little house on westnedge hill

the wild things are in hollywood

I have a small but treasured collection of Maurice Sendak first editions in my library, so it goes without saying that I am geeked for this film adaptation coming OCTOBER 2009 which was directed by Spike Jonze (who was formerly married to one of my favorite directors, Sophia Coppella.) Check it out. Also, be forewarned that with the smart release date before Halloween, the cool costume for little boys across America will be little Max's wolf costume and WILD THINGS masks! Maybe I will try and sew one for my boy?

Return from Adventureland

I took a vacation! I've returned swine flu-less. I took another vacation to recover from the vacation...and now I am back with every intention of recounting amazing adventures in the land of breezy palm trees. I really will get to all that, but first...baby steps back to right brain thinking.

During my recovery from the tourist mecca that is Orlando FL, I watched a 1986 award winning film adaptation of a well known book called A Room With A View. Even though I am a cheesy romantic and a complete sucker for period pieces, I'd never seen it before. It showcases a bunch of well known actors at the beginning of their careers and it shockingly (for 1986) contains a five minute scene with a bunch of full-frontal male nudity. My husband was disgusted by this but I think it had little to do with the male anatomy as much as it had to do with the fact that (refreshingly,) there was zero female nudity before or after this spectacle he had to endure. Not even the typical cleavage shots customary in most films with corsets and petticoats. Poor boy, watching a two hour chick-flick only to be insulted with male genitals and no cheap thrills for all of it. I couldn't help but laugh out loud at his grimace. Anyhow, the film was...ok. I wish I had read the book first. It did make me want to go to Italy very badly and make-out in a barley field with red poppy flowers.

Today, most of us have such short attention spans. We are trained to see action, a pay-off, the nitty-gritty details of characters in a film or in a book, at such finite and revealed levels. This movie was painted with much broader brush strokes, at a distance, slowly....and the big payoff equaled a few kisses...and then finally, multiple kisses towards the end. That's it. Nothing really to it. But the feeling evoked from those milk-toast, simple, sappy scenes gives you the actual feeling of a first kiss. That amazing feeling when you first kiss someone you completely adore and, because you have permission, you just want to keep on kissing them repeatedly. You have just discovered the other person fancies you equally. It's lovely and sweet, not...graphic. That's what I liked most about the film (besides the naked men, of course.)

No matter how fortunate you feel when you find the person you want to marry, as a girl.... you always morn that time when just kissing someone new was fresh and thrilling. Once that feeling fades, you exchange it for something different but you always remember THAT feeling at the be ginning of your romance.

I am reading another book which was adapted into a movie but I can tell already, I won't want to see the movie. The book is written with such a blend of insight on negative human nature and a poetic melancholy rhythm when the author explains how he makes sense of all the bad things bad people as lovers do to each other.... but it's characters are too dark for me and resemble all the negative stereotypes of Euro-trash.The story has a sad honesty that makes me understand its mass appeal, but its primary argument is that nothing we do in life really matters if we only have one life. I don't subscribe, but the author does challenge you to think it all through on his terms. It is called The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

But.... enough about my movie watching and night reading. Did you have a pleasant Mother's Day? I liked waking up to this little stretch of chalk-board paint in our Kitchen with a message for me from my husband & son duo:

 

Which brings me to the real joy that was to be had amongst the crowds, $4.00 bottles of water and madness that is the commercial expanse of Disney on my recent vacation. 

It was the thrill of just being with my son on a grand adventure to some unknown land. (It was a "NO DADS Allowed" trip with grandmas, moms, and cousins-- which wasn't as mean of a proposition as it sounds since my husband called me from the golf course...)

Anyhow, my boy will only be 4 yrs old once, and the magic of that land was so true and genuine for him. He almost gave himself a dislocated shoulder trying to pull the sword out of the stone (The Sword and the Stone; remember that one?) at the Magic Kingdom. "That's a real sword mama, but it won't come out!"

We also went on his first "grown-up" roller coaster together, The Big Railroad Mountain. We went down Splash Mountain together, too. I love roller coasters. I always have since I was tall enough to try each one. It doesn't matter if it drops from 200 feet and flips around and upside down in the craziest way, I will ride them all if given the chance...so to me, this was a milestone to ride with my child on his first. Of course, I held onto his waistband with a death-grip the whole time thinking he'd fly out, so it wasn't quite the same experience!

We went with his cousins and rode through It's a Small World, and Pirates of the Caribbean and the excitement he whispered to me is right up there with the stuff I hope I never forget. He asked so politely for a coin to throw to make a wish during the Small World boat ride. (There is about $135,790 worth of change on the bottom of that ride, by the way.) He held his penny so tightly and declared "I wish to come back to this ride again with me and my momma, because I am so happy!" He even wanted me to accompany him to meet characters. It was a week together that I will always treasure, (except for that swine flu outbreak part to make us feel a bit jumpy.)

The spoils from our trip included the required Mickey ears, vintage children's books from The Largest Flea Market in Orlando (which was an exotic cultural experience,) A photo snow-globe of our cheesy mugs for Daddy's desk at work (also photographed and purchased at the Flea Market,) a photo from Gatorland of cousins holding a gator and a snake, Coach wristlet from the Orlando factory outlet (for mom,) cool books selected by my son for the plane ride home, like Mars Needs Moms by Berkley Breathed, and temporary pirate tattoos. Of course we did get a few other things, but my son's favorite is this Jack Sparrow plastic sword and scope from Pirates of the Caribbean. "Wow momma, we get off the ride and they just have all this Pirate stuff for us to buy on the way out of the ride!" Of course they do, darling. ;)

 

Happy Earth Day!

  

In celebration of Earth Day, tips to "go green" are being plastered all over the big ole' World Wide Web today. That's great. There is a ton of great info out there to motivate and inspire you to do your part. I am not going to bore you with a simple laundry lists of specific, scientific do's and don't's to help care for the Earth. I know you have already read a bunch of those so I'll save mine for later.

Instead, I thought I'd first give you links to lots of great sources for EARTH friendly information, products, tools, and events.

The book that will change the way you view the planet can be found here: michaelpollan.com 

Michael's directives include make one day per week a meatless one. You will save money and if everyone in our country did that, it would be the equivalent of taking 20 million SUV's off the planet; (since agriculture leaves an enormous carbon footprint on the Earth!) He also encourages you to stop buying consumable products that your great-grandmother would NOT recognize as food. They aren't healthy. Really.

A company turning junk into cool jewelry you'll want to wear: eclecticelements.com

Teach your family. Start a recycling project at your kid's school: terracycle.net

Remodeling? Throwing out that 70's shag carpet? Shawfloors.com will recycle your carpet!

Ever wonder how big of a deal plastic bags actually are? Visit reusablebags.com for a running tally of bags consumed this year, and get all the facts. (Then buy a tote bag!)

Did you hear that there is a mass of floating garbage in the Pacific Ocean that stretches from California to Japan? It's the size of Texas, and 90 miles deep. We are a bunch of united nations giving our oceans cancer (which gives, our birds and fish cancer...which gives someone we all know cancer!) And the number one problem is PLASTIC!

Great-grandson of Jaquc Cousteau, Fabien has his own series on PBS all about this topic. His site is worth checking out here.

If you are about to go to the grocery store to buy cleaning supplies or just need some practical advice on the whole green thing, check out thedailygreen.com. It gives you tips in bite sizes, by topic. It also shows you how changing the way you consume helps you save big bucks throughout the year.

See the movie EARTH. It is in theater's now and it will inspire you to care for the place we all live.

Finally, if you want to know who can help you go green around the Detroit area, visit the Green Street Fair in downtown Plymouth, May 2-3. Visit http://www.greenstreetfair.com/ for more info.

(Now on with the preachy part of my post...)

Audrey's TOP 4 rules for a more natural and environmentally positive home:

1. PULL THE PLUG! Yes, unplug things. It takes such little effort. It also saves you money!

2. A FULL LOAD RULES! That goes for dishwashers and laundry. It also saves you money! Hang clothes to dry in the summer. Have kids help. It's fun!

3. CLEAN YOUR OWN WATER! Britta water filtering pitchers are awesome. They even make one that attaches to your faucet. Use a water filltrator to waste less water and shrink your water bill. Plastic water bottles are the WORST for the environment. If you use one MAKE SURE it gets recycled.

4. LEAVE IT AT THE DOOR! Take off your shoes upon entering a home. This means less yuck drug into your carpets and floors, and less vacuuming and cleaning products needed to sponge up after you....which trickles down to helping the planet!

Finally, enjoy the EARTH.

Go to the park. Go to the zoo. Plant your own garden, (or at least one tomatoplant.) Don't litter. Use less. Reuse what you have. Visit a landfill or recycling pant and see what is really going on. We are all connected and this EARTH is just one big body that has been eating junk food and skipping the gym for far too long. Let's take care of her.

This Weekend in Metro Detroit

 

The cool cats at Handmade Detroit present: Craft Revival!

(Sweet poster art by local illustrator, Angela Duncan. Isn't she a rad artist/scribbler?)

When: Sat, April 18, 10am – 5pm

Where: Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI (map)

Description: A spring indie craft fair presented by Handmade Detroit 30+ vendors.

Free All ages! Vendor lineup can be found here.

More general info can be found here.

Plastic Shh..mastic. Don't you have a shopping tote?

Nancy Reagan should be so proud. Her JUST SAY NO slogan lives on in 2009. This time it is put to use fighting the addicting demons of environmentally bad stuff and consumerism, (ironically a culture she and her husband helped create in the 80's,) instead of against dope and drug dealers.

I was/am an occasional user. (The first step is admitting you have a problem.) I admit I like re-using plastic grocery store bags for the cleaning of the cat box, or other liquid/smell-proof needs of disposal, but I am reformed when it comes to shopping.

I strongly recommend a shopping tote, like the cute one above, for all the rest of your retail transporting and whatnot. You can keep bags like these in the back of your car and pull them out whenever needed. You can't go into a store lately without seeing these little bags everywhere. Why not buy a fashionable, eco-friendly one like this? It comes from this SWEET shop in London, Lapin and Me. Only £5.00 for this cool tote! If you like quirky, UK-flavored stuff, you will soon be supporting the global economy with your cool purchases.

I am almost embarassed to use plastic bags anymore. Totes are cool. Totes are fun and make our Paul Bunyan sized carbon footprint smaller in a tiny way!

Not to peer pressure you or anything, but everyone is doing it!

The Zoo for Easter

I am Catholic. Not always a great Catholic, but a moderately good one most days. If you are a Christian, Good Friday is a day to reflect and be still with the idea that Christ died, on the cross, for us. Deep stuff. It is also a day of fasting, (which is a good practice for us with junk in the trunk.) Typically, Catholics go to pray during the "three hours of agony" from 12-3pm. I am pre-posting this entry, to be published at that time, so if you are quick...you will actually be reading this while I am praying at church. Pretty cool.

Many people wonder how to put this day of reflection into the context of their modern lives. Many of our friends have started a tradition of watching the Passion and discussing it. The film came out several years ago amid controversy. I can still remember going to see it for the first time and the sound in the theater after the film ended. Haven't heard silence like that since. An almost painful silence mixed with an embarrassing humility to be alive in 2009, all cushy and warm in our popcorn filled theater. However you decide to celebrate or acknowledge this time, I wish you and your family a good weekend.

On a more personal note, I will be traveling to the ZOO for Easter. KalamaZOO that is. Land of wild bunnies roaming acres and bossy daughter in laws (me) making cheesy potatoes and fresh baked rolls in the kitchen with my lovely father-in-law (who is quite a good cook, going against all of my matriarchal O'Connor instincts!) Have an egg hunt! Go to your church, (or to your garden if you aren't a church person; find a place of peace)--Look up at the sky! I saw an honest to goodness iridescent cloud the other day while driving home from work. I had to take off my shades and roll down the window and make sure it wasn't an optical illusion. It was like a rainbow had gotten all tangled up in that cloud and created this oil-slicked type of iridescent mixture so heavenly and beautiful I could NOT believe my eyes! I looked around at the exit ramp stop light but nobody was looking up at it. Everyone was too focused on the ground to notice all that beauty right over their heads.

OH!! I almost forgot! The Detroit Tigers home opener is today. (Those heathens! Playing baseball on a holy day!) I love baseball. Something to do with the nostalgia of my grandpa taking me there, bags of peanuts, and Ernie Harwell. It is kind of in poor taste (for a good Catholic,) to post such things... but I really love Detroit and the Tigers (and Jesus) so I hope he won't mind that I am further circulating this image which someone on My-space created in 2006 and I copied. Go Tigers! (Please don't tell my grandmother about this photo because she would not think it is funny.)

I Heart Stevie Nicks

I know she hasn't modified her gypsy look in like 40 years, but I just love Stevie Nicks. Beyond Rumors and the Edge of Seventeen she is an old-fashioned soul with a voice like a jagged razor blade. The video below is from 1983 when she looked so fragile (probably from drugs, but whatever...) I also like her because she got kind of fat at one point and didn't hide herself away because of it (ala Ann Wilson of Heart.) Here is one more reason why my love for her goes on - read this article about Stevie's take on technology and our children: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/09/stevie-nicks-rails-agains_n_185077.html

Happy Birthday, Maureen!

My Aunt Maureen turns 50 years old tomorrow and, although it has nothing to do with anything I usually blog about, I wanted to post up the jib jab e-card I made for her! See more or make your own at jibjab.com. (Also, starring her luv-a, Leo!) It makes me happy everytime I watch it. So silly, and fun.

So, Mo...boogey-oogey-oogey, till you just can't boogey no more!

You're my favorite disco queen at any age!

If you can't view it below for some reason click here to be redirected!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Can you RECYCLE a whole city?

With all the press Detroit has been getting about our houses for sale for $100 or less and the foreclosure rates, you'd think there'd be no properties left to scoop up. But, if you want to buy cheap space in the D, (Detroit) there is still plenty to pick from. Try doing a search on moveinmichigan.com.

Is this the beginning of a re-birth? I suppose you have to die before you can be re-born and I think in someways Detroit qualifies. I am hopeful that something good will come from all of this housing mess. How can it not, at this point?

The best news story I have heard, in relation to this, is about the artists and green-living guru types who are buying up these properties as studio spaces and are powering them off the grid. Most of these places have been fully striped of their pipes and electric and these artists are using solar heating and electric panels to transform these old shells.

As more people move in and connect in these neighborhoods, little community planting and park projects have sprouted....in DETROIT!!! YES, the Dirty D is going GREEN! If they can make it amongst the crime and challenges of the existing urban landscape, this could be the beginning of a whole new green-renaissance of sorts for Detroit. In my opinion, it's exactly what it needs. When something has long been discarded and trashed, does it mean it can't be scrubbed off and re-invented into something beautiful and new? NO! Of course not. I hope we are our way to collectively up-cycling the grand old city. Read a little article about this here.

"Hello, Spring? It's Audrey calling. Can you come over, again?"

(Photo credit: redshoeshomegoods.com from Ann Arbor, Michigan)

SPRING! It's finally here!

As I begin to feel the over-tired daze lift (from losing that one hour of precious sleep we had to trade-in a few weeks ago as part of Daylight Savings Time,) I suddenly jolt up and remember that with these warm days ahead also comes the return of the OUTDOOR MARKETS!

Flea Markets, Farmers Markets, Yard Sales ....I can already hear the haggling in the distance! So begins the dance of those cleaning out the old and those of us willing to head out to sift, uncover, and dive into these discards and treasures.

If you haven't checked out the Ann Arbor Antique and Flea Market, consider packing up your stroller, wagon, or eco-friendly, dual wheeled shopping cart/bag combo along with a yummy, picnic lunch and make a whole day-trip out of it. A market like this gives your family a history lesson, museum tour, and shopping experience all in one. Throw in a frozen lemonade on a bright, sunny day and how can you resist?

On a budget?

Even if some items at the Flea Market are out of your price range, there will always be lower-end bins and tables to search through. I like to give my son a crisp $1.00 bill and he never seems to complain as long as I steer him in the direction of the 25 cent table. (Wow, mommy...I can get four of these! Oh man!)

Be sure to stroll over to the finer antique and collectible booths and take a closer look even if the prices seem to blow you away. Ask questions. Be curious. This is a FREE education as it helps build your knowledge base and understanding of the going rates when you are ready and able to purchase such items. You never know when you'll see the same type of item at a yard sale and you'll want to know when you've stumbled onto something of value!

I am often inspired by expensive objects that I can re-interpret for a fraction of the cost. Don't be afraid to copy the style of a more expensive antique object. The little wooden oar in the picture above can easily be replicated by sanding the edges of an unfinished oar (retails for about $30.00) or using a smaller wood cutting board of a similar shape. Open a $1.00 bottle of red acrylic craft paint and brush on the shape of a Swiss cross. Distress and scratch it up a bit more with the head of a nail or more sand paper.... and BAM! You've recreated a piece that would cost a pretty penny if it were an authentic antique and double that if you had bought a manufactured reproduction from the Pottery Barn catologue. More importantly, you have a piece that just plain looks cool!

This particular oar lives in the home of brilliant artist and shoppe keeper, Catherine Thursby who owns the Red Shoes Home Goods Store in Ann Arbor, MI. After you have drank your lemonade and strolled through the big flea market, wander over to her store on South Ashley Rd. and get a real dose of artistic inspiration or buy a hand-painted piece of vintage furniture.

Check it out!

The Ann Arbor Antiques & Flea Market is located at 5055 Saline Road in Ann Arbor, MI. Admission is $6.00 per person. (A small investment for a day of entertainment and fresh air!) Approximately 350 dealers unload their trucks and treasures every weekend. The Market opens the first week in April and runs every weekend through November. Food vendors are available as well as public restrooms. Come prepared to do lots of walking. Contact (313) 429-9838 for more information.

For an extended list of Michigan Flea Markets click here!

O'Charming & Lucky!

Hey bloggersphere! I have been MIA with my many fires burning in the background right now. Work, work, work. Today is a good day to take a break from all of that and drink some whiskey. Okay maybe not actual whiskey, maybe Bailey's with coffee....or something...but I am 1/4 IRISH and come from the O'Connor clan...so if I don't join in the fun, I am sure to be ridiculed by my people as they throw slabs of corned beef at me.

While I am here to say hello, I want to share some fun stuff with you:

One of my dearest and most CHARMING friends, Ken Nottoli, was featured in a Kalamazoo Gazette article about the 50th Anniversary of BARBIE!This is an actual picture of his amazing collection in his new house. Ken finds Barbies everywhere: yard sales, flea markets, ebay, you name it!

My husband and I spent one evening in the BARBIE room of his old house....and he still has nightmares about it, ("They're all LOOKING at me!") Anyhow, Ken is a true kindred spirit and a very knowledgeable collector. In fact, our first trip to the five state garage sale was with Ken and his family trailing behind us in an RV! The totally cool full article can be read here.

(Photo credit: Kalamazoo Gazette)

Did you hear about Gwyneth's GOOP? Hmmm.... It's an overrated micro-blog alternative from another know-it-all celebrity, but I'll read it because I generally believe that Ms. Paltrow has really good (expensive and skinny) taste!

Two weeks ago I scored an ever so highly coveted doll from Ms. Emily Martin's shop. I would be remiss if I didn't mention it since everyone and their neighbors are in love with them and her sweet shop on Etsy is perhaps the most recognizable of all time. This particular doll has custom black swan fabric deigned by Emily herself through the wonders of Spoonflower. She had me at hello, along with all of Emily's charming creations.

(Photo Credit: Miss Emily Martin)

I am hoping to focus more on plus size vintage fashions in my little shoppe and have been completely enamored with this shop lately which has a variety of "close" to plus sized dresses and such. I stopped breathing for a minute when I was LUCKY enough to spot this perfect St. Patty's day dress. But alas, my luck ran dry when I saw it was already sold and didn't come in my size.

(Photo Credit: Vintageous.com)

I hope this day finds you in GOOD HEALTH and with plenty of charm, luck and GOOD FORTUNE!

P.S. Don't drink and drive, silly!

 

In Defense of Thrift Stores, Yard Sales and Flea Markets

Below is a piece I recently wrote for www.thethriftshopper.com

Once in a while I encounter a retail snob who just CAN'T believe that I am such a recycling junky and they wonder out loud and ask, "What could be so great about decorating with flea market and thrift store junk? How can you actually bring other people's used stuff into your house? Yuck!"

Now, I try and temper my responses just right. I try and remember that not everyone was raised to appreciate delicate antiques. Not everyone experienced the fantastic adventure of hunting for treasures from garage and estate sales they may have frequented with their grandparents. Some people have no attachment to history or time. Some people, quite frankly, have very little imagination!

I try to be forgiving of their sublime ignorance and I reply:

"Listen, I am fortunate enough not to HAVE to buy things like used underwear or blankets and such...but if I had to, I am pretty sure a healthy amount of bleach would kill off anything harmful!

The type of stuff I seek out is rich in history, or art, or beauty which can't be authentically found and bought at a TARGET store. (Not that there is anything wrong with shopping at a TARGET for generic stuff!) Some people also go to thrift stores to seek plain, useful objects that function well and cost a fraction of their original price. Most thrifted things are usually fairly easy to clean-up or dust off. That's why Clorox wipes were invented! 

The idea is to be original in the selection of your possessions and gather things to paint a picture within your home that is like none other! Life is the fairytale you make of it. This includes the objects you surround yourself and your family with.There is an absolute rush in the thrill of discovering something long forgotten by someone else or re-inventing something to fit into your personal "picture-book" which can't be copied out of a catalog or off a showroom floor. 

The added benefit is that you are recycling, often contributing to a good cause or charity, and occasionally scoring something of such great value for mere pennies!"

If you are new to the world of thrift, do not be afraid, my pup. If you are a germ-a-phobe, wear gloves or bring your hand sanitizer "to-go" bottle with you...but gosh, it really isn't that bad! I guarantee you that what is on the bottom of your shoes after walking around all day in the world is far worse than anything you'd bring into your house from most thrift stores. Almost anything can be properly scrubbed and sanitized, and the stuff that you aren't sure of...you won't be buying (like stuffed animals, shoes, undergarments, etc.)

When venturing into a Thrift Store, follow this advice:

1. Once inside, plant your feet and slowly scan the entire place with your eyes. Get a deliberate overview of the layout. Read the signs. Often thrift stores run weekly or monthly promotions on certain types of items (i.e. Furniture,) or on certain colored tags (i.e. all green tags are an additional 50% off during the month of March.)

2. Do a first pass "drive-by". Don't stop at one section, just scan all the isles quickly making a mental note of anything cool or unusual that you want to come back to check out more closely. NOTE* If you see something particularly rare or something you collect or are looking for: grab it and place it in your cart! You can look at the details and prices later and put it back if it isn't right.

3. Take a second pass based on areas of the store that looked promising during the drive-by.

4. Carefully examine the condition, underside or interior of an object and its price. Look for any makers marks or relevant manufacturing symbols which will tell you more about its origin and value.

5. Be sure to reference any price promotions in relation to the item as it might receive an additional discount at checkout. This will further help you to make a purchasing decision. (See #1.)

6. Look high and low. This is a trick I learned from my grandfather. When you are looking at a bunch of stuff piled up on a shelf, it is easy to miss things placed away from your direct eye level. Crouch down and look again. Raise up on tippy-toes and check that top shelf again.

7. Examine nooks and crannies of the jewelry case or other specialized display areas.  Often times items that are for sale are used in thrift stores as a window display or functional display item. This little brass ring tree was holding crappy, plastic rings on display, but upon examination I realized it was also for sale for $1.99. I took off the plastic rings and added it to my cart. It now holds the cool, old dinner rings given to me by my grandmother.

When it comes to thrift shopping, go into it with an open mind and view yourself as a retail anthropologist. Uncovering and honing in on your own unique style aesthetics will allow you to shop with confidence and discover the fantastic glow of finding useful, beautiful objects to breathe new life into while saving the bulk of your bank account for more important stuff.

Happy Thrifting!

Audrey writes a blog about thrifting, vintage objects, artful discoveries and social awareness at www.greentag.typepad.com. Her ETSY stores www.audreyrich.etsy.com and www.littlegreentag.etsy.com feature her unique vintage finds for sale. When she isn't writing or photographing something, she works as a Marketing Communications Consultant and lives with her husband and son in the suburbs of Detroit, MI.

Spring Forward!

This weekend marks the "Spring forward" into Daylight Savings Time.

Just as the dull, gloomy days of a relentless Michigan winter have begun to beat me to an over-salted pulp, this little hope of Spring and the shiny days to come always saves me from the desire to drink Drano. (Not that I'd really drink it! This is just my standard phrase since I was 18 ys old and watched Heathers with friends over one blurry, snow packed weekend duing Freshman year in my dorm room. It describes exactly what I feel at the END of something: relationship, job, weather, current haircolor, a weekend stuck in a dorm room with silly girls watching 80's movies...whatever!! When you feel like you want to drink Drano...you really know you are done and have had enough! :)

I miss the chirp of birds. I miss having the windows open. I miss skiping the "bundle-up dance" with our boy (boot, hat, mittens, scarf, coat, "momma, I have to go potty...") to run out for an errand, and mostly I miss walking barefoot in the garden with the green trees waving around me.

Seasonal depression or whatever they call it is just a fancy way of saying, WE WANT THE SUN! I can't wait to get back outside more often and work in our ever improving garden. Of course, sometimes my projects get too ambitious for my husband to handle. The beautiful thing about the internet is that it has such a wealth of info for the "do-it-yourself'ers", be it with a gardening project or any type of home repair.

My latest find is http://www.askthebuilder.com/. The brilliant columnist who invented it has parlayed free DIY tutorial videos he's placed on YouTube into a smart, well organized website which feeds his multi-layered business. If you are planning a spring home or garden project, do yourself a favor and research this site first!

I have also given up Diet Coke and Anderson Cooper watching on the 11pm news for Lent. Between this and the gloomy last grip of winter, I will let you know how I progress into Spring sans Drano.

For now, I can gaze at the little vintage ceramic bunnies, (I found here, off the beaten path near Kalamazoo, Michigan last year,) and look for the return of the birds outside our kitchen window as I do the daily dishes.

The Ride Of Our Lives: READ THIS BOOK!

Dear Mr. Leonard,

 

In January 2004 my grandfather, James F. O'Connor, died.

My extended family comprised of my grandparent's 6 children & spouses, 14 grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren were all devastated after losing the eternal optimist and ultimate "good guy" of our big, crazy, (sometimes maddening,) Irish-Catholic family.

 

My grandparents helped raise me and I was their unofficial 7th kid. After Grandpa Jim's death, I moved back to the Detroit area with my husband to be near my grandmother, Catherine "Lou" O'Connor, and try to keep her spirits up, (or at least give her someone to swing her cynical quips towards, and boss around while taking my turn driving her to mass!)

 

Although my grandmother would often prefer playing cards or watching Alex Tribec on Jeopardy to reading novels and such....I got in the habit of bringing her books to say the things I couldn't say directly to her without sobbing like I was an 8 year old girl, as we were all trying to heal from the void he left in our lives. She picked up one book after a power outage and must have liked my selection. Since then, she reads almost everything I bring to her.

 

In 2006, I saw you on the Today show. It was almost like I was seeing my "Uncle Mike" on TV. (I don't actually have an Uncle Mike,....but I do have an Uncle Jim, Uncle Tom, Uncle Paul, Uncle Bob.) I called my grandmother up and told her to rush to turn on the show, but she missed your segment. A while later I was in Target shopping and your book magically appeared. I bought it and gave it to her and showed her how to play the included video in the DVD player. She passed it to my aunt and told her to read it too. Yesterday, after several years of circulation, my grandma (who is now 80,) passed your book back to me.

 

I read it again. I laughed and cried and felt a kinship to your family with all its personalities and threads that reflect my own, so closely. And I was given a new surprise. My grandmother had gone through the book and circled little sections that spoke to her heart, like the one where you realized your dad was wrong about all those other guys being "the nicest guy you could ever meet", as he was fond of saying.... and how he was really was the nicest guy you could ever meet. That is how we all felt about our grandpa, Jim. He would talk to anyone and gain an instant friend. A merry BS'er, and as sincere and good-hearted as any "Danny-boy" you'd ever wish to know.

 

Your book is now a little family treasure for me, with my grandmother's notes. I just wanted to thank you for sharing that piece of yourself. I know she enjoyed it in ways she can't express. It isn't her style to say so.

 

I was also wondering how your family is doing. I tried to find an update online but can't seem to find much past 2006-07. Can you let me know how your clan is doing? Have you ever thought of writing a follow-up piece?

 

Wishing you and yours many blessings for 2009

...and again, thank you for "The Ride of Our Lives".

 

Best,

Audrey

 

From: Mike Leonard <@mike-leonard.com>
To:Audrey  >
Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 7:44:12 AM
Subject: Ride of Our Lives

Audrey,

What a wonder email! I can't tell you how honored I am that you took the time to compose such a thoughtful, interesting and heartfelt note. Your descriptions of the family, your grandparents, uncles etc came through with warmth and humor. It's so amazing to know that we have connected in such a cool way.

It's funny, I had no intention of writing a book before taking that journey but after I put together a short Today show series using home movie clips of our travels an offer came to write a book and I mulled it over for a while. I didn't want to write a travelogue. To me the bumpy ride across America represented a ride through life and that's what I wanted to convey. Having never written a book before I didn't know what I was getting into. Your wonderful response tells me that my efforts were appreciated...and that means everything to me.

We recently took the huge amount of home movie video taken along the way and turned it into a syndicated public television series that has played in various markets at different times. It's now on a DVD (www.rideofourlives.com) which goes beyond the book to update things.

Josie will turn five in March and now has a little 21 month old brother James.

Matt and Margarita had a little boy, Brady, who just turned two.

Kerry is getting married in late May.

Brendan just turned twenty five and is in a band.

My dad and mom are still with us at 92 and 87 although my father's health has been challenged by cancer. Through it all he has remained the same upbeat, hopeful soul. And my mom is still a funny, wiseguy.

Thank you again Audrey. I hope all is well with you and that we get a chance to meet someday.

Mike

Green Valleys for Me (and Maureen O'Hara)

Sunday night is Oscar night in movieland! When I was in college, a group of my friends and I would put on glittery jewelry and red lipstick and sit around with pink lemonade and champagne and critique the all fashion and the films of Oscar night.

At this stage of the game, I will probably have it on for background noise as I fold the week's laundry, (and maybe enjoy a well deserved glass of Cabernet!) I still love watching academy awards because I am amused by the trappings pop culture provides for the social elite and I like to see how they wear it all. Most of all...I just love films. Cinema is such a creative art form.

Tonight I was able to see a 1941 John Ford directed CLASSIC----- How Green Was My Valley. Nominated for 10 Oscars and winner of 5 (beating out the likes of Citizen Kane, and the Maltese Falcon.)

I cannot recommend this film ENOUGH. It is among the best films I have ever seen (and I am an admitted film snob.) If you haven't seen it, you are missing.....I cannot even come up with words for the brilliance you are missing out on. This film and its storylines are as relevant today in this economy and era with talk of socialism, gov't woes, union debates, socio-economic gaps, foreign labor, immigration, weening family values, ....all of it....all of it weaves into this beautifully photographed story. The title comes from the notion that we all have periods in our life that sparkle with their golden perfection in our memories, and once they are gone they can survive in our minds as a "green valley" of our lifetime. This movie is poetry to my heart.

If you love most of the films that typically win "Best Picture", add this Best Picture winner from 1941 to your list and click over to your Netflix account NOW and watch it asap!!! You will not regret it. My heart is still racing from seeing it..... and it seems quite appropriate that the green girl's Oscar pick for you isn't slumdog millionare or milk, but rather a vintage gem!

Out With The Old!

So the germs have finally begun to subside in the greentag house....thank goodness...and we are making some progress to get our weekend started right.

I think I am going to a mom-to-mom sale tomorrow with my mom. What is a mom-to-mom sale, you ask? These fantastic gatherings are like a big garage sale, swap meet, flea market, rummage sale all wrapped into one! Right up my alley! Everyone either buys or sells STUFF just for babies and kids. So if you sell at a mom-to-mom sale you rent a table at the venue (usually a church or school,) for around $25.00 and then you bring all of the nice things your kids have either outgrown or never used and make some quick cash.

For the shoppers, (the mom and daughter duo,) it is another environment for bargain hunting. We look for brand new jeans for the boy, or great unusual vintage toys and books. Last time my mom got him the cutest pair of unused Converse All-star tie-up sneakers for like $2.00. They usually have yummy bake sales as fundraisers within the mom-to-mom sale too. So you can stroll with your coffee and check out all the little duds and then reward your self with a cookie if you find nothing to buy. If you live in Southeast Michigan check out http://www.mom2momlist.com/, which has the number one Google ranking under mom2mom. I am impressed! On this site (which is run by, you guessed it: a stay at home suburban mommy, with a holiday sweater vest and all...) you can click on Spring Sales or Winter Sales and see a listing for every upcoming sale in our area and get all the details. It's a great resource.

Sometimes it feels good to get rid of old stuff (like well used kids toys)...but sometimes it's more painful.

Last summer, Detroit began to lose its beloved Tiger Stadium. When we drove by it in July, they had ripped into its side and I snapped these photos from the highway: 

I was sad to see the place my grandfather used to take me to see ballgames get trashed like old bones, but we do enjoy the new COMMERICA park every year when season ticket time comes around (despite the new sell-out, corporate name.) 

If you enlarge these photos you can see the tiny people standing at the fence where the hole is torn in the side of the stadium, feeling sad to see her go.

My husband has been purging old relics from his youth and selling like mad on CRAIGSLIST. It can be quite cathartic.

Yes, I know there can be plenty wrong with the "bad people" on Craigslist out there, but if you use the online bulletin board for good (and sell your goods by meeting in a public place,) then it can be fun and mutually rewarding for buyer and seller. Everything from old comics books to his Fender Squier Duo guitar are being cleared out of our basement.

Ahhh, (early) spring cleaning! I have no problem bidding a fond farewell to somethings to make room for the treasures this summer will bring! How lucky I am that he is in the spirit, too. (But I might hide the guitar and keep it for our boy to grow into!)

raise a glass of vitamin C to our presidents...

Another reason federal gov't employees have it so good = President's Day. Don't President's have it so much better than the average bear? Aren't they constantly celebrated? Do they need a whole "official" day? If I would have had today off from a cushy gov't job, I would have spent it with a nasty case of the throat yucks and a cough. (cough *cough.)

It's from the damn suburban mall play-lands!Every time I take my son to one, he gets sick. Then I have to get sick. He loves to climb the plastic, resin structures they've built in our local mall, but the thing is a total petri dish. After playtime, I had us both use hand sanitizer, but alas, here we are. (Sniff * sniff,) Complements of ten other snot-nosed kids, no doubt.

What is a girl to do when she is under-the-weather? Browse Etsy, of course. I wanted to find an Abe Lincoln locket. No lockets appeared, but this top hat pendant did. I just love it. The shop that stocks it is so fun.

I also love to read at night after I have put the sick boy to bed. I am excited to start this new book. It was listed on Powells' site. If you haven't before, Powells Books is just one more reason to visit Portland, Oregon!

Well, if you catch a winter bug and need to boost your immunity, fast......try my all natural home remedy:

Audrey's Double C, Cold Kicking Tea

• Fill a glass half way with warm/hot water

• Add the juice from one large lemon (squeeze)

• Add several large splashes of lime juice (fresh or packaged)

• Add an organic green tea bag to the mixture and stir.

• Let sit 5 minutes.

• Then add ice cubes to fill the top to make it ice cold. And drink! Mega Vitamin C and Green Tea cold fighter to the rescue in one refreshing, cold drink

  ...If that doesn't work, head for the Ny-quill or the Z-pack, (like I'll probably end up doing!)

Hello Lovers!

Today is a day for lovers. Okay actually tomorrow is, but I will be too busy tomorrow to tell you how much I love you, readers!

If you are in a (serious) relationship tomorrow can be a magical day. I am not going to lecture you about St. Valentine, or the history of the day that has evolved into a commercial beast,...... all I can tell you is that if you try to carve out a few hours at the end of your day to surprise your mate, it can water the roots of your relationship in an oh so good way. This has nothing to do with money, chocolates, (although chocolate sauce has been known to be involved,) jewelry or anything commercial. Have fun with it!

If you DON"T have kids, well then....you don't have many restrictions. I am not even talking to you. If you do have kids, try one or more of the following:

1. Do everything in relation to kid maintenance as soon as you (or your spouse) arrive home. Give your spouse the newspaper and tell him to sit down, then whisper in his ear that "he needs to save his energy for later."

2. Make heart shaped food for dinner. This tradition is cliche' for a reason. It's cute. The kids love it. I always make Jell-o hearts. They're easy, fun, and you can wear them as pasties later (Just kidding, Mom!) Thank goodness my mom doesn't read blogs.

3. Light candles. It sounds so cheesy....but at the end of a long week, with kids safely tucked away behind shut doors, the glow of candles make the air feel special.

4. Play pretend (or dress up.) If you have a recent injury (or a fake one,) do your best to collapse in exhaustion in front of him in your frilliest underthings, and ask with all earnestness, if he'll help you because your _________  is really hurting. Every man loves to play doctor. Every girl loves to play nurse.

Don't give up on romance, you cynical things! Even if your mate makes you angry 99% of the time, you will actually be doing yourself a favor if you put all of that aside tomorrow night and make your own little magic scene on Valentine's.

I found this and saved it for today. Someone made it on YOUTUBE. Not sure why, but it still makes me laugh. Oh, how I love stick people/paint PP stop-animation! ~Enjoy!~

ta da!

Typically, it is called a Grand Re-Opening Sale....but I never opened properly to begin with!  I was finally able to devote some time to ye' old shoppe! Added a few items this past weekend and will be adding more throughout the week! Check it! http://www.audreyrich.etsy.com

shmarmy body image

I haven't felt much like writing lately. That is a problem when part of what you are supposed to do for a living is write. When you are a creative type, you have days where the thoughts, ideas, emotions just pour out of you....and then you have days of late, where you feel less inspired. You have Picasso blue periods.

You can get discouraged by little things, like this: I go and tell someone about the new way I have begun to think about my body. You may have remembered from a few posts back that I was spending time in the self-pity restaurantof dis pare because "my body was letting me down,"or betraying me. Welp, I decided that is just BULL-ony! I was the first one to do the betraying in this relationship!

I mean if we think of our bodies as another being that we are dating, how do we rate as partners? For me, I often put my body last on the "to do" lists, and didn't own up to the fact that mine wasn't going to be an easy affair, but rather a high-maintenance relationship that needed lots of attention and nurturing to keep it in balance. I didn't return my body's calls. I cheated on it. I called it names. If you don't have an easy body to deal with, (especially as a girl,) you KNOW it around age 6 or 7. But instead of accepting it, we waste all of our adolescence and young adulthood trying to talk this body into being something different. Yeah, yeah....blame genetics, bad luck, or whatever...but it was me that had to own this foregone reality and start thinking of my body as a valued asset despite its shortcomings--not an evil betrayer or bad spouse I was stuck with.

I shared my ideas with another person and said: I have a new outlook! I am now thinking of bodies as one-of-kind, priceless paintings on loan from the master painter of all time: GOD! I mean I always knew this was the case, but did I actively try to think of it that way? Not so much.

If I remove the idea of the body as being MINE (ego) and think of it more as HIS possession, and I am just the head caretaker...I realize just how poor of an employee I have been! I would have fired me long ago! We need to care for ourselves, ladies. I am not talking about acrylic nails, tanning beds, Mani/pedi's, designer clothes, $400 handbags, diamonds, or botox. I am talking about health and wellness. Vitamins, Vegetables, Fruits, Exercise (as little or as much as our particular Genetics demand,) and time to rest. Give your body what it NEEDS. We all have different needs. No talk show or self-help book has your blueprint on file. Only you can accurately gauge what you need. Vanity keeps alotta women (and men) poor. How much more screwed up would the global economy be if women stopped HATING their natural appearance and spent all the time and effort and MONEY they devote to superficially "looking good" to actually feeling good and doing what's best for their body, soul, and family? How much happier would these wrinkled, pale girls actually be? Newsflash from me, a Marketing Director: The free market is all just a big game of "I am cooler than you!" Come on, be smarter than that. None of those fools are cool, at all! Cool can't be bought, dyed, implanted, or any of that garbage. The really cool people already know that and they aren't buying.

Still aren't sure if you are worth the time and effort? (After all, we all have the critics, mean-girls, and haters who have made us feel less than deserving throughout our lives.)

You are worthy just by being born! You were designed to be original, not mass produced. You are the greatest craft project EVER! You are handmade. (Is it any wonder why we value these type of objects around us?) There was never a "mold".

Be a good spouse to your body. Polish up the artwork and beauty God has made with your physical being by listening to it and putting yourself at the top of the list. Don't be the last to notice how great you are.

SOOOO....I spilled my ideas and heart about this, and the person I told wrote a whole piece about it, using my exact words as her own! Then, she had me proof it for her! Yikes. (I used my extra gooder proofing eyes for that there one!!!! UHHH!)

If she had asked, I wouldn't have minded at all. I would have been flattered that she valued this new outlook and idea enough to share it with her audience. It is just the act of being...what's the word...SHMARMY! It is just plain SHMARMY to use someone's ideas as your own without asking first. Anyhow, that's part of the discouraged writing mode. Now, on to caring more for MYSELF! ;)

The National Eating Disorders.org has this list of 20 ways to love your body. Enjoy!

when a rose is more than a rose

Hey blogland people! I have been off working manically on a few creative endeavors, planning a 4th birthday party/Super-bowl party for the young man in my life, and tending all kinds of family matters. It took me a good, solid week to recover from all of the inauguration excitement in the air. Seeing Dick Cheney look like Old Man Potter from It's a Wonderful Life also gave me a mean, petty high which kept me giggling from the poetic justice for days and days. Sorry, but that was funny. 

I also attended the baby shower for my Cousin Ryan and his lovely wife Melissa. My very creative and thrifty Aunt Patti and Cousin Megan created the adorable centerpieces. A great idea to steal!

They used silk flowers, (I suppose real ones could be used too for a more expensive version,) and plucked off the blossoms.

Then they hot glued the blooms to floral wire and wound them around the shaft of a pen. (No shaft jokes, please.)

Then they wrapped the entire pen base in green floral tape.

They bought pretty glass vases from the DollarTree store to pile "bouquets" of them in and placed them all over the tables.

I loved the look of these little flower centerpieces which served a dual purpose as handy pens for the standard baby BINGO game and for writing addresses on thank you cards. Each person was able to take their flower pen home, of course! They make for an extra cheery writing tool at any workplace desk!

in no other country is his story even possible...

 

Thanks to Stephen and my friends at Gemini Studios in Chicago, IL for sending me their amazing artwork this morning. Hope for better days ahead is a beautiful thing...so ignore the cynical side in your mind and enjoy this very special day in our collective history.

(In between work and and the business of the day,) I will be! What a country!

Oh...and long time friend and lovely pain-in-my-ass, Jeff Davis, owes me $100 for losing the bet he made with me at the Ye' Old Saloon in Royal Oak, MI on a freezing cold night in January of 2008... when he polled the local bar-rats with heated fervor, declaring there will never be a president named BARACK OBAMA and then bought me a gin and tonic and hugged me "in spite of my sweet naivete"! 

come together..right now..over me

little moments of reflection

I am checking out of the bloggersphere for a just a little while, friends. Be back soon! But in the mean time, say a lovely prayer to Mary (your novena) and be grateful for all your beautiful life offers you. (Said with complete sincerity and not even a hint of typical sarcasm!)

 

Novena Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

O Most Blessed Mother, heart of love, heart of mercy, ever listening, caring, consoling, hear our prayer. As your children, we implore your intercession with Jesus your Son. Receive with understanding and compassion the petitions we place before you today, especially ...(special intention).

We are comforted in knowing your heart is ever open to those who ask for your prayer. We trust to your gentle care and intercession, those whom we love and who are sick or lonely or hurting. Help all of us, Holy Mother, to bear our burdens in this life until we may share eternal life and peace with God forever.
Amen.

lovely. 

Yuppies in Tuxes and Shiny Big Wheels!

If you live in Detroit, January is all about the North American Auto Show in Motown.

I'm not going. I never go. I think it is just about as lame an event as could be perpetrated. I guess that is because I am not into cars and don't work in the auto industry. Those are the only reasons I could see for attending. Once they invent a car that runs on recycled bacon grease or blue kool-aid...I will attend. That will be something to see (and smell!) We were invited to the Charity Preview this Friday, which may be a cool way of avoiding the crowds and donating to good causes; an excuse to dress up and drink champagne and pat men in suits on the back and tell them (and ourselves, who are we kidding...) how we are kings and queens of the universe, and the market will be just FINE...but alas, we have to pass. We have another shin-dig that night and want to save the whopping 400 bones per person this one demands.

I still thought the invitations were pretty enough to share with you. I thought it was odd they didn't have a box to check to donate to the sad, sorry, American Auto Industry.

Hmmm....blessed irony, oh how you make me smile. (Click image to enlarge.)

 

a yummy salad for you

I recently went off a medication I had been taking for the dreaded PCOS. I am one of the lucky women who only ever had a few of the nasty symptoms of this syndrome which reportedly effects 5% of all women and is the number one cause of infertility. I was able to have a baby (thank you God,) and I have few signs, if any, of ever having had it. It's a good thing in the long run for me to be off the medicine, but the side effects of removing this somewhat metabolic regulating pill is wrecking havoc on my system. Hopefully my body will eventually value its independence and adjust.

Picture me as Violet Beauregard, blown up, until she practically popped. I am barely eating anything and still feel like I will burst! Is there anything more frustrating than when your body won't respond and do what you want it to. Such is the life of a pre-disposed fat girl, (pitiful sigh of self-pity.) Since everyone tells me "you have to eat something", I have been creating my own variety of salad recipes. It's fun if you pretend you are the owner of a super cool salad cafe' (in your kitchen.) I call my cafe Chez' Le Rabbit!...which I think translates: TO THE RABBIT! (said with a wink and a grin, and much less self pity ;)

Anyhow.... I have a new concoction that I whipped up on Monday, during lunchtime with my son, which you might like to try:

Chez' Le Rabbit's Baby Spinach Spectacular

• 1/3 bag of pre-washed baby spinach,
• 1/3 a small can of chic peas,
• half a mini-can of mandarin oranges,
• one handful walnuts,
• one handful dried cranberries or cherries,
• several grape tomatoes
• and a teaspoon of Aunt Mids all natural raspberry dressing, (which is not expensive and is totally low-cal!) Aunt Mids is available at your local Kroger's and is made right here in Detroit. Who'da thunk it?

Wha-la! It's a very filling meal for under $5.00 (based on the one bowl portion) and it's under 300 calories. No-guilt and hopefully less puffiness!

I can just feel the self-pity melting away! It is so yummy! We all have our days in the dumps. If you need cheering up or de-puffing...my kitchen is always open!

The chef hopes you will enjoy.

 

Nifty 50

Whoo Hoo! This is my 50th posting! I have decided this means that my blog is no longer an infant. Since about a green girl has officially "taken flight" I thought the 5Oth post should be less about my political and cultural observations, which have been in heavy rotation lately, and more about the fun stuff: VINTAGE OBJECTS, ART, and RE-PURPOSING PROJECTS. This is the stuff I'd love to live and breathe (if the air was made up of rhinestone snow flakes, spray-paint mist and modge podge, decoupaged rain drops!)

Speaking of "taking flight"....my home-slice from the GC hood, Brooke from Creativity at My Own Pace, has a sweet download of original address labels with woodgrain birds which can be printed right onto Avery labels. Check this page for the link. Aren't they cute?

Keeping with the bird theme....if you are looking to go out on a limb with your fashion, (I mean way out ....like Napoleon Dynamite,) consider the fantastic vintage selections at Peppermint Vintage. I discovered them a while back and recently spied this adorably frumpy Bird of Paradise dress for only $25. If you have the gonads to pull off the eighties vibe, which is so respected by the kiddies right now,...I highly suggest checking them out. I particularly like that they have fresh, one-of-a kind stock for girls who have big butts and breasts. These are all too rare of finds on most vintage apparel sites!

 

 

Deal with it Cate Blanchett!

On January 20, 2009 a new leader of the free world will take office. Are people banking too much on this new leader and the post baby-boomer generation? Is he so inspiring that he will move millions to repair decades of bad behavior? I suppose only time will tell. The country is made up of so many factions... but as a kid having grown up in the 90's, I can't help but be a bit impressed that only 15 years after the release of George Clinton's acclaimed rap anthem "Paint the White House Black", in which he enlisted the lyrical stylings of Ice Cube, Chuck D, and Flava Flav to draw attention to the racial divide in our country... there will actually be a non-white president. I'd like to think this is proof that there is hope for us all.

Last night's most interesting Golden Globe acceptance speech went to black cast member Tracy Morgan from the show 30 Rock on NBC. The Golden Globes are awarded by the Hollywood FOREIGN press. In his speech he exclaimed, "Tina Fey and I had an agreement that if Barack Obama won, I would speak for the show from now on. Welcome to post-racial America! I am the face of post-racial America. Deal with it Cate Blanchett!"

Is Cate Blanchett a racist? Hmmm.... I only had the show on for background noise as I folded laundry in the basement last night. When I heard that speech, I stopped and watched.

He added, "A black man can't get no love at the Emmys. I love you Europe!" I thought it was hilarious, and true...but the President of NBC, Jeff Zucker, looked pained and uncomfortable when the camera panned to him as Tracy remembered to thank him after he thanked the craft service workers. The video can be viewed here.

The history of race relations in our country is as disturbing to me as the ridiculous way we celebrate the wrong people and the wrong things in most of pop-culture. I know people are banking a whole lotta hope on this new president, but are respectable people really spending money on Barack Obama commemorative plates (these infomercials are in such heavy rotation, it is embarrassing,) when one in eight residents in America is on food stamps? If you MUST buy some junk to mark the historic occasion, how about buying something original and handmade by an ETSY artisan? This one-of-a-kind tote gives props to the historical benchmark and serves as an uber couture shopping tote and plastic bag alternative. Trendy, green, and not endorsed by the Franklin Mint. BETTER YET....save your money for your child's education or buy groceries for your local food pantry.

How can we have so much, so many opportunities and resources at our collective fingertips and yet not have ENOUGH; still want, need more. How could we have made such a mess of everything? The lives of those actors on that show last night are so different than most Americans, they mind as well live on MARS....(and by the looks of Mickey Rourke, he does,) but that is what we celebrate? Where can all of this vanity and misaligned morality lead us to? Do we really think one politician can "save" us? If Obama's brain doesn't explode from the pressure within the first 100 days, I will be impressed.

I liked this article and kept it "in the file" from New Years Eve 1998..written about the upcoming year by Otis Pike, a guy who shook up the status quo back in his day. If you don't know who he is, you should. Pike is one of the supporting players in history that no one knows much about, but he's one of those people who stood up and spoke up to try to make things better his whole life. 

I think his op-ed message from this yellowed, tattered, old article I clipped is just as relevant today, as I felt is was then. (Click here to read the article.)

 

an early valentine

ACTION: ROLL FILM

.........if you can get beyond the amateur acting in this short film (8 min long,) you will love the sweet, whimsical scene. It serves as a good reminder to start formulating a plan to whip up something delicious and sincere for the special someone you adore most in the world.

Commercialized as it may be, Valentine's Day is a mere 32 days away. If you are a man: put in a little thought and effort into the "heart day", afterall...the love of a good woman is heaven on earth.

 

CUT & PRINT. THAT"S A WRAP!

OUTLAWED: everything I love

Dear Crafty-Thrifty Readers,
 
I want to inform you of action taken by Congress this past August to pass the HR4040--the Consumer Product Safety ImprovementAct (CPSIA). I am pleased that Congress passed a bill to protect our children from toys containing lead and phthalates and addressing other safety issues. However, parts of this bill will directly effect all handmade toy makers, designers and store owners in a way that will put many of them out of business. The CPSIA rules now requires all children's products, including natural handmade toys and clothing to be tested by a Third Party Lab, often at a cost of up to $4,000 per item. That could cost a small company more than $20,000 a season.

The CPSIA simply forgot to exclude the class of children's goods that have earned and kept the public's trust: Toys, clothes, and accessories made in the US, Canada, and Europe.  The result, unless the law is modified, is that handmade children's products will no longer be legal in the US.

If this law had been applied to the food industry, every farmers market in the country would be forced to close while major food manufacturers such as Kraft and Dole prospered.

For small American, Canadian, Australian and European toy-makers and manufacturers of all children's products the costs of mandatory testing will probably force them out of business.

• A toymaker who makes wooden cars in his garage in Maine to supplement his income cannot afford the $4,000 fee per toythat testing labs are charging to assure compliance with the CPSIA.
• A small-scale designer selling screen printed kids t-shirts from Australia will have to undergo expensive testing and provide permanent tracking labels for each item in order to sell within the US.
• A work at home mom in Texas who makes handmade clothing must choose either to violate the law or cease operations.
• A small toy retailer in Vermont who imports wooden toys from Europe, which has long had stringent toy safety standards, must now pay for testing on every toy they import.
• And even the handful of larger toy makers who still employ workers in the United States face increased costs to comply with the CPSIA, even though American-made toys had nothing to do with the toy safety problems of 2007.

This act also effects resale and thrift shops of every kind:

Books, toys, clothing and other items used by children under 12 will be subjected to lead testing and will have to have labels on them to prove that they have passed inspection. Adding to the confusion and frustration is the fact that the U.S. Consumer Products and Safety Commission is not returning calls or e-mails to the countless re-salers and even journalists who have tried in vain to get clarification on what the law means from products made before Feb. 10, 2009 and to garage sales, etc., or how it will be enforced.

I have two general comments on all of this--

1. This is lighting a fire across multiple industries which can't POSSIBLY be enforced and which will make a bad economy even worse, widening the gap between small business and the muscle of big box corportations, (DO I HEAR AN UPRISING OF FRUSTRATED DESIGNERS/CRAFTERS/ARTISTS/COLLECTORS coming this way???)

and 2. If it stays in effect, it is likely that we will hear (years from now) that they have definitive proof linking Lead to autism in children, or something else equally terrible. "They" always know and manage how info and regulation trickles down to "us", (that's the conspiracy theorist in me talking.)

Please check out the Handmade Toy Alliance www.handmadetoyalliance.org to read more about this issue and not to get all "polly protester" on you, but please write another letter, or make another call.

Thanks to a certain friend who read about this bill, in relation to its effects on used books, and clued me in last night. Also, thanks to the positively kickass SMALL Magazine for sharing a portion of this info via their latest memo to subscribers. Their magazine is totally digital and FREE, so check it out!

Canada kills a family

Not everyone can write a check to support a worthy cause or spend an afternoon away from work and family to protest or support something they believe in. Many people I encounter want to reach outside the bubble of their own lives to help others, but often don't exactly know how to connect and make a difference while still keeping their own ship afloat.

However, there is something you can do that may help a family that has been through hell on earth. They are the Bagby family. A new two hour documentary titled: Dear Zachary has been written, directed, and produced by their long-time family friend Kurt Kuenne. It is a factual account of events that occurred in their lives from 2001-2003. DO NOT watch it if you are an emotional basket-case! Its twists and turns do not deliver the perfect, packaged ending of a Dateline special. But if you love documentaries, even tragic ones, and want to be motivated to help a cause....try and catch it when it airs on MSNBC again, or seek out a copy.

SPOILER ALERT! I want to tell you the basic plot, because if you are like me and get affected by visually seeing someone's pain, you need to be forewarned. Basically this Californian guy who is well loved by everyone, an only child of two good people, a newly graduated Doctor of Family Medicine.....gets killed by his older, sociopath girlfriend while they are finishing Medical school in Newfoundland, Canada. The woman flees back to the states, but then goes back to Canada where they let her out on bail--even though she is charged with first degree murder, etc. She already has two older kids from other men. She then tells the parents of this guy she has killed that she is pregnant with their murdered son's kid, and the DNA tests prove it's true. The child protection agency in Canada allows this woman to stay out on bail and care for this baby. The parents now have to deal with the woman who killed their son (including giving her money for diapers, food, etc.) in order to see and help care for their grandson. The grandson prefers the grandmother to his own mother (maybe sensing a lack of warmth or care.) The kid is 13 months old. The Canadian Government continues to let her roam, despite the ever-pending murder case. The parents go through the lawyers, do everything to get the grandson. The child protective services say her "alleged act of violence" was targeted (to their son) and therefore they have nothing to worry about. The crazy woman pulls the same behavior on another guy, who breaks up with her. A day later she ties the Bagby's 13 month old grandson to her chest with a sweater and drowns herself, and him, in the ocean.

The tragedy of the additional loss of baby Zachary could have been prevented had this woman not been let out on bail and been allowed custody of the child she had with the person she allegedly murdered, so says the investigation report conducted by Peter H. Markesteyn, M.D., F.C.A.P. and David C. Day, Q.C., commissioned by the Child & Youth Advocate's office of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Even if we aren't Canadian, we can help. You can write a letter by using the info provided here or send some snail mail or an email to the appropriate folks. Sharon Kayne, from the guestbook on the dear zachary website, complied this info for us. Many thanks for doing so.

From Sharon Kayne:

I was deeply moved by this film, and was grateful that Kurt suggested a course of action at the end: contact the Canadian Parliament and urge them to enact bail reform. If each of us took five minutes to do this, we could affect true change. I looked for contact info for Parliament, but found their website maddeningly vague. Did find contact info on the committees, but no info on which committee would handle bail reform. Below I’ve posted contact info on the two most likely committees, as well as the Prime Minister. Prime Minister Stephen Harper Office of the Prime Minister 80 Wellington Street Ottawa ON K1A 0A2 Canada Email: pm@pm.gc.ca STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY AND NATIONAL SECURITY Sixth Floor, 131 Queen Street House of Commons Ottawa ON K1A 0A6 Canada EMAIL: secu@parl.gc.ca STANDING COMMITTEE ON JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS Sixth Floor, 131 Queen Street House of Commons Ottawa ON K1A 0A6 Canada EMAIL: JUST@parl.gc.ca

Additionally, I am sure these two brave survivors (David and Kate Bagby) would appreciate any prayers and positive intentions for them and their murdered son and grandson. They live in California now, and continue to travel to Canada to demand reform. You can email them at: dearzachary@earthlink.net

Live from the scene of the crush...

I am a woman who often forms silly, little “crushes”.  

These crushes are applied to both objects and people. It is a side-effect of being too emotional, whimsical, detail oriented and all around too fussy.

 

I have a fine tuned taste, sense, or penchant for learning everything about things or people whom I deem exceptionally original and wonderful. (I don’t mean that to be as narcissistic or self-righteous as it sounds.)  Right now I have an infatuation with the Michigan Salad with Grilled Chicken from the Honey Tree in Livonia, MI.  Much like Sally Albright, (from When Harry Met Sally) I create my own high-maintenance version of salad perfection… so I like mine with gorgonzola instead of the customary blue cheese. Mmmm…It’s delicious! If you are near Livonia, I highly recommend trying it!

 

I am also currently bonkers about learning everything I can about Mildred Armstrong Kalish (left,) author of the sweetest book titled “Little Heathens”. The book is all about her life growing up on a farm during the great depression. It was one of the best Christmas presents I received from the hubby and I am so crazy about the authentic farm recipes and resourceful recycling projects she describes from her youth during one of the hardest times in our country’s history.  These projects were done out of necessity, before what we think of today as economical “arts and crafts” existed. I highly recommend getting a copy and reading it quickly, in a few sittings, to absorb the full impression of the by-gone world she lived in.

 

But before I became a woman with “crushes,” I was a girl with “crushes”.  

 

As a kid, these short-lived obsessions were usually limited to a particular make-up product, (the ultimate 80’s lipstick: Silver City Pink by Revlon,) toys (Fashion Plates,) or accessories that I would wear until they were broken or ill fitting, and of course…men! Not boys.. but men!

 

I wasn’t “a boy crazy, girl”: a term my grandmother often used. Boys my own age were a total bore to me; too involved in disappointing things like Nintendo, Beth Barnowski’s skirt length, and hair gel. One of the men who I regularly drooled over (and who was NEVER a disappointment,) was a prematurely gray-haired 23 year old who visited me most mornings of high school at 7:03am via a wall mounted TV set planted in my 1^st hour. He was Channel One news correspondent, Anderson Cooper. Yes, the same Anderson Cooper who now hosts the top-rated news program on CNN every night live from such hell zones as the path of Hurricane Katrina, Bagdad, and Israel.  

 

Maybe you have heard of Anderson Cooper but haven’t heard of Channel One? Well let me tell you, it is the school marketing scam of all time! Channel One launched in 1990 and contracted both public and private schools to run its advertorial 20 minute “news for kids” in exchange for installing TV’s and VCR’s in nearly every classroom in the school. The scam was that the majority of the 20 minutes of school time devoted to watching “the news” was actually spent watching Channel One’s well produced array of advertisers. Remember Cindy Crawford seductively buying a can of Pepsi from a vending machine to the tune of “Just One Look”, or Michael Jordan slam dunking in his Air Jordan’s for Nike…this is mostly what we watched.

 

When this Channel One thing wasn’t making us feel like we were less than cool if we did not grow-up to be supermodels drinking (non-diet) Pepsi, or professional athletes making the winning dunk in cool $80.00 running shoes…it gave us Anderson Cooper reporting from Sarajevo. 

 

Most who graduated high school in the 1990’s liked Channel One because it gave them 20 extra minutes to finish their 1^st hour homework and supplied heavy doses of pop-culture brainwashing…but I liked it for Anderson Cooper! He was such a great reporter. So real, so gritty, so spontaneously witty! And he looked good in a helmet—not easy to pull off!

So you can imagine how vindicated I felt in all my youthful adoration when I saw him evolve into the star of CNN! (Let’s just skip over that time he hosted Celebrity MOLE.) Now I am just one of millions of fans who adore him. I was amazed when researching him for this post to find that there are crazy stalkeratzi fansites devoted to his every move. He is even reported to take a shower at the gym with his boxerbriefs still on for fear of being photographed with a camera phone by some crazy man! Yikes. He has never actually confirmed that he is gay (and why should he, who cares!) but he did wear Prada to report on Katrina, and he is Gloria Vanderbilt’s son (he grew up with all those fashionable jeans and jean by-products floating around for goodness sake! what do you expect?) but none of that matters.

 

He was the first major news anchor to report in the midst of the War in Gaza happening right now. His program AC360 is so smart, well-produced, and has just enough of a sense of humor to make all the terrible news in the world palatable. If you don’t know who he is or haven’t seen his show, check it out. Crushes come and go. Tastes change. But the true test of affection for something or someone is if you can still enjoy it or them in the context of the present day. His hair is now a frosty white but, luckily for all of us, Anderson Cooper is still on the scene reporting the relevant news.

 

Below is a clip from his interview on Oprah where they showed him reporting on Channel One, circa 1993:

 

Read the fine print, then drink the '09 kool-aid

It takes me until about January 5th to realize I can make a new year anything I want it to be. I keep a an old motivational list tacked on my bulletin board in front of my desktop. It was yanked out of a tutorial binder from my first corporate job. The rest of the binder made it to the dump with all of the plastic creeds and motto's their rehashed human resource department would drill into us, but this terribly photocopied list won me over with its 90 rules for a "happy and successful life". It comes from speaker and consultant Stephen K. Siemens who might of reached the heights of a Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, or George Foreman if he'd of had a better book deal. (Or a really cool indoor countertop grill!)

I usually hate the packaged, stereotypical thinking of any "rules for success" lists, most of which follow common sense and the customs of capitalism...but these rules are different. They have a bit of a quirky, smart-ass tone mixed with their sappy sincerity...so I  happen to like them. This list of 90 directives includes things like:

3. Get up one hour earlier. You don't need that much sleep!

23. Wink--don't take life too seriously.

27. Express your true feelings. (I think every man and most women born between 1920-1939 should have this tattooed as a reminder.)

30. Write your children a letter. (You can read my last post to get a sense of how much I like that one.)

42. Send your least favorite teacher a note of good wishes.

53. Stop waiting for your ship to come in.

62. Carry someone's burden.

66. Clean out your drawers (I particularly like the double meaning this could have!)

70. Be more than religious. (This is vague, but I translate this as: Life is an experiential gift. Don't hide behind your faith.)

74. Always be willing to start over. (This speaks to the possibilities I always feel atop a new year.)

80. Lighten up. (...Also has a double meaning for my big butt.)

90. Don't die until you're dead.

Sounds good to me. I think this also fits in with the idea of living without regret. It all leads to today, right? So...

Don't waste time. It's a BRAND NEW YEAR!! And if you have a better set of rules to share, plop them into a powerpoint and post them up for all to snag and see on this site called slideshare.net. Many a recycled idea may have lived here, but when I was searching for images for this post on "success" the most comical powerpoint appeared here.

Left: Holly Golightly, a.k.a one of my top five favorite actors, pre-bout of the mean reds. Circa 1963.

Another popular viral email is going around that should encourage you to pause and pick yourself up out of the mean reds this year if you start to get down:

(Courtesy of FMT) Things Got Ya Down? Well Then, Consider This . . .
In a hospital's Intensive Care Unit, patients always died in the same bed, on Sunday morning, at about 11:00 am, regardless of their medical condition. This puzzled the doctors and some even thought it had something to do with the super natural. No one could solve the mystery as to why the deaths occurred around 11:00 am Sunday, so a worldwide team of experts was assembled to investigate the cause of the incidents. The next Sunday morning, a few minutes before 11:00 am all of the doctors and nursesnervously waited outside the ward to see for themselves what the terrible phenomenon was all about. Some were holding wooden crosses, prayer books, and other holy objects to ward off the evil spirits. Just when the clock struck 11:00, Pookie Johnson, the part-time Sunday sweeper, entered the ward and unplugged the life support system so he could use the vacuum cleaner.

Still Having a Bad Day????
The average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the Exxon Valdez Oil spill in Alaska was $80,000.00. At a special ceremony, two of the most expensively saved animals were being released back into the wild amid cheers and applause from onlookers. A minute later, in full view, a killer whale ate them both.

Still think you are having a Bad Day???? A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen shaking frantically, almost in a dancing frenzy, with some kind of wire running from his waist towards the electric kettle. Intending to jolt him away from the deadly current, she whacked him with a handy plank of wood, breaking his arm in two places. Up to that moment, he had been happily listening to his Walkman.

Are Ya OK Now? - No?
Two animal rights defenders were protesting the cruelty of sending pigs to a slaughterhouse in Bonn, Germany . Suddenly, all two thousand pigs broke loose and escaped through a broken fence, stampeding madly. The two helpless protesters were trampled to death.

What?!? STILL having a Bad Day????
Iraqi terrorist Khay Rahnajet didn't pay enough postage on a letter bomb.  It came back with 'Return to Sender' stamped on it. Forgetting it was the bomb, he opened it and was blown to bits. God is Good!

Which reminds me of .....#44. Deserve what the future holds.

I found out some good news today that I will be the official "craft industry" reporter for a favorite publishing industry website of mine. Details to come in the future!

May we all be deserving of a better tomorrow.

(I am sure that sentiment was in the human resources binder somewhere too. WOW! Corporate brainwashing does work!)

Another One Bites the Dust...

How was your Christmas? I hope you were able to celebrate the Birth of Christ and give him his due props around your house this year. I am starting to take down a bit of the Christmas trimmings around our house and it occurs to me while doing this that Christmas seems to fly in and swoop out a little more quickly each year. No matter how much I promise myself I will not get swept up in the tide of parties and gatherings, church festivities, cookie parties, shopping and blah, blah, blah...and just enjoy a nice, quiet Christmas....it never happens. I mean really....how can it? Those are all the things that make the modern Christmas experience, right? With a 3 year old in tow, fuggetabout it!

Quiet, sch..my-it. Here I am in the tiny little breathing space between the afterglow of Christmas and the big, fat hope of a new year.

My one reprieve from the noise of Christmas commerce and annual Christmas cartoons in prime time is that lovely space of time, after dinner has been cleared, when I can curl up in my easy chair with a hot cup of Peppermint Yogi Tea and open the Christmas cards we have received that day.

Christmas cards originated from an idea that Sir Henry Cole had in the early to mid 1800s. He was the founder and director of the South Kensington Museum (now known as the Victoria and Albert Museum) in London, England. Sir Henry was in the habit of hand writing a Christmas letter to friends, family and acquaintances to wish them holiday greetings. His desire was to send a large number of Christmas letters at once. He was simply too busy to hand write so many. So, to solve Sir Henry’s problem, he called upon John Calcott Horsley and asked him to design some Christmas cards to be printed with his Christmas greeting on them. Thus, the first Christmas cards were printed with a Merry Christmas/Happy New Year greeting and were then colored by hand. Almost immediately the tradition of sending Christmas cards began and became widespread.

A 2008 national survey (conducted by an unknown internet source, ??) revealed 69% of people passed on their season's greetings this year by making a phone call on their landline, while 60% emailed their greetings and 22% sent a text message. Still, a healthy 65% of those asked said they also sent a Christmas card, implying that the tradition of dispatching a handwritten message is still going strong. 

Most of the cards from our friends aren't really cards at all, but rather the works of snapfish, or kodakgallery, shutterfly, or Walgreen's photo department. Over half of the "cards" we received were actually family or child photocards. We tried this and sent a similar one last year, too. They are so easy and convenient and these companies even let you upload your address spread sheet and will directly mail them all for you. Licking envelopes? Fuggetabout it! The time management issues Sir Henry had so long ago haven't gotten any better for any of us and this is the modern day solution. I do love receiving the pretty glossy pictures of all the kids and families...but, I so appreciate when a little handwritten note is included.

LEFT: Not my family! Just some commercial family!

The dying art of the handwritten letter is something to treasure. I was in Borders a few days after Christmas and as I selected next year's pretty cards off the 50% table, two women in their late 60's complained about paying for postage and the time and effort Christmas cards take. "It's worth it!" I couldn't help but saying in response to their loud moans. "Handwritten correspondence is a dying art form and this is the one time of year when people send snail mail to each other! I love it!" They both smiled politely at me and sighed deeply before stepping away from the table and walking off to the Cookbook section to undoubtedly exclaim, "Who the hell asked her?"

The cards, enclosed photos, postage, time, effort do add up...but I loved opening those cards every night with my tea and hanging them one-by-one on the twine garland draped on our mantle.Our son stares at the children's faces in the accompanying photos every night and asks who's this and who's that. In my opinion, it is a lovely tradition. Do I plan on giving it up anytime soon? Fuggetabout it!

However.... for New Year's wishes, an e-greeting will have to do:

May you and yours have a blessed 2009!

 

  

 

Jingle Bells, Batman Smells

Remember when we were kids and there was a run on Cabbage Patch toys? Think Christmas circa '84, '85, somewhere in there. Every girl just HAD to have one. Parents were in a frenzy to BUY them. Then the manufacturers went on to market and create the same frenzy over Cabbage Patch Preemies the next year. Then Cabbage Patch silk-haired dolls.(You could actually brush the hair!) I think mine was named Elyse Izadora. It had a birth certificate and everything.

Some evil (brilliant?) sales executive said "Yeah! What a great idea! We'll short order a supply of a toy we think every kid will want.  We'll market the hell out of it. We'll advertise like crazy and they'll be so few in stock, they'll just fly off the shelves! We'll play upon the competitive, sick nature in parents. We'll guilt them into to clawing through the toy shelves so that their child won't feel left out!"

That guy also invented Elmo, and talking Elmo, and dancing Elmo, etc. I am pretty sure he is indirectly responsible for killing that guy in the Walmart stampede, as well.

Anyhow...it's 2008 and the "HOT" must-have item for boys 3-7 years old this Christmas is this:

The Batman Mega Cape. Retail Price at KB Toys $49.99 (Sale price at Walmart the day after Thanksgiving $30.00= Stampede.)

I never thought I'd be one of those parents. But.... (sigh.) I have looked at least 10 different places for this thing when it was on sale, and it's always sold out. My boy is absolutely nuts about getting it. I refuse to pay $49.99 for it online or otherwise...so I guess our son will have to be happy with whatever else he is getting and finally learn about the New Year's Panda.

What is the New Year's Panda, you ask?

The New Year's Panda comes on New Year's Day to all good little boys and girls who didn't get what they wanted on Christmas day from that old hack, Santa. The New Year's Panda understands the value of a dollar, a hard days work, and shops on clearance after Christmas. I am pretty sure the PANDA has about 12 of these batwings tied to his bamboo shoot sleigh! Now, don't feel bad for my poor son. He is getting absolutely spoiled, as usual. I will get those Batman Wings for him, of course. (It's too built up of a challenge NOT to!) 

I would like to attempt a totally handmade Christmas one year, and I half-attempted it this year. Instead of buying toys for our friends' kids, Lucas helped me make a cozy Christmas eve blanket for each one. (20 in total!) I think they turned out great given my wonky "organic" sewing skills. Thank goodness my husband took home economics (since I didn't,) and he prevents me from kicking my sewing machine on a regular basis! Our son also "helped" with the sewing. It was quite fun, imperfections and all! Toys are more fun of course, but a practical gift is okay once in a while!

(Click to enlarge photos.)

If you aren't into "crafts" with a capital C... you could also come up with something equally thoughtful and creative like Stephanie's friend did at Cottage Thoughts. I love the idea of giving someone a taste of another city, in a box. She received "London in a box" from a friend traveling abroad. Her box included a beautiful tin of English Breakfast tea, an antique teacup, a candle, two chocolates wrapped in paper decorated with London scenes, two dried tea roses, and an envelope of British pence to show to her children. Even without the Spice Girls and the Queen...you get the flavor of the city. Simple, sweet, and thoughtful.Those types of gifts beat out lame gift cards, (you mind as well give cash in a box..) DVD's, and all the plastic, overpriced Batman crap you can handle!

Whoot, Whoot, (with hand motions!) My cookbook is finally ready for publication!

 

Last Spring I drafted a family cookbook as a tribute to my grandmother as a Mother's Day gift. You may remember me rambling on about it in this post. WELL...it's finally done! My grandmother helped me edit it and I added a little intro to give a little background on our family and the FOOD!

I chose  lulu.com for their print-on-demand publishing which makes managing inventory very flexible and keeps the production costs low. If you are interested in a hard copy of the book, just click on the book cover icon in the top right corner of my homepage. As a gift to my extended family, friends, and readers I am offering a PDF of the entire 36 page mini-book for you download. Just email me or leave a comment here and I will send it your way! (Just in time to bake something for that workplace Christmas party!) ~Enjoy!

Pre-Turkey Newsflash

GOBBLE.

I have been in whirlwind mode as of late, blogging so inconsistently but ..priorities are what they are! FYI- I have delayed stocking my etsy shop for a reason: I cannot find time for it! I have had some health stuff bothering me and that could be a whole dreary blog of it's own (skip that). Needless to say, I want to share just a few things before the holiday wind catches me and pushes me into the non-blogging stratosphere for good!

The internet can be a terrible tool (like most things) if used for evil, and Myspace really isn't the real world contrary to how people under the age of ...oh say, 30 years old....treat it. Children should not be left to their own devices on the internet! Read more. This story also enforces my belief that people should have to be legally certified as competent prior to conceiving a child.

On a lighter note. If you are preparing anything for Thanksgiving supper, consider adding this recipe to the rotation. Everything tastes more balanced on a Thanksgiving plate if a small dollop of Cranberry Chutney accompanies it. Don't you agree? Try it and you will!

If you need some comic relief (like I have lately,) try playing a flash game called SUPER OBAMA WORLD (Think Super Mario Bros.) Good time waster, (if you need that sort of thing! Yeah, I am talking to you MFS! :)  http://superobamaworld.com/

Also enter your favorite blog into this site: http://www.typealyzer.com/ which claims it can decipher any blog to accurately describe its blog author. I don't know about all that .....but nice try! Thanks Andrew Sullivan for referring these last two!

If you aren't already....have a great day, (and I will talk to you again soon!)

GOBBLE.

It's over. I love our Democracy!

This ad was posted by the Atlantic. What feelings does it provoke in you?  

Have an Opinion. Say it out loud. It's Your Right.

This election year coverage can't be denied, (at least not in my blogland...) In case you hadn't heard: Obama has said Colin Powell will have a role in his administration.  He deserves a second shot in a (hopefully) more honest crowd, and maybe we can finally get a real strategy in the middle east with his help. Or...maybe not. (Does the acronym WMD's ring a bell???)

No one hates annoying email forwards more than me....but I have sent a few pertaining to the election around as of late and I have learned my lesson, (after a faux-pas by my Uncle who hasn't read up on email etiquette and replied to ALL (my entire list of friends and family,) and told me "any moron knows how to vote," and said sharing my support of Obama was "inappropriate". Thanks for the well distributed feedback Uncle PAUL! I think from now on my poly info dumps will remain here. No one forces you to read a silly blog!

Even if we don't agree on politics, I say : Shout it from the rooftops!!...So many people died for our right to do just that and who knows.....maybe someone will listen and learn from you.

Ketchup, rabbit!

We have a lot of catching up to do!

Okay, two discoveries to share immediately.

One is a fabulous documentary I just saw and ANYONE can view for free online. Click here to see it. EVERY American should, in my opinion. So VOTE and tell everyone you know to VOTE!!

Two, is the best YouTube channel discovery yet. If you love Movies, check it out. If you love old people with a wealth of info from their many years in the industry (and old curmudgeon opinions to leave you with aching sides from laughing too long... and you don't have grandparents to enjoy in the same vein,) CHECK it OUT here. Not all their reviews are funny, but watch a few and you'll appreciate the review team, I promise.

More to follow! Ahhh...it feels good to peak out of the rabbit hole for a moment and jump back into the bloggersphere! Have a great day!

Jello Brained

Sorry to have abandoned you temporarily, friends. My brain has turned to florescent, pink jello with all that I have been up to.....

Elections, fund-raisers, home association board meetings, family bike riding, applying for          The Biggest Loser (....just to prove my last post wrong....I DO like reality TV with a purpose. Mainly the purpose of reducing my butt size...)

Yes, all kinds of things have kept me floating in the sea of summer motion!

AND...A big 36th birthday party is on the horizon, as well.

Not for me! I am not that elderly--YET! No, no, it is for the partially gray haired man that I married. That devil will do anything to have a party. The 36th year doesn't seem like a milestone to YOU, perhaps...but we can make it into one with Superman cupcakes and spiked lemonade, to DIE FOR!

Details to follow, along with rants about inappropriate behavior at the voting precincts, and newly discovered craft sites that will make you want to grab your sketchbook and curl up with a nice bowl of ....jello?

For Real...ality?

When I was in Junior High I discovered this show about young adults living in New York City in a loft together. They didn't look alike, or talk alike, or have the same ideas. It was an interesting show and I was hooked from day one. I liked the debate, the fashion, the exploration of the city in that time. I later found out that the show was called "The Real World" on MTV. It was 1992. The idea wasn't original. In the seventies the first type of show in this docu-"reality" genre was produced about a family going through a divorce. It was way ahead of its time. I think it was called American Family.
I love documentaries. Real life is so much more engaging and affecting to me than a production in pretend.

In 2008, there is Reality and there is Reality. Could they be more different?

Yes, I am DONE with most of the so called "reality" garbage that is on the air. I know the appeal for many is the train wreck action of seeing drunk idiots or stick figures with fake breasts and zero self worth crash and mate with each other, but I am just disgusted and bored with it all. Absorbing that trash into your mind does more harm than you'd imagine and even though people want to "escape", there are so many better ways to spend your time doing so.

However, I can't dog all of it. I was totally geeked to see a new season of Project Runway come back on. I love creative competition and the innovation of an artist put under repeated time constraints is something to marvel at. There is even a fellow from Troy, MI on the show. (Good luck, Joe!) Now you know, Project Runway is leaving BRAVO after this season and moving to Lifetime...so some moneymaker had a spot to fill and (as if to prove just how many times one idea can be bastardized...) they are adding an American Artist competition with Sarah Jessica Parker to the channel. Well, chalk up one more show which countless Americans will watch re-run marathons of (along with Top Chef, Top Design, Shear Genius, etc. etc.) I'll check it out and report back with a verdict. I subscribe to the belief that really amazing art most often takes liberal time and space to create, so I am not sure this format of "whip something up by midnight..." will net a great result.

I think traditional TV will be obsolete in a generation or two. The Internet has the upper hand. I tend to prefer You Tube these days. I mean TV will ALWAYS exist because of Advertising, but the Internet is so customizable that even if morons still WANT to be forced fed an interpreted reflection of pop-culture (i.e. Friends, Oprah, Grey's Anatomy...) they will just feed their preferences into it and out will pop 12 versions of LOST or HERO's for all sci-fi/action adventurers to enjoy. I mean it's already happening now for those willing to search out their entertainment online.

My new sitcom equivalent is a long bearded fellow on You Tube who gives a slow paced commentary on his personal/social issues of the day...from "What Dance Means to Me" to the "Earth"... He is a bit of a hypochondriac, unibomber, conspiracy theorist type (who probably pays women for company...) but to me his videos are too bizarre and comic to pass up.
It's just a man who looks like a cross between a deranged Santa Claus and the Frugal gourmet/pedophile in his easy chair spouting off  a bucks worth of knowledge or opinions at a snails pace in his best Walter Cronkite voice. You don't need to watch an entire video, but if you need a laugh...about 30 seconds should do it. Check him out. This is the face of weird old men in basement dens on computers. Real, reality. SCARY, but interesting!

Garbage Picking without Shame

Check out this sweet original oil painting. I call him "Old Father Irish".....

I found it next to the curb on trash day. Yes, I have no shame about this. Something about his eyes...they are fantastic. Upon bringing it home and examining the back of it, I found it was stamped and numbered as an original and came from a gallery in Frankenmuth. When I investigated the artist, I found out :

David Pelbam was born in 1932 and died in 2004. He was a local artist in Rhode Island. He did his works between 1950 and 1960 only. He is most famous for painting portraits of dockworkers, ship captains, and rabbis. (They are all based on his image/self-portrait.) The value of his paintings following his death have skyrocketed and it is unusual to find a portrait by Pelbam that is anything other than a seaman, ship captain or rabbi.

Needless to say, I was pretty geeked with my choice to salvage the piece, and will be happy to display the unusual old chap. Keeping an open mind, a creeping drive-by pace, and a love for old objects could pay off one day if I sell it. (After all, it would be 100% profit!) One is currently listed on askart.com for $850, and one is on ebay for $2500. Whoot! Whoot for garbage picking!

Hmmm..maybe I am becoming a FREEGAN (which is just another fancy label for "garbage picker".) The freegan movement has really picked up steam and I am fascinated that these little groups of like minded consumers have sprung up. The old saying really holds up over time: "One man's trash, is another man's treasure." Anyone can preform the act of consuming and disposing...I'd prefer to be the treasure hunter!

Thug Life

Favorite street art of the day:

 

Sticker depicts Detroit's corrupt, loser, mayor Kwame Kilpatrick who fancies himself a "gangsta". I photographed this near Detroit's Tiger Stadium Commerica Park on the side of an non-working phone booth.

Long time.... no blogging...

I have been absent for a few weeks from this joyful outlet since becoming an Aunt (for the first time,) traveling to see family, holidays, graduation parties, work, etc...but now I am BACK with tons of great snippets to share. Despite my shop update still being placed on hold...(it will happen in this lifetime, I swear,) all other creative pursuits have been full steam ahead.

After doing some marcom work in the sub-prime world of lending, I determined the average worker bee (who might not fully understand how we got into this mortgage crisis in America..) needs a simple powerpoint to break it down; complete with blue-collar, four letter resolutions! Well, here's one for you. Check out this brilliant slide show. It still makes me smile when I re-read it. (Scroll down upon opening. It contains aprx. 45 slides.) I hope you enjoy the stick people!

Currently Listening to my Favorite Musical Couple......

Busy Bees

My Etsy shop has been empty these past few months after I took ill and haven't had the time to devote to it that I would've liked. Unfortunately (or fortunately...) I had to put a bunch of other life maintenance stuff and people before this little pet project...

However, the tide is finally turning and I will be doing a shop update in the next week or so. Look for a posting flyer the day before the launch. As I've said before, I find a strange comfort in always keeping my "to do" list long! Keeping with this spirit, I have decided to save my two male readers the trouble of having to tolerate my posts about dresses, and other fashion crap by devoting a separate page to just these ramblings. Check out my new fashiony blog for fat girls by clicking on the "...on the plus side" graphic at the top of this page! Whoo, hoo!

"Always do whatever's next."
-George Carlin

So, George Carlin has died. He was quite a brave voice of his time and I admired his perspective and humor on most (but not all) things. He was a chronic cursor. (Beep Beep, goes the censors.) He said what he wanted to, unfiltered-unsponsored. It seems so old-fashioned now, that he would become famous for his potty mouth and uncensored speech (in the Paris Hilton sextape era, it seems a very mild offense...) He was a first amendment pioneer and I really respect that. He saw the irony and truth in things that most people miss and he dissected our culture in a most original and witty fashion. Even at age 70 , he was socially relevant and could give thoughtful, funny commentary on  the topics of the day. He worked hard at doing what he did best, and I admire that. He led a crazy ride of a life, but luckily little snippets like these will exist for a long time after he has left the earth....

WARNING:

THE FOLLOWING VIDEO CLIP CONTAINS THE TRUTH ABOUT AMERICA AND MANY, MANY INSTANCES of PROFANITY, CURSING, VULGARITY AND WHATNOT.

THEY ARE JUST WORDS, but LISTEN/WATCH at your OWN RISK! Rated R  (earmuffs, junior!)

Solution: Bad Hair Day

I wish I was a knitter. It seems like such a soothing hobby. If I was, I would definitely knit this to cover up all my bad hair days, (or to wear for Halloween!)

The idea comes courtesy of Megan Reardon who makes and sells knitting needle cases at The Organized Knitter. The tutorial on how to make it can be found here.

 

Craft Mag: Launch Party in the D on June 29

Who likes to go to a party? Well,...I do. But only once in a while, if I have a good babysitter or my husband is willing (or blatantly chooses,) to stay home and advises me to venture out with friends. I am actually going to be working at this little party which is open to all in the crafty hemisphere and I thought I'd let you all know about it in case you want to show up. There will be samples of Woodward Brewers fabulous munchies and $2 pints. How hospitable! If you haven't checked out Craft Magazine, hop over to their site. It has more of a Blueprint/Martha/ReadyMade flavor when put next to a VenusZine. I still prefer Venus, but I have definitely liked some of the layouts and ideas in Craft, as well.

Speaking of craft/style/decor magazines, I actually miss Martha Stewart's publication: Blueprint(her company's attempt at targeting my age demographic in the high-end DIY/style/decor' world.) The last issue came out in January/February of 2008. I own every issue that ran of this magazine. My friend's wife who is 23 really misses it too, so I know it wasn't an age thing. I guess more of our kind are getting info from blogs rather than subscribing and advertisers stayed away. She still runs Bluelines,its associated blog. But sue me... I still like a nice, glossy magazine to flip through. Not very eco-friendly of me, but I treat certain magazines like books and keep them to reference. Reading a magazine is an entirely essential aesthetic experience compared to staring at, even the most lovely of, laptop screens. But, ahhh.. that comparison could be a discussion all on its own!

I have hope that I will see a Blueprint variation resurface, since Martha promised the occasional future "special edition". Not that I particularly support Martha Stewart,... but that was a good read, darn it! 

(Well done, you 20-30 year old staffers at MSO!)

 

The Procrastinator

Brilliant.