Tea Party Anyone?

I think I am finally on the healing side of this cold!

Man,it has been a long rough struggle! For the last 2 weeks I have taken more pills than my liver or kidneys ever want to see again. I have slept too much and at times not at all. I have become very acquainted with the many types of fluids the human body produces. At times I honestly just wanted to die,I was miserable. Just when I decided to surrender and go to the Doctor.....I started to feel better.

The last two days I have felt a little better each day..oh thank you God!

Today I slept 12 hours. It was hard to sleep on such a beautiful day but the sacrifice had to be made. I need to get better. Then Vern and I went for Thai in hopes that the spicy Tom Yum soup would help cure me.

It smells like curry,garlic and lemongrass. Like most Thai food it has simple ingredients yet tastes so delicious and complex. I followed that with a cup of Celestial Seasonings Eucalyptus Wellness tea this evening (http://www.celestialseasonings.com/products/detail.html/wellness-teas/echinacea-complete-care). It's the first time I can remember buying or "steeping" tea for myself. I'm a coffee girl. It wasn't good but it wasn't horrible. I drank the whole cup in the sake of good health and I was rewarded. That warm tea stopped my cough and cleared my nose almost immediately! I won't be drinking it everyday but...perhaps I will explore this tea thing further.
I found this cute photo while writing this blog and just had to share! It's proof that photographers are a little nutty...who else would think to stick a half naked baby in a pumpkin,matching hat and all?! haha Yet I strive to be this "insanely" creative someday! I heart photography :)

One more thing before I head to bed,take a peak at http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/pumpkins

and check out her carved pumpkin ideas. They are amazing and somewhat simple...This is one of my faves-

But realistically..I'm doing this instead-

and hopefully this cute project-

Use a pumpkin incense burner to suggest the cozy scent of pie just out of the oven. Cut off the pumpkin's top and scrape out the innards; carve round vents with an apple corer. Rub cinnamon or pumpkin-pie spices onto the lid, or push cloves into it. With a lighted tealight candle inside, the pumpkin will give off a lovely fragrance for about six hours.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Pumpkin Pie Potpourri - Martha Stewart Holidays 

 

Oh Martha! 

Nite :p

Happy Truffle Thoughts

I love food. I love to research it. I love to shop for it. I love to prepare it. I love smelling it.I love sharing it with others. BUT I ALSO LOVE..the happy memories it creates.
 That being said....
Allow me to be blunt. This. Summer. Sucked. Soaking wet spring to sudden triple digit weather and now a dreary fall. I have happily gardened,hiked,photographed and more in an attempt to make the best of it. Now we have been told to prepare for a long,cold winter. Check please!!In an attempt to maintain my sanity, I have turned my energy into starting a few projects around the house and...cooking. The thought of cooking through the holidays excites me! Ohhhh there is hope! Quickly I remember a recipe I found last year. Easy Oreo Truffles.MMMmmm I shared this recipe until my printer ran out of ink. Happy memories! Did I mention..I love food!? Wait..what..was I just complaining about something? I forget..so let's get back to truffles :)

Easy Oreo Truffles
Grind up one whole package of Oreos in your blender/food procesor. Save out about 1 cup of ground up Oreos and put it to the side.
 Add one 8 oz package of room temp. cream cheese to the remaining Oreos and combine well.
Then form them into one inch balls and refrigerate.
Melt one package of chocolate chips on a double broiler or very carefully in a microwave.
Dip the Oreo balls into the melted chocolate and coat well.
Place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.
Take the cup of ground up Oreos and sprinkle the extra crumbs all over the truffles.
Refrigerate until chocolate sets,about 20 minutes.
Enjoy!

Sicky Icky

It seems that I quickly figured out why I was grumpy the other day..I was catching a horrible cold from Vern!
We spent 3 days sleeping. It's been about a year since I had a cold and I think this one is making up for lost time! Yesterday, we drug our tattered selves to the pharmacy for Mucinex and Emergencee vitamins. Mucinex is my new best friend :) It's spendy but worth every penny.My plan of attack is to keep the sickies at bay while I load up on vitamins. I think it's working... So I returned to work today and survived a 7 hour shift..it felt like such a huge victory! Now to survive one more day of work so I can have two more days off to recover....

A Little Funky

I've just been in a bit of a funk the last two days..

I wish I could tell you why..but even I don't know.

Maybe it was because the weather lady said we would have sun..
and we had none.

I wanted to get the mulching done but ended up overwhelmed with distractions.

Sometimes I struggle with having a roommate,
this weekend was no exception.

I found an adorable iron carriage for the garden on craigslist,
but I sadly had to pass it up because it was just a little out of my price range ($30) for an unnecessary splurge.

All such silly little trivial complaints....
I guess I will assume it was one of the usual culprits-
being a woman and/or the weather. haha

On a more positive note..

Vern walked through the door today with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for me! He completely surprised me! Good timing eh?! I keep saying it...this man of mine is soo amazing! I love you Vern!

The gardening and mulching that I did get done looks great!
A fresh blanket of bark mulch makes the Hens and Chicks look all snuggled in for winter :)

I have been researching and reading about gardening like a madwoman and by the time spring comes..
I will be prepared!
I will have a plan!
My newly fenced in yard will be adorable!
My gardens will be plentiful!
My wallet will be empty!

I also got to spend some time with one of my bestest friends.She is making some sobering life changes and I am very proud of her!

It's Getting To Be That Time Of Year Again...

I'm sorry if I am the first to say it but..

the holidays are approaching fast!

Looks like there will be a few warm fall days ahead, so I plan to soak them up and play in the yard as much as possible!

Besides,I have so much work left to do outside... before I can start my inside projects ...while also planning next spring's projects....eye-yi-yi-yi-yi  

:p

I'm not much into the "Gothic" Halloween thing so I think I might try these stencils from Birds and Blooms Magazine

http://www.birdsandblooms.com/Gardening/Fall/Halloween-Stencils

Or this cute flower idea from Real Simple Magazine

http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/halloween/new-uses-halloween-items-00000000006103/page3.html

But in case I lose my motivation to carve,these are clever..

http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/halloween/easy-no-carve-pumpkins-00000000043701/page4.html

OH and that Rachael Ray can be so inspiring..

I love the almond and berry flower cake deco,I think it would also be cute on cupcakes.

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/video-how-to/how-to-cook/Good-to-Know-Techniques/how-to-decorate-a-cake

You know that Christmas will sneak upon us too!

So be prepared!

Start now!

Grab up cheap end of summer deals on candles,lotions and other stocking stuffers.

Scan the last few weeks of the Farmer's Market for unique gifts. 

(I bet locally made honey,soaps and spices will be a nice treat on a cold winter day :))

Schedule holiday photo session.

Start shopping for or making cards.They take time you won't have after Halloween.

(Don't argue-November and December are come and gone in what feels like 3 weeks remember?)

Sorry for the mini heart attack but...somebody had to do it.

You're welcome in advance

:)

Beans, Beans, The Musical Fruit...

Today I want to talk about food. I had fun cooking and tasting a few new foods today and thankfully it all turned out delish!
First of all,my new fascination is cooking with wine. Most all alcohols make me ill so I had never learned much about wine. The lemon artichoke chicken recipe I tried last week called for a dry white wine so for the first time ever,I bought a bottle. It added a savory rich flavor to the chicken and spiked my curiosity to use it more often. I used this recommended brand,Buckley's Cove and I got it CHEAP at Grocery Outlet.

I finally found quinoa (keen-wa) earlier this month and have patiently waited for an opportunity to try it...

I also went on a bean buying spree last week-black,black eye,pinto,split pea,soup blend...to name a few. I have a theory that beans are one of the keys to healthy frugal living. At 69 cents per bag,I am feeling a bit validated so far...
 Then I saw a cook on TV make turkey and Brie turnovers-it looked too easy! I headed on a quest to find pastry sheets. I returned with 3 boxes of them and a box of phyllo dough just in case.The cook on TV made an orange glaze to drizzle over her turnovers,it looked good but my mind turned immediately to  cranberries. Could I make a cranberry sauce out of jellied cranberries? I needed to know. These turnovers suddenly sounded too good to be true!

 So this all leads me to tonight's dinner..

Mixed bean soup with quinoa and veggies-I had been told that beans were a pain because of the soaking and cooking. Not true! Yes they do require an hour of soaking and a few hours of cooking but they are so worth it! Easy and cheap. Then I added sauteed garlic,onion and green pepper,homemade chicken broth frozen from last chicken,a little crookneck squash,1/2 cup of quinoa, a crazy mix of everything from canned mushrooms to dried veggie mix and some turkey. It was a thick hearty soup,perfect for this rainy day and cost me less than $5 to make! Quinoa is fun but strange. It's tiny little clear balls,similar to but smaller than tapioca, that kinda taste like rice and barley.

Quinoa is supposed to be a low fat and healthy "superfood"...but I think I will stick to rice and barley.

Turkey & Brie Turnovers- These look and taste impressive but are shamelessly easy to make! Defrost puff pastry and cut each sheet into 4 triangle pieces. In the middle of each triangle put diced turkey and a slice of Brie. Egg wash (another first for me-egg and a tsp of water) the edges and fold the pastry triangle in half.Press edges with a fork to seal and finish with a light egg wash on top. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Best eaten with hands and dipped in cranberry reduction...

Cranberry reduction ( a Cara original)-Empty one can of jellied cranberry sauce into a sauce pan. Add 1/4 of water and heat on medium while whisking the jellied cranberries into a liquid.Add a splash of white wine (this stuff is sooo much more fun to cook with than drink!),a big pinch of brown sugar and a pinch of salt to taste. Whisk and reduce for 5-10 minutes. Del was licking it off his empty plate..it was that good :)

I also made cupcakes and cookies but I have made those many times before..
I love to play with food.
Back to work tomorrow....

I Am Hairdresser,Hear Me Roar

 After 14 years in the hair business,it's days like today when I am reminded that being a hairdresser isn't WHAT I am..it's WHO I am. Although it doesn't pay much and at times can be more stressful than my medications can overcome...I love it. Sometimes I dream about a fancy job where I get paid big bucks to do little work....but that's just not the real me. I am a Hairdresser and darn proud of it. Let me share with you why..

9am- "Sara" arrives. She is a client I have known for 10 years with the most beautiful,healthy, long red hair you have ever seen. She is ready to donate 12" of it to Locks Of  Love but is understandably a little nervous. I reassured her that some little girl will be delighted to have a wig of her amazing hair,she agreed. Two large braids to donate and a new shoulder length haircut later..she danced out the door smiling and repeatedly thanking me. I laugh and remember that they also pay me to do this..

10 am- "Betty" is waiting with her usual smile. She's a hip 70ish year old and she makes me laugh the whole time we are together. She usually doesn't have me style her hair after her haircuts but last time I insisted that she let me "treat" her to a dry and curl.Before Betty was even seated in my chair today,she had started to tell me that her husband had noticed her new "do" last time. She explained her husband is not the mushy type but he had gone gaga over her hair. It was the first time in a very LONG time that he had told her how beautiful she was! She thanked me over and over for making her feel and look beautiful.Yes I could tell you that every woman should be reminded regularly of how beautiful they are,despite a hair do or a new outfit but not all women are.That doesn't mean they don't feel loved and happy..it just means that when a rare compliment IS made..they savor it for a very long time. I'm just thankful I could help as I thanked her in return..for reminding me once again,why I love what I do.

11am-"Cindy" is a favorite client of mine. 50ish years old and she works 2 jobs as a Nurse and Ordained Minister. She has great stories and funny jokes. We complained to each other about the poor gardening season. I shared my disappointment that I had promised her Basil but this year it just didn't grow. She sympathized as she is mourning the loss of a huge Rosemary plant she relied on for so many of her recipes.It's so nice to have gardening friends that share my woes! ;P

12pm-I spent the next 3 hours with "Debbie". I colored and highlighted every strand of her thick,curly hair. Bye bye gray! That almost 60 year old left looking somewhere in her 40's. And they say there is no "Fountain Of Youth"? HA! Yes there is!It's in my backroom!

3pm- The last appointment of the day and I am happily surprised to see "Sheila" returning for a 2nd time. Sheila is one of my hair mentors and I admit that I get a little star struck and dorky nervous when I see her. She is a local Beautician who wrote a book of short stories about her 20 years in the business. I love her book and I had spent most of my evenings reading it while we were camping last week. Today she is ready for a new short style. She explains her requests and concerns and then tells me to have at it ..and have fun with it. I cut, textured and shaped her hair with no fear. It was only our 2nd meeting but the conversations are so great I'm pretty sure we could chat for hours without pause. A few good laughs and about 30 minutes of creative freedom later she loved it! It was "Exactly what I wanted..like you read my mind!" and I was relieved. Sheila gave me a gift today and I'm not too sure she knows it. We were chatting about the "magnetic qualities" you should have to be successful in this business. She said that my "magnetic qualities" were that I am confident,happy and non judgmental. I am known to have a soft heart for most all living things..even people (haha) but it was the first time someone had ever said that I was non judgmental. It meant a lot coming from someone with as many years of experience as her. I hope her perception of me is a popular opinion :)

4pm-Day over. Off to share a relaxing evening with my cute boyfriend.

I like days like this,it's chicken soup for my soul.
It's about so much more than hair...and yet it's all about the hair.
I don't want this to ever feel like "another day at the office",no matter how stressful it can be.
I want to be sure to appreciate all the awesome little parts of my days and the wonderful people that I get to meet.
I am a Hairdresser and darn proud of it.