Clay It Again and my alter ego 12MidnightOils

Win It Wednesday

2012-01-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

Would you like to win this Awesome Necklace? or any word or name in Sterling Silver?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/86062026/awesome-name-written-in-sterling-silver

Well, for the next week you can enter to win it on ChristieCottage's blog . You should be able to get more than one entry with all the ways she has to enter. And after you enter the giveaway, don't forget to visit ChristieCottage on Etsy . Just look at this darling sock monkey cell phone pouch

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76941812/purple-hat-sock-monkey-cell-phone-pouch

You KNOW if I had a cell phone, I'd sure get this little cutie with his purple hat. So get on over, enter the giveaway, and do a little shopping in Christie's store. You may find the perfect Valentine's gift there.

Until next time,
XOXOXOXOXO

Cindi

Goodbye 2011..Welcome 2012

2012-01-01T05:32:00.001-07:00

Saying goodbye to 2011...(pic from my backyard)

and hello to 2012 and whatever possibilities it beholds. If you've followed me for the last few years, then, oh my heck, what a patient and loyal soul you are! lol
Anywho if you have been around on New Year's, you know I don't do New Year's Resolutions. Instead I focus on a 'word' for the year. This way, I have no worries about resolution let downs, no guilt trips, AND at the end of the year, I know what my word for the year has been. This allows me to focus positively on my 'resolution word' everytime it manifests in my life.
This will be my 3rd year of choosing my word for the year...past years have included 'abundance' and 'believe'. Instead of looking forward with dread on what my resolutions will be, I get excited as to what word will I choose. I know that whatever word I choose, I will be presented with all kinds of opportunities to acknowledge its presence in my life.
This year I have chosen the word 'build'. I can see how this word will be seeping into all areas of my life...building this and that...building blocks, building relationships, building trust, building networks, building a business....the possibilities for this word to present itself in my life are endless.
It's already begun with the purchase of a book on how to build a geodesic dome greenhouse...this will be my project for the year and I'm so excited about it.

What happens when the Mayan calendar ends? Who knows...but we're all here for the ride,so hang on. I have a feeling things are about to get very interesting...

Me? I'ma gonna be 'building' this year ;)

Until next time,
XOXOXOXOXO
Cindi

Closing a chapter

2011-11-26T16:15:00.001-07:00

Forcing myself to finish up this chapter..it has taken me 5 months to do this. Not sure if you read my last post "I'm a marked Woman" But if you take a quick peek, what I post today will make more sense...it's ok I have a cup of tea; I'll wait for ya ;)
okaaaayy...a few days after that post, It was obvious that Mr. Peaches was sick...extremely sick...and when I couldn't stand to watch his suffering any longer, I took him to the vet and he died in my arms. He's buried in our little 'pet cemetery' in the backyard and I made this to mark his spot...RIP Mr. Peaches

I learned a BIG lesson from Mr. Peaches~ Don't run someone off just because they have a bad habit.
Onto the rest of the kiddoes..Momma Kitty and kids....Ebony, Ivory,and Striper

...and the other two from her first litter, Mr. Boots and Socks.....
All are gone but Socks

and Striper

Someone systematically caught them all and I have not seen them in months. I really have no kind words or thoughts for the person who did this. I only know that there is a special place for people who kill animals for no reason other than 'they pooped on your lawn' ...and it's not called heaven.
So now as winter approaches little Striper has no Momma to help show him how to make it through the winter. Both Socks and Striper were the runts of Momma's two litters, so they are REALLY small. I have made a shelter using bales of garden compost and tarps and located it under our dryer vent.

I lined the inside with one of those reflective space blankets and lots of regular blankies. I have a remote sensor in there to register how warm it is at night. So far we have had a low of 10 degrees and the chilliest I have seen it in the 'kitteh den' is 52 degrees. It eases my heart a bit to know that they have a safe, warm place to sleep at night.

CocoaPuff is ever the Prince of the house. He is not white like this anymore.....

Here here he now...chillaxin in his fav afternnoon spot...he's now mix of dark brown and grey

And on that note, I think it's time for me to do a little chillaxin ;)

Till next time,

XOXOXOXOXO

Cindi

I'm a Marked Woman ;)

2011-06-26T12:32:00.004-06:00

Well it has been some time since I had the time to blog, and I wanted to bring you all up to date on the kittehs.
When I last left you Momma Kitty was with childs and was getting close to having more babies. I had made an insulated bed for her under our composter, and after a couple of weeks of her instructing me on making it more suitable, she finally had them on April 17/18th. I had put our outside remote temperature gauge in her bed cause I was so afraid of it being too cold. Even though the outside night temps were in the low 20's her little nursery hidden behind and underneath all those tarps and insulation was never below 62 degrees.

You would have laughed to see me out there every day pulling out that front tarp and adjusting and putting more blankies, rugs, newspapers,and tarps until I (and she) were fully satisfied. She kept them in there for the first couple of weeks and then she moved them a few times til they were old enough to rejoin the rest of the clan back in the neighbors' yard.

As I promised, slowly but surely, everyone is getting spayed/neutered. We have a 'catch and release' program where ferals/strays are caught, fixed, and then the ear is clipped so that everyone knows the cat is fixed. This way we are able to keep the cat population down

Since my last post another stray has been hanging around...

Looked like a 'Peaches" to me---turns out it was a boy; but he answers to the name.

He is tame, but did something to me that NO animal has ever done....HE SPRAYED ME!!!! EEEWWWWWwwwwww. So freakin gross! It wasn't like a mist either. It was like a straight stream of pee that went through my shirt and bra ( I was sitting on the grass)... So Peaches is no longer welcome in my yard (and this pic was taken before he was fixed-hence no clipped ear). I feel bad for him. He was obviously someone's pet, but they have neglected his fur and he needs a lion cut. His tail and belly are a mass of knotted fur. I don't want to give him too much attention cause he already likes me too much :)

Momma kitty has been fixed...see her clipped ear?

And Little Socks has been fixed (old pic)

Turns out Socks was a girl, and not a boy. The only one I was right about sex wise was Momma...

oh , and Mr. Boots..but you can't miss the huevos on him

Mr. Boots has become psychic and only comes around on weekends or when the vet won't be in the office. I think he knows he's the only one left who hasn't "Been There"

So now you are ALMOST up to date...want to see the new babies???? I must say Momma is very consistent in her baby makin skills. Here's a shot of her last litter-Boots,Socks, and Cocoa

And now look at her latest

Meet Ebony

And Ivory

and Striper

Striper had real bad goopy eyes, but I was able to get steroid drops in them when the babies spent the night with me... and his eyes cleared up totally. Since Momma has them travelling back and forth between yards I made them a little passage through the fence and outlined it in red ribbon.

There such smart kittehs; they figured out the doorway immediately AND everybody knows their name. I am hoping to make a calendar out of their pics and maybe their cuteness will help support them.

Til next time,

XOXOXOXO

Cindi

♪♫♪♫ Someday My Prince Will Come ♪♫♪♫

2011-04-03T11:40:00.001-06:00

I don't know when it was that she actually softened my heart... Didn't she live at that trashy house? And didn't they move? Why is she still hanging around here? We don't need her kind mucking up our neighborhood. In truth, I think I may have run her off a few times in the past. Hadn't I seen her take a wide berth around our property when coming down the street? And NOW she's living right next door! Oh groans! Uuugghh! I was out in the yard working when I first caught a glimpse of her kids playing in their backyard. She had been watching me to see if I would react. I went about my business. As the days and weeks progressed she allowed the kids up closer and closer to the fence. I must admit, it was a bright spot in my mornings when they came out to play. But still I didn't want to encourage any interaction. A few weeks later, she approached me at the fence and wanted to introduce her young ones to me. They were absolutely darling ... and how could I resist naming them? Mr. Boots (a tuxedo kitteh with rear knee high white boots): Socks is the runt of the litter and is the size of a 6 week old kitten, even tho they are nearly 1 yr old, and he has white socks on his feet : And CocoaPuff-some kind of siamese mix:

and the proud Momma:She was abandoned when a neighbor moved out just before winter hit us last year. I saw her frequently through the winter, and when spring began unfolding I caught glimpses of her with the babies. I felt bad that she had such a harsh winter after being abandoned. She was extremely thin. I really don't know how she had enough milk for the babies; I couldn't see any teats on her at all. She originally had 4 kittens; 1 died.

One morning after an overnight cold snap, little grey mc fluffykins was sitting out in the next door neighbor's driveway, just a shivering ball. I asked him what was wrong and he just sat there, which was unusual. Normally he would have ran from me as soon as I talked. He just sat looking down the driveway as if waiting for something. I wondered if he was sick. I kept thinking about him all that day and night and wondering...

It weighed heavy on my mind...I kept thinking about how I had been mean to momma kitty. I had shooed her off our yard so much, she usually took a wide berth when passing us now...

And this was why: Her owners had 15+ cats in a tiny 700sq ft house...but that's not all that lived there-2 adults, 6 kids, 2 dogs, a rabbit, a couple of birds + who knows what else! Naturally, the cats couldn't stand it in the house after the first few weeks. I can tell you the smell was horrendous! The cats constantly came over and used our grass and backyard as their litter box. When they moved, they left cats behind to fend for themselves in October. Most disappeared that winter, but Momma kitty hung on.

She stayed in that empty house for weeks until the windows were repaired and it was closed up. Then she took up refuge under a shed, at the neighbor on the opposite side of us. She kept going back all through the winter to see if her owners were coming back for her. When the handyman came to clean and repair the house, she would go running over there to see if her owner was coming back for her. Everytime someone came to look at the house she would run over there and watch hopefully... and then walk back to the shed down trodden when it wasn't anyone for her. Time and time again that happened. Even now as I type this I still cry for her. How sad it must be for her... STILL- I remembered my veternarian's advice about feeding ferals and strays and I DID NOT want these cats even THINKING about my yard. We have a cheap wire fence that barely suffices to keep our girls in (except for Crimson's occassional Houdini acts) I didn't want any trouble from these ferals and even though momma used to be domesticated, her babies were not.

Sorry for rambling on here-after the little grey mc fluffykins died, I didn't want to see kitties just starving to death just because the momma didn't know how to teach them to fend for themselves..so I used my 'handy grabby thingy'

and put out a couple of cans of tuna through the fence into their yard. Little socks could barely crawl up to the tuna can; they were all famished.

Well...I don't know how long I've been feeding them now; its been months. They have become my 'kiddos'. I first fed them twice a day and got them all healthy again. Then I began cutting them back so that they would become good mousers. I like to think of it as keeping them on retainer. :)

Not only did I begin feeding them, but I would poke my fingers through the fence and start touching them. They were skittish at first, but eventually got used to me stroking them while they ate. Momma kitty was the toughest to crack; she remembered me being mean and even though I was feeding her, I could not be trusted. After the first snow, it became difficult to pass through the fence so I made the feeding place at the corner where our two fences meet. It made it possible for me to feed them at my feet and pet them more freely. Eventually, I have been able to tame all but Socks. He is still skittish about me touching him. But they all know their names.

And now this is the second half to this story:

Cocoa Puff was mauled by a pit bull and for 3 days was unable to walk through the fence to come and eat. He was soooo swollen and and barely able to walk. It weighed on my heart heavy. Everyday I would take food out and each time everyone came to eat, except Cocoa. When he finally healed enough to walk through the fence, I was able to pick him up. His poor little body was so lumpy from all the wounds, but he was hanging in there. And then... he got attacked again; I could hardly stand it. And when he wouldn't come to eat, I took a kitty carrier to the neighbor's backyard and picked him up. I told him I was taking him someplace safe so he could heal.

I sequestered him in the kitchen, and made a warm bed for him I took him to the vet and he got meds. He had several hematomas that were draining. After he healed, I gave him the option of going back to the wild, but he decided he likes having a couple of big sistersAnd living the princely life he always knew he was destined for ;)

Prince Cocoa Puff

I'm still feeding Momma kitty and Cocoa's other brothers. But through all of this insaneness that is my life, I did not get Momma kitty (nor the rest of her clan) to the vet to be fixed, and now she is with childs again. She is nearly ready to birth and has climbed the fence into my back yard to stay away from her boys while she has them. I feel honored that she trusts me and my yard.

I made an insulated bed for her yesterday while she watched. She went and checked it out after I finished, and I am trusting that she found it a suitable nursery. I haven't went out there this morning, but I'll be sure to keep you updated.

Til next time,

XOXOXOXOX

Cindi

Kickstarter Program

2011-01-23T17:10:00.020-07:00

So lately in all the spare time I have, she says with sarcasm dripping off her lips, I have been scouring the web for wire wrapping tutorials.

Last year when I was doing features on shops, I came across a shop on etsy, AtabbycatArts, and a lady who wire wraps her pendants whether they be shell, cameo, or painted stone. And I loved the free formed appearance of her wraps. Here's a couple that caught my eye:

Are these not just beautiful? How could I not be inspired? The Leo rising in me yearns for this lion ♥

Go ahead and click on her pics to go to her shop; she's a wonderfully nice lady who inspired me to want to learn to wire wrap... although she has no idea....until she reads this.

Hi Cat/Na *waves*

So I have been learning and practicing and practicing and learning. Here's a few wraps that I've done with colored craft wire

And here's one with a yellow brass wire wrap, a low cost alternative to the pricier precious metal wires:

I would love to wrap my gemstones with precious metal wires.

and some of my crystals...

I'm just imagining what I can do with these...

But with our fixed income, I cannot afford the extra expense right now. So it got me to thinking....

Last year one of my forum peeps raised $$$ to start a bookbinding business. She used a site called Kickstarter, and as the home page says "A new way to fund and follow creativity"

One is allowed to start/post a project with a $$$ goal and a time limit to reach that goal. Basically people pledge to back your project and if/when the entire amount of your $$ goal is reached by the time limit deadline, then and only then, do the backers pay what they pledged.

So what do your backers get in return for their $$$ help? Well you give them rewards-the more $ they back, the bigger the reward.

I have decided to try and raise the funds I need to begin my precious metal wire wrapping project through Kickstarter. I am thinking I will offer items from my current shops as rewards.

What do you think? I'd love to hear any comments you have.

Until next time

XOXOXO

Cindi

ps- when I have a link to my project page and can ask for backers, I'll be back to post it.......all over the place :)

Read My Lips--No New Year's Resolutions!

2011-01-01T00:12:00.005-07:00

That's right-no resolutions here.

Last year I ran across a New Year's blogpost where the gal said she always made some lofty goal, never lived up to it or was miserable trying..so instead, the alternative was suggested to have a motto word to live by. I thought it was a good idea. I started the year with less stress and no expectations to live up to. Last year my word was " Abundance" and boy did I have plenty of times I was reminded. When I was blessed with abundance I gave thanks, when it seemed like abundance would overwhelm me, I reminded myself I asked for it.

Since a motto word was such a success for me, I am choosing to do the same this year. The word I have chosen is " Believe" ...I can hardly wait to see what road this motto leads me through.

So Happy New Year's everyone...what's your motto? I 'believe' mine is already less stressful
See? it's already working ;)

Til next time,
XOXOXOXOXOXO,
Cindi

Mr. Clay's update-Hospice has been great! New oxygen equipment has made a difference and he is slowly regaining some mobility. He walks nearly everyday on the treadmill and is looking forward to being able to good outside this spring when things start growing.

They say 'Never travel faster than your angels can fly'

2010-11-18T20:00:00.003-07:00

Like many others in the country, our health insurance premiums have sky rocketed and we can no longer afford our Cobra. But Mr. Clay still has the Veteran's to fall back on. So yesterday, Wed, we took another trip to the VA Hospital in Salt Lake, 150 miles away. We were hoping to get them to carry the oxygen order for the hubster and save us a few shekels.
We packed up the car and headed for Salt Lake City at 6am. We made great timing, the roads were clear, not 1 deer in sight as we drove the most dangerous Hwy in Utah. Mr. Clay insisted on driving the first part of the way, which is of course the most dangerous part, and I knew he would be loathe to give up the reins after we made it through the mountain pass.
1/2 way thru the pass we stopped so I could strap in his oxygen tank. I totally forgot to do that when they loaded it in the car yesterday. So I gotter strapped into the seat belt, which is not easy in the best of circumstances, but was even more fun when it was 20 degrees outside and dark still. And Mr. Clay is 'tudey' because 'I should have had this done last night and blah blah blah...' So he reaches up and switches the station on the radio after we got back on the road, and on came a Christian channel and they were playing music and telling inspiring stories on the air. Now normally he would say 'change it and find something good'...but because he's being 'tudy' with me, there is this silence between us, and I figured maybe he needed to listen to this stuff and mellow out.
We got through the mountain pass and just as I suspected, he continiued to drive on. Still listening to the Christian channel as the sun came up and we were flying down the highway! I saw the speedometer bounce out of range we were going so fast! We got to the VA an hour early, and got some details attended to beforehand and then sat........they were running late and it made for a long day exhausting day. We were drained physically and emotionally when we left. They have now ordered Hospice for my dear husband. They no longer want him making the long arduous trip and exposing himself to more cooties coming into the hosital for Dr. visits. At this point, they just want him kept comfortable. Everytime this disease takes another notch out of him, it is so emotionally draining on both of us, and we both kinda go through a stage of processing and getting used to the idea.
We were really tired by the time we got out of there at 3:30pm, AND we had promised a friend to stop and see him before we went home. Once again Mr. Clay wanted to drive, so we pulled out of the parking lot into the long driveway of the hospital and there was a big thunk! Both of us said 'what was that?' and we looked to see what we ran over? and then Mr. Clay says "I lost the steering" (on the car). He managed to get us pulled out of everyone's way into the Ambulance loading area. I went back inside to the VA and called our friend who was still waiting for us ALL DAY and told him what happened.
I could see that something was hanging under the car (maybe the drive train?) but I didn't know what it was. And Mr. Clay can't bend down anymore so he couldn't know what it was. His guess was a CV boot. All we knew was, he pulled on that steering wheel like heck to get us where we ended up and then it wouldn't budge anymore.
Our friend showed up with AAA card in hand, phoned a tow truck, called his long time mechanic, made arrangements for our car to be repaired, took us to his house, fed us and put us up after a night of reminiscing. It was good for Mr. Clay to get to visit his friends, but you could see the whole car thing was taking a toll on him and the sooner we could get home, the better.
This morning, Thurs, we got the mechanic's call that the engine had dropped off the car, onto the steering column with the motor mounts intact! What are the odds of that happening? And how insanely protected were we flying all way up there? It certainly felt like the Angels were all around us; after all their broadcast was coming though on the radio! We are so thankful that it didn't happen while we were on the freeway busy breaking the sound barrier.
We are home now at last after a repair, but I can see we now need to save our pennies up for a new car. So that's how my last two days went...

Until next time,
XOXOXOXOX and never travel faster than your Angels can fly :)

Cindi

It was the best of times; It was the worst of times

2010-10-21T14:53:00.013-06:00

I am almost done harvesting this year and have a few pics to share. How cute is that carrot drop? It's no bigger than my pinky fingertip :)
Here is a comparison of our carrots: Those humongous carrots are as big as large baking potatos!

All in all the garden was a success.... for peppers! I harvested over 175 lbs of anaheims (green chiles) and over 75 lbs of jalapenos. Our freezer is more than half full of anaheims and I have countless peppers drying for ristas.

Here's a comparison shot of our jalapenos. The ones on the right are called super nachos

and here is a shot with some Mammoth Jalapenos!

I wish I could say the tomatoes were a success, but everyone had tomato trouble this year. We had frosts turn to extreme heat, then hail and LOTS of rain. Had a few tornados blow through and just as the tomatoes were coming on we had a week of storms and the tomatoes filled up with water and many burst right open whether they were ripe or not. It was so disappointing to watch, but I am thankful that I was able to can 2 cases with these: After that the storms hit, and everything was waterlogged. We have had several frosty nights and last weekend I pulled all the pepper plants. I still have the tomatoes left to pluck and I think I am going to have to learn how to use the tractor for tilling, if Mr. Clay is able to learn me.

He has not done well lately. The pnumonia he had this summer took him down another peg. A shower is a major undertaking now, and he has trouble standing for more than 5 minutes. He doesn't venture outside the house much anymore :(

So it's been the best of times and the worst of times

Til next time...

XOXOXOXXOXOO,

Cindi

Cheater Chile Rellenos

2010-09-01T11:00:00.003-06:00

As promised here is my Cheaters Chile Rellenos Recipe- I apologize in advance for the crummy pics on this one. The kitchen must not have been as brightly lit as what I thought.

Preparation time is less than 15 minutes and baking time is 1 hour. The ingredients you will need are:

anaheim (green) chiles-roasted and peeled --canned whole green chiles will work, too!

1/4-1/2 lb of grated cheese-your choice-I've used colby, cheddar, sharp cheddar, and jack**

6 eggs

1 and 1/2 cups milk-fresh OR canned evaporated will work

1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon season salt

*optional-cream cheese

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Butter/grease 8 in round baking dish.

I stuff cream cheese in the chiles that line the sides, but this is optional.
Just slice open the chile and place a thin layer of cream cheese inside; then fold closed the chile and place along the sides of the pan

Next add the grated cheese into the pan. In mixing bowl beat for 2 minutes:

the eggs, milk, flour, garlic, and salt.

Pour this mixture over the cheese and chiles already in the pan.

I add a couple more stuffed chiles on top, but it is not necessary. Bake 1 hour. It will get 'poofy', like a souffle. And when taken out of the oven it will shrink somewhat. Let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting. **some cheeses will produce more oil than others. If you use an exceptionally oily one, either lay a sheet of foil under your oven rack to catch the oily drippings or reduce the amount of cheese.

Now I know this is not what a chile relleno looks like but believe me the flavor is all there in this scrambled egg pie/quiche version. PLUS you didn't have to spend hours slaving over the stove.

I have served this with avocado slices, guacamole, and cottage cheese. I've also heard that beans are excellent with this.

Enjoy!

And until next time,(and who knows how long that could be with the way these peppers are begging to be harvested weekly)...next on my list is jalapeno peppers. Wait til you see the size of some of these jalapenos!

XOXXOXOXOXO
Cindi

Where's Cindi?

2010-08-22T17:39:00.001-06:00

Mr. Clay snapped this picture of me in the garden this morningWhat's that?? ...You say, you can't see me in there? How's this?Need me to zoom in a little closer? I am not squatting or kneeling; some of the tomatoes are taller than me now. I was really stretching my neck to see above them. So far only a handful of ripe tomatoes. But...

this week I harvested 16 pounds of anaheim chiles. This is what they looked like before roasting:

Then that much roasted down to this:

And then after peeling, deseeding and stemming, it bagged up to be this much (16 pounds reduced to 8 pounds)...and off to the freezer they went...

(shown pictured in snack baggies and sandwich baggies; later transferred to 5 qt sized bags)
Well all of them, except one baggie, that will be used to make 'Cheater's Chile Rellenos'. Complete recipe with pics on my next post.

Until then
XOXOXOXOXOXO
Cindi

2 Month Old Garden

2010-08-01T10:03:00.000-06:00

When did all this happen? Sometime between watering, weeding and mowing the lawn the garden sprang up while I wasn't looking. Take a look at the difference between last month and this month's progress:

Tomatoes are starting to set on:
The peppers last month and this month:
And the squashies:
And the different varieties:

Early Straightneck Prolifics-yellow squash

Bennings Green Tint

or "Patty Pan"

Yellow bush

(these are supposed to have a buttery taste)

I lubs me some butter :)

Cocozelle Italian Marrow Squash

(zucchini)

We had a huge storm pass through this last week-marble sized hail and flooding rains for almost an hour. I was so thankful our garden was spared. The only tell tale sign left is a mud line on the 7.5 tons of rock that we have our trailers sitting on. Even though we were punded with flash flood rains, the rocks remained above the flooding. So Mr. Clay's idea worked :)

Well, it's about time for me to mow that yard again...care to join me for a sit in the shade and watch the garden grow???

Until next time...

XOXOXOXOXO,

Cindi

Hubster & Garden

2010-07-09T18:49:00.001-06:00

Here's a better update than what I left you with last week. I worked a temp job for a couple of weeks and wouldn't you know it, Mr. Clay goes into the hospital right smack in the middle of my commitment to the job? So, here I was, caught between a job and my husband - he was admitted to the hospital the second week I was temping.

There was already no time left to train anyone for what I was doing at the company. Normally I would have been right there at the hubster's side the whole way through; but jobs are tight and this was a repeat performance. I temped there last year, and the lady liked me so well that she asked for me specifically.

It was a handful trying to work full time, keep things under control in the garden (pics in a bit) and then then go to the hospital everyday to take the hubster a care package; what was even harder was leaving him and coming home to try and sleep.

The hubster has been home from the hospital since last Monday night. He felt great in the beginning because they had him all pumped up on steriods. But since he's not on those anymore, his breathing level has not been the best hoped for...he may be having to switch to liquid oxygen in the near future...But for now, when he is sitting or sleeping his oxygen level is at a medium level; and then if he has to move at all from sitting or laying, his oxygen has to be turned up to the highest level. From what we have heard, the liquid oxygen will keep his heart from having to work so hard to pump the oxygen.

We went for his check up today the pnuemonia is still in the bottom lobes of both lungs. She said she'd call in an order of meds at the pharmacy; apparently there has been some kind of mixup and the pharmacy never received the orders and the office closed at noon today. So here we sit, hoping he doesn't get any worse and end up in the hospital again. Any and all prayers and positive thoughts sent his way are greatly appreciated.

Meanwhile he is taking great pleasure at dictating which yard work needs to be done. And instructing me on how to use 'the manly equipment'. I have now done 3 lawn mowings with no male supervision ;) and I think I've done pretty well keeping up on all the weeding and such. Here are some pics submitted for your approval. The small pic was when I planted on Memorial day weekend...

And now here is a month later (this pic was taken June 30)...

In the far left of that shot you can see the peas growing along the fence.; many of them are waist high and some are chest high now. We have had peas everyday now for days. Besides eating straight off the vine, my new fav is sauteed lightly and eaten with rice or all by themselves. But Mr. Clay has found they are tasty in his cup of noodles and in his Ramen too.

Every variety of squash has sprouted. Some are larger than others. And that drought resistant variety so popular in Texas? Well the plant grew about a foot long almost touching the fence ready to climb... and an army of ants moved in at the base of the plant and took it down in less than 24 hours! By the time I saw what happened to the first plant they had moved onto the 2nd plant and its demise was well under way. But here are the other squashes we have...

In the upper right of the pic you can see the carrots, lettuce, and radishes. The 2nd crop of radishes is nearly gone. I should have already planted a 3rd crop, but alas...I have fallen short in this one area.

The peppers are doing great; I'll show close-ups of them on my next garden update.

Until next time, here's a shot looking out my back door

I'll have you know I've mowed that grass 2X with no male supervision ;)

XOXOXO,

Cindi

Thank You Thank You Thank You

2010-06-28T20:47:00.003-06:00

Thank you everyone for taking the time to include my husband in your prayers these last few days. I brought him home from the hospital just a couple of hours ago, and his lungs are definitely working better now than before he went in. After they cleared up the infection in his lungs, they were able to run down his oxygen level. He is not allowed to do anything for 2 weeks except walk a little. They said he was lucky he made it through.

So-thank you everyone for all the well wishes and good thoughts sent his way. I really appreciate it.

Until next time..

XOXOXO
Cindi

PLEASE PRAY FOR MR. CLAY

2010-06-25T22:42:00.006-06:00

Wish I had better news, but my beloved Mr. Clay is in the hosptial and has been since yesterday. He has a bacterial pnuemonia that I must read up on, cause they claim there is alot of people with it in the hospital right now.

Anywho, it is in both lungs, and he is not responding to the meds, and is having severe breathing problems. He has asked for prayers and good thoughts to be sent his way...

The garden is done and so am I

2010-06-12T14:39:00.002-06:00

I finally got the garden finished planting last weekend-the final totals are:

*I tried to get all the plants in the pic, but a few just didn't make it in the frames*

32 tomato plants-all grown from heirloom seeds

12 squashes - 5 varieties; also from heirloom seeds (I'll show these when they get bigger).

93 pepper plants-more than half are anaheim chiles-some are the Big Jim variety and their chiles will grow to a foot long!...the rest are: cherry hots, jalapenos-we have a few Super Nachos that grow peppers 5" and a couple of Mammoths that grow fruit 6" or better (we'll see), and 1 lone serrano that somehow sneaked it's way into our cart at the store

The lettuce, radishes and carrots are sneaking into the upper right hand corner of the pic and the far spaced plants next to them is the squashes.

1st and 2nd crop of radishes, lettuce, and carrots...the first crop of radishes has been completely harvested and almost all eaten now. I'm embarrassed to show the 2nd crop up close; they need weeding so badly...

We have been eating salads from the lettuces I thinned. Mr. Clay can't stop raving about how good the lettuce is.

and of course, the gazillion peas...and lookie! Mr. Clay got the neighbor to cut his weeds back away from the fence :)

The peas are full of blooms and have just started bearing pods. I love peas right from the plant; can't stand canned or frozen ones though. *this is just a small section of the row of peas*

I ended up planting 4 tomatoes in a neighbor's yard and gave away more than a dozen; my poor aching arms and hands just could not take anymore planting. Each plant has had its own hole dug, the hard pan clay broken up, mulch and soil added and then planted. I'm really not a wimp; the tiller broke and was in the shop, so I had to do it all by hand...141 individual plants + the peas and radish, lettuce and carrot crops...the only thing left to do is water,weed, and watch them grow.

And remember this shot last time? Well here is the same tree (from a different angle and the grass is starting to come in nicely now
And those trailers??? We moved them out, laid down weed protectant material, and had 7.5 tons of rock hauled in and I 'got' to spread it all out. My arms were like aching noodles afterwards. The rock is about 5-6 inches deep.

The area under the white trailer (which is really Mr. Clay's shed) is the lowest part of our property and when it rains or the snow melts, we always have a pond there, making it impossible to get into the trailer. Mr. Clay's theory is that the rock will be raised enough so that we can get to the trailer during 'wet times'...I shall let you know how this works out.

All this work really took a toll on my body. The old grey mare just ain't what she used to be...My arms and hands were hurting so bad I couldn't sleep through the night for weeks. I finally went and had it checked and turns out I have a bulging disc. I went to my acupressure guy and he fixed me somewhat. I was told not to push, pull, or do anything for 10 days...but you know how that goes. As luck would have it, I got a callback from a temp job I did last year. So I will be temping from Monday thru til the end of the month...so much for that 'rest and not do anything' stuff :)

And finally, our latest toy which actually arrived a few weeks ago is....

the tumbling composter...this will make it easier for us to make our own compost. We have started our first batch with vegetable scraps, egg shells, paper from our shredder, a bucket of rabbit poop from a friend, peat moss, some mulch, and a little depleted soil. And all we have to do is turn it and let it do it's thing.

And "what will we do with all those anaheim chiles?" is the question I keep getting asked. Stay tuned and next time I will share my "Cheater Chile Rellenos" recipe.

We lubs our anaheims :)

Until next time,

XOXOXOXO

Cindi

Our Backyard

2010-05-23T13:21:00.024-06:00

After the whole Giovanna thing I found it extremely difficult to come back here. (see post below for a short explanation)

The hubster and I have spent the weeks since, preparing our yard for the upcoming garden season. Our garden area is 49' wide by about 55' long. Here is Mr. Clay, in all his glory, riding his tractor tilling up the garden area. He has on his portable air tank (backpack) and he has to wear a dust mask to help protect his lungs:

Since he cannot do heavy strenuous work anymore, I spread gypsum (to help break up our clay soil) and countless wheelbarrowfulls of soil prep (also for the clay) and spread it all over the garden to be tilled in. Here is a far away shot of him on 'compost day' . The dark area is where he hadn't yet tilled, and this shot still blocks off about 12 feet of the left side of the yard.

We cannot plant tender plants (tomatoes, chilis, and squashes) until the end of May here, and even then one year, we still lost half our plants to a late freeze on Memorial Day weekend. So we have spent weeks weeding (burning, cutting and pulling by hand) and cleaning up the rest of the yard.

I don't have any really good shots of how bad the backyard looked because ...well, to be frank, it was quite 'white trashy' looking and I never wanted to have pics of that. This is about the only pic I have, and even then you don't even see the half of it:

And here it is cleaned up... most of the way. We wanted to plant grass on this half of the backyard. And those paving stones you see stacked up there on the left in the shade, are to make a walkway to the garden area :

After planting the grass and laying the pavers:I'd like to say that the grass has come in nicely; but as you can see, it hasn't. This is 3 weeks after planting and the only green you see are very happy weeds. :) Mr. Clay has to till this all up and we have to replant it again, due to us listening to uninformed people at the farmer store where we bought our seed.

This has been the first year we have actually got our butts out (well, ok, me really) and planted the cold crop seeds-peas, radishes, lettuce, and carrots don't mind being planted in the cooler temps. Our peas are doing very well:

See all that green on the other side of the fence? Our neighbors have a ton of weeds! This is only shows about half the peas we planted. We are so going to be so busy minding our peas, we won't even time time for the Q's ;)

Our first crop of radishes, lettuce, and carrots have sprouted and we are already eating fresh radishes.

See the baby lettuces?..they are so cute and in the background is the first feathery leaves of the carrots. If you have never had a homegrown carrot, you don't even know what a carrot tastes like. Talk about flavor! And homegrown lettuce is better than any store bought, by far!

So I planted a 2nd crop:

The second crop is under the white cheese cloth type material. It allows the sun to shine through and also I can water through it. If I don't cover it we have a flock of doves and other birds that come and pick it clean. This way the birds are kept out while the seeds sprout, which has already started:

I also planted two of my squash plants. These are two that I started from heirloom seeds, indoors under lights, and is a variety I have never tried before called 'Tatume'. The fruits are round to slightly elongated are are said to be even tastier than the normal zucchini. I was told they are easily grown onto a trellis or fence, are drought tolerant, and are supposedly resistant to vine borers, too. For those who have grown squash before, you know what a nuisance those squash bugs can be. I shall let you know later if they are in fact resistant to them, and if they indeed grow up the fence.

Well, it's time for me to go cover up the plants for the night(blankies and tarps). We are expecting freezing temps and a chance for snow....and then I hear my world famous tacos calling me for dinner :)

Until next time...

XOXOXO,

Cindi

Giovanna

2010-04-21T04:05:00.003-06:00

This whole Giovanna thing was a scam; the only reason I am leaving this post up is to show any unsuspecting good hearted people the sick ways people play on us in cyber world. I set aside my life for weeks for this person/people, and eventually called authorities in Florida when the "supposed" family member told me he was sexually abusing the young girl. I spoke with a detective who ran Giovanna's and the family member, Nick, through their databases. Neither name came up, and when I confronted the "supposed" family member about it, he immediately logged off. I do not know whose pictures these are, but I have left them up as well, in case they try and lure anyone else into their scam. The detective in Florida said it was a matter of time before they began asking for money. I no longer have any contact with either of them, but I do see the Giovanna identity on yahoo quite frequently, so they are still around preying on unsuspecting souls. Please don't let it be you.

I have sorely neglected this blog for one reason....Giovanna Katie Phillips. Who is she?

I met Giovanna on a live African animal webcam*. We sit around and watch a waterhole that is located in South Africa and wait for animals to come around. We get to hear the sounds of the birds, crickets, snorts, and growls of the animals...but the best part is, there is a chat forum. We talk to each other, and leave posts of when we see animals.

So one of the other viewers saw my FaceBook ID and sent me a friend request. As usual, before accepting a friend request, I checked out her info on her FaceBook page. Her age was listed as 19, but the picture of the young lady swimming with a dolphin looked much younger. And there was another picture of her in a hospital bed; I could see that she had lost her hair.

Well, I thought it was a bit odd that someone so young would want to 'friend' me, but I always figure someone comes into your life for a reason, so I accepted.

Week after week we spent many hours at that waterhole, while chatting on a private line. I found out she was only 13. I waited for some time before I finally asked her what her illness was. She told me straight out she had stage 4 chronic myelogen leukemia. I didn't ask too much because I didn't want to intrude. So I did an internet search and found out that a bone marrow transplant was going to be the only hope for a cure for her. She told me that she was waiting to see a lion until she died. My first response was "Well I hope we never get to see a lion then."

Day after day I woke up and first thing, I would go to the waterhole and of course Giovanna was already there, usually asking if anyone had seen a lion. Night after night we spent talking like two school girls staying up way past our bedtimes, and listening to growls that were always lurking in the background..."did you hear that?", "was that a lion?"

She told me of a horrific childhood; worse than you could ever imagine, and I think I will leave it at that. Except to say that she was rescued from that environment, and is now in a loving home. She was made to feel so unloved that it is hard for her accept that she is worth anything at all. And even though she has been with her new family for 8months, it has not been nearly enough time to erase all the hurt she suffered up to that point.

I seriously began to wonder why this young lady had come into my life and wrapped herself around my heart? I did some research on the bone marrow program. I talked it over with the hubster, and told him, I couldn't forgive myself if all she needed was a bone marrow transplant and I didn't speak up and offer. I was trying to figure out how I was going to accomplish all this (because you have to be within so many miles of the recipient) when she told me she already had a match.

In fact Giovanna was set to have her bone marrow transplant last Monday. When she went in, they discovered that she had a lung infection, which set her back. Just to give you a clue on how tough this cookie is: One night she was running a temperature of almost 103 and it took me almost 2 hours to convince her that she needed to wake someone in her house so they could monitor her fever. She didn't want to bother anyone....huh? At that point, I asked her how would I know if something were to happen to her? And she told me a family member would post it.

Well, the lung infection got worse, she had to be admitted to the hospital. And one morning when I logged on it wasn't Giovanna talking to me anymore; it was a family member. He said we needed to start praying because things were touch and go. He also asked if I could rally people to send emails and pictures of lions. Within 12 hours there were over 100 lions sent to her and they still kept coming.

I began asking every place I could think of for people to pray. My first stop was the waterhole that she loves so much, and then onto Etsy in the forums. When I was finished with that, I began submitting her name to prayer groups all over...any where I could get people to listen, I asked.

Within a couple of days her health took a turn for the better and it appeared she was on the mend again...and then Monday night she had a heart attack...

She is now in an induced coma and she URGENTLY needs your prayers. We are not giving up on this beautiful young lady. With everything she had to endure in her young life, it is high time she is allowed to be healthy and know what a pain free, happy, loving, life feels like.

I still don't know why Giovanna has entered my life, but I refuse to believe that it's to be snatched away from me...I never told her I loved her, and it's going to be the first thing I tell her when I see her next.

May the courage and strength of the lion bring you back to us Giovanna ♥

Until next time,

XOXOXOXOX

Cindi

*I put a link to the webcam site, but lately it's been spotty at best; bad storms have been making it difficult for them to keep the camera operating.

OMG I WON!!!

2010-02-25T10:53:00.008-07:00

So last week when I was having a lackluster day, I happened across Felicia Kramer's blog and she was having a week long "I'd Rather be in Hawaii " event. Since I have been sitting in a snowpacked Utah since December, it sounded like a vacation for my mind and I took the trip. She interviewed Hawaiian artists each day and gave several opportunites to win items from their shops as well as some Hawaiian themed bookmarks/magnets that she had made.

I fell in love with one of the prints being offered as a prize "God Always Leaves A Window Open"

from Dava Shepard's shop Treasures From Hawaii You can read Dava's interview on Felicia's blog. I've laughed when she told us a tiger had once sprayed her.
I went back to Etsy and bragged about how beautiful this print was and how much I wanted to win it.

Yesterday I received an email from Felicia with the subject line "Congratulations" My heart started pounding and I was hoping against hope - I went to check and see what I had won and it was!.... It was the print! This has so made my day,week,month! I am so excited to receive it. I'm going to put it right next to my side of the bed so I can wake up every morning and see it.

And not to leave anyone out, there were also 3 other equally great Hawaiian artists who were featured, and here are the links to their shops and their interviews with Felicia. Take some time for yourself and spend a cold winter morning in Hawaii...
Marionette of kauaiartist and her interview
Schar Freeman of scharart and her interview
Lisa Bongzee of lisabonzee and her interview

And by all means check out Felicia's Etsy shop-AnotherBrightIdea

It was a fun morning I spent reading and dreaming of Hawaii, and now I will have a piece of it to look at all the time. Thank you Felicia for such a wonderful Hawaiian getaway and to Dava Shepard for my wonderful prize! I can't begin to tell you what it means to me♥

Til next time,
XOXOXOXXO
Cindi

Simple Abundance Update

2010-02-16T00:06:00.004-07:00

Wow the time is flying, huh? We are already half way through February and it's time for me to touch base with my journey through Simple Abundance, just in case my SA partner is reading my updates ;)
This month seems to be focusing on keeping in mind that each day is a new 24 hr period in which to experience new adventures, even if they are out of our comfort zone. Many times when we try something different, it opens us up to a creative juice that we would not have found otherwise. This month I have tried listening to different types of music, without complaining :D ...and sharing time with the hubster learning about history, when I really wanted to be chatting in the forums.
There have been a couple of excursions we were challenged to take, that to be honest, I simply did not do because of bad weather. I adapted them to our shut-in situation and completed the task my own way even if it was indoors.
All in all I am still on track and still recording 5 things everyday that I am grateful for.

One of the things I am always thankful for is writing for HandMade News. As of this writing I have 15 of my articles on the 50 Top Articles list. This means that these articles have gotten over 25 votes. I absolutely love featuring shops and sellers! It totally makes my day when I get to send someone the 'Congratulations! You're the Featured Artisan!' message. It makes their day; it makes mine. It's a win win situation.

I would like to share a link with a couple of articles that are only a few votes away from being on that Top Articles list. If you could spare a minute or so, I would really appreciate a green thumb's up vote (located at the bottom of the article, just above the comments section)
http://www.handmadenews.org/article/index.php?id=3709
and
http://www.handmadenews.org/article/index.php?id=3473

Til next time,

XOXOXOXOXO,
Cindi

Chili Verde Recipe

2010-02-13T07:55:00.010-07:00

It's our tradition here at the Clay's, when a new Survivor series starts we eat beans and rice just like the contestants on the show. This time around I surprised Mr. Clay with some Chile Verde (one of his favs) to spice up the meal, and since there has been talk on some of the Etsy threads I follow about tastey meals, I thought this was as good a time as any to share my secret recipe for chile verde.

Ingredients are:

pork meat- cut into small 1/2 inch cubes(chops, loins, or shoulder blade steak-makes no difference; I just happened to have a 1.25 pkg of stew meat) I seasoned the diced meat with Lawry's season salt.

1-2 red onions- diced

garlic-I use 1 whole bulb chopped into tiny bits

anaheim chilis-I used roasted and peeled from our garden, but canned green chilis will be fine

jalapenos to taste-some like it spicey, these can be added to suit your taste

Salsa Verde sauce- for this recipe I used 4 - 16oz jars of Herdez Salsa Verde

1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil

flour -for thickening

2 cups water

1 Tablespoon lime juice - my secret ingredient ;)

Here's some shots of the ingredients:

I showed the teaspoon for size; I chop/dice my ingredients pretty small

Anaheim chili peppers:

The salsa verde,which is mostly tomatillos:
I make mine in an electric wok, but any pan will do. Sautee the meat, onions, garlic and peppers together in olive oil. I used a little over a 1/4 cup of olive oil for the amounts I listed:
Sautee for 7-10 minutes until meat is cooked, then add flour for thickening. At this point I add a little more olive oil so the flour doesn't scorch. For the amounts I listed, I used about 2/3 cup flour. It's important here to stir and let the flour simmer a bit on the meat mixture; this will remove the pastey flour taste in your sauce (it's also a good tip when making any flour based sauce or gravy) All that's left to do is add the Salsa Verde sauce and water. Keep stirring as it thickens. If you prefer thinner sauce add more water. After it has simmered about 10-15 minutes, I add the lime juice at the end to make the flavors pop.

Chili verde is good with beans, rice, in burritos, as a topping for most any mexican food dishes. The amounts I listed makes a very large batch (12 cups). I freeze in tupperwares and defrost as needed. It tastes just as good after freezing too, maybe even a little better.

Enjoy!

Until next time,

XOXOXOXXO

Cindi

Just a few thoughts for your Thursday

2010-02-10T23:54:00.003-07:00

When one is a shop owner, they usually consider advertising. Here is a few thoughts that I try to always remember:

Word of mouth is either your best or your worst advertising....

A happy customer will bring in 10 more; an unhappy one will scare off 300....

And now because you KNOW there must be some kind of story coming on the subject, this is one situation I went through years ago...

We have a local radio show down here called "The Shopping Show" where local shops in the area donate gift certificates and we (the public) can call in and bid on these GC. It gives the radio station some revenue and the winning bidders typically get a GC half price for local eateries and mom/pop shops. So I picked up a $10 GC one day to a scrapbooking shop. Now I have NEVER in my life scrapbooked, and I didn't intend to. But I was thinking maybe I could pick up some tools that I could use with my polymer clay work.

I spent a good deal of time in the scrapbook shop trying to decide on some rubber stamps or a ball stylus and various other things I was interested in. I chatted with the man who was there and he told me about different products that would be coming in the future. I finally decided on a few rubber stamps and a pkg of stickers for the stepson. I planned on going back to the shop when I could afford to buy the remaining items I was interested in. When I checked out the total came to $10.10, leaving me to pay 10 cents after my gift certificate.
Now, I am not one to carry cash because we pay everything with check or debit card. I searched through my entire purse and wallet for a stray dime, knowing I was not about to find one. Meanwhile the checker (the man) is NOT believing that I don't have a dime in my purse. He's even commenting those exact words! I ended up having to write a 10 cent check! all the while I was saying how ridiculous it was that I was having to write it at all! He was not about to budge on that 10 freakin cents!!!!
A few days later (after the check had cleared my bank) I wrote a scathing letter to the shop owner. With the letter I sent a $1 bill and told them to start a penny jar for others who may be in my situation. I signed it with my full name and phone # and told them I was not ashamed to sign my name, as they were not ashamed to cash a 10 cent check. I never got a call or acknowledgment from the shop. And I found out later that the man who had checked me was one of the shop owners
I NEVER went back again and within 6 months the shop went out of business. Guess I wasn't the only one who was dissatisfied there.

And my last piece of shop owner advice:

Don't jump over a $1000 bill to pick up a dime.

Not sure why this was pressing on my mind to get it out there, but there you go.

Until next time,

XOXOXOXO
Cindi

All that and bag of chips...and Salsa!

2010-02-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well I told you I would show you my salsa bowl and how I made it, and here it is...Before you go thinking "when did she say that?" It was last year sometime, and I have had this post saved as a draft waiting on me to upload pictures.

I saw this salsa bowl at WalMart and thought to myself, "Self, do you think that will hold up in the oven?"

Since our salsa is soo spicy hot, I thought it would look cool to have flames coming up the sides of the bowl. So I bought one and took it home to try, and it passed the 10 minute test bake. I applied a thin layer of black clay in random spikes to make it easier to apply my 'flames.' Here is a shot of one of the flame canes I made:
I sliced very thin sheets of my flame cane and then began to apply them to the thin black layer already on the salsa bowl. I worked my way around and down ....

Until my black clay spikes were covered with flames

I left the very bottom covered with the plain black clay so that I could stamp it with "Not safe for dishwasher or microwave use."

And I couldn't resist making a matching spoon.
I very rarely use shiny coatings on my clay items, but because I know how sloppy we are with salsa, I used clear nail polish to thoroughly coat the flames to protect any salsa dribbles from getting underneath the clay flames.

One year I made 17 of these sets for the hubster's fellow employees at work, and then wrapped them up with our homemade salsa made from our garden....hence the reason for my delay in completing ours. 18 of any one thing is alot for me to do.

Well, there you have it...our sizzling hot salsa bowl

Til next time,

XOXOXOXOXXO

Cindi

Simple Abundance

2010-02-01T07:43:00.004-07:00

Well it has been a month now on my Simple Abundance journey. For those who are new to my blog- I saw a post on FaceBook from one of my fellow Polymer Clay Guild members asking if anyone had the book 'Simple Abundance' and would they willing to go through it this year. It is a type of daily confirmations book with one page for everyday of the year to read and perhaps to do a simple task.
For me, so far it has been about becoming conciously aware of everything in my life that I am grateful/thankful for. We were challenged to begin a gratitude journal. Everyday I write 5 things for which I am thankful for - sometimes it is something as mundane as "I am thankful I got the laundry done" or something exciting as a creative idea hitting me like an epiphany while taking a shower. It seems like the more thankful I am, the more I find to be thankful for. So far I am glad to be on this quest.

With all this talk about thankfullness, I would like to thank two Etsy sellers who I made some special purchases from this month. The first is Rhonda of RoseRidgeCreations who makes these incredible fleece socks.
I've got to tell you we keep our house fairly chilly (62 degrees @ night and 65 during the day) and so I ALWAYS have cold feet. During December I saw Rhonda talking about how warm and toasty her feet were with these socks she was making. and I thought "yeah yeah sure they are." Well after Christmas she had a sale and so I thought 'ok I'll bite' and I bought a couple of pair...and OMG!!! These socks ARE the warmest things I have ever had in MY LIFE! I have tested these socks over and over with all kinds of extremes and everytime they have kept my feet toasty warm. I have worn them when wearing my cheap snow boots that have NO lining or insulation whatsoever...and the result? toasty toes! (And you know I've been shoveling snow for hours this year) I have worn them on my freezing cold cement kitchen floor...warm piggies! I have waited til my feet are so cold they hurt and then put the socks on...within minutes they are warm. I would never have believed that these socks would be so warm, but they are.
So the hubster one night says 'let me try a pair' (yes we have almost the same foot size) and within 5 minutes he says 'these socks are really nice and warm'. So he has me order more for his friend who suffers from cold feet. How many men do you know buy socks for their friends? That has got to tell you something!
If you always have cold feet, your toesies will thank you when you get a pair of these fleece socks. In fact right now she has reduced the price on alot of the different varieties. Here is a link to her sock department. Trust me on this one, you won't be sorry on this purchase. I have not ever pitched a product like I have these socks. Bottom line-they are a superior handmade item.

Next up is Linda of WarmTouchCreations who makes beautiful handmade cards with heartfelt sayings on them. I searched for hours 1 day trying to find the perfect card for a friends' sick mother. And when I happened upon her shop it made the long search so worth it. She seems to have all the right words on just the right card, and because it is handmade ..well so much the better. She has sympathy, wedding, birthday, a card for any occasion you can think of. And if she doesn't, she is happy to make one for you. She has Thinking of You cards that make you WANT to send a card.
If you haven't yet bought your valentine a card, I highly recommend her shop.
I have bought a few cards from her and I have one now waiting to give to the hubster on Valentine's Day. Check out her shop on Etsy. She just seems to have that special card that says exactly what you want to say.

So there you have it- two great products, both handmade and both absolutely superior. I hope you visit their shops and find something for yourself or a loved one.

Til next time....
XOXOXOXOXOX,
Cindi

Happy Award :)

2010-01-30T19:33:00.028-07:00

I was given this award by Jacki at http://christiecottage.blogspot.com/

For this award I'm to list 10 things that make me happy and try to do at least one today.Tag 10 bloggers that brighten my day and they are to link back to my blog and make their own 'Makes Me Happy' list.

What makes me happy:

1. Spending time with my husband. He worked hard the last 10 years we've been married, and I am enjoying everyday he lives. Love ya, hon ♥

2. My girls (they are really kitties, but don't tell them)-Crimson & Clover-such unconditionl love ♥

3. FaceBook-it allows me to connect with people I might not otherwise be able to find. I have reunited with old friends and made new ones along the way ♥

4. Featuring shops/sellers on HandMade News- I get a thrill out of making someone's day ♥

5. Making too much for dinner and then taking a meal to one of the oldsters in our neighborhood♥

6. Gardening- there is nothing as good as home grown ♥

7. The smell of carnations-I love putting one on my pillow in front of my nose and falling asleep to the sweetest smell on earth ♥

8. The sounds and smell of the ocean - if I sit in the sun on a hot day and close my eyes, I can almost smell the salt air ♥

9. Music- New Age, Classic rock, classical-just can't beat a memorable tune to carry one away to a different place and time ♥

10. Tacos, Tortillas, Anaheim Chiles, Cake BatterBatter Ice Cream, Oriental cuisine, Dr. Pepper on the rocks! ♥

Today I spent time laughing with the hubster, loved on my kitties, checked for updates on FB, listened to music, and had tacos for dinner..so all in all it was a great day :)

Now to pass this along to 10 bloggers who make me happy-in no particular order:

1. http://moeart.blogspot.com/

2. http://feliciakramer.blogspot.com/

3. http://creativecrittersblog.blogspot.com/

4. http://mouchois.blogspot.com/

5. http://into-the-dawn.blogspot.com/

6. http://kayzkreationz.blogspot.com/

7. http://naturewithme.blogspot.com/

8. http://sassyclaycreations.blogspot.com/

9. http://www.roseridgecreations.blogspot.com/

10. http://pleasurearts.blogspot.com/

Thank you for giving me inspiration, making me smile, and laugh. And thank you Jacki; I would have put you on this list if you weren't already there ♥

Friday Photos

2010-01-22T12:16:00.010-07:00

It seems like everytime I logon anymore, the first thing I tell everyone is, it's still snowing or temperature is in the minus degrees. Well I really don't remember the first snow we got this winter...but I do remember the bitter cold we've had. Our record low so far this winter was MINUS 14.9! When it gets that cold it doesn't snow. It's just too darned cold...so when the temps started coming up, we were hopeful for some snow. At least when there is snow the temps stay in the 20's and 30's.

So here are pictures of what all my talk of snow has been about. I took these this morning after it got light enough..and yes these are color pics; it's just so gray from all the cloud cover. So standing in the middle of my street looking south:

You can see the plow has come by and left piles next to our curbs. Those piles are over 6 feet wide!

This is standing in my street looking north:

And those 6 feet wide piles that the plow has left for us? They are almost 3 feet tall too!

This is a shot from across the street so you could see our house:

I still hadn't cleaned off my truck (next to the house) and you can barely see the snowman I built weeks ago. He's the little lump to the right of the front door. His head is practically the only thing poking above the snow now.

Here's a couple of shots of the snowpile in our front yard. It is a misdemeanor for us to shovel snow into the street. So when I have to clear the sidewalks and driveway, I put it on the front lawn. See the shaved off edges? That is 12 inches tall right there. The pile is over 5 feet tall 15 feet long and 10 feet wide...and I have shoveled every bit of it myself with a snow shovel!

This is a shot of the front yard looking toward our driveway. You can barely see the car! and it looks like the snow is level with the house, but noooo... The snow is level with the porch which is 2 feet above ground.

This is the most snow we have had since I came here 11 years ago. Mr. Clay says they used to have worse winters than this when he was a kid, but you know how those stories go..'when I was a kid we used to walk to school in 10 feet of snow, up hill, both ways...barefoot! '

yadda, yadda, yadda...

Snow ball fight anyone? I could make a huge igloo with all this if I wanted to! :)

Until next time...

XOXOXOXOX,

Cindi

2010 Update

2010-01-16T18:29:00.007-07:00

I meant to get here sooner and update, but no excuses, I just didn't have the right words in me and I am hoping that I have found them now.

First up is a Simple Abundance update-for me the messages in the first two weeks have been all about finding happiness within and being thankful for what I already have. This has been an easy task for me, since we live so simply, me and the hubster. We have never lived beyond our means-and that means no credit cards, no loan payments, no credit period. So happiness for me has always come from enjoying life's little pleasures-whether it's watching the snow fall or hearing the purr of my kitty as we play beauty parlor or smelling the wet soil as we plant the garden. Our challenge a couple of days ago was to obtain a journal and to write down 5 things we are thankful for everyday, and this has so far been simple for me. I think acknowledging and being thankful for what we already have is the first step in finding true innner happiness.

Second update is on the hubster-He has now been off all the drugs the Dr ordered and is feeling much better. We went to a rhuematoid arthritus specialist and found he does NOT have RA. Apparently the drug (Cytoxan) was causing all the problems with joint pain, bladder pain, skin darkenings. He still has his bad days, but he had those when he was on the horrible meds too. So for the most part, things are status quo with him. The extreme arctic weather we have been having has made it tough for him to go outdoors, as the cold temps burn his lungs.

Looking back over the last month or so, I guess I never blogged about losing my job at the trucking company. I was being lied to about a couple of important things-like my position and why I wasn't being hired (I was still employed through the temp agency). To make a long story short, I was instantly fired when I questioned the lies...and to be honest, I am glad. There were shady goings on with the financials and I certainly didn't want to be held responsible for whatever was about to happen. It is the first time in my life I have ever been fired, and I went home and we went out to diner and celebrated. It was a blessing in disguise!
Within a week of me being fired, I was offered a part/part time job at the Post Office. When 1 door closes another one opens. Not sure how soon before I start-I've done the background check and took the drug test yesterday. Just waiting for results now.

I think this has brought everything up to date. I am still looking for people to interview for HandMade News. If you make handmade items and sell online I would love to give you a feature. Check up there in the right hand corner where you can send me an email and I will send you an interview to fill out.

Til next time...be thankful for what you have; it's probably more than you think!
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Cindi

2010 ~ It's Time For Simple Abundance!

2010-01-01T05:55:00.007-07:00

Here's to a Happy New Year and the beginning of a new decade! I have not made any New Year's resolutions this year and already I feel more freer and less stressed. I have chosen to live my life this year with a motto of 'Abundance'.

And what better way to support this motto, but to start my journey through Simple Abundance? Simple Abundance is a Daybook of Comfort & Joy with a 366 short essays that contain exercises and/or lessons to help one become a more authentic woman. What does that mean? I am not sure, but I am hoping to find out little by little throughout this year.

So here's to a new journey through a new year. I will be posting my progress each week and let you know how it goes.

Blessings of abundance to everyone :)

XOXOXXOXOXXOXO
Cindi

New Years Resolutions Dilemna-Pt 1 & 2

2009-12-29T19:12:00.012-07:00

It's getting to be that time of year when alot of us are considering making New Year's Resolutions (or not) , and today I found a couple of perfect ways to deal with this dilemna:

Pt.1 ~ So I was scrolling through all the recent posts on FaceBook and I came across a post from one of my FB friends that asked " Does anyone have the book 'Simple Abundance' by Sarah Ban Breathnach & would you be interested in working thru it together for 2010?" I jumped up and ran to the bookshelf to make sure I still had the book; I bought it nearly 15 years ago, and have never once read it, much less practiced the lessons...see how good I am at procrastinating????

I quickly posted back that I indeed had the book and would love to go through it with her.

Then came Pt. 2 ~ Still scrolling the posts on FB, I came across this post that read: If New Year's Resolutions aren't your thing, try this idea from Aimee of Shake Your Bon Bons-- choose your WORD for the year; and then there was a link to justshakinmybonbons.blogspot.com

It's well worth the read, especially if you're fed up with the New Year's Resolutions that always go by the wayside within a matter of days or weeks. Please click over to her blog and read her post AND the original one that inspired her. She is also offering a random prize for one lucky person just for posting your WORD and your email addy(in case you are the winner)

Needless to say before I even got done reading her post, I had chosen my word for the year as ABUNDANCE. It just seemed to be the perfect word after just committing to a year of Simple Abundance, and surprisingly (and confirming for me) it was on the list of suggested words. I can't tell you how light hearted and happy this started out my day yesterday.

Now I am trying to pass the happiness on. The link on Simple Abundance (above) will take you to Amazon where the book can be had for as little as 1 penny + shipping. You can read the first week's worth of days right there on the Amazon site, as well as many reviews from people who bought the book.
If you have the book, or are ordering it and would be interested in working your way through it this year with myself and Dawn, please leave me a comment. We are hoping to find more interested women to share the experience with.

It's going to be a fantastic year ahead. I can just feel it!

Until next time,
XOXOXOXOXO
Cindi

Happy Boxing Day!

2009-12-26T10:06:00.007-07:00

For most people the presents are all unwrapped, the roast beast is now leftovers, and many are hitting the B & M stores today for those after Christmas sales.

All over I keep seeing the term 'Boxing Day'.

Late last night I asked someone online what that meant? She said it was when everyone put on their boxing gloves; which was exactly what I was picturing! Family members wanting to duke it out; shoppers wanting to punch their way to the best bargain; I don't know my imagination went wild! The hubster volunteered his explanantions-He said everyone is boxing up their returns to take back to the store OR it's where everyone is clearing out all the boxes from the house from all the presents. These made total sense to me, BUT because he is hardly EVER right [and what husband is,right ladies? ;) ] I did a quick internet search.

Turns out Boxing day is a public holiday celebrated in Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, as well as many British commonwealths. And it has a few different theories:

One version is the holiday developed because servants had to work on Christmas Day but had the following day off. As servants prepared to leave to visit their own families, their employers would present them with gift boxes.
Another is that Boxing Day is when people give gifts, bonuses, donations or items to others less fortunate.
And a slight variation of that one is that a Christmas box was used to collect donations, either as tips at a business or as donations for the poor, or at churches where parishioners donated coins for the poor. These "boxes" were then smashed the day after Christmas and the funds were distributed to the needy.

I really like learning of this tradition/Holiday but what I really want to know is: WHY is it not a tradition here in the USA?
I wonder if we adopted this holiday if more people would be apt to help out another soul in need?

Til next time....

Merry the day after Christmas! I'm going to start my own Boxing Day tradition...how about you?

XOXOXO
Cindi

What a Cheeseball!

2009-12-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

As promised, I am here to give the secrets of cheeseballs. If I had known how simple these things were to make, I would have made them ages ago.
I needed to do something simple this year for our friends and neighbors' Christmas gifts, due to our financial situation. Since I have already given all our friends and neighbors wreaths, Gingerbread houses, afghans, paintings, jingle elves and various other handmade items, I wanted to take it a little easier this year. Every year we receive cookies, cakes, and candies, and this year I wanted to give a tastey gift. A couple of weeks ago, when I was doing our grocery shopping, I spied a small gift pack with a salami type sausage and some crackers... and I thought to my self "Self? You could make a homemade cheese ball to go with that gift pack and have a great tastey gift for everyone."
So I did an internet search and read oodles of cheeseball recipes, and found they all had the same basic ingredients:

cream cheese ~ regular, fat reduced or fat free AND
some other kind of cheese-mild and sharp cheddar, parmesan, roquefort, blue cheese, pepper jack, monterey jack ~ finely grated

mayonnaise OR
sour cream OR
Dijon mustard

Worcestershire sauce OR
Lemon juice OR
Lime juice

onions-green OR red OR shallots

Spices-garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, oregano, onion soup mix, taco seasoning mix, cayenne pepper, salt, horseradish, fresh garlic, Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce, or whatever suits your fancy.

Nuts-almonds, walnuts, pecan, sunflower seeds, peanuts~chopped, for rolling your ball in.

Optional ingredients were a variety of meats-bacon, ham, dried beef, bacon bits, shrimp, etc...
And olives, pineapple, peppers~bell and hot, celery, mushrooms, basically anything.

Now which ingredients you choose is pretty much up to your taste buds.

You must have the cream cheese and it must be softened somewhat. I put mine in the microwave for 30 seconds.
I also used smaller portions so that I could make several different flavors.

Basic proportions for the cheeseballs I made were:
1- 8oz. pkg of cream cheese AND approximately 1 cup of some other kind of cheese-I used sharp cheddar.

1-2 Tablespoons of one of these~ sour cream, mayonnaise, dijon- I used sour cream in all mine.

Approximately 1-2 teaspoons of one of these~Worcestershire sauce, lemon or lime juice-I tried all three but only 1 in each ball. In other words it was either lemon or lime or Worcestershire. I did not mix two flavors in one ball.

Onions-approximately 1/4 cup diced very fine- I used green onions sliced thin with scissors in all my balls.

And then the spices:
For my garlic ball, I used 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 3 medium cloves finely minced.

For my Taco flavored balls, I used 2 teaspoons of taco seasoning mix and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and one of these I spiced up with 1 Tablespoon Green Tabasco.

For my green onion ball, I used 1/4 teaspoon garlic and increased the dice green onions to 1/2 cup.

For my oregano ball I used 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano and 1/4 teaspoon garlic.

For my toasted onion ball I used 2 teaspoons of dried toasted onion soup mix.

After I softened the cream cheese, I put it into a mixing bowl with the other cheese, onions, sour cream, juice, and seasonings and mixed it with my mixer on medium high for a couple of minutes until all ingredients were thorougly combined. I tasted with a cracker to make sure the flavor was pleasing, and then each flavor was submitted for Mr. Clay's approval.
Then I lined a small rounded bowl (2 cup size) with plastic wrap and pressed the cheese mix into the lined bowl and refrigerated for an hour or so. Now I had a neatly formed dome that was easy to lift out of the bowl, pull the plastic wrap off, and roll the top and sides into my chopped nuts. This recipe made a 4 inch diameter dome approximately 3 inches tall; a pretty good size cheese ball. It is recommended refrigerating the balls at least 2 hours or overnight for better flavor before serving, so that the flavors could meld together.
That's all there is to it! Total prep time for each was no more than 10 minutes.
How simple is that?

There are alot of varieties of cheeseballs. For further reference you may want to check out this site: All Recipes and do a search for Cheese Ball. There are pages of recipes with reviews from people who have tried, tested, rated the recipes AND given their own suggestions and variations. I hope I have inspired you to try and make a cheeseball. It is an inexpensive dish for an office party, family get together, or picnic. They are simple, quick, travel well, and can be made ahead of time.

Til my next epiphany :D
XOXOXOXOXO
Cindi

Salsa Anyone???

2009-12-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

Salsa??? Did someone say salsa?......Well they did somewhere and I came right over here to tell you my salsa story:

Did I ever tell you that I make salsa by the 5 gallon bucketful? I've had people ask me for the recipe for a bowlful. When I tell them how big my batches of salsa are, they are speechless.

When I first started canning salsa people would ask "how hot is this salsa?"So the first couple of years the labeling was kinda lame - "mild," "med. hot," " hot,"...etc....

Then came the names series:

Wimpy Salsa- you KNOW who you are :D

T.I.T.S.-stood for This Is The Salsa- this produced some laughs when a friend took a couple of jars of it to the bar, then proceeded to call the hubster and tell him everyone at the bar liked my T.I.T.S.

Killer Salsa- that's Mr. Killer to you

And Killer H. Salsa- the H in a salsa name means it has Habanero peppers in it.

Next came the Dragon series- Baby Dragon, Dragon Spit, Dragon Fire...

But I still got the ol "how many peppers are in this?" Like I cared? I mean, come on people, I'm making this stuff by the 5 gallon bucketful!

So the Song series was born- I took songs with numbers in the title and made a batch of salsa with that many peppers in the 5 gallon bucketful. So "Around the World in 80 days" had 80 jalapenos in the 5 gallon batch.

The number in the song was how many peppers I put in tht 5 gallon batch. It eleviated all questions about hotness or how many peppers..blah, blah, blah

50 Ways (to Leave your Lover) was changed to "50 Ways to Eat Your Salsa"

Get your kicks on "Route 66"

"76 Trombones" - which naturally, was followed by "110 Clarinets"

"You're Gonna Cry 96 Tears" - made the hubsters hair cry

And the only exception was 25 or 6 to 4-which was a 4 gallon batch with 25 or 26 peppers-it was for those with 'delicate' tastebuds- you know who you are :D

At the end of the growing season I made one final batch called Mega H. Death with over 200 jalapenos and I don't remember how many habaneros. It is pure fire in a jar!

I ended up canning over 50 cases that year. We still have over 20 cases left!....and BTW, a 5 gallon batch of salsa makes over 3 cases of pint jars ...and I also canned "Peter Piper Picked a Peck of..." you guessed it Pickled Peppers!

Now I'm off to experiment with cheeseballs ...

XOXOXOXOXO
Cindi

Frosty the Snowman

2009-12-15T04:36:00.004-07:00

It snowed and snowed and snowed...We got our biggest one time dumping of the white stuff in over 10 years. Mr. Clay cannot remember the last time we got this much snow at one time...I keep saying it must be all the global warming and all :P

Anywho, we ended up getting 10" overnight and adding the few inches that was leftover from earlier storms, we are looking at a white Christmas this year. I wanted to make a snowman, and promised my thread peeps pictures of said snowman. After 4 hours of snow shoveling, my arms felt like shaking noodles, so I begged off for a day. But fear not, Frosty was born yesterday and without further ado, here he is. He has Mr. Clay's magical hat, and that mouth? ..a perfectly formed stick laying in the driveway. I can now cross 'Make a Snowman' off my bucket list. :)

Happy Holidays!

XOXOXOX

Cindi

And the winner of the Elf Giveaway is...

2009-12-14T08:36:00.003-07:00

Jessica Heitman Rowe! Congratulations Jessica and thank you to all who participated.

BTW, Jessica has an Etsy shop beadbug00. Check her out

Stay tuned I'll be back with more Christmas cheer ;)

XOXOXXO
Cindi

An Elf Giveaway

2009-12-10T12:31:00.009-07:00

Christmas is two weeks away. Are you ready???

Well I am ready to send one lucky winner an elf. I originally was using my FaceBook fan page to collect the names. But one of my peeps has informed me that FB does not allow giveaways with out their permission. And then when you try and comply there is no info on how to comply. I don't know what kind of Grinch lives there.
So anywho, we'll do the giveaway here.

All you have to do is follow me, and leave a comment, and contact information (email, etsy shop, or some way for me to get back to you)
Winner will be chosen on Mon. Dec. 13th, and your choice of elf will be sent out in time for you to enjoy for Christmas.

Here's one of them :

XOXOXXOXOXO

Cindi

ps~I'm thinking my NewYear's Resolution should be to become a more regular blogger. Thanks to all who have hung in here with me ♥

Kreativ Blogger Award

2009-11-14T11:26:00.021-07:00

I received this blog award from http://christiecottage.blogspot.com/

The rules for accepting this award are:

1) Copy the award and post it on your blog.

2) Thank the person that gave it to you and link to their blog.

3) Write 7 things about yourself we don't know.

4) Choose 7 other bloggers to pass the award to.

5) Link to those 7 other bloggers.

6) Notify your 7 bloggers.

Ok so here goes:

I passed this award on to:

http://moeart.blogspot.com/

http://jdfootloose.blogspot.com/

http://oldsoulphoto.blogspot.com/

http://kayzkreationz.blogspot.com/

http://aneedleinthehaystack-debbie.blogspot.com/

http://feliciakramer.blogspot.com/

http://2goodclaymates.blogspot.com/

Please be sure and visit these blogs where you'll find their shop links.

Here goes 7 things you probably don't know about me:

1. I am a role playing video game junkie-Morrowind, Oblivion, and Fable are my favs (and although I rarely have time to play them anymore, I will beg the hubster to play them while I fall asleep at night)

2. Mostly I eat with chopsticks; I love the challenge!

3. My favorite places to be are at the beach, the woods and the desert. I'm sure that heaven has figured out a way to combine all three for me!

4. I like learning about things paranormal- since nothing about my life has been normal.

5. I love trying weird foods; I'm pretty sure I could keep up with Andrew Zimmern.

6. I'm obsessive about my hair-it's a Leo rising thing- I cannot/will not leave the house with my mane askew.

7. I lived homeless for 7 years, and oh the stories I could tell....

So there you have it, more factoids about me....had you guessed any of them already?

XOXOXOXOXO,

Cindi

Are there ever enough hours in the day?

2009-10-25T13:45:00.007-06:00

I know it has been forever since I last posted here...so here goes:

I got a full time permanent job! I am glad that I got the job; but I am also wondering how in the heck I am going to be able to keep up with everything?

I got the job with a trucking company, and the best way I can describe it is this-they were about to go belly up and a 'restructuring company' came in and took over the finances and saved it from bankruptcy. The gal who is playing office manger needed help, so I was hired. As soon as all the finances are all straightened out, she will be leaving and I will be the office manager. She wants to be done in 3 months or so, and I am happy to not have all the responsibility of figuring out the financial messes they have.

I am still writing for HandMade News, although there doesn't seem to be anyone else writing in the Featured Artisan Dept. I was going to resign; but my resignation emails all bounced back to me(no longer valid emails)...and since I am still getting interviews back from people, I figure it must be a sign to keep going as long as I can.

The hubster's garden kept the neighborhood in tomatoes, squash, and zucchinis all summer. I have the last of the pepper harvest to pickle... of course I keep saying that, but the peppers just keep growing and going, even through the freezes we've had...unbelievable! Even last night, more freezing temps, but the peppers are still standing tall! And the carrots are still going strong, too.

As for the hubster's health-the cancer/organ donor meds the Dr. had him on (Cytoxan) began giving him brown spots (like birth marks) on his back and they grew bigger(like HUGE) and began spreading around to his tummy...also began to make his bladder burn and hurt. So he stopped taking the meds a few days ago. His breathing has been easier since, the brown spots are beginning to fade, and he no longer has pain in the bladder. Of course, the meds have killed his immune system so badly that he now had rhuematoid arthritus pretty bad. To which they recommend a RA specialist...what a racket, huh?

He has decided to start going back to our acupressurist (I call him 'House', because he can fix anything) and taking whole food supplements. This guy 'House' cured hubby of acid reflux/gerd simply by putting his body back in ph balance...huh, who would've thunk? So in a couple of weeks we have an appointment with an RA specialist( we are expecting RA Dr. to tell us that hubster has rhuematoid lung) and the next day we go to the acupressurist, House.

On a brighter note I won a blog contest that I entered awhile back and here is what I won from DZFantasy. She has the cutest fairies ever! They are all

soft sculpture and she has all different colors; some with specialty fabrics and all are absolutely gorgeous. I have been lusting after one of these for almost a year, and I had actually forgotten that I had entered her contest! DZFantasy has monthly drawings on her blog. Check out her Etsy shop

I think that pretty much brings you all up to date. Next post, I will show you a salsa bowl I made, and it is hot, I tell ya :D

Take care everyone, and until next time...

XOXOXOXOX

Cindi

I've Been Hiding Out

2009-10-01T22:09:00.004-06:00

I haven't posted for over a week now...did you miss me? ...I've been hiding out and giving myself some time to think...

I have spent alot of time writing for HandMade News these past months. I was so elated when I got the job writing. I figured I had found work I could do from home and still be here to take care of the hubster. (update on him, in a few) The trouble is, that it hasn't been a paying job....at all. Word has come down the pipeline that it will now be a non-paying job for the forseeable future. I have stopped sending out interviews now and will only submit til I run out of the ones I have in reserve.

As much as I love to promote other people, I need to be able to make $. So, I will be focusing my efforts on my shops and concentrating on getting them stocked for the holidays.

Now on to the hubster's health-We had a check up at the pulmonologist this week and his breathing is still the same-about 1/4 breathing capacity. It appears the heavy doses of Cytoxan have slowed the disease's progress; nothing new on the x-rays, and blood tests are ok so far . So, I have nothing new to report-he has good days and bad days...and I have found a whole new level of patience ;)

I've been slooooowly, but surely, getting my studio cleaned up. I promised my Guildmaster that I would do a studio walk through. So, I found a few things hiding this week that I had forgotten about. Here they are:

While cleaning, I have found some supplies that I had completely forgotten about, and also some extras that I want to destash. Look for those to be listed soon.

Our weather here took a turn towards winter for a few days and we had our first freeze last night. We covered our garden hoping to extend it's life til it warms back up. The tomatoes still froze even though wrapped and covered. The squash, zucchini, and peppers are still going. So we covered them again tonight as we prepare for the 2nd freeze. This is the first time we are attempting to do this. I'll let you know if it is successful.

Til next time, I'll be pickling peppers amongst other things :D

Just Another Manic Monday

2009-09-14T18:20:00.005-06:00

Well, this morning, I was just getting ready to go pick peppers (me and peter piper) and I get a call asking me if I can come to an interview this afternoon for a full time permanent job. Yay!

So, forget the peppers, I throw all my laundry in the washer and get ready for the phone call to tell me what time to be at the interview. Laundry gets done, peppers do not :(
And I got no second phone call telling me what time to be at the interview...

By the time I could safely say that I wasn't getting a call today, it began to storm. And no peck of peppers got picked or pickled. Grrrr

Just another manic monday....

I got Featured!

2009-09-13T20:29:00.009-06:00

Yes I got featured, but that's later....I simply just can't believe how fast the time is flying! It's already half way through September! Our garden has really begun to produce, and even though this garden is tiny compared to years past we still have more than we can eat. We have made several trips to our neighbors unloading tomatoes and zucchini and yellow squash.
This week I canned/pickled sliced jalapenos and cherry hots and froze 4 quarts of roasted and peeled anaheim chiles. I also made a batch of chocolate chocolate chip coconut zucchini bread(not a misprint-it IS double chocolate!) and Mr. Clay and I had fun delivering our 'dessert' bread. Maybe I should give you all the recipe. If you'd like it, leave me a comment and I'll get it on a future post.

Sorry, the pictures Mr. Clay took of the garden highlight his tractor more than his garden:

I will get some better shots tomorrow morning when I harvest another bucketful anaheim chiles.

Other than the garden stuff, I've been real busy this week writing. An article that I submitted to HandMade News a loooooong time ago was published in between my regular column days. And it just so happens that the article is a polymer clay mosaic project I did. (I'd post a picture, but they are with the article.)

So I had three articles publish at the end of this week. Thurs, Fri. & Sat I have been busy promoting them. And one of them got the highest votes of any article in our section! Way to go Christie...she sent the word out to a gazillion peeps and she has the most votes.

I have now written 17 articles and 9 of them are on the top articles list. Thank you everyone for all the thumbs up votes. I really appreciate it.

So my articles this week were:

Sarah of BellaSweet who loves to work in gemstones

Christie of ChristieCottage who has varied artistic interests

And saving the best for last..ME ! :P My Mosaic Planter It's really a cool planter ;)

As always, I would appreciate a thumbs up vote (at the bottom of the article just above the comments section)

Until next time, have a great week!
XOXOXO
Cindi

Blushie!

2009-09-05T21:51:00.004-06:00

Blushie was the first skin care products seller/shop that I've been able to interview. I really enjoyed getting to know her and I hope you will too. Here is Meagan of Blushie . Please go and vote her a thumb's up. (at the end of the article just above the comments section)

Doesn't that soap look delicious? Check out Blushie's feature and find out about how she came up with the name of her shop.

Until next time- have a great rest of the weekend everyone!

XOXOXXO,

Cindi

Featured Artisan-JenniferLynnProductions

2009-09-03T07:40:00.005-06:00

Well my regular publication days on HandMade News are Thursday and Saturday, so I hope you all don't mind when I get on here twice a week and ask for your click and vote on those days. My last article has top # votes in our Dept! And that is with only 30 votes! If I could get everyone who follows my blog to vote, I'd be top dog :D

Anywho here is JenniferLynnProductions' interview. I've been promo-ing it all over the place. If you've run into it twice, I apologize. And here's a sample of Jennifer's photographic art: How cool is that?

Have a Great Day everyone!

XOXOXOX

Monday! Monday!

2009-08-31T09:31:00.005-06:00

So I have a slight break in between the "what I'm supposed to be doings" and thought I would sneak in here real quick and say that I am so behinder I still have end of the week things to do, and it's already Monday! Eeeekkk!!!

My studio was supposed to be cleaned up enough for a picture walk through. I got it half done and the the muse hit me right up side the head.

With my main work station cleaned and the floor swept, I sat down and made a cane I had always wanted to try and was so happy with the results that I began making all kinds of baubles and beads. You know how it is...

Anywho times a wasting, and I have some beads to ship out. I did manage to make a sale this weekend. Yay! This was the first time I have offered beads for sale in my shops and they were snatched up in a couple of days. Yay! Makes me want to go down and make more beads...no! must...clean...studio! :)

Have a great start to the week everyone!

Not One But Two!

2009-08-29T10:50:00.004-06:00

I had another feature published this morning on HandMade News...and come to think of it I had one published two days ago.

Ok the first article is Lin of FlauntRox , FlauntDesignsJewelry and well she just flaunts where ever she can :P

The next one is Erica of SierraPelonaCrochet, and she claims she has more earrings than she could possibly wear. And then she sent me a beautiful picture of herself with NO earrings :P

So for any newcomers- When you click on the article, be sure to vote a thumbs up (located at the bottom just above the comments sections)
The more votes and comments I get, the longer I will be able to feature great shops/sellers. Maybe you'll be next?

Also could you please leave me a comment here as to whether you can see the advertising on the right hand side of the article. If you don't see the ads, can you tell me what you do see?

Thank you for all your help...BBL to announce a new giveaway

Sassy!

2009-08-20T14:19:00.004-06:00

This morning my column on HandMade News featured a fellow Polymer Clay Smoosher Guild member. Here is the link to Dori of SassyClayCreations . Please click on over there and show Dori some love by giving her a thumbs up. (located at the bottom of the article just above the comments section)

After you are done getting to know Dori, you can click over to her shop on ArtFire and checkout her unique creations. One of my favorites is this ring shelf. How clever is that? and useful too :)

Until next time, have a Great rest of the week everyone!

XOXOXXOXO

Cindi

Sheee's Baaack :)

2009-08-15T11:09:00.009-06:00

A long time ago in the cobwebs of my mind I remember doing a feature here on my blog with Quiltingdiva. If you ever try and have the last word with her late at night on a thread, you'd better be able to type fast. I still laugh about the night we were both trying to have the last word before Etsy shut down for maintenance.

Well the Qdiva is back and this time she snagged an interview for the Featured Artisan Dept on HandMade News. So click on over there and meet Stacy Edell of Quiltingdiva. And be sure to check out her shop. This diva has been a busy bee and her shop is stocked with all kinds of new items. and be sure to check the purses and totes. I found all different colors pictured within the listings, and the 6 pocket purses are a very cool idea. But you need to click on the listing to look at the other pictures in it to see where the pockets are. See? Do you see 6 pockets on that purse? Go take a look, and you'll see why she is the Diva :) BTW- you can click on the picture ------>

I must tell you that HandMade News has changed the layout of their site, so if it looks a bit (OK, very) different to you, that is the reason. Leave me a comment on what you like (or dislike) and I will be sure and pass it on to the main editor. I absolutely love that our editor listens to our feedback.

Until next time have Great Days :)

My Last Two Articles

2009-08-09T13:13:00.005-06:00

The last two???
Well, only for the Just For Fun Dept. The first one is about 'Nothing'
Can you just see the look on my editor's face when she got the file titled 'Nothing' and then the first line said 'This is an article about nothing' I'll bet her eyeballs rolled right out of her head..LOL; at least that is what I was going for.
So if you didn't click on nothing above, here is your last chance: My article about nothing . I do believe it's one of my best, but you'll have to be the judge of that. I must say though, I am a little worried about PizzamanMike out there in Nothing, AZ. When I tried to send him a link to the article, the email bounced back to me. It would be sad if he invested all that money, to not even have nothing to show for it. If anyone will be passing through Nothing, I would really like to hear that Mike is still there.

And now for my last article in the Just For Fun Dept- It's all about BumbleBees and it too has an interesting tale - about some undiscovered gold still rumored to be near a ghost town called BumbleBee.

So you know the drill - please click over to my articles and vote me a thumbs up, and if you are so inclined, you can sign in and leave a comment. I promise you they won't spam you, if you sign in. I have had questions where is it to vote? If you go to the bottom of the article just beofre the comments you'll see a line that says "Tweet this article" "Share this article" and then "Vote for this artilce" with pictures of two thumbs; one goes up and one is thumbs down...you can just ignore the thumbs down for me :D When you click on the thumb, it registers a vote. And you can only vote once, oherwise I would vote myself a winner everytime!

My bestest news is, I transferred to the Featured Artisan Dept. where I will be doing interviews of shops/sellers full time! It makes no difference what venue you sell on, or if you have your own website; if you are interested in being featured you can leave a post here with a way for me to send you a set of interview questions. I am so happy to be doing this. Spotlighting people is my most favoritest thing to do! So please bombard me with requests. I love it!

Have a creative week everyone!

XOXOXOX
Cindi

ps I know I need to list another giveaway. I am really hoping to get that done this evening. Keep checking back. Look in the right hand upper corner for the announcement.

My First Main Feature

2009-08-02T08:51:00.007-06:00

Yay! I finally got my first main feature published this morning! Absolutely Gourd-geous is all about gourds, and it features some incredible gourd artists and a couple of shops that sell gourd seeds. Take a look at this picture; it's one of the artists featured:

Can you believe someone made that from a gourd?

I would really appreciate it if you would click on over there and vote me thumbs up. You can leave a comment if you sign up. I promise they don't spam you; it's only for ID purposes to see where visitors come from.

My editor is leaning on me to improve my views...I'm doin the best I can, but I need your help.

Thanks and have a Great Day!

Cindi

We have a winner!

2009-08-01T12:25:00.006-06:00

Congratulations are in order! The winner of my first blog giveaway is Jess of Lindy's Place . Thank you for participating and your earrings will be on their way this week....enjoy :)

While I am here, let me take a few minutes to tell you a bit about Jess-She has a shop on Etsy where she sells an eclectic mixture of items ranging from jewelry to handmade paper to all sorts of different crocheted items along with many other unique pieces. I am particularly fond of her rock star dangles, and a few other items that I will let you discover on your own.

Jess also has a blog where you can sign up to follow her adventures.

Thanks to everyone who participated. Hopefully, I will be announcing another giveaway within the next week, so keep tuned to this station ;)

XOXOXOXO

Cindi

The Premio Meme Award

2009-07-25T08:42:00.007-06:00

My blog has been awarded the Premio Meme award by KayzKreationz. Kay makes wonderful stained glass creations. So be sure to check out her blog and her shop on Etsy. She makes some really unique and beautiful items. I am particularly fond of the mini pyramid beach sandscape.

And what does premio meme mean? I haven't a clue! I have searched everything I could think of, even asked jeeves, and the only thing I can come up with is, 'premio' means prize in spanish, portuguese,and italian. But 'meme' only matched in french and it meant same. So I am quite sure I haven't the proper translation. But I like prizes, so I'll stick with that part of the translation. Maybe someone out there can tell me.

To accept this award I have to share 7 things about me. Do I have that many things I haven't already blabbed about? Well, let's just see:

1.) I like it cold. We keep our house in the 60's. If you're cold, you can always throw on a sweater or a blanket. But if you're hot, naked is about as cool as you get without taking a cold shower. What am I doing in the middle of the desert?

2.) I had two children- my son, the oldest, died in a motorcycle accident 5 years ago when he was 28. Don't drink and drive is all I can say about that now. And my daughter is 32, married, and has made me a grandmother 4 times over. Wow am I ancient or what?

3.) I am an Aries with Leo rising and moon is Sagitarrius-what does that mean? I am a fire, fire, fire sign. I won't bore you with any horriblescope (horoscope) definitions. Fire,fire,fire should say enough :)

4.) I love, love, love the beach! I grew up in Southern Calif in Torrance, San Clemente (next door to President Nixon's Western Whitehouse), and Dana Point. If I sit in the sun here in the Utah desert, close my eyes, and concentrate I can still smell the ocean air. I get choked up thinking how much I miss the waves, the sand, the seagulls, the fog horns...well you get what I'm trying to say, huh?

5.) I am a carnation kinda gal. Don't give me roses; can't stand their perfumey-ness. I'll take a fresh smelling carnation any day of the week.

6.) Tacos are my absolute favorite food. I could eat tacos, breakfast, lunch, and dinner...and I have a done that on more than one occassion....yummmmmm

7.) And last but not least, I believe in fairy tales, the para normal, love at first sight, handsome princes, the power of positive thinking, and miracles. And if I left any out, I'll be back later to add to the list...

Do you feel like you know me any better? :)

Ok, now the rules are I have to pass this on to 7 more great bloggers I know. In no particular order, here they are:

1. MoeArt-funny lady!

2. NatureWithMe - go green in Oregon

3. SoulReader- for all you paranormal believers

4. AnotherBrightIdea-ever play blog charades?

5. Mouchois-follow the adventures of Melvin the kitty

6. JdFootloose- hi jd *waves* :)

7. CreativeCritters -she has some really great articles

Check out these blogs; I'm sure you'll find at least one more to follow. I varied them for different interests.

Happy Saturday everyone

Painting Puzzle

2009-07-22T21:03:00.005-06:00

Well moving right along with my writing career, my next article was published this morning on HandMade News. It's a quick painting puzzle . As always, I need all the thumbs up and comments possible. I am a little bit down, cause I've only got 2 comments, and I've been promoting all over the place!

I realize that they make one sign up to leave a comment, but I promise you, there is no spam involved. All you have to do is create a user login name and a password, that's it!

Please , please , pretty please with a cherry on top :) leave me a comment and vote. My views have dropped waaaay down, and they are starting to lean on me for more response to my articles. If I don't get a following, they will drop me :( and then I won't be able to feature shops, items, and sellers.

And I really do like making someone's day when I get to tell them they have been featured.
Til next time...keep on smiling :)
XOXOXXO,
Cindi

I Got a Job!!!!

2009-07-21T18:46:00.003-06:00

So yesterday I had the job interview and I got the job! Yay! Horrah!
I know many of you probably already heard the news elsewhere and I still have a couple more places to post it. But starting next Monday, I will be working at a coal cleaning plant for the next 2 and a half weeks, doing computer data entry for the truck shipments. I am so excited, I am still doing the happy dance today. Thank you everyone for all your prayers and good thoughts.

Do you have an Idea?

2009-07-18T13:02:00.015-06:00

Wow my articles are getting published faster than I thought they would! Here is my latest, and if you are getting a little thin in the memory area, this is perfect for you. It is something I have practiced for the last year. So instead of giving it all away here, I shall post a link to my Idea Basket. As always, please be sure to drop on by and leave a comment and a vote. This means a lot to our advertisers and keeps me in good standing with the editors.

It has been an extremely busy week for me, and here is what I have accomplished:

ClayItAgain is having a Christmas in July sale going on right now on Etsy and ArtFire. Those links will take you directly to the Christmas sale section. My most popular Christmas item of late has been my elves. I have discounted so much, I'm practically giving it away. And just for this weekend, I will offer an additional $10 savings on any wreath. With all the markdowns, they are 1/2 price now, and I would really like to get those out of here to make more room in my studio. Please feel free to share this info with all your rich friends :D

I also took the plunge and set up a fan page for ClayItAgain on FaceBook. My first goal, is 100 fans and when I reach that, I will have a drawing for a gift certificate good for anything in my shop. I also set up a fan page for 12MidnightOils. And I will also have a drawing for a gift certificate when I get 100 fans there.

Our garden has really kicked into gear now that the weather has turned hot. The 2nd round of lettuce is starting to thrive. I always thought that lettuce needed a cooler environment, but we've never had a shortage of lettuce...AS LONG AS WE KEEP THE SEEDLINGS WATERED ;) So maybe we will have something to donate to the food bank, after all, this year.

On Monday, I have a job interview. Yay! It's only for a temporary job while a lady goes on vacation. But heck! The $$$ I make in that 2 weeks could carry us financially for another month! So be thinking good thoughts for me on Monday afternoon.

Well I think that about wraps it up for this post. Don't forget to enter the drawing for my giveaway. There's only 2 weeks left til I announce a winner, and I think there are only 7 entries...incredible odds I must say!

Chalk Art

2009-07-12T12:21:00.006-06:00

Wow! I got two articles published this week! And so without further ado, I bring you the link to the next, in my journalistic career

http://www.handmadenews.org/article/index.php?id=2833

Please click on over there and leave me a vote and a comment. The more I get, the longer I get to feature shops and items. Who knows? Maybe yours will be next :)

And you really must click on the two artist's links while you are there. Their sidewalk art is totally freakin amazing! I was wandering the web for hours checking out 3-d art. I had no idea there was so much. I guess that's what comes from living in a small town for the last 10 years. (I have no excuse for the other 15 years of my life)... ;)

And while I am on the subject of articles, did anyone (besides my best friend from 5th grade) try out the dinner roll/bread recipe? I should have made bread two days ago as we are all out, but I bribed my way out of it when I found a box of Jiffy corn muffin mix hiding in the cupboard.

Christmas in July sales are in full force. ClayItAgain has finally joined in on the action, with a half dozen or so items listed on Etsy and Artfire.

And the Polymer Clay Smooshers Guild will be featuring a Christmas in July event next week. Details will be announced in a few days.

One of my most popular items last year was these little elves. and out of all the different colored packages that I use, the red is the most popular.

I have a bunch more stuff still to list for the Christmas in July sale. I hope I am able to get them all listed before August gets here, or I'm going to be having a Christmas in August sale.

I still have more wreaths, elves, and snowmen to get photographed and listed, so I better say good bye for now.

Have a great week everyone...I'll be back soon *waves*

XOXOXOXO

Cindi

ps Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway! (Upper right hand corner for details)

Week 2 of My Publishing Career

2009-07-08T22:40:00.006-06:00

My second article on Handmade News was published this morning. It's a mouth watering, fill the house with good smells, tastey recipe....yummmm. And Mr. Clay has woofed down every last bit of it, and has already started asking when am I going to make more.
So please click on over to my article and show me some lubs. I guess the more comments and clicks I get, the higher it goes in the rankings. My last article got so much action it was #8 on the top ten list of poplular articles! Yay!
I am making this post short and sweet.

Don't forget I am having a giveaway. If you would like to win the flip flop earrings pictured in the upper right corner, please leave a comment with a way for me to contact you should you be the winner. So far I only have 3 entries. That sure is good odds!
Have a great rest of the week everyone.
XOXOXOX

My first ever giveaway!

2009-07-05T20:23:00.009-06:00

Yesterday, the 4th Of July was our 10th wedding anniversay! TaDa...

My present to the hubster was to de-weed the backyard, and trust me, that was no easy chore.

In celebration of my anniversary, I am having my first ever giveaway! I will keep this post short and sweet. What am I giving away? Well these orphan pair of orange flip flip earrings.

How do you enter? Leave some way for me to contact you-makes no difference to me if it's email, shop url, website...whatever you choose, and leave it in the comment section in one of the posts between now and July 31. At the end of the month the lucky winner will be announced.

That's all I have for today..stay tuned..and have a Great Week everyone! :)

Yay!! I'm a Published Columnist!!

2009-07-01T18:15:00.001-06:00

This morning I awoke to my first column being published! I have been tooting my horn all over the place. Please visit Handmade News and read my article and show me some lubs. The more comments and thumbs up I get, the more I can keep writing and featuring sellers and their items. Plus as an added bonus, there is also a quiz to test your smarts. So now that I've told you all that, you probably want a link, heh? OK, I'm in the Just for Fun section and my article is Attracting Birds (not my choice of title, but whaddya gonna do,huh?)

In celebration of my 1st article published I am offering a 20% discount!! on anything in either of my shops til July 4th! Just send me a convo (thru Etsy), a message (thru ArtFire) or an email (clayitagaincindi [at] yahoo[dot] com) and I will reduce the price for your purchase before you have to pay. Oh, and let me know you saw the special here on my blog. That's all there is to it. That means you could actually get $50 off my larger paintings and the discount is not limited to one item either. This is my stimulus package to help stimulate the economy :)

Ok to bring you up to date with the rest of me :) I finally broke down and set up some Facebook Fan Pages. I guess it's the newest rage for promoting; so now ClayItAgain has it's own fan page....and 12MidnightOils has it's own fan page. So why am I telling you this? Well, become a fan of each of them, and when my fan list hits 100 I will draw someone's name for a $10 gift certificate. Good toward's anything in either shop. That's going to be 2 drawings, not just one. And just in case 1 person happens to win both drawings (not likely..BUT just in case) yes, you can use both at once for a $20 savings. Now how can you turn that down? I have not yet begun to promote my fan pages, so they don't have any fans, except me. I am my #1 fan! How vain is that? So hurry on over there and become a fan. I've always wanted one.......hundred!

And as soon as I get the pictures taken I am going to start a giveaway here too...I am hoping to get the blog promo up and running by this weekend.....so stay tuned to me me me me :P
Have a Great Day everyone!

Featuring - MoeArt of ArtFire & Etsy

2009-06-27T12:56:00.016-06:00

I should have been here sooner to post this, but I got side-tracked on Moe's blog. Who is Moe, you ask? Well she is the Moe of MoeArt, and if you've never visited her blog, you are missing out on a treat, and alot of laughs. I spent the better part of the day LOL at her adventures with Westinghouse products, her vaccuum cleaner, her cats, and just her way of looking at life. So today was not a total loss for me. I needed a break with a lot of laughs. And I didn't even mention all the polymer clay items she has presented on her blog. And have you looked in her shops? She has a shop on Etsy and a shop on ArtFire. Truly a talented lady!

I am happy to give you all the opportunity to get to know Moe. She recently joined the ArtFire Polymer Clay Smooshers, but said she has been on PCC (Polymer Clay Central) for years. I am so glad she has found our guild. She sounds like one happy go lucky lady. And who can blame her? She lives in Paradise after all. It's quite obvious that she loves her life and what she does:

What is your favorite item in your shop? Yikes! My dragon, I guess. I love dragons and have several even though there is only one listed. I can't decide what I like to make the best. It's all such fun! But there actually is another dragon listed in her ArtFire shop

What inspires you to create? Color. Anything with lots of color makes me think, "I can make this in clay!" Silks, sunsets, clothing, jewelry, gemstones, just about anything colorful.

Do you have any inspirational advice for other artists? Do what works for YOU! Doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. If you are inspired by steel mills or lambs in a meadow... go for it! Creativity is inside each individual. It is not dictated by something that's "popular" or trendy or from somebody else's mind. It belongs to you and you alone. So, go forth and make what works for YOU!

Do you create in more than one medium? I used to do painting on rocks and quilling and several other crafty things. I still quill once in a while but generally, clay is THE thing. I love it!
These earrings are GORGEOUS!!! I love, love love them. And also the monarch set. Beautiful job, Moe!

If you could live anywhere else in the world where would it be? and why? Hee. This is a no brainer for me. I live in Honolulu. Would you want to move? :D Okay, okay... maybe Maui. :D

Favorite food? Wine. That's a major food group, right?

Favorite Animal? Our two kitties. Allie and Ipo (that's "sweetheart" in Hawaiian) Ipo is THE most misnamed kitty in the world. Her *real* name is Destructo Kitty or BratCat of the Universe.

Favorite color? Orange! Burnt orange is my absolute favorite. Followed only by bronzes and golds and reds.

Do you have a favorite quote you'd like to share? Hmmmm, maybe not. But if I had to make one up it would be "Go for it!" Or "NEVER give up!' I guess that's pretty close to Winston Churchill, isn't it?

Sites where you can find moe

her blog http://www.moeart.blogspot.com/

On Etsy http://www.moeart.etsy.com/

On ArtFire http://www.moeart.artfire.com/

ArtFire Polymer Clay Smooshers Guild http://artfiresmooshers.ning.com/profile/MoeArt

This was fun. Mahalo and aloha! moe

Thank you Moe for taking the time to do this interview. Please be sure to visit MoeArt on Etsy and MoeArt on ArtFire . I know you will find beautiful polymer clay items there.

Hubby, Job, & Garden update

2009-06-23T19:27:00.010-06:00

I have been waiting for a quick break in features to post a bit of news that I had to share with you all. I got a "job" writing articles for HandmadeNews on ArtFire's home page ! I am in the Just For Fun section. See? click on that link...but come right back afterwards; you'll see a teensy weensy avatar of me. If you click on my name, it takes you to my bio. Soon, that page will start filling up with articles that I've written. My first two articles are due tomorrow, and I'm not sure how soon the articles are published, but you can count on me to rattle your chain and give me some love when they are published :) They have a comment section down below each article and a 'thumbs up,thumbs down. So at least be sure and leave me a thumb :)) I am hoping to get a widget or a button for my blog soon, so it will be easy to click your way over there. And hey-they still have a link up at the top saying they are hiring, if you are interested.

As for the hubster's health. Well, a few weeks back he was sitting up in bed and coughed at the same time. It wasn't a big cough, but it was enough that it separated the cartilage in his ribs where they went in and did the biopsy. He was in so much pain that I took him to the Dr. They gave him some pain pills, but figured that it was time to wean him off the steroids. So he had to cut it down 1/2 pill every week. The first day of the cut back he could already feel a difference. And by the second week he was noticably weaker. It also affected his attitude, and he was an absolute meany to be around. Constantly trying to pick fights over nothing. The worst part was that he couldn't see it himself. He thought everyone was trying to provoke him. He's now off of them completely, and is tolerable most of the time. And he gets so weak and out of breath even just watering the garden. It frightens me because I see what's coming. I don't say anything to him though.

We just got a letter today from the Social Security Disability and they want the hubster to go take a breathing test at the government's expense. But that won't be til July 1, so now we are wondering how much longer we have to wait til they make a determination on his disability claim. I also dread these breathing tests. It makes me cry to see him try and blow into a machine and then the coughing and nearly throwing up afterwards. Enough of that talk :(

I still have not been able to get a job, and financially, things are extremely tight. We've been able to survive this whole year on less than 5K. I'm not sure I know anyone who could do that. We are sooo fortunate that our house is paid off, but we still need water and electricity to make our beans and rice. I wish I knew how to make a donation button on my blog. And then I even wonder if anyone would help. I know things are tight out there. I wonder if some people know how fortunate they are right now.

We have begun to eat radishes from the garden. As as I suspected, the hubby didn't water the lettuce seeds enough and they didn't even sprout. So he planted some more and still hasn't watered them enough. He wanted to do this garden HIS way, so I have stayed out of it. I was going to plant some lettuce in a planter for us, but he nabbed my planter for radishes too. So... at least we have radishes lol

Well I better wrap it up for this time. I have another feature waiting in the wings. Take care everyone and think good thoughts for us.

Featuring ArtFire Shop - Unique by Karlee

2009-06-19T23:22:00.003-06:00

I met UniquebyKarlee in the ArtFirePolymer Smooshers Guild. She not only creates with polymer clay, but also crochets and sews as well. When I first entered the shop of UniquebyKarlee, my eyes were immediately caught by several striking coffee cup cozies. I have been drinking a lot of tea lately due to cold and rainy weather, and these cup cozies would be ideal for someone (like me) who drinks warm/hot beverages. Then I poked around in her shop a little more, and found all kinds of different treasures. I had to find out a little more:

What is your favorite item in your shop?

I'll let you choose your favorite. I don't have some stuff listed yet, and I have some fairly neat stuff to list. :) I absolutely love it when I get to pick the fav, and since it has been terribly stormy for the last couple of weeks, I was immediately attracted to this Lightning Striking Coffee Cozy. But wait this gets even better!!! She is having a SALE right now 5 cozies for the price of 4! These would make excellent stocking stuffers at Christmas. I'm thinking gifts for the neighbors, office workers, and family; PLUS there is a great selection. You're sure to find one for everyone on your list, and if you click on this picture you can see all the different views of this cozy.

What inspires you to create?
Colors, textures, letting my mind wander. I don't really go looking for clay inspiration, I just start playing with the clay and let it happen. I've come up with some neat stuff this way, and other times some serious train wrecks.

And do you have any inspirational advice for other artists?
Sometimes thinking outside the box will get you that really great piece that you may not like, but someone else can't live without. You never know what a customer is going to look for, so unless it is REALLY bad, go ahead and make it then list it. It very well may the thing that puts you on the map.

Do you create in more than 1 medium?
Oh yes. I started my artfire shop by sewing. Clay is the latest addition. I've been sewing for most of my life, and quite often sew more things than I have room for. My husband, family, and friends suggested that I start selling my wares to free up space for new things, and for a little revenue.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? And why?
Birmingham, Alabama. My best friend lives there with his family, and they are more like my extended family without actually being family. I visited him for a week a few years back, and fell in love with the area (and the magnolia trees).

What is your favorite food?

Schnitzel. I grew up on German cooking, and can't seem to get enough schnitzel.

Favorite animal?
My favorite animal has always been, and will always be, horses. I am lucky to own a horse, and if you ask her, she will tell you she is spoiled rotten.

Favorite color?

Chrome. LOL, just kidding. Blue, hands down. 90% of my horse equipment is blue, my purse is blue, seat covers in the car are blue, favorite coffee cup is blue...the list goes on.

Do you have a favorite quote you'd like to share?
“Life is not a journey to the grave with intentions of arriving safely in a pretty well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming ... WOW! What a ride!” LOL! I love that :)

Other places UniquebyKarlee can be found:

UniquebyKarlee on ArtFire (I only sell on artfire)
UniquebyKarlee's website (All but one product on my website is linked to my artfire shop)

Unique by Karlee's blog

Also a member of the ArtFire Polymer Smooshers Guild

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview and giving us a laugh or two. Be sure to visit UniquebyKarlee and get some of those coffee cozies while they are still on sale.

Featuring -2Good Claymates

2009-06-16T15:36:00.009-06:00

I found 2 Good Claymates when I went blog jumping one day. When I came across this blog I was mesmerized by the blog header and one particular gecko on it. It was absolutely beautiful! The green swirls on it were perfect; not a crooked line or distortions on any of it. I was envious to say the least. Needless to say, I was quite happy when she answered my call for blog features. Here's a little more about this shop:

What is your favorite item in your shop?
I have a lot of favorites but I like my candle collars the most. They were something I dreamed about making and I love how they turned out. I have several pairs I use in my home and get comments on them all the time.
This is one of my favorites as I love the colors and the mokume gane design.

What inspires you to create?
I would say colors inspire me the most. One of the first things I did with my clay was mix my own colors! And I was so excited when I discovered you could actually save the “recipe” and make that exact color again. I have all my color samples and recipes on index cards and organized in a photo album. When I’m trying to decide what to make I will usually browse through my album and pick out color combinations I like and then dive in. When I see the colors together it will help me decide what to do next -- a mokume gane -- canes, flowers, etc. One thing I like about my work the most is the wide range of colors I use -- there is something for everyone!

And do you have any inspirational advice for other artists?
Don’t worry about trying to find your own “specialty” technique or “trademark”. Just dive in and have fun and it will eventually find you! Then again that may never happen -- lol -- I enjoy so many different techniques with the clay that I don’t think I will ever settle down and focus in on only one or two.

Do you create in more than 1 medium?
I use to oil paint as well as papier mache. I also sew a lot and have designed and made most of my own clothing and accessories. Years ago I use to have a line of specialty eyeglass cases I designed and made myself and sold to various Optical stores. I'm now making my own jewelry pouches (a simpler version of those cases I use to make) which makes the pieces I sell a little more special.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? And why?
We lived in Mexico for 9 years and that was an adventure of a lifetime. We moved back to Canada in 2001 and last fall we moved from the big city and settled down in a cute little town and absolutely love it here and can’t imagine living anywhere else now.

What is your favorite food?
I don’t have too many favorite foods -- I like most things as long as it is meatless!

Favorite animal ? My favorite animal is a dog -- although I loved the geckos that were in our home and yard when we were in Mexico! Maybe that is why I like making those out of clay the most.

Favorite color? My favorite color is green -- preferably yellow greens like lime or olive. Whenever I see something in a shade of green I like, it immediately causes my head to turn and I can’t help not feeling attracted to it. Many people have told me it is because that is the color of my eyes.

Do you have a favorite quote you'd like to share?
I have a lot of favorite quotes and most of them centre around happiness and laughter. (My middle name is Joy and some people have nicknamed me “giggles”). I guess I would say, “The shortest distance between two people is laughter” by Victor Borge. He is my favorite artist who has always made me laugh the hardest!

Do you have anything else you would like to share? My name is Carolyn Good -- my hubby (and best friend) is Dave Good and that is how we came up with the name “2 Good Claymates”

2 Good Claymates can be found in several places on the web
Blogs (3): http://www.2goodclaymates.blogspot.com/
http://wearableartgallery.blogspot.com/
http://jewelryforthehome.blogspot.com/
(last 2 blogs are set up in a magazine style with links to our Art Fire Studio or Etsy Shop)

Art Fire Studio: http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&seller_id=28096
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/2goodclaymates/
Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6563828
Member of the Art Fire Artisan Jeweler Guild

Member of the Polymer Clay Smooshers Guild
I'm a new member of The Shuswap Lake Festival of the Arts Society in the area where I live -- I have 4 pieces I'm entering in the juried part of the show this year (3 jewelry pieces plus a mosaic tiled coffee table) as well as selling a lot of my pieces in the gift shop that will be set up for the 9 days at the festival. I will also be demonstrating on making my floral canes at the show.
Thanks again!
Carolyn Good--

Thank you Carolyn for taking the time to share your talents with us and showing us your many beautiful peices. Please be sure to check out 2Good Claymates on Etsy and on ArtFire. I fell in love with several of their pieces, and you may just find something you just can't live without any longer, too!

Our Baby Garden

2009-06-14T08:00:00.001-06:00

It finally warmed up enough for us to plant our garden a couple of weeks ago. We are having a small garden this year. Just enough to keep Mr. Clay busy. Our growing season out here in the desert is only from Memorial Day thru Sept/Oct. when Mother Nature decides to freeze it off.

Ms.Robin watched on as we planted.

I know you probably think with being in the desert, we'd have a longer growing period. But we still freeze all thru the month of May.

Normally we have a huge garden; it's a 40' x 40' area. We usually grow 30-40 each of tomatoes, cherry hot peppers, anaheim peppers, jalapeno peppers, 10-15 squash, zucchinis, and habaneros. Then the rows of lettuce, peas, radishes, and carrots. Even though we hook up a irrigation watering system, it's still a full time job watering and weeding. And then, when everything starts coming on, it's not unusual for me to be in the kitchen 10-15 hours a day roasting peeling, freezing, canning, and pickling. When I make salsa, it's not by the bowlful. I make salsa by the 5 gallon bucket full!

When I first learned to can, I would make batches of salsa and call it mild or medium or hot. It wasn't the greatest method of measuring hottness. Then I began to name them-There was the Dragon series-Baby Dragon, Dragon Spit, Dragon Fire; there was the cute name series- wimpy,wimpy,wimpy salsa, Killer Salsa, Killer H. Salsa, This Is The Salsa (TITS for short). That was a funny one. I was down in my kitchen one evening and one of our friends called and told my husband they liked my TITS. We got a good laugh over that one.

And people would continually ask me "how many peppers are in this?" Like I counted? Like I cared? I figured if it was spicy enough for Mr. Clay and me, then we were happy. So last time I named the salsas after songs with numbers. There was 25 or 6 to 4, 50 ways (renamed '50 ways to eat your salsa' in stead of 'ways to leave your lover'), Get your Kicks on Route 66, 76 Tombones..and of course 110 Clarinets were right behind, Around the World in 80 Days, You're Gonna Cry 96 Tears...and then the last batch was Mega H Death. The number in the song was the number of jalapenos in that 5 gallon batch of salsa...with the exception of 25 or 6 to 4-It was only a 4 gallon batch. Mega H Death was the last batch of the season and had all the last of the crops in it-over 200 jalapenos and the H stood for all the habaneros! It is pure fire in salsa form.

This year we only have 5 tomatoes, 4 jalapenos, 8 anaheim chiles, 4 habaneros and the peas , lettuce, radishes, and carrots, zuchini and squash.

Here is my gardening tip(which Mr. Clay refused to follow): if you mix your carrot and radish seeds together in a cup and plant them together, the radishes will come up shade and the delicate carrot sprouts. the radishes will be grown up and harvested just about the time your carrots really start beginning to grow their roots.

Our radishes have sprouted, and so have the zuchinis and squashes.

We bought the tomatoes and peppers, and they are beginning to shoot up.

Everything has sprouted now with the exception of the lettuce. I'm not sure Mr. Clay has kept it damp enough, but we shall see.

As for an update on his health-A couple of weeks ago he was getting out of bed and coughed and separated the cartilage on his ribs. So the Dr.s have begun weaning him off of the steroids. Not a fun time for either of us. His strength is waning and he is super grouchy, to put it mildly. It is difficult at best to be a caregiver to one who is terminal.

As for my job search- it still continues. Every week I get a few more good promising prospects. One of these days I'll land the right one. I hope it's real soon. We have survived this whole year now on less than $5K ! That's quite an accomplishment, I think. Have a Great Day everyone :)

One Lovely Blog Award

2009-06-13T07:56:00.017-06:00

I follow quite a few blogs, and it seemed everywhere I turned lately I have seen this award. When one is awarded it, they must pick 15 more blogs for the award. and I thought to myself, "I'm glad I didn't get his cause I'm not sure if I can find 15 blogs that don't already have this award." And then I got awarded it ...3X! I am going to go out on a limb here and hope that this doesn't mean I have to come up with 45 winners

The first one was from KayzKreationz and then Felicia Kramer was the second and third was

BarbaraCrochetStudio. Thank you ladies for the honor; I am truly humbled. And don't forget to check out their blogs. They are all fantastic!

Since I was already committed on the shop features I do, I had to wait to post this and it gave me a chance to scour the blogs I have chosen to make sure they hadn't been awarded it.

So the rules for accepting this award are as follows:

1. Accept the award.

2. Post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, along with his or her blog link.

3. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Please be sure to stop and visit these wonderful blogs that I've passed this award on to:

2 Good Claymates These 2 make some amazing polymer clay things

A Needle In a Haystack I found this one one day while blog jumping :)

Bath Buddies One of my pals on a BNS thread on Etsy

B Gobble Art One of the Polymer Clay Smooshers

Christie Cottage She is the originator of the BNS thread I have managed to stay on

Creative Critters Another Polymer Clay Smoosher buddy

Crochet By the Bay Check out the farmhouse her and her husband are refurbishing

Fantasy Clay I won a pixy off her blog and am anxious to get him

Gifted Designs Another BNS threader who makes beautiful jewelry

JD Footloose One of my thread peeps *waves* hi jd :)

La De Da Creations One of the Polymer Clay Smooshers

Nature With Me Think you're green? Look here and see

Soul Reader She really touches my soul

The Bear Bunch Follow the adventures of the 4 bears

Things In Stuff A whole family of crafters

I love all these blogs, and even if I don't comment all the time, know that I am watching you all :)

Featuring Artfire shop- HaffinaCreations

2009-06-09T20:50:00.005-06:00

I found haffinacreations one day when I was blog jumping. I noticed a purple something or other, and since I am a purple freak I figured I would check this blog out. After all, anyone who shows purple is worth a few minutes of my life...and then I saw the giveaway.... In order to win the prize you had to pick out your fav in her shop. I immediately clicked on her ArtFire store link and was amazed with all her work. I had seen very little chainmaille jewelry up to that point, but when I saw haffina's, I was in awe! It took me nearly an hour to pick out my fav. (I take opinion polls very seriously..lol) I had never seen any such kind of workmanship and colors. Then when I saw she was in the ArtFire Polymer Smoosher's Guild and incorporated polymer clay with her chainmail, I knew I would have to find out a little more about her:

What is your favorite item in your shop? I don't have a favourite really, so I am quite happy for you to pick your favourite. So, you know what that meant, don't ya?...I lingered and labored for a couple of days trying to pick just the right thing. I mean, have you peeked into her shop? Can you pick out just one fav? I finally settled on this one; how did I do? The pattern is so intriguing and the colors mesh so well. I just love it!
What inspires you to create? Anything and everything. I get ideas from really weird things sometimes, and I tend to dream in clay and chainmaille.. its a bit freaky.

And do you have any inspirational advice for other artists? The greatest source of inspiration is within each and every one of us, just find the outlet that lets you tap into yours. Try new things, never stop exploring, and you will find it.

Do you create in more than 1 medium?

I create chainmaille, seed bead pieces, jewellery in general. Plus I paint mandalas when the mood is upon me. I have been known to knit, crochet and cross stitch, but not as much any more. I also write, mainly poetry, but also short stories on occasion.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? And why? Halfway up a nice hill with a great view, in a big house with lots of room and light. I would prefer it to be in South Australia, because it is home to me.

What is your favorite food? Black Forest Cake

Favorite animal? Butterflies

Favorite color? Purple with Teal.

Do you have a favorite quote you'd like to share? 'If words and ideas flowed like water and wine, I'd never be thirsty or sober.' Its one of mine, and I think it sums up creativity, and how sometimes it seems to dry up. LOL

When someone gives me a quote I usually look it up on the web to see who wrote it, and guess what? This quote IS actually haffina's! She is one talented lady. She hasn't mentioned it, so I will, she also writes for handmade.org She is an Adminstrator on an online forum, a Moderator on another forum, Guildmaster of the ArtFire Chainmaille Guild, a member of four other guilds, including the ArtFire Polymer Clay Smooshers, maintains two blogs and to top that off - she is a stay at home mum of 5 children.

haffinacreations can also be found on the following sites...and be sure to look at her Flickr . She has some pictures of her beaded work there.
Wordpress blog - http://haffinacreations.wordpress.com/
Blogspot blog - http://haffinacreations.blogspot.com/
Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/haffinacreations/

The Original Haffina Creations - its on a forum - http://www.theacforum.com/index.php?board=121.0
Haffina Creations Facebook Fanpage - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Haffina-Creations/62034704023
I'm also on Plurk, Twitter, MySpace, IndiePublic, CafeMom, byhand.me and lots of other places.

Thank you so much haffina for taking the time to share a little of yourself with us. Be sure to check out haffinacreations on ArtFire. If you're like me, you'll find a favorite in her shop to put on your wish list.

Featuring ArtFire Shop - Creative Critters

2009-06-04T23:05:00.005-06:00

I am slowly but surely getting to know the other members of the ArtFire Polymer Smoosher's Guild. I want to give you all a chance to see some of the member's ArtFire shops, and what better way than to start with Creative Critters ? Let's take a look into this shop and learn a bit more:

What is your favorite item in your shop? One of my favorite items right now is my Scorch the Rockin' Dragon sculpture.

I put a LOT of work into this sculpture, and I think he came out really cool!
And I agree with you. I know the work it takes to apply each scale individually to a dragon, and you are right to be proud of Scorch-he is Rockin!

What inspires you to create? Creating is in my blood. I've been creating things since I was a child. I find inspiration everywhere. I love the world of fantasy, and find inspiration in books, paintings, movies, even screen savers. Animals and nature are also very inspirational. I love all animals and really enjoy being outside, taking walks in the woods, etc. I'm the sort of person who HAS to create. If I don't have at least one project going, something is very wrong.

And do you have any inspirational advice for other artists? I guess my inspirational advice for others would be to just relax and take in everything around you. Sometimes if you try too hard to come up with an idea, you just get stuck. I usually come up with my best ideas, and solutions to problems when I just relax and let my mind wander. When I'm out walking around the neighborhood I take in all the flowers and trees, animals, kids playing, everything going on around me.

Do you create in more than 1 medium?

I create in several mediums. I knit stuffed animals, sew cloth dolls and plush World of Warcraft characters, and make jewelry with a variety of beads (including polymer clay). I enjoy variety in my artwork and I like to learn new crafts. You just never know what I'll come up with next!

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? And why? It would have to be in a nice rural area with a good growing season. I love to garden, and I enjoy nature. I'd also like to live near water. When I was a teen I lived on a lake and discovered I love swimming and playing in the water. I don't have a specific place in mind, just somewhere a little warmer than NE Ohio, and much more rural (I live in the suburbs now).

What is your favorite animal? It would be a toss up between cats and ferrets, and both together are hilarious. Favorite food? I guess would be most any type of fruit- strawberries, bananas, peaches..., I love them all. Favorite color? Purple (just check out my studio!). I like most colors though, and enjoy playing with color in my artwork.

Do you have a favorite quote you'd like to share? "Just do it!" is a quote I often repeat to myself. That applies to so many things, from my workouts, to housework, to difficult creative projects.

CreativeCritters can be found in several other places on the internet

my blog http://creativecrittersblog.blogspot.com/

MySpace http://www.myspace.com/artistcreativecritters

JoAnn.com http://community.joann.com/chelle33

ByHand.me http://creativecritters.byhand.me/

Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/creativecritters

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=1310241551

Artfire PCS Guild http://artfiresmooshers.ning.com/profile/MichelleAdkins

Thank you Michelle, for taking the time to do this interview and sharing all your talents with us. Please be sure to visit CreativeCritters on ArtFire and check out all her creative items.

Featuring ArtFire Shop - ColtPixy

2009-05-31T21:00:00.014-06:00

As some of you know I joined ArtFire.com at the end of last year. When I joined, the deciding factor for me, was that they had different craft guilds that one could join. So this is how I came to know ColtPixy- thru the Polymer Clay Guild on ArtFire known as Polymer Clay Smooshers. ColtPixy took over as the guildmaster and has really been trying to get our guild organized. I learned that she has studied arts & crafts her entire life. For many years she painted with watercolors and acrylics, and then for awhile became obsessed with quill pens and ink. And then her husband introduced her to stained glass. More about that later, but first let's find out a little more about this talented artist:

What is your favorite item in your shop? Bitchy Peas In a Pod. I love how they make people smile. Which is exactly what they made me do when I saw them :) What inspires you to create? I get inspiration from everything I see and hear. I keep a notebook with me everywhere and I am always jotting down ideas or making sketches.

And do you have any inspirational advice for other artists? Do not ever stop experimenting and playing. Remember when you were a kid and made things just to be doing it? Don't stop just because you grew up. I got inspiration for some of my best creations from just doodling or playing.

Do you create in more than 1 medium? Yes. I paint and draw. I work with stained glass and draw my own patterns. I have made stained glass mosaics for 12 years and used to earn my living at it until a tendon injury cost me the use of my right hand for 6 months. My orthopedic surgeon suggested I switch mediums to clay and not do mosaics full time. I still do mosaics part time. Here is a photo of one of my favorite pieces.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? And why? Honestly, I could be happy anywhere as long as it is with my husband. He is my rock

What is your favorite food? Favorite food is a tough one. I love all kinds of food. Favorite animal? I love all animals but I am a dog girl. Favorite color? My favorite color is purple and there is something about purple in combination with dark blue that really attracts me

Do you have a favorite quote you'd like to share? "Failure is not an option. It is a privilege reserved only for those who try." It is the tag line I use everywhere. It is a reminder to myself to always give everything my best shot.

You can find ColtPixy in several spots on the web:
Blog ColtPixy.com

Shop ColtPixy.artfire.com

Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/coltpixy/

deviantART http://coltpixy.deviantart.com/

twitter http://twitter.com/ColtPixy

Thank you Star, for taking the time to do this interview and share a piece of yourself with us. Please be sure to visit ColtPixy on ArtFire and check out her polymer clay items. And do check out her other sites for more of her creations. She truly is multi-talented!

It's hump day ALREADY????

2009-05-27T12:49:00.003-06:00

Wasn't it just Wednesday last week? lol My, how the time is flying this year!
Well, I decided to start an exercise program. I have been putting it off and putting it off. The more I sat around with my hubby this past winter keeping him company, the more weight I began to pack on. I had to get out my Xlarge pants...uggghhh
Several weeks ago I sent my Richard Simmons album off to get recorded onto CD. I used to exercise with this album obsessively. Back in the day, it wasn't odd at all for me to be up at midnight getting in some more situps or leg lifts. Of course, I was only 25 then and anorexic too boot!
OH HOW THE TIMES HAVE CHANGED!! I am now 51 and definitely NOT anorexic :) So I decided to walk at least a mile on my treadmill and then exercise with Richard. I have been at it now for a week. I walk a mile in 21 and a half minutes at the rate of 2.8 mph, which is a pretty good clip. And have been exercising with Richard for another 30 something minutes. I have been feeling pretty great...until this morning...
I had nearly finished the warm up exercises and right at the end of the warm-ups, I pulled something in my back. I couldn't continue the exercises. I am hoping that the muscle rub (Flexall) and rest will help it to ease up a bit so that I can continue tomorrow.
I know a lot of people can't stand Richard Simmons and I don't care for any of his exercising programs except the very first album called 'Reach'...which is what I was doing when I pulled my whatever it is, in my back. Any other Richard Simmons likers, lovers out there???
Anyway, enough about the weight issue. I will not mention it again until I go down a pant size OR I can see my toes in the shower WITHOUT having to bend over..lol

My World Famous Taco Recipe :)

2009-05-15T16:20:00.017-06:00

You are in for a treat this time: I have finally decided to post my world famous taco recipe! Vegetarians and vegans close your eyes and cover your ears :) unless you have a meat substitute you can use...and maybe they are not as world famous as I think ( I lead a sheltered life here)

These are the most delicious tacos ever! And because they don't use any of those red seasoning packets that most taco meat is made with, they don't cause heartburn..unless you eat 27 in one sitting ;)

Here's a look at the finished dish, but keepa you fingies off...those there have ketchup on them and they are mine.

(ketchup on tacos? yep that's me, the oddball...besides if I hurry up and put ketchup on, nobody else will take mine...see there is a method to my madness lol)

Now for the ingredients: of course the basics-corn tortillas, shredded lettuce, grated cheese, and oil to cook in...(olive oil is not recommended for this recipe) I use vegetable oil for this.

And then for the 'extras'... should you want them-(not mandatory however) tomatoes, avocados, olives, sour cream, salsa, or whatever you like on your tacos

Now the way these tacos are different from any other taco you've had is- the meat is cooked inside the tortilla. And what makes them so tastily addictive is the spices I put in the meat. So here goes: (measurements are for 1lb beef)

1lb. ground beef- as usual the leaner the better

Ingredients to add to your beef are:

1/4 tsp Lawry's season salt

1/4 tsp powdered garlic

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp oregano- of late I have been using the leaf and crumbling it by hand cause I ran out of the ground stuff, and we have liked this even better!

1/2 cup of dice red onions

1/8 tsp salt-this is the only optional spice

Now for the last ingredient-tofu- I know what you're saying, but please read on:

For those of you who are squeamish about tofu, it is not mandatory for this recipe. The tofu makes your hamburger go twice as far, will be less 'heavy' in your tummy afterwards, and NO ONE will ever know you have added it,...unless you tell them. TRUST ME on this! You may get a comment like "what did you put in the meat to make it taste so good?" Tell them it's the spices you added if you have picky eaters. I had the world's worst pickiest eater, my stepson, and he couldn't even tell.

Side story here on tofu-The first time I ever had tofu was in a meatloaf. I HATE MEATLOAF, make no mistake about that. But I was at my grandparents house, my grandpa made it, my kids were present, so in order to set a good example, I ate it. I could not believe how good his meatloaf was. I actually had seconds! I had to ask him "Grandpa, what did you put in the meatloaf? And when he told me tofu, you could have knocked me over with a feather! So all you tofu scaredies-maybe you will be brave and add tofu to your ground beef, and just see the difference. You can make your hamburgers, meatloaf, scrambled burger for casserole, meatballs...anything that requires ground beef- just add tofu and watch your dish be even more tastey. What kind of tofu? Silky, firm, or extra firm...makes no difference. Just don't get the seasoned kind for this recipe. More recipes with tofu on another day.....

Shown here is 2 lbs super lean ground beef with 1-14oz. pkg of tofu. I usually add this much tofu to this much ground beef. If you are trying tofu for the first time add half as much. You can save the other half in water in the fridge for another time. Remember this is 2 lbs of beef pictured' so for our recipe I will cut this meat portion and the tofu in half.

Now you will want to mix and squish all those spices and onions (and tofu) until it is all mixed together

...like this:

I used the super firm tofu, so you can still see some white chunks in there, but don't worry about that, If you use the silky or soft tofu you won't even see that. And once it's cooked you won't see it anyway.

The tofu will make your meat look a little pinker, but after it's cooked, no one will be the wiser. Now get your frying pan ready and have your cooking oil heating up while we get the tacos ready. I use a medium high heat (6-7 on an electric stove) and about 1/3 cup of oil.

Next we will heat up the corn tortillas. This can be done on a greaseless griddle (comal, in spanish) or a quick heat in the microwave. You will want the tortillas soft enough, so that they do not break when folded. Now take approx. 1-Tbsp of the meat mixture and spread on 1/2 of the tortilla like this:

Then fold it in half and it's ready to cook. Make sure the oil is hot before putting in the tacos. These cook very quickly; only a couple of minutes on each side. You will know to turn them, when they get lightly browned like this:

The meat will be cooking inside at the same time, so be careful when you turn them, as the fattier the meat, the more the oil will tend to pop. You'll be thankful if you use a splatter screen when making these. Brown on both sides and then they are done:

Have a dish lined with paper towels for draining afterwards and turn them upside when taking them out of the pan. They only take a few minutes to drain, and here is what the inside will look like even with the tofu:

The only thing left to do is fill with your lettuce, cheese, and what ever else you like on your tacos:

And you are ready for your taco feast :) It'a mexican party for your mouth!

FEATURED ETSY SHOP THINGSINSTUFF

2009-05-08T12:58:00.000-06:00

Welcome to a world of dragons and faeries and fantasy. Stepping into the shop of Things'nStuff , you will find all kinds of magical creatures, pixie hoodies, and even OOAK artwork . This is a whole family of crafters. And how many of us can say this- "All items are original designs that are ecologically sustainable. The materials that we use are salvaged, reclaimed, or obtained at the thrift stores to be recycled. Our goal is to leave little impact and recycle and reuse goods to make enjoyable things 'n' stuff." What a great attitude to have toward our Mother Earth. I just had to find out more about this amazing family. Read on:

What is your favorite item in your shop? I don't have a favorite item...And so once again, I have spent hours trying to decide which item I liked the best. I picked "Pegasus" as I have always been fascinated with them.

What inspires you to create? Nature, and my boys inspire me to create. I could be washing dishes, or going to the bathroom(lol) and ideas come to me. Sometimes its hard for me to turn off the ideas.

And do you have any inspirational advice for other artists? I think by being open to the Universe, they ideas will come. Its hard sometimes to choose the right one to pluck out and create. Keep on trying, thats what I do.

Do you create in more than 1 medium? Its hard to stick to just one Medium. I love to sew, create with wool (needle and wet felting), Clay is very satisfying. I also paint and carve gourds, I haven't put any of them on etsy yet. My Husband and Partner Brandon, works with wood. He also is very talented in electronics and uses them to make unique toys.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? And why? Thats a hard Question, I love Oregon its such an unique place. I've longed to go to south America. I could see my Family and I living in a mud house(earth ship) with a Big Garden being sustainable, Crafting. Oregon, South America, maybe I could have a home in both. Winter in South America, and back to Oregon in the Summer and Fall.

What is your favorite food? I love Mexican and Chinese food and Sushi Rolls.

Favorite animals? mountain lions, unicorns.

Favorite colors? are Blue, Green, and Purple

Do you have a favorite quote you'd like to share? Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new....Albert Einstein AND this one: Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony....Mahatma Gandhi

You may find thingsinstuff on their blog and on flickr: melissa33brew

Thank you so much thingsinstuff for taking time to do this interview. Be sure to visit their fantasy filled shop where you may find a treasure waiting just for you.

It's Time for Hubby's Update

2009-05-05T08:18:00.006-06:00

First of all, thank you to everyone for all your prayers and well wishes that you have been sending us. Just knowing that there are people out there who care, is comforting.

So, it's been a bit since I updated you all on the hubster's health. Yesterday we went to see another specialist for his Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis, IPF as it is known in the medical profession. There was the usual x-rays, blood tests, and breathing tests. The x-rays showed inflammation in the lungs. The breathing test showed he is breathing at 27-28% of the expected norm. And the blood tests don't give immediate results.

This Dr. has put him on the immuno-suppressant called Cytoxan. The Dr. wants to bring down the inflammation in his lungs quickly. He feels that if we could get the inflammation under control, hubby would have a much better quality of life. Also has put him on a regiment of steroids.
We were also able to discuss a lung transplant possiblilty. We were told previously that he did not qualify for a lung transplant, and that was wrong. There should be no reason why he wouldn't qualify, but doc said, "getting a lung transplant is like trading diseases." From what I have studied, it is a constant battle to keep the body from rejecting a donated lung. And the time added to life is not as long as one might think. Doc said he would have better, longer life if we could get his lung inflammation under control, than if we went the transplant option way.

So that is where things stand. I am going into town today to pick up an armload of RXs and I guess we'll see what happens. Last time we tried this, hubby had 4 weeks of migraines. We are hoping for better results this time.

Just an added note for those who have made suggestions- Our state does not have a program where I can stay home and be paid to take care of hubby. I did get some help with our electric and gas bill for the next couple of months through a gov't program. And I'm still looking for a job.
Update completed.....for now :)

***A quick Thursday morning note-the Dr.s office called last night and said NO Imuran; so he is only taking the Cytoxan. And it did not make him sick!...Yay!! The steroids made him feel better than he's felt in months..until they wore off in the evening

Featuring Etsy Shop - BarbaraCrochetStudio

2009-04-28T21:26:00.025-06:00

I became aquainted with BarbaraCrochetStudio when I decided to submit a recipe for an Etsy cookbook. It seems that recipe submissions were taking longer than the cookbook editor had originally thought. So a few of us began bumping the thread trying to get the recipes needed for the cookbook . One just can't help checking out another's shop when posting back and forth on a thread, and that 's when I saw this sentiment in Barbara's shop announcement:

"Every time I work on a project I think about the potential Customer who will be using it, about his/her personality, age, etc. Just like every handmade products, crocheted ones are loaded with a ton of heart and warmest feelings, which the crafter wants to convey to Customers."

I wonder how many of us in our day to day creating rush stop and give this much thought about who will end up with our creative endeavor? Is it any wonder why I wanted to learn a little more about who was inside of this unique store?

What is your favorite item in your shop? It's hard for me to choose, I love them all. However the thread crochet are the closest to my heart. Please feel free to choose your favorite. :)
I chose these Heart-Shaped Crocheted Doilies because they had a heart of gold in them, and I suspect that they were made with lots love in mind.

What inspires you to create? First of all the people - my family, my friends and my customers. And then the world around us - seasons of the year, Holidays, special events. I'd like to make people joyful and happy with my creations. I like to make special orders because this brings me closer to the recipient of my creation and lends a "personality" to my product.

And do you have any inspirational advice for other artists? Life is beautiful - expose it in your art!

Do you create in more then one medium? I do crochet and can knit. Recently crocheting has taken over knitting. I find crocheting more expressive. I like to crochet with thread the most (doilies, jewelry). But I also use other fibers - cotton yarn, acrylic, wool.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? And why? San Francisco, CA - location, weather, atmosphere, and the architecture. I would also consider my beloved hometown Krakow, Poland.

What is your favorite food? Strawberry ice cream with fresh fruits and chocolate syrup.

Favorite animal? Dog, I'm amazed with their fidelity and intelligence.

Favorite color? Blue, any kind of blue!

Do you have a favorite quote you'd like to share? "We may affirm absolutely that nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion."- Hegel

BarbaraCrochetStudio also has a blog

Thank you very much Barbara for taking the time to do this interview and share a piece of yourself with us. Be sure to visit BarbaraCrochetStudio where you'll be sure to find some very special creations from someone who truly cares about each piece she creates.

It's the weekend again

2009-04-25T06:02:00.009-06:00

Boy the time is flying by for me! It's already been over a week since I last posted. I'm still out looking for a job, but since I live in such a small rural area, the possiblilites are limited. I went and took the test for a Census taker. In order to pass one must score 10 out of 28. I scored a 27 and thought "oh boy, I'll be first in line for job pickens". WRONG! I called the office 2 days later and was told that the positions were filled weeks ago...WTH???? Why did they even have us taking tests? But, they said, my name will go on the list for the Sept. openings they expect to have...yeah , like I'm gonna hold my breath waiting for that job.

We got more paperwork from Social Security this week wanting to know more info about hubby. They wanted to know what he does from the time he gets up to the time he goes to bed. How long does it take for him to shave, shower, and comb his hair? how long it takes him to get dressed? does he do any househhold chores or repairs? does he cook for himself? does he have any hobbies? how many times he picks his nose? OK I'm exaggerating on that last one, but I felt like telling them I even have to do that for him!

He used to have hobbies- gardening, his roses, video games, woodburning... Here is a couple of pics of his woodburning. He made these with the intention of selling them to a place called 'The Cowboy Club'. It is a restaurant/bar down the street from us. They are woodburned on oak toilet seats (yes we went out and bought oak toilet seats just for him to woodburn!) and they would be perfect for the bathroom doors at the Cowboy Club. He's not sure if "they're good enough". You tell me, I think they are great, but I'm biased, he says.

Thankfully, his migraines have eased up a bit in the last couple of days. The insurance co. will not renew his migraine meds until May something. Apparently, the rule book says that one can only have so many migraines a month, and he is over the quota. aaarrrggghhhh, I hate medicine by the textbook! Not everyone gets sick by the 'rulebook'. He is still having headaches, but not migraines and he says he can deal with a headaches

And we got a call yesterday from the pulmonologist. We are now being sent to a specialist...huh? I thought a pulmonologist WAS a specialist. But I guess there is someone higher up in the field. We are supposed to get a call on Monday for the appt. He is no longer on the meds that is suppressing the disease's progress and he says he can really tell a difference. Says he can tell it's getting worse each day. Wonder what the new Dr. is going to do?

So that's the update on our life this week....things just keep getting better and better, huh? Just a reminder, in case you missed it in my previous post- All you wives out there, that think you will get a Gov't check if your husband passes on...think again. You only get his Soc.Sec. surviving benefits AFTER you reach full retirement age (66).

Featuring Etsy Shop - JanEleven

2009-04-17T17:47:00.009-06:00

I first came to know of JanEleven when I began posting on the threadkiller threads on the Etsy forums. Jan brings us the 'news ' every morning-quick one liner's encapsulating the day's postings on the threads. She is inviting and always open for a chat, and genuinely cares about the people and the shops she reports on. JanEleven's shop is a mixture of vintage and antique items and also showcases her watercolor paintings and ACEO's, which are inspired by many things...literature, the ocean, and fantasy. I began to understand even more about this artist when I interviewed her:

What is your favorite item in your shop? My personal favorites are the abstract paintings.

Jan let me pick my favorite and it is called "Under the Blue". I love this painting and I spent hours one day gazing at it; it takes me to another place in my mind where things are calm. The most fascinating thing I found about it, was that I saw so many images in it, no matter which way I looked at it. Since it is an abstract, it can be turned around and framed either vertically or horizontally.

What inspires you to create? I am inspired by many things - nature, fantasy, something I read or see.

And do you have any inspirational advice for other artists? I believe everyone has a gift and all gifts are equally special...the important thing is once you have found your gift, use it and work to make it the best you can.

Do you create in more than 1 medium? I paint in watercolors and I also like making collages.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? And why? I have always had an affinity for Japan - I absolutely love the architechture and the refined sense of beauty. I also think the kimono is one of the most beautiful articles of clothing ever designed for women, and I have a collection of them.

What is your favorite food? Everyone knows I love cucumber soup! For some reason I don't seem to have a sweet tooth at all - I would much rather have some macaroni and cheese than cake and ice cream, although I can eat the icing with a spoon.

Favorite animal? I love most animals and think it's amazing how they all fit into Creation.

Favorite color? I love Chinese red, but I use it most often in decorating - many of my paintings have the blues and greens and purples which I also love.

Do you have a favorite quote you'd like to share? One of my favorites is in my shop announcement:

If, of thy worldly goods thou are bereft

And to thy store one loaf of bread is left

Sell it, and with the dole

Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul - Edna St. Vincent Millay

I also like what Judge Judy says - "Don't pee on my shoe and tell me it's raining."

Thank you so much Jan for taking the time to share a little about yourself with us. Be sure to visit JanEleven on Etsy for vintage treasures and beautiful one of a kind watercolor abstracts.

Hubby's Health

2009-04-15T11:22:00.006-06:00

Since it has been a bit since I blogged about the hubster's health, I figured I would give you all an update. As I blogged before, the pulmonologist started him on a drug called Imuran - it attacks the immune system. This is supposedly the only hope we have of slowing down the progress of the lung disease. It also will make him susceptible to every cootie out there. He can't even treat a cold now without calling the pulmonologist. Within 3 hours of taking the first dose (which was 1/2 pill) he began having migraines. So the next day we called the pulmonologist-and doc says "it's not on the list of possible side effects, and no other patient has complained of headaches". yeah and so what? everybody's not different? sure seems coincidental that the migraines started immediately when the pill arrived in his system!
Another day goes by and now he is getting 2 migraines a day (approximately 12hrs apart). And he has run out of supply of Imitrex nasal spray, which normally stops the migraines dead. So we went to family Dr. who prescribed Imitrex and tell her the same scenario - and she says "it's not on the list of potential side effects". She gives us a prescription for an anti-depressant, which will hopefully open up constricted blood vessels and another Rx for Imitrex. Also tells us we can go to emergency room, for Demerol shot to break the migraine cycle if it keeps up. She also told hubby straight to his face that he cannot go back to work, to go and apply for disability, and yes, he would be on oxygen for the rest of his life. Hubster is finally coming to terms with the reality of the situation. He kept holding out hope that maybe someday he would be able to get off the oxygen. He is not handling it well.I went and picked up prescriptions, but it did little to control the migraines.

We did go and apply for disability. What an eye opener that was! As long as hubby lives we will get SSDI (soc.sec.disability inc.)...after hubby dies I get nothing til I reach retirement age (still 14yrs to go)...if he dies before the disabilty starts, I get a one time $255! I wonder how many wives read that Soc. Sec. report every year and think they will be ok if their other half passes. It's misleading if you don't realize that the surviving spouse HAS to reach retirement age before they get any benefits. Oh and here's the real kicker- SSDI can take up to 2.5 years before starting! Best case scenario will be 3 months! I wonder how many people in these times have 3 months or better of income saved up? We were told because he is terminal, it MAY not take the 2.5 years, but no guarantees.I was flat out told to go and get a job, and not to wait until he dies. She said she has seen too many women in my position sit around and think that it won't happen to them, and them BAMMO! So now at 51, I am trying to enter the workforce again.

Migraines continued to the point that he was having 3 within a 24 hour period. Even when asleep, he was woke up with them. The Imitrex is only helping temporary, like only an hour or so; and it can only be taken 2x within a 24 hr period or he could have a heart attack.

I walked in one day and he had collapsed in the bathtub having one. How am I supposed to go out and look for a job knowing that he's going to need help every few hours? Better yet, how am I supposed to be able to concentrate on learning a new job if I do get hired? I am in a catch-22 situation. Not to mention the migraines aren't the real problem; remember he is dying of Interstital Lung Disease! I could come home to a dead body. How am I going to handle that?

So I called the family Dr. who prescribed the Imitrex (for migraines)...and yes all the Dr's are in touch with each other, so they all know what is going on. Anyways, the Dr. is out of the office and I get overly excited in trying to make the offfice worker understand the anti-depressant isn't doing the trick either. She must've thought I was yelling at her, because later that evening, hubby answers the phone and it's the Dr. explaining that she isn't a miracle worker and that I can't be yelling at her staff. She also ordered ANOTHER drug; this time a blood pressure medicine, and says these meds can take up to 2 weeks before working. At least hubby told her I wasn't yelling, and I also didn't know he had called the office before I had even came home. Dr. also recommended that he go to the emergency room if the cycle continued.

The next day I happpen to come home from job hunting and a migraine had just started, so I took him to the emergency room for the Demerol shot. The emergency room Dr. listened to us when we said that the migraines started when he began the Imuran. He suggested stopping the med for a week and see if the migraines stopped. He said just because migraines wasn't on the list of side effects doesn't mean that wasn't what was causing them. Hellooo...Thank you Doc for not being a text book Dr.!
The Demerol shot stopped the migraine, but not the cycle. By the middle of the night he was up with another one. And the intensity was getting worse, and now he was having 4 within a 24 hr. period. He would barely be able to get a little food on his tummy and MAYBE get a nap before the next one hit.

Before I left for job hunting 2 days ago, I called the pulmonologist and left message that he is now throwing up bile. Asked hubby if he is taking any meds at all and he says "I'm about ready to quit taking everything". Talk about a heart sinker; the migraines have almost gotten him to the point of not wanting to live any longer. The pulmonologist called back while I was gone, and told hubby to stop taking the Imuran for a week. It had already been 5 days since he had stopped.
I went to the store and saw a product called HeadOn. If you have ever seen their commercials on TV, you know how annoying they are. But I bought the one for migraines, and miracle of miracles he was migraine free for 48 hrs! I was bragging up this product all over the place, and then this morning, as soon as he got up...the migraines are back.

As I am typing this now he has dozed back off to sleep, but for how long this time?
It's terrible to have to keep checking on him to make sure he is still breathing. :(

Just as I was getting ready to post this, I got a call for a job interview...*keeping fingers crossed*

Featuring Etsy Shop - KayzKreationz

2009-04-12T12:34:00.009-06:00

KayzKreationz is one of my friendly threadkiller rivals on the Etsy forums. I first became intrigued with her shop when we began vying for a pincushion giveaway-{which, I might add, she still refuses to believe will be mine someday :) } Kay loves working with glass-whether it's mosaics, or fused or stained glass. She also loves gardening, nature, anything Texas, and has recently added a new section to her shop to feature her Mom's beaded jewelry. I had no idea her works could be found in so many places on the web. More about that later, but first, let's learn more about her:

What is your favorite item in your shop? Probably my mosaic birdfeeder. I just love making all my glass, so it’s hard to pick a favorite. What inspires you to create? I love nature, gardening and such. So usually when I look around at my yard, other’s yards or gardens, I see things I would either like to try to make in glass or to enhance by making something in glass to fit in/beautify it.

And do you have any inspirational advice for other artists? Just do what you love. Don’t worry about what others think about your art. The only thing that matters is what you think and what you need to do to make it your own. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There will always be someone who doesn’t like what you do, but there also will always be someone who does. Just make yourself happy.

Do you create in more than 1 medium? I have had a lot of hobbies in the past. Mainly I stick with glass now, although I do add some beadwork to my things. I also still love macramé (which I started as a teenager, while visiting family in California) so I still do some of that. I made a macramé guitar strap for my youngest son, who plays guitar, that he just loves. So then I made him a stained glass guitar with a mini macramé guitar strap for his graduation that he also loves and pictures his favorite pastime. In fact, I added my macramé to my glass work with the “Ocean Meets the Sky” suncatcher, which has a macramé hanger with some of the same seashells that are in the glass work.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? And why? Still in Texas, but closer to San Antonio. My hubby and I both love San Antonio and the riverwalk. We also really enjoy the Spanish/Mexican culture. And there we would be in a place we enjoy and with a culture we enjoy. In fact, we’re both working on our Spanish to improve it and be able to converse easier, since there are so many Spanish speaking people here in Texas.

What is your favorite food? Chocolate-if there was no chocolate, I wouldn’t have to watch my weight.

Favorite animal? Horses first (we recently had to sell our horses and I really miss them) and then dogs. I love my Blue Heeler, Cheyenne. She’s a great dog, but not quite sure what to do with herself, since we sold the horses, so she tries to round up us, our cats, the deer, you name it, she rounds it up. They don’t always appreciate it however.

Favorite color? Red or purple. I find most everything I do tends to lean towards those 2 colors or shades of them.

Do you have a favorite quote you'd like to share? Either ‘Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder” because it only matters whether we like it or not. Or-"A man can fail many times, but he isn’t a failure until he begins to blame somebody else." John Burroughs Because it reminds me we all need to take responsibility for ourselves and what we do.

Now for all the diffferent places you can view Kayz current and past works plus other wonderful pictures of her life in Texas:

http://kayzkreationz.artfire.com/

http://kayzkreationz.mybisi.com/

http://flickr.com/photos/KayzKreationz

http://kaysglass.com/ Although my website just shows pics of things I’ve done or already sold. I’m getting ready to take a class on making websites so I can redo it and sell from it.

http://kayzkreationz.blogspot.com/ I blog about my family, glass, our Texas wildlife property and other great Etsy shops I find.

Thank you Kay for taking the time to do this interview and share a little more about yourself. Be sure to visit KayzKreationz on Etsy and see what favorites you'll find there. My personal favorite is the Pyramid Beach Sandscape .

Featuring Etsy Shop - Inkwear99

2009-04-09T20:15:00.007-06:00

inkwear99 is another one of those shops sponsoring a threadkiller prize on the forums of Etsy. The prize for killing inkwear99's thread is your choice of a pair of shoes from their shop...and I have heard they are absolutely awesome! First thing in the morning I can usually find inkwear99 posting her Good Mornings to everyone on the Etsy forum threads. The good mornings are always positive and cheerful. One can tell that they enjoy what they do, and I wanted to share a little more about them with you:

What is your favorite item in your shop? My favorite item in my shop is the old school Panther and Dagger shoes.

What inspires you to create? We started Ink Wear because my step daughter, who is 12, wants to be a fashion designer when she gets older. We thought it would be a great thing for her and for us to do things with the whole family. The kids have a lot of input on the designs for the shirts and the totes. They actually wear some items to school and try to sell them to the other kids. We have a tattoo shop and were purchasing shirts for that, so we figured if we made them, it would be easier and much cheaper. We also get some people who don’t want a tattoo on their body, but do like the designs, so we thought what a great concept, tattoo inspired clothing for people who want to wear tattoo designs, but not necessarily have a tattoo for life. That is a huge commitment. There are so many different ideas that we keep coming up with and can’t wait to put the ideas on a pair of shoes or a shirt.

And do you have any inspirational advice for other artists? I think as an artist, you have to keep your mind open for new ideas and thoughts always. Some of our tattoo artist’s, seem to get in a rut of only wanting to do certain tattoos, although they can do anything. I really think any artist has to keep themselves inspired by what is around them in their lives and learning experiences.

Do you create in more than 1 medium? We create our art mostly on canvas, but not just a piece of canvas, the shape of the shoes can be difficult to work with sometimes. The canvas totes and cotton tshirts are fun to work on with the silk screen process.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? And why? If I could live anywhere I wanted, I think it would be somewhere by the ocean. Here in Colorado, we obviously don’t any big bodies of water and I love the ocean. Although, I really do like the changing of the seasons.

What is your favorite food? chocolate, any kind of chocolate. Favorite animal? Panda Bear, they are so cute. Favorite color? pink.

Inkwear99 can also be found on

Art Fire http://inkwear99.artfire.com/,

My Space www.myspace.com/inkwear99,

and Twitter www.twitter.com/inkwear99.

Thank you so much inwear99 for taking the time to do this interview and share your family business with us. Be sure to visit inkwear99 on Etsy and see all the tattoo inspired items they have.

Featuring Etsy Shop - YaffaDreams

2009-04-06T16:56:00.016-06:00

YaffaDreams is the sponser of a 'threadkiller' thread that I follow on Etsy. A thread killer is one who posts a comment on a forum thread and then no one answers or posts a comment back. It can be a very lonely, crickets chirping, you just hitch-hiked yourself into a conversation without being invited, no one wants to talk to you kinda feeling. I know that's how it makes me feel, and I sure was happy to find the threadkillers on the Etsy forums.

When I say YaffaDreams is the sponser of this thread, it means she has offered a prize if you kill her thread. In order to 'kill her thread' you must be the last one to post a comment and no one posts after you for 24hrs. It doesn't happen very often when there is a prize involved. Mostly all of us posting are getting to know each other little by little everyday. Since YaffaDreams is offering the prize of any piece of jewelry in her shop, I suspect this thread will go on for quite some time. So I thought I would give us all this opportunity to get to know her a little better:

What is your favorite item in your shop? I really don't have a favorite. I love everything! Every piece is unique! So, I got to pick whatever item I wanted to feature, and I chose these beautiful peace sign fire red guitar pick earrings.

What inspires you to create? Perusing the shops and blogs helps me be creative. I don't copy work, but seeing all the talent out there makes me want to be creative. Usually, I just get an idea while sleeping and wake up and go create something from that idea. What I end up with is nowhere near what I start with!

And do you have any inspirational advice for other artists? Visit Thursday Sweet Treat blog. Every Friday the blogger posts a theme for following Thursday and you can create something and submit it to be posted. Really gets you thinking!

Do you create in more than 1 medium? I mainly create jewelry, but have been known to paint bags, jeans and t-shirts.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? And why? I would live right here in Dunnellon, Florida. It is awesome here. Very small town and everybody is sooooooo nice. I live in the country and want to spend the rest of my years here. For more info on this great place, look here: I Love Dunnellon

What is your favorite food? cheese! Yum, yum, yum and for that reason, I could never be vegan!
Do you have a favorite quote you'd like to share? I have many - almost all of my listings have quotes in them. But this one is one of my favorites: "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." ~~~ Albert Schweitzer

Is anything else you would like to share about yourself or your shop? The name Yaffa Dreams means Beautiful Dreams. My daughter's Hebrew name is Yaffa. I wanted to somehow name the shop after her, because of the joy she brings to me. And she is a beautiful dream come true. She has a section in my shop called "Fantastical Awesomeness". She creates the items and the money earned is spending money for her.

YaffaDreams can also be found at the following places:
http://www.redheadhomestead.blogspot.com/
www.flickr.com/yaffadreams
www.twitter.com/yaffadreams
www.myspace.com/thereisnonameleft

Thank you YaffaDreams for taking the time to do this interview and share a piece of yourself with us. Be sure to visit YaffaDreams on Etsy and see what other treasures she has in store.

Featuring Etsy Shop- Quiltingdiva

2009-04-04T08:44:00.013-06:00

I came upon Quiltingdiva one night in the Etsy forums just minutes before the site was to close for maintenance. She had me ROTFL as each of us was trying to get the last word in before we got shut out completely. After the site was closed down that night I wondered if I would ever see her again in the threads I visit. Happily, I have seen her nearly everyday.

Quiltingdiva is a self professed fabricaholic and says she visits the fabric store almost daily during her lunch hour. She quilts with bright, cheerful fabrics, loves coffee fabrics and anything beachy. Her shop is filled with wall hangings, tote bags of all sizes and colors, and of course Quilts + so much more! She has enjoyed quilting now for over 10 years. She loves quilting, and it shows. Here's more about her:

What is your favorite item in your shop? My favorite would have to be my "fun in the sun" wall hanging. I have made about 12 of these in all different color schemes. I am a huge fan of anything beach, sunshine, yellow/orange, flip flops and of course quilting, so it's absolutely all my favorite things represented in one project. I should name it "the Stacy" lol

What inspires you to create? I just love to sew. I love bright colors, so often I will see one fabric and think it would be great in a tote bag or as a border for a cute wall hanging, so "voila" - inspiration!!

Do you have any inspirational advice for other artists? Do what you love! When your hobby turns into a "job" then it stops being fun.

Do you create in more than 1 medium? Yes!! I use mostly fabric for my projects, but have been getting into glass magnets, I made some flower pens for work, I just purchased my first "teach yourself to crochet" so I love anything that I can have fun and create awesome stuff :)

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? And why? I would live in Florida and now I do!! I lived in Maine for 29 years and recently moved to Tampa, Florida. It's the best thing I ever did. I still pinch myself every day (literally). I am so happy here

What is your favorite food? pizza

favorite animal? dog

favorite color? ORANGE!!

Do you have a favorite quote you'd like to share? Go for it! I know it's not too original, but I have to say that if you want to do something don't wait. We decided to jump in when we had our son and duh... that's the best decision we ever made. As I discussed earlier, I wanted to move to Florida since I was 5 and finally at 29 made the move. If you want something bad enough - make it happen :)

Can we find you anywhere else? My flickr name is quiltingdiva ...and my twitter account is quiltingdiva76.

Thank you Quiltingdiva, for taking the time to do this interview, and sharing your wonderful, fun quilted items. Be sure to visit Quiltingdiva on Etsy, to see all the colorful and fantastic items she has!

When it rains, it pours...Also a silver lining in this cloud

2009-03-29T07:40:00.008-06:00

Oh my heck! As if things weren't bad enough for us right now. I was sitting in my favorite ($5 yard sale) chair on Friday night and the heater kicks on. And I said to the hubster "wow that sure smells damp and moist".
So I went down to the basement where the heater is, and discovered that we have a leak somewhere in our plumbing. Now, Mr. Clay ( as we all lovingly refer to, as my hubby) can't make the trek downstairs right now, on account of his oxygen and the open flame of the furnace. So it was up to me to figure out the situation. Mind you, I made this discovery near bedtime.

We have a small ( I mean COZY ) home. It is an old miner's camp house, only 766 sq ft on the main level....And then there is the basement (which I call the dungeon). Half of the basement is a big dirt slope and the other half I took over for my studio. On my side I painted the bricks white, wallpapered the ceiling in light colors, and put in a white linoleum floor over the concrete. Since I share my space down there with 'The Dark Side' (the wild untamed and not well lit, dirt side), I have approximately 57 spider traps so that no spider or creepy crawlie can make it past into my domain. It took me the better part of last summer to complete, and when the temperatures heat up, it is the coolest place in the house; everyone wants to be there!

Now the leak is coming in on the 'Dark Side', and the dirt is damp looking and dangerously close to my studio side. And of course there is all kinds of crap piled over there-not quite junk, but certainly not stuff I want to go poking around in-old tools and boxes and such. I went to bed with the words of Mr.Clay rattling in my brain "well I hope it doesn't break loose and flood the whole basement". So naturally I slept a whole 20 minutes that night!
Yesterday, Saturday, I got an early start and began removing everything from the dark side, taking it upstairs and outside to a trailer to be able to sort it later. It took me almost all day, and I still have a couple of heavy misc. items to take care of today. But I got it cleared out enough to know that the leak has made it more than just 'damp'; there are rivers and puddles, and mushy mud...I laid out boards to walk on.
I made it Mr.Clay's job to call a plumber-since he is the one who didn't take care of this plumbing issue years ago when I asked. Of course, it's Saturday afternoon, and no one is answering their phones...except one-and he is out in the desert riding horses...lol. Did I mention we are out in the country? Desert country :)
Now we have been quoted 6K, 8K, & 10K in the past to redo our plumbing; and there is no way that we have that kind of $$$ right now, but we can't afford to ignore this problem. So Joe plumber comes after his horse ride, and says the leak is from the water line coming into the house, and we'll need a back hoe to dig up the front yard and also to hand dig under our brand new sidewalk, and I'm thinking "Ka-Ching!" And says he can do it for $1,400 !! And that includes replumbing the bathroom and kitchen too...And he can have it done on Monday!
How lucky was that???
The leak however, has saturated the dirt so badly that I didn't want to take a chance on it running over to 'my sanctuary', so I filled 8 five gallon buckets of water, called the city, had them turn the water off, and we are now roughing it til Monday.
But oooh, I slept like a baby last night knowing my side would still be white when I woke up this morning :)

Now for some more goodly news- since I couldn't sleep Friday night, I was visiting the forums on Etsy , and there was a lady feeling generous-she wanted to make banners for 5 shops who have never had a sale or less than 5 sales. Since 12MidnightOils has never had a sale and was in desperate need of a banner, I jumped on the chance to grab a graphics designer to create one for me. And I absolutely love it! Her shop name is Drunce and I thank her 100 times over. Please visit her shop, and see if you find a treasure there for yourself. One of her specialties is making banners, and I peeked in at the other 4 shops who won, to see their new banners. All of them were fantastic! Thank you so much Drunce . There was definitely a silver lining to my 'leaky basement' cloud :)

Update on My Hubby's health

2009-03-26T23:22:00.005-06:00

Well winter has not left here in our neck of the desert. It snowed on and off today, and never made it out of the 30's. It is nearly midnight as I write this, 18 outside, and the wind has not quit blowing all day. It sure put me in a melancholy mood, and I napped this afternoon trying to shake off the blues.
I wish I had better news on my husband's health, sadly I don't. The pulmonologist Dr. called a couple of days ago and told him the surgeon is not going to let him return to work. He also told him that all the damage that has been done in the last year is irrepairable, that the disease is terminal, and is very aggressively attacking his lungs. He ordered a new drug (Imuran) for my husband to try that will attack his immune system, and will leave him vulnerable to any germ or cootie out there. It is the only chance we have at slowing down the progress of the disease. He only started the new pills yesterday and I can already see a decline in his breathing, and he is now feverish. Tomorrow we are calling the Dr. to say the pills are making him worse.

Before he had the lung biopsy, I figured he would have to go on disablilty. Now I am wondering how much time he has left. I have begun checking stem cell research programs on line. But hubby wants me to wait to contact anyone, til after Tuesday's follow up appointment with the surgeon who did the lung biopsy. He wants to see what the surgeon has to say about the pathology report.
I guess I really don't have to say how scared out of my mind I am. I don't want to be a widow, nor am I ready for it. Watching a loved one suffocate and not being able to do anything for them is the most frightening thing I have ever gone through. Please, if anyone reading this can help, leave me a comment and how I can get back to you.

Tsavo's Story

2009-03-22T08:45:00.008-06:00

I found Tsavo (pronounced SAH-voh) while I was browsing through treasuries one day on Etsy. This cute little face is not the first kitty I have seen on Etsy, but there was something about his eyes that made me take a double look.

Tsavo's owners have a shop on Etsy called NightBlooming , where they sell hair sticks, jewelry, and other products for your hair. But also in their shop was this story that tugged at my heart strings. (Tsavo is the one waving at you-how cute is that?)

Here is Tsavo's story(as told by his owners):

We were so excited to get our Bengal kittens, Tsavo and Zerah, in early November. Sadly, though, we realized that something was wrong with Tsavo. While he'd chase a toy on the ground if you picked it up he'd treat it as though he was invisible- quickly we realized that he couldn't see, and had been tracking the toy by sound alone.

After waiting two months to see a specialist, Tsavo was diagnosed with birth-defect cataracts in both eyes. He has almost no vision in his left eye and only about 25% in his right eye. The good news is that he has a fantastic chance at gaining his vision back with surgery- a 96% success rate which should give him about 90% of his vision back.

The bad news, of course, is that the surgery is astronomically expensive, a conservative estimate placing it at a few thousand dollars without complications.

Many of you know I recently had cataract surgery; and the delays I faced waiting for that surgery because, I too, had to save up $$$ for it. Near the end of my waiting period my eyesight had gotten so bad that I could no longer see to drive, or even create art. I had completely lost the sight in one of my eyes. I cannot begin to tell you how great it feels to have my eyesight returned and how different the world looks with clear vision.

Can you even imagine the joy this little kitty will have once he can see? Just think how much wonder and amazement Tsavo will experience when he can finally see for the first time in his life! It will open up a new world for him

I am hoping that by sharing Tsavo's story, you will find it in your heart to help this little guy. In NightBlooming 's shop I found tiger eye pins to purchase in different $ amounts. Check in the right column and you will find a mini etsy with the direct links to Tsavo's donations, OR if you don't want to purchase contact NightBlooming and ask how to make a donation without purchasing as I did. Every little bit will help. Take a look at his little face again and tell me you could turn him down?

Tsavo's story touched me, as I could totally identify with his eyesight problem. If you have ever had cataracts or have someone close to you that has, you know the difficulty this problem presents.

Please help him now while it is fresh in your mind....
And watch how it comes back to you ten times over!

The gift of sight is precious for ALL creatures great and small...

Have a great Sunday everyone :)

I won the Sisterhood Award !!!

2009-03-20T21:21:00.013-06:00

I am slowly but surely catching up with all my online obligations since my stay at the hospital with my hubby. When I logged onto my blog yesterday, I saw that I was awarded the "Sisterhood Award"...woo woo!

It's the first time I have ever gotten an online award, and I want to thank my very special friend Kay of KayzKreationz for awarding me with this honor. Kay's etsy shop has very unique stained glass items and I am particularly fond of these beach sandscapes . Be sure to check out her shop; I'm sure you'll find something that will catch your eye.
Ok, now I get to pass on the award to some other great blogs I follow; and here's the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 5 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.
Here's my 5 blogs and Congratulations on your Award:

♥ NatureWithMe

♥ CelebrateLife

♥ Pahavit's Universe

♥ ThursdaySweetTreat

♥ DZFANTASY

All of these blogs have a link to their Etsy store, except Pahavit's Universe and so here is the link to her store . Be sure to congratulate them on their award!

Time flies when...

2009-03-20T15:01:00.006-06:00

Oh my heck! I cannot believe how many days have flown by since I was last here.
Since then my hubster has been in the hospital for a lung biopsy, and it took longer than we had hoped for him to recuperate enough for us to be released from the hospital. But we are home now and he is resting a little more comfortably.
He has been diagnosed with Interstitial Lung Disease; which does not have a good prognosis. Every job he has ever had in his whole life has been hazardous to his lungs. He has been a farm hand from small boy til he went into the army, done asbestos abatement and worked with asbestos brakeshoes; hauled coal; hauled cement; and he smoked.

This man is a workaholic; it is all he has ever known his whole life, and now this disease has taken him down in the last year to the point that he is out of breath just getting dressed in the morning.
We are currently waiting on the pathology report which MAY help direct the Dr. to a treatment, but at this time the only treatments that we have heard is steroid doses and oxygen. Since he has been on several rounds of steroids in the last year, we already know that all it does is give a temporary false sense of "I can conquer the world" feeling. He is now on oxygen 24/7 for the next 2 weeks til the post surgery checkup. The Dr's have already told him that he qualifies for disability.
My hubster is holding out hope that he will be able to return to work after he is done healing from surgery...PLEASE PRAY FOR HIM !!

FREE ACEO Card

2009-03-08T12:38:00.009-06:00

I have curated my 2nd "Guess My Treasury Theme" treasury. To win one must guess the theme of the treasury. What is the prize? It is a free ACEO card from my alter ego 12MidnightOils. Here is a screen shot of what the treasury looks like and

for all who visit here and read my blog, I will give this clue: Each row has one thing in common...hhmmmm???? Please do not share this secret clue on the forums or in the treasury. I will not be giving any clues there.

My Prize Treasury

2009-03-04T23:28:00.011-07:00

Oh this was sooo much fun for me.

I got this idea to do a treasury with a secret theme. What is a treasury, you ask?

Well on Etsy there is a section called 'The Treasury" where one can showcase items from the shops of other Etsians. These treasuries only last 2-3 days before they expire and are gone.

Each time a treasury is created it is given a name/title. Usually, there is a general theme for each treasury such as a color, like items, etc...One of the objectives of a treasury is to get people to click on your treasury and THEN to get them to click on all 12 of the items you have featured. When an item is clicked on it takes the viewer to that item/store and you are able to see the full description of the item, selling price, etc...

In order to attract people to look into your treasury, I have found that a catchy title is the key and we are only given 31 characters for the title. So I titled my treasury " Guess the Theme of my Treasury"...inside my subtitle was "An Win a FREE ACEO card from my alter ego 12Midnightoils" (which is my oil painting shop on Etsy)

The rules were simple: the 1st person to post the correct answer in the comment field would win. The theme was a phrase and each item in the treasury represented one word(s) in the phrase.

The comments field below the treasury was where people would submit their guesses.

Here is what my Treasury looked like :
(and in case you would like to play along, I won't give the answer until the very bottom of this posting.)

And so it began...I got all kinds of answers involving peace, love, and harmony. Then I got real long drawn out answers where the guesser tried to tell a story and use the items in their story. Some of them had me LMAO.

On day 1, it was established that PEACE and LOVE were correct. Then the dove card that I had in box 3 sold and the link to that store no longer worked, I scrambled to find another replacement and then let everyone know that the DOVE had been replaced.

When people click on the items in a treasury, they usually click and go unless it is something that really catches their eye. So I tried to make it so that people would pay attention to the item being sold.

On day 2 I asked everyone if they had actually paid attention to the items, or just hurriedly clicked thru them, and reminded them that some pictures were not what they seemed. For example the little coffee and donuts are actually beads. I don't know how many guesses I got that had coffee and donuts in the answer! At this point I began to doubt my own memory and wondered if I needed to check with the author to be sure if I was indeed remembering correctly.

On day 3 people started getting frustrated. I started getting comments like "Is this just a phrase you made up or is it a common phrase?' I really wanted a winner, so I grouped all the clues together and told them that all they had to do was write it out. They already had PEACE, LOVE,DOVE and told them they were over-thinking the whole thing. Just write out what was in each box

SPOILER ALERT !!! SPOILER ALERT !!! SPOILER ALERT !!!

When it got down to the last 8 hours, I finally got a guess that was so close, that I let everyone know it was only missing two words. Within the hour someone guessed it perfectly and identified the author as Tommy Chong - Cheech & Chong. For those of you who are of the younger generation, Cheech & Chong were a comedy duo very popular during the 60/70's and they portrayed a couple of potheads that...did what potheads do...very funny stuff for all us aging hippie types. The phrase was:

peace, love, dove, bells, beads, light shows, incense, crash pads, Hari Krishna, right on , and power to the people!

When I said earlier that I had began to doubt my memory, I actually googled Tommy Chong and found he was on MySpace. Since I already had a MySpace I invited Tommy to be my friend, so that I could personally ask him if I was remembering something I spent hours trying to memorize. So if you look me up on MySpace and look at my friends you'll see Tommy is one of my friends now......still after all these years! Yeah, right... after all these years, he still doesn't know who I am, and he never answered me back. Guess he's too "busy"...LOL

A good time was had by all. I got so much positive feedback from this Treasury contest that I am looking forward to doing the next one.