness I have been dreaming about for the last few months.


The tomatoes and peppers are also doing better, although not quite the turnout I had hoped for the heirloom tomatoes.  I've been picking the tomatoes as soon as they have a lick of color to keep them safe from our furry masked bandits.  Got two small black prince tomatoes the other day.  The more I look at them, the less I want to eat them.  They are such a dark reddish maroon color, they look like coagulated balls of blood .  I told my friend, Dane, last night if any of his body parts turn that color he should go straight to the hospital.  He was in the middle of cooking dinner.  He refused to use those tomatoes and I got exiled from the kitchen.  Lesson learned, don't talk about hospitals or blood around food.

I also discovered recently that these strange little squash I've been picking and complaining about were actually baby pumpkins and butternut squash, both of which I've grown before.  I feel pretty stupid now, but at the time I was really stumped trying to figure out what they were.  Anyway, there are still a few types of squash growing that I'm mystified about, but I'm just ignoring them now to see if they turn into anything recognizable before I throw another fit and embarrass myself again.

Supposedly, it's going to start cooling down this weekend.  I guess I should start thinking about a fall/winter garden.  Maybe this time around I will label stuff so I actually know what I'm growing....but then again that just sounds like it might take the mystery out of it.  Let's be honest, surprising myself is half the fun.    

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Jungle Garden

If you want your garden to appear more green and jungle like simply water a lot and stop weeding.  It works for me.  I haven't quite evolved into the kind of gardener who has a picture perfect garden.  Truthfully, I'm not really counting on that ever happening.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Tomato Thief

Someone or something is stealing my tomatoes as soon as they are ready to be picked.  It's bad enough they are taking so long to turn red and now some selfish little prick is stealing them before I get to taste all my hard work and devotion.  I'm peeved to say the least.  At first I thought it was our dog, Nico, she's mischievous, but just not smart enough to pull this off without me figuring it out.  Then I thought it might be my roommates eccentric hippie uncle, but he swears it isn't him.  So now I think it's raccoons.  I haven't found any evidence it's raccoons, but what else could it be?  Either way I guess it's another trip to the hardware store for some kind of wire to protect my beloved tomatoes. 

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Purple Bellpeppers

Check out my awesome purple bell-pepper!  Pretty awesome right?

Friday, July 15, 2011

Lavender Lust

Made a solo trip up to the Mt Shasta Lavender Farm to see what all the fuss was about and well, I get it now.  It's beautiful, but more than that it transported me back to Provence.  The place I first fell in love with lavender 8 years ago. 

I happen to have an obsessive love of lavender, it nearly verges on unhealthy at times.  Lavender lotion, lavender soap, lavender oil, lavender laundry detergent, lavender wands, lavender paintings.  If it has anything to do with lavender, I will want it.  So it's no surprise that when lavender season comes around each year I find my way to a nearby farm to walk through the fields, cut the flowers, and basically bliss out. 

The English lavender was in full bloom and thank goodness bees love me, cause they were pretty excited about the lavender too.  Mt. Shasta was mostly covered with clouds most of the afternoon, but even so the views were magnificent.

As son as I arrived, I grabbed a basket and began cutting bunches of lavender. I wanted to make a few lavender wands.  English lavender isn't really ideal for this, because of how short their stems are, but I figured I would give it a try anyway.  After wandering through the fields talking to the bees (now you know why they like me so much) and gathering my bunches, I went in and paid for my stems and settled at a little table under a bright blue umbrella.  I took out my ribbon and got started.  It was a lot harder than I remembered.  I'm not sure if this was because of the English Lavender or because I was so out of practice, but either way it took quite a bit of patience and hand eye coordination.  I only managed to make two, but I was still pretty proud of myself.

The French Lavender (longer stems) will be blooming soon and you better believe I will be back.  This time I might even drag a few people with me.  I will let you know how it goes.  

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Radishes!

I mentioned earlier that I have never grown radishes before.  I had never attempted them for several reasons: 1) I knew nothing about them or what growing them entailed 2) I didn't know what to do with them after I grew them 3) I wasn't entirely sure I had ever eaten one.  My roommate Ericka didn't know any of these things about my radish ignorance when she brought home two packets of radish seeds.  Not wanting to disappoint her I attempted to do a little research on them, but ultimately just threw them in the ground and hoped for the best. 

You can bet I was surprised when they not only sprouted but took off faster than anything else in the garden.  I was incredibly excited!  

I can now say I know what a radish tastes like too.  Luckily, my roommates and Ericka's dog, Nico, really likes them.  We are up to our elbows in radishes and the second crop I planted isn't even ready.  Anyone have any good recipes for radishes?

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Garden Update: Mid June

This is the garden after my new hero, Anthony, offered to come over and dig the rest of my rows for me.  It's still looking a little sparse at this point.  I will take another picture in the next few days after the rain ceases. 

I still have more corn, squash, watermelon, tomatoes, and flowers to plant. Oh and just a few days ago I found baby tomatoes and crook neck squash on a few plants.  I'm still in shock everything is going so well. 

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Why I Really Garden

Some people deal with anxiety by breathing, others with meds, but I chose to deal with my anxiety attack today by attacking the grape vines that grow on the fence bordering our garden space.  To each her own, I guess.

I had looked up grape vine pruning info online this morning over my second cup of coffee and half way through reading about it, I decided that I would just follow my gut.  This is generally what happens when I feel as though master gardeners are explaining things in a way I can't understand.  Generally speaking following my gardening intuitions works out about 50-75% of the time.  I might be a little biased about this statistic.


How I ended up in the garden pulling grape vines out of trees with giant clippers isn't the point.  What is important is that I think I did a pretty good job.  Once I was done with that I also pruned three of the neighbors trees.  So far they haven't complained, but their dog did stare at me suspiciously the entire time.  I don't think she bought my whole "your parents are going to thank me for this later" line I tried on her. 

After all that I felt much better and went inside to work and make phone calls.  Not too long after that Ericka came home and started working on cleaning out the back garage.  I figured it was the perfect time, since it was cooling off to plant the strawberries and transplant some of the peas.

My grandparents also have a garden across town.  Their strawberries were out of control so they gave me a bunch of the babies that had jumped ship from their raised beds. I planted them in the border of the garden alongside several different peas.

Ericka and I planted sugar snap peas and pole beans a few weeks ago.  I'm not complaining, but whoever planted the sugar snap peas (ahem Ericka) basically dumped them in a piled and called it good.  Well, they were all growing in one giant clumped circle.  It wasn't going to work, so I dug them up today, gently, and transplanted them with some good rich soil into a space farther back.  I hope they are able to survive the transplant and make it, cause I really love sugar snap peas straight off the vine.  I eat them as a reward to myself for weeding and watering.  So I guess if I'm being honest I planted this entire area as food I will eat while I tend to the rest of the garden.

So I guess the moral of this blog today is that I really garden to deal with my anxiety and as a way to bribe myself.  Gardening as a way to combat neurosis, this is what they should be really teaching in school.  I mean who really uses geometry anyway?

Friday, April 29, 2011

Garden Renovations

Everyone appreciates a good Before picture.  So I made sure to take one, before we tore everything to bits and created our dream garden.

The dream garden is still a work in progress, but we are getting there.  All the old raised beds and broken drip pipes have been dug up by Ericka's wonderful boyfriend Todd.  Everything had to be rota-tilled, because the ground was so uneven and hard.  I'm not a fan of tearing up the earth like this, but after seeing what we were working with I finally conceded.

We will be adding natural compost/manure this week and forming everything into rows so we can get out seeds and starts in the ground.  The weather is fantastic so there is no better time.

I am so excited to get everything into the ground.  I have never had a garden this big and I'm looking forward to experimenting and learning.  I am even hoping to be able to conquer some new veggies such as radishes, beets, and chard.  I have never even attempted to grow any of those before, so it will be an adventure.

Plus, there are also three mature grape vines right along the edge of the garden that will be a great learning experience.  I am going to google info about them this week, so I can get them trimmed and looking beautiful before they get much bigger.  We also have an apple tree that hangs over from the neighbors and a huge apricot tree in another part of the yard.  Just talking about all this gets my heart racing.  It's going to be a good gardening year!

Friday, April 1, 2011

Alley Adventure

My mom stopped by this afternoon to tell me about some garage sales in my neighborhood.  So we walked down the street to see if we could find any treasures.  We didn't find anything we couldn't live without, but we did find a long dirt alley that ran behind a bunches of houses.

I was curious, where does this secret pathway lead to?  A magickal portal to a land of faeries and unicorns?  Secret treasures guarded by gnomes?  Anything is possible (in my mind anyway).  We didn't find any gnomes, but we did find a big lilac bush that had some pretty visitors.  Some iridescent friends who were very faery like, also bees...less faery like, but important in the whole grand scheme of the plant human relationship and therefore ignored and left in peace to do their work.   

We kept walking and met a cute little puppy who could have singlehandedly been one of the worst guard dogs, ever.  He didn't bark and he ran to the fence to greet us so he could jump around and smile at us.  I'm pretty sure the only way he could deter strangers was by licking them to death.  So a puppy but no unicorn. There was quite a bit of alleyway left, I still had hope. 

A few houses down we spied a lemon tree literally dripping with lemons.  My mom and I both love lemons, her for lemon bars and me for lemon drops.  Both, I might add, are vital parts of a healthy well rounded diet.  I didn't want to reach over the fence and steal lemons, one of my biggest fears since childhood is getting in trouble.  This made me a pretty easy kid to raise and a model student, but also not very brave.  Thankfully, someone was conspiring in my favor today.  There was a space between the fence and the neighbor's garage.  Perfect for me to squeeze into and collect some lemons that were hanging over the fence.  The lemons were practically begging to be picked.
  
N No faeries back there either, but there was some crazy spiderwebs and an intense trail of ants.  We are respectfully left each other alone.  A few houses later the alley ended and we ended up back on the main road a block away from my house.  No secret worlds today, but hey there's always tomorrow.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

A Mythical Creature Comes to Visit or How Does that Owl Know My Name?

I was lying in bed one night about a week ago playing Boggle in between Scrabble games on my iPhone.  When I heard someone saying my name outside.  Even LunaBelle looked up, so no, I wasn't imagining it.  I exited out of the game and the cat and I sat in silence, waiting.  Then we heard it ( I can say we because when it happened Luna looked right at me) "Willow Tree.....Willow Tree."  The only reason I was really shocked was because only my good friends call me that.  So who would be out in the yard saying my name?  I kept listening.

Then it dawned on me.  It wasn't my friend, in the human sense, it was an owl.  It was one of my mythical friends.  I love owls!  They are mysterious, but what I really love about them is their rich history.  Culturally, they have been both good and evil.  They have been feared and revered.  That is what truly interests me.  We, as humans, have tried to understand these nocturnal creatures and created attributes for them to help us explain their presence and the way we feel about them.

Well, I for one would love for this little winged beauty to come visit as much as she likes.  Both Luna and I appreciate her late night calls.  

 

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

I Moved! or Dreams do Come True....

Since I left Portland I have been dreaming of love.  I even had very specific love requirements, they were all written down in my journal, which made them very official.  I wanted this love to have hardwood floors, big South facing windows, arched doorways, a garden, and room for a kitty.  What I didn't know when I was creating this very thorough list was that I was describing my childhood friend's house.

So after leaving my job and traveling for a while, I ended up visiting this house to tell my girlfriend, Ericka, all about my trips.  Coincidentally, two of her roommates had just moved out.  Which was perfect since I needed a room and an office.  

 The rest goes down in history as perfect timing.  I guess this is what everyone meant when they told me to be patient life would work it all out.  As usual my friends and family were right.  

Arugula Sprouts

During a brief afternoon of sun a week or so ago I threw some arugula seeds into a hanging pot on our back deck.  The weather here has been awful since then, so this afternoon I went out to see if anything had happened.  I was very excited to discover all these little beauties popping up.  I can't wait until they are ready to eat.  I love arugula's peppery flavor.  It is great in salads and my favorite is putting it on eggs with pesto in the morning(or early afternoon for you morning people out there).  Grow little sprouts grow!

Signs of Spring



Monday, March 28, 2011

My Perfectly Round Pizza

I've been making pizza for a few years now.  It's easy and it's delicious.  Never in all these years  have I ever made such a perfectly round pizza. Most of mine turn out looking more like an amoeba, which is just as appetizing as it sounds. Perhaps, you have managed to make a perfectly round one on the first try.  Congrats to you, some of us are slightly more challenged and therefore deserve the right to brag about simple feats like this on their blog.



Here is the break down, so you too can make a perfect pizza.

  1.  Buy Trader Joe's Pizza dough. 
  2. Throw some flour on the pizza stone and take the dough out of the bag and set it on the stone too.
  3. Forget about it for twenty minutes.  Go water your plants or talk to the cat or make a cocktail and watch PBS.  (You have some freedom on this one, those are just things I like to do)
  4. Okay, wander back into the kitchen at some point, during a commercial or when the cat decides she's too good for you.  
  5. Start stretching the dough a little bit at a time like they do on tv.  Do not try to throw it into the air, trust me on this one.
  6. Roll it with a rolling pin covered in flour of you need to.  Work really hard to make a circle.  
  7. Once you have a circle or something close to a round shape roll the edges a little to make a crust.  
  8. Then begin to add your ingredients.  I brush on some olive oil, add basil and fresh tomatoes and mozzarella.  I topped it with some garlic powder and chili flakes.  
  9. Then bake according to the dough instructions. 
  10. After removing from oven and allowing to cool.  Cut with kitchen scissors or a pizza cutter if your fancy. Enjoy while you gloat to the cat about what a talented chef you've become.
Bon Appetit!   

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Cute Weeds

If you are going to have weeds, at least have cute ones. 
Found these little beauties in one of my neighbors yards during a walk with my Momma.  

Saturday, March 19, 2011

2011 Garden Season Has Begun (For Me Anyway)!

I got a little excited and already started seeds for this years garden.  
Not sure of this was wise, but it sure made me happy.   

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Why Am I so Happy?

I keep asking myself this.  Every day, every single day I keep thinking "why am I so happy? When did this happen?"  I am driving through town running errands and I'm smiling from ear to ear.  I feel a little ridiculous.  I even feel silly telling anyone this, but I kind of feel like I need to shout it from the roof tops.  I am bursting with joy.  I can't exactly put my finger on it, but it seems to be coming from me.  No matter where I am or who I'm with I feel like I'm the luckiest woman in the world. 

I am scratching my head and digging through my life trying to unravel this mystery.  I do love where I live and I love that I finally feel like I have somewhere to call my own.  I do love my job and all the time it gives me and the independence it allows me.  I love my roommates and my friends.  I love my new kitty LunaBelle.  I love that spring is just around the corner.  I love that I'm going to be able to have a garden this year.  Yet it seems more than this.  I feel like I'm in love, you know that dizzy crazy falling feeling?  That giggly goofy grinning phase of falling in love?  I feel that way, but there is a big difference. My romantic life is the last thing on my list of priorities.  So that leads me to believe that I might just be falling love with my life and....... myself. 

Why do I feel like I'm not allowed to say that?  Is everyone going to think that I'm conceited or narcissistic?  Am I gloating?  I don't think so.  Even though everything in me wants to, I am not going to feel guilty for being happy.  Not this time.      

Monday, February 21, 2011

I've been Adopted!!!

I went with my roommate, Brooke to go buy a fish and left the store with the new love of my life.

I don't particularly like fish.  They seem so emotionless, but if we were going to get one I wanted to be involved in the picking process.  We went to several stores and ended up at PetSmart, where coincidentally I had been stalking a little grey cat for the last few days at the Haven Humane kiosk.  I have been longing for an animal love every since my last kitty love, Mercury, crossed the rainbow bridge nearly two years ago, but the timing just hasn't been right.  I truly believed when it was meant to be the right kitty would walk into my life.  I did have a few requirements.  She must be grey, she must be fluffy, and she must have a mind of her own (I don't handle clingy relationships well).  There she was tiny and grey and fluffy and completely ignoring me. Perfect!  I had found my girl. I took her home the night before the full moon. The perfect time to find my little LunaBelle!

Friday, February 18, 2011

Redding Bucket List

  • Rock Climbing
  • Hiking  Lassen
  • Hiking Castle Crags
  • Wine Tasting at local vineyard
  • Visit Alpaca Farm
  • Take a trip to Napa
  • Visiting Turtle Bay
  • Expand my Yoga Practice
  • Start a Book Club
  • Naked Ladies Clothing Exchange Parties
  • Find an acupuncturist
  • Spelunking
  • Have a healthy producing garden
  • Shakespeare Festival in Ashland
  • Eat a meal at Ikea
That's my list so far, but it is definitely a work in progress.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Hometown Bucket List (Suggestions Welcome)

Funny, how so much can change and yet things basically look the same.  I took a little jaunt across the country and in less than a week I managed to change my mind about nearly everything.  I was ready to pack my bags and move to the cold.  In all honestly, I don't even think I knew what cold felt like.  Well, I learned quickly, and it didn't take long to make me realize I had taken California and all she stands for in my life for granted.  I need sunshine the way most people need food.

So I came home, back to this place I have spent most of my teenage and adult life trying to escape and yet again I got to see it with new eyes.  This is my home and I need to fully experience everything she has to offer before I pick up and leave.  So I think I will start working on a Hometown Bucket List!  The goal is to give me something to focus on and let me see a different side of good Ol' Redding.  I'm taking suggestions if anyone wants to tell me restaurants to try, trails to hike, places to go, etc.  Hopefully, I will have at least most of the list done by the end of the week.  I will post what I have finished by this weekend.  Thanks for your help in advance!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

My Favorite Salad Dressing Ever!!!!!

While I was in Maui last fall, I spent an afternoon at the Ali'i Kula lavender Farm with my Mama and my sisters.  We had a lot of fun touring the place, the views were beautiful and we had a little photo shoot with some umbrellas we found on the grounds.

When it came time to visit the gift shop, well some of us went a little crazy.  Some of us, basically being me.  The lavender creams all smelled divine, the lavender chocolate and teas were heavenly, and the lavender art was gorgeous.  My addiction to lavender was fully evident to anyone within earshot.  Strangely, enough one of my favorite things there was salad dressing.  My mom poured it in a cup for me to drink, this seemed weird to me.  It was dressing I didn't want to drink it like tea.  I put my finger in it to try it and it was at that moment I fell in love.  It was sweet, it was tangy, it was lavendery (ya, that's a word....now).  Apparently, this moment was so special we documented it.   

After coming home, I was living out of suitcases and boxes and the last thing on my mind was making a salad.  I was a little obsessed with the question, "What am I doing with my life?"  Well, after a few trips, job interviews, and some major reevaluation I am getting settled in a new place with a new job and I have time to ponder the nature of meditation, inner peace, and salad dressing.

The last one mainly because I bought arugula and need to use it before it goes bad.  Anyway, last night I made this amazing salad of arugula, romaine lettuce, mushrooms, apples, and blue cheese crumbles.  Of course I topped it with the Lavender Herb Dressing.  It was amazing!  So good in fact I made it again for lunch today.  I'm not the only one who thinks its good either, I've been secretly running taste tests on my friends and family too and they all love it as well.  I thought I would share this with you just in case you have been in a salad dressing rut, it's okay it happens to all of us at some point.  If you can't make it to Maui for a salad dressing run, no worries you can get it online.  Just click on any of the links above.  Happy Eating!   

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Quirky Girls from xkcd


Check out: 



Knitting Myself Happy

It happens every year.  Sometime between the leaves beginning their beautiful death march and the daffodils pushing free of their winter tombs I find my needles and yarn and allow myself to obsess about knitting.  Obsess, might sound like a strong verb but it is really the only word to describe it accurately.  I love to knit!  I knit until my wrists crack and my hands cramp.  When I'm not knitting, I think about knitting.  I carry needles and yarn in my purse, and when I'm really at my peak obsession I carry around my knitting bag, which was passed down to me from my maternal great grandmother. 

My obsession all started about seven years ago when I was living with my paternal grandparents down in southern California.  My Grandma Penny was on a knitting kick at the time and decided to teach me.  Nearly every night we would sit and watch Lifetime movies and knit together.  That's what most 20 year olds do right? 

There are some things I should clarify before you get the idea that I'm some kind of expert.  First of all, I can only knit scarves.  Which is basically the equivalent of microwave meals in the cooking community.  As in anyone with fingers and some hand eye coordination can knit if a scarf if they so desired.  I also basically only use one particular type of stitch, the most basic, garter stitch.

These are a three I am currently working on and should be finished with soon.  The one on the left has been in progress for two years.  I finally just rediscovered it and figured out how to finish it.  The middle one I started just over a week ago and will probably be done by tonight.  The very last one was an experiment to see if  I could use two yarns simultaneously, so far so good.

Here's a youtube video about how to make a scarf in case you want to join in my obsession or if you just want a scarf let me know, I might know where you could score one. 




 

New Moon for the New Year

I've been thinking all day about what I wanted to write about the New Moon tonight.  It is the first of the 2011 and the new moon is a time to start projects, plant seeds, and begin a new path.  Which would be the perfect way to start the new year.

I have a lot on my plate right now that needs to be addressed and I haven't quite had the energy for it.  I want to sleep most of the day go into work late and basically ignore my responsibilities.  My "To Do" list keeps getting longer and longer and I keep finding ways to ignore it.  So in an attempt to look productive without actually being so I started googling stuff tonight.  As luck would have it I stumbled across an article  CAPRICORN NEW MOON 2011: Aim your ambition-NOW.  It was exactly what I needed.  A little reminder about that wonderful word, ambition.  I was full of energy and drive a few weeks ago and I'd like to start out the New Year feeling on track.  I am currently tying up some loose ends in my current place of work and my personal life.  I want to give my all so as I do make a new start there is nothing from my past haunting my future. 

Happy New Moon everyone!  May you be blessed in whatever you are starting or finishing right now in your life.