Reverse trick or treating

I just stumbled across this great post at eat.drink.better. about reverse trick or treating. You can sign up with Global Exchange. You have to pay shipping ($4.95), but they send you 20 cards attached to 20 fair trade chocolate minis. Or if you have a large non-profit group/organization, you can sign up to receive up to 300 minis for $7.95 through Equal Exchange.

Reverse trick or treating goes like this. Your child rings the doorbell and hands the person the card with the chocolate. PDF of the card. Some cacao farmers receive maybe $200 a year. And there are often children working under not great working conditions. So many of us work so hard to eat healthy, buy local and organic, or grow our own food. If you are going to hand out candy this year, shouldn't it be fair trade candy?

Okay, I'm off my soapbox now. :) It just seems so logical to me. Or make something to hand out. Or just have a fun Halloween party with your friends/family.

eleanor bean update

I updated the eleanor bean blog. :)

Stuffed shells, pickles, and a side of melancholy

Autumn is fast approaching and with it comes some sadness and canning.

I had a bowl of cucumbers and tomatoes, and I needed to figure out something to do with them. I decided to try some refrigerator pickles. I'll let you all know how they turn out. :) And the tomatoes will be either dried or turned into salsa.

Shortly after my birthday, I posted a list of things that I wanted to try or do differently this year. One of the things was to build up my recipe box/binder/whatever. Last night I made Stuffed Shells. They were very good! I should have cooked the noodles a touch longer, and I needed more sauce. But other than that, they were great.

I made some chicken strips for us the other day for lunch using a Nigella recipe. It was very simple. Soak the chicken strips in buttermilk for 1-2 days, then roll them in crushed Ritz crackers. Then of course you fry them. They were a hit here. :)

I've been feeling disconnected lately. Jimi and I are doing pretty good, but I am really needing some friends here. I love and miss my girlfriends, but they have lives and it's hard to really keep in touch. I find myself feeling left out, which is perfectly normal. I do live 2 hours away. But that feeling, the new gloomy weather, and the start of my period anyday is making for a melancholy girl. I have a playdate on Tuesday planned, and I think Ellie/Max are coming down one morning next week for a bit.

So I am just choosing to kind of wallow a bit in my gloom. I figure it's better to really feel it all and then move through it.

I have a request for you all. Let me know your favorite down in the dumps movie or song.

Four things

Four jobs I've had:

1. Telemarketer for a water softening company
2. Bagger at Lucky's
3. Cleaned and serviced rental equipment (tractors, paint sprayers, etc)
4. Store Manager at Victoria's Secret
   

Four movies I can watch over and over:

1. Old School
2. Can't Buy Me Love
3. Fight Club
4. Wizard of Oz (I don't want to, but I can)

Four places I've lived:

1. San Francisco, CA
2. Portland, OR
3. Manteca, CA
4. Turlock, CA

Four TV shows I love:

1. The L Word
2. LA/Miami Ink
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. Beverly Hills, 90210 (original)

Four places I've vacationed:

1. Grand Canyon
2. Disneyland
3. Santa Barbara, CA
4. Carmel, CA

Four of my favorite dishes:

1. Beef flautas at El Rosal in Modesto, CA
2. Manicotti at Angelini's in Turlock, CA
3. Round Table Pizza
4. Chicken Chow Mein at Chef Lee's in Salinas, CA

Four sites I visit daily:

1. Google Read (to see what blogs have updated)
2. MDC
3. Yahoo Groups
4. Facebook

Four places I would rather be right now:

1. On a warm vacation with Jimi and Eleanor
2. On a warm vacation with my girls
3. Visiting my family in CA
4. Right where I am. :)

Four people I'm tagging:

1. Joi
2. Breana
3. Leah
4. Rebekah
   

Looks I'm liking

I've been looking around a bit to see what kinds of styles pop out at me. Interestingly enough, I used to dress like this when I worked outside the home. Without further ado, these are some styles/pieces I am liking right now.

• The classic long sleeve wrap dress. It's flattering on almost every body type and you can find it in quite a few different fabric choices. This one I found at Banana Republic, but they are everywhere.

• I love love love this box pleated skirt. I think it is so classy and at the same time, HOT. This is from the Gap.

• These are wide leg cuffed trousers from the Gap. I really want some grey pants this fall. I'm not sure about the cuffed hem though. I think the wide leg would be flattering to people like me with hips. :)

• 

• This is a cowl neck tee from the Gap. I like the romantic color and of course the sexy cowl neck. I also like the length of the shirt.

• This is a shirred tie neck tee from the Gap. I think the tie neck and shirring draw the attention up to your face. I like that this tee could be dressed up or down.

• This one is a little funky, but still very cute. I'm not very sure about the peach colored bow. But I would totally wear this. It is hooded, which makes it very casual. So, I could wear this with some leggings, over some jeans, or with tights. This is from Twelve by Twelve by Forever 21.

• Now I don't know if I could pull this one off. But I think I could. I love all of it. I would need a lower more stable heel, but I think this is such a sassy look. This is from Forever 21.

• 

• Ahhh...shoes. I love them. These are from Piperlime and are Wanted in the Scroll style. I wouldn't normally buy a red shoe, but I think they would be very cute with a skirt or some pants. And I love the 40's look.

• These are also at Piperlime. They are Seychelles in the Check's In The Mail style. Again I'm not so sure about the heel, I like a more solid heel. But I like the design, and the t-straps are cute.

• And lastly, some casual shoes by J-41. These are the Cypress style. You could wear these with so many different things. I'm noticing a strappy pattern here with the shoes I've picked out. lol

13 things that I want to try/do this year

Well, since I just had a birthday I am entering into a new year. This is my list of things that I wish to do this year or something I intend to accomplish.

1- Running/exercise: Jimi and I are wanting to run the HTC next year. Even if I don't end up running it, I really am focusing on getting some good running shoes and running! I figure it will be good for me physically and emotionally. I'll get some me time. :)

2- Strengthening my marriage: As we hit 7 years together, there are areas of our marriage that have been neglected. We are really working hard and talking through some rough stuff to get back on track. And I have to say it's already feeling better.

3- New recipes: I didn't say new foods. lol I have the same dinners that I cook over and over again. And that is boring. I want to incorporate one new recipe each week to build my recipe stash.

4-Change up my personal style a bit: I am all about the cargo pants, jeans, and t-shirts. And flip flops. I want to feel more feminine. I've even started wearing mascara! I want to get a few key pieces in my wardrobe and build off that. Then I can get rid of most of my blah clothing.

5-Declutter and simplify: We just have too much stuff. Our house isn't as cluttered as it could be, but we just have too much stuff for my own comfort. We rarely buy Eleanor toys, but somehow she has a bunch. I am going to get rid of most of them, secretly. Same with our clothes. And my fabric and sewing supplies. *gasp*

6- A few special secret things I hope to get to do this year. ;)

7- Less computer time: Another gasp. I just spend too much time on the computer. I need a timer and a limit per day. But I will continue to blog, because I think it is important that I keep writing. This includes co-ops and message boards.

8- Grow my business: I keep procrastinating on this one. I need to make some samples and visit some shops and boutiques. Possibly even hire some local sewing professionals to make my bags. I think it would cost some $$, but they would very well sew faster than me. And they wouldn't have a 3 year old running around either.

9- Hone my sewing skills: I want to take some sewing classes and workshops to learn some new techniques. Get the serger I was gifted with cleaned up and serviced and learn how to use it. I would love to be able to make more of our clothes.

10- Create a schedule for myself: I would like to get Eleanor involved in some fun classes this fall. And to figure out a schedule for what we do each day/week. I think it would help keep me away from the computer and fill her day with more fun. It would also help my sewing to have scheduled time for it.

11- Meet some local moms: I love love love my Portland girls. But sadly I won't be back in Portland until February. So, I really need to bust out of my shell and make some friends. It's going to be a long winter if we have no playdates.

12- Read: I have some great books sitting on my bookshelves. I need some time to read. I love getting lost in a book. I really want to read some of the food/sustainability books too.

13- Be gentle with myself: This sounds pretty simple, right? I have such high expectations of myself, that I often feel as if I'm falling short. I also have a hard time believing I have all of these great qualities that I admire in my close friends. I give myself permission to ask for some reassurance when I need it. And to say thank you when someone is kind to me. Or just thank you for being you. I think we could all stand to hear we are appreciated more. :)

Team Tibette!

I love The L Word. If you know me, this comes as no surprise to you. I started my love affair with the show at the very end of season 4. And I watched it online. Same with season 5. It was kind of a pain, but I powered through out of dedication. Then I discovered that the library had all 4 seasons on DVD. Yay! I bought season 1 and 2 because they were $20 each. I devoured them both and went through seasons 3 and 4 just as quickly. Now when I say devour...I mean that I must watch at least 2 episodes at a time. And it is usually an every night thing.

It had been awhile, so I re-watched seasons 1-4 again. I am in season 4 right now, and I just love it. Even though I think that I can't stand Jenny, she is pretty funny in this season. Such a smart ass bitch. I love it. And I am such a sucker for the long running couples in shows. I think Tina and Bette are such a great couple. Alice was my favorite to start, but I think Bette is a close second.

I am already hetero leaning bi (which shouldn't come as a huge surprise). But I watch this show and I think of how awesome it would be to have this circle of friends...okay hot lesbian friends. lol And I realize that I do have this group of amazing hot friends. Granted we haven't screwed around with each other. But I'd like to think there are some close friendships there. Which is so wonderful. Where is our Planet??

A new roommate!!

Well, kind of. After seeing Breana's sleeping set-up, we decided to rearrange our bedrooms. I put out a notice on Freecycle to see if anyone had an uber clean twin mattress to give away. And that night someone contacted me. Today they came and delivered it to our house. I couldn't wait for Jimi to get home from work so we could start moving around our beds and furniture.

Previously, Eleanor had a queen bed in her room. I slept with her, and Jimi slept in essentially his room on our king bed. This seemed to work fine, but we realized it was causing a real disconnect between J and I. Kind of because of the lack of sex and kind of because we didn't share a space anymore. We decided to get rid of the king bed, and get a twin for E. So now we are on the queen and E's twin is in our room on the opposite wall. There is a little nook that it fits in with her bookcase. We went to the thrift store today and got her a cute Sesame Street flat sheet. She really likes her bed. "It's just right for me!!", she says.

The only downside is that we will have to be more conscious of our *ahem* noise level. ;) But I get to sleep with my guy and my sweet girl is close by if she needs me. I can deal with the being more quiet. Yay for trying new things! Oh, and now her bedroom is a playroom/computer room. Which isn't so bad.

This blogging thing is fun. :)

The heart is still aching to seek...

This is how I am feeling right now. And not even just my heart, but my every fiber is aching to seek. I am teetering between what I have always known and the great unknown. When did it get so hard for me to just jump in? I have always taken the road less traveled. My life is rich with experience and I wouldn't change it. But now I am married and I have a child...and I am feeling a little caged lately. And I am not able to just stuff it down. I never have been able to stuff it down. I have my fear telling me to stay put and my spirit telling me to expand and explore.

I know some of you are wondering what the hell I'm talking about, but a few of you understand. And I think that most of us feel caged sometimes. Even though you may not know exactly what I'm talking about, you can probably relate somehow.

Reluctance by Robert Frost

Out through the fields and the woods
And over the walls I have wended;
I have climbed the hills of view
And looked at the world, and descended;
I have come by the highway home,
And lo, it is ended.

The leaves are all dead on the ground,
Save those that the oak is keeping
To ravel them one by one
And let them go scraping and creeping
Out over the crusted snow,
When others are sleeping.

And the dead leaves lie huddled and still,
No longer blown hither and thither;
The last long aster is gone;
The flowers of the witch-hazel wither;
The heart is still aching to seek,
But the feet question 'Whither?'

Ah, when to the heart of man
Was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things,
To yield with a grace to reason,
And bow and accept the end
Of a love or a season?

For those of you still reading

I think there are maybe 2 people still reading my ramblings. Thanks for sticking by me people!

So, our exodus to Portland has been pushed back to February. I am sad about this, but it isn't an entirely bad thing. J's store is doing so well. Better than anyone expected it to do. For him to walk away right before the holiday season would be crazy. If he stays, he will get a lot of recognition for all of the hard work he has put in. And he will get an awesome trip to Nashville out of it. Can you just picture my tongue in cheek here? (I know a few of you who can. ;)) Okay, back to my sad story.

J would likely get a store closer to where we will be living because of our sticking out the year, and maybe even a promotion in the near future. So really this is a good thing. Even though I will seriously miss my friends and their families. E and I are going to sign up for some fun preschooler classes this fall/winter. And I am determined to get us out of the house for storytimes and playdates.

I will take advantage of my sewing room while I still have it. This will be my sewing winter. How lovely. We are going to convert our bedroom into a sleeping room for all....well just us and E for now. Hardy har har. But all are welcome...okay maybe not all but you know who you are. And E's room will become a play/computer room. I need to sell some things too. The garage is in the process of being tamed. I think this is something that is always in process. Maybe a garage sale is in order? Definitely some Craigslist or Ebay action.

And.....drumroll please.....I am going to blog more. My plan is to start blogging every other day, and then move from there to every day. There is so much awesomeness just floating around my brain that I must put it out there for the world to see. Okay, for the 2 of you still reading to see. And I will be stocking items at my etsy and my Hyena cart too. So be sure to check them out for cool new stuff. :)

Later gators...
D.