Nail polish, it's not just for nails anymore

I decided that I would paint my nails for the first time since 1985...okay maybe more like 2000 for my wedding...anyway...I get myself ready, do everything I need to do before my nails are wet and begin...

Something isn't right... all of the polishes are thick, sticky, and a completely different color than what I'm sure I purchased. We're not talking about 1 or 2 bottles, oh no...we're talking a container.





So, what do you do? Why you grab some of your blue jean stash and go to work!!






The pouring and splattering begins!























A few thoughts....

Sooooooo glad I did this outside, although you can smell nail polish throughout our entire house....

There's really very little polish in those bottles for the amount of money you spend...

And finally, my color choices of nail polish are pretty boring and conservative...lots of pinks and pearls...next time I'm taking a walk on the wild side.

Of course, that depends on whether or not we pass out from the fumes.....


- Posted using BlogPress from my IPod

It began life as a baseball

It was a baseball that I had thrown out as a first pitch at the Hudson Valley Renegades game...I saw an article in Flea Market Style and got my really sharp scissors out.....





The assembly begins.......





Thankfully, I had purchased waxed linen thread for bookmaking..perfect for this!!





A few stitches, an old button, some inks and a stem, and we're done....





I now need alot more baseballs......anyone want me to throw out the first pitch...pretty please......- Posted using BlogPress from my IPod

Technology and the simple life....

I used to have dial-up Internet.....I know we all did, but I had it wayyyy past it's prime. Case in point, my Mom came to visit us and was frustrated because she couldn't get to her favorite websites. When your technology is older than what your Mother is using, you gotta step up your game.
Hello Broadband and a new computer. We were flying down the informational and creative highway. Then I got a wireless router and that totally changed my world. Weather maps, sports scores, emails at my fingertips within a second or two. Netflix movies on our TV thru Roku could be the greatest thing since sliced bread. I could check my Facebook page and update my status from our back porch... I'm even on Twitter now, it's a great source of info and a cool way to quickly share all of the creativity going on!
So, with all of this connectivity at my fingertips throughout my house, you'd think I'd be like.."Wow how can I get my blog at my fingertips, so it's less formal and more fun and easy to update"...today I finally asked the question, found an app and here I am on my back porch blogging away on a Saturday morning with Bella and Pepper sleeping in their favorite spots.
It only took me 4 years...and combined with updating my Facebook page & Twitter...I may never look up from my IPod again, but at least my technology is no longer behind what my Mom is using and really that is the most important thing!

Old Board Games and treasured memories

 

 I have alot of great memories of my childhood. One of my favorites is watching Mom and Dad play Scrabble, seeing Mom play in a Scrabble club, and witnessing almost every new Scrabble board they bought. I think this may be one of the reasons why I love word games to this day.

When Mom and Dad asked me if I wanted one of their older scrabble boards for myself, I was thrilled. That game, with it's beat up box and old yellowing score papers, moved with me more times then I care to remember. I always had to find a special place to keep it. I worried if it would get smashed, or damp, or otherwise damaged.

I did this for many years, until one day it hit me. If I loved this game and all of the memories it contained, then why was I keeping it in a box, in a really safe place that I couldn't get to that easily? It didn't add up. I wanted to look at it and share it. Really enjoy it.

 So, I made this....I actually found this fabric on a trip home in an upholstery warehouse with Mom & Dad and I thought it would be great for a bulletin board. So glad I never got around to that project!!  I couldn't make this fast enough...it was all finished in my head...... I could see it hanging on my wall! 

I did a little quilting around the letters on the fabric first and then just dumped out the scrabble tiles, started making words and glued them down. I loved the score cards, it's Mom & Dad's handwriting and I always want to be able to see that.


 

When I have a bad day, looking at this piece is really comforting. It reminds me of Mom & Dad. I can almost hear them tell me that no matter what I'm going through at the time...it will pass and I will be okay no matter what.

 

And of course, no piece is complete without being inspected by Bella, my sewing room kitty. I think she gave this her paw of approval.

Knee surgery, crutches, and 40 years

When I was in high school, I had 3 surgeries on my knees.  I spent almost 2 years in either a knee brace, a full-leg cast, or some kind of a bandage dressing thingy....all of which prevented me from bending my knee, for a long time.  I remember my parents having to drive me to Physical Therapy, doing exercises to build my muscles back-up which had seriously atrophied, and wearing a TENS unit-which was to help relieve the pain by sending little electric shocks from my knee to my brain ( and yes this was as much fun as you think).

I didn't learn to drive until I was almost 20...it's tough to pass a Driver's test, when you can't bend your knee enough to be able to sit in the driver's seat, let alone be able to push important pedals, like the brakes...they typically frown on giving folks driver's licenses when you can't do those things, although lately I've begun to wonder where their standards went, but I digress.....

I've had Doctors tell me that I couldn't wear high heels (which really isn't good news when you're only 5'4" and weigh abit more than you should-heels would give the illusion of being taller and thinner(or so I thought), shouldn't dance, and activities like skiing and jogging are out. The no jogging thing was pretty okay with me to be completely honest here, but the rest was sort of depressing. I went from being a teenager to feeling like I had aged 40 years...

So now here I am 40 years older and guess what..... I've just had knee surgery. The bandage dressing thingy hasn't changed, crutches are still crutches (although they are nice and shiny and metal now-no longer the good ole wood variety), and I couldn't bend my knee for 5 days. Sigh..... And even though I have my Driver's License, I can't drive right now, because I can't push the clutch or the brake pedal enough to either put the car in gear or stop the car when necessary.

I don't mean to complain here. I mean I know I did wear high heels for awhile (I couldn't help myself), but I didn't take any dance classes ( & I really wanted to), and I've also never gone skiing (not too upset about this one-it left me more money for fabric and really cool threads-not to mention my Bernina!!!!!) It's just that I once again feel like I'm 40 years older...and that's just downright disgusting, frustrating, and any other word that means crap, %$^*), or @#%$^.

I am doing my exercises, beginning to use only 1 crutch when I'm home to help me get back on both legs quicker, and elevating my leg while I'm sitting. I'm trying not to act or feel, like I'm 40 years older than I am, but when I look in the mirror and see so many gray hairs, plus crutches, it's a tough image to overcome.

So, here's what I think I'm going to do.....I'm gonna get my hair cut in a cool and funky style and remember that, just like in high school, I will get my leg back. I just have to be patient........Now, where is that DSW Shoe Wearhouse catalog...I think a pair of red high heels would be just the thing to make this 40 something feel a little better.......

Cookbook Challenge of 2010...a refresher course.

I began this challenge in December of 2009 after being tired of worrying all the time about money and jobs and the economy, and  fill-in-the-blank-here. You name it, I was probably worried about it. So, I thought I needed to change my focus, remember to be grateful for all that I have in my life. I counted my cookbooks, 117 of them. How many did I actually use, probably 10. Here I was worried about what might happen, when I was missing a chance to learn new recipes, new techniques, and keep growing in my life-with things I already owned. So the gauntlet was tossed, 1 new recipe from each book before December 28, 2010.
I currently have 102 more to go.

Check that, make it 103, my husband bought me a new book for my Easter basket. Someone at work said that Don's no dummy... keep buying me cookbooks and all the good food from the challenge will never end! The new book is "Julia's Kitchen Wisdom" by, of course Julia Child. It's a great book with tools, techniques, and many ways to change a base recipe into all sorts of wonderful things! I made a creamy Leek & Potato Soup and I was amazed at how simple it was to make and how good it was to eat.

Next up, a French Potato salad w/Bacon from "The Silver Palate Cookbook", the 1st one. I have often said that I get tired of mayonnaise encrusted salads once the weather warms, but I wanted a little mayo in this..maybe it's just cold-weather talk longing for the tastes of summer, but something felt like it was missing.

Onward and upward I go! What's next, you ask? I'm wondering the same thing...thinking about potato dumplings from my 1 cookbook in German-boy I'm hoping that language comes back to me pretty quickly!!! Come to think of it, my family's probably wishing for the very same thing! Where is that German/English dictionary anyway..........

A rainy Monday in New York

can mean only 1 thing...homemade macaroni & cheese.

No low-fat, skim milk, pretend it's creamy stuff...I need the real thing. A mix of sharp cheddar, muenster, an English goat milk cheese, and a few ritz crackers finely mashed.

Yep, ritz crackers tossed in after the cheeses and milk have mixed, mingled,and melted into an ooey goodness can take it to a whole other place. Elbow macaroni cooked in a beef broth, then tossed into the golden cheese goodness.

It was thick and creamy and comforting...just what a rainy day in New York ordered......