Ho Ho Ho

Kicked off my holiday baking with some cupcakes for work.

Scent-sational

Just ordered a bunch of candles from my friend Karen, who runs Buttermilk Barn, a little bit of the USA in England. She handmakes all of her candles and other products and talk about fresh, she makes the orders up as she gets them. The only "bad" thing about her business is that she has soooooooooo many incredible scents, it's almost impossible to decide what to order! You have to pay a little more because of the shipping from the UK, but it's worth it! I can't wait to get the "Freshly ground coffee", "Hot orange danish", "Bay rum", "Key lime pie" and other candles I ordered. Check her out, just a few of the scents offered are:

Cinnabun
Blueberry Muffin
Chocolate Raspberry
Coffee Cake
English Toffee
Sticky Toffee Pudd
Spiced Gum Drops
Sweet Potato Pie
Hot Baked Apple Pie
Granny’s Kitchen
Homespun Blend
Cherry Cobbler
Carrot Cake
Snickerdoodle Cookie
Digestive Biscuits
Butterscotch Pudding
Cookies & Cream
Choc Chip Cookie
Hot Fudge Brownie
Key Lime Pie
Lemon Meringue Pie
Fresh Baked Bread
Buttercream
English Toffee
Sugar Cookie
Red Hot Cinnamon Candy
Mint Chocolate
Buttercream Crunch
Coconut Cream Pie
Cinnamon Donuts
Wildberry Scone
Gourmet Belgian Chocolates
Choc Covered Cherries
Hot Orange Danish
NY Cheesecake
Strawberry Cheesecake
S’Mores
White Chocolate
Apple Crumb Cake
Caramel
Toasted Marshmallow
Chocolate Mousse
Chocca Mocha
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
Angel Food Cake
7UP Pound Cake
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Peanut Butter & Jam
German Chocolate Cake
Bubble Gum
Jelly Beans
Gingerbread
Blueberry Hotcakes
Brown Sugar & Spice
Buttermilk Pancakes
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Orange Juice Cake
Chocolate Cake
Birthday Cake
Amish Friendship Bread
Grasshopper Pie
Pink Sugar
Cookie Jar
Brown Sugar Nutmeg
Honey Baked Pears
Peppermint Patty
Cinnamon Vanilla
Choc Orange
Vanilla Wafer
Apples & Oak
Apple Jack
Hot Baked Apple Pie
Cucumber Melon
Emily’s Tomato Patch
Grapefruit Zing
Coconut
Tangerine Lemongrass
Bahama Mama
Canteloupe
Wild Watermelon
Raspberries & Cream
Strawberries & Cream
Strawberry Jam
Blackberry
Pina Colada
Banana Cream Pie
Banana Smoothie
Cherry Almond
Cinnaberry
Raining Pineapples
Raspberry Kiwi
Vanilla Grapefruit
White Plum Chutney
Mango Mandarin
Mango & Papaya
Gingered Pear
Moroccan Orange Blossom
Pink Lemonade
Blackberry Jam
Country Clothesline
Fresh Crisp Linen
Ocean Mist
Baby Powder
Baby Lotion
Nantucket Briar – type
Lavender
Fresh Cut Grass
Patchouli
Butterfly Kisses
Angel Whispers
Gardenia
Honeysuckle
Lily of the Valley
Magnolia
Very Vanilla
Honey Almond
Ylang Ylang
Basil Sage Mint
Peppermint
Spearmint
Carrot
Tea Rose
Splash of Lime
Summer Sorbet
Vanilla Bean
Frosted Snowdrops
Vanilla Lace
Peony
Sweet Pea
Sandcastles
Amish Quilt
Cranberry Spice
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Bonfire Night
Pecan Pie
Maple Pecan
Apple Jack
Witches Blend (blk Liquorice)
Mulled Cider
Nutty Taffy Apple
Indian Summer
Oak Leaves & Autumn Acorns
Pumpkin Bread
Caramel Popcorn
Maple Sugar
Cookies for Santa
Oh Christmas Tree
Candy Cane
Mistletoe
Old Fashioned Christmas
Egg Nog
Christmas Cheer
Sleighbells
Frost Bite
Jingleberry
Gingerbread
Hot Cocoa
Bayberry
Roasted Chestnuts
Hot Buttered Rum
Clove
Nutmeg
A Dickens Christmas
Sugar Plum
Christmas Wassail
Christmas Thyme
Santa's Snacks
Mrs Claus' Kitchen
Garland & Tinsel
Father Christmas' Whiskers
Flannel Sheets
Figgy Pudding
...and the list goes on!.....

Wishful Thinking

HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY

Just basking in the results of election day. Each day seems to bring better and better news, and it's so nice not to be crushingly depressed by the results like I was after the previous election.

I'm bi-partisan when it comes to humor

I may not agree with the message, but I can totally agree that this is funny:

Tis the season!

Ok, so I listen to Christmas music throughout the year...but now the season is REALLY here! This week I purchased my first Christmas gift and today I bought my first set of Christmas cards. I probably spend more time agonizing over my cards than I do when I get a new car. I can spend hours browsing through all the cards on display. I love the beauty of the artwork and the sentiments expressed and have a horrible time narrowing it down to which ones are just RIGHT. I usually get several different styles so I can match the cards to the recipients. Today's cards maybe struck me because of having so recently spent time in Arizona and around my family roots. I look at this picture and see my father and grandfather and uncles, and the lifestyle and countryside that made them who they are and were. Ok, ok, so I'm weird about Christmas, lol!

Diddy calls Bjork

Just because this makes me laugh.

"Iraq For Sale: The War Profiteers" DVD

Our men and women in uniform deserve better than this. No, I don't believe everything I see on film or in print. But yes, I do believe this particular film. I have loved ones in the military who have and are going hungry when they shouldn't have to, just because the contractors limit their services as much as possible to make as big a profit as possible. Is war hell? Yes. Is it comfy and cozy? No. But where there is an opportunity to take better care of the troops it should be taken.

An apple a day...

There's always room for a good love story. Read this last week...

The Daily Verse

I met alot of great people when I worked in radio, and one of them is Kat Davis. Kat used to pick a Bible verse every day to think about, and got in the habit of sharing her short devotional thought about the day's verse with several friends, via email. Gradually more and more people asked to be added to her daily distribution list, and it's evolved into "The Daily Verse." If this sounds like something you'd enjoy starting your morning with each day, then just go to The Daily Verse website and add your email address to the free mailing list. It's amazing how often the verse she picks for the day is one that I particularly needed that very day.

This is me!

Did any of you see the Primetime segment on synesthesia? Here's a snippet from a website...

Spatial placement of numbers, months of the year, and/or days of the week is another form called spatial-sequence synesthesia. "For most of us, February and Wednesday don't have any particular locations in space. But certain types of synesthetes experience precise locations in relation to their bodies for numbers or time units. They can point to the spot where the number 32 is. Or where December is floating. Or where the year 1997 lies," Eagleman says. To study this, he has developed Virtual Reality software to allow his research subjects to physically place their time units exactly where they "see" them.

Does anyone else here have this or is it just me? For me it's time, days and months. The hours in a day start below me and move up, with noon being pretty much right in front of me, and continue up with midnight above me. Days and months of a year are in a straight line, starting to my left and ending to my right. I was never sure if no one, or everyone "saw" time like that.

Here's an interesting website and audio clip about it from the BBC.

And check out this website.

Beauty

No particular reason for this, just something beautiful after all the ugly items I've just read through on today's news. Some days you just need a reminder that beauty still exists.

Mocha Valencia - RIP

Well, it's official, Starbucks has REALLY killed off my fav drink, the Mocha Valencia. Sigh. For years it's been off the menu boards, but they'd always make it if asked. But this week the girl at the counter told me it was the last time I could order it, they're really discontinuing it. And she LAUGHED when she told me! Talk about adding insult to injury :(

Hot Hot Hot

This pic pretty much sums up today. Hi's around 101, heat index around 115, and it will continue through the next few days. The Wshington Post had this weather forecast:

EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EDT THURSDAY . . .VERY HOT CONTINENTAL AIR MASS FROM THE PLAINS WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD SLOWLY TO THE EAST . . . EXPECT CONDITIONS TO BE HOT. DAMN HOT. JUNGLE HOT. SATAN-IN-A-SPEEDO HOT. ANGRY-GOD HOT. PETS MAY OPENLY CURSE. PEDESTRIANS MAY COMBUST. HAVE A NICE DAY.

London....of course!

You Belong in London

A little old fashioned, and a little modern. A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock. A unique woman like you needs a city that offers everything. No wonder you and London will get along so well.

What City Do You Belong In?

Recipes from down under

Just got my first ever copies of the famous Australian "Woman's Weekly" cookbook series. They are fantastic. Keepers made from heavy weight paper, including photos of every recipe, measurement conversion tables, and a glossary explaining every ingredient. Now the question is which recipe to try first....the honey pistachio rosewater palmiers or the ginger macadamia bars....decisions, decisions. They aren't easy to get up here, so hugs and kisses to my Aussie friend Gavin for sending them to me. So far the easiest way to get them here if you don't have a contact in OZ would probably be to grab them off of ebay.

Happy Happy Happy!

Woohooo....one of my favorite authors is coming out with a new book to add to her wonderful trilogy. Adriania Trigiani wrote the "Big Stone Mountain" series which will now become a quartet instead of a trilogy! If you've never read any of her books you've missed out! You have time to read the trilogy before the new book comes out in October! I just finished reading "Rococo" by her and it's wonderful. And also check out the cookbook of family Italian recipes that she and her sisters have published. AND.... as if that wasn't wonderful enough, they'll start production any time now on her screenplay for the first book in the trilogy.

Fair's fair...

If the Ann Coulter bruhaha has shown anything, it's that bad behavior needs to be called regardless of where it appears on the political spectrum. So fair's fair... I saluted the Dixie Chicks on not backing down despite bizarre public reactions like death threats.... hey they're opinions, everyone has them and you have a right to disagree with whichever ones you want, but not a right to attack people for having them... but Natalie has gone too far with her latest interview comments attacking the concept of patriotism and those who feel patriotic about their country. She has a right to her opinion, but I and alot of other people will disagree with it. That's the way it works. Natalie, you should have stopped while you were ahead.

Guilty pleasure

Love this show! I know, I know....it's trash TV....but it's really GOOD trash TV! Will Chardonnay be able to pass off her mother-in-law's illegitimate baby as her own? Will Tanya keep amnesia plagued Frank thinking she's his mistress instead of his attempted murderer? Will Donna stay with ambitious husband Ian or hook up with hunky Italian Salvatore? Will a new player step up to top Kyle's costumed Sleeping Beauty wedding? And what will Stephan do when he finds out that Jason is the father of Kyle's brother/son? What happened to Holly, kidnapped while her aunt Marie was fooling around with Tanya's husband? .........

Shameful

My grandfather devoted 30 years to the Republican Party. For awhile he was chairman of the Los Angeles Republican Central Committee. He must be spinning in his grave to see that Ann Coulter is considered a spokesperson for the party and movement he believed in so much. His only comfort would be that it's not really the same party anymore. Coulter's latest comments denigrating and mocking any 9/11 widows who don't happen to exactly follow her particular opinions are past disgraceful. What a sorry, sad woman.

Turkey

Quite possibly the worst movie I've seen in years! My sister and I watched it last weekend and it was so bad we had to keep watching it. It's a toss-up as to what's worse...the stilted, convoluted dialogue or the cheesy special effects (watch for the blazing blue eyes). I'd pay good money to see Barbara Walters or Leno bring out some clips from this the next time Jennifer Aniston's a guest!

Chicks grown up

Country radio's cutting off their nose to spite their face on this one... their loss! Kudos to the Chicks for a great album. The quality of the songwriting and singing is top notch and it deserves it's place on top of the charts.

Little Casanova

Looks like Sooty's trying to figure out how to make another escape...

Hmmmmmmm

You Are Sunrise

You enjoy living a slow, fulfilling life. You enjoy living every moment, no matter how ordinary. You are a person of reflection and meditation. You start and end every day by looking inward. Caring and giving, you enjoy making people happy. You're often cooking for friends or buying them gifts. All in all, you know how to love life for what it is - not for how it should be.

What Time Of Day Are You?

Because it's there

For someone who despises cold weather, and is the opposite of an athelete, I am very fascinated by mountain climbing. Especially those brave, crazy, pioneering, foolish people who climb mountains like Everest. Maybe it's a carry over from loving books like "Lost Horizon" when I was young. Maybe it's just an appreciation for people who do "impossible" things "because it's there". As described on mountain climbing websites, this has been a tough and tragic climbing season, with stories like Lincoln Hall's amazing rescue raising uncomfortable ethical questions and highlighting both the best and worst of the mountianeering culture. You won't ever see me on one of those summits, but hats off to those who do make it up there.

Travel tales

If you're looking for a good read, check out "Row 22, Seats A&B" by Frederick Waterman. It's a collection of short stories originally penned for the United Airlines onboard magazine. I'm not always a fan of the short story format, but I loved the variety, intimacy and surprising twists of this collection.

Wonderful!

The wedding was perfect! The bride and groom were beautiful and handsome, respectively, the company was entertaining, and the weather and setting were picture perfect. We all had a wonderful time (I know, how many times can you use the words "wonderful" and "perfect" in one posting? But they are so appropriate!) and it was the romantic, storybook event the couple deserved. Check out more pictures.

Woohoo!!!

Pat and Cathy are getting married!!! The big day is this Saturday, on the Spirit of Washington cruise ship, and our circle of friends can't wait. We're so happy for the happy couple. Cyndy, Beth and I have been shopping for new outfits and presents and we are ready to party! Nothing better than celebrating life's big momoments with people you love.

Mind Games

Check out the latest book, Mind Games, by my incredibly talented friend and author Matthew Paul Turner! When you visit that website you can read a sample chapter. If you haven't read any of his other books then what are you waiting for?! They're available at Amazon.com, your local Christian bookstores, and I think Walmart may be carrying them now, too. They're funny, insightful, thoughtful and inspiring... what more could you ask for in a book?

Odds & ends

If you're not a "Gilmore Girls" fan then you won't be interested, but wow, it's with great trepidation I look forward to next week's season finale. Watching this week's episode just brought home how important good writers are. Without them it doesn't matter how good the stars are, they can only carry bad material so far. And boy, when the Palladino's are having a good week they are awesome. Michel's little quirks, like this week's panic over dairy products mislabeling, and Jackson and Sookie's "pickle" dilemma....great stuff. With the Palladinos leaving and the trailer showing a possible rehookup with Christopher....I'm afraid, very afraid. Sigh.

Ok, I'm apparently the LAST person to discover his music, but on the off chance that you are as behind as I was, check out Jack Johnson! I'm usually further ahead of the curve, but hey, better late than never. Not Hawaiian music, but Hawaiian flavored music. Love the rhythyms and feel of this cd. Makes me wish I was sitting on the beach soaking up some sunshine. Ok, so I ALWAYS wish I was sitting on the beach soaking up some sunshine....you get the idea.

Yup

Not much I can add, this front page article pretty much says it all.

Movie

Saw "Thank You For Not Smoking" Saturday night. Great movie, very funny and a great time for anyone who enjoys satire. Could have been a lot edgier, which is why I want to go read the book now, I hear it's even sharper. Aaron Eckhart does a great job in the lead role and I loved his MOD cohorts. Katie Holmes was the only casting disappointment, she isn't very convincing in her role. Maybe becoming Tom's drone WAS a good career move.

Meet the Cleaning Hunk!

If you haven't already watched this, visit the Cleaning Hunk. Definitely something to give you a smile. Well, perhaps some of you more than others, lol.

music music music

Give a listen to Corinne Bailey Rae's self titled cd on EMI... good stuff! If you're a Norah Jones fan you'll probably like her.

Also, my old fellow Takoma Academy alumnus Tommy Prasada-Rao will be performing at the West Side Cafe up in Frederick on Mothers Day, I think that's Sunday, May 14 or 15, more good stuff! If you haven't ever heard any of his music then give it a listen!!!

Check out these websites!

My two favorite websites this week:

Got cute? Well if you don't, or if you can't get enough, then rush on over to the experts, the "cuteologists" of www.cuteoverload.com. Any site that can give you images like this is gold.

And then, you have to hand it to the Japanese, they take the basic techno-stuff and amp it up with fashion or impishness (hey, have you SEEN the Hello Kitty waffle iron???). Check out the folks at Dynamism. Who else would combine a need for digital storage and a love for sushi...

Go see this film!!!

Rent a copy of "Paper Clips" from your nearest Blockbuster, check it off on your next Netflix order, or grab a copy on Ebay. EVERYONE can benefit from watching this documentary and you'll remember it every time you see a paper clip. I can't recommend this highly enough. I know I haven't told you much about it, but just trust me on this and let it unfold in front of you.

Just say No!

Take my word for it.....Blech!!!

How cool is this?!

Check this out.....a new crustacean discovered in the Pacific... it's covered in fur! http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060307/ap_on_sc/france_new_crustacean

Rest in Peace

I was so saddened this morning to hear about the death of Dana Reeve. What a brave, gracious woman. She handled a horrible situation with love, dignity and serenity, and made me hope that if I was ever in a similar situation I could cope with even a fraction of her grace. What a role model. My heart goes out to her son. Rest in Peace.

Libera

Check out this group! Libera is an alternative kind of boy band....a group of school boys from various south London schools, between the ages of 7 and 16. I just got their second album, "Visions" and it's gorgeous. They sound like angels, just the kind of cd to put on when you're having a tough day and need to relax.

Skyr is Hyr!!!

Yup, one of my favorite foods from Iceland is here. The best description of skyr, a dairy product, is that it's kind of like a non-fat, thickened yogurt. In Iceland it's used like we would use yogurt and also in alot of desserts. When I visited I had it in little tubs with fruit, and at restaurants in desserts with chocolate, caramel and toffee. It reminded me of guilt-free cheesecake filling. Whole Foods stores have been talking about carrying it for the last month or so and I finally saw it yesterday. If you have a Whole Foods near you, give it a try. You can find it in the food-to-go section, made into little parfaits with berries, granola and plain and berry flavored skyr. Yummy!

Who are you?

A "Lost" fan? Here are a few quizzes to determine which character you are most like. I got one "Locke", two "Kates" and a "Sun"....enjoy!


Take the quiz:
Which LOST character are you?

Locke
You are Locke You are the Ambassador of the island. You can be a wierdo at times, but you know more than anyone else.

Quizzes by myYearbook.com -- the World's Biggest Yearbook!

You scored as Kate. You are Kate! Even with your spotty past of bank robbery and trouble you are a known as a nice girl who loves adventure. You are one of the guys and will always volunteer to go exploring. Kate 63% Jack 56% Locke 50% Sun 44% Michael 44% Boone 38% Sawyer 31% Claire 25% Charlie 19% Shannon 19% Sayid 19% Which "Lost" character are you? created with QuizFarm.com

You are Kate. Breathtakingly beautiful, seemingly

pure of heart, and you can even sew your own

curtains! You listen to Patsy Cline anywhere

and know how to work a farm. Your past

haunts you. An accused criminal, are you

innocent or guilty? The only thing thing we

know you're guilty of is not giving Charlie

the attention he needs.


Which Lost Character Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Sun You scored 88% kindness, 28% courage, 28% seedy past, and 66% secretiveness!

"Do you think all this, all we've been through... do you think we're being punished?" You are Sun. You are very, very kind, but also very secretive. You have not shown much bravery as of yet, but you are growing more and more bold with each day that passes. Don't let the others push you around! You're your own woman! R-E-S-P-E-C-T, sister! And hey, if things don't work out with Jin, I'm sure Michael wouldn't mind taking you out for dinner and a movie. Your polar opposite is: ironically, Jin. You are similar to: Claire and Walt.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 98% on kindness You scored higher than 0% on courage You scored higher than 23% on seedy past You scored higher than 66% on secretiveness

Link: The Which Lost Character Are You Test written by ack_attack on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test