The Treasure of a Month Well Spent

This has been quite a busy month and quite fulfilling. I learned a lot, lived a lot and enjoyed it all. I can’t wait to get cracking with February.

Daily: Get back on track after the holiday with eating well and working out daily. 

January Update: No excuses for my backtracking except the weather. I just love to walk and with temperatures below zero it’s a little hard to get outside.

February Goal: When the temperature is above 20, no excuse not to walk. Plus, writing it down will take precedent.

Weekly: Learn something new in crafting each week – a stitch, a technique, even a term.

January Update: This has been great. I learned how to cable stitch, 2 applique lessons, learned how to make a Quillow and reintroduced myself to the crochet chain stitch. 

February Goal: I have so many new things to learn this month, including how to knot an infinity scarf and all the lessons for making a Jelly Roll quilt (that will be several lessons.)

Monthly: Read 3 books a month – one fiction, one nonfiction, and a classic. So far I picked out for January The Book Thief, Why Christianity Must Change or Die and The Frontiersmen.

January Update: Loved The Book Thief, still reading Why Christianity Must Change or Die (there is a lot to think about there) and just couldn’t muddle through The Frontiersmen.

February Goal: Keeping the fiction choice light with the final book of the Caster Chronicles, Beautiful Redemption, staying on the spiritual side with Dyer’s Wishes Fulfilled and taking a classic look at The Awakening.

Seasonally: Winter/Spring (Jan-Apr): Taking online courses in graphic design and social media to build my resume and reputation.

January Update: InDesign and Photoshop classes are going great. I’ve even designed a brochure for one of my volunteer clients putting my knowledge to real-world use. Ditto with the social media.

February Goal: Continue with these studies and I plan on finishing my basic InDesign lessons this month. 

Yearly: Bible Study.

January Update: I completed half of The Gospel According to Mark and have developed several new insights so far into this story of Jesus.

February Goal: Continue with Mark and move on to Matthew to get yet a different perspective of this much-told story. 

The Treasure of New Resolutions

I know a lot of people don’t like to talk about New Year’s Resolutions since after about 2 weeks the resolutions go by the waist-side and disappointment takes their place.

I love new beginnings, so resolutions are all right by me. I used to be the one who put everything in full gear for a couple weeks and then returned to old habits because I either:

A)   wanted to do too many things at once

B)   wanted to have changes happen too quickly OR

C)   wanted to change for the wrong reasons

I made the biggest change of this habit 2 years ago when I once and for all set the goal to lose weight and lost 40 pounds thanks to Weight Watchers and my own nerve to set realistic goals.

This year, I spent a couple weeks thinking about resolutions and goals, what I wanted to change and why, what would I need to accomplish these goals, what support should I recruit.

I broke my resolutions up into daily changes, weekly changes, monthly changes, seasonal changes and a yearly change.

Daily: Get back on track after the holiday with eating well and working out daily. Ten-Day Update: No problem – holiday weight is gone and I feel so much better.

Weekly: Learn something new in crafting each week – a stitch, a technique, even a term.

Ten-Day Update: The first week I learned how to do a cable stitch in knitting and this week I had my first applique lesson.

Monthly: Read 3 books a month – one fiction, one nonfiction, and a classic. So far I picked out for January The Book Thief, Why Christianity Must Change or Die and The Frontiersmen.

Ten-Day Update: I started all of them and see this being a done deal by the 31^st.

Seasonally: Now that I actually live in a climate that has seasons this is a real treat –

Winter/Spring (Jan-Apr): Taking online courses in graphic design and social media to build my resume and reputation.

Spring/Summer (May- Aug): Gardening and canning

Fall/Winter (Sept – Dec): Getting ready for the holiday; making things, preparing the house, setting everything into gear for Christmas.

Ten-Day Update: I’ve done my first 4 Photoshop Lessons, plus 2 lessons all about color and a lesson on the differences in traditional marketing versus social media marketing.

Yearly: Bible Study. I’m not reading the Bible per se like a book since that is not how it was put together. I am reading books and learning about why they were written, when and under what circumstances, what were the influences, what should I be learning from the piece, and how does it relate to 2014 and my life? January’s lesson – The Gospel According to Mark – the oldest Gospel.

Ten-Day Update: Have the background on when and under what circumstances Mark was written, plus a few of the other influences of the time. Next, reading the text and analyzing the story.

What have you put on your list this year and how is it going?

The Treasure of Time Well Spent

Take some time to spend with a friend. It’s easier said than done for many of us with busy schedules pulling us in many directions, but it’s very important.

Make a lunch or dinner date with a friend you haven’t seen in a while and before it’s over get another date on the calendar for in a month or two. Go shopping with a pal and help each other pick out Christmas gifts or better yet each donate a few bucks to spend on a child or family in need and go shopping together to see what you can find. Or invite a friend over to bake Christmas cookies to munch on at the time and to share with others. It doesn’t have to be a big production, just sometime to spend together.

Today, my friend Irene and I went shopping for children’s books at the local book barn. We’re going to donate these tomes as part of a literacy project in our area. While she covered the wee ones, I focused on the teens and tweens with some classics – Jane Austen and Edgar Allan Poe – as well as some science fiction, mystery and a few teen romance. It was a great way to spend time together while also helping someone in need.

Who do you want to spend some time with?

February Favorites-Birchbox, Books and Boots

My February Favorites include three wonderful things that have made my move that much more enjoyable.

First, there was the February Birchbox. I was wondering if I was going to keep my subscription since the past 3 months’ boxes were a bit of a disappointment. They seemed haphazardly put together and didn’t really fit a theme. But February was full of charm and I love everything. The harsh cold weather could have wreaked havoc on my skin, but with Vasanti Brighten Up!, I’m able to keep a smooth complexion while Lancome LA BASE PRO adds a layer of protection and flawlessness when I brave the winter winds. The Florida humidity always was mean to my waves, but the cold can be just as cruel. Miss Jessie’s Original Pillow Soft Curls keeps my waves soft and in place while also smelling so clean and fresh I forget the perfume. My two most favorites I save for last – Emerald Green nail polish from Color Club and a chocolate caramel square of goodness for Ghirardelli’s. I’ve fallen in love all over again.

My second favorite thing for February was a book given to me by my friend Jessica. She is a very wise young woman and full of God’s love, which she so kindly shared when she gave me God’s Promises for You by Max Lucado. Each day I read a few pages during my morning meditation and it sets a pleasant tone for the day giving me confidence to enjoy this new adventure knowing I am loved and cared for at all times. Thanks Jessica!

Lastly, it’s a fashion find. I was told I would need rubber boots up here and I was not too pleased. But then I found these at the tractor shop, on sale for under $10! Two great surprises: 1 – They are so adorable and I love wearing them in the snow, mud and rain (which there is a lot of here in the winter) and 2 – They were only $10. Other brands that were suggested ranged from $80 to over $100 and I just couldn’t see buying something that expensive just to get muddy. Score!

What favorite things did February bring you?

National Beheading Day - Heads Will Roll

I just found this so interesting. This is not really a national holiday (we here in the U.S. prefer to destroy others politically through rhetoric, not actual loss of said head). But at one time it was a great reminder to those in power, that eventually through an act of King or people they could lose it all from the top down.

It really is a gruesome way to go. Famous people known for not escaping the executioner are Anne Boleyn who’s husband was kind enough to have a master swordsman do the deed that was only brought to fruition due to trumped up charges (the others who died at Henry’s hands weren’t so lucky and had an ax and sometimes a very drunk axman who missed a few times maiming the poor souls before they died.)

Of course there was the King and Queen of France and many of their court who fell victim to progress and the guillotine. (A current interest – not the beheading of nobility at the common peoples’ hands, the time period since I am reading Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran).

Oh and from previous reads, there’s the beheading of Ptolemy brother of Cleopatra by Caesar’s rival and friend, who hoped to make Caesar a closer ally. This act drove the Emperor closer to the arms of Cleo and a disaster for them all.

People used to view these as the American Idol of the day, and I'm sure if we still had public executions, some still would (Makes me think of the 80s TV show Max Headroom and the gruesomeness, but I digress again.) They would make a day of it bringing along food to eat and wine to drink as all the distressing merriment drove the crowd into a frenzy. I couldn't imaging what I would eat or drink at one of these if I had to attend (if was considered inappropriate for a citizen not to attend, meaning you were not supportive of said King's decision and you could be the next on the chopping block).

So whatever you do today, don’t lose your head.

A Better Me: Mind – remember no matter how stressful it is or hopeless it seems, I won’t lose my head about it.

The Other Boleyn Girl

I may be late to the party, but it was recently suggested to me that I may appreciate The Other Boleyn Girl book. Janel was very excited about this tome and even though it had the appearance of not being for me, it definitely was.

Being a history buff and also loving a good love story (not those sappy ones), plus enjoying books that are well written, I fell in love with this book. For the past week, I could barely put it down and even missed valuable sleep hours being drawn into the web of Anne Boleyn and her sister Mary. As time for us to part approached, I was still held in its sway and Netflixed the movie which after reading the book fell short of the mark. Now I have had my Tudor fix for a while from the history podcasts, the Tudor TV show, all the Elizabeth movies and documentaries and now this. Great fun!

Next on the list, another Janel suggestion: Nefertiti by Michelle Moran.

Happiness Happens Month Quote – “Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.”-Groucho Marx (This quote always makes me smile.)

No foolin'

From running around for more than a month like a chicken with my head cut off, I have had the past week to slow down and take in the beauty of the world one inch at a time. Why an inch - well crutches have slowed me down. Last week I had much-needed and procrastinated upon surgery on one foot which has me hobbling for the next couple months. This past week was the worst as I slept throughout the day (thanks to great pain meds) and worked tirelessly to not be too much of a pain to Paul. He has been the best taking care of me, the kids and the house all with a smile and a response to my thank yous of "my pleasure". Within the week on my back and foot elevated I have had the chance to actually read a book, watch all of the last season of Mad Men and tear apart 4 attempts at knitting projects. The book to keep me entertained is I Am Not Myself These Days by Josh Kilmer-Purcell
I got turned on to Josh by Chris who is a fan of the Fabulous Beekman Boys - as I am too. During the marathon of last season to promote the new season, Josh had a book reading and they showed the cover of his book with a gold fish and acid-inspired turquoise concentric circles. The cover was familiar as I recalled it resting on Guy's coffee table from years past. I don't know why I never picked it up and read it, but it just wasn't the right time. Now it all was a full gay circle. I thought it may be a good read for the week I was laid up and it was though I do wish it was longer. It's Josh's memoir about being a young drag queen in New York during the club kid hay days of the 90s. Reading his words then and seeing how messed up his life was and comparing it to the farm-owning, advertising firm partner and all around put together guy he is on the show is surreal. But then again, many of us would not be recognized today by those who saw us as 25 year olds. There were a lot of emotions conjured up in reading this tome from laughing to feeling sorry for the characters' addictions, from wanting to drink a couple vodkas or champers to wanting to never drink again, from envisioning the dirtiest apartment ever on Avenue A to seeing how Guy was inspired by the all white highrise on the Upper East Side. It was a fabulous romp and makes me wonder if I will ever write a memoir. Doubtful since my life hasn't been so exciting.

Something old Something new

Sorry dear readers, but I have been lost recently. Not literally lost, though there is a literary twist, but I have been up to my deepest brain cells in LOST – Season 5. It was so long ago that it aired and I just had to catch up. Now that I have, I feel more at ease with watching the Season 6 premiere on Tuesday. I just hope Sayid doesn’t die.

To also take up my time, I have gotten lost in a book: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. Just 3 months ago I was number 775 on the waiting list at the library and now I am already past page 200. I have been enveloped in this tome to the point of only taking the dogs for walks and the occasional shower. I even gave up a Saturday Date Night to read.

But this didn’t stop me from eating. I didn’t want to leave the house, so I recycled food in a way, making something new from something old (or almost old). Remember the beans I made last week?  I mixed them in with a couple cups of chicken broth and some orzo and Voila- Soup! Really good soup too. Perfect for the cold weather we are having. It was only about a cup and a half of beans, but perfect and now I have 3 meals (budget friendly too).

How have you transformed leftovers???

A Fresh Read

Do you ever feel your reading material is getting stale?

I seem to get caught in the trap of reading material that is similar to the one before and the one after. Books meld into each other and instead of creating a brilliant symphony of images in my brain and/or causing me to relate and think, they just see to sit there unscathed.

So yes, I needed a new book and I got it from Guy for Christmas. Assorted Nuts by Sandy Bax is a profound read, but not the heavy kind, more the “this is so interesting and at times hilarious, but yet deep down I can feel these words.” Sandy is a local, and that means that she knows Guy, everybody knows Guy. Well anyway, Sandy has documented the adventures of her life from growing up in an emotionally disengaged household, with visits to the funeral home each summer; cascading through life making bad choices about men; dealing with alcoholism (go figure with that childhood who wouldn’t drink); and breast cancer just to top it off.

Guy says it’s reminiscent of David Sedaris, but I think it is completely different in tone, but I read more than he does so there. It is a must-read though and I think it should be part of our book club reads, but I have a feeling it may be shot down. No biggie, you can pick up your own copy and peruse the prose to your heart’s content. Let me know what you think.

Haslam’s Bookstore

I love my town. St. Pete really is a gem and unlike anything else in Florida. We have a touch of Southern charm, but in general are pretty open minded (well some of us, the Mayor is a throwback, but you can’t win them all.) We have a thriving art scene, a lot of opportunities to become a culinary Mecca, and baseball. People here are like a melting pot of Americana with LA glam paired with Midwest conformity, Southern slowness balanced by NYC’s excited energy, and beach bum laziness coupled with aggressive optimism. Match all that up with great weather and you have my town.

Riding down Central Ave I felt very nostalgic with locally owned shops lining the street parading everything from antiques, to modern home décor, a dance studio next to a tattoo shop and a plethora of restaurants. Nestled before the overpass is Haslam’s, established in 1933, is the answer to all the chain bookstores. Don’t get me wrong, I am an avid Amazon shopper and love to spend time perusing the stacks at Borders and Barnes and Noble, but this is the place where I shop and also where I find those treasures that I never knew were so dear.

I can spend hours in Haslam’s checking out both the old and used sections, trying to see if I can “feel” any of the ghosts that are said to haunt the stacks, and being sucked into a book I never knew I needed until now. I keep going back because it is also one of the best ways to spend a rainy afternoon, and to keep on the cheap (free) side of things.

Things to know before going to Haslam’s:

1. They have a shop cat so don’t be surprised to find him sitting on top of the monitor as you checkout or strolling around the aisles.
2. They have an extensive Florida authors section and frequently host readings, so you may stumble into famous Florida writer and not even know it.
3. The further you travel into the store, the more there is to see. I can count 7 areas partitioned off like a house where new and used books intermingle.
4. Check out the Jack Kerouac books to see if they are in the right order. It is said that occasionally dead Jack revisits the store that he so loved to browse in when he was breathing and switches up the books putting his more at eye-level so he can get more sales. It also is suggested that you may feel a cold chill when you finger his tomes as he encourages you to purchase.
5. There are also said to be a ghostly concentration in the spiritual section with a substantially cooler feeling and sometimes perfumey smells. I am a big skeptic, but I noticed it is significantly cooler, but that could be due to an air vent.
6. Plan to spend some time there, if you are a book lover. I went there once with my neighbor and within 10 minutes he was ready to leave. This told me that he wasn’t very interested in books, didn’t like the quaint quality of the store and was by other evidence having nothing to do with the store, an ass. I don’t hang out with him anymore.

With all of that said, Haslam’s is definitely a gem that you should maybe check out if you are ever in St. Pete. I say maybe because if you aren’t a book lover, you will be bored. But that is what the baseball games are for.

I also love to travel. Tell me about a great place in your town that you would recommend to visitors like me and you may be the lucky one to win a book to read on your next trip. The winner will be picked randomly (literally out of a hat), but the book will be to your choosing: Night in Bombay by Louis Bromfield, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles or Fun Lover’s Guide to Surprising Amsterdam by Tom Vincent. Tell a friend to check my blog out and if they comment (giving you credit) then you get extra chances to win. We’ll do the drawing on the first of February.

*Sorry we have to keep it U.S. for now.

17 Days of Christmas

Well it is soon approaching that point, and I finally seem to be making progress. The working out in the morning seems to help a lot since I was really losing it there the past few weeks.

The walls and ceiling are primed and are begging to be painted tomorrow morning. Since I work from home tomorrow, I can do that task as soon as I get up and then work in my paint splattered clothes for the morning. There is still a lot to be done, but for this weekend, I am stopping here. Next week, I will tackled the door (I have to do that one outside) and the cabinet.

The finishing touch for this week is the switchplates. I am using photos that I took and printed them on regular paper. Thanks to Jonathan Fong, I can make some groovy plates to go with my groovy bathroom. Also take a look at his Warhol Kitchen, I just love it. I am thinking of just putting one piece of art in the bathroom, a Warhol Marilyn that Guy got me in Pittsburgh. The only thing is the framing costs more than Marilyn was paid for all of her movies put together (joking, but close). Guy has promised many times to part with his trio of heads and I am trying to pry at least one from his still warm fingers.

Not to overdo it with Warhol, I want something different for the plates and am even going through photos to print and frame for other areas of the house. When looking through these photos I stumbled upon my NYC Holiday Window Photos from a couple years ago. That is my favorite thing to do in Manhattan and I miss it so. Thankfully there are a lot of shutterbugs capturing this season on-line and Another Normal is one of my favorites. He really brings to life the wonder I feel when I gaze upon these limited edition works of art.

Of course then comes the question, “What do they do with all that crap after the holiday?” Some of it is so cool and I wonder if they have a special sale. It also makes me think that I can glitter and bedazzle some things for my mannequin and make her feel more holiday-ish. She needs a good paint job too, maybe high gloss white.

Also helping me keep my sanity is listening to David Sedaris. I have the entire collection in audio book form and just love it. His tales about his family, living in NYC and then as an expat in France (he hates the term expat since he says you need to be a pat first). It is really very entertaining. There is also the Christmas classic, 6 to 8 black men. You better be good or you could end up in Spain.

Goodbye Julia and Julie

Today I had to return my books to the library, both Julia’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and Julie Powell’s documentation of her quest to cook the entire book (The contents not the book itself.) And actually, Julia’s book was due 3 days ago, but I just was too lazy after work to got those extra 3miles out of my way to return it.

There is a sense of emptiness about losing these friends. I have perused Amazon for Julia’s tome, but they have strategically listed it at $24.95 making it just under the $25 free shipping bar. One day I know I will add this to my collection which has been growing at an alarming rate lately. Not only do I have two shelves of bound cookbooks covering everything from the latest Food Network stars to cheapies from the 70s that I picked up at garage sales and thrift stores mainly for the kitchy pictures. Underneath these weighted pieces of particle board rest almost 10 years of cooking magazines that are like porn to me with succulent pictures and empty promises of quests unconquered. In addition to all of these, I have shelves of papers in my den with recipes freely printed from a host of Web sites and waiting to be categorized and bound.

But I miss this book. And I miss Julie as well. Her prose and way of speaking about food as if it is the little voice inside my head have been a friendly reminder of my passions. I can see how she, and Julia, saw food as a representation of sex in a way and this has made me in my single-girl time willing to wait for the good stuff over the fast-fling! It has also reminded me of the power of cooking and the lusciousness that each step holds for those willing to put the time in. Chopping, fondling, rinsing, kneading, eating with my fingers and washing away the mess with warm soapy water, all hold sensations that I have been missing lately.

It seems that the impression these books has left on me filters into many other things in my day. For instance, as I was catching up on True Blood (spoiler alert) I watched MaryAnn slice a human heart she had extracted from one of her minions and use it to make a soufflé. I thought of Julie and how brave she was to touch, cook and eat kidneys, livers and such, in fact relishing them. I don’t think I could do that. Then when MaryAnn served her guests Tara and Eggs the Hunter’s Souffle as she called it, they ate it up like animals starved for ages. Very gross in a way, and I thought I had a very open mind.

It was also Julie’s book that opened up the conversation that Farida and I had on the plane to NYC and who knows what else. But like all things bookish, it is time to move on and find another writer to absorb. And of course, I have plenty of recipes to explore. And like Julie, I have a few adventurous friends to share them with making it good for everyone involved.

What’s your favorite cookbook??

WWJCD - What Would Julia Child Do?

Mich enjoying the fruits of her labor!

I have discovered something 7 years old and soon to be a movie, but I feel like I have found it first since it is new to me. Julie and Julia: the blog. I love it. I can relate.

I have a thing about lists and parameters and restrictions in a totally unconventional sense of the word anal. I have often thought of taking whole books and translating each recipe into proof that there is great food out there, but I seem to have a problem with following all the rules. For instance, when I look at a recipe, I 9 times out of 10 will put it away after reading and attempt the exercise virtually from memory. The recipe becomes the inspiration, the muse as it were, for my practicum.

But back to the blog. I truly appreciate symmetry and the effort of following an order. This is reinforced with the book I am currently reading for my next book club meeting, The Know It All. It is about a man’s struggle to read the entire Encyclopedia Brittanica. I once tried to read and memorize the Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, but I only got to the third chapter and had to give up since I got bored or a boyfriend or both.

The movie that will be coming out soon, if it hasn’t already premiered, won’t be quite as good as the blogs though since I love to read and listen to people narrate more than to watch them do it. But then again I could be wrong. Within the first few entries, I am inspired by the descriptions of delicious delicacies and have noticed that if you switch a couple of the butters that Julia Child prescribes with shortenings you have Paula Deen. I will suggest at our Wednesday night lesson that we should tackle French cuisine, if they already haven’t (which they probably have, but even JC’s cookbook has more than 500 recipes.) I just have to figure a way to make them a bit more healthy and still yum.

On another note, tonight I will be blessed with bites from Michelle’s kitchen. Not sure what grub she’s making, but I know it will be lovely. She has been on a very healthy kick lately, cutting out all butter and sugar and such, and still making it taste nice. I like her practicality, it’s a nice change of pace from my ramblings. To increase the health-conscious mentality of the evening there has been a promise made of swimming. I haven’t swam in her pool in a couple years and look forward to the refreshment. All in all a good evening, and the perfect start to the weekend.

Mich outdid herself with something a bit more international than the normal Italian-inspired fare she shares with me. We had Thai chicken on the grill, cold green beans with a lemon vinaigrette and a pinot grigio to quench our thirst. And to outdo herself as usual, she made homemade whipped cream!!!! To die for.