Waiting for Cider

Ok. Back for a moment...

2010-03-30T19:57:00.005-05:00

I've been busy with work, and my new second job making dog tags. It's superfun, and I think we're in the black finally... so that's good.But in the meantime, we've been waiting for a decision on... oh... anything. Remember? Just tonight, Jed got an email from the Maine/Vermont rep that he is scoping out to replace. We're planning a work/exploratory trip in early May to Portland ME and parts of

check 1

2010-03-22T18:26:00.001-05:00

testing testing... 1 2 3

sidetracked

2010-03-17T21:30:00.001-05:00

I feel like I've been writing in half sentences... these weeks have been cobbled together with little flurries of activity and lots of waiting... A few things... this site isn't updating on other sites. I'm aware. And I'm not sure why. It coincided with the time I put the lockdown, so I'm wondering if I messed with the site feed? I tried to fix it a few times unsuccessfully. So, I started to

stress!!!

2010-03-10T19:53:00.000-06:00

life is rife with hospital visits of the paternal sort. More later, but seriously, can people get healthy around here already? one of my etsy clients emailed and said she hasn't received her package yet. I mailed it 8 business days ago. GULP. I have no idea. I told her I'd replace it and ship at my expense if she didn't get it by this weekend. I really really really hope she gets it because

Mu Ha Haaaa....

2010-03-07T17:40:00.001-06:00

It has a lock. And it auto closes. I almost feel bad for him. I think he knows it's the end of an era....

busy busy busy

2010-03-06T08:33:00.001-06:00

It's Flea Market Day! YAY! It's the closest thing we have to a French brocante, so I'm totally pumped. And Bar Crawl tonight, and sleepovers and breakfast .... and busy busy busy! Tomorrow, I have to crank out three tag orders that I need to ship, and things are going well there. I got a new order of metals in, including Nickel (ooo...!) and a few tiny pieces of sterling to do some initial

big sigh of relief.

2010-03-03T08:48:00.000-06:00

theCopperPoppy's Feedback: Positive: 1 3/02/2010 Mabel Tag, in Brushed Aluminum cat1wright says: Very nice and sent quickly. Highly recommended!

the second job

2010-03-02T15:48:00.000-06:00

So I had a dream last night that I had bad feedback on Etsy. :::I scurried home from work last night to work out, eat some dinner, and head upstairs to crank out two new tag orders. I had a little "Maggie" tag that looks like the Butternut one online and then an "Hazel" tag that looks like the Sadie tag. I've realized that doing custom stuff is difficult, because you're trying to hold up the

Sweet Sixteen

2010-02-25T08:38:00.001-06:00

There's an auction goin' on over at HomemadebyJen and The Copper Poppy is Sweet Sixteen! Take a gander, and get that bidding up! It's all for a good cause!!

the intermission

2010-02-21T15:04:00.000-06:00

This is a strange in-between time. Not Winter anymore, not yet Spring. Not ready to plant, not sure even if we should...:::Contemplating this whole move-to-the-Northeast has been swirling around in our heads since mid-December, and the thought is getting a bit dusty on the shelf we've had to put it. We've schemed about rolling hills and mountain views with our little house and barn in the

morning light

2010-02-20T14:48:00.002-06:00

:::snapped this photo this morning, admiring our new bedroom arrangement as the diffuse morning light poured in. Come on Spring! Soon enough, we'll be able to crack the windows and let the breeze in!

rescued.

2010-02-15T18:06:00.000-06:00

Just a tidbit, and I swear I'll stop talking incessantly about my new etsy shop... Just thought I'd quickly feature my favorite new piece-- heck, they are all my favorites-- but my *new* favorite is this hammered copper tag I made this afternoon and decided to call "Sadie" after my parent's rescued pooch. I love how it's distressed and the tiny little rose that is attached. I'm totally

Open for Business

2010-02-15T08:38:00.001-06:00

Check it out online! I got some of the pieces posted up last night and promptly started fretting that someone would buy them. The what-Ifs started coming... what if people would be unhappy with the pieces? What if I messed them up? What if the pictures look nice and people aren't happy with the real product? What if... :::I had a dream that I received 9 orders overnight-- from one buyer-- a

finito.

2010-02-14T15:40:00.001-06:00

ok. deliberations done: the Copper Poppy it is. I have spent my entire day deciding it.

writers block. or thinker's block. or I don't know....

2010-02-14T11:01:00.002-06:00

The naming SAGA continues…. Here's some inspiration... what if something similar to this image was incorporated into my shop name.... ? THEN what do you think the name should be? Totally looking for all ideas, as I've been mulling this for like... 2 days. I know I said not to pigeon hole myself into dog stuff, but I see plenty of shops with names that may or may not describe what they

going crazy

2010-02-12T22:58:00.002-06:00

All the equipment has arrived! ::: It's nearly 11, and I am still making stamped tags. Cousin dogs and cousin cat... you have tags on the way! FUN!!! ... creatively yours, Cider

going crazy

2010-02-12T22:52:00.001-06:00

All the equipment has arrived! ::: It's nearly 11, and I am still making stamped tags. Cousin dogs and cousin cat... you have tags on the way! FUN!!! ... creatively yours, Cider

sold!

2010-02-08T20:47:00.000-06:00

...to the highest bidder! $42.00 plus s&h!Net $31! SCORE!Lesson Learned: someone loves Domo more than me, that's for sure...

down to the wire...

2010-02-08T15:30:00.002-06:00

Pink Domo in all his cuddliness could be yours. $31.50 and climbing.... it's a steal, people. Get in there and bid up!!

gettin' my craft on....

2010-02-07T09:37:00.002-06:00

EEE I bought my stamping stuff, I'm totally pumped! I ended up getting a package kit from Romazone's Etsy Shop, which seems to be pretty comprehensive. After trying to piece it together from different sites, I decided just to break it down and consolidate the search! So the alphabet set I'm going with right now is a 2.5mm block set. It's nothing fancy, but it's a start. I drooled

Avant garde like that.

2010-02-05T19:34:00.000-06:00

John Mayer, Ben Folds (then Five) and now Domo.... Let's just say I'm at the forefront. I knew I was onto something when I turned the corner in Borders and found an entire display of Domo stuff-- Easter Domos, Halloween leftover Domos, and just one... just one PINK Valentine Domo! It was totally adorable, and I knew that after the insane week I had, $12.99 had never made me happier. So I

fickle whim?

2010-02-01T20:28:00.000-06:00

So Poppy's little star tag was ripped off when *someone* put her leash on the wrong ring to go out. One pull towards a squirrel, and I'm sure the thin metal pulled straight off. And her little tag too. So I was troving around etsy to try to find a cool, hip new tag for her and came across all these lovely specimens (each photo links to the respective etsy shops) ::: fitting?stinking adorableor

back with a vengeance

2010-01-29T20:00:00.002-06:00

I'm back. Vacation was amazing. Much better than I expected, especially since it was just a few days with plans no more complicated than laying on the beach doing nothing. Literally- doing absolutely nothing. Except for drinking margaritas. Or Beer. Or deciding to move to the pool. Or flipping over on the lounge chair. Yep. Life was full of the tough decisions. ::: So I'm back. And so is

see ya!

2010-01-20T14:49:00.001-06:00

So much for winter pictures... let's fast foward to summer! It's in the mid-nineties in Mexico right now, and I'm looking to do... oh... approximately NOTHING every day besides eat, drink, and lay on the beach.... Check ya later!!

start to a great weekend...

2010-01-16T15:49:00.000-06:00

Snowshoeing on a foggy winter morning! So beautiful! More pics to come!

Dreaming...

2010-01-13T20:57:00.002-06:00

We have old house experience, right? Isn't this just a perfect New England house? Totally not haunted, though, right? Right? Anyway. Jed finally talked to what would be his future boss today and they had a surprisingly good conversation. Surprisingly, I say, because we're trying to keep really low hopes about everything. I'm not saying hope like we HOPE to leave, but hope like... we

talked out

2010-01-10T18:57:00.000-06:00

I wish I had something more exciting to write. This weekend was all talk talk talk talk. Talk on Friday about finances, talk on Saturday about schools-- Law School? Masters Degree? MBA? Project Managment certification? ... blah blah blah... What we want to do, where we want to go. How we don't know what we want... Then Sunday. We were going to go snowshoeing (picked Jed up a pair at Play It

together again

2010-01-03T19:20:00.001-06:00

Oh hey, did I mention that it was cold? Did I happen to mention that my kitchen is only about...ooo... 20 degrees warmer than the outside temperature? Sure, sure, we put in a new window. But when the other 75% of glassed surfaces in the kitchen are wonky, I bet I could make ice cream just by mixing ingredients together. No special equipment required. So, we cranked up our Senior Citizen boiler

Ok. Fine. I'm Here.

2010-01-02T21:27:00.008-06:00

The crazy part about writing something publicly is that there is a slight bit of accountability that comes with it. So yeah. Resolution: write more. This is a seriously slow night, and I really do have things to write about... ideas, conversations, things that I've been mulling about. But do you know how hard it's been for me to actually pull up this stinkin page and put it down? Hard. No

Wrapping up 2009...

2009-12-31T10:15:00.018-06:00

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?  Started making soaps, attended Dog Obedience Class, started a new job in a new town with a longer commute. Planned a trip and went to Provence. Bought a Buick. Met with a personal trainer. Went snowshoeing, Booked an all-inclusive. 2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

projects abound!

2009-12-29T16:26:00.011-06:00

...it was high time to finish the kitchen-- no more corners of ugliness and clutter. The "nook" was the last bit left, and we schemed for months about how to tackle it. So, we took our first day of the week to run to ikea, buy all the needed bits, and start assembling. This morning, we got crackin' on mounting it all up and it dawned on me ... there is this strange happiness in the clutter of a

it wouldn't be vacation...

2009-12-29T10:29:00.002-06:00

...without a house project! Some exciting new changes coming to our kitchen area and main living space... Pics to follow shortly!Hope you're having some lovely downtime before the New Year.

it's an imposter...

2009-12-20T16:42:00.006-06:00

Num Num... astonishingly enough, ours actually turned out and tastes awesome!Double Chocolate Peppermint Bark12 oz chocolate chips (we used Ghirardelli semi-sweet)1 pound white chocolate chips (we used Ghirardelli)1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract1/2 cup peppermint candy, crushedPreheat oven to 250. Line a 9x13 pan with foil, letting it hang over the sides. Spray foil. Pour the chocolate chips in

the ones you turn up loud...

2009-12-18T21:01:00.015-06:00

I'm assembling some gifts tonight and decided to stick itunes into our speakers upstairs, and then I got to thinking... there are songs I *always* go to because I love them (especially on better speakers), but most often just because there's a GREAT part in them that I look forward to every time. Want to know what they are? (I'm curious about yours...)- Fix You by Coldplay. I just LOVE about 2

annoying.

2009-12-14T21:18:00.004-06:00

Trying to print ornate wine labels with multiple sticker sections *without* going out of the lines or totally messing it up...It's just a pain in the ass, I'm sayin'.So if you get a bottle of Riesling with beautiful label I've slaved over and wasted my entire Monday night for... be appreciative, ok?

Christmas is in the air...

2009-12-13T19:19:00.004-06:00

It was truly a weekend of hustle and bustle. We'd been unable to do any real Christmas shopping and this week we hit it all- head on, full force. Starting with a Friday night whirlwind trip up and down the strip, we crossed things off our list as we went.It's so odd how these seasons come and go. Just a few weekends ago it seemed nice enough-- mid 60's, actually -- that I pulled the chaise lounge

the hermitage...

2009-12-07T20:21:00.004-06:00

Not sure if you've noticed, but I never gave a formal shout out to the new blog I'm following, Into the Hermitage. It's totally magical, and completely necessary on those days when I'm trying all I can to mentally escape. Do yourself a favor and scroll back to the days when she recounts how they turned a horse trailer into a real 'mobile' home and trekked across England-- seeing sunsets and

Friend Thanksgiving!

2009-12-06T17:06:00.004-06:00

Another delicious Friend Thanksgiving under our belts... This time, we switched it up and served a Roast Beef-- this one rubbed in porcini mushrooms, olive oil and garlic. The menu also included au gratin potatoes, corn souffle, pear salad, Julia Child's cooked carrots, and apple cranberry pie for dessert. We even ichatted with our out-of-state friends with their new baby! It was a great time...

giving credit...

2009-11-25T20:54:00.003-06:00

It was brought to my attention that I didn't give credit where credit was due with the backsplash project. My parents came up to help and between the two entries about the project, I thought I had mentioned them in at least one, but it turns out, they didn't make it into either!So thanks Dad for your mad electrician and grouting skillz, and Mom, for your help sticking and tiling. It looks great!

giving thanks....

2009-11-25T08:00:00.001-06:00

I am thankful for: a loving and perfect husband for me two awesome dogs-- for as much as they annoy me, I love them even morefew, but great friendsfamily. In all forms...a small and cozy cottage. It's warm, clean, and perfect for usa job. it might not be the perfect one, but it pays the bills and allows us our lifecreativity and the desire to make our own stuff-- wine, soap, etc. I like that we

Scent #1

2009-11-23T08:00:00.001-06:00

Did you know that in an average GQ magazine, there are 11... count them ELEVEN... fragrance samples/ads for Men? Seriously?So, I went in, ripped them out, and will be doing a day-by-day assessment of the scents. Maybe this might lead us to actually purchasing one, though I'm not sure. Seriously? For a $10/year subscription x 11 ads per magazine, that's over 132 scents to peruse.... Worth it...??

back in business

2009-11-22T17:33:00.012-06:00

Phew! A little 10 dollar card reader was all that stood between me and photo uploading. Good thing it wasn't worse. What a GREAT weekend-- gorgeous weather, catnaps on the porch, cleaning the house, Murphy's oiling all the wood floors- it smells great and clean and fresh and completely dustless. How did we ever live with carpet before... Seriously?Anyway, no need to hold your breath any longer...

How do texts possibly compete...

2009-11-18T20:27:00.005-06:00

Weell. Since the camera isn't cooperating and uploading backsplash photos, I thought it'd be fun to go in the Wayback Box in the basement... that's right: The Gradeschool Note Box.Note written to me, circa 1993, in pink pen.Alyssa, Hi! What's (upward pointing arrow). Nothing here. (love how this is the standard greeting in *all* my Jr High notes.) Channel 1 is so boring. Some issues are good but

new backplash!

2009-11-15T21:28:00.002-06:00

It's completely unlike my house to allow a project to go off seamlessly-- easily-- perfectly. We got an entire travertine mosiac backsplash up and grouted in 8 hours flat. It was all thanks to Simple Mat. This thing is AMAZING people... if you are considering any tiling projects, do yourself a favor and just get the Simplemat. Sure, it cost about $30-50 more than hanging tile the old-fashioned

Could be coincidence. Or maybe just D.

2009-11-11T20:02:00.007-06:00

So, after reading this and another article in Women's Health on Vitamin D and how most of us aren't getting enough, I decided to toss a $4.99 bottle into my basket at Trader Joe's on Saturday-- what the heck...I take a multivitamin (with only 400mg of D,) but it seems that 1000mg are suggested. Main sources are egg yolks (don't eat), salmon (haven't had in years) and yeah... sunlight- and lots of

So, not a Taurus....

2009-11-06T21:04:00.014-06:00

Ok Fine. So you all figured out that it wasn't a Taurus. It was the possibility of having a horse... for FREE*!The horse I went up to work with over the summer, (remember those magical late-summer weekends that spurred lovely, lovely visions of life in the country?) is well, open to re-assignment. Jackson needs consistent training, work, and someone to dedicate some serious time to him.It's

a teaser...

2009-11-06T07:53:00.003-06:00

I don't have time for a full post, because I should be leaving the house to do sales right now... Ha. Ha. Hmph.. and I'm procrastinating... but really...Let's just imagine, for a second, that you always dreamed of buying your favorite car-- say... a Ford Taurus. Say that you love Tauruses (or Tauri?), you took Taurus driving-lessons, and always dreamt of having a Taurus in your very own garage

Halloween Pics, including carrots and a sink.

2009-11-01T07:39:00.009-06:00

Yesterday, we made Provencal Beef Stew-- which included carrots-- so I wanted to celebrate our first REAL sized carrot (photographed next to most of the other wee-ones we've been pulling all summer!) The rest of the garden, for the most part, has been zapped by the frost, but these carrots are safe in our raised beds from the cold for now... and look at how big and yummy that one was!Secondly--

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T06:00:00.000-05:00

have a spooktacular day!

for the record...

2009-10-29T21:24:00.005-05:00

I just wanted to make it known that I would be a *fabulous* castle owner, in case anyone has the need to give me one. I seriously think this is my true calling in life. Seriously. www.hgtv.com/hgtv-keys-to-the-castle/videos/index.html

Peppermint Tea Tree wake-up soap

2009-10-26T21:33:00.003-05:00

I cut it out of the mold today and put it down in the basement to cure, and I just love the way it turned out. It smells like heaven-- super uplifting and minty-- with the lovely fresh scent of tea tree oil- which help invigorates and clarifies skin. One little design difference- I decided to not smooth out the top once it was in the mold, leaving the puckers of the freshly-poured soap on top. I

Monster Mash...

2009-10-26T08:00:00.003-05:00

Click below for some Halloween Fun!

the yellow brick road

2009-10-25T17:28:00.003-05:00

Somehow it went from freshly mowed grass, green leaves, blue skies and sun... to Fall. The old part of town where I live is smattered in a blanket of yellow leaves blown from the old Maples that tower over the streets.In the short moments that sun peeked out this weekend, the light through the yellow canopy was just stunning... too bad they'll all be down in a matter of days. Dismal November here

he's the best...

2009-10-23T07:40:00.004-05:00

look at what I found after work this week on a particularly crappy day...Remember Domo and how I love him? Jed actually went to Seven 11 for the .99 Domo cup special and asked the guy to buy JUST the cups so he could arrange this special chandelier look...Awww...

Oatmeal, Honey, and Milk Facemask

2009-10-18T19:59:00.004-05:00

Tonight I made my own oatmeal face mask. It was nice... I haven't done something like that since our old 'spa nights' in college and a few years after...So you want to recreate the ridiculousness in the privacy of your own kitchen? Here's how...(First, I steamed my face for a few minutes over a pot of steaming water, with a few drops of essential oils-- I chose tea tree and peppermint.)While the

a lesson in bottling...

2009-10-18T08:36:00.005-05:00

It's time to bottle our Alsatian Riesling! Let's have a little lesson in bottling, shall we?One large 6 gallon carboy of wine will fill approximately 30 bottles of wine. So this morning, we ran up to the brewshop and picked up two cases of clear wine bottles (clear for white, green for red.) Two cases, of course, is only 24 bottles, so we supplemented with other random ones we had laying around--

2009-10-13T18:27:00.008-05:00

SO... beautiful weekend. I know that pretty much anyone who reads this blog has heard about our little getaway-- but maybe that's not the right attitude. It was a really nice Fall trip and had just the right amount of doing and not doing...Hm. I've had so many great ideas for blog posts in the past few days, but.. yeah... I kind forgot them. So I back to what I do best right now-- mull about

attack of the monster pumpkin

2009-10-07T18:54:00.003-05:00

I saw one a few days ago being lugged through town and luckily, I had my camera on me...Hm... kinda reminds me of this show: Lords of the Gourd, a *completely* riveting program on PBS (no... really...If you had the chance to catch their intriguing programs on Ferret Shows and Hairworld-- you know what I'm talking about...) which highlights the super dedicated mega-pumpkin growers. The methods

shopping fun... and lots of pics!

2009-10-04T08:40:00.009-05:00

What to wear to an October wedding expecting 41-degree lows and rain. Hmmm...Maybe it's because we never really get a reason to dress up anymore, but every special occasion-- wedding, important party, etc-- is an opportunity to go fancy stuff shopping! Earring shopping, bracelet and necklace shopping... maybe even dress(!) shopping! And while it's fun, it's also a royal pain in the a$$ sometimes,

apples!

2009-09-27T18:23:00.006-05:00

Inspired by my new blog header, (which I'll say, might be my favorite yet...) and a fellow Facebrook friend posted about her apple picking adventures, I hopped on pickyourown.org and found Kuipers Family Farm in Maple Park, just 20 minutes away. The crystal clear skies and gorgeous, crisp weather just BEGGED us to go apple picking. This was new for me-- I'm a veteran blueberry picker, but I'm a

Belated...

2009-09-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

How could we miss Darby's first anniversary with us? Just over one year ago, we were faced with the (not so) tough decision of bringing on a second dog, and we mulled over it for a full two weeks before we decided to take the plunge. You can read about it....here, here, and here- when we almost shipped him back after decimating our kitchen.So it was timely that, when logging our oil changes, we

the wonders of kale.

2009-09-26T16:53:00.003-05:00

Ok...fine. Summer's over. I lit the Mulling Spices candle yesterday and planted the flowering kale for our window boxes. Kale is to Fall as to Geraniums were to Summer. Love it!And a final updated house pic. I'm totally scheming of photoshopping this sucker- changing the color, putting on some different shutters (or maybe none?) All in a scheme to get hopelessly excited for a remodeling project

separation anxiety

2009-09-25T20:13:00.003-05:00

So. Back from Milwaukee. It was a good week, a long week, but a nice change of pace. Staying at the Hilton downtown is really nice, and it was especially awesome and supernice that Jed was able and willing to drive me up and stay with me the first night, and then come back up on Thursday night to eat/hang out and take me back on Friday at noon. Milwaukee's not far, but that drive ALL THE WAY UP

because you can't ever have enough pictures of Bassett Hounds...

2009-09-20T16:02:00.004-05:00

Today we went to the Dwight Harvest Fest. It's a triumph of fried food, tacky booths, open pit barbecues, carnival rides, and all things Fall and fabulous. The fest is crowned with with a super-long parade (that I used to march in when I was in... ahem... color guard), and no doubt, the best part of it is the 15 minutes *before* the parade called the Basset Hound Waddle, where over 900 pooches

barn sale booty!

2009-09-19T11:40:00.005-05:00

The 33rd year of the St. Peter's Barn Sale. I was there 45 minutes before the doors opened, which apparenty wasn't that early, since lines were starting to form, especially around the popular furniture and antiques doors. I skipped the lines and headed to the country breakfast area-- for $4, I got a full plate of eggs, sausages, hashbrowns, a biscuit and drinks-- that's what I'm talking about!The

loving...

2009-09-18T07:38:00.002-05:00

starting at 8:30 at the office closer to my house. The extra half hour to sit at home, relaxed, with a cup of coffee... LOVELY...Happy weekend!

change of pace

2009-09-13T09:11:00.005-05:00

End of summer calls for some changes around here-- we moved the table from our 'dining' room and made a little seating area where it was. Jed put up the matching chandelier we had stored in our basement for a few years-- swapping out the ugly half-dome thing that was there.Our little house doesn't offer too many options to re-arrange... but it's nice to see things a little differently every now

pinky and the brain

2009-09-12T14:43:00.004-05:00

a good day for a bath...

cycling...

2009-09-10T20:37:00.002-05:00

email...! facebook...! second email....! blog I read...! third email account...! other blog I sometimes read... facebook... blog I often don't read but link to but am so bored that I click on... craistlist... indeed.com... ebay?.... my blog.... email... facebook... second email.... blog I sometimes read... third email account... other blog I sometimes read... facebook... blog I don't often read

weekend, sans pics.

2009-09-07T08:02:00.010-05:00

What a great weekend. I just love it up there.I was all excited to start snapping photos when Darby jumped into their water garden and waded with the goldfish... ...but alas, *someone* forgot to pack the camera. So I'll just have to describe it....We were lucky to have absolutely perfect weather- 70s with sun- slightly warm during the day (enough that I could work on a farmer's tan while working

not doing.

2009-09-04T08:36:00.003-05:00

We have so much to do around the house, it seems. The list grows: -clean out the basement before winter-take large floor rugs outside for a good slap around, and rotate-plant fall lettuces (too late, maybe?)-weed the west side of the house-change out light fixtures inside... (we have them... they are just sitting, waiting)-fix leaky faucet-fix kitchen floor tiles-weather seal the doors-buy/

everything I ever wanted and more...

2009-08-30T18:04:00.003-05:00

As a kid, i had this recurring dream: I'd discover... just happen on... a horse that was lost, left, or magically kept (!) in my shed at home. I've played this scene out a hundred times in my dreams, and it is still vivid: I find the horse- usually at sunset- and discover that...wow!... our shed has been turned into a horse stall and OMG there are bridles and bits and brushes and everything just

thinking about food.

2009-08-24T20:09:00.005-05:00

totally digging this issue right now-- not enough to say, go on the 100-mile diet (from Plenty, the book I'm reading right now)-- but maybe.And then, today at work, I sit down to lunch and see this: Getting Real about the Price of FoodInteresting, isn't it?Excerpt: So what's wrong with cheap food and cheap meat — especially in a world in which more than 1 billion people go hungry? A lot. For one

camping in photos...

2009-08-23T14:45:00.008-05:00

the most perfect camping weather.ever.geocaching.

camping!

2009-08-22T08:02:00.002-05:00

...we're heading off for another round of camping today, and I'm super pumped that this week, weatherwise, has been complete and utter crap camping weather, except for TODAY! YAY!! Finally something works out for me in the camping department.We're meeting up with friends for the day/evening, grilling some dinner over the fire, and hunkering down with the dogs for a night of cool sleeping. I'm

clarity

2009-08-19T11:01:00.001-05:00

... I'm hoping for some in the 'what should I do with my life' department. I checked out this book at the library, and I'm hoping for a beam of light to come down from my living room ceiling when I open it. Seriously.

nothing exciting.

2009-08-17T21:10:00.003-05:00

It's been a busy few days, and I was sick of looking at that mallet, so here's a new post.Tonight, it was back to the gym and MAN my legs felt it. I was a slacker over the weekend (in the gym department) So blech. I could barely get through the 20 minutes of cardio afterwards. Wore some new green gym shorts today... yep. kelly green. Thought twice about sticking my lower half in green, but they

lavender soap! and riesling!

2009-08-11T20:10:00.005-05:00

lavender soap- that is actually lavender!I wish my camera batteries weren't so low, otherwise I would have totally taken a picture of how ridiculously tomato-soup colored this soap was when we poured it into the mold. Fortunately now, it smells like heavenly lavender fields, but a few days ago, it looked like tomato bisque just waiting for a dollop of cream and a basil sprig. For added texture, I

on family...

2009-08-09T19:15:00.017-05:00

This past week hasn't been great in the extended family news department. On Thursday, I learned my mom's mom has the early stages of Alzheimer's, and today I heard that my dad's mom has advanced liver cancer. For one, it's early. For one, it's advanced. Just like that. While I've never been close to my Grandma on my dad's side, and it's been oh... probably 15 years since I've seen her... but

not easy, but easier.

2009-08-03T21:03:00.003-05:00

Tonight was my last training session, and before it, I decided to hop on the treadmill and get the dreaded 20-30 minutes of cardio done *before* the weights this time. I'll have you know, which is the milestone I'm reporting on tonight: I ran probably the easiest mile that I've ran in my life. Ever. Except for when I was 11 and ran a mile in 7 minutes 45 seconds. Except for then, it was probably

all over the place...

2009-08-02T20:51:00.003-05:00

I need to stop going weeks between posts, each titled 'weekend recap' or something similarly inane... But really, I just feel like we haven't had that much interesting to write about lately...Friday, I was in a funk, grumpy about everything and nothing in general. I had spent nearly the whole workday researching rental cottages/cabins for our fall getaway, which has never seemed to be so

week in review

2009-07-27T21:04:00.004-05:00

...because i'm out of breath... tonight was legs/freeweights. and wallsits. WALLSITS, people. It was terrible...week in review, bullet style: -10% cut at work, given .00038% days off in returnfarmers market to the sounds of the Common Taterssearched for lavender oil to make soap. L'Occitane sells it for $18.99. Thanks, but I'll passstop at grocery on 3 separate occasions = forgetful... and bad at

updates on the homefront

2009-07-20T20:15:00.010-05:00

In the meantime between rescuing baby bunnies, ironing my bedlinens, and recovering from jet lag, I thought I'd post some updates on the domestic front. Not surprisingly, we have relatively run out of steam and money for large house projects-- though multiple $1k projects loom-- windows, front steps, doors, cellar door, a fence, patio beautification... where to start? But: we chose travel, so we

the great outdoors

2009-07-19T16:51:00.006-05:00

On a whim to take advantage of the oddly cool July temperatures-- and to test out our tent (which we received as a wedding gift nearly three years ago and never opened)-- we decided to go camping. The thing with camping is that I never know that I want to go, until merely minutes before we start packing, so it's always a last minute scramble to see which park is open and... crap!... do we have

Arm Day

2009-07-15T20:23:00.004-05:00

Right... So I told you I was doing these personal training sessions, right? Well, I started before France as a last-ditch effort to get a Riviera Beach Body, and I got about two weeks into it. Well, I'm back, and I still have 6 sessions left. I'm on a schedule of Mon/Thurs: legs and run, Tues/Friday: arms and run, Wed: rest. So, I moseyed into the gym this week and hit the leg machines-- only to

inconspicuous

2009-07-12T18:14:00.004-05:00

Maybe she thought no one was looking.... and I thought that she didn't see me (lots of zoom.)....At the least, I know that she was wrong!

back from Provence, but not yet to reality.

2009-07-10T15:49:00.013-05:00

Here's the thing about fabulous vacations-- it's not just what happens while you're gone, but basking in the afterglow when you return.Suddenly, I want my entire house to smell like lavender... I cut huge hydrangeas from the garden within 4 hours of landing in the states to put on the table, covered in my new French linen tablecloth. I want new embroidered sheets JUST like the freshly ironed ones

Un!

2009-06-26T12:00:00.001-05:00

Blastoff! We'll be in France tomorrow morning!I'm re-reading packing lists, combing through the house making sure all is in order... why is it when you pack for a big trip, you *always* feel like you're forgetting something--- is the curling iron plugged in? the garage door left open? did I remember to shut the hose off?All that aside, we're super excited and ready to see, with our own eyes-- and

Deux

2009-06-25T11:00:00.001-05:00

Can you smell the lavender? It's in full bloom when we arrive!

Trois...

2009-06-24T20:41:00.005-05:00

the countdown begins....

won't you be my neighbor

2009-06-21T20:16:00.006-05:00

just in case you were in the market for an 1880s church, boy do I have a deal for you!Who doesn't love the tasteful decoration of a gold disco ball hanging from the 23-foot cathedral ceilings. Or the large table with supersize skull? But seriously, if someone wanted to dump ALOT of cash into a house that already costs nearly half a million dollars... it could be amazing! downside: no yardupside:

just like I ordered it...

2009-06-19T21:13:00.004-05:00

The 10-day in Provence:No matter if you can't see it-- or read French-- actually.Just sun, sun, sun, sun.... endless sun....

so.... not the lemonade diet.

2009-06-16T19:14:00.004-05:00

There was a fleeting minute (er... three hours) that I did intense FDA-caliber research on the esteemed Master Cleanse... AKA... the Lemonade Diet. I was interested in the de-toxing effects, including losing cravings and renewing my energy after reading this article in the Tribune two weeks ago. It happened like this-- I was eating eggs and drinking coffee a few Sundays ago, and *BING* -- I

livin on the cheap...

2009-06-14T17:58:00.005-05:00

So, don't judge me or anything, but I got my hair cut at Mastercuts this weekend. In the Mall. Yeah. Truth is that I needed it done and didn't want fork out $50 plus tip at a salon in the suburbs. And I just wanted a trim... nd I keep making justifications....But it's cute. And it's done.Speaking of cute, I saw these purple shoes:And... then I saw...And then... the price (BIG LOTS!)And I thought,

The Jury's Out: The Skortini

2009-06-08T09:05:00.006-05:00

The best we could do: I hope I don't stand out as an obvious covered-up American.... It's not French-Riviera-skimpy, but it also doesn't make me look like a lost whale enroute to cooler seas...Enough with the torture of pre-teen suits. I decided to buck up and hit some real WOMEN's suits (code for tum-and-bum coverage.) The jury is still out on the skirt bottom. Some think it minimizes, some

'Southern Living' meets 'Wired'

2009-06-06T11:18:00.002-05:00

It's a perfect little summer morning around here- dropped off the car for an oil change and took the dogs for a 1/2 hour walk in the meantime. Cleaned the house, went grocery shopping (gave Aldi a try again, inspired by my sister's success- and loaded up for just $60!) Eyeing all the fruit I bought, I had the idea to make a perfect fruit salad- with all the good fixings and none of those you

a big mistake...

2009-06-04T12:31:00.004-05:00

WHY WHY WHY did I ever think it was a good idea to just pop out for lunch and see where the car would take me? MY THOUGHT: it's a nice day, I'm sick of being in the office... let's just drive up the street... and OOo-- a little shopping center! I'll pick up lunch, but first, maybe I'll go run into a store... ooo- Old Navy! Do I need anything...??....no... but $15 dresses! $15 tanks! I walk inside

Aging ourselves...

2009-05-31T17:45:00.008-05:00

A few weeks ago, we got the seed in our minds that we should start looking around for a new car. The Stratus had put in 11 years of faithful service, and it was time to retire him to the parking lot in the sky. It was a little sad for me to hand the keys over... that car had been my Christmas present the year I got back from London, and it drove me through college, my first job, trips home, trips

why I hate used car dealers...

2009-05-28T18:12:00.005-05:00

email from me: "Hi, I saw this car online and wondered if it was still available."email from him: "Yes it is, it's one of the finest cars on our lot, a local trade-in with a sparkling Carfax, loaded with bells and whistles..blah blah blah" 30 seconds later: A Newsletter from the Dealership welcoming me to the 'family' 30 seconds later: A call from the used car sales manager to let me know that he

summer's in the air.

2009-05-21T19:54:00.011-05:00

I caught a glimpse of a bank sign that read 87 degrees today, and I believe it. It's just a tinge bit warm upstairs, but perfectly cool downstairs thanks to our cellar... but who wants to sit inside when it's a perfectly splendid night to hit the new porch, pop open a sweet white lambrusco, and download some Jack Johnson. Yep... Summer's in the air.Tomorrow- we'll be loading up the car and