every little thing

Friday's Anti-Hero

Via The Daily Telegraph

The Right Brain vs Left Brain test ... do you see the dancer turning clockwise or anti-clockwise?

If clockwise, then you use more of the right side of the brain and vice versa.

Most of us would see the dancer turning anti-clockwise though you can try to focus and change the direction; see if you can do it.

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS uses logic detail oriented facts rule words and language present and past math and science can comprehend knowing acknowledges order/pattern perception knows object name reality based forms strategies practical safe

RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS uses feeling "big picture" oriented imagination rules symbols and images present and future philosophy & religion can "get it" (i.e. meaning) believes appreciates spatial perception knows object function fantasy based presents possibilities impetuous risk taking

********************************************************************************************************************

I hate this thing.  Only with extreme mental anguish and lots of heavy concentration could I even kind of get this chick to spin counter-clockwise.  And even then, only for like, a couple of seconds.  I mean, it's no surprise that I'm dominantly right-brained, but I thought I might have a little, shriveled up bit of left-brain up there somewhere.  Mike saw both immediately.  Typical.  Max, it seems, saw counter-clockwise only.  But he didn't really look at for long, I think it was creeping him out. 

What do you see?

EDITED TO ADD:  She's evil!  Don't stare at her too long, I fear for your safety!  Also, if you're having trouble getting this minx to go counter-clockwise, try staring at her feet.  Even scroll the page down a bit so the top of her is cut off.  It helps.  And I have to ask, why is she so voluptuous?  And is it a little nippy there in cyber-world?  Who made this thing??  I don't know whether to say "Dance ballerina, dance," or "Shake your peach cobbler, baby!  Woo!" 

Psycho twirly-girl is officially dead to me. 

Giveaway-city!

Lots of free Bake It Pretty gift cards up for grabs this week, I just had to mention it over here, too.  Get out there and enter!

First up.............

Check out my friend Amber's awesome blog, My Aim Is True, for a chance to win one of three $25 gift cards!  Hurry up, the comments will be closing at 11:59 pm Pacific time on Thursday, February 26!

After that, be sure you hit up the Fresh Vintage Blog and leave a comment to win a $25 Gift Certificate! 

image by fresh vintage

Colleen’s blog is so fun and cheeky, my style all the way!  This contest ends at 8pm on Sunday, March 1st.

I’m honored to be featured on both of these fantastic websites - thank you, guys!  And best of luck, everyone!

Wise Owls Drink Green Smoothies

This smoothie is about as green (in color) as they get.  Made with fresh pineapple, spinach, apple cider, orange juice, ice, and spirulina (yes, that's algae and no, you can't taste is at all.)  I first read about the green smoothie phenomenon here, and it literally changed our lives, especially Max's.  The boy who used to despise every vegetable on earth, would happily chug a smoothie packed with all kinds of green goodness.  And now, I guess his palate has changed, and he is trying more new foods every day, and even asked for broccoli yesterday.  He only actually ate one spear...but still.  Baby steps.  Since we have been smoothie addicts for about a year now, we had already burned up the motors of two good-quality blenders, and I still couldn't get that perfectly smooooth consistency that I really wanted.  So last month, I totally went for it:

I bought a Blendtec, and it's one of the best appliance purchases I've ever made.  I'm not gonna lie people, this is crazy expensive blender, we're talking $400 a pop.  It was a tough decision , but we had the money (for a change) and honestly, if I had know how amazing it was, I would have turned a blind eye and put one on a credit card a long time ago.  Not even kidding.  I'm not going to blather on and on like a commercial, you can check out all of the details on their website if you are interested.  Be sure to watch the Will It Blend? videos for hours of entertainment!  Max definitely got a kick out of them, I like the ones where they destroy an iphone and a Barbie.  There really isn't much you can't do with this blender.  So far I've only ventured into smoothies, juice, and soups.  I'm dying to try peanut butter, grinding grains, sorbet, ice cream, almond and rice milk, etc.  And, just so you know, it was a tough choice between the Blendtec and the Vita Mix.  I had wonderful recommendations for both of these brands.  In the end, I went with the Blendtec because it's seemed a little more versatile and better suited to our needs, but they are both excellent blenders, I doubt you can go wrong with either of them.  We use ours pretty much every day, and it definitely feels like a permanent part of our lives, not just a passing phase.  I can barely contain my excitement for the coming spring and summer here in Asheville!  I fully plan to OD on Cherokee purples, sliced with just a pinch of salt.   I may even blend a few of them, too.  Make some preserves, or juice.  You know, just for fun. 

 

*Anybody out there have a must-try Blendtec or Vitamix recipe for me?  I'd love to hear your recommendations!

 

{FYI - I'm not paid/compensated to endorse any of the blenders (or heirloom tomatoes) mentioned in this post.  Not that I'm against advertising on blogs (far from it!)  But If I'm ever paid to sponsor something, I will be sure to let you know up-front.}  :)

Hedgehogs in Love

I'm just a teeny bit excited that Max is finally, really getting into drawing/painting/crafty stuff.  He was never much for coloring and painting as a baby-toddler, though lord know I tried to push it on him.  So, as it always goes, as soon as I let up and leave him alone...low and behold, he is now a drawing-machine.  I signed him up for the Kid's ATC swap, and here he is working on his cards.

All of his cards featured his "signature" hedgehog.  This one is my favorite:

The two hedgehogs (bottom middle) are kissing, and in love - hence the hearts.  They are in the forest - hence the trees on either side of them.  The trees are also in love.  And, as if even he was worried his drawings were getting a little girly, he stamped each one with a brown pirates skull stamp.  Nice.  We just got these off in the mail, and Max is so looking forward to receiving cards from his 5 swappers.  Max really had a great time with this, and it's made me miss swapping, too.  I took myself out of the game a while ago because I hate overcommitting myself, and I've just had too much on my plate lately.  But there is always an excuse, you know?  I need to suck it up and get back out there.  Swaps are such fun.

Sugar Run

Could we have picked a better or more magical day, weather-wise, to visit a local maple syrup farm?     

Seriously.

This is definitely one of the many occasions where I wish there was a scratch-and-sniff blog application.  All of the warm, sweet steam rising out of the cabin was rich caramel.  Burnt butterscotch. A cinnamon toast convention.  I could have died there (and died happy.) 

Maple Creek Farm, located in Burnsville NC, is the Southern-most sugar bush in North America.  And, if I recall correctly, they are the only commercial maple syrup producer in all of NC.  It was truly a wonder to see the high-strung tubing that carried the sugar from the trees and down the hill, with only the help of gravity.  After the tour, we took home a 12 ounce bottle of dark maple syrup, which won't last long, I'm sure.  Luckily they will be selling at a local farmers market.  Mike also snagged a bag of their scrumptious pork sausage, as they also have pork, lamb, apple cider and other wares to offer, too.  And as an added bonus, I somehow managed to spill a tablespoon of syrup from my sample cup into my right coat pocket, all over my keys, gloves, and our grocery list.  Only me, I tell you.  Anyway, it was a glorious afternoon and a lovely welcome back home after our week-long trip to VA.  As nice as it is to be back home, I'm seriously missing all of our friends and family. The whole time we were at the farm I kept thinking, "Amber would so love this."  And, "I wish my sister was here with us."  etc.  If only I could teleport everyone I love to Asheville!  Oh well.  I guess I can't have my syrup and eat it too, eh? 

Nobody Blogs In February

Not true, but I'm trying to spread the rumor for my own selfish reasons.  Me and the fam are currently taking a break and visiting our homeland in good, old Virginny.  We'll be back and ready for action next week, so LOOK OUT!  For now, check out this interview I did for the fantastic Indie NC Blog - thank you so much, guys!  Rambling on and on about myself is always such a pleasure.

These are the Daves I know

Kids in the Hall episodes are one of my current go-to background shows I have playing while working, packing orders, portioning stuff, editing photos etc.  Sometimes, music just doesn't cut it for me, but there is a fine art to finding a movie/tv show that is entertaining, but not too captivating.  Something that will keep you going, but not entirely distract you.  And I love how Kids in the Hall totally remind me of high school, but in a good way, which is pretty uncanny.  Some other shows that make the cut:  Eddie Murphy stand-up, Malcolm in the Middle, and Roxanne (via netflix instant view.)  I hadn't seen that movie in ages, and it's just so darn cute!  Classic Steve Martin, he's just too good.  I love the "something better" scene.

Oh, and another fave, Grounded for Life.  That show was so fun, and I think it was seriously underrated.  Plus, I have a huge crush on Eddie.  Don't know why, I just love him.

What do you guys like to watch-while-working these days?

Bake It Easy

Mike and I have a lot of fun with the old shop name, especially late at night, during marathon packing/shipping sessions.  "Bake It Funky," is a current favorite.  I don't think I've mentioned it,  but Mike (my spouse-man) has taken a much larger role in the shop lately.  He is currently the entire packing and shipping department, and he moonlights as a kit maker and product portioner.  He is an excellent packager, probably better than me, certainly more efficient.  It was our plan that Mike would help with the shop, if needs be, and - uh - the need definitely be.  I'm so excited at how well things are going so far, almost 3 months into the new shop.  I don't like to talk about, I feel like I'm going to jinx it.  So much better than I expected, hoped, dreamed, or planned.  In fact, that is the explanation for my absence on the blog lately.  There is so much to do, and so much I want to do, and just not enough hours in a day.  We want to keep the shop a two-person operation for as long as possible, hopefully the first year. 

I guess I have a lot to say, or a lot I could say, about what we are doing, how we are doing it and why,...why we sold our house and moved last August, how Mike quite his crazy job, how our son Max doesn't go to school (have I ever really mentioned that here?)  I guess I don't get too personal on the blog often...no real reason why.  Maybe I should?  I don't know.  I guess I could sum it all up by saying:  our little family was doing kinda crummy and heading downhill, so we took a leap and tried something new. So far, things have turned around and are looking up - more and more every day.  It took a lot of courage, support, and a healthy dose of luck to get us where we are now.  We are grateful every day.  We are grateful for everything.  Will all of this really work in the long run?  Can we really support our family with our own business?  Will working together all day, every day drive Mike and I insane?  No idea.  But we'll find out, won't we?  And if it doesn't work - we'll start over with something else. Because, I think now that we've broken free, there is no turning back. 

Gah!  Where was going with that?  Time to distract you with something shiny!

So yeah, thanks to some awesome press, the candy buttons stuff is really flying off the shelves.  I knew they would, I mean....look how wonderful they are!  Someone did raise the concern that they could confuse small children, since they look so realistic.  So I gotta say, don't give these to babies.  We can't have them trying to eat real vintage buttons.  I mean, you know how expensive those things are!?  And who wants to dig through a dirty diaper to salvage them later?  Not me.  It reminds me of this time my little brother tried to eat a teddy-bear shaped bar of soap one Christmas.  In his defense, it was brown and everything - very realistic looking.  So don't don't torture your toddlers, save these button candies for the responsible adults in your life (if you know any), and for the love of God, keep them away from your crafting table.  You could accidentally crack a molar on a real button, should you reach for the wrong jar. 

(Button candy tutorial, free label printout, and shopping info can be found over on the Bake It Pretty Blog.)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

we like to eat & another giveaway

I'm not into the copycat restaurant recipes (because they usually disappoint,) but this one for Buca's Porchetta Rustica is pretty on-point.  And now, since Buca has taken this item off their menu, all the more reason to perfect this dish at home.  Oh my gosh, it's so good. You really should try it.  It rates a medium on the "fancy scale", since it requires capers, fresh blueberries, and filberts - items not usually in my pantry on any given day.  But you can sub pecans for the filbert no problem, and a small jar of capers is hardly a major investment.  I followed the recipe pretty much to the letter, except I use a pork tenderloin instead of a pork roast.  Just because they are easier to cook, very tender, and kinda better for you, too - healthwise.  All told, it's a pretty fast dish to whip up and nice change of pace from our usual stand-bys...

Homemade pizza, how we adore you. But really, we probably resort to this dinner way too often.  It's just such a crowd pleaser, everyone get's their own toppings - everyone is happy.  And you can't beat the speed.  I make the dough in the kitchenaid mixer (using the recipe from the book that came with it) and it turns out great every time.  I just started using a pizza stone too, so now they are even better.  Yum.  And as if I haven't been porking out enough lately, I made another batch of those Sweet & Spicy Walnuts I mentioned a few posts ago:

I thought they looked so pretty in these little windowed bakery boxes from the shop.  And since I certainly do not need to eat them all myself, I thought it'd be nice to share the love (and calories) by giving away two of these pretty boxes.  This will be a fast and furious kind of giveaway, since I want to get these in the mail as soon as possible, nuts being perishable and all.  So I will close the comments later this afternoon.

*If you'd like to enter, please leave a comment in this post, and tell me whether you consider yourself to be sweet or spicy  ;)  I'll draw 2 winners to receive a little box of yummy, nutty goodness.  Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you to get an address.  Oh, and only US folks for this one, please (due to the food-aspect and all.)

Thanks for playing!

 

*COMMENTS NOW CLOSED*

Happy-lucky winners are:

 

Eartha Kitsch

Chrysanthemum

 

If you haven't already received an email from me, be sure to send me your mailing address ASAP. 

And please note:  I will not be held responsible should you gain weight, chip a tooth, or become severely addicted to these walnuts.  Munch at your own risk, and thank you for your patronage.

Giveaway at the Crafty Crow

We love The Crafty Crow.  What a fantastic website, full of inspiring and easy projects for you and your kiddos.  Max and I check it out at least once week, and I love that we can just scroll down until he finds a project he'd like to try, and there is the full tutorial and instructions - easy peasy.  It can really be a lifesaver sometimes, especially when my creative brain is tapped and the "I'm BORED" chanting starts to take over the house!  I'm very excited this week to be offering a $50 gift certificate, for Bake It Pretty, in the Crafty Crow's regular Giveaway Monday.  So hop over there and enter your name in the drawing, too!  And good luck, everyone!