Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Pinocchio Doesn't Live Here
You know how it is when you've been on holiday and you spend lots of time with people you like, doing things you like, eating food you like, and drinking drinks you like? And plus get presents? And then you have to go back to the day job only to find one of your coworkers thinks everything would be better if you just didn't exist and a boss who is ineffective and provides no leadership? And you have to stare at ugly beige walls all day long instead a bright and colorful Christmas tree? It's a downer, man.
Some of you are tired of hearing how much I loathe spending time at the day job, but I know you feel that way from time to time too. These are the times, when the human race disappoints us, when our talents are squandered and unnoticed, when the world in general is pretty much letting us down that we have to turn to a creative escape.
If you can create things yourself, yay! On a day when you feel put upon, engrossing yourself in a project that is completely not on your list of things to do just might be the ticket. You don't have to paint the Mona Lisa, for crying out loud. It could be baking a batch of cookies or sewing some jammies out of an old set of sheets.
If you have no faith in your own ability to create (Work on that, won't you? Everyone has the ability to create!), use others' creations to escape the meanness, frustration, or plain hum-drumedness of the everyday things that bring you down.
Find a piece of art you can stare into and just dream...
...or one that simply makes you smile.
Read a book filled with whimsey, adventure, and imagination...
Or listen to some music that takes you away...
The arts are a wonderful way to chase away the ickiness of an icky day and turn you back into the real live person you are, rather than the puppet they want you to be.
Some of you are tired of hearing how much I loathe spending time at the day job, but I know you feel that way from time to time too. These are the times, when the human race disappoints us, when our talents are squandered and unnoticed, when the world in general is pretty much letting us down that we have to turn to a creative escape.
If you can create things yourself, yay! On a day when you feel put upon, engrossing yourself in a project that is completely not on your list of things to do just might be the ticket. You don't have to paint the Mona Lisa, for crying out loud. It could be baking a batch of cookies or sewing some jammies out of an old set of sheets.
If you have no faith in your own ability to create (Work on that, won't you? Everyone has the ability to create!), use others' creations to escape the meanness, frustration, or plain hum-drumedness of the everyday things that bring you down.
Find a piece of art you can stare into and just dream...
...or one that simply makes you smile.
Read a book filled with whimsey, adventure, and imagination...
Or listen to some music that takes you away...
Chronologie by Jean Michel Jarre
Monday, January 03, 2011
Dive Night ~ Ruthie & Ray's
Dive Night is a once monthly adventure undertaken by me and Husby, along with our friends Ruthie and Ray. Each couple alternates choosing a restaurant, one which must come under the category of "dive." Our definition of dive: a neighborhood gathering spot hiding under the radar. Casual atmosphere and good food. We're out to find the best food in the Minneapolis/St Paul area without having to pay a fortune or dress up. A sip of beer or wine doesn't hurt either. See a list and links to the previous dive night posts here.
It has become a tradition with the Dive Night crew to spend December at the home of me and Husby or Ruthie and Ray. This is done on a rotating basis. The 2010 Dive Night year wound up at Ruthie and Ray's house. I can assure you it was hardly a dive.
We have an hors d'oerve evening which was supposed to be pot luck. I'm sorry to say I provided much less than half of the good food offered. Ruthie put on a spread that could have stood alone and filled us all without my meager offerings. My feelings of guilt were overridden only by my feelings of gratitude and satiation.
You can't have hors d'oerves without starting with a good assortment of crackers and cocktail bread.
There were olives and pickles, Ruthie's famous Bacon Bites, a really good herb dip/spread, herring, and M&Ms.
There was an assortment of meats and cheeses, a wine jelly, smoked salmon, smoked oysters, brie cheese, sardines, chicken wings, and bacon dip.
There were pretzels, deep fried butterflied shrimp with cocktail sauce, and barbequed meatballs.
Ruthie also put out some delicious chocolate chip cookies for a sweet finish to a massive meal of appetizers.
Husby and I are so happy to be able to share the tradition of Dive Night with our friend's Ruthie and Ray, and look forward to the event every month. Not only are we able to delight in the culinary adventures we embark upon, we also are able to share our journeys through life over a good meal with good friends. And speaking of good friends, I can't forget to mention Husby's favorite friend at Ruthie and Ray's house...Hoover.
Yeah, Hoover, I see you there, wallowing in Husby's attention. I have to admit I like snuggling with Hoover too, when he'll let me.
As we say so long to the Dives of 2010 the four of us are looking forward to another year of gallivanting around the Twin Cities to indulge in and review the dives about town. I hope you'll continue to join us in our adventures. Cheers!
It has become a tradition with the Dive Night crew to spend December at the home of me and Husby or Ruthie and Ray. This is done on a rotating basis. The 2010 Dive Night year wound up at Ruthie and Ray's house. I can assure you it was hardly a dive.
We have an hors d'oerve evening which was supposed to be pot luck. I'm sorry to say I provided much less than half of the good food offered. Ruthie put on a spread that could have stood alone and filled us all without my meager offerings. My feelings of guilt were overridden only by my feelings of gratitude and satiation.
You can't have hors d'oerves without starting with a good assortment of crackers and cocktail bread.
There were olives and pickles, Ruthie's famous Bacon Bites, a really good herb dip/spread, herring, and M&Ms.
There was an assortment of meats and cheeses, a wine jelly, smoked salmon, smoked oysters, brie cheese, sardines, chicken wings, and bacon dip.
There were pretzels, deep fried butterflied shrimp with cocktail sauce, and barbequed meatballs.
Ruthie also put out some delicious chocolate chip cookies for a sweet finish to a massive meal of appetizers.
Husby and I are so happy to be able to share the tradition of Dive Night with our friend's Ruthie and Ray, and look forward to the event every month. Not only are we able to delight in the culinary adventures we embark upon, we also are able to share our journeys through life over a good meal with good friends. And speaking of good friends, I can't forget to mention Husby's favorite friend at Ruthie and Ray's house...Hoover.
Yeah, Hoover, I see you there, wallowing in Husby's attention. I have to admit I like snuggling with Hoover too, when he'll let me.
As we say so long to the Dives of 2010 the four of us are looking forward to another year of gallivanting around the Twin Cities to indulge in and review the dives about town. I hope you'll continue to join us in our adventures. Cheers!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
How In The Heck Do You Get It All Done?
Hello everyone! I've been away for a few days, as you might have noticed. For those of you who haven't known me most of my life I'm here to tell you about how weird I get this time of year, which might explain why I haven't tended to the blog.
Of course I was all aflurry with Christmas preparations and hobnobbing about on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was a lovely holiday, with the grand goodbye to 2010 and anticipatory hello to 2011 yet to come. With all the activity going on I have even less time to gather my thoughts than I do during non-holiday times of year, and I have a hard enough time gathering the thoughts then.
I don't know if it's the excitement of a fresh new year that gets the wheels turning again, or if it's a restless boredom with the old that compells me to take new charge of my life, but I do know the week between Christmas and New Years always gives me an uncomfortable feeling of insecurity, ineptitude, and unwelcome sluggishness. With these feelings comes the compulsion to change it all...RIGHT NOW!
Taking new charge of one's life at the beginning of a new year can't be a bad thing, but it can be overwhelming. Especially when taking charge involves things as big as a studio remodel and, as small as cleaning that patch of grunge on the cupboard door in the kitchen, and everything (and I mean everything) in between. The list of things I want to do is a mile long and include new projects as well as projects I've neglected for months. The problem is, I feel like I need to get it all done at once.
When I realize that's impossible I get dizzy trying to fit the tasks into those tiny twenty-four hour days we are afforded. It's not so much that I'm working on the tasks so much as attempting to devise ways to satisfy my desires. That is to say I spend way to much time planning on how I'm going to get these projects done rather than actually doing the projects.
Bad, bad, bad.
So for now, I'm going through that weird holiday slump where I'm terribly unproductive and unrealistically thinking I'll turn into Super Woman overnight and accomplish everything after I get a little sleep. I'm dissatisfied with knowing I can't get everything done at once. I'm also too dang lazy to chip away at it a little at a time. I think it's a variation on having the blues.
How do you organize the tasks you have to accomplish? Do you have time to give your best to each role you play in your life ~ mother, employee, daughter, friend, housekeeper, cook, wife? Are you able to prioritize effectively? Do you create Outlook task lists or Excel spreadsheeets to keep your projects and chores in order? I'd love to hear how you all manage it, even if you don't think you manage it perfectly. I really need your insight and inspiration.
Of course I was all aflurry with Christmas preparations and hobnobbing about on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was a lovely holiday, with the grand goodbye to 2010 and anticipatory hello to 2011 yet to come. With all the activity going on I have even less time to gather my thoughts than I do during non-holiday times of year, and I have a hard enough time gathering the thoughts then.
I don't know if it's the excitement of a fresh new year that gets the wheels turning again, or if it's a restless boredom with the old that compells me to take new charge of my life, but I do know the week between Christmas and New Years always gives me an uncomfortable feeling of insecurity, ineptitude, and unwelcome sluggishness. With these feelings comes the compulsion to change it all...RIGHT NOW!
Taking new charge of one's life at the beginning of a new year can't be a bad thing, but it can be overwhelming. Especially when taking charge involves things as big as a studio remodel and, as small as cleaning that patch of grunge on the cupboard door in the kitchen, and everything (and I mean everything) in between. The list of things I want to do is a mile long and include new projects as well as projects I've neglected for months. The problem is, I feel like I need to get it all done at once.
When I realize that's impossible I get dizzy trying to fit the tasks into those tiny twenty-four hour days we are afforded. It's not so much that I'm working on the tasks so much as attempting to devise ways to satisfy my desires. That is to say I spend way to much time planning on how I'm going to get these projects done rather than actually doing the projects.
Bad, bad, bad.
2011 Organizer by msvalerieparkdistro
Stained Glass Winter Evening by FoundGlassDesigns
How do you organize the tasks you have to accomplish? Do you have time to give your best to each role you play in your life ~ mother, employee, daughter, friend, housekeeper, cook, wife? Are you able to prioritize effectively? Do you create Outlook task lists or Excel spreadsheeets to keep your projects and chores in order? I'd love to hear how you all manage it, even if you don't think you manage it perfectly. I really need your insight and inspiration.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Silent Night
Cards giving loved ones holiday greetings have been sent. Gifts for everyone on the nice list have been wrapped and tucked under the tree. Cookies for Santa with leftovers for me have been baked. All that's left is the holiday itself.
Have a merry, merry Christmas.
Have a merry, merry Christmas.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
The Excitement Builds
I know you're probably thinking, from the title of this post, that I'm referring to the excitement of Christmas. Well, there is that. The next few days will be a blur of activities and fun, not to mention much food and drink. But I'm compelled to address the issue of my business. You see, I've decided to rename and move my Etsy shop. The current shop is officially on vacation indefinitely.
It wasn't an easy decision and I still have a lot of kinks to work out. Don't worry, you'll find the same great products in my new shop as in the old, with the addition of some new items in the works. But I've forgotten how to set up an Etsy shop ~ the details that must be tended to. So there's that part of it. There's also the part of creating a banner, taking pictures of all the items up for sale, making sure the 100% positive feedback from the previous shop will be accessible to those visiting the new shop and a ton of other things.
The name of the new shop will simply be Auntie B's Wax. There's a long story about why the current shop is called Auntie B Online, but I won't get into that. I'm glad now that I didn't use Auntie B's Wax for the first shop as I would now be unable to use that name for the new shop.
I'm using the word "shop" way too much in this post.
Anyway, I need some feed back regarding the banner for the new shop. I know all about branding and stuff, and that I should probably have the same banner for my shop as I have on this blog. But I like to change things up here and there.
Here is your task for the day. I have two banner options below. I would love to hear what you have to say about them. These may not even be remotely close to what I actually use for my shop, but I'd like to get some opinions about these two in particular. OK, here we go...
Option 1:
Option 2:
I may be inquiring more about banner content in the future. Looking to my adoring fans for advice has always served me well and this situation is no different. Please let me know in the comments which picture you think would look best for my new shop. If you think they both stink, say so ~ I won't be offended.
Now that I've given you work to do, I'm off to bake some peanut blossom cookies and to wrap the last of the gifts to put under the tree. Ho Ho Ho!
It wasn't an easy decision and I still have a lot of kinks to work out. Don't worry, you'll find the same great products in my new shop as in the old, with the addition of some new items in the works. But I've forgotten how to set up an Etsy shop ~ the details that must be tended to. So there's that part of it. There's also the part of creating a banner, taking pictures of all the items up for sale, making sure the 100% positive feedback from the previous shop will be accessible to those visiting the new shop and a ton of other things.
The name of the new shop will simply be Auntie B's Wax. There's a long story about why the current shop is called Auntie B Online, but I won't get into that. I'm glad now that I didn't use Auntie B's Wax for the first shop as I would now be unable to use that name for the new shop.
I'm using the word "shop" way too much in this post.
Anyway, I need some feed back regarding the banner for the new shop. I know all about branding and stuff, and that I should probably have the same banner for my shop as I have on this blog. But I like to change things up here and there.
Here is your task for the day. I have two banner options below. I would love to hear what you have to say about them. These may not even be remotely close to what I actually use for my shop, but I'd like to get some opinions about these two in particular. OK, here we go...
Option 1:
Option 2:
I may be inquiring more about banner content in the future. Looking to my adoring fans for advice has always served me well and this situation is no different. Please let me know in the comments which picture you think would look best for my new shop. If you think they both stink, say so ~ I won't be offended.
Now that I've given you work to do, I'm off to bake some peanut blossom cookies and to wrap the last of the gifts to put under the tree. Ho Ho Ho!
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