Zumi

I've made it no secret that I looooove dreamy photos...old vignettes, etc. I have now found a little digital wonder that takes just these type of pics and videos! Of course it's made in Japan, but being sold at Photojojo for $170.00. This will be placed on my list for Santa;) Oh wait I am Santa!

Baby Shoes

See Kai Run has the cutest kids shoes. Adalae goes shoeless now....not that the baby has no shoes, but the ones she has are to big. She's a little sprite. Everyone always asks if she was a preemie cause she's so darn small...small, but chubby from all the boobie milk:) The pink boots are a must have. Every girl needs a pair of pink boots to parade around in!

Halloween Goodies

Here are some things that I love for Halloween from Etsy.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Witch Balls

Seeing that Halloween is on the near horizon, I thought I'd do some sharing of some fall favorites that intertwine with Halloween so to speak.  I love witch balls.  They are beautiful blown glass balls of all colors with intricate glass "webs" throughout.  The history is quite intriguing.  They were basically used to ward off evil spirits.  The preferred location to hang them was above an East facing window.  It was thought that the negative energy or spirit  was attracted to the glass webs inside and would go to investigate and then become trapped.

I'm moving into a new house in a few weeks (another oldie) and plan on getting a few for my windows.

Echo In Bone

Oh gosh....1 more day and the book is here.  One click at 3am on my trusty dusty Kindle, and I will be submerged in the world of Jamie and Claire.  Get a Kindle people....they are worth every penny!

I started this series 14 years ago...wow.  It is truly one of my favorite series..if not my very favorite.  If you haven't read it and you like loooong books then it is a must read.  The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon...counting down the minutes!

I'm a foodie-or a wannabe

I love food. Truly...thinking of cooking and new recipes energizes me.  DH likes food to. When trying to find ways to decrease our monthly expenses our grocery bill became the eye of scrutiny.  He looked up and told me that we could probably decrease that each week if we ate "regular" dinners.  Hmmmm. Regular dinners.  Define regular.  Hamburger helper, noodle packets, hotdogs?  Ah...No.  Now grant it.  My cooking of meals has really been on the downswing for the past several months due to my insane amount of working.  However,  I love to cook meals with different, fresh ingredients.  Whole grains, veggies, special sauces (not to mention pasta bestill my heart:), fresh herbs...these are all things that are essential to a great meal.
Plus, DH has noooo problem eating anything I cook.  So sorry, my taste in food and what to cook is not going to change.  I'm more of a fresh type of girl.

That leads me to self diagnosing myself as a foodie.  One that loves and appreciates wonderful, quality food from around the world.  I read a lovely blog called Chez Pim She's an ultimate foodie. Her food blog is packed with mouth watering receipes that will make you swoon. The thai-marinated chicken (now I love me some thai) makes my salivary glands start working! Or the thai cucumber salad.Writing down my grocery list as we speak. She has a book out.  The Foodie Handbook.  Another resident moving in to cookbook row.
And hamburger helper, I have a homemade recipe that I use.  I would be appalled to place the shelf version in my shopping cart.

Homemade Hamburger Helper

1 lb hamburger
1 8 ounce box elbow macaroni
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 large onion
2 cups shredded chedder
1 clove garlic
s/p to taste


Brown the hamburger and onion.  Drain the grease.  Add undrained stewed tomatoes and about a cup of water.  Add uncooked pasta to skillet.  Stir well and let simmer until pasta is cooked.  Add a little more water if necessary.  When it's cooked stir and chedder cheese.  Voila...a very good fresh meal.

Tokidoki Purse Snob

Okay...I have a new purse.  I am not a purse person.  If I do have a purse it's usually an expensive one.  I've had a Louey, Gucci, a few Coaches...and oh they have to be real from the store.  I am not a materialistic person..truly...but fakes just don't do it for me.  Ebay knock offs  from China?  No sorry. Who would know my friends say...I would that's who.  Anyways, I have been scoping LeSport Sac's Tokidoki line for awhile.  I love Japanese culture, anime figures with their punky flair.  Anything from Japan is oh so cute...However, I was reluctant to drop 150.00 for their smallest bag...but guess what?  While scoping my favorite store TJMAXX, I found one, just one on the shelf calling my name.  A measly $48.00.  And oh yeah...it's real!

Lady Bug, Lady Bug Fly Away

I bought a Lendrum a few months ago which I love. Truly. I haven't been spinning at all really because I have been soooo busy with working between to hospitals. However, that will be ending at the end of October when one of the hospitals closes. This is when I am finally going to have time to craft again. Mainly spinning and knitting. I really have had my eye on this wheel which is so flippin cute. The Schacht Ladybug. Each wheel comes with a hidden ladybug symbol on it of your very own. I will eventually buy it next year to have the two wheels...kind of like chocolate...you can't have just one, plus my youngest daughter likes to spin so we can do it together:)

It's All in the Cards....

I think everyone has some sort of deep fascination with fortune telling. How intriguing to think that someone may have some special gift to peer into your future. Personally I have always been drawn to it. It probably had something to do with coming from a very superstitious Italian family. My great grandmother told stories of taking children to the "witch" in town if they were hexed by something or another. When my daughter was small and fussy her grandmother  proclaimed that she had the malocchio (evil eye) placed on her. She would drop some olive oil into a bowl to see if the oil seperated. If it did not she was cursed! Some little chants and prayers would be said and the oil would seperate...and voila all cured.

My other grandmother from Italy swore she was chased by a werewolf through the woods of her small Italian town. My daughters grandparents from Sicily told vivid stories of changelings there and how to appease them.

I have been what I would call a dabbler all my life with Tarot cards. I have about three sets. They are mystical to me. A good friend of mine could read proficiently from a regular deck of cards. I have seen this one other time.

When I was in high school my mother knew an old Italian women who would read from a playing card deck. My friends and I sheepishly went one night to learn about our so called future. She read my best friends spread and told her blatantly that she should never ride on motorcycle. She would die this way. A year later she was killed on the back of a bike coming down the mountain from a party one night. She was about 16. Coincidence maybe? However, maybe she had a gift of some sort.


I've looked at buying some vintage sets on ebay. Dh strongly discouraged me....even though he does not believe in supernatural things he said they may have bad juju attached! He is a strongly superstitious man.

That Girl Can Cook!

When I really started reading blogs about two years ago, I was thrown into a world that captivated me.  The stories, pictures....vivid pieces of eye candy. They were almost overwhelming.  Why did it take me so long to find this virtual world?  I clicked and clicked on different blogs and fell in love with many.  One of my utmost favorites is Pioneer Women. . A funny, mesmerizing ranchers wife. Plus the women can cook. I've tried many of her recipes and they are sure to please. She's got a cookbook out in October that will be moving in to my house on cookbook row. Got mine from my favorite bookseller...Amazon.

Grab a cup of tea, take a looksy and go learn about calf nuts from PW!

Dreamy Photos

I love lomography. This lomography website should enlighten you if you have not a clue what I am talking about. The pictures that are taken with a lomo camera are rich in light leaks and saturated colors and hues. They are surreal vignettes. They create what I describe as dreamy pictures. Take a peak at these lovely photos.

I bought a lovely Diana F from Urban Outfitters. It takes 120 film. I lost my first roll I shot:( I plan on doing some for Halloween.

Great Reads

Reading is a hobby of mine I guess you could say. I read just about everything, including Young Adult books of my daughter's. That's how I discovered Twilight before it's mega stardom and shared it with all of my friends. These are a few of the YA books that are great reads.

Chicken Fever

Okay...these chicken coops and bunny houses are just to freakin' awesome. They are made by Omlet and come in the coolest brightest colors. I am sooooo smitten with these, but they are quite expensive....If I told DH that I spent 1200.00 on a cutesy chicken house, my head would be on the chopping block! I'd have to stash and save on my own for this...hmmmmmmm....but if I won the lotto I'd order one in every color...like easter eggs! The UK site has just released beehives that are similar in theme. Beestill my heart...see, Europe has better stuff than us:)

I need chickens...crave chickens....Ameraucana chickens!  Look at these brillant eggs!

I may get chickens, but not the 1,200.00 chicken penthouse.  Ours will have more of a ghetto flair:)

Cheesy Stuff

I have wanted to try cheese making for a loooong time. I love cheese. Usually expensive cheese. The kind that my kids used to call stinky when they were small. Even when I was little my affection for cheese was great. I used to lock my Italian grandmother in the basement when she would go for the laundry, just to sneak the fresh romano and ricotta by the spoonfuls! She used to get me with the tea towel when I finally sprung her. How we laughed about that when she was alive.

Abby loves goat cheese. I just bought some brined in wine. Very good! We thought about getting a dairy goat for cheese, but are moving so that's out of the picture for now. So I will have to be a consumer of fresh milk for my venture in cheesemaking.     New England Cheesemaking Supply Company has great stuff. I need to order a kit after the move. I dream of fresh cheese rolled in fresh herbs from my garden. Sigh.........

How to Eat Fried Worms

Worms...now worms are our friends...not to eat of course, but to help you have a wonderful garden. Vermicomposting is awesome. We have not started ours as of yet, but intend to in the near future. The worms do not need a fancy house. You can really construct their home out of anything that works for you. According to Worm Women these are the only things you need for start up:

aerated container
Bedding such as shredded newspaper
Moisture and proper temperature
Small amount of soil
Redworms (Eisenia fetida)

Any kitchen waste goes to the worms. Bacteria and other organisms munch it up and the worms eat that, plus the bedding and bacteria. Then you are left with a pot of gold for your garden.
1 pound of red wrigglers (1,000) at Uncle Jim's Worm Farm is $19.00. That's cheap. And Uncle Jim's was on Oprah in 2008 for Earth Day..can't beat that..I wonder if she composts? Check it out people....make something good to go back to the earth instead of a bunch of garbage!

My Carbon Footprint ?

Do you know what your carbon footprint is?  Have you heard of it?  If not you need to go to the link below.  I am proud to say that my household was below the national level, but it's not enough.  We have changed our ways in some respect, but are working on others.  It's sad to think our world is changing because of us.  I wonder what it will be like when Adalae is grown up?  Hopefully we won't have an ice age by then!  A small change from one makes an impact for many.

Carbon Footprint Calculator - What's My Carbon Footprint ?

Flying Biquits Anyone

I'm always trying some new restaurant.  I saw this sign in G-ville and had to try it cause of the flying pig.  I love pigs and loved my pig Moo... who was killed buy my bulldog..God rest his soul.  So due to the fact it isn't smart to have a hog hunting dog with a pot belly pig we can never get another one.

I wasn't aware that this restauarnt was a chain.  I try to avoid those.  However, the food is very good.  The grits...oh the grits...I'm not a big grits eater, but these grits were special.  Very, very creamy.  DH, who never eats grits scarfed them quickly down.  The bisquits are to die for and they have an absolutely delish cranberry butter they serve them with.   Sorta a fru-fruy menu, you know my kind of place. They also have a cookbook out that I will have to buy. Good eatin'!

Miss Addy

I love photography.  I want to go back to school for a degree in it and open up a studio.  I like a certain look.  I hate, hate , hate portraits where everyone is posing and smiling for the camera.  That's why I don't go to Sears, etc. to have portraits done of my children.  That's not life people.  I want to catch moments that go unnoticed.  Snap the picture when someone is not expecting it.  Capture the true person and personality.  My oldest daughter takes wonderful pictures.  Her and I could be a team.  Anyone can learn to snap a picture and work a camera, but not everyone can truly be a wonderful photographer.  It's art...
at it's best.

Now that Addy's here it lets me think of inspiring ideas to take her picture.  I knew that I had to do railroad track pictures in this pettiskirt.  Next are cemetery pictures with her auntie Abby.  Priceless.    Amanda Keeys Photography  and blog have provided a huge amount of inspiration.  She does beautiful, beautiful work.  Plus she's a knitter!

I have soooo many pictures from this shoot.  Here are a few that are my favorites.

Farm To Family

Farm to Family Full Moon Festival.  Unfortunately I missed the three day Labor Day event due to having to work.  Hospitals don't shut down...EVER!  However, on October 31 there is another full moon festival.  Yeah!  We are planning on going and camping out.

 

Alexis went for 2 days  on Labor Day and camped.  She said it was great...a mini Woodstock...What???  I'm there.


On a full moon note...another adorable book for Addy.  Anything dealing with the full moon is all good:)

Crafting Delights

Jenny Hart, of Sublime Stitching , has an inspiring new book out.  Her embroidery is cool, cute and definitely different than your mama's old embroidery.  The chicks and I have started these projects...meant to be pillows, but haven't finished them yet.  Can't wait to get the new book and hopefully make some stuff for the peep.  She's a cool peep.

Another new book is 
Bend the Rules with Fabric.  Amy Karol is great.  Her blog, Angry Chicken ,  is wonderful.  One of the first ones I started reading.  This is a must have.  Me and Amazon have a great relationship!

North Carolina hear I come!

I am soooo excited to be heading to North Carolina in October.  I have yet to go to a big fiber festival, even though I have a fiber addiction.  Since Rhinebeck was nixed due to finances so close to Christmas, I searched and found the South Eastern Fiber Festival in Fletcher, North Carolina.  A big one here in the good ole' south.  DH is driving, thought we'd rent a new Charger for the trip.  I plan on doing alot of Christmas shopping (for myself) while there.  Also plan on taking a few classes to improve my skills.  Maybe even bring back a girlfriend or two for Bunnicula.

Taking Woodstock

I don't go to the movies often unless it's something I REALLY want to see.  They come out so fast on DVD that I can't justify taking the fam and spending 80.00.  However, our tradition is to always catch a Thanksgiving movie and one for Christmas.  DH and I broke away and saw Taking Woodstock.  I loved it...what can I say.  Love 1969..I was born that year.  It's sad, but our world will never see another Woodstock. Our country  is to violent, greedy, drug addicted...just purely messed up.

That's why I'd like to take off and move to Europe.