Happy me

Biblical Proportions

Of the almost 3 inch size!

This is/was an antique Bible I had as a little girl.  I bought it for 50 cents at an antique show when I was six years old.  It had several little illustrations throughout.  I remember being so excited it was over 100 years old!   I had no idea then miniature books were so collectible.    (Though I did like my mid/late 1960's Big Little Books.)
Depending upon different sources, its value has increased to $50-$200.  Not a bad investment!  It was printed in Sandbornton, New Hampshire in 1835 and gifted on June 25, 1840.  Here's an interesting article about Sandbornton.

I recently gave it to a friend of mine whose birthday was the day after this was inscribed (not the year!)  and is studying to become a Deacon.

mais il faut cultiver notre jardin

Hello Kitty gardening supplies at Target will help!  ($1.99-$2.99 each)

Lavender Blue

Fragrant fresh-cut Lavender from Trader Joe's 

- $3.49 for this huge bunch!

Score - 8!

Just for grins
- and cheap thrills…the rolls are marked down to 29-30 cents each - (oddly one store charged 30 cents)
I checked a few different Hobby Lobby Clearance sections and found these rolls for our initials and for me, my nickname.

No clue what I will do with them now, but I'm sure I will think of something fun later.

For Scrabble aficionados, you already knew the score!
(P-3, G-2, T-1, L-1, E-1)

Thursday Tea Time - Breakfast served all day

This week - Harney & Sons English Breakfast

Pretty tin, too!

Cost:   $2.98 - another clearance tea from Target.  Original price $5.98
Number of teabags:  20
Caffeine:   Yes
Type of tea:    Black tea blend of Ceylon & African teas
Ingredients:   "Hand-plucked black tea leaves carefully blended together"
Steeping time:   5 minutes
Add ins:   Splash of Natural Bliss cream
Fragrance:  Fruity-Smokey
Opinion:    I may just go back and grab another tin!  This is really good.  It feels more fuller-bodied and robust-et than regular tea, without bitterness.   A nice boost of caffeine, too  (40-60mg).  I drank it in the afternoon as a little pick-me-up during a rainstorm.  Perfect!
Rating:  4

Wednesday Work in Progress - Picture Perfect

This is what I worked on…and finished today --

1956 Filter

The original photo was taken in 1956, in black & white!  I added color with Prisma colored pencils to an enlarged photocopy.   I found the 4" x 6" frame at Hobby Lobby.   I think my Mom will be thrilled - she has always carried this same picture in her wallet.   

Here's a link to how I did it - http://thehouseofkent.blogspot.com/2014/03/wednesday-work-in-progress-wintergreend.html

Trader Joe's Five Seed Almond Bars

Yum!  I like to crumble one of these into a cup of yogurt for breakfast, or by itself as a snack.  They are very filing, you couldn't possibly eat more than one at a time.  I thought they tasted like gingerbread!

$3.99 for 8 bars

Calories 110
Calories from Fat 40
Total Fat 4.5 g
Saturated Fat 1.5 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 15 mg
Sodium 105 mg
Total Carbohydrate 16 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 8 g
Protein 2 g
Calcium 20 mg
Iron 0.36 mg

Ingredients:
Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Riboflavin, reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, , Folic Acid), raisin paste, seed mix (flax, sesame, poppy, sunflower, pumpkin), butter (cream [milk], salt), brown sugar, sugar, eggs, oats, honey, almonds, omega 3 refined menhaden fish oil (with tocopherols), baking soda (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate), cinnamon, vanilla extract, cloves.

Upcoming Jo-Ann's Pattern Sales

Independence Sale - June 25/July 5

McCall's patterns - 5 for $7
Vogue patterns - $4.99

July 6/12
Butterick patterns - 5 for $7

July 10/12
Kwik Sew pattern - $6.99

My heart breathes on paper. . .

William Woodsworth

Happy Summer Solstice!

The Summer Solstice is a doorway into the second half of the year, energizing the paths that lead within.  Stand on the threshold and reflect upon your unique journey and focus on what you wish to nurture and develop during coming months as we shift back inward.

(Well said, Yoga Haven!)

All this and a bag of chips. . .

Always the optimist!

A stop at Chipolte for their steak salad (love that salad dressing!) and a bag of chips
after grabbing all the large band-aids I could find at Walgreens
FYI of them all, the Band-Aid Flexible Fabric ones worked the best.
No adhesive sticking to the edges of the boo-boo.

If I had to go splat with a rough landing, at least my acupuncturist/herbalist, Clint McCallum, was nearby.   He put sprinkled some Yunnan Baiyao on my scrapes, and it immediately stopped the bleeding and the pain.  

The palm of my hand healed by the next day, and I should be able to go with just a little bandage on my right knee tonight.  The left knee, which took the brunt of the fall is doing much better, had I not put gauze over it yesterday thinking it would be better than a couple of bandaids.  

Thursday Tea Time - Some like it minty, some like it mate'

This week - Tazo Cocoa Mint Mate'

Cost:   Originally $3.29, clearance priced $2.96 at Target in San Marcos, Texas.  But only that one Target.  The other locations still had the shelf slot for it, albeit empty.  Hmm.

Number of teabags:  16

Caffeine:   Yes 

Type of tea:    Herbal yerba mate

Ingredients:   Cocoa peels, yerba mate, peppermint, honeybush, natural flavors, spearmint, licorice root, vanilla extract

Steeping time:   5 minutes 

Add ins:   Tastes great on its own.

Fragrance:  Chocolate peppermint. 

Opinion:   A smooth, wonderful blend, I love it!  I also love the quote on the box - "Cocoa peel throws a party. Shy peppermint shows up early, hides in the corner. When extroverted spearmint bursts in, licorice root is already making eyes at honeybush. Dark and mysterious, yerba maté arrives in a gourd, speaking softly in that beautiful South American accent."   The yerba mate also gives you a little bit a zip when you are starting to dip, or begin your day.  I hope it is not in the process of being discontinued if only at Target.  Check their clearance end caps and grab one if you find one.  You can buy it at Starbucks online and there's a 10% off your first order promo.  Drugstore. com has it cheaper than Starbucks, with a dollar off if you buy 2.  

Rating:  5

Netflix Stars - The Book Thief

5 stars - Finally.  For me at least.  Hubby thought it was a little too long.  At 131 minutes, it was.   However, it was very easy to get swept into the story and I wasn't even aware of the time.   I expect we will see more of  Sophie Nelisse, who played Liesel.

Netflix Stars - American Hustle

0 stars - This didn't even make it past 30 minutes.  And that's only because I left it on in the background while doing other things and even that became a distraction.  It took too long to try and failed get us hooked.  Can someone please tell me why everyone thought this movie was so great?

Patience

Cupcake Wars

First try - not enough contrast
But I like the salt treatment around the cupcake!

Second try - oomphed it up!
Extra sprinkles!

Chocolate!
I used Cerulean Blue and more salt, but the texture is not as noticeable 

Playing around making birthday cards during a power outage this afternoon.  I couldn't decide which one I liked better, so I will send them both!    Happy Birthday!

Cream & Cream

New addiction - Trader Joe's Blueberries & Cream and Vanilla & Cream yogurts.
Good thing they are packaged together (I can't decide which I like more!), good thing they are small and filling.
Sometimes when you are just too tired of the gelatinous goo of non-fat yogurts and want something a little more satisfying - this is a tasty dietary diversion.  While I'm not too wild about the saturated fat (3.5g)  It makes a perfect dessert or afternoon snack - filling enough to keep you away from other tempting treats weighing in and weighing you in even higher.  And the price?  6 for $2.99!
140 calories, 19g carb, 4g protein, 17g sugar.

Pastels

This past Tuesday I was very fortunate to get a seat in the Pearl Museum Art Workshop "Pastels Explored" with Linda Dellandre.  I have never worked with pastels before.  I had a couple of boxes in my studio, unopened/unused, which I had bought on sale/clearance in hopes of using them someday.  And that day arrived!  Linda explained her techniques very well, including some very good advice I can use with other art mediums -- not being afraid of a variety of colors to obtain the value and creating Notans (here's a good link explaining what Notans are - bonus if you like cats).  I found a sheet of the paper she recommended at Hobby-Lobby ($2.69 before the 40% off coupon!) so I can play and explore with pastels some more.

Update 9-26-14 - At the last minute, I tossed this into my bag and entered it in the Fort Bend County Fair and it won a blue ribbon!

Thursday Tea Time - Match-a Lost

This week:  Jade Monk Matcha Green Tea Powder - "Palau Peach" & "Chai Spice"

Cost:  $7.99 for 6 packets.  I got them on sale at Central Market in Austin for $5.99
Caffeine:   Yes
Type of tea:   Matcha green tea
Ingredients:   Evaporated Cane Sugar, (Chicory) Root Fiber, Japanese Matcha Green Tea, Natural Flavor, Citric Acid, Certified Organic Stevia Extract Powder (Stevia rebaudiana)(leaf), White Tea Extract
Steeping time:   "Shaking time":  2 minutes.  That clump/ball of ingredients took its time dissolving.

completely.
Add ins:   Water
Fragrance:   Peachy and cinnamon/clove
Opinion:   Cool box design, but. . . Ugh, I wanted to like this.  I like matcha green tea and all its antioxidant and other health benefits.  And it is manufactured in Austin, Texas.  I like to support the home team.  I also liked the portability idea.  Both smelled great.  But both tasted just awful.  Especially "Palau Peach."  It was very peachy at first and not sweet (good), but then it had a very strong Stevia? Chicory? aftertaste (bad).  "Chai Spice" was a little bit better, but the cloves overpowered it.  Their website suggested mixing in it other items like milk, ice cream and yogurt.  I'm not even going to bother trying.
Rating:  0

From within

Lettered by Jan designs

Netflix Stars - Identity (and time) Thief

1 star.  Disappointing.  Forewarning you should not have almost two hours of your life stolen watching this.  I saw from the trailers it could be funny, albeit in a dumb way.  But still hopeful with the cast they would be able to take it a notch above.  I was surprised at the crude and cringe-y humor.  The only thing to look forward to is seeing where Melissa McCarthy's real-life husband makes an appearance.  If anything, the opening was a real-life reminder to be careful and on-guard with your personal information.

Good advice!

Netflix Stars - Saving Mr. Banks

3 stars - Emma Thompson's portrayal, while probably accurate, was so irritating, hubby left the room saying he couldn't take it any more.  I was too interested in the back story of her childhood (and hunky Colin Farrell!), so I kept it on in the background while in the kitchen, getting my exercise running back and forth to the living room.  However, it was very informative about the stories behind the stories of both Disney and P. L. Travers.  I celebrated my 5th birthday party when "Mary Poppins" came out and was obviously back then more fascinated by the Penguin Dance.

Netflix Stars - The Monuments Men

2.75 - Despite a stellar ensemble cast (Matt Damon, George Clooney, Bill Murray and John Goodman), I thought this movie was slow and skipped around without going into too much background depth.  Even the history major thought it jumped around and could have been better.  Another case of where the trailer promised more than the movie delivered.

Rescue Me

Good save!

Once again, my iPod Shuffle got wet.
Fortunately on two counts, my Interval waterproof (hmm) case from X-1 Audio was still in the one year warranty (by 15 days, whew!) and they are sending me a replacement.
And this time I put the Shuffle in rice in a metal container (the stainless steel canister for my rice) for three days.  Hubby had heard that putting it in metal container would help it dry out faster.  Worth a try since my first Shuffle could not be revived.  I could still get a light to come on unlike the first time, so there was a smidgen of hope.
Sure enough, it worked!  (After I thwacked it on the counter to dislodge the bits of rice and powder so the charger would fit in all the way).
Lesson learned to err on the side of caution and take out the iPod after each swim.

Greenie I
2010-2013

Thursday Tea Time - Communi-tea

This week - Community Tea

Cost:   $2.99 in grocery stores.  I found this at an Albertson's in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  We used to have Albertsons in Houston, but they left.  I loved their store brand veggie and fruit can labels, so pretty! As all those who know me, I love grocery stores and will grab any chance to wander around the aisles in different places I visit.  I once spent over 3 hours in my hometown grocery store, Wegmans, in Rochester, New York.  They had wine by the glass in their food court, enough said.
Number of teabags:  100, individually wrapped
Caffeine:   Yes
Type of tea:   Black pekoe
Ingredients:   Orange pekoe and black pekoe cut black tea
Steeping time:   3 - 5 minutes
Add ins:   Just a little bit of sugar…and ice!
Fragrance:  Nostalgic.  Brings you back to the first time you had a tea party with your best friend and her grandmother when you were seven years old.
Opinion:   For starters, you can't beat the price!  But for back-to-basics Tea 101, this can't be beat.  Summer is already kicking in, and that means iced tea!  This is a perfect iced tea - crisp, clear, pretty color.  Serve with mint, lemon, sugar, honey agave…or just iced cubes in a glass.
Rating:  5

Against the Back Wall - Near the Party Supplies

I stopped by a Hobby Lobby I hadn't been in before.
I innocently asked a clerk, "Where is your clearance section for art supplies?"

I thought I restrained myself pretty well. 

(The Hello Kitty packaging tape was bonus!)

Upcoming Pattern Sales

Firefly Frenzy - June 8-14

Simplicity - $1.99

June 15-21
McCall's - 5 for $7
Vogue - $4.99

Today's Workout Song

OneRepublic - "Love Runs Out" - 3:44

Great song to run/swim/skate to!