A Birthday Song To The Tone Of "A"

Happy Birthday to meeee!!! I feel so loved! Thank you everyone for the beautiful cards and wishes that I received for my recent (Ahem! Cough, Cough) 20 something birthday!!!

I have been on the lookout for a beautiful sounding wind chime for my back patio...I found one that I love but it turns out it didn't really make much of a sound...but it was still cute so I thought I would make the most of it, not to mention that it was a fun experience hunting for and finding it while out and about with my aunt.

Well you can imagine my delight when a packaged arrived in time for my birthday from my Benjamin!!!

It actually arrived 4 days early and I managed to wait 2 days until Ben told me that I could open it!

Based on this packaging I still wasn't familiar with this company so the contents were still very much a mystery until I opened the box.

What an amazing present!!! Ben told me that he got the idea to find a chime after our recent visit to his parents house, where his mom has a very large sized chime by this company that I was so entranced by.

No wonder he was asking what other colors (besides yellow) are my favorite...sneaky sneaky this one is! But I love it when people surprise me because I usually catch wind of it beforehand.

He picked out a beautiful teal color for me that sings to the beautifully hand tuned tone of "A". I love how the light is hitting it (can you tell how much I love this thoughtful present?!?)!

Isn't it beautiful?!?!?!?

(Oooh look! You can see how well my raised garden beds are doing in the background...I will post about that later!).

Later that evening my dad treated me to the Jasmin Mongolian Grill for dinner and then we went and saw the Great Gatsby! Excellent film, stunning cinematography and stylistic approaches. I was surprised of the way that the soundtrack is used throughout the film...hard to hear actually during the movie. It was a bit disappointing since the soundtrack was the initial motivator for me to go see the movie...but make no mistake, I still really enjoyed the film once I got used to this aspect.

Anyway both were brilliantly done!!!

Heat Wave ~ Stay Cool!

The first heatwave of the summer has happened in Sunny Washington! It has been high 80's and today it is supposed to get into the low 90's... Well who wants to cook in that kind of heat?!? Not this girl, so it is smoothie time!!!

What better and EASY way to have a nutritious meal that cools you down too, not to mention that it also is a great way to use up produce before it having to throw it out. No one likes to throw money away (at least I hope not)

The ingredients that used for this smoothie:

Spinach
1 tomato

1 avocado

1/2 of a peeled and seeded cucumber

Alkaline powder

Super green powder

Frozen Strawberries/blue/black/raspberry fruit blend

Rice milk (plain/unsweetened)

1 kiwi, peeled

I put in a good amount of spinach first, then layered the cucumber, diced tomato, avocado, Alkaline and Super Green powder and rice milk. I add enough rice milk so that it can blend well.

Time to puree that bad boy!

Looking good so far! That makes me feel healthy just looking at it!

Next add a good amount of frozen berries and the peeled kiwi (to taste). The berries/fruit is what I use to sweeten it up, and TA-DAH! You have a nutritious meal, easy clean up and something to cool you down in the summer months!

I also will fill up some travel cups and stick them in the freezer overnight so that I can take them with me to work in the morning...it takes all morning to defrost so it is ready in time for lunch! Freeze any extra and eat it like a sorbet/icee (as you can see I did in the little jar). Make sure you leave enough room at the top for the smoothie to expand as it freezes or your container can split or crack!

Work out alternative:

I certainly find it hard to work out when it is really hot so I either will work out early in the morning or late evening after dinner...basically I will pop one of these workouts in my DVD player as soon as the house is at it's coolest .

I highly recommend these Ballet Beautiful workouts by Mary Helen Bowers!!!

Bargain finds!

Oh the Goodwill...I have learned that patience is the key with second hand stores...and patience definitely paid off this most recent trip.

One of the most important tips that I can give you is that you need to understand and accept that on some visits you will not find a darn thing...and that's OKAY!!! Walk out of there knowing that you still have your money and know that eventually you will hit the jackpot. I have found that it comes in waves...you either find everything that you had put in the back of your mind...or nothing at all. It is important to not purchase items just because they are "there" in front of you or pick up an item "just because", otherwise you might find yourself in a very cluttered home or taking back a box of your own to donate back to a Goodwill or thrift store..

So on this trip...What did I find?

1. A brand new exercise top with the tags still on it

2. A dressy tank top with a pretty design

3. A book for a friend (future present)

4. A wine rack

5. A kitchen rug/mat

6. A BEAUTIFUL sundress!!!

My total for said purchases came to a little over...wait for it... $22.00!!!!

I have been looking for a little rug for my kitchen for ages but didn't feel like paying $20 for a nice quality/cute one...

This rug was originally marked for $7.99 but it was a pink tag item so it was half off...I can handle that $4.00 price.

A tip...only shop for whatever colored tag/deal day it is. Unless the item you want is a decent price...this way when you find your item it is either 1/2 off an already reduced price or $.99!

Two tops that were also pink tag sales around $3 to $4 each

I finally found my wine rack!!!! Nothing that a little bit of Sharpie can't help fix!!!

I used two shades of Sharpie and look at how the dinged corner looks brand new! This wine rack was the most expensive of my purchases totalling about $6 "Gasp" I know it wasn't a pink tag item but I have been looking for ages for wine rack so sometimes you do have to grab an item when you finally come across the perfect one!

Finally to THE sundress!!! I loved the dress, it is from American Eagle...it was yet again a pink item sale.

The one thing that I didn't like was the straps. They were supposed to tie or knot but I hated the look of the extra straps hanging down and just looking awkward so...I decided to fix that issue because again for $4.00 I can afford to make an alteration!

 I decided to just twist the two straps around each other and secure/sew them.

 I'm surprised that I could focus as this happened around 1:45 AM this morning...Hey, I was inspired what can I say!

The finished product I think looks much more polished.

The finished product!

I highly recommend bringing or finding your hand sanitizer as you will be browsing through dusty and sometimes not so clean items and don't forget to wash or clean EVERYTHING that you do end up purchasing!!!

Happy hunting!

"Sew" much going on!

This last week and weekend was a whirlwind filled with sewing projects, painting, auditions for Tacoma Musical Playhouse (TMP) (Cross your fingers for me!!!), emergency trips to the veterinarian and urgent care for friends, acrobalance rehearsal and faire/character preparation for Folk Life up in Seattle!!!

I'm on the flier for Faire!!!!! We were passing out hundreds of these this weekend!

 Ishka and Lumi, all set to go!

 Lumi and Brishen...admiring our green and burgundy color scheme

Yep, Lumi couldn't resist the temptation to sit and try her hand at/on the Iron Throne from the show "Game of Thrones", she even showed a bit of *gasp* ankle!

 Faire folk taking a Kodak moment also known as "Flemish painting".

I have finally decided on my skirt colors and have begun the process of cutting out the yards upon yards of fabric and sewing my tiers. I am determined to have this finished in time for Faire!!!

Well I broke my first needle on my sewing machine...snapped the needle into three parts! Yikes...all because of that last darn/green tier. I might have to break out my serger to get through the thickness of the green fabric...

My Fabulous Find? An adorable pair of leopard pumps for...drum roll....$10, brand spankin' new!

After a morning bike ride with fabulous friends down along the Foothills trail in Orting...(I have to say that those "scattered showers" that the weatherman forecast was complete bollocks! It was a steady and fairly heavy rain the entire time...my body was so numb by the end of the ride that I could barely stand when I got off of my bike to start loading it into my car! Good thing I brought towels! Haha! )

ANYWAY to get back on track, I tried my hand at Looming!!! 

I am in love with it! I finished it in the time it took to watch two movies..."About a Boy" and "Love Actually" both with Hugh Grant playing in the background...It is much fun!!! I have a book that shows some of the basics but also shows some really adorable patterns for so many things such as house slippers, scarves, several different types of hats, cowl necks, bags and much more. I'm going to have to get some more yarn because of course I want to try many of these projects!

You can see the loom, left over yarn and tools still on my couch.

Smile!!! There is the instruction book still open after I read how finish my little hat. I'm so happy with it!

Forget Me Nots and Reviews

It has been almost a year since my beloved Puffers passed away and yes I am ashamed to admit that I put off creating a memorial space/plot that was worthy of his little memory... I was hoping to plant a purple lilac shrub as his little marker but 1. they are crazy expensive and 2. when I finally made it to the hardware store they no longer had them in stock.

I finally decided on Forget-Me-Nots...appropriate, delicate and petite...all which seemed to embrace Puffers' spirit...and the end result I think couldn't have been happier with. It all felt just right when I was finished.

 

I think it turned out so cute! I ended up putting chicken wire over the entire thing...for now at least as there are some feral cats that like to use parts of my yard as their litter box...I hear that sprinkling cayenne pepper deters felines...but I think I need to do more research as I am absolutely appalled at the idea of them doing that over Puffers' final resting place!

I bought a bunny coaster from a local (Gig Harbor) artist. How cute...I couldn't help but pick one up for my art studio...and I justified this $5.00 purchase as supporting local artists!

I managed to find time to read Don Miguel Ruiz's "The Four Agreements" in several days despite my busy schedule...I found it fascinating and the topics that it addresses I have and can apply to my life. There is always room for improvement.

The 4 agreements are:

Be Impeccable With Your Words
Don't Take Anything Personally
Don't Make Assumptions
Always Do Your Best

If you haven't read literature that touches base with these topics, you might find that this book challenges the personal views or possible illusions that we (can) surround ourselves with.

Because I enjoyed this Toltec wisdom that Ruiz Sr.'s book provided, it seemed like a natural choice to choose:

Unfortunately, I couldn't even finish this book. I didn't even get halfway through before returning it to the library (well before it's due date). I hate to say that it felt a bit stale? (and no I'm not talking about that library books aroma!). I used to be so stubborn in the mindset that I HAD to finish whatever book I picked up, even if it felt like torture. I am happy to say that I no longer have that mindset...I want to actually retain some of the information that I read...I hate it when you keep re-reading a sentence or paragraph with out even realizing it, or even more frustrating when you DO realize it but the information just isn't sinking in. Ruiz Jr.'s writing style didn't have that seamless flow that his father's had...perhaps the information felt more like a review for me...it just wasn't hitting home for me like "The Four Agreements".  I don't want to simply "go through the motions" with anything in life let alone reading and how ironic would it be while trying to read about Toltec wisdom. Now, this isn't saying that I won't try to read this book again...maybe I will and maybe it will hit a sweeter note for me, but for now I am moving on.

Mt. Si

You can't do a hike without starting it off on the right note and with the "proper" fuel...so of course I stopped off at the the House of Donuts of Lakewood and picked up a donut for everyone...I picked a blueberry glazed for myself....Mmmm delicious!!!

The perfect amount of glaze, not too dense not to airy and just enough fluff!

The House Of Donuts of Lakewood

The beautiful and breathtaking view at the top of Mt. Si, a 4 mile steady climb. Feel the burn!!!

I saw a few people running up or attempting to run the entire trail and I'm not going to lie, I totally wanted to race'em up even though I haven't trained at all for that...well you better believe that it made me want to run up Mt. Si for myself...Yup...it's going to happen...so stay tuned because you know I am going to have to time myself too.

My cousin who took this picture obviously didn't let us know that he was taking pictures. Lol gotta love a flattering/candid shot.

There we go...now that is more of what I would call camera ready!

Hoorah Ladies!!!

Cousins!!!

Needless to say the next day I felt a bit like this:

I love when I push myself to the point of exhaustion! It's a love/hate relationship when I can barely get up from the couch or it takes me a while to get my sore muscles to start moving again and when my walking gait looks as if I have been riding in the saddle for a week...all you can do is laugh about it at that point. I always associate sore muscles with a job well done...

It's ON!

The last time that Ben and I got to visit each other, we had a Mac "N" Cheese bake-athon...

You better believe that has a crumbly topping!

This time around we managed to get our drink on... Am I beginning to sense a pattern here, because I am not competitive at ALL!!! Ha ha!

Yup, before heading to the Seattle Aquarium on our day up in Seattle we stopped by the Crabpot bar by the waterfront for an Alaskan Amber Ale...the waiter asked us what size we wanted. A "regular" or a "large" one...unbeknownst to us what we were about to get ourselves into when we replied with "a large"...the next thing we know he brings us EACH a stein with a liter worth of beer..

Well I felt my competitive stomach flip and the next thing I knew I was pacing Ben.

Now mind you I'm 5'6" and I was keeping up with this fellow who is 6'6"+!!!...needless to say I was pretty proud of myself...because as you can see (the stein on the left with less beer is mine!!) which hints at the outcome as I am sure you can imagine...YES I won! I also have to mention that Ben was pretty impressed with my pacing skills.

We did manage to make it to the aquarium and in time for feeding time and it was so fun to watch the otters show their impressive oyster shucking skills as we stood their feeling pretty satisfied ourselves as the effects of our beverages kicked in.

I'm pretty sure this one is feeling rather satisfied after a belly full of oysters for dinner!

 River Otters!

Get "Otter"here!!!!