Twelve Years and Still Going Strong

Twelve years ago in a quiet, private ceremony in our living room, Michele and I exchanged rings and promises to face together whatever joy and pain came our way. Five years after that we had a slightly more public (and definitely more legal) ceremony on a beautiful mountain in Vermont during which we again exchanged rings and promises. Although my first ring fell apart (we were existing on beans and rice at the time, so we did our best ringwise!), the promises have stayed strong and secure. I have no idea what the next twelve years have in store for us, but I couldn't be more blessed to be sharing them with my very best friend! The journey couldn't be more exhilarating!

Our wedding in Vermont

Carrot Creative

OK, well, I am clearly not the only one "crazy" about carrots. This video is awesome - it show a man making and then PLAYING (quite well) a carrot clarinet! TOO COOL! I think I may need to try this, too! This link was sent from one of my favorite coworkers, John, who has an awesome photography blog, A Second Look (though, sadly, I haven't seen any carrot photos on his blog. More's the pity!)


Also from John comes this link to Flute 'n' Veg. Oh, what I wouldn't do to be one of the Flute 'n' Veg musicians! I can play the violin, do you think I could make a carrot violin??

And, last, but not least, in case you missed it, I wanted to share Teresa's cleverness that she left in yesterday's post's comments:
"A museum devoted to carrots?! Are you sure YOU are not the proprietor or should I say "carrator" (as in curator)." LOL!! TOO funny!

Amd, on a completely unrelated note, voting started on my Etsy team's first monthly challenge. I'd love it if you'd head over to that blog and vote for your favorite entry!

Carrot Dogs - OH YEAH!!

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this, but I REALLY LIKE CARROTS. Well, today I was perusing my friend Carol's facebook page and she was saying one of the reasons she likes Rochester is "homemade Mac and Cheese Hot Dog with bacon, next to the Farmer's Market where you can also eat Carrot Dogs." Most of the text was just 1s and 0s to me once I saw "Carrot Dogs." I had to find out more, so I went to The World Carrot Museum, which has a page dedicated to Carrot Dogs on their site - which you should totally visit, it's SO interesting! I'm definitely trying these, so, anyone visiting me this summer for a cookout be forewarned: that's probably not a beef, pork, turkey, or tofu dog on your bun! (That wasn't at all meant to sound as dirty as it sounds!)

I'm In!

I got the official "you've been approved" message from the coordinators of my first ever juried craft show! I am so excited! As I mentioned, it's the MayDay Underground Arts and Crafts, featuring live music from local bands. If you're in the Rochester area, please mark your calendars for May 1st! You can find more information here.

Also, I completed my contribution to my Etsy team's monthly challenge. I'm sure you remember that the theme is Alice in Wonderland and throughout the entire movie, I thought, "Oooo, what if I took a crack at making The Red Queen's hot pads?" And so that is just what I did! I actually had a ball at it and learned a new technique in the process. I wanted to make sure that the hearts were extra secure so that I could advise a customer that the hot pads will wash and dry nicely, but I'm always a little leery of the security of applique on items people will use. So, I did a little research and found Dale Fleming's pinless piecing method for curves and other shapes. It worked like a charm, is as secure as piecing because it IS pieced, and the hot pads turned out great, if I do say so myself!

Blocks of Glass

I will likely never spend this much time talking to you about windows, but I am incredibly proud of ours at the moment. Michele and I have wanted, for the five years we have lived in this house, to replace the basement windows with glass block windows, but one thing and another always diverted our money elsewhere. It was finally the right time and I took today off to have it done. Oh, what a difference! I think they are just gorgeous and the basement is now so very bright and, well almost, cheerful! This is actually our first tradesperson-done home improvement project we did because we wanted to, not because something was broken!

The only thing I thought I would not like was that to install the windows, they needed to remove the sills and trim, which, besides the awning, front door, and a little trim on the sun porch, was the last of the green on the house. Losing this made me sad because 1. the house is WHITE and I may have mentioned that I LOVE color, 2. if we get rid of any more of the green, the big green awning will look odd, and 3. it's St. Patrick's Day and removing green seems sacrilegious. But, now that it's gone, I find I don't miss it at all! Our next tradesperson-done home improvement project is to get the house resided and, you guessed it, it DEFINITELY will NOT be WHITE!!! I think I have Michele convinced that yellow would be divine. And, I'm not sure if driving an 80,000 pound truck down the highway was distracting her, but when I said, "These windows make the basement so bright and cheery, now let's seal the floor and walls and paint the floor orange and the walls a bright, cheerful yellow," she said "OK, that sounds good!" I only wish I'd recorded that!

Alice

Michele and I went to see Alice this weekend. It was a beautiful movie, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. The imagery was amazing, but I had the hardest time hearing and understanding what they were saying and at one point fell asleep - which honestly NEVER happens to me in the movies! We saw it in 3D, which was a first since I was a kid and a lot has changed. No more paper glasses with one blue and one red lens and the 3D effect was really amazing - I kept reaching out thinking I could touch something! Michele and I kept the glasses instead of recycling them because 1. we paid SO much for the movie and felt entitled, and 2. (the real reason) I wanted us to model them for you! I am actually very glad we saw the movie because my Etsy team just started monthly creating challenges (where each member who wants to participate will make and list something in their shop that is along a set theme) and this month's theme is Alice in Wonderland and, boy oh boy, do I have an awesome idea in my head! You'll see more of that later in the month, but for now, here's two cool cats in 3D glasses:

Yellow, Orange, and Green Attraction

OK, I just noticed, after Teresa's comment on yesterday's post, that I have pretty monochromatic palatte: most of the food in that picture is orange/yellow! So, I started thinking about everything else I eat and it's true. The bulk of my favorite foods are yellow, orange, or green (with a little red thrown in occassionally), which just happen to be my three favorite colors. There has to be a psychological link to explain my attraction to things that are yellow, orange, or green. And as I write this I look down and notice I have on a yellow shirt, green sweater, and orange sneakers - I'm sensing a pattern here!

Is There Such a Thing as Over-Organized?

I truly enjoy being organized to within an inch of my life. So much so that every Sunday I take an hour from my relaxation regime to make my lunches for the next week. I've always liked eating the same lunch everyday- in fact, if I change my routine to eat out or for some event, the day feels off and I feel hungry and unsatisfied - strange, I know! - and when I switch from my winter lunch to my spring/summer/fall lunch I have about a two week adjustment period to look forward to. Well, today as I was lining up the components of my next five lunches, I realized how pretty (and slightly crazy) it looked, so I decided to share it with you.

My body likes to be fed every two hours without fail or will make it's displeasure known, so I start my day with a smoothie (frozen strawberries, 1/2 a banana, strawberry soy yoghurt, 3 scoops of protien power, and Mango V8 Fusion). Then, I have a mid-morning snack of 10 baby carrots, which I quarter longways, dipped in spicy chipotle hummus. About two hours later, I have a salad. I have nothing against lettuce, but it plays a distant second fiddle to the rest of the goodies I put in my salad: shredded carrots (are you surprised?), scallions, apple, zesty sprouts, radishes, and red peppers. I put all those goodies in five individual containers and then as I'm packing each morning, I top off the container with romaine lettuce, spinach, and craisins. I don't add them until the morning because lettuce and spinach wilt and craisins bloat if they are added in advance. I take a little container of dressing and bag of crumbled baked tofu to top the salad just before I feast. About two hours after my salad, I have a cup of butternut squash soup - sometime I go a little crazy and have red pepper soup or spinach soup - I'm living on the edge! My late afternoon/pre-dinner snack is a cup of milk and a Kashi granola bar. Dinner can be whatever I want it to be, but I also make dinner for the week on Sunday and then divide it into five equal portions, and freeze any extra.

I get that it might sound a teensy bit controlling and a tiny bit, hmmm, let's say "over-organized," but it really saves me a lot of time and thought in the morning. That and arranging all five of my outfits and underclothes for the week, but I won't go into that.

Friends

When Michele first went on the road a little over a year ago, I had a few good friends who I still adore and am in contact with, but I've never been one to have hoards of friends, or want to. As I look back over this past year, I am amazed at the number of new friends I've made and how much closer I've gotten to the friends I had previously. Starting this blog has connected me to so many wonderful people who share my interests. Starting my shop connected me with even more and has been a fun way to have a better relationship with my sister. Even being lonely at home has had its benefits: it's made me reach out more to friends and get out of the house to do things. And in addition to being fun, my friends help me be accountable. For example, the group of Etsy friends who are challenging me and each other to list an item a day in our shops, or the friends who read my blog and wonder where I am when I don't post for a few days (sorry about that!). I am so grateful for the new appreciation I have for friends and for each and every one of you! You all are the best!

A Beautiful Weekend, or How Many Ways Are There to Consume Tea?

This has truly been a gorgeous weekend. The sun shined constantly yesterday. This morning, our pastor said that when the sun is out so consistently in Rochester, we all become like sunflowers, raising our faces to the warmth and slowly turning our bodies as the sun moves in the sky. There is truth in that statement. Today after church I started my day of rest and relaxation with a yummy sandwich and a good book on the sun porch, which was bright and warm. Soon, I couldn't resist turning my face to the sun, shutting my eyes, and taking a nap with the sun beating full on me and melting away the winter chill...which lasted for about an hour, at which time I awoke freezing because the clouds had come and, in winter, when the sun is not streaming into the uninsulated sun porch, it is quite cold! Oh, but it was lovely while it lasted.

Being chilly is actually a good lead-in to the rest of my plans for the day: my rendition of High Tea! This afternoon/evening, I plan to take a long soak in a tea bath while enjoying a pint of Haagen-Dazs Green Tea ice cream. After which I will lay in bed with a little plate of Vanilla Green Tea sandwich cookies and a wonderful pot of mango white tea. And I am off to enjoy and hope that you have the chance to turn your face to the sun and enjoy the day, too!

I'm Doing Another Show...I Hope

I hope to do another show - actually I planned to do five this year, but think I will likely do three - and I am crossing my fingers that I will be selected. This will be my first JURIED show! I'm a big grown up girl now! For those who may not know, a juried show is one for which I need to submit a portfolio of my work, have it judged, and that judgment is the basis of my admission (or non-admission) to the show. (OK, remind me that I'm a big girl if I don't get in!) the show itself sounds really cool: MayDay! Underground Arts + Crafts. It's an indie arts & crafts show that will feature lots of cool vendors and live music. It really sounds like fun and it's on May Day - the first day of my birthday month, so it seems like fate!

Off My Game, or Who Threw that Monkey Wrench

I am the type of person who thrives on a schedule and with a routine. Ruts - I love them! I adore eating and doing the same thing over and over and over and my favorite work experience was any which required me to wear a uniform. I like stability, routine, monotony, and patterns. That being said, the whole basement flooding episode threw me off my routine. For one who enjoys being settled, any breaks in routine are really difficult to come back from. I've really been off my game, neglecting my blog, neglecting my friends' blogs, forgetting things, missing appointments. That's one problem with leaning so much on stability, routine, and ruts: any monkey wrenches throw me for a loop! So, that having been said, I'm trying to get myself back on track and hopefully you will all bear with me!