Wednesday, October 29, 2008

can't you read the sign?

How will the snowmobiles find their way through the forest?



Someone felt pretty strongly about this topic to make this compelling statement.



I admire the determination of the person(s) that this sign was made for, I don't even run, and I can see where I am going!




in a perfect world
there would be road signs to tell us where to go,
so that we know we are going the right way
there would be no war
dessert would be free of calories
we could live for today and not dwell on the hurt and guilt of the past
we would be honest with each other and not hide behind fear
there would be no road rage
you could trust people at their word
there would be enough love to fill us all
change and compromise wouldn't be so hard
we wouldn't have to worry about being vulnerable
because no one would ever try to hurt us
we could be two places at once
we could tear down the walls.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

capturing a clothespin



this is a clothespin and a sunset. good day.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

make a wish







We took a hike yesterday and it was a chilly beautiful morning. When the wind picked up a little bit, the leaves blasted from the trees and floated all around us. I had to catch a leaf in the air and make a wish on it. . .

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

a day in the country

A day to cherish, a chance to spend time with family, bask in the light of a mighty bonfire and the opportunity to take in a beautiful fall day. I bought a gallon of fresh apple cider that was so delicious. I also purchased Gala apples to make caramel apple bars. I will let you know how yummy they are once I make them. The roadside shop we where we stopped had closed for the day, but they kindly reopened to accommodate us. We walked through the orchard with our arms full, excited to enjoy the treasures we had just found.






When the sun went down I went for a walk in the cemetery behind my grandpa's house. There was a brilliant sunset, perfect photo opportunity.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

bliss and joy




After a stressful work day, it is nice to spend some quality time on the cross trainer with The Lemonheads, Mogwai, Norah Jones, Nickel Creek, The Cure, and Tori Amos (of course). That sounds like a half an hour worth of music. I don't get to the gym quite as often as I should. All right, almost never. But I have good intentions. Honest, I do. I actually made it to the gym tonight. It was a crap rainy day, my honey had to work late and I figured "what the hey". (Oh no, I am starting to talk like Sarah Palin!) Yikes!
When I got home I made a delicious grilled cheese sandwich with goat cheese, and some Spanish cheese I picked up at Whole Foods on my yumm-o rosemary bread. So much for the calories I burned on the cross trainer. (Waaaaa, waaaa.) If you have ever seen Debbie Downer on Saturday Night Live, that is the sound I was going for. . .
I took a wonderful bath with my Lush marshmallow melting moment bath melt. It looks like a cupcake. (www.lush.com) I lit a strawberry candle and got comfortable. Corny, maybe, but I listened to Enya, while soaking in my marshmallow heaven and had a moment of bliss.
You can't have a perfect bath without following it up with a cup of tea, so the tea is poured and I am about to enjoy hot apple cider tea. mmmmmmmmm!
I am going to take the time to pamper myself like this more often. I deserve it! So do you! Now I am ready for the rest of the work week.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Saganaki



Ah, the weekend passes by too quickly. The darkness comes so early, a sign that winter is approaching. Yuck!
The aromatic scent of rosemary bread drifts into the living room. The timing was off on the bread, so it will have to go with tomorrow's dinner.
The weekend was filled with fun shops, yummy food and good conversation with my visiting cousin.
My new favorite appetizer: Saganaki. Breaded and pan-fried Greek cheese flamed with Ouzo and extinguished with lemon. WOW! We experienced this wonderful treat at the Gypsy Cafe on the South Side. So so good!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

you're a dream to me








i am listening to pandora radio and the cranberries song "dreams" came on and it made me smile.


I spent the weekend at a cabin in the forest with my parents this past weekend and it was so good to get away. Life away from traffic and craziness. It is good to slow down and take in your surroundings. I always feel like my blood pressure drops to normal when I hear birds chirping and can inhale air that smells like Christmas with each breath. The chipmunk and the mushroom are my friends. When I get stressed out or overwhelmed, nature always centers me.

I even let my mom beat me three games of Scrabble because that is her favorite game and she likes to make up her own dictionary. :-)

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

wtf???



This picture arrived in the mail today, folded in a white envelope addressed to me. There was no explanation or a note. Just this creepy fellow with a chainmail cloth thing on his head. How very odd. Anyone know anything about this? Huh???? Anyone, anyone?

***There is an update on this WTF. I discovered the guilty party shortly after this post. The city and state threw me off, but once my friend called me to chat. I knew instantly that it was she and her husband. When I saw her name pop up on my cell phone, I answered with "It was you, wasn't it? You sent me that creepy guy picture didn't you?" Silence followed. Then giggling. Uh huh. GUILTY!

Having a hamster on a wheel day



I am feeling a little bit down today. Just want a break from the monotony. I am feeling like a trained hamster. I wake, I shower, I rush around, I feed, I work, I go home. Hit the repeat button. I would be fretting if there was no routine to my life and yet. . . Just having one of those days, I guess. Luckily, when I come home, I have someone worth coming home to, and he is wonderful at cheering me up and making the sad leave. Even when he is having a bad day too. (Today was one of those days for him too.) Nothing like getting called into work, doing something mindless and boring for hours and when you are done, there is a nice parking ticket waiting for you. Grrrrr!

I was watching the news the other day and I was mortified by the report I saw. A woman a couple of years older than myself, dead. She was hit by her kid's school bus. She had just kissed little Bobby goodbye and was heading back to her car on the crosswalk. Just a normal day, just a trained hamster day, cut short, lives changed forever. The camera focused in on her glasses that were lying on the road. They had to include in their report that she was not only hit once but twice because the driver didn't know that he or she had hit a person. The glasses really bothered me. How cold and inconsiderate.

I noticed that I have been developing a horrible case of road rage while driving through the city streets. People think that they are invincible and that their cars are indestructible. They pull out without any knowledge of others driving skills or whether or not the other party's brakes work. It takes me almost forty minutes to drive 9 miles to work. That is nuts! There is gridlock, construction, school buses running over moms, and aggressive a-hole drivers that want to run me down.

I almost hit a man with my truck a few weeks ago. He walked right out in front of my truck while I was going 25 miles an hour. I slammed on my brakes and my vehicle skidded sideways a little bit. The man did not even glance in my direction. I almost ended his life and he did not even care.

I got angry at a vehicle that stopped in the middle of the road one day. I wanted to know why he was inconveniencing me by leaving his open his car door in my way. When I stopped because I had no choice, I looked over to see that the man was actually stopping to help a woman who had fallen down on the sidewalk. He was helping her gather the things that she dropped and pulling her to her feet. I felt like an ass.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

the flying monkey





My love decided that he wanted a tattoo for his birthday. I am here to tell you people, the chest is tender. Really really tender. Let's take a look at the progression of the tattoo.

Here's before the tattoo. I just included this pic because the lighting is so great and my honey is so handsome!

This is when the fun began. . .




OUCHIE!!!!!!!





Now let's add a little color!



Complete! Hooray!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

my cheesecake walk






mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! mommy can i have some??



I had to burn off the calories from that deadly cheesecake. . .I didn't eat the whole cheesecake. :-P

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

That's The Way




This song came on my i-pod while i was walking in the park. (i walked five miles, yay!) Thinking about "kissing tiny flowers" made me happy.

And yesterday I saw you kissing tiny flowers,
But all that lives is born to die.
And so I say to you that nothing really matters,
And all you do is stand and cry.
-That's The Way by Led Zeppelin

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Rainy Saturday



I slept in this morning. I did laundry. Sipped highlander grog coffee. Watched a corny chick flick while folding clothes.

I am currently making European peasant bread from scratch and pepperoni balls. A day at home. Ahhh! Time to make some tea and get creative!

Friday, September 12, 2008

Monday, September 8, 2008

a walk in the park







sunday afternoon i took a stroll in the park and had a nice visit with nature. this time of the year is wonderful, savor september while it lasts.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

all you need is. . .

things that make me smile




things that make me smile. . .

Cloud 9 Rooibos Tea from Teavana
J. Jill
Living the Creative Life by Freeman-Zachery
Narrow Stairs album by Deathcab for Cutie
making my own cheese!!!
that fall is approaching
playing with the camera
medieval cookery
my new scone pan
meadowfoam honey (tastes like marshmallows!)
Anthropologie www.anthropologie.com