Shameless Self-Promotion: New Plates in my Etsy Shop

At long last, I've added four -- count 'em four -- new plates to my nearly year-old Etsy shop. There's a pair of lions, an organ-filled torso, and two plates with beautiful red corral and starfish. With any luck, more are on the way this week. I hope you'll take a look...

And now, back to your regularly scheduled program...

It might snow tomorrow!

We're ready for a bit of snow -- doesn't quite feel like December to this midwesterner without a serious chill in the air, some ice and snow. I think there may be wintry precipatation running through my veins, owing to my Minnesotta roots (and late November birthdate). And Irish-Norwegian background. I am made for the cold.

So after hearing the weather reports this morning, I knew it was time to prepare the backyard for winter. That includes pulling the remaining tomato, pepper and basil plants (already blackened by a freeze), putting away the wagon, balls and frisbees, storing the coolers, chairs, lanterns and grill, and taking down the hammock. That last one was the bummer -- the hammock is the apothesis of warm, lazy days to me. Also, this spider is now homeless...


The snow shovel is out. The sled is clean. We're ready. Come on, winter. Show us what you've got.

(PS...If you need any rosemary, sage, or flat leaf parsely, knock on our door. We still have a lot growing!)

-- Posted from the iPhone of Awesome

This Is My 200th Post and It Is Awesome (but not because of me...)

Have you seen this video? I think I've watched it a dozen times since finding it last night...

Until last night, I'd never heard a Lady GaGa song. I still haven't heard her -- this is all I need. At the end of the credits, there are a few links, and, being very curious about the talented people behind this... Jark and Mason. Very cool blog with links to other very cool projects. Can you tell I'm intimidated by the sheer awesome here?

This post comes close on the heels of my birthday -- 43rd, thank you very much. It's been one of those years where, if I look back and ask if I'm better off now than I was a year ago, honestly I have to say no. I'm not glum or anything, just stating facts. I'm hoping things improve soon. Creatively, it's felt like a year of stabbing in the dark, sometimes hitting, mostly missing. It's not for lack of ideas, but accidents in execution. Literally every craft project I've started this fall has been a disaster. Knitting that doesn't quite work, felting that looks like blobs, painting that...ugh. And the plates -- I don't know what's happening, but it is not good. Isn't this sort of thing supposed to happen before some sort of giant cathartic breakthrough? I could really go for that...

Coming home...

-- Posted from the iPhone of Awesome

Being thankful

We have turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing, rolls, bread, cranberries, pie, cheesecake, and enough wine, champagne and liquor to fill a large bathtub. More important, we have friends to celebrate with and family to send wishes to. There's a lot to be grateful for.


(This is pecan pie prior to baking...note the layer of bittersweet chocolate. That's important!)
-- Posted from the iPhone of Awesome

Wishing you a very happyThanksgiving

We drank Dan's champagne. We were thankful he left -- I mean entrusted -- it to us. That'll probably teach him...


-- Posted from the iPhone of Awesome

Same mushroom, different day.

We're trying to spend more time at the playground before it gets too cold to hang out in the afternoon (and before Paul deems himself "too mature" to have epic battles using little more than sticks as weapons and playground equipment as ships.)


-- Posted from the iPhone of Awesome