Weight Watchers

So I just joined Weight Watchers because it's something I need to do. I need to be watching mine.

There's only one problem: I love to bake, cook and eat. In fact my cake decorating class was scheduled to start on Wednesday night. It was going to be my third level of Fondant and Gum Paste Cake Decorating. It's hard to be around yummy food and not eat it--at least for me. So it's a GOOD thing the class was canceled, at least for now.

I wanted to do this because I want--no--I need to hold myself accountable and this group should help me.

That's why I signed up and started tracking what I eat--online. Weight Watchers is all about eating healthy and getting more exercise. Common sense, I know-but it's not so easy. Still, I'm hoping I'll make some good progress and learn a few things along the way. I'll keep you all posted and let you know how I'm doing. And, it can't hurt that I'm training for a half-marathon in June. :)

Kewl Green Products for Earth-Friendly Friday

I love looking for green products and this bag is a fun one that helps support sustainability while looking chic.

And, if you're looking for something fun and fashionable while still being green, why not check out these guitar string bracelets? I got my daughter a bunch of them last year for Christmas. This year I'm thinking of making my own out of violin strings for my son's gfriend. I'll let you know if it works out.

And I really love these recycled glass bottle earrings. How 'bout you?

FREE is a very good price

And if you like to knit here's a place to find some fun and FREE patterns. And here's another place to find more free knitting and crocheting patterns.

Happy knitting!

Answer to Word for Wednesday

The Word "axiomatic" means aphoristic

yeah, I know, that doesn't help much

It's also self-evident or obvious. If you want to read more, check it out here.

Word for Wednesday - a Writer's Game

The Game with two W's: Word for Wednesday

Word: axiomatic

Take a guess, what does it mean...?

Put your guess in the "comments" section then come back around 3 to see if you were "write" or wrong.

Halloween House

I still have a lot to do but the process has begun



How 'bout you, are you ready for the holiday?

Strange Signs

Saturday we went to the Greek Festival and I thought it was funny to find a sign that said "No alcohol Permitted off Church Premises".

Then we walked over to the pastries and watched them being made:


We had to try these little puff balls of pastry. They are covered in honey and oh so yummy.

FREE Stencils for Halloween

I'm a craftaholic. I love trying new things - especially at holidays. And I found these FREE stencils for pumpkins on BH&G webpage.

If you try these, please let me know so I can have a peek at your pumpkins.

Happy Carving.

Kewl Koala

A friend sent me these photos from Australia where it was 120 degrees and so hot the bears were asking people for water.

Then one Koala went looking for some shade and a homeowner gave this little guy some water...see what he does with it:

10.01.10 The SCARIEST Story of All

It looks like some sort of computer code...doesn't it? It must mean something...right?

Maybe it means something big is going to happen today or something bigger will happen on 10.10.10 - that's only 9 days away. Maybe we should all prepare for it, like we did at the new Millennium: buy some flashlights, batteries and extra water. My tip would be BUY CHOCOLATE. It's the single most important thing we might want to stock up on.

Why...?

Well, I guess we could get worked up about all sorts of things on a day with such numerological significance as today but there's something bigger and scarier coming our way than a strange number: It's the death of chocolate.

THE DEATH OF CHOCOLATE... You might say, don't you mean Death By Chocolate?

But No. You heard me right the first time.

Scientists are racing to find a cure before it's too late and we lose chocolate to a disease. In West Africa, 70 percent of the crop of cocoa is produced and these cacao trees have no resistance to diseases that could destroy the crop.

That's why scientists are racing to find the sequence to path the genome for chocolate. You see there are two virulent pathogens that could wipe cocoa off the face of the earth, one is witch's broom and the other is frosty pod.

I read that the Mars Company in partnership with IBM are working to path the genome for the cacao tree. And, I for one, sure hope they are able to save chocolate.

If you don't believe me and think I'm merely trying to start October off with a scary story so I can simply jump start the Halloween horrors, check out this September 15, 2010 article from the Washington Post.

What would we do at that certain time of month, if there was no chocolate...? It really does sound like the beginning of a horror novel to me.

What say you?

Confused Dog on Escalator

Hope you all have a happy day :)

Anwer to Word for Wednesday

Answer: A femtosecond is one quadrillionth, or one millionth of one billionth of a second.

Time flies but that's nothing more than a flash of a hummingbird's eyelash.

Word for Wednesday - a game for Writers

Word: Femtosecond

Take a guess, put it in comments then come back around 3:00 P.M. to see if you were "write" or wrong.

Thicken the P(l)ot

Soup, like a story, is always better when you give it time to develop. You need to let it sit and simmer for a while to get all the full-bodied flavor out of the characters...or vegetables. So remember to take a little time with your p(l)ot--let it stew inside your head. This added time will help thicken the story...or broth.

So you see, a good pot of soup is just like a good story.

After you have your idea, think about your characters. Make sure you make them multi-dimensional, complex, and--mostly--imperfect. Otherwise they will be predictable and bland. No one wants a boring soup or a one-dimensional story. Everyone has flaws so remember to throw in a few quirks and complications, it will spice up your characters.

After you finish your story, let it sit for a few days then go back and get another little taste from the p(l)ot. You might discover some things you'd forgotten, or see mistakes you never noticed. You might even realize a few ways you can fit some of those pieces together better than before with only a small sprinkling of salt...or a bit of new information.

So I hope I've helped you see that "The Joy Of Writing" can be comfort food for the writer's soul and add spice to your story for the benefit of your reader.

So, the next time you're cooking up a pot of soup, think of character, and when you're sitting down to a savory cup of alphabet soup, think about those words. How can we use them to make our stories richer, tastier and more ful...filling?

People say "time heals". I don't know if that's true, but it sure "helps" when it comes to thickening the broth of your soup and it will do even more to make your story rich and tasty.

Word Soup - Character Chowder

I have goals for the week: writing goals. I want to start a new story, get a few thousand words on the page, and compose my character outlines. Which kind of makes me think of soup.

Yep, that's what I said, word soup and character chowder. I don't want to merely spew strings of letters together on a page and hope they form a story. I want to create a medley of flavors using multiple ingredients. Every word needs to move the story forward and every character has to be multi-dimensional.

I draw a lot of my characters from real life--or at least many of their personality traits, mannerisms, and overall character. I doubt anyone knows people who are only one-dimensional. Of course there are stereotypes, or people who seem to be more one thing than another. But most people are very complex. I learned this fact studying psychology back in college and earning my degree only taught me that there was way more to learn than I had time for in four years.

Anyway, who wants to eat plain potato soup? We all want a little variety...(some salt, pepper, dill, garlic, maybe even a little cilantro or fennel) after all, that is the spice in our lives and in our stories.

So, how do we make a word soup that is tasty...?

Come back tomorrow and I'll give you a few tips that I use when I'm writing.

Go Goth

I love dark red fingernail polish--especially when it gets close to Halloween. So, when I saw these colors I nearly went crazy and had to have them. I even bought an extra set for a friend. Plus, they came with a black lace cuff band--way too kewl.

Plus for a present, I added a little pumpkin basket and some nail files. What a way to start a holiday.

Suffering Succotash

Succotash is usually a corn and lima bean mixture and everyone probably has their own recipe for Succotash but mine starts with produce from my garden. I have a little urban garden where I grow flowers and vegetables organically. So, when I'm feeling like a little succotash I go outside and pick a zucchini or two and some tomatoes.

Then I chop them up and put them in my cast iron skillet with some olive oil and minced garlic. I add a couple tablespoons of butter to the mix and slowly heat them until the zucchini looks semi-translucent.

It is so EZ and even more yummy.

So You Want To Save The World...

If you have a savior complex, or even if you don't, check out Hands On Greater Portland. There are some great opportunities to help you help others.

Volunteering is a super-hero way to give back to your community. And, if you don't live in the Portland area, check out your local volunteering opportunities.

Hope you all have a super weekend.

Wonderful World of . . .flowers

Everyone should take time to Stop and Smell the Roses, um, Dill Weed.

Dill is really an edible herb and not a flower. But, if you let it go to seed, it is a pretty delicate blossom of yellow yumminess, plus the aroma that comes off this plant whenever you brush up against it, is sinfully delicious
Chocolate Cosmos is pretty but the thing I really like about this flower is the aroma. Yep, you guessed it: chocolate. Like candy for the eyes and nose, these little buds make you want to eat them right up. A great aroma therapy for a woman at that certain time of the month--and no needless calories ;)
Balloon Flowers
I think you can see why. The little blossoms billow up like a puffed up ball of air, right before they open into the beautiful flowers they are. I like to watch all the stages.

Answer to Word for Wedneday

Word: Quiescent

It means to be at rest, quiet or still.

If you want to read more, check it out here.

Word for Wednesday - a game for Writers

Word: Quiescent

Guess what it means

Put your guess in comments and then come back at 3:00 to see
if you were "write" or wrong.

I'll Cry If I Want To

It's my birthday and...

another year... and still no book on the shelves...(sigh)...

well, Leslie Gore made this video back in my day. The thing I love about those "good old days" was...well, look at the backup dancers. They look like real people. They don't look perfect or rail thin--they look like real women. Those were the days.

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer so I'm going to try to focus on the milestone...yet to achieve

and remember who I share my b-day with:

H.G. Wells, Larry Hagman, Bill Murray, Faith Hill & Riki Lake.

But, there's one person more important than all these celebs...

And I'm lucky to share more than my birthday with him ;)

Monday Movie Review - Resident Evil

I love movies in 3-D, even though I can't handle a lot of motion in movies. The Blair Witch made me sick - all that hopping and bobbing of the camera - but 3-D I can handle. And I love horror movies--always have. I remember watching Night of the Living Dead back in the 70's and it kept me awake all night. Ever since that day, I've loved zombie movies: 28 Days Later, Resident Evil (RE), Zombieland. I enjoyed them all and all for different reasons. That's why I wanted, and waited, to see Resident Evil-After Life in 3-D.

So, it might not be what your family thinks of as a great family film, but heck, if we were all the same, life would be boring.

So anyway, we headed off to the movies beneath gray cloudy skies that soon turned to cold Portland rain--perfect weather for a little zombie Apocalypse entertainment. So with a bucket of popcorn and an icee we sat huddled together in the dark theater to watch Alice come back to fight another day. And did she ever fight. That was my one complaint about the movie. She was a little too perfect--even for me. This was definitely not the best of the RE movies but still worth the $11.00 bucks--at matinee prices. It was $7.00 for the matinee price and $4.00 for the 3-D glasses, which we recycled afterward, in the handy receptacles outside the theater exit. I'm sure the theater will reuse the glasses - but what was I going to do with them? So we turned them back in. I'd rather be green.

Anyway, if you're a zombie movie fan like me, I think you'll like the show. If you see it, let me know.

Birthdays

September is a crazy month in our family. Crazy because of all the birthdays.

We had to spend the day doing birthday things because it was Kara and Jake's birthday about a week ago, it was my niece's birthday yesterday and another niece's birthday tomorrow. Crazy.

So, we all went to see one of my favorite things: zombies. Resident Evil After Life in 3-D. I just love Alice and Claire kicking butt all over the screen. I love any movie that has a strong female character and this movie had two or three, so it had me at ... Hello, my name is Alice.

Then we went out to dinner and my crazy kids tried to bug me by ruining my photos but it was a photo sabotage fail... I had the waiter snap a photo for me--I won!

Race for the Cure - Saturday in Portland, Oregon

My MIL is a breast cancer survivor and when she called and asked if I was doing the Race for the Cure - I said, "Ummm . . . yeah." And, now I am.

My husband, me and my MIL will be on the streets of Portland on Saturday morning. We're only going to be doing the one mile walk but we're hoping to spread the word and hopefully have a wonderful time along the way.

It will be a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning.

Pints to Pasta

These races always start at the butt-crack of dawn. I mean, it's an ungodly time that you have to get up and get going to be a part of these "fun"d raisers. If only they could start at noon. Then, I wouldn't look sooooo tired. But they are still loads of laughter and lots of fun.

Sunday my sister and I ran in Pints to Pasta. It's a 10k to help support a couple good causes. The proceeds go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training AND The Boys and Girls Clubs.

Every community has these types of events and if you don't want to run or walk in the event, you can always volunteer. It's a lot of fun and it does a lot of good for your community.

Think about volunteering and making a difference.

Answer to Word for Wedneday

Answer: The word Conundrum means "a riddle" or anything that puzzles. If you want to read more about it, check it out here.

And THANKS for playing

Word for Wednesday - a game for Writers

Word: Conundrum

Guess what it means in "comments"

then come back around 3:00 to see,

if you were right or wrong.

The Marriage of Figaro - Mozart's Opera

Opera. . .?

My husband asked me if I wanted to go see one. I said, "I'd rather go see the new Resident Evil (in 3-D) Afterlife. And I wasn't joking.

I always figured opera was for old people. . .old stuffy people...

I mean opera is boring--right...? That's why I'd never even thought about going to an opera before. No interest.

My husband, on the other hand, loves all sorts of music and, I guess, classical is an easy stepping stone away from opera. Anyway, he's even been teaching himself Italian so that he'll understand what's going on when he listens to those operas . . . on the radio.

Anyway, when he heard about The Marriage of Figaro being performed in Portland, (in English) he wanted to go. I simply laughed and went around the house singing, "Figaro, Figaro, Figaro."

He shook his head and rolled his eyes, "That's not this opera, that's in the Barber of Seville."

Like I would know.

Anyway, my husband won the coin toss so we spent Friday night at the opera.

I don't know what I really expected but it wasn't this.

The Marriage of Figaro is a romantic comedy that made me laugh out loud. The actors were all amazing even though it was a Student Opera at Portland State University put on at the Portland Actors Conservatory. Tickets were only $12.00. And, believe me, it would have been a bargain at $30-$60 per ticket. It was four hours of continuous entertainment. Just imagine . . . singing for four hours. It was a wonderful show and my only complaint was that the performance, like I said, was four hours.

Four hours is just too long for me to sit still (even though we had two intermissions). By the time I got up out of my seat to head home, my butt was sore. Even with a sore behind, I would go see another opera - as long as it's in English. But, first I'll have to go see Resident Evil.

Monday Mealtime - Lemon Fennel Chicken

Who doesn't like herb-roasted chicken and potatoes? Everyone in my family loves to eat 'em and fennel smells so sweet and fragrant--like licorice--and since my husband loves fennel, I have a lot of it growing in my garden.

Sometimes I have to work to think up ways to use fennel. But a friend told me about a lemon fennel chicken she had for dinner and I thought, "I can do that."

So, I did.

I added my own little twist to the dish: garlic and parsley, plus some kosher salt to spice up the dish.

To get started, I went out to the garden and picked the fennel and parsley, plus (in my opinion) you can never have too many tomatoes so I grabbed a few of those.

Then I rinsed off the garden goodies and chopped up the parsley and fennel. My husband squeezed some fresh lemon over the herb mixture and cut up the chicken breasts to make a nice pocket for stuffing my herbs inside.


We stuffed the chicken breasts with our herb mixture and added some fresh chopped garlic. Of course we had to add a little extra salt and pepper but you could add whatever spices you like. Then we baked the chicken at 400 for about a half hour (next time I will cover the chicken in foil. That will help cut down on the dish washing and seal the moisture inside the chicken.

Plus, I (meaning my husband) chopped up some red potatoes, drizzled olive oil over them and mixed in some onion soup mix. When the potatoes were well-coated, I baked them on 350 for about an hour.

Then I chopped up some fresh fruit for a little fruit salad and made some homemade lemon ice-tea. I even added some lemon zest to the brew and it was really yummy.

This dinner took a little longer than I usually spend during the work week but with my husband's help it was fun and turned out oh-so-tasty. I hope you'll try it.

YUMMMMMMM

Okay, maybe I think this is the best salad in the world because I think cherry tomatoes are like bite-size bits of wonderfulness. Or like healthy candy.

But, here's how I put this salad together.

I went out to the garden and picked about 3 to 4 cups of cherry tomatoes.


Then I rinsed them off (even though they are organically grown) I still soaked them for a few minutes.

Then I sliced them in half, added about 1 and 1/2 cups of Calamata Olives (pitted)
And one pint of mozzarela cheese, in small ball shapes.

I tossed them together and whipped up some balsamic vinegar, olive oil and kosher salt salad dressing like this:

Take one-fourth cup olive oil
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of salt
(shake the liquid mixture up then pour over the salad)

YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Happy Halloween - a little early

How 'bout a scarey picture...well, it is a little blurry.

Some say better late than never. I say, "You can never start celebrating too soon."

And what better way to celebrate than with chocolate...?

I say there isn't any better way to kick off the holiday season than with Frankenstein, eyeballs and maybe an owl or even a fish.

So, let's start celebrating today. Try some holiday truffles, then let me know what you think. I say, "We all scream for Halloween...truffles."

Earth-Friendly Friday: Recycle, Reduce and Reuse

All three of these 2X4s are the same, well...if you use a little elbow grease to uncover the beauty



It's true. Old wood is beautiful - when you strip away the years of dirt, grime and use.

Reusing is simple - if you simply think ahead or . . . behind.

It all comes from the past. Why not look to local scrap yards, recycling centers and the past to recycle, reduce, and reuse?

One way is to reuse old lumber. And old-growth wood is much higher quality than new lumber. So, you will be saving a tree, reducing the waste in our landfills, and saving a little money (or green) at the same time.

My husband sanded down some old wood to make some new garden chairs. I'll post the finished product when he's done and I can hardly wait...

Falling . . .

Click on the picture to see us falling...over the waterfalls, I'm the one in the red helmet. Yeah, that's me having to climb back in the boat after falling out

Answer to Word for Wedneday

Evincing is to show clearly, to make evident or prove

If you want to "read all about it" check it out here.

Word for Wednesday - a game for Writers

Word: Evincing

Take a guess, what can it mean...?
Put your thought in "comments" please.

Then come back around 3:00 p.m. to see if you were "write" or wrong.

The Years Fly By

Happy Birthday!

Happy Labor Day

Who doesn't love a three-day holiday?

The symbolic end of summer has arrived. I don’t know why we celebrate the end of summer. I’m in mourning, plus we didn’t even have much of a summer this year. This was an unusually cold summer—at least here in Oregon.

Plus, why do we celebrate the return to school and the hurried life of families everywhere with baseball games, picnics, barbeques, hikes and apple pie—well that’s the traditional way to celebrate.

I prefer to spend my time in the garden and reading. After all, the “school” year is moving into full swing again and we’ll be rushing around from here on out.

Kids might feel a little depressed knowing this is the last weekend of summer vacation and parents might get a little depressed heading off to the store to pick up school supplies and clothes for the kids. But some people might find comfort in knowing Labor Day is the beginning of the NFL season.

Plus, we might want to remember to celebrate our fashion-forward-freedom. At least we don’t have to follow the same rules our parents did. Did you know, it used to be considered a fashion faux pas to wear white after Labor Day? Not today.

September 5, 1882 was the first Labor Day celebration in the United States and it started in New York City but it didn’t become a federal holiday until 1894.

It all started with the Pullman Strike and deaths of numerous workers. Labor Day was a way to end the conflict and help mend fences.

I say whatever reason we can use to have a three-day weekend, I’m all for it.

Anyway, I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY!

ENJOY THE JOURNEY

How long will it take
How much will I make

Are we there yet

When will I know
How far we must go

Are we there yet

When will I truly arrive
How will I ever survive

Are we there yet

I’ll put words on the page
No matter my age

Are we there yet

When does the journey end
Of a writer, parent, or friend

We are there now

There's Gotta Be More to Life

There's Gotta Be More to Life

In Memoriam

I've always been a dog person - not so big on cats...until Sparks. She was a smart cat--just look at her waiting for a feathered friend to appear.

Luke picked her out at the pet store. She was laying in the back of the cage, one big ball of fur--so calm and peaceful he just had to have her. The year was 1994 so he was only 5 or 6 at the time. And Sparks was always Luke's cat. Of course we all loved her but she was his favorite pet of all time.

Monday, Jacob found her. She'd gotten into a fight--probably with a raccoon during the night. And, Sparks probably thought she could take that raccoon because she was used to bossing two dogs around the house
but she couldn't. And, now we're all remembering . . .

SPARKS

Regift, Reclaim, or Regret...?

Have you ever gotten a gift for someone that they didn't like?

Well...I have, more than once. In fact, too many times to try to keep track of...and why would I want to keep a scorecard of my failures anyway...?

Anyway, I brought home a couple of skirts and a backpack for my daughter--from Paris, thinking she'd love and appreciate them because I thought they were OH-Là-Là

or oh-SO-AWE...dorable.

Not her.


After seeing them sit up in her closet with the tags still on them, I finally said, "If you're not going to use that backpack, I will."

She sorta shrugged like she couldn't care less. So, I've got a new backpack and my daughter has a little more room in her closet. Looks like we both win with this one.

September 1st - WHOO-HOO

Back-to-school is just around the corner: the official end of summer and with it is The Bike Commute Challenge here in Portland, Oregon. It's a friendly competition to see who can get the most people riding their bikes (or doing a "bike commute") to work during the month of September.

A "bike commute" can be:

* Riding both ways to work by bicycle
* Riding one way to work by bicycle (and the other way by any other mode)
* Riding part way to work by pairing biking with transit, driving or any other mode

I plan to be riding my bike to and from work and I'm hoping others will join me.

Harvest is Nearing

The Twilight of Summer is Upon Us


I love the oh-so short months of summer sun. They are filled with planting, pruning, watering...but nothing compares to harvesting.
except for maybe munching.....

My Dog Ate My Couch

I know dogs are only supposed to be considered part of the canine family but I swear Siberian Huskies must be kissing-cousins to the goat, at least in some genetic respects, because
Sasha might be a pretty girl - especially with those beautiful blue eyes - and I love her BUT. . .

She has dug up so many of my flowers from my garden and eaten tons of vegetable plants and vines, including one fragrant honeysuckle and another wonderfully aromatic jasmine vine,

And I had just sewed some new pillows to match my arbor cushion this weekend

I thought they were looking so nice until I went outside and, saw that while I was in the house, Sasha had eaten the cushion cover
Then she ate my most expensive leather shoes, now known as chew toys, (twice) and my underwear (countless times)

She even eats metal cans (thus the goat reference)

But I didn't really begin to get upset until she decided to eat the couch


Believe me, Marley and Me - has nothing on Sasha and Me.