It's No Great Mystery....

....that I love to cook and and bake. I always have, ever since I was twelve years old. I taught myself in attempts to help my (single) mother out. Cooking and baking have always been my way of expressing myself but also a way of showing my love. Food can bring people together, one bite at a time. I admit, I have never had money to burn. I haven't eaten out much in my lifetime, and Iz ain'tz noz springz chickenz. I pride myself on being able to take 'nothing' and fill tummies with a smile. Something I have learned over the years is that wanting more abundance is at the root of my creativity = necessity has always given birth to my creative ideas. A huge part of me is grateful Life hasn't been handed to me on a silver spoon, that I have spoon fed myself.

I admit I am NOT Martha Stewart, not even close. (I also couldn't decorate my way out of a paper bag but that's another story.) There are a lot of things I do by winging it. Cooking and baking are one of them, but I enjoy flexing my 'culinary' muscles in both areas. I always put my heart and soul into whatever I touch. If times are tough (which they are, right?) and eating out is NOT an option for me, I might as well prepare each meal in objects that inspire me to keep on cookin'/bakin'. Some examples of what I use and love to use are posted here; items that bring color and fun into my kitchen. (The items pictured below are waiting to become apart of another kitchen. I will be slowly measuring, describing and listing das sieve, das egg basket, das heart shaped pan unda flunda das Pyrex very soon in my Etsy shop.) Life really does taste better when homemade. Recycled quality kitchen helpers with a history are the cherries on top.

Etsy, My New Found Love

I cannot remember the last time I treated myself to so many amazing lovely products as I have these past few weeks. Between my new bracelet from Jewels of Saraswati - Yoga Inspired Jewelry and Malas, soaps from Sacred Suds ~divinely inspired handmade soaps, and now some amazing facial/lip treatments ------ I truly feel pampered, sweet smelling, perfectly jeweled, kissable and clean!!!

I am currently running between two sick kids and on no sleep but I wanted to snap a few crapshots/snapshots of what arrived in the mail today to share. While I am about to fall over from lack of sleep, I was able to wash my face with Ophelia's peppermint apricot face scrub, followed by the peppermint tea tree balancing toner (man, does this stuff remove gunk without stripping me of moisture), finished off with the green tea face cream (never before have I had a cream make my face feel so soft and hydrated!). I then put on the solid perfume (YUM!) and tinted lip icing (double YUM!). I even received a free sample of buttercreme lip balm. My son, Ian, with eczema (and asthma) always complains when I try to cover his lips with Burt's Bees balm. He LOVES this balm. As a mom and woman, I do too! Don't let me forget how fun it was to open each one of these fantastic gifts. Such a pleasing experience.

Ophelia's Apothecary Aromatherapy Bath and Body Shop

New Bitten Red Creme Lip Tint Lip Icing .15 oz

Solid Perfume .15 ounces Pick your Fragrance~citrus cilantro

Free sample: Buttercreme All Natural Shea Butter Moisturizing Lip Balm .15 oz

Peppermint Apricot Face Scrub and Cleanser 4 ounces

Peppermint Tea Tree Balancing Toner 4 ounces

Green Tea All Natural Hydrating Face Cream 1.5 ounces

Thank you, Deborah and Heather, for treating me like a Queen!

She Keeps Begging

She keeps begging me to find her a new home. But her whispers are so faint I often forget. This is a reminder for myself ---- get some proper photos of this lass and start looking for someone new to fill her empty arm with flowers.

Softly

“May the raindrops fall lightly on your brow.
May the soft winds freshen your spirit.
May the sunshine brighten your heart.

May the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you,
and may *God enfold you in the mantle of His love.”




*God, Goddess, The Universe, you fill in the blank

Need I Say More - Fruit of My Womb - Captain Underpants

Stuck In My Mind (Oh Oh Oh)

"You Make Me Beautiful" by Moi

"On The Radio"

This is how it works
It feels a little worse
Than when we drove our hearse
Right through that screaming crowd
While laughing up a storm
Until we were just bone
Until it got so warm
That none of us could sleep
And all the styrofoam
Began to melt away
We tried to find some worms
To aid in the decay
But none of them were home
Inside their catacomb
A million ancient bees
Began to sting our knees
While we were on our knees
Praying that disease
Would leave the ones we love
And never come again

On the radio
We heard November Rain
That solo's really long
But it's a pretty song
We listened to it twice
'Cause the DJ was asleep

This is how it works
You're young until you're not
You love until you don't
You try until you can't
You laugh until you cry
You cry until you laugh
And everyone must breathe
Until their dying breath

No, this is how it works
You peer inside yourself
You take the things you like
And try to love the things you took
And then you take that love you made
And stick it into some
Someone else's heart
Pumping someone else's blood
And walking arm in arm
You hope it don't get harmed
But even if it does
You'll just do it all again

And on the radio
You hear November Rain
That solo's awful long
But it's a good refrain
You listen to it twice
'Cause the DJ is asleep
On the radio
(oh oh oh)
On the radio
On the radio - uh oh
On the radio - uh oh
On the radio - uh oh
~Regina Spektor

"November" Polaroid Transfer by Moi

Creamed Vegan Soup

While wearing my trusty mask (since I am sick and ready to pass out) I made a creamed creamy vegan soup I love. (No, no vegans were harmed in the making of tonight's dinner! Ha!)

[Funny, I just saw a tweet by halfpintsalvage on Twitter about eating in. This blog is fantastic! There is a recipe for honey butternut squash soup, which I probably should have done instead since it is cheaper and easier. But apparently, I am glutton for punishment.]

(served in a ceramic bowl made by my father)

This is something I came up with (a while back). My measurements are a guess, since I never write anything down:

Basically:
sweet potatoes x4
one head of cauliflower
five carrots
1 cup fresh pumpkin (or add more)
1 onion (and a tad amount of onion powder - nature's m.s.g.)
1 1/2 Cups raw cashews
garlic
fresh ginger
sea salt
sesame oil
spring water
secret seasonings - whatever floats your boat

...

placed on low, in my pressure cooker, for a few hours

puréed the hell out it in my VitaMix blender (make sure to take care not to burn yourself. you need to vent it so that is doesn't explode out in a huge hot mess.)

garnished with chili pepper and raw hemp seeds

Enjoy!

Hello Sunshine

Hello Sunshine, you are just my cup of tea. Another soon to be listed on Etsy. :)





But they will have to wait. It is dinner and game time now.

Herbal Tea(s) Remedy For *ME*

I have been trying to get my immune system back up and running. In my attempts I am currently sipping this blend made with a hint of agave:




Olive Leaf
Red Raspberry Leaves
Chamomile


Plus Lobelia and Mullein



(Keep in mind, I am not an herbalist or doctor. Certain herbs can be potentially fatal. Therefore, I am not recommending anyone follow my lead. )

Taken From The Tao of Photography - Seeing Beyond Seeing by Gross & Shapiro

The
Tao of Photography:
Seeing Beyond Seeing

Photograph by Christina Tibbets

Anything that excites me for any reason, I will photograph; not searching for unusual subject matter, but making the commonplace unusual.
~ Edward Weston

(page 76-77) Rule breaking

In Photography and the Art of Seeing, Freeman Pateson rocommends writing down a list of all the rules we assume to be true of photography....and then breaking them.
Here are ten rules that recur again and again:

1: Focus on the center of interest.
2: Fill in the frame with the subject.
3: Do not shoot betweeen 10 A.M. and 3 P.M. (The lights is too harsh.)
4: Do not shoot against the light.
5: Hold the camera steady.
6: Follow the "rule of thirds": e.g., 1/3 sky and 2/3 land or 2/3 land or 2/3 sky and 1/3 land.
7: Obey the light meter.
8: Photography children (and pets) at their own eye level.
9: Avoid lens flare with shooting against the sun.
10: Keep the camera level with the horizon.

BREAKING the rules:
1: Keep the center of interest out of focus; play with the balance of forms.
2: Allow space around the subjects; look for interaction with the environment.
3: Shoot on any day, at any time.
4: Photograph only against the light for a month.
5: Shoot while jumping up and down or spinning around.
6: Vary your compostion. Respond emotionally.
7: Disobey. Mess up the zone system. Overexpose and underexpose by three, even four f/stops.
8: Move up, down, on the side, all over.
9: Use lens flare to enhance a composition.
10: Create your own horizons.

Now examine the results. You might follow Freeman Patterson's advice to first evaluate your shots emotionally or intuitively to avoid rejecting them as disasters. You can analyze them more formally afterward to discover why some effects are more appealing than others.

Leap into the boundless and make it your home! ~Chuang-Tzu

Photograph by Christina Tibbets

Photograph by Christina Tibbets

Shadow Play

“Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance."

~Carl Sandburg

It's true.

"The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree"

~Stephen Wright

Listening to Bishop Allen Flight 180

MoRe Faves on Etsy

A few of my favorite new (new to me!) shops on Etsy!:




awkward

...


thelightningbolts

...

catfluff

A Few of My Favorite Things

I can never ever get on to make a treasury. Therefore, I decided to make my own treasury of sorts, my way, of my favorite Etsy finds. To be honest, picking a few was harder than I thought. There truly are a bagillion amazing sellers and items to gaze upon and wish upon a star for.........

NEW - To Catch a Thief - women's small - Les Vampires, ninja, outlaw print on athletic gray American Apparel track shirt $24.00

blackbirdtees



Carved Owl Sculpture/Canada $22.00

FoundVintageStyle

Crochet Hooded Baby Cocoon Chocolate Brown Photography Prop $38.00

PurdyThings

Astarte, Goddess of the Evening Star, handmade soap - Spiced Milk and Honey $5.50

sacredsuds

FREE SHIPPING - Rama - Magnesite and Russian Serpentine Earrings $15.00

JewelsofSaraswati

DEADPAN OWL 4--Original Ink Owl Illustration on Vintage Paper--DeadpanAlley-- $22.00

DeadpanAlley

Stunning Mid Century Modern George Briard Dish with Hand-Painted Doves (white, turquoise, gold) $25.00

TheVintageApartment

Coat Rack, Organizer - Repurposed, Vintage Wood Plinth Block - RECLAIM THE FOREST $36.00

halfpintsalvage

F I N D. P E A C E.... $38.00

CrowandIris

Rain Drops 18 x 24 Poster (Framed) $60.00

deedee914

You ALL ROCK!!!

Everywhere

Sometimes life can be crappy. I mean really, really, really crappy. People can seem selfish and mean. Sometimes I look around and wonder how so many human beings around me don't see it - right there in front of them. Right there next to them. Right there inside of them. I am such a visual person, it is as if life looks like the Matrix - sort of - only my 'Matrix' is simple and sweet, visual poetry and beauty floating everywhere, in between the crap. I find myself crying because the wind sang me the loveliest melody. Or because the birds flying above painted me a moving canvas (reminding me of freedom and growth)......or simply reminding me of soaring leaves, similar to the very foliage they are preparing to land in. The very foliage dancing to the wind's newest groove-session as a leaf falls to the ground beneath my feet; smelling the sweetness in the air while it kisses my cheek.

Life really can be filled full of pain and horrible things. Horrible. It's there in the news and on the internet. It's here in the world = Anger. Violence. Hate. Greed. Sad Egos. Fear of that which others do not understand. Mmmmmm.....BUT (and it is a great o'big butt like the one I am sitting on right now!) when you look beyond, around, even right at it there *are* kind people, beauty and peace EVERYWHERE. EVERYWHERE.


EVERYWHERE.

.

.
.
.

"Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light."

~ Albert Schweitzer

...

“It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them, more strength to relate to people than to dominate them, more 'manhood' to abide by thought-out principles rather than blind reflex. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles and an immature mind.”

~Alex Karras

...

“In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful.”

~Alice Walker

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

~Leo Buscaglia

...

“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never *leaves*.”

~Buddha

SWEET dreams (awake and sleeping), world. May you always remember your worth and power. May you always remember. And if you should forget look to the sky, the grass, the trees, the birds, the wind, the person in the mirror, children's eyes, those you love....they will remind you.