Showing posts with label too good not to share. Show all posts
Showing posts with label too good not to share. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Hand Molded Hand Soaps: Hands Up!

When I saw these molded hand soaps, I knew they would make excellent gifts.  And paired with a hand knitted face cloth, a doubly nice present.

Cool?  You bet.

Plastic Foliage makes these soaps. They come individually packaged in bubble wrap in a cute little package.


Oh, and that is one of Grandma's Dishcloths that goes along with the little "hand soaps".  The dishcloths make excellent facial cloths because of the knitted fabric that gives just enough abrasion to remove makeup, but soft enough for a baby's skin as they are made from 100% cotton.


Happy Birthday, Aunt Mary, you will be receiving a couple of these next week!

Monday, August 8, 2011

Sharing Recipes (on a laptop?)

(okay, maybe it was a joke they shared)

Here is the best scone recipe I found from Amateur Gourmet:


Ingredients:
2/3 cup heavy (or whipping) cream
1 large egg
1/4 cup vanilla sugar, plus more for sprinkling on the scones
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces, chilled
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or dried currants)
Zest from 1 small orange
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (or, if your oven runs hot, 350 degrees F.)
2. Place the cream, egg, and 1/4 cup vanilla sugar in a medium-size bowl and whisk until fluffy and well blended.
3. Place the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a food processor and pulse to combine.Add the chilled butter, then pulse again until fairly well blended. Then add the cream mixture and pulse until the dough just holds together.
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.  Sprinkle the cranberries and orange zest over the dough and knead for 30 seconds, making sure the cranberries are well distributed throughout the dough. Pat the dough into a round about 1/2 inch thick
5. Cut out the scones using a floured 2-inch round cookie cutter. Gather up the extra dough, pat it out again, and continue cutting out the scones. You should have 16 to 20.
6. Place the scones on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush the tops with the melted butter and sprinkle them with vanilla sugar. Bake in the oven until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. 
YUM!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Beauty, Older Women, Courage, Quotes

An arresting photo of a woman in her late years:
A quilt of unknown origin, size unknown

this from just a portion of a poem well worth the entire read found here called The Invitation:
I want to know if you can see beauty, even when it is not pretty, every day,
And if you can source your own life from its presence.

(A Study -Limbo ID:374 from 2006 Lilly Oncology On Canvas 2006 competition)

The picture above was an award winner in the referenced art competition.  She is a symbol of a woman carrying a burden, but knowing she will survive the battle with courage and victory, no matter the outcome of her health issue. This particular art piece of the introspective woman who has lost her hair from chemotherapy reminds me of  a reference given to me by my husband when we were discussing our daughter's recent photo.

Julie's smile below shows her inner beauty of personal strength and almost continual attitude of optimism.  She, too, is undergoing chemotherapy and has lost her hair.
 
These preceding photos all tie together with this quote from Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land ( referring to Rodin's sculpture of  "Fallen Caryatid Carrying Her Stone")
... she's a symbol for every woman who ever shouldered a load too heavy. But not alone women - this symbol means every man and woman who ever sweated out life in uncomplaining fortitude until they crumpled under their loads. It's courage... and victory.

Victory in defeat, there is none higher. She didn't give up... she's still trying to lift that stone after it has crushed her... she's all the unsung heroes who couldn't make it but never quit. 
Rodin's plaster of Fallen Caryatid referenced here 1881-1882

1920, Rosa by Walter Grammatte

And finally, one of my favorites:
(from a picture in my study that is over 30 years old with the poem below by Nadin Stair)

If I Had My Life to Live Over
I'd dare to make more mistakes next time.
I'd relax, I would limber up.
I would be sillier than I have been this trip.
I would take fewer things seriously.
I would take more chances.
I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers.
I would eat more ice cream and less beans. 
I would perhaps have more actual troubles,
but I'd have fewer imaginary ones. 
You see, I'm one of those people who live
sensibly and sanely hour after hour,
day after day.

Oh, I've had my moments,
And if I had it to do over again,
I'd have more of them.
In fact, I'd try to have nothing else.
Just moments, one after another,
instead of living so many years ahead of each day. 
I've been one of those people who never goes anywhere
without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat
and a parachute. 
If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than I have.

If I had my life to live over,
I would start barefoot earlier in the spring
and stay that way later in the fall.
I would go to more dances.
I would ride more merry-go-rounds. 
I would pick more daisies.
Nadine Stair, 85 years old

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Parasols and Umbrellas

This is a reposting from a favorite blog, It's About Time. Enjoy the pictures and go to the original blog posting for further information about the artists.
On the History and Art of Parasols and Umbrellas

Too much sun here today. Umbrellas and parasols come to mind. Many 19th-century paintings are filled with parasols, partially a reflection of the Japonisme influence at the end of the 1800s. An umbrella or parasol is a canopy designed to protect against rain or sunlight.

Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919). Woman with a Parasol 1872


William McGregor Paxton (1869-1941) Child in Sunlight, The Chinese Parasol 1908


1886 Olga Boznanska (Polish Impressionist painter, 1865-1945)


Jacques-Joseph Tissot (1836-1902) The Traveller


Claude Monet (1840-1926). The Walk, Woman with a Parasol 1875

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Caffeine Cure for Wrinkles

If this topic interests you, look further. (That means if you are over thirty, is caffeine the cure for puffy eyes?)

This gal (picture courtesy of the London Mail Online) shows some real change after using caffeine serum in her before and after pictures.

  Having featured on U.S. chat show The Tyra Banks Show, the First Aid Beauty Detox Eye Roller caused a  online and sold out on the Boots website within two hours. 
WILL IT WORK - FEMAIL'S VERDICT Several eye products have started incorporating roller ball technology because customers like the cooling sensation on their skin and immediately think that it must be having some sort of an effect. Garnier launched its Caffeine Eye Roll-On in 2008 and it became one of their most successful products. 
The metal ball does mean it feels cool to the skin, although I’m not convinced the pressure equates to the sort of results a facialist can achieve with manual massage. Glycerin, a powerful moisturising agent, and mica, a mineral which reflects light, mean fine lines do instantly look less obvious. (Read more here.)
So I am thinking that if wet tea bags are placed under the eyes for a refreshing spa treatment, why not use a wet instant coffee bag for additional benefits? Just a thought.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Eye Art - Really!

Putting on eye makeup has taken on a whole new realm with eye artist Katie Alves.

Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas gets Katie's eye-art treatment
More pics from the London's Mail Online:
this one inspired by Aladdin
And my favorite, fairies:

this one inspired by Alice in Wonderland:


Cool...but if the eyes close, I wonder if all those colors would smear.  It is hard enough to keep brown on the upper lids without disaster!

Friday, June 3, 2011

7 Days: 7 Positive Things

A fellow blogger in Wales who writes I Knit, and Sew What?, writes a weekly "7 Days and 7 Positive Things", so I borrowed her theme.  Here goes:

1: The Texas Road Trip was completed, family visited, and I maneuvered through interstate and local traffic without incident.

2.  On the plane trip back to Colorado, I had trouble getting to the airport.  Long story short, I was the last person to board the plane, getting to the gate just as the door closed.  If that connection had been missed, it would have required not only a long delay, but a stayover in Denver.  Phew!

3.  I saw Bridesmaids TWICE because it was so funny.  What a hoot!

4.  Chive blossoms in our garden made up an onion flavored vinegar that we will use in balsamic vinegar and olive oil salad dressings.  Love the look and looking forward to the dressing!


(Vinegar pretty and pink and ready to strain after 3 days)

5.  I made up nine small batches of strawberry freezer jam that is delicious.  Here is how: 
  • 3 and 2/3 cups of strawberries (washed, hulled, quartered)
  • 4 Tbsp. freezer pectic
  • 1 and 1/3 cups sugar
  • Stir the sugar and pectin together, add the fruit, let stand 30 minutes, pour into containers and freeze
 
6.  Making small, slow progress on a Simple Scallops crocheted scarf:


7.  Our house and garden were spared over the night.  A huge limb off an old cottonwood tree in our back yard crashed to the ground around 1 AM.  We heard a loud noise that awakened us, but did not see anything in the dark.  This morning, we found this in the lower part of the back:

the broken tree trunk was 10 inches in width!

That could have caused some serious damage! We were very lucky.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Herbs of Provence

A friend sent my husband Herbs de Provence for Christmas.  It was a thoughtful gift that is a daily use as chicken dishes, eggs, and fish all benefit from a dash of this lovely mixture.  The crock contains finely ground thyme, rosemary, basil, savory and marjoram, and a small hit of lavender in the concoction. (Thank you, Dorothay!)
Coq au vin and this recipe with a whole chicken perched atop a beer can is one of the husband's specialties (he sometimes uses Herbs of Provence inside the chicken):

Currently in my little corner of the world we are growing:
  • mint (LOADS of it)
  • rosemary
  • chives
  • tarragon (the tag says "Texas Tarragon")
  • parsley
  • oregano
  • sage
  • cilantro
  • garlic
  • basil (hopefully the tiny seeds will provide the base for many containers of pesto)
Every time I try to grow thyme, it seems to fade in the heat.  Guess it needs a different spot.

Garden stakes with herb names imprinted on the front have faded over the years, so this is what I purchased from Amazon:
The ceramic labels have not yet arrived, so I went ahead over last weekend and planted some herbs with the old garden markers stuck in the soil.

Here are some recylcled window herb garden containers that perked up with Spray Paint refashioned by Centsational Girl:

Good idea, as I have several containers that could use a good slathering of paint to give them fresh faces.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Dogs



Dogs never cease to fascinate.
Libby and Mercy, our current fur babies

"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog."
- Edward Hoagland

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Mother's Day

"Making a decision to have a child-it's momentous.
It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around
outside your body."
~Elizabeth Stone

Elizabeth Stone's quote was found on Susan's blog this morning.

Today, I want to say an even bigger "thank you" to my own children, for they have made me grow, stretch, be aware of my glaring and not so evident faults, and have taught me gratitude and a modicum of forbearance.  Thank you for being my children, Julie and Heidy.

“It is not until you become a mother that your judgment slowly turns to compassion and understanding.”

 Erma Bombeck


Mother's Day is the Big Day to say "thank you" to the mothers of the world. But there are others who also lay blame when "things go wrong" with children...

Thoughts on Mother's Day from The Citizen:
While fathers, teachers, religious leaders, and numerous other elders in the society deserve acknowledgment for their roles in the nurturing of children, it is a mother’s role that is extraordinary. Mothers are naturally the primary caregivers for young children.

It is a mother who teaches how to nurture and how to love. It is through her guidance that we as individuals learn how to be empathetic and sympathetic to those around us.Today mothers have lots of routine work, and responsibilities. They are normally always busy fulfilling their children’s needs, in such a way that they forget to care for their own.

However, there is a tendency to put blame on mothers when things go wrong with children. This isn’t a new aspect. Everyday we hear how mothers are to blame when children fail to live up to our expectations.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Coffee: Flavored and Otherwise

When is the best time for a cup of coffee?  Your mood dictates the answer, but here is a thought from Bon Appetite Magazine:
The Daily Mail reports that Professor Spence and a team of experts nailed down a formula that combines great flavor (F), the perfect environment (E), the coffee container (P), the company you drink it with (C), and the time of day (T). These factors add up to the most enjoyable coffee moment (M). In other words:

M = 0.5 x F + (0.5 x E + 0.3 x P + 0.15 x C + 0.05 x T)

M = the perfect coffee moment

The study showed that the best time to have coffee is actually at 11am in a well-lighted room or outdoors in the sun with friends listening to Italian opera or any singer with a low raspy voice. (According to the research, a person's palate is most sensitive at 11am.)

11:00 AM you say?  How about the moment you awake? 

After debating for a week over the issue of whether or not to buy a one cup coffee maker, I took the plunge and ordered a Black and Decker beauty for $17 (no shipping 'cause we are Prime members) along with a bit of flavored coffee just for moi, as the husband wants no part of fu-fu java.

It should be at the doorstep Monday, along with some flavored coffees.

Carin, video podcaster at Round the Twist, is always talking about her San Marco coffee as she chats about her crafting projects, her pup, mentions her job as a night nurse, and just generally entertains with her dog begging for pats in the background.  She got me thinking that I really need my own coffee maker for just that one perfect cup of flavored coffee.  Whenever I want it!

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Fascinators (Women's Hats)

The Royal Wedding showed off its finest.  Some links for your enjoyment are included at the bottom of the post relating from fashion to the sanctity of marriage.

But first, let's talk about the hats almost all wedding celebrants were wearing yesterday.  I learned from a television commentator a new term for those hats that sit on the side of the head: "fascinators".

The hat style, as SIL Charlotte remarked, it not new.  In fact, fascinators were quite in style in the 18th and 19th centuries.  Here is Marie Antoinette in what could be called a fascinator on her head:
Hats are not required to sit atop the head, but can be an adornment to an elaborate hairdo.  Marie shows her up-do to advantage with the fascinator adding at least 10-12 inches to her height!

From yesterday's ceremony, note the hat that Posh Girl wore yesterday with a sleek pony tail:

Kate Middleton has generally favored Philip Treacy as her favorite hat stylist.  Now that she is Catherine, Royal Highness, the Duchess of Cambridge, Mr. Treacy will likely continue to be a designer icon world-wide.

Remember Catherine in this Philip Treacy hat?

So an old made new style is coming back for hats.  The Fascinator!  Let's all run out and buy a few.

Satanica on Etsy has these lovely fascinators for sale at a reasonable price; swing over to this page to see more and/or to purchase on Etsy (everything hand made).



As promised, web links, courtesy of Living the Grand Life:

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Updates on the Tea Party for the Royal Wedding (from Ravelry)

Sharing updates from the Anglophile tea party group on Ravelry...

Queenie, complete with this avatar she has on her informational page, said
As you can guess by my user name, I think I am royalty. I have always said that I just need the birth certificate to prove it. That said I have backed out of a girls weekend, and tickets to the opening night of the Joffrey so I can devote the entire day to my pretend world. Years ago my DH bought me a tiara with genuine cut glass “diamonds” so that will be atop my head all day long. I am a sad sad sad individual
And Auntsugar adds:
While I wish I could come to your tea party I suspect I will hostess one of my own with the neighbors across the road. I will also be making pastry cups for the curds I preserved last summer,both made with the luscious very dark large egg yolks from her mothers chicken eggs, and the fresh, huge raspberries off their bushes! This is an Easter treat for her whole family. I wonder if the weekend figured in the bride and grooms decision to marry that weekend? The commute for me would be too long even in the virtual world. So do enjoy and savor you lovely scones and creme.
I added:
Yesterday I cruised over to WalMart for the weekly haul, strolled through the kids’ toy section, spotted a rhinestone tiara, thought hard about it, but then walked on by.
I am still thinking I should go back and get that tiara and wear it at breakfast.
Cristi adds:
I’ll be watching the wedding in real time.. since I live in England.  I’ve been getting wedding “fever”.. I’ve just finished watching the William and Kate special on BBC1. I’ve got all my wedding kit. :) and the day off.. because the day has been made a bank holiday.. yay!!

I took this picture in Sainsburys the other day.. yes I’m a saddo.. but I bought a bit of everything.

Looking forward to Friday..
Our Colorado/English breakfast menu is still being discussed.

Friday, April 15, 2011

A Party Invitation For Wills & Kate

Are you caught up in the Royal excitement of the wedding? If so, please come join in the party on April 29, 2011.  All details can be found here, where the party invitation says...
Let’s have a virtual tea ... to celebrate the Wedding of the New Millenium!
What are you knitting whilst preparing for the celebration? What are you reading (British literature, of course)? What are you planning for Aprll 29?
My husband and I will awake early (2 AM in the MST zone of the USA) and prepare a royal breakfast. Please bring a virtual British treat, along with the shared recipe, and join us for breakfast. We will discuss it all in the next week. Join in!
Supportive husband will be making a true English breakfast, including the full monty of
2 links good quality sausages
2 -3 slices bacon
2 flat mushrooms
1 -2 ripe tomato
1 large egg
1 slice bread
Optional Extras

1 slice black pudding
baked beans
cooked potato, thinly sliced
Later in the afternoon, we shall have scones and champagne!
And hats! Wear your hats!

One British Ravelry friend, HandWashOnly, said:
I work in a British boarding school. We will be at work on the 29th but we have the lessons off to watch the wedding (if we want) and are organising a whole school picnic lunch with bunting and plastic union jack bowler hats. We will be wearing red, white and blue!

I think regardless what people feel about the royals, the wedding is a fab reason to get together as a community!

So, because things might get a bit hectic as we try to sort our own celebrations, I am going to leave some bunting here and wish you a happy tea party!!
I shall be knitting on my V-Neck SummerTop Down Sweater whilst watching the festivities on the telly.
 

Please provide your virtual presence, complete with festive hat, perhaps a cucumber sandwith and an authentic English recipe. See you (virtually) around 2 AM here in the States. 
 
(No pajamas allowed.)

PS: Gifts for William and Kate may be given to their charitable trust that will support 26 charities of the couple’s choice, incorporating the armed forces, children, the elderly, art, sport and conservation.