the lions of

2009-08-04T16:51:00.010-04:00

K turned nine years old last week! NINE! Wow. I made her a rainbow cake with homemade buttercream frosting. It was way too sweet, but everyone loved it. We went to the zoo, Wannado City, had a mini shopping spree at Toys R Us, and lots of random fun

"You said that was the last picture you'd take...ugh." hahah She had a blast! I can't believe she's nine. Time flies by, man.

2009-06-30T04:18:00.003-04:00

Just an example of how much we've been enjoying the summer, this alone was our Saturday morning. Our regular visit to the Farmer's Market in historic downtown Fort Pierce, Manatee Observation Center, Smithsonian Marine Center, and a picnic in the park. It started off as a gorgeous day, but around noon the dark clouds started rolling in and we had ourselves a genuine thunderstorm to watch from the back porch.

Today was actually the most relaxed day we've had since school let out.

A bunch of massive catfish by the marina.

K showing just how happy A&J beef jerky makes us! It's all-natural, no preservatives (meaning zero nitrites and MSG), made locally from grass fed cattle. "It's heavenly," as K puts it.

A pretty neat sculpture made of salvaged materials in downtown Fort Pierce.

(Sorry this picture has ridiculous levels, but I was driving on the interstate and couldn't exactly meter and adjust accordingly; it just looked cool.)

2009-06-30T04:17:00.000-04:00

My blueberry plants are doing fantastic, and the berries are oh-so-sweet!

2009-06-30T04:09:00.002-04:00

We've had random rainy days, so we've been doing a lot of crafty things! Air-dry clay sculptures, making rock candy, painting, Shrinky Dinks, and melting broken crayons into new multicolor ones. I'll post pictures from the rest of those activities eventually, but here are our clay creations.

Yeah, my snail is a bit creepy with a red mouth. I know.

2009-06-30T04:06:00.001-04:00

Photographs from our last trip to the Palm Beach Zoo. We love our membership!

2009-06-29T01:10:00.008-04:00

I'm trying to catch up on a few weeks of neglecting this little blog. These photos are from trips to Central Florida Zoo, Miami Children's Museum, Shepard's Park, and the moon.

2009-06-29T00:54:00.003-04:00

I've been supremely busy so far this summer, so the less time I'm in the kitchen the better. These are just a minute example of the quick bites I've been scrambling together to beat the clock. Although, it is worth mentioning I started canning preserves and making limoncello!

Cottage cheese with black raspberry preserves and fresh raspberries. Don't knock it, it's seriously delicious!

Chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, parsley, mint, and a splash of extra virgin olive oil.

Good old-fashioned cucumber salad with tomatoes, onions, parsley, pepper, and apple cider vinegar.

Fresh peaches.

I love summertime.

2009-06-01T12:59:00.004-04:00

Please loan me $2,300,000.

The home in Ferris Bueller's Day Off is up for sale at Sotheby's.

You remember the scene where the Ferrari flies through the glass garage at Cameron's house? Well that's the place up for sale. Chicago and it's modern architecture are seriously teasing me for being stuck in Florida's stucco jungle.

2009-05-11T20:45:00.004-04:00

Surprise, surprise...we're pretty sure Apple is a little girl, not a boy. Bummer. She's chatty as all hell. She is slowly turning white, is quacking, and still a momma's baby.

I never sent you a drunk e-mail, it was Apple, I swear.

Her feathers are all a mess. She's in that awkward teenage stage where her adult feathers are coming in, but she still has her baby down.

She finds clouds pretty interesting.

Muh baby's all growed up.
They had a couple of adult Pekin ducks at the zoo. I can't believe Apple will grow into that!

2009-05-11T17:03:00.007-04:00

Mother's Day was pretty awesome. Strangers gave me free stuff, which is always cool. The health food store gave me long stemmed roses and a gift bag full of samples (teas, facial scrub, fun!) and vendors at the Farmer's market gave me free ginger and strawberries, slices of fresh honeydew (perfect for a summer day!), and two ceramic pots! We went to Palm Beach Zoo, South Florida Science Museum, and IKEA to celebrate...me. Or at least to celebrate the things I like to do...and me. Devon and Cheyenne met up with us! It was a very very long day, but completely fun-filled!

I am such a twelve-year-old. I couldn't stop laughing at this sentence.

Ikea had a wonderful marketing scheme to make their rooms look more authenic, they added live children to them! Sweet plan, dudes.
I only need 600 sq. ft. worth of historic bungalow to make me happy...unfortunately, in Florida small means ghetto, not economically smart.

I drove us down there just so we could sit on everything and buy pots for my new plants. I need IKEA closer to me. All in all, Sunday was a win! :)

2009-05-07T09:37:00.003-04:00

Lunch can be so boring. Luckily, K has a pretty awesome mom that makes cutesy, bento-esque lunches for her. All of her classmates and friends get excited to see what her lunch looks like each day. What's even better is that, despite being a picky eater, she eats every bite. The ticket to battling a picky eater is to offer bite size portions of numerous foods so they can experience a new taste without it feeling like a chore to chow down. Well, it works for us, anyhow. ;)

She isn't a fan of cheese, or condiments, so her flower sammies are just turkey and ham. The box is filled with raspberries, broccoli, toasted cinnamon flowers, a strawberry (for good measure), all rested on a bed of romaine. Veggie Crisps, celery with Sunbutter, and Apple & Eve juice to finish it off. While this was a simple lunch, the possibilities and variations are endless!

I ordered bento supplies and over the summer I'll be perfecting the art of cute food for K's lunches in 4th grade. (Fourth grade! Yikes! I'm getting old!) Sooner or later, I'm sure you'll see, yet another, blog from me dedicated to our bento experiments.

2009-05-06T22:52:00.002-04:00

Last week, we had a male cardinal come into the screened pool patio. Unfortunately, before I could get the chance to save it, a certain (declawed) cat captured it.

Today, however, the outcome was quite different for a mourning dove that somehow found it's way into the porch. Luckily, I was able to catch it and set it free outside. It sure was a pretty lil thing.

2009-05-06T22:16:00.006-04:00

Three-Cheese & Broccoli Macaroni & Cheese with Raspberry-Lime Ginger Chicken

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup broccoli, florets
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups of low-fat milk
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup Gorgonzola, crumbled
3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated and divided
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
cooking spray
2/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

(Notes: I chopped the broccoli so I only had florets, no stalk at all. You can also use 1 cup of onions in place of broccoli.)

Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add broccoli, cook until tender and stir occasionally. Add flour and garlic; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly so flour does not burn. Stir in milk and bay leaves, bring to boil. Cook 2 minutes or until thick, stir occasionally with a whisk. Add Gorgonzola, 1/2 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and salt. Stir well. Remove bay leaf.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook pasta in boiling water for 5 minutes or until almost tender, do not add salt. Drain well. Add pasta to cheese mixture, stir well. Coat ramekins with cooking spray, fill with pasta mixture. Combine remaining 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano and panko; sprinkle evenly over pasta mixture. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle with white pepper.

Bake for 25 minutes.

I served it with Raspberry-Lime Ginger Chicken. The flavors compliment one another wonderfully.

Yummy.

2009-04-16T22:40:00.002-04:00

Homemade Ginger Sugar Body Scrub

2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup olive oil
2 tbs ground ginger powder
2 tbs coarse sea salt

You can make smaller amounts, just make sure you double the amount of sugar to olive oil. I also made one with lavender oil instead of ginger. My legs love it!

2009-04-16T22:24:00.002-04:00

Today was Apple's first pool experience. Needless to say, he spent the first few minutes trying to jump out and peeped for me to rescue him. Then something amazing happened, he realized how to use his webbed feet and zoomed across the pool like a rocket. He was pretty stoked after that.

Apple has easily doubled in size already. He's also responding well to his name, when I call him he cocks his head to the side, looks up at me, and shows a sly grin. I never imagined a duckling would have so much personality.

(I should really get out of the habit of calling it a boy, because it's too early to be sexed.)

2009-04-14T18:44:00.006-04:00

A few mobile shots from our Easter weekend in Georgia/South Carolina. I'm still editing actual photographs, they'll be posted shortly.

Apparently, you can get in trouble for picking wildflowers from the side of the highway.

...but that didn't stop me from picking them.
We ate at Huey's on the River in Savannah, GA.

I had a cup of gumbo (the best I have ever had!), fried green tomato muffuleta, and sweet tea. K had a bowl of gumbo (her first time trying it, she loved it!) and good ol' chicken strips.

These dudes were singing gospel on River Street, we dropped some cash on them. They were nice folks.

Back on the road to South Carolina...

My cousin brought her new twin girls over my grandparents. They were adorable, but I was quite willing to hand them back. ;)

My family teaches good manners from birth. ;)
That's the five-year-old version of me in front, that's the clown that caused my lifelong coulrophobia behind me. Seriously.

Apple snuggling.

Elephants with black eyes?

2009-04-14T18:34:00.002-04:00

This is Apple.

Apple likes to snuggle in my neck, eat worms, and follow me around the yard.

2009-04-01T17:16:00.002-04:00

Kite flying society. :)

2009-03-25T14:57:00.002-04:00

Many people cringe at the very word "tofu" but this recipe is guaranteed to win over the biggest skeptics.

Broccoli-Tofu Stir-Fry

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 pound firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups broccoli florets
a handful of snow peas
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced

Combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, cornstarch, rice vinegar, and dark sesame oil in a small bowl. Whisk together, set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in skillet on medium-high. Add tofu, sprinkle with salt. Cook until golden brown. Remove from skillet, keep warm. Add broccoli, snow peas, garlic, and water to pan. Cover, stirring occasionally until broccoli is tender. Uncover, add soy mixture and tofu back to skillet. Stir gently to evenly cover. Let cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally as sauce thickens. Remove from heat.

Serve with spinach noodles (can be found at your local Asian market), or whatever you fancy instead.

2009-03-25T08:57:00.004-04:00

After an extended weekend away, I came home to find myself left with an abundant amount of fresh organic ginger, overripe organic bananas, and half a crate full of clementines.

It must be said that ginger is God's gift to a recipe.

First thought to handle this situation, rather than having the foods go to waste, was to make banana bread! I added cinnamon and, of course, ginger to give it quite a fantastic flavor.

Cinnamon Ginger Banana Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups overripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cut of ginger, minced
3 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease 9x5 loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs, ginger, and bananas to butter mix. Add banana mix to flour mix. Stir just enough to moisten flour. Pour batter into pan.

Bake for 60-65 minutes. Let bread cool for 10 minutes after baking. Get a glass of milk and enjoy a slice!

------------

The extra clementines and remaining ginger ended up lending themselves to the most delicious glaze.

Ginger-Clementine Glazed Chicken

4 boneless chicken breast, sliced into smaller cuts
all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 teaspoons ginger, minced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 cups clementine juice
2 teaspoons clementine peel, grated

(You could easily use oranges or orange juice with this recipe, I simply chose to hand-squeeze clementines.)

Salt and pepper chicken, dust with flour. Melt butter in oil in large skiller over medium-high. Saute chicken until brown. Remove, place aside.

Add ginger to skillet, stir one minute. Add brown sugar and mustard to blend into drippings. Add juice and peel. Simmer until reduced, around 8 minutes.

Return chicken to skillet. Cover chicken with sauce until mixture has a thick glaze consistency.

Remove, serve with noodles or rice.

2009-03-24T21:56:00.007-04:00

Random mobile uploads from the past month (in no order, whatsoever):

Post-sleepover nap!Nerd.

Bunny rabbit.

Pegasus power.

I made conversation heart cakes way back in February.

He beat me...barely. ;)

I bought my mom a ground orchid.

Puppy love.

Pegasus are the new unicorn.

I saved a seagull.

Riley. In my lap. As always.

K loves me just as much as i love her!

Inseparable.

That's how I roll...

2009-03-10T02:33:00.001-04:00

I am still alive, promise. No updates because I've been a very busy bee. See you shortly!

2009-02-08T15:15:00.005-05:00

Some recent work.

2009-02-07T12:07:00.001-05:00

I recently ordered a small run of minicards and business cards from the wonderful UK-based MOO. Well, my minicards arrived! I should be expecting my normal business cards today or Monday. I am in love with this company and their products! The best way a photographer can advertise is to show off their work, am I right? MOO helps do just that. :) I only ran a small batch of 50 business cards and 100 minicards because I don't have a website yet, once I do I'll print them up with the web info on them. For now, they are peachy keen, my friends. Peachy keen.

2009-02-07T12:06:00.002-05:00

Last weekend, I went to Pittsburgh with M for the Superbowl. (We won, of course!) I didn't take nearly enough photos and I'm quite ashamed of it. I did have a wonderful time prancing around in the 15 degree, snowy weather!

2009-02-07T12:06:00.001-05:00

Random mobile uploads from this week:

2009-01-28T15:35:00.000-05:00

Despite 35 degree weather, Tucker found his owl sweater to be quite humiliating.

Mitchie and K.

My favorite little man!

I pinch.

My favorite star doesn't have a name, it has a number.

2009-01-10T15:39:00.000-05:00

2009-01-10T13:50:00.000-05:00

Saint Augustine on a 40 degree Friday turned out to be a pretty good idea. :) While we didn't go on a ghost tour (this time!), we did go to Castillo de San Marcos, a creepy wax museum, and walked in the historic streets with our cameras. It's easy to forget you're in Florida in that city.

I am in love with this house. Please buy it for me. Thanks.

Old man Hemingway.Dickens.

2009-01-07T22:07:00.000-05:00

Sunday

Quinoa with fresh baby spinach and carrots. Simple enough.Monday
Sesame crusted tuna steak with garlic, parmesan and spinach soba noodles.

Tuesday
Tuna Steak Au Poivre, brown rice and quinoa blend with spinach and toasted pinenuts.

(The changes I made for the tuna dipping sauce was substituting the soy sauce with a less sodium soy alternative, splitting the soy in half, and the addition of a good tbsp of wasabi paste. For the pepper mixture, I added Szeged Hungarian Paprika. For salt...wait for it...I used no-salt salt.)

Today!
Lunch: My own homemade hummus and faux tabouli!

I converted last night's leftover quinoa into a tabouli-style dish. I added organic parsley, scallions, and mint from my garden, along with a dash of lemon juice and small diced tomato. The quinoa is so versatile; the dish that was so perfect warm turned into a competely different cold dish for a refreshing lunch the next day.

Dinner: Raspberry-Lime Ginger Chicken with long grain brown rice.

The sauce was simple. I stirred 1/2 cup of organic cane sugar and 1/4 cup of lime juice together in a saucepan over medium until the sugar dissolved. Then I added a 2-inch chunk of peeled ginger and a cup of seedless raspberry preserves in the food processor until it was mixed evenly, slowly adding the sugar mix. I added fresh black pepper and white pepper to taste, then smothered and covered the chicken in a casserole dish. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. I threw some parsley and unsalted butter into the rice, then topped with leftover sauce. Results are amazing!

All meals were completed in 30 minutes or less. This is a huge accomplishment for me since I usually make meals that take 2+ hours to complete. I'm proud of myself!

2009-01-05T22:45:00.000-05:00

Winter break was spent at Brevard Zoo and Palm Beach Zoo, since my parents gave me a zoo membership for Christmas! Here are random photographs from the past two weeks, in no order whatsoever.

We almost wear the same size shoe.

Our gingerbread house was so weak...why would they put red icing in the kit? Creepy.

She was a king vulture!

K stands in a hollowed out "tree of life." It turns out I knew a lot of information about the baobab tree, who knew?

I found two lovely vintage shirt dresses, thanks to the BFF!

K absolutely loves the keyboard I got her for Christmas! There is a feature that lights up the keys to the programmed songs to help you learn until you're ready to play on your own. I really like that it's an instrument that can grow with her as she becomes more proficient.

2009-01-01T21:12:00.000-05:00

Happy 2009!

We spent New Years Eve on the 500 block of Clematis in downtown West Palm.

There was a Joy Division cover band that was fantastic, but sadly only a dozen of us in the few thousand knew any of their songs. There was barely standing room in O'Shea's while the sardine-packed hipsters all sang in unison as the house band played Gin Blossom's "Hey Jealousy." A moment that was surprisingly beautiful despite the surroundings. The beer on the street was anything but cheap, yet I managed to find some Yuengling, Blue Moon, and Stella in the midst of all the Budweiser floating around. I bought a giant Peace sign banner from a Rastafari who told me to "wave it high and proud," which made me smile as Hendrix rang in my head to keep my freak flag flying.

We actually missed the countdown and the champagne toast because we weren't paying attention! The fireworks weren't as impressive from the center of the crowd, but once we walked to the top of the hill...it was grand! You could see folks stopping in their steps to take in the sight before us.

It was a decent way to begin the new year.

2008-12-24T16:49:00.000-05:00

I am SO glad the holidays are coming to a close because I have done more baking and making of sweets than anyone I know. I am a slave to the kitchen.It all started last winter when I discovered the quick and easy recipe for no-bake Oreo truffles. They were an automatic hit at holiday gatherings. These are the photos from last year.

My mistake was mentioning this to my mother. She was entertaining a bunch of girls for her annual ornament exchange party and asked if I'd make some snacks. I made Mint Oreo truffles, brownie bites, and dark cocoa truffles.
However, since the Oreo truffles were such a hit, I was somehow convinced to make 300 of them for another party later in the week. It seriously drained all my enthusiasm for the holidays. I normally hand dip each truffle into the chocolate, but there were just too many! Instead I pour melted chocolate into condiment squeeze bottles (one of my favorite kitchen tools!) and created a ribbon pattern which was much more time efficient. Phew!
So, in case you're curious about these little devils. You take a package of Oreos (I use Mint or Peanut Butter flavor) and remove six cookies, set them aside for a crumble topping or eat them! Crush the remaining Oreos, mix with a package of cream cheese, and form into 1-inch balls on a cookie sheet. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes or so. Melt chocolate bark (white, milk, or dark) and dip truffles into mixture. Set aside at room temperature until chocolate hardens. Serve.

They are in no way healthy, nor organic...but if you need to feed a herd of salivating old women with ravenous sweet tooth this is the trick! ;)

2008-12-23T21:13:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I made a festive dish inspired by Hanukkah, Saffron "Chicken" Broth with Spinach Matzo Balls.

I say "chicken" because I used No-Chicken Broth for a base; I have this unusual aversion to chicken broth. To replace the chicken needed, that would normally be leftover from making the broth, I baked three small chicken breasts. Since I didn't use the chicken for broth, I didn't end up with chicken fat to use for the matzoh balls; so instead of substituting it with another animal fat, I chose to leave out the fat. The recipe really didn't need it. I also added organic dill weed, organic cayenne red pepper, Colman's mustard powder, chopped carrots, dried wild Chanterelle and Shiitake mushrooms to the broth. I added organic ground cumin to the Matzo mixture. It took over two hours, but it was completely worth it! I will definitely re-use the broth recipe for other meals.

This is the broth according to the recipe.
This is the broth according to me, prior to the addition of carrots and dill.
Giant Matzo ball!
This photo does not do the soup justice...it had such a rich depth.

The world record for eating Matzo balls is 78 matzoh balls, but I topped out at five. I think my true limit is three.

2008-12-22T10:30:00.000-05:00

Saturday I took K to Fire & Ice in Vero Beach, where the crowds came out in drones to ice skate (in 65 degree weather, it is Florida afterall), ride ponies, and watch fireworks. They had kids' crafts, charity booths, and local dance and music performances. I suppose it's worth mentioning Santa dropped in for a visit, as well.

Everyone went to a field to watch fireworks, but we sat on the roof of my car so we could hop in the car and beat the traffic afterwards. I have seen my fair share of fireworks shows and I have to say this was, hands down, the very best I have ever witnessed! After what seemed to be the grand finale the crowd cheered in celebration, then BOOM! A massive shower of gold lights filled the sky and a hush filled the air as explosions of color took our breath away. Ten minutes later, I found myself with my mouth agape as I stared heavenward in awe. It was over. There was a small moment of silence as I imagine the rest of the crowd recollecting themselves and their dropped jaws, then a roar of screaming and applause sounded as if The Jonas Brothers had come to town. It was truly spectacular!

We jumped in the car and headed to Sunrise Theatre in downtown Fort Pierce to watch A Christmas Carol. It was a fantastic play. K really enjoyed it! It was a long day, but a nice way to bring in the holidays.

2008-12-17T22:41:00.000-05:00

Here's another intimate meal for one, or two.

I made Pomegranate-Marinated Lamb with Spices and Couscous.

I made the pomegranate molasses (cut recipe in half) from scratch since I didn't have time to find a Middle Eastern market, substituted basil for mint leaves, substituted chicken broth for no-chicken broth, and held back on the cinnamon. I did top with pomegranate arils, but I forgot to photograph the finished product so use your imagination. ;) I also served greek yogurt on the side. All of my ingredients, aside from the POM Wonderful, were organic and/or all-natural. I accompanied the meal with a glass of Herzog Wine Cellars Syrah 2005.

Dessert was a half of a Choxie Dark Chocolate with Cocoa Nib Mini Bar. Target carries Choxie, which is a line of normally disappointing chocolates; however, this tiny chocolate bar is absolutely worth a taste! I finished with a small glass of pomegranate juice which made the entire meal end on a perfect note!

2008-12-16T19:21:00.000-05:00

It's no secret that I love experimenting with food. I made burritos, and this ain't your momma's recipe.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon safflower oil
1 medium onion, cut lengthwise
2 organic garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoon Garam Masala
2 cans organic black beans, rinsed and drained
12 ounces organic spinach
salt and pepper
whole wheat tortillas with flax
4 ounces Ile de France petite buche goat cheese, crumbled
Newman's Own medium chunky salsa
Pace Tequila Lime salsa

Use a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onion, garlic, Garam Masala. Cook for 5-6 minutes until onions are tender, stir periodically.

Add spinach and black beans. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until uniform heat is achieved. Set aside.

Heat tortillas over stove (or in microwave).

Spoon goat cheese and both salsas in the center of the tortilla. Spoon the beans and spinach into the center. Fold burrito and enjoy!

2008-12-11T10:59:00.000-05:00

Of Montreal has long been my favorite band, yet opportunity to see them perform has rarely come around. That streak of bad luck and timing ended this past Tuesday when we went to see them play House of Blues in Orlando. This, my friends, is a short recap.

Let me start by saying, I had spent the entire week prior to the show discussing with K the various reasons she could not come to the see Of Montreal, who happen to be her favorite band, too. She even went as far as Googling the venue to see how old you had to be (it was All Ages afterall), but my argument rested on the facts that she was only eight, HOB has a bar, and it was a school night. She persisted to debate her case desperately. It broke her little heart in the end. I've taken her to music fests and outdoor concerts in the park, but she's simply much too young for this type of concert...particularly when Kevin Barnes has been known to get down to his birthday suit during the set. Nonetheless, heartbroken.

I went with a good friend and we arrived just before Fiery Furnaces went on. Now don't get me wrong, I like the band...but they have absolutely no stage presence and the crowd was talking above them as if it were background music. Needless to say, we all welcomed the intermission of tacky funk music that you can't help dance along to while Of Montreal was setting up.

Once the curtains drew, a door opened to a new dimension in which we all found ourselves ecstatic to be in the middle of. All of our senses were heightened at once, although the taste might have been elevated by whisky and cheap beer. As the band began playing a revolving screen in the middle of the stage turned to reveal Kevin Barnes in all his glory, immediately jumping into lyric. From this point on, every soul in the crowd would be grinning ear to ear and dancing their little hearts off the rest of the night.

Barnes' love of theatrics and costumes were evident as a troupe of monsters and dancers in nude suits and a giant tree-like creature took stage acting out skits and interacting with the musicians, as well as the crowd. Glitter was spewn out at the crowd as if Ziggy Stardust had been resurrected. The multiple screens behind the stage delivered psychadelic mini-films that made even the most sober among us to question if someone had laced their Vitamin Water with LSD. There was a definite hint of Magic Mystery Tour inspiring the stage show and costumes. I think I even made a reference to George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic at one point. For a generation of reality TV show addicts living in the post-glory days of MTV, we don't know what it means to see a true performance by an artist. David Bowie, The Beatles, and early-Elton John all provided that for earlier generations, we missed out big time!

Barnes changed costumes nearly five times, leading to him wearing only skimpy hot pink hipsters while various creatures rubbed red paint on his bare skin. The performance could be best described as a rock orgy on acid. Within a moments notice there was an upright piano on stage with Barnes playing an interlude to the next fantasy he had planned out for us, as he allowed his alter-ego Georgie Fruit to deliver some of the most intoxicating dance tracks from the past few albums. While most of my favorite Of Montreal songs are off older albums, like Cherry Peel and Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies, I can honestly say I wasn't disappointed in the set one bit. Yes, I would've preferred to hear, literally, fourteen songs they didn't perform, but in no way did they fail the audience.

Just when we thought the soles of our dancing shoes had worn thin, the band delivered an encore with a fairly accurate cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit. Again, just as I referenced legendary performers my generation missed out on experiencing first-hand, Nirvana is also grouped into that category. It only took three seconds into the song to take the crowd of Gen X'ers back to 1991, when most of us were in elementary or middle school. Everyone, yours truly included, was slam dancing with huge smiles on their face singing along as if Cobain were standing in front of us with his beat-up Strat and stringy blond hair hiding his baby blues, but when we looked up we were reminded of the trick the glitter-adorned Barnes was playing on us. And no one cared.

The music ceased and we all stood in a trance, as if we had forgotten we were in Orlando on the curtails of 2008 instead of 1991 Seattle, 1971 London, or in a dimension of Sunlandia where time does not exist. I have been going to concerts for over 15 years now and I've been to my fair share of breath-taking, mind boggling performances; however, Of Montreal was hands down the single best musical production I have ever witnessed.

I bought K the Skeletal Lamping blik by David Barnes, since I already have the Gemini Tactics blik. On the back of the packaging there's a message from Kevin Barnes about the concept of having their album art transformed into various forms, including paper lamps and blik.

Ideally, every object you bring into your
home should feel exceptional to you, otherwise,
it just adds to the clutter and chaos of your life.
We feel, there's no reason to produce another
object that just sits on a shelf. We only want to
produce objects that have functionality and can
be treasured for their singularity. Objects that
can transform a room, bend the mind and
inform your dreams.

I absolutely agree on the importance of aesthetics, simplicity, and functionality in decor. Well said, Kevin.

On a final note, I still have glitter in my hair from two nights ago!

2008-11-30T20:39:00.001-05:00

Here are the inspirations for the other two paintings left to finish.

1969 Dove & Guitar Woodstock posterThis poster originated at the height of Vietnam as the logo for Another Mother for Peace (AMP).

I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I'm planning this to be my fourth project in my 1960's art installation. I should be done with the AMP painting tomorrow night. When I have a lot on my mind, I get unusually productive. There's nothing more relaxing than becoming enveloped by painting for hours on end.

2008-11-30T08:56:00.000-05:00

This is the first, and probably last, time I ever bring up Josh Groban in my blog; however, after looking at a recent house tour of his L.A. home I fell in love with some industrial sculptures by David Buckingham.

Although I hate L.A., Groban is a native, which means he has simply been brainwashed to love it since birth. Buckingham's metal sculpture is above his head.

Buckingham next to one of his color studies.

I really liked this sculpture of the infamous quote from Full Metal Jacket. However, since I can't afford the original, nor do I have welding skills to make my own...I decided to paint it.

I started three paintings Friday evening: "Me Love You Long Time," a copy of an original Woodstock poster, and an old hippie protest poster for Vietnam that reads "War is Not Healthy For Children and Other Living Things." The yellow canvas barely fit in my car, to give proper scale.

It took a total of two sessions to finish it, Friday 6pm-3am and Saturday 10am-3pm.

I can draw a straight line like there's no tomorrow, but don't ask me to draw a curve. This is evident by looking at my O's and G. One painting down, two more to go. Tucker is showing you how large the canvas is! ;)

2008-11-23T21:32:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I impress even myself. I made a twist on steak and potatoes.The steak was so utterly perfect before I added the parmesan butter and glaze that it killed me to mess with it.
You can make it, too!

Steak with Parmesan Butter, Balsamic Glaze, and Arugula

Roasted "Chips"

I am going to bask in how glorious my cooking skills are now. ;)

2008-11-23T14:32:00.000-05:00

Saturday was a very long day. I got up much too early and hit Fort Pierce. First I stopped by the Farmer's Market in downtown, next I went to the holiday bazaar at the college, and finally the long-awaited plant sale at Heathcote Gardens.
I started my day off with cherries, grapes, and raspberries!These are the roots of a bonsai.

I came home with Huernia schneideriana, African Spear, Costa Rica bush mint, magenta Christmas cactus, weak-leaf yucca, desert rose, and chocolate mint.

I bought this from a starving artist at the Farmer's Market.

I also bought organic mint and dill to use this weekend...along with ginger cookies and pumpkin bread. Yum!

We went to a charity Ranch Roast for the Boys & Girls Club of America. The drive out to Indiantown was an adventure in itself!

The Seminole Inn fed us pulled pork sandwich, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, and the most fantastic peach cobbler I've ever had!

Our host, Iris Wall, turned 79! We sang Happy Birthday to her.

We went on a sunset hay ride.

It was a nice way to end the day.

Actually, the dinner I made ultimately ended it on the best note!

A simple salad of organic baby greens with pomegranate arils and gorgonzola; I hand-squeezed pomegranate juice for the dressing. It was incredibly light and refreshing!

I made scallops for the first time! I was told the secret to preparing scallops is: keep it simple. So I simmered 1 tb of butter, 1 tb extra virgin olive oil, and a smidgen of sea salt in the pan on high heat before slapping those puppies in. They were incredibly tender and perfectly seared! I served them up with risotto. K said the scallops were, "heavenly!" I guess that sums it up. :)

Saturday was awesome.

2008-11-17T21:12:00.000-05:00

I love The History Channel so much.

I just watched an episode of Modern Marvels about Nikola Tesla.
Right now I'm watching Einstein, a two-hour special about another brilliant man.

The only thing better would be a special on Twain.He was pals with Tesla afterall; the photo above is Twain in Tesla's laboratory.

These three men have forever intrigued me. It goes beyond their science or literature. These men were all misunderstood amidst their genius. They were all forward thinking and knew the world to have no boundaries. I admire that to no end.

2008-11-13T21:36:00.000-05:00

I have a habit of buying spices and speciality rice/noodles that I keep around for days like today. I was just cooking dinner for myself. Nothing sounded good. I didn't want to spend an hour making a meal and I definitely didn't want take-out. So, I saw I had udon noodles...and peanut butter...hmm...why not make udon with peanut sauce? Awesome!

Ingredients

One bundle of Clearspring Organic Wheat Brown Rice Udon noodles
2 tablespoons of Tree of Life Organic Creamy Peanut Butter
2 tablespoons of Eden Organic Tamari Soy Sauce
1/4 cup of water
1 tablespoon of Florida Crystals Organic Brown Sugar
juice from one organic lemon

(you can also use 1-2 cloves of garlic, but I didn't have any...nor did I find the dish lacking because of its absence)

Noodles

There are three bundles per package; one bundle makes a 1-2 servings.
Boil 8 cups of water
Allow noodles to boil for about 6-7 minutes (they begin to twirl in the water when they're done)
I removed the pot from the burner and kept the noodles in the water until the sauce was done, don't strain it!

Peanut sauce

Mix peanut butter, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, lime juice, and optional garlic in a saucepan until peanut butter melts.

Toss in the noodles and stir into sauce.

Yum! Eat!

2008-11-09T11:28:00.000-05:00

I took K to Bok Tower Gardens for Symphony & Sunset, where we set out a blanket and organic snacks to listen to the Orlando Philharmonic perform.Struthers' Honey is on the way to Bok Towers in the middle of Highway 60, it works on the Honor System. You walk into a small room filled with bottles of honey and a wooden box to place your money. The honey is super yummy, though!

The orchestra performed pieces by Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong, among others. I have to say, it was really cool to walk back downhill in the dark with only flashlights and lanterns to light the way. It was 63 degrees and we saw a few shooting stars along the walk back to the car. It was a fantastic night!

2008-11-09T11:13:00.000-05:00

2008-11-09T11:08:00.000-05:00

A few black & white shots I took at McKee Botanical Garden.

2008-11-04T21:15:00.000-05:00

I didn't take advantage of early voting, so I did my part this morning.

I found this in K's backpack last night, hehe (She just learned to write in cursive this week!) She voted for Obama in her school election! Surprisingly, she has been showing a lot of interest in the presidental race.

We decided to have a small election party tonight, so we made campaign posters...

...and cupcakes!
(I made my parent's the "Mc" for McCain, because I'm a good daughter. haha)
And we wait...well, I do. However, she wants me to wake her when we know the president. :)

Honestly, I can't wait until this is over. This country is in dire need of change and it's going to be a rollercoaster ride for the next four years regardless of who is elected. I just want hope for the future of my daughter's generation. I feel the man I voted for is innovative enough to provide that.

That's about as political as I'm going to get here. I have a cupcake with my...uh, Obama's...name on it. ;)

2008-11-03T09:53:00.000-05:00

My weekend in review:

I took a long walk at Normandy and found a lot of neat things.

Then I came home to find this opossum trying to eat Charles and Ray Eames! I actually picked it up and put it outside. Yes. I really did. (Other people I know would've hit it with a broom until it ran out, but it was scared enough as it was.) He didn't bite; he was all talk.

We went to Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales.

Where we fed and petted squirrels. (Do you see a repeat pattern of naive behavior with wild animals lately, or what?)

A gigantic female orb weaver.

My BFF's son looking cute!

I didn't realize I had taken a photo of the water-bearer until I got home; Aquarius is my sign!

If swans could have myspace, this would so be his default. (He kept biting our feet when we were petting the giant koi...which is another story in itself...)

Bzz.

I was so excited to get a cutting of this succulent at the gardens! It is really hard to come by!

My starfish cactus cutting and a few living rocks! I have looked for living rocks for months without luck! I was giddy when I found them in the gift shop at Bok. (Yes, I'm aware that I'm a nerd.)

I dug this little cactus up on the side of the road in Lake Wales.

We came home to watch True Blood and I finally opened my bottle of saison.

It was a pretty decent weekend. Next weekend will be better, though! :)

2008-10-31T23:27:00.000-04:00

I found a bunch of old camera phone pictures that probably don't need to be shared. So here ya go! :)

Riley likes resting in strange spots.

This is what happens when you are trying to have a conversation with your deaf roommate at a concert...and I honestly have no idea how Texas, Jewish people and Disney are relevant to one another. There's no tellin' what we were talking about.

I never have pictures of me cuddling with Tucker, but I swear I love him too.

It was 18 degrees and I was in heaven.

I drew a fish, seagull, octopus, and a shark...that's called TALENT. ;)

Grown women finding amusement from $1 store junk.

One time, I crept up on a 4 ft. alligator, touched then tugged on his tail, and hoped he didn't confiscate my forearm in exchange for a close-up shot of him. I am not a smart cookie when it comes to wild animals.

An older woman gave me a heart-shaped rock when I was walking the beach one day.

Sometimes I actually look my age.

...but rarely do I act my age.

Sometimes I date guys who like to do impressions of Al Bundy. Sometimes those relationships don't last very long.

Photobooth.

I always stop on the highway to pick Tennessee wildflowers.

This pretty lady never, ever lets me take pictures of her. This is a rarity!

Timid puppy and dorky owner.

Apparently, ferrets are not the smartest of creatures.

Temporary tattoos with my daughter are the best!

2008-10-26T20:01:00.000-04:00

Change in plans tonight for dinner. I made chicken nuggets (chicken breast chopped into small bits fried in the crunchy batter from yesterday), dirty rice (with fresh parsley and parmigiano-reggiano), and baby greens with spinach salad. And pumpkin parfaits for dessert! YUM!

2008-10-26T00:33:00.000-04:00

I know, I know. Lately this seems like a cooking blog, but I've been in freakishly domestic mood lately. I made Crunchy Pork Chops and a simple salad of organic baby greens & spinach (with gorgonzola and Marzetti Organic Balsamic Vinagrette); I was also going to make Cauliflower Souffle with Brown Butter, but I forgot to pick up fresh parsley at the market. (It'll be on the menu tomorrow night instead!)

I also spent the rest of the night making Pumpkin Parfaits for tomorrow.

My laptop is my best cooking tool!

I had a ton of leftover pumpkin filling and gingersnaps, so I made my BFF a special parfait bowl since she's kind of obsessed with all things flavored pumpkin as of late.

2008-10-25T13:53:00.000-04:00

K wanted breakfast for lunch, so I made French toast. I made the recipe on the spot since I had a lot of extra organic heavy cream and my vanilla sugar was ready to use! (I didn't take pictures because it didn't last long enough!)

Ingredients

Four slices of whole wheat bread
Three Eggland's Best Organic eggs
3/4 cup Organic Valley Heavy Whipping Cream
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar (see below)
1 teaspoon natural sea salt
a dash of cinnamon
a dab of butter

Beat eggs lightly in a bowl; add cream, vanilla sugar, salt, and cinnamon.

Place one slice of bread in the bowl, allow a few seconds to soak up egg mix on one side, then carefully flip the bread, and repeat.

Toss it on the skillet, flip once a golden brown is achieved.

I serve them hot off the skillet with organic white confectioner's sugar, a small pinch of cinnamon, and warm maple syrup.

Yield: Four slices of French toast

(Technically, since I made it up as I went along, I didn't measure ingredients. All my measurements were done by heaping pinches and estimation. :) The recipe above should be fairly close to what I actually made. Make it, it's delicious!)

2008-10-21T20:45:00.000-04:00

My BFF turned 29 yesterday, so to ease her suffering I baked yummy treats for her! I made organic & vegan peanut butter filled chocolate cookies. The recipe can be found here; I used dark chocolate cocoa, though. They were rich and decadent!

I also made a stack of triple chocolate brownies for her. I always suggest my brownies be refrigerated for a bit before eating to achieve the perfect ratio of chewiness. They were NOT a disappointment! :) I'm baking up a storm lately.

2008-10-19T00:19:00.000-04:00

My dear, sweet vintage couch is still in my storage unit in Nashville. I miss her so. I will soon be driving up to bring her home and getting some much-needed closure to that part of my life. It is quite difficult to move on when you're still hangin' on.

I don't think I'll ever be able to say goodbye completely to the city I've had a 20-year-old love affair with. Maybe I'll just say "see ya later" instead of "goodbye." :/

2008-10-18T01:24:00.000-04:00

My best friend has been begging me to make her creme brulee for years now, so I finally decided to appease her wishes. It was made of all organic ingredients and, at her request, I added extra turbinado to the top. I LOVE my cooking torch!
Mine were prettier because I didn't go overboard on the burnt sugar! ha

When she came over with her son, she also brought me furniture! She bought me this fantastic chair and two side tables that I can paint all crazy. I LOVE free furniture just as much as I love my new cooking torch. ;)

2008-10-17T14:38:00.000-04:00

Hello pretty girl! What's that you say? You want to be electric? No problem!

The 1970 VW Type 3 Squareback conversion to EV...more info soon!

2008-10-15T01:44:00.000-04:00

Sir Willem Jack Tucker is the most adorable dog on Earth!

2008-10-13T21:58:00.000-04:00

I am jumping up and down at the anticipation of owning the of Montreal Skeletal Lamping wall decals by Gemini Tactics at blik!

Of Montreal is my absolute favorite band, I'm completely stoked about this!

2008-10-09T03:06:00.000-04:00

We have a praying mantid who doesn't want the visit to end. It's been hanging out on my garage door for two days now. After handling it several times, I found out the awful truth about mantids. Luckily, I was treated fairly by my visitor. It did jump on my camera lens, though.

If it is still outside tomorrow morning I'm going to set up a cage for it and take it in to K's classroom on Monday for a presentation. We spent twenty minutes just watching it watch us yesterday, so I'm sure the other kids will be just as thrilled to see one up-close.

Unfortunately, I think it might be the end of his life cycle. I hate when the summer ends, we lose all the neat insects, like our pet rhino beetles last year! I hope he stays alive until Monday...

2008-09-24T21:44:00.000-04:00

In the photos I mentioned below, I found 32 photobooth pictures of my family. These have to be displayed...And I was thinking of doing this!

It's simple, really. Scan the photobooth singles and have them printed out as 5x8's or 8x10's! I really don't like using frames for my photos, so I could mount them on sheets of craft wood. LOVE it!

2008-09-24T21:26:00.000-04:00

When my great-grandma died earlier this year I was given first dibs on her many, many photo albums. I had always begged her for family photos and considering she had just passed, I found solace in browsing through old memories. These are just some of the photographs:

My grandparents when they were dating! How great is that?

This is my real dad.

And my only momma. :)

I was such a ham and camera hog.

I didn't care much for Star Wars, I was all about the puppies.

Me and my childhood friend, Crystal; she was born on the same exact day in the hospital room next to me.

My cousin, Gabby, and me with jam on my face.

USC all the way! haha

I need to find a neat way to display family photos; I don't want to hide them in an album. I want to remember where I came from and the people who made me who I am.

2008-09-24T19:39:00.000-04:00

I cleaned out my car today and found eight bags of thrift store purchases. I seem to find the coolest things when I go thrifting. I unpacked everything, added their prices, and the total cost was only $17.25! (Included in the price was also a fondue set, set of brandy glasses, two old glass carafes, two decorator trays, and a planter bowl. They weren't as fun to photograph, though.)

This adorable trivet needs a bit of cleaning, but it was a steal.

K has a thing for unicorns and butterflies, as most eight-year-old's do. I found this unicorn and the jewelry box below for .50! The owl vase behind it has a neat handle; I thought it was an interesting piece.

I think she wants to spray paint them hot pink.

I think change purses are one of the best accessories a girl can have.

I am absolutely crazy about crocheted blankets, so when I found this six-foot long runner I was completely stoked. And it was only $2 and the colors are incredibly fun. It might end up at the foot of my bed, we'll see...

I love using old tins for storage. This one is already a favorite of mine! I love the bird print!

I found three of these ceramic plates and thought they would be wonderful for homemade sushi and garnishes.

I absolutely cannot pass up a good how-to book or vintage illustrations.

This was printed in 1977, but it has some gorgeous floor plans for modern homes; there are a lot of Eichler-style designs included. I was drooling in the store while flipping the pages.

I can add this to my collection of seven vintage deer figurines.

This little wooden bird was too charming to pass up; it's ready to hang on the wall.

Not too long ago I found these butterfly wall ornaments for K's room, and now we have four more.

I should open an Etsy store and sell vintage finds, I swear.

2008-09-24T19:34:00.000-04:00

Recently I found this great faux bois file box at a thrift store that I thought would make a great place to hide magazines in the living room. It was only $1.75 but DesignLAB has it for $28! Um, I'm really glad I have good luck thrifting.

2008-09-24T19:32:00.000-04:00

Just hangin' out with Emma Riley.

2008-09-16T13:18:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Gustav, one of my favorite architectural structures, the Farnsworth House, has flooded...yet again.

Despite being five feet off the ground, Mies van der Rohe's first residential building has been victim of recent record-breaking rainfall. She had only just recovered from last year's flooding. This gorgeous girl will hopefully be restored to her original state by the end of the year. I had planned to visit before the New Year, I guess that idea is busted. Best wishes to a speedy recovery!

2008-09-15T17:59:00.000-04:00

I found these unique pieces at a thrift store I frequent; they were marked at either $20 each or 3/$20. The owner couldn't tell which one. She said they had been sitting in a corner for months so she asked what cash I had on hand. $11.87 later I was loading all three of these fellas into my car. Next time I go, I will make sure I donate extra for my purchase. I love those folks!
The tulip base will match my dining table and side tables!

I will probably use two of them as terrariums for my succulents (one inside and one outside) then give one to my friend, M. He suggested the idea of housing hermit crabs in one, it's a neat idea. We'll see...

What would you use them for?

2008-09-13T21:29:00.000-04:00

I took K to Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton today. Sea turtles, sharks, observation tower! And it's free! (We left donations, though...)

Nurse shark!

These recent sea turtle hatchlings will eventually be released into the ocean.

FeeBee, a Loggerhead turtle. She was the sole survivor of her nest-mates.

"Oh...my...goodness. Look at the spiders, they are everywhere!"

These orb weavers were 20 feet above our heads, yet their large size is still evident. They were kind of pretty, actually.

And they make gorgeous webs that span up to three feet wide.

The observation tower is 40 feet high. It might as well be 400 feet high, we both got height sickness on the swaying wood "tree house." It was worth the climb, though; on the observation level you are above the treetops and can see both the Atlantic Ocean and city of Boca to the West. It just happened to be a spectacularly beautiful day, too!

Along the nature trail, we saw a spotted skunk (but I couldn't get a shot of it) and a raccoon! We did a no-no and fed the raccoon organic veggie crisps. He liked them.

We had a great Saturday!

2008-09-12T23:11:00.000-04:00

Meet Ray and Charles Eames, the Black Cheek Zebra finches.

The most charming Pacific parrotlet, Sir Didymus!

I need to re-pot my succulent collection this weekend. I simply love the .49 white Billig pots from Ikea. I need to buy about 20 more to keep them all in unison.

This guy started to die from some idiot at the nursery watering it from the top; luckily, I gave it a bit of proper care and it has new rosettes growing from that spot.

"Feed me, Seymour...feeeed me!"

I still need to learn all the names of my plants, which is hard when the nurseries label them as generic succulents.

I am taking K on a fieldtrip tomorrow with my BFF and her son. Sharks, Ikea, and possibly Harry Bertoia. I'll update with pictures tomorrow!

2008-09-11T18:53:00.000-04:00

I made the mistake of buying RustOleum spray paint for my current project instead of Valspar spray paint. Let me tell you, there is a difference.

I'm basically going to go buy some Valspar to cover up the mess Rust left behind.

I never thought I'd be a spray paint snob.

2008-09-03T20:24:00.000-04:00

I have over a dozen projects I want to work on, including restoring a few vintage pieces of furniture and lots of DIY art projects. However, I was recently inspired by a project Yankee Belle did with some old mix-match plates and a few cans of spray paint. I spent a whopping $10 on two cans of spray paint and a few .25 plates from the thrift store. I also found a few knick-knacks and vases that I got ahold of with the spray paint.

Considering it's spray paint, it looks surprisingly good. Who would've thunk it?

Must. find. more. things. to. spraypaint.

2008-08-26T21:36:00.000-04:00

It is hard making the transition from brainwashed consumer to responsible consumer, indeed it is. However, once you realize what goes into the products you buy to wear and consume...the transition is much easier. I will be sharing some of my favorite products in the next few posts, this one is dedicated to BEAUTY & BATH!

Preserve Toothbrush
I can't say enough wonderful things about this company, their products, and their ingenuity! Not only are their toothbrushes designed sleek and attractive, they are made mostly from recycled Stonyfield Farm yogurt cups. Bonus: The company provides postage-paid labels so you can return the used toothbrush, which they recycle into plastic lumber.
Preserve

Preserve Triple Razor
One of the hardest products to find that are animal-friendly is a razor. The refills are cheaper than you'd think and, like the toothbrush, the razor can be returned for recycling to Preserve!
Preserve

Preserve Jr.
I'm not done with Preserve just yet...K uses the Jr. toothbrush and each package highlights an endangered species thanks for a partnership with National Wildlife Foundation.
Preserve

Tom's of Maine Natural Fluoride-Free Toothpaste for Children Silly Strawberry

K loves this toothpaste and that's a feat in itself!
Tom's of Maine

JASON Sea Fresh Plus CoQ10 Toothpaste
I have tried many natural toothpastes and this is, by far, my favorite! It has added CoQ10, blue algae, sea salts and minerals...under the taste of fresh spearmint! And since using this paste my gums have been much less sensitive.
Jason Natural Products

Organix Coconut Milk Shampoo & Conditioner
1. I love the smell of coconut. 2. I have a ton of hair and most "natural" conditioners leave my locks in knots. 3. This one smells like coconut and leaves my hair detangled! Win/win situation, folks! They also have a deal right now where they refund you the purchase amount, so you essentially try the product for free. You can't beat that! And I promise you'll just end up spending your rebate on more Organix hair products.
Organix Hair

Dr. Bronner's Lavender Liquid Soap
I use this for almost everything mentioned on the label, including spiritual enlightenment. I kid, I kid. I'm all about organic, all-natural, Fair Trade products and underneath the "mothership" jive it's a fantastic product. The calming lavender is great for a soak after a stressed day, works great as a shave lather, and makes my puppies smell non-canine and pretty! The peppermint scent is also great for a foot soak or pick-me-up in the shower. There are also great refill stations at certain stores.
Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps

Alba Botanica Papaya Mango Exfoliating Body Wash
This is why I smell good.
Alba Botanica

Tom's of Maine Natural Sensitive Care Deodorant - Cucumber-Grapefruit
I gave Tom's deodorant a try years ago and wasn't that impressed, but I recently gave the newest addition to the Tom's line a chance...and I'm glad I did. I don't feel there is much more to be said about a deodorant than it keeps you dry and smellin' awesome.
Tom's of Maine

Organic Wear Natural Make-Up
I use the tinted moisturizer, loose powder, and blush. The moisturizer smells and feels incredible on my face, I look forward to the fresh feel it leaves behind. Both the powder and blush come in functional containers, made of recycled materials. No parabens, GMO's, or synthetics. And, of course, they don't test on animals.
Organic Wear

That's all for now. Check out the websites of these wonderful companies, if you aren't already familiar with them. I'm slowly making the transition to animal-friendly, eco-friendly products. I am still on the lookout for a good natural jet black eyeliner so I can give up my L'Oreal HIP Color Truth; it's been hard finding something comparable. Feel free to send me suggestions!

2008-08-26T13:33:00.000-04:00

The Smashing Pumpkins, 8/21/08 @ Mizner Park, Boca Raton, FL

They ended the night with a cover of Mungo Jerry's In the Summertime, accompanied with kazoos, an accordian and a theremin. It was odd, and surprisingly rad at the same time.

2008-08-18T19:18:00.000-04:00

This is old news, but get your Swedish furniture name here.

2008-08-18T18:56:00.000-04:00

I went to the bookstore today to find a cooking book full of fun lunch box meals for K, but didn't find anything like it. I did grab the new issue of Dwell, Domino, and National Geographic's Green Guide, as well as a super discounted copy of Maira Kalman's The Principles of Uncertainty.

That's right, folks. Marked from $29.95 to $3.98!

Most books look drab and boring sans the jacket, but not this one!

I won't post a ton of shots from the actual book, but trust me...if you didn't follow her blog in The New York Times you really must check it out. It's full of daily observations ranging from sentimental to witty, as well as her gorgeous illustrations. If you love quirky, pick-me-up books, this one is for you! And at that price, why not check it out?

2008-08-18T18:43:00.000-04:00

I went thrifting today and came home with these charming finds!

I found a 40-piece set of Bakelite flatware still wrapped for $15.

I found some fun butterflies for K's wall for .50. She is trying to decide what color she wants to paint them.

I love this wooden plaque for .50!

I found these glasses for $1.50/pair. LOVE them!

2008-08-18T18:23:00.000-04:00

K's first day back to school!

A close-up shot of the messenger bag she picked from Target with eco-friendly drawings on it; however, it was made in China. Go figure.

Her second day of school is cancelled due to...(dun dun dun) Tropical Storm Fay heading our way, so I bought some "hurricane" food at the health food store. (K is sitting next to me gnawing on organic Nori sheets with me as I type this!)

The rest of South Florida is in severe panic hoarding all the gasoline, bottled water, and batteries they can get their hands on. If I hadn't been in the middle of Frances and Jeanne the restlessness of the locals would be almost comical. However, if you recall Katrina started off a Category 1 before she hit the warm, shallow waters of the Gulf and became the monster we remember her as. One should learn not to screw around with Mother Nature. So, we're just sitting it out until we know what Fay has in mind for us.

Wish us luck and I hope you're safe wherever you are!

2008-08-13T21:16:00.000-04:00

Wow! I disappeared for way too long, didn't I? Life has thrown me some pretty intense curveballs lately, so please excuse the absence. How about a photo update?

For her 8th birthday, she asked to go to Mounts!

And we laid in the grass and watched airplanes take off to faraway lands.

I made ice cream cone cupcakes!

And the pinkest cake, ever!

And we sat around making faces that didn't correspond with our emotions.

We brought home clippings of wild-growing passionflower that seem to be doing fine! I'm crossing my fingers that they root!

We went to Florida Oceanographic Society for some stingray love!

I bought the Saarinen Tulip inspired Trumpet side table from Target. (Try saying that ten times fast!)

I promise to not be a stranger; no more posting hiatuses. :)

2008-07-22T13:13:00.000-04:00

All my tomatoes have summer blight.
That basically summarizes the week I've had.
It is a metaphor for recent happenings in our life.

A lot can be said for preventative measures.
Lesson learned...in more ways than one.

And begin again we shall.

2008-07-16T00:49:00.000-04:00

Ladybug.

K insisted I post this picture, despite it being blurry, because she wanted to remember the second ladybug that she ever captured. :)

2008-07-15T23:04:00.000-04:00

After chatting with the wonderful volunteers and board members of Heathcote today, I have decided to apply for the Master Gardener program. It would be pretty cool to get certified and teach courses on green gardening; like rain barrels, container gardens, and organic pesticide options. I love teaching others as much as I enjoy learning; thus being the reason I went to college for Education. So, perhaps I will finally put my education to good use by teaching what I learn about gardening to others. As I understand it, they pick & choose who they select into the Master Gardener program. Wish me luck!

I mentioned my daughter's pictures in the previous post, so here are my photos from today. Enjoy!

We bought aloe for .50, jade for .75, and bromeliad (with pups) for $1!

We loved these painted stumps for garden seating!

My junior photographer!

Throughout the garden they have neat hidden carvings like this.

2008-07-15T18:43:00.000-04:00

Today, my daughter, K, fell in love with photography. We went to Heathcote Botanical Gardens in Fort Pierce each armed with a digital camera. She asked that I make her a website to post her photos on, so here it is!

The Fraidy Cat

Leave her a comment, show her photos some love!

2008-07-11T23:30:00.000-04:00

Awhile ago I wrote:

"If Mother Nature were to orchestrate music, it would sound like Sigur Ros.

The world full of chaos and blinking lights seems so far from truth when listening to them.

I saw them perform live not too long ago, and it was the closest thing to a damned religious experience I have had in my life thus far.

Music should be our God. And Iceland should be the new Jerusalem."

I am sitting at home on a Friday night watching Heima with a bottle of Riesling.

Nearly perfect.

2008-07-11T03:54:00.000-04:00

Friday Confession:

I sing to my plants.

They say plants respond to environmental stimulus, so I use a pleasant tone when talking to them and graze my fingers along their leaves imitating a caress from a light breeze. I tell them how I'm proud of them and give them encouraging talks to help them in their daily growth. I created a song written just for them; it has rhyming and everything.

I may be crazy...but I have the happiest damn plants around!

2008-07-10T22:50:00.001-04:00

I draw much of my design inspiration from Apartment Therapy, which is where I just saw the most gorgeous collision between vintage and technology.

The folks at Wilkerson Furniture created this flat-screen TV infused with a vintage style. Why has it taken so long for these two elements to cross paths?

(The other designs at Wilkerson's are definitely worth checking out, as well!)

2008-07-10T20:53:00.000-04:00

As a fan of mid-Century furniture, my dream chair has long been the Eames lounge chair and ottoman. The price tag has always gotten in the way of me having one of my very own. However, being the expert at searching craigslist, I found a reproduction of my beloved chair. Instead of a few thousand dollars, I only paid $100. It is the most handsome chair in the world.

*swoon*

In the same neighborhood that we picked up the chair, I stopped in the middle of the road to nab this darling black chair from someone's garbage. I have big plans for this little chair!

2008-07-10T20:27:00.001-04:00

I am not a television person. However, I have found myself suddenly obsessed with the Discovery channel, Planet Green. Thanks to this brilliant TV programming, I have now put the Centameter at the top of my "must-have" list for my new home.

My little container garden is in desperate need of being re-potted. The window boxes are getting quite overcrowded and my tomatoes are well-overdue to be staked in their own pots.

We had a visitor in the front yard today! I have never seen a wild turkey around here. He was eating the food I leave out for the squirrels. It was pretty cool!

My twelve-year-old cousin came down from South Carolina to visit for 4th of July weekend. Needless to say, he managed to catch every single Cuban Anole within a mile of the house. (Don't worry, he released all of them unharmed...eventually!)

2008-07-02T22:46:00.000-04:00

Look what I found in a tomato planter!

2008-06-28T02:08:00.001-04:00

On a recent thrifting venture I grabbed a few old Better Home and Gardens how-to books for .50 each. Some of the info was outdated, like the gardening book didn't list romaine lettuce and the sewing book included some rather ridiculous fashions. However, I found a dozen really cute ideas in 167 Things to Make for Children.

This wooden owl puzzle sounds relatively easy to craft.
This felt pillow is absolutely adorable!

2008-06-28T02:02:00.000-04:00

Yummy breakfast!

2008-06-28T01:55:00.000-04:00

2008-06-28T00:14:00.000-04:00

A month ago, I went back to my hometown in South Carolina to say goodbye to my great-grandma on her death bed. At 28 years old, it was the first time I felt like an adult. It was the beginning of the first days of my true adulthood. I stood over my great-grandma knowing her last breath was drawing near; there was a calm acceptance about that fact. She was always as strong as an ox, both mentally and physically, and now the matriarch of our family was now dying.

One morning after I left the hospital I went for a drive in downtown Columbia to clear my head. I found myself finally discovering a part of me that I had been searching for nearly a decade.

My grandparent's house

This is Baby.

The State House.

View from the steps of the State House.

Strangely, I didn't take any photographs of family members. I didn't feel it was a good time to wave a camera in their faces. In her last week, she awoke to speak only once; it was in response to my voice, she opened her eyes, winked at me, and said, "I love you."

Six days later, she was gone.

2008-06-27T16:00:00.000-04:00

Look who I found!

2008-06-21T23:18:00.000-04:00

On EARTH DAY 2008, I started an organic vegetable and herb garden.

I originally planted three types of tomatoes (Big Boy, beefsteak, and cherry), romaine lettuce, jalapeño peppers, green beans, carrots, cucumbers, and wild onions; along with rosemary, basil, dill, chives, and various wildflowers.

Everything grew amazingly fast. All my seedlings popped up three days earlier than expected, with the exception of rosemary.

However, being in Florida all it took was two days of neglect while out-of-town to kill off half the plants. I began to take this whole gardening thing a bit more serious after that loss.

I ran out to my local home improvement store (okay, okay...Home Depot) to purchase organic soil and three window planters. Carefully I separated the roots that attached each plant from the netting, inspecting them to see which plants seemed to have survived the best. Sadly, all I ended up being able to save were cherry and Big Boy tomatoes, romaine lettuce, and basil; along with a small portion of dill, wild onions, and chives. I was able to save one wildflower seedling. Surprisingly, the rosemary was looking better sans water.

My tomato plants were sad. Most of them had pathetic, yellow leaves so I put aside the six plants that had hopeful new growth sprouting. The romaine looked sullen as it drooped over the side of the seed container, some leaves sticking to the plastic. I pruned everything dead off the plants, loosened the soil and massaged the roots with my fingers before planting them in the window boxes. I kid you not, two days later the green had returned to even the saddest of tomato plants and the romaine looked cheerful once again!

A week later, everything had healed and began to reach for the sky. I began watering twice a day, because the Florida sun tends to dry them out fairly quickly. I also began to spray the plants with a water bottle several times a day.

I decided to give carrots another try with leftover seeds from the first batch. It only took three days for them to sprout. A week later, here we are with the carrots doing better this round (mainly due to my attention to their water needs; they were getting too much before being planted side-by-side with cucumbers) and the basil, romaine and tomatoes have all TRIPLED in size in seven short days.

I have seriously underestimated my green thumb and a tomato plants ability to aim big. I bought stakes today (actually, they are bamboo stakes for orchids, much more attractive than metal) and plan to buy some nice tin pails to re-pot the tomatoes in. The basil tastes delicious! It is plump and growing like a weed! The romaine has impressed me greatly; it's easily one of my favorite things to grow so far.

There is a small matter of pests, as with any garden. I have the ever-popular, yet widely-despised aphid crowd hanging around my romaine, white flies on the tomatoes, and what looks like leafminer tracks. Mind you there are only a few of these spotted, but as I have learned from other gardeners, three aphids easily turn into 30. I have decided to order ladybugs, green lacewings, and maybe some nematodes to help keep pests down without resorting to chemicals. I just need to do a little more research about these insects to make sure they stick around to do the job! :)

2008-06-02T22:21:00.000-04:00

This journal was made for a new beginning.

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be." - Douglas Adams

I am starting anew in a town I had long lost hope in and with each day realizing it's not half as bad as it could be.

I am house hunting for a small home to share with my daughter and two dogs. I have started dedicating time to learn the art of gardening and am actively making changes for a more eco-friendly lifestyle. You can expect photos of anything from home design projects, thrift store finds, food porn, and everything in between.

This, folks, is what they call making the best of a situation. Enjoy!