A trip down memory's (express) lane

I've been going through a receipts file today. It's time and, truth, be told, I'm doing it to avoid doing something else that also needs to be done. But that's neither here not there at the moment. 

What I've discovered is a thermal paper trail of my habits over the last 4 years. (See - it really needs doing!) 

There's the day I bought a pair of skinny jeans. Won't make that mistake again.

There's the year I didn't have nearly enough record of time spent with friends over coffee or lunch. Glad to say I turned a corner on that one.

There's the handwritten receipt marked "Birdie on chip" that doesn't twig even the remotest memory. Craft? Art? Lunch?

There's the school project that almost killed me as the parent but impacted a whole group of homeless teens.

There's the receipt marked "Presto" for $54.99. Happy to say there's also the receipt that says I returned "Presto" for $54.99. Whatever "Presto" is, I would think I could find it on sale somewhere.

It's been an interesting assortment of smiles, chagrin, memories and reminders.

Next up - my closet. But I'll get to work soon, I promise.

Just a peek at where I've been lately ...

On a personal note (because that's what I typically use this blog for), I'm pretty pleased with how this area has turned out. If you want more detailed pics, visit my "business" blog here OR my Facebook album here. This is the promo vid that was put together to introduce the changes to this area.



May never do it again but ...

:o)

P.s. Music is by the Go Fish Guys. Found it very funny that this was chosen because they are one of my FAVORITE groups!

Martin Luther King

For Martin Luther King Day, a lighter moment from his story ...

The other side of the fence

This video, you might say, was put together by old neighbors of mine. I won't say it's an entirely accurate view of the life I watched them lead but it's definitely part of it. And the footage is absolutely breathtaking.



Happy New Year!!

(And don't forget to plan time to breathe.)

Biscotti and my boiling point

I have a package of biscotti sitting on my desk. Yes, you foodies, in a package. And it's been there for about a month. It's airplane biscotti. Small, tasteless and roughly resembling a cardboard cutout of Planter's Mr. Peanut.

Here's the thing - I don't care for the biscotti on an airplane. ("I will not eat it in a plane, I will not eat it on a train ... "). Because dry, it's some of the nastiest stuff on earth. But on the particular flight where they handed out this biscotti, the gentleman beside me was a daring soul and ate his biscotti after dipping it into his coffee. (In fact, he ate two packages after informing the stewardess that I stole his first set. Not true.) And it stirred a memory. I actually like the things (cheap, nasty, crumbly little things) dipped into a hot, creamy drink. Never having been a coffee drinker though, I decided to take them home and have them with a cup of hot chocolate.

The catch is that they came home with me in August. And since it's been roughly 100 degrees every day since coming home, I haven't really felt motivated to drink hot chocolate. (Call me crazy ... ) So they sit on my desk, making me question my sanity for having them there, and yet promising a taste down memory lane.

Any day now I may just have to crank the AC and put the kettle on ...


(Photo courtesy of annienothi)

Something to make me laugh

This totally cracks me up!!



Happy September!

Retail fads

It's probably a sign of my age that I've begun to notice the fads that sweep through towns, stores and shelves around me. And I'm not even going to talk about clothes. Really. Don't get me started.

I think I really started noticing it with the scrap booking market. Suddenly, people that had dutifully recorded every step little Johnny took were encouraged to turn those each blurry 4 x 6 into a work of art that little Johnny would treasure for ever. FYI, I recorded the steps. But the blurry photos are in a box somewhere. And there's another box of blurry negatives that I just can't bring myself to deal with. Papers, trimmers, albums with posts, albums without posts, stencils, glitter, glue, corner mounts, punches, oh my! Little boutique shops popped up with racks after skinny rack of scrapbook supplies. My favorite craft store (and it's not small) devoted a full 1/4 of their store to scrapbooking. Now as an artist I appreciate that the scrapbooking industry made archival supplies incredibly affordable, but as a mom, the guilt factor became a little overwhelming. "My children won't have tastefully arranged 12-inch thick albums of every grade and every day at the beach!" I watched weekend conventions of scrapbooking women haul in their LUGGAGE of supplies (with slots and compartments to safely store 12 x 12 papers and sorted brads and double-sided tape at $129.99 a pop) and shuddered.

Then came the beading industry. At the risk of sounding a little crusty, I've been making my own jewelry since I was 7. Suddenly, every magazine cover, craft store and hardware store sprouted shelves and shelves of beaded creations and supplies. Even the sporting section was not immune as crafters raided the fish line racks for their creations. Another quarter of the craft store disappeared under rows and rows of glittering cards sporting every type of rock and stone that could be safely mined for the purpose. More little shops popped up around town, with the express intent of helping you create masterpieces of wire and seed beads. (While the other little shops started to fade away like nonarchival newsprint images.)

And now it's cupcakes. I find it ironic (and a little unfair) that in a nation besieged with weight issues and messages of healthy living, the latest fad is edible. I also find it a little puzzling. It's like the Food Network reached in and has infiltrated the minds of my little town. People buy mini cupcake makers and cupcake trees. Little bakeries devoted entirely to cupcakes are appearing. My church women's group is even planning a "cupcake paloosa". (I did realize that if I get on this bandwagon, I won't have boxes and boxes of supplies sitting around in my closet for the next decade. Just the extra sitting under my back pockets to carry around for the next decade.) What's the deal with cupcakes?





Oh.