He(art) and Soul...

This time of year is a perfect time to consider independent artists/craftspeople when you're shopping... either locally or online...

(source scaredy cat primitives)

here's my most recent purchase... it started out as a gift... it ended up in my living room... on a ledge... with my other treasures... so, it's really still a gift... just to myself.

thank you red shoes



Trick or Treat...

It's my brother's annual Haunted Halloween Party...

I'm going and bringing a bag full of... 

wax fangs baby!  A most thoughtful host(ess) gift...

Happy Halloween Eve...

Is this genius or what?  I have a gingerbread boy cookie cutter that (up until now) only makes an appearance once a year...  if I can find a way to outfit him with turkey tail feathers... he might start to earn his room and board...

SOURCE:  REAL SIMPLE 

Sail Away...

These are perfect for a daydreamer like me...
who loves vintage...
and whimsy... and lakes...

and an excuse to shop (naturally)

they can be found at Found... in Ann Arbor...

PHOTOS: FOUND GALLERY

A Festive Place to Rest...

I like to shop outside the box not only for myself but also for gifts...
 

 
so I headed over to Etsy

and found a little pillow love...

 

 

courtesy of Elliott Heath Designs

Eat Your Veggies...

Last night I had dinner with an old friend... spaghetti squash... It's that time of year when you can justify firing up the oven to roast your favorite veggies...  This is healthy, fast and easy peasy...

Cut the squash lengthwise... scoop out the seeds and stringy bits with a spoon... rinse... pat dry... salt and pepper to taste and add a pat or two of butter... place each halve on a baking sheet... cover each with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes (depending on the size of your squash.)  Remove from oven and scoop strands from the rind... fluff with a fork... drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with parsley and a generous amount of parmesan cheese... enjoy!

PHOTO:TABLESPOON.COM

Bottles of Boos...

Some newly-finished vintage goodies for the shop...

 

Happy Haunting...

Two Buy Two...

Last night my Brother called and in the course of conversation mentioned he was at the grocery store shopping.  I kidded him about shopping and he went on to describe how he disliked it (the love of shopping is apparently not genetic).  He dislikes it so much that he buys things in duplicate... kind of like a retail Noah... but without the Ark... or the animals...  Two tubes of toothpaste... two deodorants... two bags of coffee... two... well, you get the idea.  That way he has to visit the store less often.  He said cost didn't factor into the decisionmaking either... "the price doesn't have to be fabulous... it just has to be reasonable" (his exact words)...  Cover my ears la...la...la... moment.  Only a Brother would nonchalantly utter a statement like that to his eternally-hunting-for-fabulous bargains, shopaholic Sister (and live to shop another day)...

REALLY Late to the Party...

Okay... I caved... I am now officially on Facebook.  I finally realized I was never going to see any more family photos if I didn't.  "le big sigh"  I'm trying to feel the love for the format...  but it's a bit chaotic... likes... thumbs... games...  One minute I'm happily watching an adorable video of my tiny dancing sweetie... the next thing I know I'm staring at some horrific picture of a starving dog posted to my timeline... activity log... feed or whatever.  And I'm all about animal rights but... seriously, nothing like that ever assaulted the retina in an IRL photo album.  And while I'm on the FB rant box... what happened to all my grade/high school peeps?  They're all so... ahem... mature-looking... and if they look like that, then I...  Facebook... it's not for the fainted hearted...

In the Kitchen With...

Chocolate!!  I am making these for a birthday celebration tomorrow at the office.  They're quick, easy to transport and have candy as a main ingredient... what's not to like?  Put them in a glass apothecary jar and you have a yummy little gift. 

Ingredients:
small pretzels
ROLO candy (chewy caramels in milk chocolate)
pecan halves

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place pretzels on sheet. Top each pretzel with one unwrapped ROLO. Bake 3 minutes (or until ROLO begins to soften, but not melt). Remove from oven; top with either a pecan half or another pretzel. Cool completely. EAT!!

Currently Reading...

Although I never had one special teddy... or bunny...  or blankie... (there was my sweet Thumbelina doll... but that's a post for another day), I cannot put into words how much I adore this book!  And even though I'm a little hesitant to use the word "adore" (kinda brings to mind some uber cheesey romance novel) ...like wanton or something... adore just fits the feelings this book inspires... for me at least.  You need to definitely scrounge up a copy (because I am not letting mine out of my sight) and see if you don't agree...

The Motherload...

I love my little vintage booth... I will never become rich because of it, but it does help justify the inordinate amount of time cash I spend at estate sales.  A couple of weekends ago, I grabbed several large sturdy tote bags and trudged through a grueling 7 estate sale marathon... attics to basements and back again.  In the end, I came away with a partially-filled bag of... well... not much.   And while there are no guarantees with these treasure hunts... it was particularly disappointing (not to mention humid... and dusty... and sweat and dirt/dust look awfully "attractive" after about the fifth attic). 

This Saturday there were only two sales and "last day" sales at that... so armed with one tote and low expectations, I set out... and hit a photography motherload.  I've had really good luck selling vintage cameras... but I was down to one lonely box camera in my booth and hadn't run across any in months...  And then... well, take a look... brownies, boxes, books, old adverts, oh my... initially, I took pics of my monster haul as it completely covered my dining room table... but it was after midnight and although I appreciate ambient lighting, my persnickety little Canon does not... so I re-snapped part of the loot I took to the shop... (and a few of my new artsy projects while I was at it).

 

 



 

 

By the Sea... By the Sea...

just made my annual trip back to to the lake to bask in some of my best childhood memories...

sunny skies and roller coasters on the horizon...

waves and water... shells and sand...

the lighthouse... (and breeze)

the hollyhocks... (and bees)

popping in at my old "swimming hole"

before grabbing dinner at the diner at the lake...

fish and chips style.

The One That Got Away...

Needed a replacement plug for the bathtub drain.  Found one.  Just hope the cats don't see it...

Do Not Lick the Pages...

I'm not even two weeks into this healthy lifestyle... eating more organically and exercising... I even figured out how to set up my pedometer (I only ordered it two years ago) and I have to say... I'm over it.  My poor legs are in shock...  previously, their most strenuous exercise was trying to remain completely covered by the throw while lounging on the couch... currently, I am taking them out for a walk... daily.  Mealtime has totally lost its charm... right now, I would absolutely kill for a carb... and not just any carb mind you, a bad carb... a very bad carb...  In fact, make that a bad carb topped with a bad carb... Like buttered egg noodles over mashed potatoes or butter pecan ice cream over sticky toffee pudding...  no, wait, sticky toffee pudding over cheesecake... much better.  Everywhere I turn it's salted caramel something.  So, I am rebelling the only way I can... while still staying the healthy course.  I'm reading my way through my collection of comfort food cookbooks... on today's menu... an oldie, but goodie... see if your local library has a copy... the photographs are grab-a-fork-eat-the-page amazing.

      

Is Your Cupboard Wearing a Sweater?

Based on an early review of My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag...And Other Things You Can't Ask Martha, a new book by Jolie Kerr, I initially decided to buy two copies to sock away for some newlywed/first place housewarming gift giving.  But after a quick "look inside" at Amazon, I convinced myself I needed my own copy.  Even though it seems geared toward a housework novice, it could definitely benefit the more experienced cleaner as well.  That would be me... experienced... a regular domestic goddess... (I typed that with a straight face too.)  I hate cleaning and all the time it sucks out of my day.  Unfortunately, I also like shiny surfaces, crisp sheets and windows I can see out of...  So, a little household advice alongside a little irreverent humor... this I'm up for... 

 

p.s. I had cupboard sweaters once... scary those... the disgusting result when dust bunnies adhere (over... ahem... time) to the fine film of grease on top of your kitchen cupboards... In my defense, I'm very short... and only climb up onto my kitchen counters (on my tiptoes) to access the very tops of the upper cupboards once a year... to rescue my great grandmother's holiday turkey platter.  I can't remember how I cleaned them... a mix of several toxic cleaners and some freaked out adrenaline-driven elbow grease, I think... I do know that right after that cleaning frenzy, I unrolled wax paper before putting the assortment of bowls, platters and big heirloom breakables back in place.  Now there's something I can get behind... wax paper (someday I'll devote an entire post to its uses and virtues) but in this case, suffice it to say that it is cheaper than shelf liner and I always have some on hand... very handy when the cleaning urge strikes (yeah, like that ever happens)...

Free Style...

My Mom and I have been meaning to get together for a "girls day" since January... and while the weather was pretty foul this past Winter, this outing was still long overdue... This Saturday the planets all aligned and we were finally able to meet up... we started out with no set plans... no timeline... just a day spent shopping, lunching and reminiscing...  In the midst of the shopping madness, we took a break and treated ourselves to a very nice lunch in a very nice restaurant... Later, we popped into a little local bakery and had dessert on the fly in the car with plastic salad forks... Each was an equally yummy experience... Maybe next time we'll mix it up a bit and stop at our favorite seasonal chili dog stand and drop in at a five star for a creme brulee finish.  The important thing isn't the where... it's the who... Grab someone you care about and make some memories... 

 

    

Fresh From the Heartland...

Yesterday, while flipping aimlessly through what cable has to offer... I landed on Food Network.  Imagine that?  (Probably not the smartest place for a foodie with a few pounds to lose to roost... but, oh well, I took one for the team... it's research.)  What I found was Heartland Table ...  Amy Thielen is your host... it's like sitting in your best friend's kitchen...  truly... she's not spangled and sparkled within an inch of her life... she not only offers great little nuggets of information in the course of conversation,  she also shows you how to repair mistakes and roll with the unexpected (a real plus... for someone like me anyway, who has been known to occasionally have a slight kitchen crisis)...  She films in her kitchen... in her cabin... in the woods... rather than a studio made to look like a kitchen in a cabin in the woods.  I really liked everything about this show...  

And, lucky us, she has a book out too.  It's already in my Amazon basket.  Check them both out... you can thank me later!

Let's Eat...

Okay... here's the dish... while I'd like to be that blogger that spent the afternoon strolling through a winter wonderland taking gorgeous photos of early promises of Spring... or wandering through a funky yet fabulous home taking candid snaps that would put a magazine photo shoot to shame... or making a drool-worthy photo laden tutorial of my latest baking effort... it's just not me... not on a regular, post-a-day basis anyway.

Don't get me wrong, I make a mean carrot cake and consider my decorating attempts fairly successful in an eclectically artsy way... but no, on this particular day, I was just too busy playing crazed, water gun toting, neighborhood cat lady... 

I think I mentioned earlier in this blog that my neighbor and I put out food for some stray cats.  Well, apparently I, unlike him, cannot just dump the kibble in the dish and go back into my home and mind my own business.  No, not me, I have to referee dinner time.  For cats.  Not even my own cats.  For feral cats.  

And because I am guilty of this activity, I have noticed a pattern whereby this little group of grazers has completely cut out a small cat from eating.  It happened again this evening... so, I did what any NORMAL person would do.  I went inside... cut a good-sized piece off a rotisserie chicken, loaded up a water pistol (yes, I keep water pistols... I have two house cats that need refereeing themselves occasionally) and headed back outside. 

I cannot accurately describe the scene that followed... Suffice it to say, it involved the tossing of the chicken to the small cat... followed by a lot of bent-knee, gun pointing, movie cop posturing, "get back...back off" fending off of the other cats until she FINALLY finished eating...  If I were a good blogger, I would have photos... gorgeous photos... the pale sunlight filtering through the lime green plastic of my water pistol... sigh.  Next time. 

LOL...the definition...

Originally, I'd read Allie Brosh's blog, so when I bought her book, I got two copies... one to keep and one to gift...

After devouring my copy, I knew one gift copy was not nearly enough (I am fortunate to come from a family whose humor intake/output is surpassed only by their air and food consumption) and so am heading back to order several more gift copies.

I could try and line up all the adjectives to describe this little gem... but I know I'd never begin to do it justice... so, I am just going to say you MUST read it... you really just must.

Baby, It's Cold Outside...

Because of the Arctic blast... Polar vortex... converging clippers... or whatever else our local forecasters are tagging the extreme weather this month, the few estate sales that were brave enough to schedule in January have cancelled in back-to-back weekends... leaving me not only fretting over my shop inventory, but with a large dose of cabin fever as well... My home remedy?

(Just one selection from the glorious PBS House Series.)  A most excellent way to spend a day indoors. 

Kale... It's What's For Dinner...

Since it's snowing and bitterly cold here... I decided to fire up the oven and give my poor furnace a little help in keeping my nearly hundred-year-old homestead if not cozy, at least moderately warm.  I haven't baked in earnest since the Holidays and I REALLY wanted to make (well, basically just eat) these...

If you're feeling brave, you can find the recipe here... http://cookiesandcups.com/peanut-butter-cup-crack-brownies/  Don't say I didn't warn you once you get there though.

 

But since I just started Phase One of the South Beach Diet (only 48 hours ago, actually) in my quest to eradicate all the damage of the three previous months of my "Eat With Abandon Holiday Food Fest."  I decided to behave and was reduced to this....

yes... kale chips... a perfect substitute... kale chips...brownies brownies...kale chips interchangeable, yes?  Oh well, here's the recipe... which I am sure you want... as opposed to those brownies... 

 

Take one bunch of kale... wash... dry... remove large stems... tear into largish pieces (they shrink somewhat while baking) toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and any other odd assorted spice that strikes your fancy (I used onion powder).  Bake 14 to 16 minutes in a 275 degree oven.  I baked mine on perforated pizza pans (so I didn't have to flip -- too much work)... Others have used cookie sheets and parchment paper and given the chips one turn while baking.  Remove from oven... enjoy...

 

I cannot wait for Phase Two... I'm just certain those brownies could manage to make their way over to the Beach...