wah wah wah

I would just like to mention that it reached 57 degrees here on Monday. Today, Friday, it is currently 14 degrees with a windchill of -6. We're all going to get sick.

(Photo taken January 2008)

magic carpets & aprons

Giveaway time, peeps.

A little lady over at One World One Heart (OWOH) is running a "Magic Carpet Ride" giveaway event to bring bloggers together and exchange some goodies.

"The original idea behind this giveaway event was to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. It closes the gap of the blog community and enables us to interact, discover new and wonderful people, and in the process possibly win a prize or many prizes along the way."

It's a huge global giveaway series that you can get in on by checking out the participating bloggers right here. It sounded like a good time & my mama's doing it so I joined in on the fun and am now a ticket-holding passenger on this here "magic carpet ride". Wahoo.

I don't have an actual magic carpet (I mean, duh), but sail away with this charming Rockport Demi Apron! Named after a favorite New England town, it's the ultimate accessory for any lady who knows her way around the kitchen-- or hey, even a takeout menu! This demi-apron was designed with both style and function in mind and was made with 100% woven cotton, preshrunk and ironed with care in pet-free, smoke-free home. The apron is fully lined with a delicate white cotton eyelet for a little extra something. Features a hand-stenciled geometric sailboat design on lower corner.

One size fits most!

Leave a comment on this post between now and February 15th at 12pm EST-- make sure you include an email or way to get in touch. A random winner will be selected and announced that afternoon, right here on la blog. And that's it! So delurk, say hello & maybe we'll be blog buddies. And maybe, just maybe, you'll win yourself a purty little apron. For you or a special gal you know. Giddyup.

no, we're not related

Please tell me that this doesn't remind you of a Neck Cozy... please?!?

It doesn't right? They are totally different.

Not even close at all. Right? Help!

winter hats in the shop (finally)

Finally, some hats are in the shop! These three are crocheted by hand using a lacy shell pattern and soft acrylic yarn. Perfect for snowy walks with hot chocolate and hand-holding.

I'll be posting the rest of the winter hat collection to Etsy over the next week (for reals this time). They are part of a small batch collection so gobble 'em up soon.

craft hope for haiti

"It is our hope to combine our love for crafting and desire to help others into a project to make a difference around the world."

-Craft Hope

Craft Hope is this great initiative that links crafty crafters with communities and persons in need. Past projects have involved sending scarves to orphanages, sock monkeys to kids' camps and dresses to women's shelters.

This time around, Craft Hope has opened an etsy shop featuring donations from crafters around the globe. 100% of the proceeds from these donations will go to Doctors Without Borders. As of this post, there have been 636 sales totally nearly $10,000. The shop opened 4 days ago.

I'm happy to have donated a Floral Retrograde Coaster set to the shop, which has amazingly already sold! So head on over and browse-- you can buy something cute & handmade while knowing that you are also donating $$ to an important and urgent relief effort.

(For crafters, the response to Craft Hope has been so overwhelming that the founders are putting a 2-week hold on new donations while they work to set up a sustainable system for continuing this project. The shop will continue to be stocked with donations previously received.)

a new neck cozy or two

Oh what's that?

Just one of the armfuls of new neck cozies* I've posted on Etsy and will be bringing with me to this weekend's market. Yes, that sly look in my eye tells you there are plenty more of these magical accessories on the horizon. Or maybe that look just tells you that sometimes during photo shoots I make lots of silly smirks and winks and end up producing what is essentially a flip book of the range of my facial expressions.

*Still sounds gross, but I'm keeping it.

djembe drum bag

How have I forgotten to post this little Christmas present project?

Well here it is, a djembe drum bag with shoulder straps & a drawstring! No forthcoming tutorial (unless you bribe me) because it was a custom job that mainly involved wrapping up the above drum in fabric until I found a fit that worked and then pinning and re-pinning the shoulder straps on until I felt comfortable that they would fit a broader set of shoulders than my own. Made with sturdy cotton canvas and given with a lifetime warranty :) Seeing as I've never made a drum bag before I didn't even have an image in mind or ideas for useful features, but was told that shoulder straps were a must. So part of the lifetime warranty includes an open call for design suggestions and edits to make it more user-friendly and pleasing to the drummer!

detox finale

Last day of the detox! Whoop whoop.

a) It's been easier than I thought it would be.
b) Was hoping for some sort of detox enlightenment aha! moment, never quite happened.
c) Thought a lot about the fine line between pushing yourself to do something and being forgiving when you fall short.
d) Eager to start eating bread & cheese & eggs again :) Oh and cookies.

Day 1 Menu:
breakfast... storebought mango smoothie
mid-morning snack... handful of grapes
lunch... quinoa salad with toasted almonds
afternoon snack... handful of almonds
dinner... southwestern style soup from a can

Day 2 Menu:
breakfast... energy smoothie (peaches, almond milk, almond butter & cardamom)
mid-morning snack... none!
lunch... almond crusted chicken with spinach
afternoon snack... fruit cup
dinner... ten bean soup
after dinner "snack"... v8 fusion juice

Day 3 Menu:
breakfast... energy smoothie, reprise
mid-morning snack... handful of grapes
lunch... vegetable curry with brown rice
afternoon snack... fruit cup
dinner... homemade veggie & chicken quesadilla (oops!)

Day 4 Menu:
breakfast... berry smoothie concoction (frozen berries, almond milk, almond butter & a squeeze of agave syrup)
mid-morning snack... a little bit more smoothie
lunch... brown rice with herbs & a spash balsamic vinegar (rapidly running out of veggies here)
afternoon snack... green tea (psh, that ain't no snack)
dinner... something, potentially something not-so-detox-approved...

(Photo: Berry Smoothie Concoction)

detox, not botox

So I'm doing this four-day detox, right?

I originally wasn't going to mention it at La Blog Proper but when this gal subsists on two liquid meals (smoothie in the morning, soup at night) and a light lunch and snacks... no dairy, no wheat, no sugars, no caffeine, etc. I think the readers should know. I'm blogging about it over here for the next few days so feel free to join in on either the plan or the discussion. I'll post summaries here too but with fewer boring and/or graphic details.

And also,
1. It's not some freaky Master Cleanse or cult initiation ritual wherein I consume only kale juice and jalapeno peppers.
2. I still eat lots of nutrient-dense foods.
3. Smoothie for breakfast, solid lunch & soup for dinner. Snacks as needed!
4. No starvation, duh.
5. Short & temporary! It's just a short break from all the junk before resuming a normal healthy eating plan.
6. For me, it's more of a guideline than a set of steadfast rules. Like last night I miscalculated the cooking time of a bean soup by about 3 1/2 hours and ended up just having canned soup. C'est la vie.

For more lively posts about the wonderful world of detox and overzealous new year's resolutions, follow along here.

(Photo: Today's lunch, almond-crusted chicken breast with spinach.)

resolve

2009:
there were craft shows
sunday soups
lots of vegetables
a tea party
summer vacation
a few more thank-you notes & thinking-of-you notes
peace agreement with running (369 miles, if you're counting)
just a tiny handful of hikes & snowshoe adventures
& much more...

and for 2010:

Just an excerpt from my new year's resolutions, there are many more that I'm keeping quieter. I like taking the time to set some goals, lay out a few reminders and motivate myself to bust out of routine. It doesn't have to happen in January, but I like it. I also really love making lists, so this fits right in.

And yah, there are some repeat resolutions from last year and I imagine there will be many repeats in the years to come. That's how it goes.

Any resolutions or reminders you've made for 2010?

i heart beta carotene

Last night I invited my mom & sister over for our weekly dinner and made Roasted Sweet Potato and Curried Apple Soup.

Success. The recipe calls for a bit more time than the standard Throw Everything Into A Pot and Wait For An Hour soups, but it was well worth it. I roasted the potatoes, caramelized the onions and sauteed the veggies on Sunday. Simmered everything together for 20 minutes and then stuck it in the fridge. Last minute I did the food processing and curried apples and voila! A delicious, plan-approved soup.

pretty calendar for 2010

Found this sweet (& free) 2010 calendar from love. obsess. inspire & wanted to share it with you!